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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Temperature dependent electronic structure of Pr{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} film probed by X-ray absorption near edge structure

The Mn K edge X-ray absorption near edge structures (XANES) of Pr{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} film (100 nm) on (001) LaAlO{sub 3} substrate was measured at different temperatures to probe the MnO{sub 6} octahedron distortion and corresponding electronic structure. The absorption of high temperature paramagnetic-insulator phase differed from that of the low temperature ferromagnetic-metal phase. The temperature-dependent absorption intensity of Mn K edge XANES was correlated with the relaxation of distorted MnO{sub 6} octahedron, which changed the crystal field acting on the Mn site and the related electronic structure and properties. At low temperature, the splitting of Mn majority e{sub g} orbitals decreased and the density of states above the Fermi level increased in the relaxed MnO{sub 6} octahedron, as reflected by a wider separation between two sub-peaks in the pre-edge XANES spectra.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Direct observation of the layer-dependent electronic structure in phosphorene

Phosphorene, a single atomic layer of black phosphorus, has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional (2D) material that holds promise for electronic and photonic technologies. Here we experimentally demonstrate that the electronic structure of few-layer phosphorene varies significantly with the number of layers, in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The interband optical transitions cover a wide, technologically important spectral range from the visible to the mid-infrared. In addition, we observe strong photoluminescence in few-layer phosphorene at energies that closely match the absorption edge, indicating that they are direct bandgap semiconductors. The strongly layer-dependent electronic structure of phosphorene, in combination with its high electrical mobility, gives it distinct advantages over other 2D materials in electronic and opto-electronic applications.

Li, Likai↗
DOE OSTI2012

Electronic structure of titanium dichalcogenides TiX{sub 2} (X = S, Se, Te)

The electronic structure and the chemical bond in titanium dichalcogenides TiX{sub 2} (X = S, Se, Te), which are promising electrode materials for lithium batteries, are studied experimentally and theoretically. It is found that the X-ray photoelectron spectra of the valence bands and the core levels of titanium and its X-ray L{sub 2,3} absorption spectra demonstrate a change in the ionic and covalent components of the chemical bond in these compounds. The densities of states in these compounds are calculated by the full-potential augmented-plane-wave method, and multiplet calculations of the X-ray L{sub 2,3} absorption spectra of titanium are performed. It is shown that, in the row TiS{sub 2}-TiSe{sub 2}-TiTe{sub 2}, the covalence increases, the ionicity of the chemical bond decreases, and the effect of the crystal field of a ligand is weakened.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photoinduced reactions of both 2-formyl-2H-azirine and isoxazole: A theoretical study based on electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations

In the present work, the combined electronic structure calculations and dynamics simulations have been performed to explore photocleavages of 2-formyl-2H-azirine and isoxazole in the gas phase and the subsequent rearrangement reactions. The carbonyl n → π{sup *} transition induces a cleavage of the C—N single bond of 2-formyl-2H-azirine to yield β-formylvinylnitrene in open-shell singlet state. However, the n → π{sup *} excitation of the imine chromophore results in a cleavage of the C—C single bond, producing a nitrile ylide intermediate through an internal conversion to the ground state. β-formylvinylnitrene and nitrile ylide with the carbonyl group are easily transformed into 2-formyl-2H-azirine and oxazole, respectively. The N—O bond cleavages on both S{sub 1}({sup 1}ππ{sup *}) and S{sub 2}({sup 1}n{sub N}π{sup *}) of isoxazole are ultrafast processes, and they give products of 2-formyl-2H-azirine, 3-formylketenimine, HCN + CHCHO, and HCO + CHCHN. Both 2H-azirines and ketenimines were suggested to be formed from the triplet vinylnitrenes by intersystem crossing in the previous studies. However, our calculations show that the singlet β-formylvinylnitrene is responsible for the formation of 2-formyl-2H-azirine and 3-formylketenimine, and the singlet vinylnitrenes can play a key role in the photoinduced reactions of both 2H-azirines and isoxazoles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electronic Structure of Above-Room-Temperature van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe 3 GaTe 2

