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At least 109 records · Page 6

Defects of perovskite semiconductor CsPbBr3 investigated via photoluminescence and thermally stimulated current spectroscopies

Halide perovskites are essential materials for hard radiation detectors at ambient temperature. To improve detector performance, charge transport must be investigated and optimized. Using photoluminescence (PL) and thermally stimulated current (TSC) spectroscopies, we investigate photogenerated charge carriers in Bridgman-grown CsPbBr3 single crystals to understand the nature of charge transport. PL spectroscopy of these halide perovskites revealed the presence of strong emission bands at the band edge, which were attributed to free or bound excitons. It is shown that a wide broadening of the excitonic linewidth in these halide perovskites arises from strong exciton–phonon coupling, which is substantially dominated by longitudinal optical phonons via Fröhlich interaction. An additional contribution due to the presence of ionized impurities was also observed. Crystals with a detectable sensitivity to high-energy gamma radiation are characterized by a higher intensity and a narrower linewidth of the principal PL peak at 2.326 eV. Defect states beyond 2.214 eV have a negative impact on detector sensitivity to high-energy gamma radiation. TSC spectroscopy reveals an array of trap levels spanning 0.15–0.70 eV, attributed to intrinsic point defects and multiple extrinsic defects involving dopants or impurities. Defects identified included Cs and Br vacancies, as well as Pb interstitials with concentrations in the 1011–1016 cm−3 range. Understanding how the synthesis process impacts the types and concentrations of the defects present is currently under investigation. Elimination or suppression of the defect/trap states should result in halide perovskite materials with longer carrier diffusion lengths and improved detector characteristics.

Physics↗

Expansive open Fermi arcs and connectivity changes induced by infrared phonons in ZrTe 5

Expansive open Fermi arcs covering most of the surface Brillouin zone (SBZ) are desirable for detection and control of many topological phenomena, but they have generally been reported for Kramers-Weyl points, or unconventional chiral fermions, pinned at time-reversal invariant momentum in chiral materials. Here using first-principles band structure calculations, we show that for conventional Weyl points in ZrTe 5 with the chirality of +1/–1 near the BZ center at general momentum induced by one of the infrared phonons—the second lowest $B_{1u}$ mode for breaking inversion symmetry—they can also form expansive open Fermi arcs across the SBZ boundary to occupy most of the SBZ when projected on the (001) surface. In this work, we reveal that such expansive open Fermi arcs are evolved from the topological surface states that connect multiple surface Dirac points on the (001) surface of the topological insulator phases without lattice distortion in ZrTe 5 . Furthermore, we find that the connectivity of the induced open Fermi arcs can be changed by the magnitude of the lattice distortion of this infrared phonon mode. Thus, we propose that using coherent optical phonons to modulate lattice parameters can offer ways to induce unique topological features including expansive open Fermi arcs and to dynamically control Fermi arc connectivity in ZrTe 5 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Charge carrier coupling to the soft phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor

Many crystalline solids possess strongly anharmonic “soft” phonon modes characterized by diminishing frequency as temperature approaches a critical point associated with a symmetry breaking phase transition. While electron–soft phonon coupling can introduce unique scattering channels for charge carriers in ferroelectrics, recent studies on the nonferroelectric lead halide perovskites have also suggested the central role of anharmonic phonons bearing resemblance to soft modes in charge carrier screening. Here we apply coherent phonon spectroscopy to directly study electron coupling to the soft transverse optical phonon mode in a ferroelectric semiconductor SbSI. Photogenerated charge carriers in SbSI are found to be exceptionally long lived and are associated with a transient electro-optical effect that can be explained by interactions between charge carriers and thermally stimulated soft phonon excitations. Furthermore, these results provide strong evidence for the role of electron–soft phonon coupling in the efficient screening of charge carriers and in reducing charge recombination rates, both desirable properties for optoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Intrinsic anharmonicity and thermal properties of ultralow thermal conductivity Ba 6 Sn 6 Se 13

