Benzene Adsorption on C24, Si@C24, Si-Doped C24, and C20 Fullerenes

Abstract

The absorption feasibility of benzene molecule in the C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, Si-doped C₂₄, and C₂₀ fullerenes has been studied based on calculated electronic properties of these fullerenes using Density functional Theory (DFT). It is found that energy of benzene adsorption on C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, and Si-doped C₂₄ fullerenes were in range of –2.93 and –51.19 kJ/mol with little changes in their electronic structure. The results demonstrated that the C₂₄, Si@C₂₄, and Si-doped C₂₄ fullerenes cannot be employed as a chemical adsorbent or sensor for benzene. Silicon doping cannot significantly modify both the electronic properties and benzene adsorption energy of C₂₄ fullerene. On the other hand, C₂₀ fullerene exhibits a high sensitivity, so that the energy gap of the fullerene is changed almost 89.19% after the adsorption process. We concluded that the C₂₀ fullerene can be employed as a reliable material for benzene detection.