Fe 3 GaTe 2 , a recently discovered van der Waals ferromagnet, demonstrates intrinsic ferromagnetism above room temperature, necessitating a comprehensive investigation of the microscopic origins of its high Curie temperature ($T$ C ). In this study, we reveal the electronic structure of Fe 3 GaTe 2 in its ferromagnetic ground state using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Our results establish a consistent correspondence between the measured band structure and theoretical calculations, underscoring the significant contributions of the Heisenberg exchange interaction ($J$ ex ) and magnetic anisotropy energy to the development of the high-$T$ C ferromagnetic ordering in Fe 3 GaTe 2 . Intriguingly, we observe substantial modifications to these crucial driving factors through doping, which we attribute to alterations in multiple spin-splitting bands near the Fermi level. In conclusion, these findings provide valuable insights into the underlying electronic structure and its correlation with the emergence of high-$T$ C ferromagnetic ordering in Fe 3 GaTe 2 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electronic Structure of Excitons in Hematite Fe 2 O 3

We present a computational study of the electronic structure of excitons in hematite Fe 2 O 3 using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT theory. Excitons resulting from solar light absorption are precursors to photogenerated charge carriers, which are the active species in solar-to-fuel redox conversions. Upon vertical excitation, the lowest energy exciton is found to have a multideterminantal wave function, describing an electron excited from O 2p states to Fe 3d states of the nearest basal plane, possibly supporting a recent XUV-derived exciton structure with a radius of a single Fe–O bond. Subsequently, the exciton self-traps into stable electron–hole pair structures whose wave functions are well-approximated by single excitations conveniently labeled “HOMO–LUMO”. Self-trapping yields electron–hole pair structures whereby the electron state (electron polaron-like) is separated from the hole state (hole polaron-like) by 3, 5, 7, 9, ... basal planes in structures referred to as Exc-3, Exc-5, Exc-7, Exc-9, ... The natural transition orbitals (electron–hole states) exhibit a strong “localized” character. The hole state is best described as a (FeO 6 ) + octahedral moiety carrying ~0.65 h + charge, and overall ~70% of the hole is assigned to O 2p atomic states, mostly on the four (4) equatorial O atoms of the moiety. The electron state is best described as a (FeFe) – moiety carrying ~0.80 e – charge in Fe 3d atomic states. The lattice distortions around the hole site exhibit Fe–O bond shortening due to the removal of electron density from an orbital state with O–Fe–O antibonding character. The electron site shows Fe–Fe distance shortening due to excess electron density added to an orbital state with in-phase Fe–Fe interactions. Furthermore, these excitonic structures with increasing electron–hole separation can be viewed as the onset of exciton separation into isolated electrons and hole polarons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating the Electronic Structure of Prospective Water-Splitting Oxide BaCe 0.25 Mn 0.75 O 3-δ before and after Thermal Reduction

BaCe 0.25 Mn 0.75 O 3-δ (BCM), a non-stoichiometric oxide with a layered perovskite-like crystal structure, has recently emerged as a prospective contender for application in renewable energy harvesting by solar thermochemical hydrogen generation. Using solar-thermal energy and a reducing environment, oxygen vacancies can be created in high-temperature BCM, and the reduced crystal so obtained can, in turn, produce H 2 by stripping oxygen from H 2 O. Therefore, a first step toward understanding the working mechanism and optimizing the performance of BCM is a thorough and comparative analysis of the electronic structure of the pristine and the reduced material. In this paper, we probe the electronic structure of BCM using the combined effort of first-principles calculations and experimental O K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The computed projected density of states (PDOS) and orbital plots are used to propose a simplified model for orbital mixing between the oxygen and metal atoms. With the help of state-of-the-art simulations, we are able to find the origins of the XAS peaks and categorize them on the basis of contribution from Ce and Mn. For the reduced crystal, the calculations show that the change in electron density resulting from the reduction is strongly localized around the oxygen vacancy. Experimental measurements reveal a marked lowering of the first O K-edge peak in the reduced crystal. Using theoretical analysis, this is shown to result from lifting of spin degeneracy in the absorption peaks as well as from a diminished O 2p contribution to the frontier unoccupied orbitals, in accordance with the tight binding scheme. The simulated results serve as a reference for the extent of spectral change as a function of the percentage of oxygen vacancies in the reduced crystal. Here, our study paves the way for the investigation of the working mechanism of BCM and for computational and experimental efforts aimed at design and discovery of efficient water-splitting oxides.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2015

