Studying the electronic and phononic structure of penta-graphane

In this paper, we theoretically consider a two dimensional nanomaterial which is a form of hydrogenated penta-graphene; we call it penta-graphane. This structure is obtained by adding hydrogen atoms to the sp² bonded carbon atoms of penta-graphene. We investigate the thermodynamic and mechanical stability of penta-graphane. We also study the electronic and phononic structure of penta-graphane. Firstly, we use density functional theory with the revised Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof approximation to compute the band structure. Then one-shot GW (G₀W₀) approach for estimating accurate band gap is applied. The indirect band gap of penta-graphane is 5.78 eV, which is close to the band gap of diamond. Therefore, this new structure is a good electrical insulator. We also investigate the structural stability of penta-graphane by computing the phonon structure. Finally, we calculate its specific heat capacity from the phonon density of states. Penta-graphane has a high specific heat capacity, and can potentially be used for storing and transferring energy.