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The geological conundrum of sulfur excess refers to the finding that predicted amounts of sulfur, in the form of SO2, discharged in volcanic eruptions much exceeds the sulfur available for degassing from the erupted magma. Exploring the…
At low temperatures ultrasoft particle systems develop interesting phases via the self-assembly of particle clusters. In this study we develop a general zero-temperature analysis fully characterizing the ground state of such models in two…
By combining different ideas, a general and efficient protocol to deal with discontinuous phase transitions at low temperatures is proposed. For small $T$'s, it is possible to derive a generic analytic expression for appropriate order…
While the tetragonal antiferro-electrically distorted (AFD) phase with space group $I4/mcm$ is well known for SrTiO$_3$ to occur below 105 K, there are also some hints in literature of an orthorhombic phase, either at lower temperature at…
Supersolid is a mysterious and puzzling state of matter whose possible existence has stirred a vigorous debate among physicists for over 60 years. Its elusive nature stems from the coexistence of two seemingly contradicting properties,…
The thermodynamical stability of ${\rm Al(BH_4)_3}$ has been investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The heats of formation are obtained to be -132 and $-131 {\rm kJ/mol}$ without the zero-point…
We present a systematic search for low-energy metastable superhard carbon allotropes by using the recently developed evolutionary metadynamics technique. It is known that cold compression of graphite produces an allotrope at 15-20 GPa. Here…
The recently developed Perturbed-Chain Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) is investigated for a wide range of model parameters including the parameter m representing the chain length and the thermodynamic temperature T and…
Li2FeSiO4 is an important alternative cathode for next generation Li-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity (330 mA h/g). However, its development has faced significant challenges arising from structural complexity and poor…
Fast prediction of the synthesizability conditions of materials remains challenging, even assuming synthesis under thermodynamic equilibrium. Approaches solely based on convex stability hulls neglect finite-temperature effects, while…
Rare-earth compounds RCoSi exhibit unique properties, with distinct structural behaviors depending on whether R is a light, middle or heavy rare-earth element. Among them, CeCoSi undergoes a structural phase transition under high pressure,…
Prediction of stable crystal structures at given pressure-temperature conditions, based only on the knowledge of the chemical composition, is a central problem of condensed matter physics. This extremely challenging problem is often termed…
Metal-support interactions are frequently invoked to explain the enhanced catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles dispersed over reducible metal-oxide supports, yet the atomic scale mechanisms are rarely known. Here, we use scanning…
A simple method for the preparation of PdCo@Pd core-shell nanoparticles supported on carbon has been developed using an adsorbate-induced surface segregation effect. The stability and electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction of…
This study has explored numerous physical properties of CaPd$_3$Ti$_4$O$_{1}$2 (CPTO) and CaPd$_3$V$_4$O$_{12}$ (CPVO) quadruple perovskites employing the density functional theory (DFT) method. The mechanical permanence of these two…
Single crystals of XPt$_{5}$P (X = Al, Ga, and In) were grown from a Pt-P solution at high temperatures, and ambient-pressure measurements of temperature-dependent magnetization, resistivity, and X-ray diffraction were made. Also, the…
A central problem of materials science is to determine whether a hypothetical material is stable without being synthesized, which is mathematically equivalent to a global optimization problem on a highly non-linear and multi-modal potential…
Titanium dioxide has been extensively studied in the rutile or anatase phases, while its high-pressure phases are less well understood, despite that many are thought to have interesting optical, mechanical and electrochemical properties.…
The phase diagram of oxygen is investigated for pressures from 50 to 130~GPa and temperatures up 1200 K using first principles theory. A metallic molecular structure with the $P6_3/mmc$ symmetry ($\eta^{'}$ phase) is determined to be…
Structures of calcium peroxide (CaO2) are investigated in the pressure range 0-200 GPa using the ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) method and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At 0 GPa, there are several CaO2…