Certain doping concentrations caused half-metallic graphene

This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21173096).

Nickel-catalyzed carboxylation of aryl zinc reagent with CO2: A theoretical and experimental study

Abstract Two Ni-complexes with 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) and tricyclohexylphosphine (PCy3) ligands were tested for the Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl zinc reagent with CO2 to form aryl carboxylic acid. Theoretical study with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) was carried out to understand the detailed reaction mechanism. The reasonable reaction pathway was deduced. The simulation results suggested that the free energy barrier of the rate-limiting step with (dppf)Ni is only 1.64 kcal mol−1 higher than the barrier with (PCy3)2Ni. However, our experiment provided an unexpectedly low yield by using (dppf)Ni complex as the catalyst. Further theoretical study ascrib…

Elastic, electronic and optical properties of boron- and nitrogen-doped 4,12,4-graphyne nanosheet

Abstract The effects of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) dopants on 4,12,4-graphyne have been systematically investigated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The charge density analysis reveals that the N dopant at the sp-site destroys the acetylenic linkage in 4,12,4-graphyne, but instead tends to form a polar bond. The B- and N-doped 4,12,4-graphyne systems exhibit p- and n- semiconductor characters, respectively. Some obvious spin splitting polarizations can be observed in their band structures and DOS. Moreover, there is a giant difference in effective masses between electrons and electron holes, especially for B-doped 4,12,4-graphyne at C5 site. The directional electron and el…

Theoretical study on the influence of electric field direction on the photovoltaic performance of aryl amine organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells

It is very important to reveal the influence of different electric field directions on dye sensitizers. Thus, in this study, we investigated the electronic structures and optical properties of six designed aryl amine organic dye models under different electric fields using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). Moreover, the electronic structures and optical properties of these studied dyes with different electric field in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were also calculated. The key parameters of the short-circuit current density (Jsc), including light harvesting efficiency (LHE) and intra-molecular charge transfer (ICT), are discussed in detail. With …

First-principles calculations on surface hydroxyl impurities in BaF2

Abstract OH − impurities located near the (1 1 1) BaF 2 surface have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. Twenty surface OH − configurations were studied, and the hydroxyls located on the first surface layer are the energetically most favorable configurations. For the (1 1 1) BaF 2 surface atomic layers, the surface hydroxyls lead to a remarkable XY -translation and a dilating effect in the Z -direction, overcoming the surface shrinking effect in the perfect slab. Bond population analysis shows that the surface effect strengthens the covalency of surface OH − impurities. The studies on band structures and density of states (…

Metallic subnanometer porous silicon: A theoretical prediction

In the present work, T-Si, a silicon-based counterpart of T-carbon, has been designed with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Its stability has been fully confirmed from energetic, mechanical, lattice dynamic, and thermodynamic aspects. Due to the space extrusion, the delocalized electrons on the ${\mathrm{Si}}_{4}$ tetrahedrons are squeezed onto the inter-tetrahedron $\mathrm{Si}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Si}$ bonds, which therefore leads T-Si to be metallic. Furthermore, the electronic conductivity of this new material has also been predicted and discussed in this work. This new silicon allotrope with a low density of $0.869\mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$ can even floats on…

Tendencies in ABO3 Perovskite and SrF2, BaF2 and CaF2 Bulk and Surface F-Center Ab Initio Computations at High Symmetry Cubic Structure

This research was partly funded by the Latvian Council of Science project No. LZP‐ 2020/2‐0009 (for R. Eglitis), as well as the ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. We express our gratitude for the financial support from Latvian–Ukraine cooperation Project No. Latvia–Ukraine LV‐ UA/2021/5. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Framework Pro‐ gramme H2020‐WIDESPREAD01‐2016‐2017‐Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Ab initio calculations of CaZrO3 (011) surfaces: systematic trends in polar (011) surface calculations of ABO3 perovskites

Financial support via Latvian-Ukrainian Joint Research Project No. LV-UA/2018/2 for A. I. Popov, Latvian Council of Science Project No. 2018/2-0083 “Theoretical prediction of hybrid nanostructured photocatalytic materials for efficient water splitting” for R. I. Eglitis and J. Kleperis as well as ERAF project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073 for R. I. Eglitis and J. Purans is greatly acknowledged.

