Quasi-particle energies and optical excitations of ZnS monolayer honeycomb structure

Highlights: • The electronic and optical properties of ZnS honeycomb sheet are investigated. • The electronic properties were analyzed at three levels of GW approach. • The optical properties of these materials are investigated using the BSE approach. • Optical properties of ZnS sheet strongly dominated by excitonic effects. • Spectrum is dominated by strongly bound Frenkel excitons. - Abstract: Using ab-initio density functional theory calculations combined with many-body perturbation formalism we carried out the electronic structure and optical properties of 2D graphene-like ZnS structure. The electronic properties were analyzed at three levels of many-body GW approach (G₀W₀, GW₀ and GW) constructed over a Generalized Gradient Approximation functional. Our results indicate that ZnS sheet has a direct band gap at the Γ-point. Also it is seen that inclusion of electron–electron interaction does not change the sort of direct semiconducting band gap in ZnS sheet. The optical properties and excitonic effects of these materials are investigated using the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) approach. The formation of first exciton peaks at 3.86, 4.26, and 4.57 eV with large binding energy of 0.36, 0.49 and 0.73 eV using G₀W₀ + BSE, GW₀ + BSE and GW + BSE, respectively, was observed. We show that the optical absorption spectrum of 2D ZnS structure is dominated by strongly bound Frenkel excitons. The enhanced excitonic effects in the ZnS monolayer sheet can be useful in designing optoelectronic applications.