In this study, density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the geometric structures, thermodynamic and mechanical stabilities, electronic, and optical properties of two BC 2 N monolayers with honeycomb structure. The computational results demonstrate that the BC 2 N monolayers have not only visible-light absorption, but also high reducing capacity of photo-induced electrons and excellent carrier mobility. Also, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with considering the O 2 and H 2 O molecule were carried out, which suggest that the crystal structures of both BC 2 N monolayers can be well maintained in the moisture-laden air filled with O 2 molecules at 800 K. Accordingly, these BC 2 N monolayers with promising photoelectronic characteristics and environmental stability could be utilized as metal-free visible-light-driven photocatalysts in high-temperature environment with moisture and oxygen, which is worthy of being further investigated in experimental and theoretical studies.absorption, carrier mobility, environmental stability, photocatalyst, thermodynamic stability
| INTRODUCTIONSince the discovery of photocatalysts, a great deal of studies has been performed to investigate the electronic and structural properties of these materials. Visible-light-driven photocatalysts are an attractive research topic in the fields of pollution removal and fuel production, because of the potential to employ sunlight to promote reactions under very mild conditions. Sparked by the discovery of graphene, massive two-dimensional (2D) materials possessing sheet like structures with only single-atom or few-atom thickness have been experimentally realized and applied in varieties of applications, among which a great deal of success have been achieved in 2D photocatalysts. [1] When 2D materials are used as photocatalysts, they have several inherent advantages in improving photocatalytic efficiency. The advantages include such aspects: reduced migration distance and promoted separation of photo-activated e − -h + pairs, the high specific surface area for light absorption, conveniently regulable electronic and optical properties. [2][3][4][5] Up to present, there are numerous strategies to obtain 2D photocatalysts, among which two methods are usually used to gain graphene-like or graphene based photocatalysts. The first one is to select 2D semiconductors with appropriate optoelectronic properties, such as phosphorene, g-C 3 N 4 , MoS 2 , and WS 2 monolayers. [6,7] For instance, Wang et al. demonstrate that ultrathin black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets exhibit an exotic, excitation-energy-dependent, optical switching effect in photocatalytic reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. [8] Their work not only establishes an in-depth understanding on the influence of many-body effects on photocatalysis, but also paves the way for optimizing catalytic performances via controllable photoexcitation. The other strategy to achieve 2D photocatalytic materials is based on graphene materials, including graphene doped by met...