CYANOMETHANIMINE ISOMERS IN COLD INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS: INSIGHTS FROM ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE AND KINETIC CALCULATIONS

New insights into the formation of interstellar cyanomethanimine, a species of great relevance in prebiotic chemistry, are provided by electronic structure and kinetic calculations for the reaction CN + CH{sub 2} = NH. This reaction is a facile formation route of Z,E-C-cyanomethanimine, even under the extreme conditions of density and temperature typical of cold interstellar clouds. E-C-cyanomethanimine has been recently identified in Sgr B2(N) in the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) PRIMOS survey by P. Zaleski et al. and no efficient formation routes have been envisaged so far. The rate coefficient expression for the reaction channel leading to the observed isomer E-C-cyanomethanimine is 3.15 × 10-10 × (T/300){sup 0.152} × e{sup (−0.0948/T)}. According to the present study, the more stable Z-C-cyanomethanimine isomer is formed with a slightly larger yield (4.59 × 10{sup −10} × (T/300){sup 0.153} × e{sup (−0.0871/T)}. As the detection of E-isomer is favored due to its larger dipole moment, the missing detection of the Z-isomer can be due to the sensitivity limit of the GBT PRIMOS survey and the detection of the Z-isomer should be attempted with more sensitive instrumentation. The CN + CH{sub 2} = NH reaction can also play a role in the chemistry of the upper atmosphere of Titan where the cyanomethanimine products can contribute to the buildup of the observed nitrogen-rich organic aerosols that cover the moon.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature dependence of the electronic structure of semiconductors and insulators

The renormalization of electronic eigenenergies due to electron-phonon coupling (temperature dependence and zero-point motion effect) is sizable in many materials with light atoms. This effect, often neglected in ab initio calculations, can be computed using the perturbation-based Allen-Heine-Cardona theory in the adiabatic or non-adiabatic harmonic approximation. After a short description of the recent progresses in this field and a brief overview of the theory, we focus on the issue of phonon wavevector sampling convergence, until now poorly understood. Indeed, the renormalization is obtained numerically through a slowly converging q-point integration. For non-zero Born effective charges, we show that a divergence appears in the electron-phonon matrix elements at q → Γ, leading to a divergence of the adiabatic renormalization at band extrema. This problem is exacerbated by the slow convergence of Born effective charges with electronic wavevector sampling, which leaves residual Born effective charges in ab initio calculations on materials that are physically devoid of such charges. Here, we propose a solution that improves this convergence. However, for materials where Born effective charges are physically non-zero, the divergence of the renormalization indicates a breakdown of the adiabatic harmonic approximation, which we assess here by switching to the non-adiabatic harmonic approximation. Also, we study the convergence behavior of the renormalization and develop reliable extrapolation schemes to obtain the converged results. Finally, the adiabatic and non-adiabatic theories, with corrections for the slow Born effective charge convergence problem (and the associated divergence) are applied to the study of five semiconductors and insulators: α-AlN, β-AlN, BN, diamond, and silicon. For these five materials, we present the zero-point renormalization, temperature dependence, phonon-induced lifetime broadening, and the renormalized electronic band structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Development of formalisms based on locally coupled open subsystems for calculations in molecular electronic structure and dynamics

