First-Principles Study on the Electronic Structure of Bulk and Single-Layer Boehmite

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) or layered materials have a great potential for applications in energy storage, catalysis, optoelectronics and gas separation. Fabricating novel 2D or quasi-2D layered materials composed of relatively abundant and inexpensive atomic species is an important issue for practical usage in industry. Here, we suggest the layer-structured AlOOH (Boehmite) as a promising candidate for such applications. Boehmite is a well-known layer-structured material and a single-layer can be exfoliated from the bulk boehmite by breaking the interlayer hydrogen bonding. We study atomic and electronic band structures of both bulk and single-layer boehmite, and also obtain the single-layer exfoliation energy using first-principles calculations.