First principles hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT calculations of bulk and (001) surface F centers in oxide perovskites and alkaline-earth fluorides

Valuable discussions with E. A. Kotomin are gratefully acknowledged. Research contribution of R. E. and A. I. P. has been performed within the framework of the EUROfusion Enabling Research project: ENR-MFE19.ISSP-UL-02 “Advanced experimental and theoretical analysis of defect evolution and structural disordering in optical and dielectric materials for fusion applications.” The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.

Novel Carbon Nanotubes Rolled from 6,6,12-Graphyne: Double Dirac Points in 1D Material

Two kinds of novel carbon nanotubes, namely, (N, 0) and (0, N) 6,6,12-graphyne nanotubes (6,6,12-GNTs), are constructed by rolling up the rectangular 6,6,12-graphyne sheets along two different sides into cylinders. The mechanical and electronic properties of 6,6,12-GNTs with varied N from 3 to 20 are investigated by using density functional theory. Unlike the single-wall carbon nanotubes, the Young’s moduli of 6,6,12-GNTs do not remain constant in the case of (N, 0), but the (0, N) tubes possess almost the same one around 0.32 TPa. The band structures and density of states are also exhibited in this work. When the tube sizes N are bigger than four, Dirac points appear at Fermi level in the …

First principles studies of the self trapped hole and the fluorine adsorption on the SrF2(111) surface

Abstract By using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW, the ground states of self trapped hole and adsorbed fluorine atom on the strontium fluoride (1 1 1) surface are investigated. The self trapped hole at an interstitial anion site is denoted by H-center. In both the H-center and fluorine adsorption cases, the strong relaxations due to the surface effects are observed. In the H-center case, the unpaired electron distributes almost equally over two H-center atoms. This equivalent distribution of the unpaired electron is totally different from that of the bulk H-center [J. Phys. Chem. A 114 (2010) 8444]. The other case with an adsorbed fluorine at…

How does graphene enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells? An insight from a theoretical perspective

The main goal of this work is to clearly answer the question from a theoretical perspective: how does graphene enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency in the semiconducting layer of a dye sensitized solar cell? Several arrangements of the graphene layer between the dye molecule and the TiO2 (101) surface are carefully studied and discussed. The dynamic interfacial electron propagations are simulated with consideration of the underlying nuclear motion effect. Theoretical investigation shows that graphene can speed up the electron injection from the dye molecules to the semiconductor layer, only when the graphene sheet is bonded to the TiO2 surface via C–Ti bonds. The excited electron…

Novel 2D boron nitride with optimal direct band gap: A theoretical prediction

Abstract A novel structurally stable 2D-boron nitride material, namely di-BN, is predicted by means of the first-principles simulations. This monolayer BN system is composed of the azo (N-N) and diboron (B-B) groups. Its in-plane stiffness is close to the monolayer h-BN. Usually, the boron nitride materials are semiconductors with large band gaps. However, the monolayer di-BN possesses a moderate direct band gap of 1.622 eV obtained from our HSE06 calculation. Although the GW correction enlarges the band gap to 2.446 eV, this value is still in the range of the visible light. The detailed investigation of its band arrangement reveals that this material is able to product hydrogen molecules i…

First-principles simulations on the aggregation of F centers in BaF2: R centers

Abstract F center (an electron trapped in the fluorine vacancy) and R center (a defect composed of three F centers) in BaF 2 crystal, have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. Our calculations show that the F -center transfer barrier is equal to 1.83 eV. During the F -center transfer, the trapped electron is more delocalized than that in the static F -center case, and the gap between defect leveland CB in the α-spin state decreases obviously. The association energy calculations on R centers indicate stable aggregations of isolated F centers. During F -center aggregation, a considerable covalency between two neighbor fluorine…

Co-doping with boron and nitrogen impurities in T-carbon

Previously, Ren et al. [Chem. Phys. 518, 69–73, 2019] reported the failure of Boron-Nitrogen (B-N) co-doping as inter B-N bond in T-carbon. In present work, a B-N atom pair is introduced in T-carbon as p-n co-dopant to substitute two carbon atoms in the same carbon tetrahedron and form an intra B-N bond. The stability of this doping system is verified from energy, lattice dynamic, and thermodynamic aspects. According to our B3PW calculations, B-N impurities in this situation can reduce the band gap of T-carbon from 2.95 eV to 2.55 eV, making this material to be a promising photocatalyst. Through the study of its transport properties, we can also conclude that B-N co-doping cannot improve th…

