A DFT study on enhanced adsorption of H2 on Be-decorated porous graphene nanosheet and the effects of applied electrical fields

The adsorption of the hydrogen molecule on the pure porous graphene nanosheet (P-G) or the one decorated with Be atom (Be-G) was investigated by the first-principle DFT calculations. The Be atom was adsorbed on the P-G with a binding energy of ?1.287 eV to successfully establish the reasonable Be-G. The P-G was a poor substrate to interact weakly with the H₂, whereas the Be-G showed a high affinity to the adsorbed H₂ with an enhanced adsorption energy and transferred electrons of ?0.741 eV and 0.11 e, respectively. A molecular dynamics simulation showed that the H₂ could also be adsorbed on the Be-G at room temperature with a reasonable adsorption energy of ?0.707 eV. The interaction between the adsorbed H₂ and the Be-G was further enhanced with the external electrical fields. The applied electrical field of ?0.4 V/Å was found to be the most effective to enhance the adsorption of H₂ on the Be-G with the modified adsorption energy and the improved transferred electrons being ?0.708 eV and 0.17 e, respectively. Our study shows that the Be-G is a promising substrate to interact strongly with the H₂ and could be applied as a high-performance hydrogen gas sensor, especially under the external electrical field.