Ultralow thermal conductivity materials continue to be of great interest for technologically important applications such as thermal insulators and thermoelectrics. Often, such materials possess constituents with extensive dynamic disorder, or “rattlers,” or structural disorder such as metallic glasses. Nevertheless, targeted crystalline bonding order and anharmonicity can provide effective means for the scattering of the phonons in certain materials. Our combined experimental and theoretical investigation of Ba 6 Sn 6 Se 13 reveals such a material, with ultralow thermal conductivity measured over a large temperature range. Optic phonon modes hybridize with acoustic modes at relatively low energies resulting in strong acoustic-optic scattering and limited phonon lifetimes. Moreover, our investigations reveal various avoided crossings at low energies that contribute to phonon scattering. These are derived from chiral phase symmetries and may result in nontrivial topological behaviors for phonon band crossings in this chiral material. This work contributes to the ongoing research on low thermal conductivity materials and the underlying mechanisms that affect their thermal behaviors. Manipulation of these effects may provide pathways for enhancement of material properties for targeted thermal applications using similar materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Origins of heat transport anisotropy in MoTe2 and other bulk van der Waals materials

Knowledge of how heat flows anisotropically in van der Waals (vdW) materials is crucial for thermal management of emerging 2D materials devices and design of novel anisotropic thermoelectric materials. Despite the importance, anisotropic heat transport in vdW materials is yet to be systematically studied and is often presumably attributed to anisotropic speeds of sound in vdW materials due to soft interlayer bonding relative to covalent in-plane networks of atoms. In this work, we investigate the origins of the anisotropic heat transport in vdW materials, through time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) measurements and first-principles calculations of anisotropic thermal conductivity of three different phases of MoTe 2 . MoTe 2 is ideal for the study due to its weak anisotropy in the speeds of sound. We find that even when the speeds of sound are roughly isotropic, the measured thermal conductivity of MoTe 2 along the c-axis is 5–8 times lower than that along the in-plane axes. We derive meaningful characteristic heat capacity, phonon group velocity, and relaxation times from our first principles calculations for selected vdW materials (MoTe 2 , BP, h-BN, and MoS 2 ), to assess the contributions of these factors to the anisotropic heat transport. Interestingly, we find that the main contributor to the heat transport anisotropy in vdW materials is anisotropy in heat capacity of the dominant heat-carrying phonon modes in different directions, which originates from anisotropic optical phonon dispersion and disparity in the frequency of heat-carrying phonons in different directions. Further, the discrepancy in frequency of the heat-carrying phonons also leads to ~2 times larger average relaxation times in the cross-plane direction, and partially explains the apparent dependence of the anisotropic heat transport on the anisotropic speeds of sound. This work provides insight into understanding of the anisotropic heat transport in vdW materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anharmonic phonon behavior via irreducible derivatives: Self-consistent perturbation theory and molecular dynamics

Cubic phonon interactions are now regularly computed from first principles, and the quartic interactions have begun to receive more attention. Given this realistic anharmonic vibrational Hamiltonian, the classical phonon Green's function can be precisely measured using molecular dynamics, which can then be used to rigorously assess the range of validity for self-consistent diagrammatic approaches in the classical limit. Here we use the bundled irreducible derivative approach to efficiently and precisely compute the cubic and quartic phonon interactions of CaF 2 , systematically obtaining the vibrational Hamiltonian purely in terms of irreducible derivatives. We demonstrate that the 4-phonon sunset diagram has an important contribution to the optical phonon linewidths beyond T = 500 K. Reasonable results are obtained even at T = 900 K when performing self-consistency using the 4-phonon loop diagram and evaluating the 3-phonon bubble and 4-phonon sunset diagrams post-self-consistency. Further improvements are obtained by performing quasiparticle perturbation theory, where both the 4-phonon loop and the real part of the 3-phonon bubble are employed during self-consistency. Finally, our irreducible derivative approach to self-consistent perturbation theory is a robust tool for studying anharmonic phonons in both the quantum and classical regimes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Atomic-scale imaging of frequency-dependent phonon anisotropy

