Comparative study of nudged elastic band and molecular dynamics methods for diffusion kinetics in solid-state electrolytes

Considerable efforts are being made to transition current lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries towards the use of solid-state electrolytes.Computational methods,specifically nudged elastic band(NEB)and molecular dynamics(MD)methods,provide powerful tools for the design of solid-state electrolytes.The MD method is usually the choice for studying the materials involving complex multiple diffusion paths or having disordered structures.However,it relies on simulations at temperatures much higher than working temperature.This paper studies the reliability of the MD method using the system of Na diffusion in MgO as a benchmark.We carefully study the convergence behavior of the MD method and demonstrate that total effective simulation time of 12 ns can converge the calculated diffusion barrier to about 0.01 eV.The calculated diffusion barrier is 0.31 eV from both methods.The diffusion coefficients at room temperature are 4.3×10^(-9) cm^(2)⋅s^(−1) and 2.2×10^(-9) cm^(2)⋅s^(−1),respectively,from the NEB and MD methods.Our results justify the reliability of the MD method,even though high temperature simulations have to be employed to overcome the limitation on simulation time.

Prospect of Hexagonal CsMg(I_(1-x)Br_(x))_(3) Alloys for Deep-Ultraviolet Light Emission

Materials for deep-ultraviolet(DUV)light emission are extremely rare,significantly limiting the development of efficient DUV light-emitting diodes.Here we report CsMg(I_(1−x)Br_(x))_(3) alloys as potential DUV light emitters.Based on rigorous first-principles hybrid functional calculations,we find that CsMgI_(3) has an indirect bandgap,while CsMgBr_(3) has a direct bandgap.Further,we employ a band unfolding technique for alloy supercell calculations to investigate the critical Br concentration in CsMg(I_(1−x)Br_(x))_(3) associated with the crossover from an indirect to a direct bandgap,which is found to be∼0.36.Thus,CsMg(I_(1−x)Br_(x))_(3) alloys with 0.366≤6≤1 cover a wide range of direct bandgap(4.38–5.37 eV;284–231 nm),falling well into the DUV regime.Our study will guide the development of efficient DUV light emitters.

Profiling Electronic and Phononic Band Structures of Semiconductors at Finite Temperatures: Methods and Applications

Semiconductor devices are often operated at elevated temperatures that are well above zero Kelvin,which is the temperature in most first-principles density functional calculations.Computational approaches to com-puting and understanding the properties of semiconductors at finite temperatures are thus in critical demand.In this review,we discuss the recent progress in computationally assessing the electronic and phononic band structures of semiconductors at finite temperatures.As an emerging semiconductor with particularly strong temperature-induced renormalization of the electronic and phononic band structures,halide perovskites are used as a representative example to demonstrate how computational advances may help to understand the band struc-tures at elevated temperatures.Finally,we briefly illustrate the remaining computational challenges and outlook promising research directions that may help to guide future research in this field.

Origin of the Disparity between the Stability of Transmutated Mix-Cation and Mix-Anion Compounds

Transmutation is an efficient approach for material design. For example, ternary compound CuGaSe_(2) in chalcopyrite structure is a promising material for novel optoelectronic and thermoelectric device applications. It can be considered as formed from the binary host compound ZnSe in zinc-blende structure by cation transmutation(i.e., replacing two Zn atoms by one Cu and one Ga). While cation-transmutated materials are common, aniontransmutated ternary materials are rare, for example, Zn_(2)As Br(i.e., replacing two Se atoms by one As and one Br)is not reported. The physical origin for this puzzling disparity is unclear. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to address this issue, and find that the distinct differences in stability between cation-transmutated(mix-cation) and anion-transmutated(mix-anion) compounds originate from their different trends of ionic radii as functions of their ionic state, i.e., for cations, the radius decreases with the increasing ionic state, whereas for anions, the radius increases with the increasing absolute ionic state. Therefore, for mix-cation compounds,the strain energy and Coulomb energy can be simultaneously optimized to make these materials stable. In contrast, for mix-anion systems, minimization of Coulomb energy will increase the strain energy, thus the system becomes unstable or less stable. Thus, the trend of decreasing strain energy and Coulomb energy is consistent in mix-cation compounds, while it is opposite in mix-anion compounds. Furthermore, the study suggests that the stability strategy for mix-anion compounds can be controlled by the ratio of ionic radii r3/r1, with a smaller ratio indicating greater stability. Our work, thus, elucidates the intrinsic stability trend of transmutated materials and provides guidelines for the design of novel ternary materials for various device applications.

