Hydrogen production via solar light-driven water dissociation has been regarded as an artificial and effective process to overcome the environmental problem as well as solving the current energy crisis. In this regard, numerous works have mainly been devoted to developing the appropriate photocatalyst which satisfies the conditions for water splitting and understanding the photocatalysis process. In this study, we propose for the first time the potential application of the two-dimensional Janus aluminum oxysulfide Al₂OS as an efficient photocatalyst material for hydrogen-production H₂ through the first-principles calculations. Janus Al₂OS monolayer has been designed from the parental binary aluminum sulfide AlS by substituting one sub-layer of sulfide atoms (S) to oxygen atoms (O). The electronic properties of the pristine AlS and the derived Janus Al₂OS were computed using GGA-PBE and HSE06 functionals. According to the band structure, AlS monolayer shows a semiconductor behavior with an indirect bandgap of 2.14 eV whereas, the Janus Al₂OS exhibits a direct bandgap of 1.579 eV. Motivated by the desirable bandgap of the Janus Al₂OS, the absorption-coefficient of Janus Al₂OS shows strong visible light harvesting compared to the parental AlS. Furthermore, the photocatalytic performance of Al₂OS has been investigated. Our calculations demonstrate that the band edge position of Al₂OS is suitable for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). More importantly, based on the reaction coordinate, it was found that the Gibbs free-energy ΔG_H^∗ of Al₂OS is 0.97 eV which is smaller than of the two-dimensional Janus Ga₂XY (X, Y = S, Se, Te with X ≠ Y) reported recently. Moreover, this value decreases from 0.97 eV to 0.69 eV under 0.5 V/Å of an external electrical field. Our results indicate that Janus Al₂OS fulfills the fundamental requirements for efficient photo-catalyst under visible light and provides new guidance for hydrogen-production via water splitting.

Two-dimensional materials provide new opportunities for the next generation of effective and ultrathin photovoltaic solar cells. Herein, we propose Janus monolayers of Tin monochalcogenides, especially Janus Sn₂SSe (type TA) and SnGeS₂ (type TB) nanosheets, as strong absorber candidates for solar energy conversion, referring to their excellent electronic and optical properties. Interestingly, based on the first-principles computations, both Janus Sn₂SSe and SnGeS₂ monolayers possess semiconductor character with indirect and moderate band gaps of 1.60 and 1.61eV, respectively. Accordingly, the considered systems, Sn₂SSe and SnGeS₂ single-layers, have high absorption coefficient, reaching up to 49.7 and 62.5μm⁻¹, high optical conductivity of about 4513 and 3559Ω⁻¹cm⁻¹, as well as low reflectivity never exceed 34.6 and 38.5% in visible region, respectively. Additionally, the maximum photovoltaic efficiency of single-junction solar cells based on SnGeS₂ and Sn₂SSe nanosheets can reach as high as 27.47% and 28.12%, respectively. The present outstanding results would motivate both theoretical and experimental researchers to deepen the study of the potential applications of two-dimensional Janus materials based on Tin monochalcogenides in solar cell technology.

During the last decade, Inorganic Halide Double Perovskite materials have attracted widespread interest as a promising eco-friendly and non-toxic alternative to lead based hybrid halide organic–inorganic perovskites materials, with outstanding Stability, Structural and electronic properties. In this study, First-Principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the structural, stability, electronic and optical properties of the transition metal-based double perovskites materials Cs₂InGaX₆ (X = Cl, Br, or I). Our results reveal that all these materials exhibit excellent thermodynamic and structural stability owing to their negative formation energies and Goldsmith's factors. It is also observed that Cs₂InGaCl₆, Cs₂InGaBr₆, and Cs₂InGaI₆ materials exhibit band gaps calculated by different functional (GGA-PBE and TB-mpj) in visible-range between 0.89 and 3.24 eV. Furthermore, the computed optical properties reveal strong absorption in UV, visible, and IR range with high optical conductivity and low reflectivity. These obtained results predict that the three transition metal-based double perovskites materials carries promising application in nano-electronic and optoelectronic device applications and can be considered as photovoltaic absorber materials.

The massive consumption of traditional fossil fuel like oil, coal and natural gas has led to serious environmental issues, which drove the search for cleaner renewable energy sources. One such option is photocatalytic water splitting that has attracted much attention as a viable process for the large scale production of hydrogen as a renewable fuel. Within this perspective, we methodically studied the structural, optoelectronic, and photocatalytic properties of two-dimensional aluminum monochalcogenide monolayers with the chemical formula AlX (X = O, S, Se, and Te) based on the framework of Density Functional Theory (DFT). All considered structures are full relaxed and their thermodynamic stabilities are confirmed by computing the phonon spectrum and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The electronic characteristics are also performed on the basis of both exchange correlation functional GGA-PBE and HSE06 in order to obtain the accurate electronic band gap. According to our calculations, all the four monolayers posses indirect band gaps ranging between 1.937 and 2.46 eV. Furthermore, based on desirable electronic band gaps, the optical performance features were further explored including complex refractive index, absorption coefficient and energy loss function by means of the complex dielectric function. It is found that all the four materials present a high absorption coefficient in the visible and Ultra-Violet regions. Finally, the band edge positions of our monolayers straddle the reduction potential of H₂ and the oxidation potential H₂O. Also, it was found that the Gibbs free energy of 2D AlO monolayer is 0.02 eV at certain applied external electric field and very close to ideal catalysts which suggest that the AlO monolayer is better candidate for hydrogen production. Our findings demonstrate that AlX monolayers are suitable materials for optoelectronics and hydrogen production via photocatalytic water splitting.