Abstract: The limitation in time and length scale is a major issue of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Although several methods have been developed to extend the MD time scale, their performance usually deteriorates with increasing system size. Therefore, an acceleration method which is applicable to large systems is required to bridge the gap between the MD simulations and target phenomena. In this study, an accelerated MD method for large system is developed based on the collective variable-driven hyperdynamics (CVHD) method [K.M. Bal and E.C. Neyts, 2015]. The key idea is to run CVHD in parallel with rate control and accelerate multiple possible events simultaneously. Using this novel method, carbon diffusion in bcc-iron bicrystal with grain boundary is examined as an application for practical materials. Carbon atoms reaching at the grain boundary are trapped whereas carbon atoms in the bulk region diffuse randomly, and both dynamic regimes can be simultaneously accelerated with the parallel CVHD technique.

Abstract: Oxocarbons, known for over two centuries, have recently revealed a long-awaited facet: two-dimensional crystalline structures. Employing an intelligent global optimization algorithm (IGOA) alongside densityfunctional calculations, we unearthed a quasi -flat oxocarbon (C 6 0 6 ), featuring an oxygen -decorated hole, and a novel 3D-borocarbon. Comparative analyses with recently synthesized isostructures, such as 2D -porous carbon nitride (C 6 N 6 ) and 2D -porous boroxine (B 6 0 6 ), highlight the unique attributes of these compounds. All structures share a common stoichiometry of X 6 Y 6 (which we call COF-66), where X = B, C, and Y = B, N, O (with X not equal Y), exhibiting a 2D -crystalline structure, except for borocarbon C 6 B 6 , which forms a 3D crystal. In our comprehensive study, we conducted a detailed exploration of the electronic structure of X 6 Y 6 compounds, scrutinizing their thermodynamic properties and systematically evaluating phonon stability criteria. With expansive surface areas, diverse pore sizes, biocompatibility, pi-conjugation, and distinctive photoelectric properties, these structures, belonging to the covalent organic framework (COF) family, present enticing prospects for fundamental research and hold potential for biosensing applications.

Abstract: In this paper we study LaAlO3/Eu1-xLaxTiO3/SrTiO3 structures with nominally x = 0, 0.1 and different thicknesses of the Eu1-xLaxTiO3 layer. We observe that both systems have many properties similar to previously studied LaAlO3/EuTiO3/SrTiO3 and other oxide interfaces, such as the formation of a two-dimensional electron liquid for two unit cells of Eu1-xLaxTiO3; a metal-insulator transition driven by the increase in thickness of the Eu1-xLaxTiO3 layer; the presence of an anomalous Hall effect when driving the systems above the Lifshitz point with a back-gate voltage; and a minimum in the temperature dependence of the sheet resistance below the Lifshitz point in the one-band regime, which becomes more pronounced with increasing negative gate voltage. However, and notwithstanding the likely presence of magnetism in the system, we do not attribute that minimum to the Kondo effect, but rather to the properties of the SrTiO3 crystal and the inevitable effects of charge trapping when using back gates.

Abstract: Two-dimensional heterostructures are an emerging class of materials for novel applications because of extensive engineering potential by tailoring intriguing properties of different layers as well as the ones arising from their interface. A systematic investigation of mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of possible heterostructures formed by bilayer structures graphenelike ZnO and MgO monolayers is presented. Different functionality of each layer makes these heterostructures very appealing for device applications. ZnO layer is convenient for electron transport in these structures, while MgO layer improves electron collection. At the outset, all of the four possible stacking configurations across the heterostructure are mechanically stable. In addition, stability analysis using phonon dispersion reveals that the AB stacking formed by placing the Mg atom on top of the O atom of the ZnO layer is also dynamically stable at zero temperature. Henceforth, we have investigated the optical properties of these stable heterostructures by applying many-body perturbation theory within the framework of GW approximation and solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation. It is demonstrated that strong excitonic effects reduce the optical band gap to the visible light spectrum range. These results show that this new two-dimensional form of ZnO/MgO heterostructures open an avenue for novel optoelectronic device applications.