Ab initio calculations of the hydroxyl impurities in BaF2

Abstract OH − impurities in BaF 2 crystal have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. Three different configurations of OH − impurities were investigated and the (1 1 1)-oriented OH − configuration is the most stable one. Our calculations show that OH − as an atomic group has a steady geometrical structure instead of electronic properties in different materials. The studies on band structures and density of states (DOS) of the OH − -impurity systems indicate that there are two defect levels induced by OH − impurities. The two superposed occupied OH − -bands located 1.95 eV above the valance bands (VB) at Γ point mainly consist…

Theoretical study on hydrogen storage capacity of expanded h-BN systems

In this work, the hydrogen storage capacity of the expanded hexagonal Boron Nitride (eh-BN) systems has been presented. We have employed a new equation of state (EOS) for hydrogen gas to figure out the hydrogen density distribution profiles in the eh-BN systems. In this regard, the environmental conditions (i.e., temperature and pressure) are considered in the prediction procedure using DFT single point calculations. The eh-BN systems with different layer spacings are studied by PBE method with consideration of the long range dispersion corrections. On account of the in-plane polar bonds, a series of adsorption positions are considered. Additionally, the adsorption energy and hydrogen densi…

A novel T-C3N and seawater desalination

A structurally stable stacked multilayer carbonitride is predicted with the aid of ab initio calculations. This carbonitride consists of C3N tetrahedra, and is similar to T-carbon and thus named T-C3N. Its 2-dimensional (2D) monolayer is also carefully investigated in this work. The studies on electronic properties reveal that bulk and 2D T-C3N are insulators with a 5.542 eV indirect band gap and a 5.741 eV direct band gap, respectively. However, the monolayer T-C3N exhibits an excellent uniform porosity. Its 5.50 A pore size is perfect for water nanofiltration. The adsorption and permeation of water molecules on the monolayer T-C3N are investigated. Its promising potential application in h…

Comparative Hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT Calculations of ReO3, SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (001) Surfaces

Comparative Hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT Calculations of WO2-Terminated Cubic WO3 as Well as SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (001) Surfaces

We greatly acknowledge the financial support via the ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. Calculations were performed using Latvian Super Cluster (LASC), located in the Center of Excellence at Institute of Solid State Physics, the University of Latvia, which is supported by European Union Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase 2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART.

Ab Initio Computations of O and AO as well as ReO2, WO2 and BO2-Terminated ReO3, WO3, BaTiO3, SrTiO3 and BaZrO3 (001) Surfaces

This research received funding from the Latvian-Ukraine cooperation Project No. LV/UA-2021/5. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence, has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Dipoles in 4,12,4-graphyne

Abstract In present work, B-N pairs as dipole source were introduced into 4,12,4-graphyne. According to the density functional theory (DFT) simulations, the electronic configurations of the doped 4,12,4-graphyne systems were significantly modified owing to the built-in electric fields caused by the B-N dipoles. Different B-N concentrations and arrangements can alter the electronic structure of 4,12,4-graphyne. Consequently, an obvious in-plane piezoelectricity can also be induced. Moreover, the direct band gap can be delicately modulated from 150 meV to 660 meV at PBE level. The B-N dipoles can also greatly enhance the light absorption instead of shifting the absorption region. According to…

First-principles simulations of H centers in CaF2

Abstract H center, a hole trapped at an interstitial anion site, placed in the bulk and the (1 1 1) surface of calcium fluoride CaF2, has been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. The H center orients the (1 1 1) direction for the bulk case and the (1 0 0) direction for the surface case, and the hole is mainly localized on the interstitial fluorine. The surface H center leads to a remarkable XY-translation of the surface atoms. Spin and hyperfine coupling calculations show a considerable interaction between the unpaired spin and the spin of neighboring nuclei, and the surface effect strengthens the spin polarization and hyperfine…

Systematic trends in YAlO3, SrTiO3, BaTiO3, BaZrO3 (001) and (111) surface ab initio calculations

We greatly acknowledge the financial support via Latvian-Ukrainian Joint Research Project No. LV-UA/2018/2, Latvian Council of Science Grant No. 2018/2-0083 “Theoretical prediction of hybrid nanostructured photocatalytic materials for efficient water splitting”, Latvian Council of Science Grant No. 2018/1-0214 as well as ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073.