Intrinsic Instability of the Hybrid Halide Perovskite Semiconductor CH3NH3PbI3

The organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 has attracted significant interest for its high performance in converting solar light into electrical power with an efficiency exceeding 20%. Unfortunately, chemical stability is one major challenge in the development of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells. It was commonly assumed that moisture or oxygen in the environment causes the poor stability of hybrid halide perovskites, however, here we show from the first-principles calculations that the room-temperature tetragonal phase of CH3NH3PbI3 is thermodynamically unstable with respect to the phase separation into CH3NH3I ＋ PbI2, i.e., the disproportionation is exothermic, independent of the humidity or oxygen in the atmosphere. When the structure is distorted to the low-temperature orthorhombie phase, the energetic cost of separation increases, but remains small. Contributions from vibrational and configurational entropy at room temperature have been considered, but the instability of CH3NH3PbI3 is unchanged. When I is replaced by Br or CI, Pb by Sn, or the organic cation CH3NH3 by inorganic Cs, the perovskites become more stable and do not phase-separate spontaneously. Our study highlights that the poor chemical stability is intrinsic to CH3NH3PbI3 and suggests that element-substitution may solve the chemical stability problem in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells.

Universal Theory and Basic Rules of Strain-Dependent Doping Behaviors in Semiconductors

Enhancing the dopability of semiconductors via strain engineering is critical to improving their functionalities,which is,however,largely hindered by the lack of basic rules.In this study,for the first time,we develop a universal theory to understand the total energy changes of point defects(or dopants)with different charge states under strains,which can exhibit either parabolic or superlinear behaviors,determined by the size of defect-induced local volume change(ΔV).In general,ΔV increases(decreases)when an electron is added(removed)to(from)the defect site.Consequently,in terms of this universal theory,three basic rules can be obtained to further understand or predict the diverse strain-dependent doping behaviors,i.e.,defect formation energies,charge-state transition levels,and Fermi pinning levels,in semiconductors.These three basic rules could be generally applied to improve the doping performance or overcome the doping bottlenecks in various semiconductors.

Atomic-Ordering-Induced Quantum Phase Transition between Topological Crystalline Insulator and Z_2 Topological Insulator

Topological phase transition in a single material usually refers to transitions between a trivial band insulator and a topological Dirac phase, and the transition may also occur between different classes of topological Dirac phases.It is a fundamental challenge to realize quantum transition between Z_2 nontrivial topological insulator（TI） and topological crystalline insulator（TCI） in one material because Z_2 TI and TCI have different requirements on the number of band inversions. The Z_2 TIs must have an odd number of band inversions over all the time-reversal invariant momenta, whereas the newly discovered TCIs, as a distinct class of the topological Dirac materials protected by the underlying crystalline symmetry, owns an even number of band inversions. Taking PbSnTe_2 alloy as an example, here we demonstrate that the atomic-ordering is an effective way to tune the symmetry of the alloy so that we can electrically switch between TCI phase and Z_2 TI phase in a single material. Our results suggest that the atomic-ordering provides a new platform towards the realization of reversibly switching between different topological phases to explore novel applications.