Abstract: We report charge transfer up to a single electron per interfacial unit cell across nonpolar heterointerfaces from the Mott insulator LaTiO3 to the charge transfer insulator LaCoO3. In high-quality bi- and trilayer systems grown using pulsed laser deposition, soft x-ray absorption, dichroism, and scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy are used to probe the cobalt-3d electron count and provide an element-specific investigation of the magnetic properties. The experiments show the cobalt valence conversion is active within 3 unit cells of the heterointerface, and able to generate full conversion to 3d7 divalent Co, which displays a paramagnetic ground state. The number of LaTiO3/LaCoO3 interfaces, the thickness of an additional, electronically insulating “break” layer between the LaTiO3 and LaCoO3, and the LaCoO3 film thickness itself in trilayers provide a trio of control knobs for average charge of the cobalt ions in LaCoO3, illustrating the efficacy of O−2p band alignment as a guiding principle for property design in complex oxide heterointerfaces.

Abstract: The wide measured range of thermal conductivities (k) for monolayer MoS2 and the corresponding incongruent calculated values in the literature all suggest that extrinsic defect thermal resistance is significant and varied in synthesized samples of this material. Here we present defect-mediated thermal transport calculations of MoS2 using interatomic forces derived from density functional theory combined with Green's function methods to describe phonon-point-defect interactions and a Peierls-Boltzmann formalism for transport. Conductivity calculations for bulk and monolayer MoS2 using different density functional formalisms are compared. Nonperturbative first-principles methods are used to describe defect-mediated spectral functions, scattering rates, and phonon k, particularly from sulfur vacancies (VS), and in the context of the plethora of measured and calculated literature values. We find that k of monolayer MoS2 is sensitive to phonon-VS scattering in the range of experimentally observed densities, and that first-principles k calculations using these densities can explain the range of measured values found in the literature. Furthermore, measured k values for bulk MoS2 are more consistent because VS defects are not as prevalent.

Abstract: Motivated by the potential of atomically thin magnets towards achieving tunable high-frequency magnonics, we detail the spin-wave dispersion of bilayer CrI3. We demonstrate that the magnonic behavior of the bilayer strongly depends on its stacking configuration and the interlayer magnetic ordering, where a topological band gap opens in the dispersion caused by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and Kitaev interactions, classifying bilayer CrI3 as a topological magnon insulator. We further reveal that both the size and the topology of the band gap in a CrI3 bilayer with an antiferromagnetic interlayer ordering are tunable by an external magnetic field.

Abstract: Research efforts on the description of the low-temperature magnetic order and electronic properties of U3O8 have been inconclusive so far. Reinterpreting neutron scattering results, we use group representation theory to show that the ground state presents collinear out-of-plane magnetic moments, with antiferromagnetic coupling both in-layer and between layers. Charge order relieves the initial geometric frustration, generating a slightly distorted honeycomb sublattice with Néel-type order. The precise knowledge of the characteristics of this magnetic ground state is then used to explain the fine features of the band gap. In this system, spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is of critical importance, as it strongly affects the electronic structure, narrowing the gap by ∼38%, compared to calculations neglecting SOC. The predicted electronic structure actually explains the salient features of recent optical absorption measurements, further demonstrating the excellent agreement between the calculated ground state properties and experiment.

Abstract: The vibrational properties of 2H-TaSe_2-xS_x (0≤x≤2) single crystals were probed using Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The end members revealed two out of four symmetry-predicted Raman active modes, together with the pronounced two-phonon structure, attributable to the enhanced electron-phonon coupling. Additional peaks become observable due to crystallographic disorder for the doped samples. The evolution of the E₂g² mode Fano parameter reveals that the disorder has a weak impact on electron-phonon coupling, which is also supported by the persistence of two-phonon structure in doped samples. As such, this research provides thorough insights into the lattice properties, the effects of crystallographic disorder on Raman spectra, and the interplay of this disorder with the electron-phonon coupling in 2H-TaSe_2-xS_x compounds.

Abstract: In this study, we applied cluster beam deposition (CBD) as a new approach for fabricating efficient plasmon-based photocatalytic materials. Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) produced in the gas phase were deposited on TiO2 P25-coated silicon wafers with coverage ranging from 2 to 8 atomic monolayer (ML) equivalents. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of the AuNCs modified TiO2 P25 films show that the surface is uniformly covered by the AuNCs that remain isolated at low coverage (2 ML, 4 ML) and aggregate at higher coverage (8 ML). A clear relationship between AuNCs coverage and photocatalytic activity towards stearic acid photo-oxidation was measured, both under ultraviolet and green light illumination. TiO2 P25 covered with 4 ML AuNCs showed the best stearic acid photo-oxidation performance under green light illumination (Formal Quantum Efficiency 1.6 x 10-6 over a period of 93 h). These results demonstrate the large potential of gas-phase AuNCs beam deposition technology for the fabrication of visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts.

