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“Annealing-Induced Bi Bilayer on Bi2Te3 Investigated via Quasi-Particle-Interference Mapping”. Schouteden K, Govaerts K, Debehets J, Thupakula U, Chen T, Li Z, Netsou A, Song F, Lamoen D, Van Haesendonck C, Partoens B, Park K, ACS nano 10, 8778 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6b04508
Abstract: Topological insulators (TIs) are renowned for their exotic topological surface states (TSSs) that reside in the top atomic layers, and hence, detailed knowledge of the surface top atomic layers is of utmost importance. Here we present the remarkable morphology changes of Bi2Te3 surfaces, which have been freshly cleaved in air, upon subsequent systematic annealing in ultrahigh vacuum and the resulting effects on the local and area-averaging electronic properties of the surface states, which are investigated by combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our findings demonstrate that the annealing induces the formation of a Bi bilayer atop the Bi2Te3 surface. The adlayer results in n-type doping, and the atomic defects act as scattering centers of the TSS electrons. We also investigated the annealing-induced Bi bilayer surface on Bi2Te3 via voltage-dependent quasi-particle-interference (QPI) mapping of the surface local density of states and via comparison with the calculated constant-energy contours and QPI patterns. We observed closed hexagonal patterns in the Fourier transform of real-space QPI maps with secondary outer spikes. DFT calculations attribute these complex QPI patterns to the appearance of a “second” cone due to the surface charge transfer between the Bi bilayer and the Bi2Te3. Annealing in ultrahigh vacuum offers a facile route for tuning of the topological properties and may yield similar results for other topological materials.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 13.942
Times cited: 15
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b04508
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“First-principles analysis of the spectroscopic limited maximum efficiency of photovoltaic absorber layers for CuAu-like chalcogenides and silicon”. Bercx M, Sarmadian N, Saniz R, Partoens B, Lamoen D, Physical chemistry, chemical physics 18, 20542 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1039/c6cp03468c
Abstract: Chalcopyrite semiconductors are of considerable interest for application as absorber layers in thin-film photovoltaic cells. When growing films of these compounds, however, they are often found to contain CuAu-like domains, a metastable phase of chalcopyrite. It has been reported that for CuInS2, the presence of the CuAu-like phase improves the short circuit current of the chalcopyrite-based photovoltaic cell. We investigate the thermodynamic stability of both phases for a selected list of I-III-VI2 materials using a first-principles density functional theory approach. For the CuIn-VI2 compounds, the difference in formation energy between the chalcopyrite and CuAu-like phase is found to be close to 2 meV per atom, indicating a high likelihood of the presence of CuAu-like domains. Next, we calculate the spectroscopic limited maximum efficiency (SLME) of the CuAu-like phase and compare the results with those of the corresponding chalcopyrite phase. We identify several candidates with a high efficiency, such as CuAu-like CuInS2, for which we obtain an SLME of 29% at a thickness of 500 nm. We observe that the SLME can have values above the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit, and show that this can occur because the SQ limit assumes the absorptivity to be a step function, thus overestimating the radiative recombination in the detailed balance approach. This means that it is possible to find higher theoretical efficiencies within this framework simply by calculating the J-V characteristic with an absorption spectrum. Finally, we expand our SLME analysis to indirect band gap absorbers by studying silicon, and find that the SLME quickly overestimates the reverse saturation current of indirect band gap materials, drastically lowering their calculated efficiency.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 4.123
Times cited: 34
DOI: 10.1039/c6cp03468c
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“Easily doped p-type, low hole effective mass, transparent oxides”. Sarmadian N, Saniz R, Partoens B, Lamoen D, Scientific reports 6, 20446 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1038/srep20446
Abstract: Fulfillment of the promise of transparent electronics has been hindered until now largely by the lack of semiconductors that can be doped p-type in a stable way, and that at the same time present high hole mobility and are highly transparent in the visible spectrum. Here, a high-throughput study based on first-principles methods reveals four oxides, namely X2SeO2, with X = La, Pr, Nd, and Gd, which are unique in that they exhibit excellent characteristics for transparent electronic device applications – i.e., a direct band gap larger than 3.1 eV, an average hole effective mass below the electron rest mass, and good p-type dopability. Furthermore, for La2SeO2 it is explicitly shown that Na impurities substituting La are shallow acceptors in moderate to strong anion-rich growth conditions, with low formation energy, and that they will not be compensated by anion vacancies VO or VSe.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 4.259
Times cited: 55
DOI: 10.1038/srep20446
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“Field Effect and Strongly Localized Carriers in the Metal-Insulator Transition Material VO(2)”. Martens K, Jeong JW, Aetukuri N, Rettner C, Shukla N, Freeman E, Esfahani DN, Peeters FM, Topuria T, Rice PM, Volodin A, Douhard B, Vandervorst W, Samant MG, Datta S, Parkin SSP, Physical review letters 115, 196401 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.196401
Abstract: The intrinsic field effect, the change in surface conductance with an applied transverse electric field, of prototypal strongly correlated VO(2) has remained elusive. Here we report its measurement enabled by epitaxial VO(2) and atomic layer deposited high-kappa dielectrics. Oxygen migration, joule heating, and the linked field-induced phase transition are precluded. The field effect can be understood in terms of field-induced carriers with densities up to approximately 5x10(13) cm(-2) which are trongly localized, as shown by their low, thermally activated mobility ( approximately 1x10(-3) cm(2)/V s at 300 K). These carriers show behavior consistent with that of Holstein polarons and strongly impact the (opto)electronics of VO(2).
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 8.462
Times cited: 28
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.196401
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“Commensurability Effects in Viscosity of Nanoconfined Water”. Neek-Amal M, Peeters FM, Grigorieva IV, Geim AK, ACS nano 10, 3685 (2016). http://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6b00187
Abstract: The rate of water flow through hydrophobic nanocapillaries is greatly enhanced as compared to that expected from macroscopic hydrodynamics. This phenomenon is usually described in terms of a relatively large slip length, which is in turn defined by such microscopic properties as the friction between water and capillary surfaces and the viscosity of water. We show that the viscosity of water and, therefore, its flow rate are profoundly affected by the layered structure of confined water if the capillary size becomes less than 2 nm. To this end, we study the structure and dynamics of water confined between two parallel graphene layers using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the shear viscosity is not only greatly enhanced for subnanometer capillaries, but also exhibits large oscillations that originate from commensurability between the capillary size and the size of water molecules. Such oscillating behavior of viscosity and, consequently, the slip length should be taken into account in designing and studying graphene-based and similar membranes for desalination and filtration.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Impact Factor: 13.942
Times cited: 160
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b00187
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