First-principles calculations of surfaceHcenters inBaF2

H center, a hole trapped at an interstitial anion site, placed on the 111 surface of Barium fluoride BaF2 has been studied by using density functional theory DFT with hybrid exchange potentials, namely, DFT-B3PW. Two different configurations of surface H center are investigated carefully. Both surface H-center systems have strong relaxations because of the surface effect. In the configuration that the interstitial fluorine atom is within the surface, named case 1 in this paper, the unpaired electron is almost equally distributed onto the two atoms of the H center, which is quite different from the bulk H-center case. The other configuration with one of the F atoms of the H center located ab…

Ab initio calculations for the F-center transfer and R centers in SrF2

We have simulated the F-center transfer and R center in SrF2 crystal by using density functional theory (DFT) with a hybrid B3PW description of exchange and correlation. Our calculations show that the F-center diffusion barrier is equal to 1.84 eV. During the F-center transfer, the trapped electron is more delocalized than that in the regular F-center case, and the gap between defect level and conduction bands (CB) in the a-spin state decreases. The formation energy calculations of R center show the trend of F centers to aggregate in SrF2. During the F-center aggregation, a considerable covalency forms between two neighboring fluorine vacancies with trapped electrons. Three incompletely pai…

Comparative Ab Initio Calculations of ReO3, SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) Surfaces

We performed, for first time, ab initio calculations for the ReO2-terminated ReO3 (001) surface and analyzed systematic trends in the ReO3, SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surfaces using first-principles calculations. According to the ab initio calculation results, all ReO3, SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surface upper-layer atoms relax inwards towards the crystal bulk, all second-layer atoms relax upwards and all third-layer atoms, again, relax inwards. The ReO2-terminated ReO3 and ZrO2-terminated SrZrO3, BaZrO3, PbZrO3 and CaZrO3 (001) surface band gaps at the &Gamma

Giant piezoelectricity in B/N doped 4,12,2-graphyne

Abstract The effects of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) substitutions in 4,12,2-graphyne on its geometric structure and mechanical as well as electronic properties have been systematically investigated with the aid of density functional theory (DFT). The trend in the elastic properties of the substituted systems is determined by the doping positions and the type of the dopants. The Bader charge analysis reveals that the N dopant at the sp-site destroys the acetylenic linkage in 4,12,2-graphyne, but instead tends to form a polar bond, or even possibly a charge-shift bond. In particular, an obvious in-plane piezoelectricity is induced by foreign atom substitutions owing to the deformation of the p…

Ab Initio Calculations of Hydroxyl Impurities in CaF2

OH– in CaF2 crystal and the (111) surface have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely, DFT-B3PW. Three bulk and 20 surface OH– configurations ...

From determination of the fugacity coefficients to estimation of hydrogen storage capacity: A convenient theoretical method

Abstract The equation of state (EOS) from virial expansion (VE) is used in this work to pave the way for determining the fugacity coefficients of the hydrogen fluid at arbitrary temperature and pressure. The fugacity coefficients from our VE method have more physical meanings than the empirical values. In this way, the hydrogen storage capacity of a novel material model can be estimated by using few density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the aid of a continuum model. The efficient continuum model can provide a more accurate estimation of the hydrogen storage capacity than the pure DFT calculations. Furthermore, the expensive grand canonical ensemble (μNT) simulations combining wi…

Systematic Trends in Hybrid-DFT Computations of BaTiO3/SrTiO3, PbTiO3/SrTiO3 and PbZrO3/SrZrO3 (001) Hetero Structures

We acknowledge the financial support from the funder—Latvian Council of Science. The funding number is: Grant No. LZP-2020/1-0345. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence, has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART-2.

Ab Initio Calculations of the Transfer and Aggregation of F Centers in CaF2

The F center and R center in CaF2 crystals have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with a hybrid B3PW description of exchange and correlation. Our calculations show that the F-center diffusion barrier is equal to 1.67 eV. During the F-center transfer, the trapped electron is more delocalized than that in the regular F-center case, and the gap between defect level and CB in the α-spin state decreases. The surface F-center investigation shows the trend of F centers to locate near the surface. The association energy calculations of R centers indicate stable aggregations of isolated F centers. During the F-center aggregation, a considerable covalency forms between two neighbo…