Abstract: In this paper, we report on the electronic transport properties of mesoscopic, ultrathin graphite flakes with a thickness corresponding to a stack of 150 graphene layers. The graphite flakes show an unexpectedly strong positive magnetoresistance (PMR) already at room temperature, which scales in good approximation with the square of the magnetic field. Furthermore, we show that the resistivity is unaffected by magnetic fields oriented in plane with the graphene layers. Hall effect measurements indicate that the charge carriers are p-type and their concentration increases with increasing temperature while the mobility is decreasing. The Hall voltage is non-linear in higher magnetic fields. Possible origins of the observed effects are discussed. Ball and stick model of the two topmost carbon layers of the hexagonal graphite structure.

Abstract: We have used first-principles calculations based on density functional theory to study point defects in CdO within the local density approximation and beyond (LDA+U). Hydrogen interstitials and oxygen vacancies are found to act as shallow donors and can be interpreted as the cause of conductivity in CdO. Hydrogen can also occupy an oxygen vacancy in its substitutional form and also acts as a shallow donor. Similar to what was found for ZnO and MgO, hydrogen creates a multicenter bond with its six oxygen neighbors in CdO. The charge neutrality level for native defects and hydrogen impurities has been calculated. It is shown that in the case of native defects, it is not uniquely defined. Indeed, this level depends highly on the chemical potentials of the species and one can obtain different values for different end states in the experiment. Therefore, a comparison with experiment can only be made if the chemical potentials of the species in the experiment are well defined. However, for the hydrogen interstitial defect, since this level is independent of the chemical potential of hydrogen, one can obtain a unique value for the charge neutrality level. We find that the Fermi level stabilizes at 0.43 eV above the conduction band minimum in the case of the hydrogen interstitial defect, which is in good agreement with the experimentally reported value of 0.4 eV.

Abstract: Being the working principle of a tunnel field-effect transistor, band-to-band tunneling is given a rigorous quantum mechanical treatment to incorporate confinement effects, multiple electron and hole valleys, and interactions with phonons. The model reveals that the strong band bending near the gate dielectric, required to create short tunnel paths, results in quantization of the energy bands. Comparison with semiclassical models reveals a big shift in the onset of tunneling. The effective mass difference of the distinct valleys is found to reduce the subthreshold swing steepness.

Abstract: We present energy calculations of a C80 molecule with D5d symmetry encapsulated in a carbon nanotube. The approximation of a continuous tube rather than a rolled-up graphene sheet, justified by comparison with atomistic calculations, allows an expansion of the energy field into symmetry-adapted rotator functions. For a given tube radius R, we observe a strong dependence of the interaction energy on the molecular tilt angle and on the molecules lateral position in the tube. We observe a transition from on-axis lying orientations to tilted orientations at R1≈6.95 Å and a subsequent transition to standing orientations at R2≈7.6 Å. For tube radii larger than R3≈8.0 Å, the molecule starts to occupy off-axis positions and assumes a lying orientation. Results are compared to the case of C70 molecules, with D5h symmetry. Our findings are consistent with recent high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements and are relevant for the design of new materials with tunable electronic properties.

Abstract: We study the electronic structure of diluted F atoms chemisorbed on graphene using density functional theory calculations. We show that the nature of the chemical bonding of a F atom adsorbed on top of a C atom in graphene strongly depends on carrier doping. In neutral samples the F impurities induce a sp(3)-like bonding of the C atom below, generating a local distortion of the hexagonal lattice. As the graphene is electron-doped, the C atom retracts back to the graphene plane and for high doping (10(14) cm(-2)) its electronic structure corresponds to a nearly pure sp(2) configuration. We interpret this sp(3)-sp(2) doping-induced crossover in terms of a simple tight-binding model and discuss the physical consequences of this change.

Abstract: The vortex-vortex interaction potential in bulk superconductors is calculated within the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory and is obtained from a numerical solution of a set of two coupled nonlinear GL differential equations for the vector potential and the superconducting order parameter, where the merger of vortices into a giant vortex is allowed. Further, the interaction potentials between a vortex and a giant vortex and between a vortex and an antivortex are obtained for both type-I and type-II superconductors. Our numerical results agree asymptotically with the analytical expressions for large intervortex separations that are available in the literature. We propose empirical expressions valid over the full interaction range, which are fitted to our numerical data for different values of the GL parameter.

Abstract: Taking into account covalent, Coulomb and van der Waals interactions, we construct the dynamical matrix and calculate the phonon dispersion relations for multilayer crystals of hexagonal boron-nitride. Coulomb interactions account for a strong overbending of optical phonons. Applying and extending Born's long-wave theory to the case of multilayer crystals, we calculate the piezoelectric stress constant equation image as a function of the number of layers equation image. In agreement with group theory, we find that equation image for equation image even; for an uneven number equation image of layers we obtain equation image, i.e. the piezoelectric constant decreases as equation image.

Abstract: We investigate the dynamics of a charged particle moving in a graphene layer and in a two-dimensional electron gas, where it obeys the Dirac and the Schrödinger equations, respectively. The charge carriers are described as Gaussian wavepackets. The dynamics of the wavepackets is studied numerically by solving both quantum-mechanical and relativistic equations of motion. The scattering of such wavepackets by step-like magnetic and potential barriers is analysed for different values of wavepacket energy and width. We find: (1) that the average position of the wavepacket does not coincide with the classical trajectory, and (2) that, for slanted incidence, the path of the centre of mass of the wavepacket does not have to penetrate the barrier during the scattering process. Trembling motion of the charged particle in graphene is observed in the absence of an external magnetic field and can be enhanced by a substrate-induced mass term.