Quantum embedding theories model a collection of interacting molecules as a set of subsystems, where each can be treated with a particular electronic structure method (wave function or density functional theory, for example); these theories can lead to computationally efficient and accurate algorithms. Motivated by challenges in the field, we previously described a formalism (that models two subsystems), which we call “locally coupled open subsystems” (LCOS), for the computation of ground-state energies, fractional electron-occupation numbers of the subsystems, and the size-consistent limit of subsystem dissociation. In this work we present the full (nonrelativistic) LCOS theory and the following extensions of our previous work: (i) the framework to study systems composed of multiple subsystems and a procedure to spin-adapt the auxiliary wave function that describes the partitioned system, so that its spin state matches that of the real system of interest; (ii) potential functionals and ideas to employ machine learning for the computation of ground-state densities and energies; (iii) formulation of two LCOS ground-state approaches where the fragments are assigned Kohn-Sham wave functions; and (iv) a time-dependent (TD) extension of these two ground-state formalisms in which the state of the subsystems evolves according to a unitary propagation; from this evolution we can extract TD electron populations of the fragments, for instance. We also discuss potential applications of the TD LCOS theory to linear photoabsorption and Raman spectroscopy. As a result, the developments presented in this work can lead to ground-state and TD electronic structure calculations where the computational scaling can be controlled, depending on the level of theory and the accuracy desired to model each one of the subsystems and their coupling.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Atomic and electronic structures of lutetium oxide Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}

The chemical composition, electronic structure, structure, and physical properties a lutetium oxide Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3} film are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The short-range order in Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3} is found to correspond to its cubic modification. The binding energies of the 1s and 2p levels of oxygen and the 4d{sub 5/2} and 4f{sub 7/2} levels of lutetium are 529.2, 5.0 and 7.4, 195.9 eV, respectively. The energy gap determined from the electron energy loss spectrum of the film is 5.9 eV. The electron energy loss spectra have two peaks at 17.4 and 22.0 eV, which can be attributed to the excitation of bulk plasma oscillations. The dispersion of the refractive index is measured by spectral ellipsometry. The refractive index is shown to increase from 1.82 at 1.5 eV to 2.18 at 5.0 eV, and the high-frequency permittivity of Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3} is 3.31.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structural, Electronic, and Optical Properties of K 2 Sn 3 O 7 with an Offset Hollandite Structure

Here, we present the compound K 2 Sn 3 O 7 , a Sn 4 +-containing oxide with a unique structure type among oxides. The compound is orthorhombic and reminiscent of an offset hollandite, where open channels hold a row of four K + per channel per cell. UV–visible spectroscopy indicates a wide band gap semiconductor, which is confirmed by first-principles electronic-structure calculations of band structures, densities of states, and optical properties. Thus, the continued discovery of new structure types in ternary tin oxides should remain a priority for the identification of prospective ion conductors and transparent conducting compounds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Concentration Dependence of Dopant Electronic Structure in Bottom-up Graphene Nanoribbons

Bottom-up fabrication techniques enable atomically precise integration of dopant atoms into the structure of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Such dopants exhibit perfect alignment within GNRs and behave differently from bulk semiconductor dopants. The effect of dopant concentration on the electronic structure of GNRs, however, remains unclear despite its importance in future electronics applications. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic structure of bottom-up synthesized N = 7 armchair GNRs featuring varying concentrations of boron dopants. First-principles calculations of freestanding GNRs predict that the inclusion of boron atoms into a GNR backbone should induce two sharp dopant states whose energy splitting varies with dopant concentration. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments, however, reveal two broad dopant states with an energy splitting greater than expected. Here, this anomalous behavior results from an unusual hybridization between the dopant states and the Au(111) surface, with the dopant–surface interaction strength dictated by the dopant orbital symmetry.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electronic-Structure Origin of Cation Disorder in Transition-Metal Oxides

