First principle calculations of Janus 2D-TiSSe as an anodic electrode in batteries of lithium, sodium, and magnesium ions

Context

In recent years, rechargeable batteries have received considerable attention as a way to improve energy storage efficiency. Anodic (negative) electrodes based on Janus two-dimensional (2D) monolayers are among the most promising candidates. In this effort, the adsorption and diffusion of these Li, Na, and Mg ions on and through Janus 2D-TiSSe as anodic material was investigated by means of periodic DFT-D₃ calculations. Electrochemical parameters were computed and compared. The diffusion barrier energies for migration of ions in monolayer TiSSe in three different potential directions were determined. Furthermore, the electronic properties and Mulliken charge analysis and plots of CDD were employed to investigate the interaction between ions and their surrounding surface. Our results show that the adsorption ability of TiSSe surface up to 32 metal ions falls in the following order: Li⁺  > Na⁺  > Mg²⁺. The maximum storage capacity is 337.37 mAh/g for Li/Na ion and 674.75 mAh/g for Mg ion. The average open-circuit voltage is 1.39, 0.93, and 0.73 V for Li, Na, and Mg ions, respectively. Lastly, the minimum diffusion barriers follow the order Li⁺  < Na⁺  < Mg²⁺. The structural, energetic, and thermal stability of clean Janus surface and its saturated adsorbed systems was proved by MD simulations. In addition, we compared the obtained electrochemical parameters to those reported by other researchers. This comprehensive approach demonstrates valuable insights, furthering our understanding of TiSSe’s behavior and its suitability for use in MIBs.

Methods

DFT calculations were applied with projector augmented plane waves (PAWs)/PBE functional. A two-dimensional (2D) monolayer TiSSe surface was built with a 4 × 4 supercell. The energy cutoff of plane waves was set to 400 eV. The DFT–D3 model has been used to incorporate van der Waals interactions. A geometric relaxation process was conducted using Monhkorst-Pack 8 × 8 × 1 in reciprocal space. The relaxation and electronic calculations were carried out using the Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP). Using the transition state (TS) search algorithm implemented in the Dmol³ module, linear synchronous transition and quadratic synchronous transit tools were utilized to find the minimum energy paths.