Directly visualizing vibrational anisotropy in individual phonon modes is essential for understanding a wide range of intriguing optical, thermal and elastic phenomena in materials. Although conventional optical and diffraction techniques have been used to estimate vibrational anisotropies, they fall short in achieving the spatial and energy resolution necessary to provide detailed information. Here, we introduce a new form of momentum-selective electron energy-loss spectroscopy, which enables the element-resolved imaging of frequency- and symmetry-dependent vibrational anisotropies with atomic resolution. Vibrational anisotropies manifest in different norms of orthogonal atomic displacements, known as thermal ellipsoids. Using the centrosymmetric strontium titanate as a model system, we observed two distinct types of oxygen vibrations with contrasting anisotropies: oblate thermal ellipsoids below 60 meV and prolate ones above 60 meV. In non-centrosymmetric barium titanate, our approach can detect subtle distortions of the oxygen octahedra by observing the unexpected modulation of q-selective signals between apical and equatorial oxygen sites near 55 meV, which originates from reduced crystal symmetry and may also be linked to ferroelectric polarization. These observations are quantitatively supported by theoretical modelling, which demonstrates the reliability of our approach. The measured frequency-dependent vibrational anisotropies shed new light on the dielectric and thermal behaviours governed by acoustic and optical phonons. Furthermore, the ability to visualize phonon eigenvectors at specific crystallographic sites with unprecedented spatial and energy resolution opens new avenues for exploring dielectric, optical, thermal and superconducting properties.

Ferroelectrics and multiferroics↗

Coupling to octahedral tilts in halide perovskite nanocrystals induces phonon-mediated attractive interactions between excitons

Understanding the origin of electron–phonon coupling in lead halide perovskites is key to interpreting and leveraging their optical and electronic properties. Here we show that photoexcitation drives a reduction of the lead–halide–lead bond angles, a result of deformation potential coupling to low-energy optical phonons. We accomplish this by performing femtosecond-resolved, optical-pump–electron-diffraction-probe measurements to quantify the lattice reorganization occurring as a result of photoexcitation in nanocrystals of FAPbBr 3 . Our results indicate a stronger coupling in FAPbBr 3 than CsPbBr 3 . We attribute the enhanced coupling in FAPbBr 3 to its disordered crystal structure, which persists down to cryogenic temperatures. We find the reorganizations induced by each exciton in a multi-excitonic state constructively interfere, giving rise to a coupling strength that scales quadratically with the exciton number. This superlinear scaling induces phonon-mediated attractive interactions between excitations in lead halide perovskites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Lattice anharmonicity effects in fluorite oxide single crystals and anomalous increase in phonon lifetime in ceria at elevated temperature

Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of the frequency and linewidth of the triply degenerate T 2g zone-centered optical phonon in flux-grown ceria and hydrothermally synthesized thoria single crystals from room temperature to 1273 K using Raman spectroscopy. Both crystals exhibit an expected increase in the phonon linewidth with temperature due to enhanced phonon–phonon scattering. However, ceria displays an anomalous linewidth reduction in the temperature range of 1023–1123 K. First-principles phonon linewidth calculations considering cubic and quartic phonon interactions within temperature-independent phonon dispersion fail to describe this anomaly. A parameterization of the temperature-dependent second-order interatomic force constants based on previously reported phonon dispersion measured at room and high temperatures predicts a deviation from the monotonic linewidth increase, albeit at temperatures lower than those observed experimentally for ceria. The qualitative agreement in the trend of temperature-dependent linewidth suggests that lattice anharmonicity-induced phonon renormalization plays a role in phonon lifetime. Specifically, a change in the overlap between softened acoustic and optical branches in the dispersion curve reduces the available phonon scattering phase space of the Raman-active mode at the zone center, leading to an increased phonon lifetime within a narrow temperature interval. These findings provide insights into higher-order anharmonic interactions in ceria and thoria, motivating further investigations into the role of anharmonicity-induced phonon renormalization on phonon lifetimes at high temperatures.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Ultralow Thermal Conductivity in Nanoporous Crystalline Fe 3 O 4