Cation disorder is an important design criterion for technologically relevant transition-metal (TM) oxides, such as radiation-tolerant ceramics and Li-ion battery electrodes. In this Letter, we use a combination of first-principles calculations, normal mode analysis, and band-structure arguments to pinpoint a specific electronic-structure effect that influences the stability of disordered phases. We find that the electronic configuration of a TM ion determines to what extent the structural energy is affected by site distortions. In conclusion, this mechanism explains the stability of disordered phases with large ionic radius differences and provides a concrete guideline for the discovery of novel disordered compositions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electronic structure of Pt-substituted clathrate silicides Ba{sub 8}Pt{sub x}Si{sub 46–x}(x = 4–6)

The results of calculation of the electronic structure of Si-based Pt-substituted clathrates are reported. Calculation is carried out by the linearized-augmented-plane-wave method. The effect of the number of substitutions and their crystallographic position in the unit cell on the electron-energy spectrum and the electronic properties of Pt-substituted clathrates is analyzed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Electronic Structure of the Plasmons in Metal Nanocrystals: Fundamental Limitations for the Energy Efficiency of Hot Electron Generation

This Review discusses the electronic structure of plasmonic resonances in metal nanostructures, clarifying existing misconceptions on the topic. Here we underscore the key property of the plasmonic response in metal nanocrystals: the plasmon and its wave function are mostly composed of a large number of low-energy excitations, which involve electrons near the Fermi level. Simultaneously, some number of high-energy hot electrons are excited in a nanocrystal due to the scattering of electrons by surfaces and in hot spots. It is an established fact that plasmon excitations are well described by classical frameworks, considering the collective oscillation of low-energy carriers moving as the result of classical acceleration. This classical motion is intrinsically dissipative and leads to heating. On the other hand, the generation of hot electrons in nanocrystals is a quantum surface effect. The energy efficiency of such Metal Semiconductor hot-electron processes is always limited. However, there are interesting possibilities for the hot-electron enhancement, which we discuss here in the context of applications for plasmonic photodetectors, photocatalysis, and ultrafast spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electronic Structure of IrO 2 : The Role of the Metal d Orbitals

IrO 2 is one of the most active catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and remains the only known stable OER catalyst in acidic conditions. As a first step in understanding the mechanism for OER we carried out detailed Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies of the electronic structure of IrO 2 . We compared the electronic states and magnetic properties of IrO 2 using several density functionals. We found that DFT with hybrid functionals (B3PW and PBE0) leads to a weak ferromagnetic coupling, although IrO 2 has often been reported as nonmagnetic. We also found a magnetic ground state for RuO 2 , whose electronic structure is similar to that of IrO 2 . Ru–Ru antiferromagnetic interaction has been observed experimentally in nanoparticle RuO 2 . Further low temperature measurements are necessary to confirm whether a weak magnetism may occur below 20 K in IrO 2 . We also found that PBE leads to a better agreement with the experimental XPS spectra, compared with hybrid functionals and PBE+U.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

PyProcar: A Python library for electronic structure pre/post-processing

The PyProcar Python package plots the band structure and the Fermi surface as a function of site and/or s,p,d,f - projected wavefunctions obtained for each k-point in the Brillouin zone and band in an electronic structure calculation. This can be performed on top of any electronic structure code, as long as the band and projection information is written in the PROCAR format, as done by the VASP and ABINIT codes. PyProcar can be easily modified to read other formats as well. This package is particularly suitable for understanding atomic effects into the band structure, Fermi surface, spin texture, etc. PyProcar can be conveniently used in a command line mode, where each one of the parameters define a plot property. In the case of Fermi surfaces, the package is able to plot the surface with colors depending on other properties such as the electron velocity or spin projection. Furthermore, the mesh used to calculate the property does not need to be the same as the one used to obtain the Fermi surface. A file with a specific property evaluated for each k-point in a k-mesh and for each band can be used to project other properties such as electron–phonon mean path, Fermi velocity, electron effective mass, etc. Another existing feature refers to the band unfolding of supercell calculations into predefined unit cells.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