Eur. Phys. J. B (2021) 94: 185
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-021-00188-7

Regular Article - Solid State and Materials

Enhancement of optoelectronic properties of layered MgIn${}_2$Se${}_4$ compound under uniaxial strain, an ab initio study

¹ Laboratory of Materials Discovery, Unit of Research Materials and Renewable Energies, LEPM-URMER, University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen, Algeria
² Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, Université de Tlemcen, 13000, Tlemcen, Algeria

^b tarik_ouahrani@yahoo.fr

Received: 11 May 2021
Accepted: 19 August 2021
Published online: 22 September 2021

Abstract

We argue that tuning the structure of a semiconductor offers abundant scope for use in a number of applications. In this work, by means of comprehensive density functional theory computations, we demonstrated that layered MgIn${}_2$Se${}_4$ could be a promising candidate for future electronic and optoelectronic technologies. To do this task, we have applied a uniaxial strain in the z-direction. The results show that MgIn${}_2$Se${}_4$ can support only a $-2.5\%$ of deformation without losing its dynamical stability. However, we showed that the effect of strain strongly affects the bonding pattern, which tends to increase the bandgap value. Both the charge density and noncovalent interactions were analyzed to understand this behavior. In addition, we saw that the application of non-hydrostatic pressure also enhanced the photocatalytic/optoelectronic performance of the investigated material, offering useful insights into layered MgIn${}_2$Se${}_4$ for future development in this area.