While there is no known fundamental lower limit to the thermal conductivity of a material, the lowest thermal conductivities are typically found in amorphous and strongly disordered materials, not highly crystalline materials. Here, we demonstrate a surprising nanostructuring route to ultralow thermal conductivity in a large-unit-cell oxide crystal (Fe 3 O 4 ) containing close-packed nanoscale pores. The electrical conductivity of this material reduces by a factor of 5 relative to dense v, independent of pore size. In contrast, thermal conductivity has a strong dependence on pore size with a factor of 40 of suppression relative to dense Fe 3 O 4 for 40 nm pores vs a factor of 5 for 500 nm pores. The matrix thermal conductivity of Fe 3 O 4 containing 40 nm pores falls below the predicted minimum thermal conductivity by a factor of 3. Finally, we attribute this to strong acoustic phonon scattering and intrinsically limited contributions to thermal conductivity from optical phonons with small dispersion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nanoscale imaging of phonon dynamics by electron microscopy

Spatially resolved vibrational mapping of nanostructures is indispensable to the development and understanding of thermal nanodevices, modulation of thermal transport and novel nanostructured thermoelectric materials. Through the engineering of complex structures, such as alloys, nanostructures and superlattice interfaces, one can significantly alter the propagation of phonons and suppress material thermal conductivity while maintaining electrical conductivity. There have been no correlative experiments that spatially track the modulation of phonon properties in and around nanostructures due to spatial resolution limitations of conventional optical phonon detection techniques. Here we demonstrate two-dimensional spatial mapping of phonons in a single silicon–germanium (SiGe) quantum dot (QD) using monochromated electron energy loss spectroscopy in the transmission electron microscope. Tracking the variation of the Si optical mode in and around the QD, we observe the nanoscale modification of the composition-induced red shift. We observe non-equilibrium phonons that only exist near the interface and, furthermore, develop a novel technique to differentially map phonon momenta, providing direct evidence that the interplay between diffuse and specular reflection largely depends on the detailed atomistic structure: a major advancement in the field. Our work unveils the non-equilibrium phonon dynamics at nanoscale interfaces and can be used to study actual nanodevices and aid in the understanding of heat dissipation near nanoscale hotspots, which is crucial for future high-performance nanoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Characterization of Carrier Cooling Bottleneck in Silicon Nanoparticles by Extreme Ultraviolet (XUV) Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

Silicon nanoparticles have the promise to surpass the theoretical efficiency limit of single-junction silicon photovoltaics by the creation of a “phonon bottleneck,” a theorized slowing of the cooling rate of hot optical phonons that in turn reduces the cooling rate of hot carriers in the material. Verifying the presence of a phonon bottleneck in silicon nanoparticles requires simultaneous resolution of electronic and structural changes at short timescales. Here, extreme ultraviolet transient absorption spectroscopy is used to observe the excited-state electronic and lattice dynamics in polycrystalline silicon nanoparticles following 800 nm photoexcitation, which excites carriers with 0.35 ± 0.03 eV excess energy above the Δ 1 conduction band minimum. The nanoparticles have nominal 100 nm diameters with crystalline grain sizes of about ~16 nm. The extracted carrier–phonon and phonon–phonon relaxation times of the nanoparticles are compared to those for a silicon (100) single-crystal thin film at similar carrier densities (2 × 10 19 cm –3 for the nanoparticles and 6 × 10 19 cm –3 for the film). The measured carrier–phonon and phonon–phonon scattering lifetimes for the polycrystalline nanoparticles are 870 ± 40 fs and 17.5 ± 0.3 ps, respectively, versus 195 ± 20 fs and 8.1 ± 0.2 ps, respectively, for the silicon thin film. Furthermore, the reduced scattering rates observed in the nanoparticles are consistent with the phonon bottleneck hypothesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Remarkable heat conduction mediated by non-equilibrium phonon polaritons

