DFT Insights into the Adsorption Mechanisms and Electronic Modulation of α-Phographene Toward Metal and Molecular Species: From Physisorption to Quasi Covalent Binding
摘要
This study presents a comprehensive density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the adsorption behavior of α-phographene (PGP) toward a range of atomic and molecular species including Cu(0), Cu(I), Ga(0), Ge(0), Se(0), Zn(0), Zn(II), and AsH₃. Stepwise optimizations at the B3LYP-D3/6-311G(d, p) level were performed to explore structural, electronic, and topological features governing the adsorption mechanisms. Geometrical parameters, adsorption energies, charge transfer indices (Mulliken and GEDT), and recovery times collectively reveal that the PGP–adsorbate interactions span from weak physisorption (AsH3, Zn(0)) to strong, quasi-irreversible chemisorption (Zn(II), Cu species). Frontier orbital, PDOS, ELF/LOL, RDG/NCI, and BCP analyses consistently indicate that adsorption strength and conductivity modulation scale with the degree of orbital overlap and charge delocalization at the interface. Among all examined systems, Cu(0)/Cu(I) complexes exhibit balanced covalency and reversibility, while Zn(II) produces the largest electronic perturbation and conductivity enhancement. These findings establish PGP as a tunable two-dimensional platform capable of selective binding and electronic sensing, where the oxidation state and softness of the adsorbate determine the extent of charge transfer, structural deformation, and signal response.