Investigation of Electric Field Tunable Optical and Electrical Characteristics of Zigzag and Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons: An Ab Initio Approach

Abstract

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), categorized into zigzag and armchair types, hold significant promise in electronics due to their unique properties. In this study, optical properties of zigzag and armchair GNRs are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) in conjunction with Kubo–Greenwood formalism. Our findings reveal that optical characteristics of both GNR types can be extensively modulated through the application of a transverse electric field, e.g., the refractive index of the a zigzag GNR is shown to vary in the range of n = 0.3 and n = 9.9 for the transverse electric field values between 0 V/Å and 10 V/Å. Additionally, electrical transmission spectra and the electrical conductivities of the GNRs are studied using DFT combined with non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism, again uncovering a strong dependence on the transverse electric field. For example, the conductance of the armchair GNR is shown to vary in the range of G = 6 μA/V and G = 201 μA/V by the transverse electric field. These results demonstrate the potential of GNRs for use in electronically controlled optoelectronic devices, promising a broad range of applications in advanced electronic systems.