Surface waves can lead to intriguing transport phenomena. In particular, surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), which result from coupling between infrared light and optical phonons, have been predicted to contribute to heat conduction along polar thin films and nanowires. However, experimental efforts so far suggest only very limited SPhP contributions. Through systematic measurements of thermal transport along the same 3C-SiC nanowires with and without a gold coating on the end(s) that serves to launch SPhPs, here we show that thermally excited SPhPs can substantially enhance the thermal conductivity of the uncoated portion of these wires. The extracted pre-decay SPhP thermal conductance is more than two orders of magnitude higher than the Landauer limit predicted on the basis of equilibrium Bose–Einstein distributions. Here, we attribute the notable SPhP conductance to the efficient launching of non-equilibrium SPhPs from the gold-coated portion into the uncoated SiC nanowires, which is strongly supported by the observation that the SPhP-mediated thermal conductivity is proportional to the length of the gold coating(s). The reported discoveries open the door for modulating energy transport in solids by introducing SPhPs, which can effectively counteract the classical size effect in many technologically important films and improve the design of solid-state devices.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Persistent hot carrier diffusion in boron arsenide single crystals imaged by ultrafast electron microscopy

Cubic boron arsenide (BAs) is promising for microelectronics thermal management because of its high thermal conductivity. Recently, its potential as an optoelectronic material is also being explored. However, it remains challenging to measure its photocarrier transport properties because of small sizes of available high-quality crystals. Here, we use scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (SUEM) to directly visualize the diffusion of photocarriers in BAs single crystals. Surprisingly, we observed ambipolar diffusion at low optical fluence with persistent hot carrier dynamics for above 200 ps, which can likely be attributed to the large frequency gap between acoustic and optical phonons, the same feature that is responsible for the high thermal conductivity. At higher optical fluence, we observed spontaneous electron-hole separation. Our results show BAs is an attractive optoelectronic material combining high thermal conductivity and excellent photocarrier transport properties. Finally, our study also demonstrates the capability of SUEM to probe photocarrier transport in emerging materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Direct visualization of polaron formation in the thermoelectric SnSe

SnSe is a layered material that currently holds the record for bulk thermoelectric efficiency. The primary determinant of this high efficiency is thought to be the anomalously low thermal conductivity resulting from strong anharmonic coupling within the phonon system. Here we show that the nature of the carrier system in SnSe is also determined by strong coupling to phonons by directly visualizing polaron formation in the material. We employ ultrafast electron diffraction and diffuse scattering to track the response of phonons in both momentum and time to the photodoping of free carriers across the bandgap, observing the bimodal and anisotropic lattice distortions that drive carrier localization. Relatively large (18.7 Å), quasi-one-dimensional (1D) polarons are formed on the 300-fs timescale with smaller (4.2 Å) 3D polarons taking an order of magnitude longer (4 ps) to form. This difference appears to be a consequence of the profoundly anisotropic electron–phonon coupling in SnSe, with strong Fröhlich coupling only to zone-center polar optical phonons. These results demonstrate a high density of polarons in SnSe at optimal doping levels. Strong electron-phonon coupling is critical to the thermoelectric performance of this benchmark material and, potentially, high performance thermoelectrics more generally.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

All-Inorganic Halide Perovskites as Potential Thermoelectric Materials: Dynamic Cation off-Centering Induces Ultralow Thermal Conductivity

