Tuning the electro-optical properties of germanene nanoribbons by boron atom substitution for application in information transmission

Germanene nanoribbons, a one-dimensional material, have great potential for future technological applications. This research aims to investigate the electro-optical properties of boron-doped germanene nanoribbons with a width of five atoms. The theory used in this study is density functional theory (DFT). The original system is a narrow band gap semiconductor, with a gap size of 0.06$$eV. The doped configurations, which retain the honeycomb hexagonal structure, are stable and metallic in nature. The introduction of B atoms flattens the configuration, leading to a partial charge shift from Ge to B. The absorption peaks in the 3B and 5B configurations occur in the frequency range less than 500$$nm, indicating good absorption of visible light, and suggesting possible applications in light-sensitive components. Notably, the real part of the dielectric function’s 0z component is negative, offering immense potential for optical, microwave and communication applications.