Abstract: To obtain a nanocrystalline SnO2 matrix and mono- and bimetallic nanocomposites SnO2/Pd, SnO2/Pt, and SnO2/PtPd, a flame spray pyrolysis with subsequent impregnation was used. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), a single-point BET method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping. The electronic state of the metals in mono- and bimetallic clusters was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The active surface sites were investigated using the Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermo-programmed reduction with hydrogen (TPR-H-2) methods. The sensor response of blank SnO2 and nanocomposites had a carbon monoxide (CO) level of 6.7 ppm and was determined in the temperature range 60-300 degrees C in dry (Relative Humidity (RH) = 0%) and humid (RH = 20%) air. The sensor properties of the mono- and bimetallic nanocomposites were analyzed on the basis of information on the electronic state, the distribution of modifiers in SnO2 matrix, and active surface centers. For SnO2/PtPd, the combined effect of the modifiers on the electrophysical properties of SnO2 explained the inversion of sensor response from n- to p-types observed in dry conditions.

Abstract: To broaden the activity window of TiO2, a broadband plasmonic photocatalyst has been designed and optimized. This plasmonic ‘rainbow’ photocatalyst consists of TiO2 modified with gold–silver composite nanoparticles of various sizes and compositions, thus inducing a broadband interaction with polychromatic solar light. However, these nanoparticles are inherently unstable, especially due to the use of silver. Hence, in this study the application of the layer-by-layer technique is introduced to create a protective polymer shell around the metal cores with a very high degree of control. Various TiO2 species (pure anatase, PC500, and P25) were loaded with different plasmonic metal loadings (0–2 wt %) in order to identify the most solar active composite materials. The prepared plasmonic photocatalysts were tested towards stearic acid degradation under simulated sunlight. From all materials tested, P25 + 2 wt % of plasmonic ‘rainbow’ nanoparticles proved to be the most promising (56% more efficient compared to pristine P25) and was also identified as the most cost-effective. Further, 2 wt % of layer-by-layer-stabilized ‘rainbow’ nanoparticles were loaded on P25. These layer-by-layer-stabilized metals showed superior stability under a heated oxidative atmosphere, as well as in a salt solution. Finally, the activity of the composite was almost completely retained after 1 month of aging, while the nonstabilized equivalent lost 34% of its initial activity. This work shows for the first time the synergetic application of a plasmonic ‘rainbow’ concept and the layer-by-layer stabilization technique, resulting in a promising solar active, and long-term stable photocatalyst.

Abstract: Immobilization of two single transition metal (TM) atoms on a substrate host opens numerous possibilities for catalyst design. If the substrate contains more than one vacancy site, the combination of TMs along with their distribution patterns becomes a design parameter potentially complementary to the substrate itself and the bi-metal composition. By means of DFT calculations, we modeled three dissimilar bi-metal atoms (Ti, Mn, and Cu) doped into the six porphyrin-like cavities of porous C24N24 fullerene, considering different bi-metal distribution patterns for each binary complex, viz. TixCuz@C24N24, TixMny@C24N24, and MnyCuz@C24N24 (with x, y, z = 0-6). We elucidate whether controlling the distribution of bi-metal atoms into the C24N24 cavities can alter their catalytic activity toward CO2, NO2, H-2, and N-2 gas capture. Interestingly, Ti2Mn4@C24N24 and Ti2Cu4@C24N24 complexes showed the highest activity and selectively toward gas capture. Our findings provide useful information for further design of novel few-atom carbon-nitride-based catalysts.

Abstract: Periodic mesoporous organosilicas provide the best of two worlds: the strength and porosity of an inorganic framework combined with the infinite possibilities created by the organic bridging unit. In this work we focus on post-synthetical modification of benzene bridged PMO, in order to create bromobenzene PMO. In the past, this proved to be very challenging due to unwanted structural deterioration. However, now we have found a way to brominate this material whilst keeping the structure intact. In-depth structural analysis by solid state NMR and XPS shows both vast progress over previous attempts as well as potential for improvement.