Abstract: Chemisorption of hydrogen on graphene is studied using atomistic simulations with the second generation of reactive empirical bond order Brenner inter-atomic potential. The lowest energy adsorption sites and the most important metastable sites are determined. The H concentration is varied from a single H atom, to clusters of H atoms up to full coverage. We found that when two or more H atoms are present, the most stable configurations of H chemisorption on a single graphene layer are ortho hydrogen pairs adsorbed on one side or on both sides of the graphene sheet. The latter has the highest hydrogen binding energy. The next stable configuration is the orthopara pair combination, and then para hydrogen pairs. The structural changes of graphene caused by chemisorbed hydrogen are discussed and are compared with existing experimental data and other theoretical calculations. The obtained results will be useful for nanoengineering of graphene by hydrogenation and for hydrogen storage.

Abstract: The alloy Ti6Al4V is known to be prone to the formation of adiabatic shear bands when dynamically loaded in shear. This causes a catastrophic decrease of the load carrying capacity and is usually followed by fracture. Although, the main mechanism is recognized to be the competition between strain hardening and thermal softening, a detailed understanding of the role of microstructural plasticity mechanisms and macroscopic loading conditions does not exist yet. To study strain localization and shear fracture, different high strain rate shear tests have been carried out: compression of hat-shaped specimens, torsion of thin walled tubular specimens and in-plane shear tests. The value of the three techniques in studying shear localization is evaluated. Post-mortem analysis of the fracture surface and the materials' microstructure is performed with optical and electron microscopy. In all cases a ductile fracture is observed. SEM and TEM techniques are used to study the local microstructure and composition in the shear band and as such the driving mechanism for the ASB formation. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of ICM11

Abstract: We demonstrate for the first time a possibility to vary the anion content in perovskites over a wide range through a long-range-ordered arrangement of crystallographic shear (CS) planes. Anion-deficient perovskites (Pb,Bi)1−xFe1+xO3−y with incommensurately modulated structures were prepared as single phases in the compositional range from Pb0.857Bi0.094Fe1.049O2.572 to Pb0.409Bi0.567Fe1.025O2.796. Using a combination of electron diffraction and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, we constructed a superspace model describing a periodic arrangement of the CS planes. The model was verified by refinement of the Pb0.64Bi0.32Fe1.04O2.675 crystal structure from neutron powder diffraction data ((3 + 1)D S.G. X2/m(α0γ), X = [1/2,1/2,1/2,1/2], a = 3.9082(1) Å, b = 3.90333(8) Å, c = 4.0900(1) Å, β = 91.936(2)°, q = 0.05013(4)a* + 0.09170(3)c* at T = 700 K, RP = 0.036, RwP = 0.048). The (Pb,Bi)1−xFe1+xO3−y structures consist of perovskite blocks separated by CS planes confined to nearly the (509)p perovskite plane. Along the CS planes, the perovskite blocks are shifted with respect to each other over the 1/2[110]p vector that transforms the corner-sharing connectivity of the FeO6 octahedra in the perovskite framework to an edge-sharing connectivity of the FeO5 pyramids at the CS plane, thus reducing the oxygen content. Variation of the chemical composition in the (Pb,Bi)1−xFe1+xO3−y series occurs mainly because of a changing thickness of the perovskite block between the interfaces, that can be expressed through the components of the q vector as Pb6γ+2αBi1−7γ−αFe1+γ−αO3−3γ−α. The Pb, Bi, and Fe atoms are subjected to strong displacements occurring in antiparallel directions on both sides of the perovskite blocks, resulting in an antiferroelectric-type structure. This is corroborated by the temperature-, frequency-, and field-dependent complex permittivity measurements. Pb0.64Bi0.32Fe1.04O2.675 demonstrates a remarkably high resistivity >0.1 T Ω cm at room temperature and orders antiferromagnetically below TN = 608(10) K.

Abstract: Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations by means of the ReaxFF potential, we studied the growth mechanism of ultrathin silica (SiO2) layers during hyperthermal oxidation at room temperature. Oxidation of Si(100){2 × 1} surfaces by both atomic and molecular oxygen was investigated in the energy range 15 eV. The oxidation mechanism, which differs from thermal oxidation, is discussed. In the case of oxidation by molecular O2, silica is quickly formed and the thickness of the formed layers remains limited compared to oxidation by atomic oxygen. The Si/SiO2 interfaces are analyzed in terms of partial charges and angle distributions. The obtained structures of the ultrathin SiO2 films are amorphous, including some intrinsic defects. This study is important for the fabrication of silica-based devices in the micro- and nanoelectronics industry, and more specifically for the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor devices.

Abstract: The growth mechanism and chirality formation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) on a surface-bound nickel nanocluster are investigated by hybrid reactive molecular dynamics/force-biased Monte Carlo simulations. The validity of the interatomic potential used, the so-called ReaxFF potential, for simulating catalytic SWNT growth is demonstrated. The SWNT growth process was found to be in agreement with previous studies and observed to proceed through a number of distinct steps, viz., the dissolution of carbon in the metallic particle, the surface segregation of carbon with the formation of aggregated carbon clusters on the surface, the formation of graphitic islands that grow into SWNT caps, and finally continued growth of the SWNT. Moreover, it is clearly illustrated in the present study that during the growth process, the carbon network is continuously restructured by a metal-mediated process, thereby healing many topological defects. It is also found that a cap can nucleate and disappear again, which was not observed in previous simulations. Encapsulation of the nanoparticle is observed to be prevented by the carbon network migrating as a whole over the cluster surface. Finally, for the first time, the chirality of the growing SWNT cap is observed to change from (11,0) over (9,3) to (7,7). It is demonstrated that this change in chirality is due to the metal-mediated restructuring process.