Halide perovskites are anticipated to impact next generation high performance solar cells because of their extraordinary charge transport and optoelectronic properties. However, their thermal transport behavior has received limited attention. In this work, we studied the thermal transport and thermoelectric properties of the CsSnBr 3–x I x perovskites. We find a strong correlation between lattice dynamics and an ultralow thermal conductivity for series CsSnBr 3–x I x reaching 0.32 Wm –1 K –1 at 550 K. The CsSnBr 3–x I x also possess a decent Seebeck coefficient and controllable electrical transport properties. The crystallography data and theoretical calculations suggest the Cs atom deviates from its ideal cuboctahedral geometry imposed by the perovskite cage and behaves as a heavy atom rattling oscillator. This off-center tendency of Cs, together with the distortion of SnX 6 (X = Br or I) octahedra, produces a highly dynamic and disordered structure in CsSnBr 3–x I x , which gives rise to a very low Debye temperature and phonon velocity. Moreover, the low temperature heat capacity data suggests strong coupling between the low frequency optical phonons and heat carrying acoustical phonons. In conclusion, this induces strong phonon resonance scattering that induces the ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of CsSnBr 3–x I x .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structural, Vibrational, and Electronic Properties of 1D-TlInTe 2 under High Pressure: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Analogous to 2D layered transition-metal dichalcogenides, the TlSe family of quasi-one dimensional chain materials with the Zintl-type structure exhibits novel phenomena under high pressure. In the present work, we have systematically investigated the high-pressure behavior of TlInTe 2 using Raman spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transport measurements, in combination with first principles crystal structure prediction (CSP) based on evolutionary approach. We found that TlInTe2 undergoes a pressure-induced semiconductor-to-semimetal transition at 4 GPa, followed by a superconducting transition at 5.7 GPa (with T c = 3.8 K). An unusual giant phonon mode (A g ) softening appears at ~10–12 GPa as a result of the interaction of optical phonons with the conduction electrons. The high-pressure XRD and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal that there is no structural phase transitions observed up to the maximum pressure achieved (33.5 GPa), which is in agreement with our CSP calculations. In addition, our calculations predict two high-pressure phases above 35 GPa following the phase transition sequence as I4/mcm (B37) → Pbcm → Pm$\bar{3}$m (B2). Electronic structure calculations suggest Lifshitz (L1 & L2-type) transitions near the superconducting transition pressure. Furthermore, our findings on TlInTe 2 open up a new avenue to study unexplored high-pressure novel phenomena in TlSe family induced by Lifshitz transition (electronic driven), giant phonon softening, and electron–phonon coupling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Crystalline Order Yet Glass-Like Heat Transport Driven by Hidden Local Distortions as the Structural Origin of Ultralow Thermal Conductivity in AgErTe 2

Given their rich chemical diversity and the interplay among the p-, d-, and f-orbitals of chalcogens, transition metals, and lanthanides, respectively, rare-earth transition-metal chalcogenides exhibit a wide variety of structural, magnetic, and transport phenomena. As a result, they form a particularly appealing platform for investigating structure–property relationships, emergent electronic and magnetic behaviors, and thermal transport. Here we investigate AgErTe 2 as a model system to understand phonon-glass behavior in ordered crystalline solids, which establishes the design principles for thermal barrier coatings and next-generation thermoelectrics. The local bonding asymmetry and lattice softness suppress the inherently low lattice thermal conductivity, resembling the characteristics of amorphous materials. This suppression is significantly influenced by local off-centering of Ag atoms, which breaks lattice periodicity while maintaining global crystallinity. The presence of antibonding states just below the Fermi level, arising from Ag 4d and Te 5p orbital interactions, leads to lattice softening and destabilizes ideal tetrahedral coordination, resulting in a pseudo Jahn–Teller distortion. Furthermore, the coexistence of weaker, more polarizable Ag–Te bonds and stronger Er–Te bonds creates a complex vibrational landscape enriched with low-frequency modes and enhanced phonon scattering. A pronounced disparity in interatomic force constants gives rise to highly localized, low-energy optical phonons linked to Ag rattling. These flat vibrational modes exhibit strong coupling with transverse acoustic phonons, resulting in ultrashort phonon lifetimes and mean free paths approaching interatomic distances. These features collectively enhance phonon scattering across a broad range of length and energy scales. This work offers a framework for engineering suppressed thermal conductivity in crystalline systems without the introduction of alloying elements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