Group velocity matters for accurate prediction of phonon-limited carrier mobility

First-principles approaches have recently been developed to replace the phenomenological modeling approaches with adjustable parameters for calculating carrier mobilities in semiconductors.However,in addition to the high computational cost,it is still a challenge to obtain accurate mobility for carriers with a complex band structure,e.g.,hole mobility in common semiconductors.Here,we present a computationally efficient approach using isotropic and parabolic bands to approximate the anisotropy valence bands for evaluating group velocities in the first-principles calculations.This treatment greatly reduces the computational cost in two ways:relieves the requirement of an extremely denseκmesh to obtain a smooth change in group velocity,and reduces the 5-dimensional integral to 3-dimensional integral.Taking Si and SiC as two examples,we find that this simplified approach reproduces the full first-principles calculation for mobility.If we use experimental effective masses to evaluate the group velocity,we can obtain hole mobility in excellent agreement with experimental data over a wide temperature range.These findings shed light on how to improve the first-principles calculations towards predictive carrier mobility in high accuracy.

Competition between Stepwise Polarization Switching and Chirality Coupling in Ferroelectric GeS Nanotubes

Ferroelectricity of group-Ⅳ chalcogenides MX(M = Ge,Sn;X = Se,S) monolayers has been extensively investigated.However,how the ferroelectricity evolves in their one-dimensional nanotubes remains largely unclear.Employing an accurate deep-learning interatomic potential of first-principles precision,we uncover a general stepwise mechanism for polarization switching in zigzag and chiral Ge S nanotubes,which has an energy barrier that is substantially lower than the one associated with the conventional one-step switching mechanism.The switching barrier(per atom) gradually decreases with increasing the number of intermediate steps and converges to a value that is almost independent of the tube diameter.In the chiral Ge S nanotubes,the switching path of polarization with chirality coupling is preferred at less intermediate steps.This study unveils novel ferroelectric switching behaviors in one-dimensional nanotubes,which is critical to coupling ferroelectricity and chirality.

量子非平衡态与输运计算物理

在外场驱动下,系统会偏离平衡态分布规律进入非平衡状态,产生包括电荷和能量的输运现象以及丰富的非平衡亚稳态新奇物相.电荷和能量通过一个量子多体材料系统进行传输是能量与信息的转化和存储中的基本过程,而在远离平衡态条件下材料的物性能发生极大的改变.对材料和器件包括输运特性在内的非平衡物态进行深入理解和精确计算是提升物质特性调控能力的核心,是促进相关制造技术进步的关键,构成凝聚态物理和计算物理的前沿研究领域.

Is p-Type Doping in TeO_(2)Feasible?

Wide-bandgap two-dimensional (2D) β-TeO_(2) has been reported as a high-mobility p-type transparent semiconductor [Nat. Electron. 4 277 (2021)], attracting significant attention. This "breakthrough" not only challenges the conventional characterization of TeO_(2) as an insulator but also conflicts with the anticipated difficulty in hole doping of TeO_(2) by established chemical trends. Notably, the reported Fermi level of 0.9 eV above the valence band maximum actually suggests that the material is an insulator, contradicting the high hole density obtained by Hall effect measurement. Furthermore, the detected residual Se and the possible reduced elemental Te in the 2D β-TeO_(2) samples introduces complexity, considering that elemental Se, Te, and Te_(1−x)Se_(x) themselves are high-mobility p-type semiconductors. Therefore, doubts regarding the true cause of the p-type conductivity observed in the 2D β-TeO_(2) samples arise. In this Letter, we employ density functional theory calculations to illustrate that TeO_(2), whether in its bulk forms of α-, β-, or γ-TeO_(2), or in the 2D β-TeO_(2) nanosheets, inherently exhibits insulating properties and poses challenges in carrier doping due to its shallow conduction band minimum and deep valence band maximum. Our findings shed light on the insulating properties and doping difficulty of TeO_(2), contrasting with the claimed p-type conductivity in the 2D β-TeO_(2) samples, prompting inquiries into the true origin of the p-type conductivity.

Cu_2ZnSnS_4类四元硫族半导体的理论研究--以二元、三元、四元半导体的演化为思路

在过去60多年中,人们对半导体的研究集中在一元、二元和三元半导体方面,最近,出于寻找新型廉价、环保、高效光伏转换材料的需要,Cu2ZnSnS4类Ⅰ2-Ⅱ-Ⅳ- Ⅵ4型四元硫族半导体吸引了人们越来越多的关注,它在光催化和热电等多方面的应用也不断被发掘.然而,对于这类四元半导体的基本性质,如晶体结构和电子结构,人们知之甚少,很多研究还停留在经验阶段.文章首先简要回顾了这类半导体的由来和在应用方面的最新进展,然后详细介绍了文章作者对这类四元半导体的第一性原理计算研究工作的进展,其中包括:系统研究了这类硫族半导体在从二元向三元再向四元的演化过程中晶体结构和电子能带结构变化的规律,总结了元素成分对其影响的一般趋势,并结合实验结果分析了这类四元半导体晶格结构表征和带隙测量中易于出现的混淆;文章作者还以Cu2ZnSnS4为例,考察了这类四元化合物相对二元、三元化合物的相稳定性和本征缺陷性质.文章介绍的研究结果将为一系列Ⅰ2-Ⅱ-Ⅳ- Ⅵ4型四元半导体的深入研究提供基础.

宽禁带半导体掺杂机制研究进展

随着电子信息技术进入后摩尔时代,人们期望探寻一些新材料、新技术以推进半导体科学技术的发展.作为新一代战略电子材料,宽禁带半导体的技术应用近年来取得了飞速发展.宽禁带半导体的掺杂与缺陷调控是实现其重要应用价值的关键科学基础.本文主要介绍了我们和合作者近期围绕碳化物、氧化物、氮化物宽禁带半导体中掺杂与缺陷机理及性能调控展开的研究工作,具体包括:(1)探究4H-SiC中本征缺陷的电学和动力学性质,解释了实验上4H-SiC的有效氢钝化现象的内在物理机制;(2)研究In_(2)O_(3)中过渡金属元素的掺杂物理性质,提出了过渡金属掺杂的设计原则,并预测过渡金属Zr、Hf和Ta在In_(2)O_(3)中具有优异的n型特性;(3)采用轻合金化法调控Ga_(2)O_(3)材料的价带顶位置,并通过选取合适的受主杂质(如CuGa),有望使(Bi_(x)Ga_(1–x))_(2)O_(3)合金成为高效的p型掺杂宽禁带半导体;(4)研究Be和Mg在GaN中的缺陷行为,澄清Be掺杂比Mg掺杂具有更深受主能级的物理机制;(5)提出量子工程非平衡掺杂方法来调制AlGaN的价带,实现其高效p型掺杂;(6)探究缺陷掺杂行为随应力变化的普适性规律,并阐述如何通过压力调控在GaN中实现更高性能的p型掺杂.这些工作不仅加深了对宽禁带半导体材料的电子结构及掺杂与缺陷物理特性的理解,也对基于宽禁带半导体材料的器件设计与实际应用起到重要的指导和推进作用.

广义布洛赫方法的应用:低维材料物性的非均匀应变调控

低维材料的结构灵活性以及它们的电子性质对应变灵敏的响应,使得应变调控成为优化低维材料物性的一个重要手段.本文主要介绍了非均匀结构变形下低维材料物性调控的量子力学模拟方法,即广义布洛赫方法.通过考虑螺旋和旋转对称性,广义布洛赫方法能够以较小的计算代价处理扭曲和弯曲两种基本的非均匀结构变形.本文还介绍了该方法的一些具体应用.由于扭曲和弯曲涉及低维材料在多方面的应用,如挠曲电、柔性电子学、自旋电子学等,广义布洛赫方法在这些方面能发挥重要作用.