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By first-principles LSDA+U calculations, we revealed that the current physical picture of defective uranium dioxide suggested solely by neutron diffraction analysis is unsatisfactory. An understanding based on quantum theory has been…
Structural, electronic, and chemical nanoscale modifications of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers alter their optical properties, including the generation of single photon emitters. A key missing element for complete control is a…
Nonlinear processes lie at the heart of many technologies such as frequency converters and entangled photon sources. Historically, observation and manipulation of these processes, for instance through nanostructures, has been limited to…
The dynamics of an order parameter's amplitude and phase determines the collective behaviour of novel states emerged in complex materials. Time- and momentum-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, by virtue of its ability to measure material…
The occupation of d-orbitals controls the magnitude and anisotropy of the inter-atomic electron transfer in transition metal oxides and hence exerts a key influence on their chemical bonding and physical properties. Atomic-scale modulations…
Recent years have seen a rapidly escalating demand for battery technologies capable of storing more energy, charging more quickly and having longer usable lifetimes, driven largely by increased electrification of transport and by grid-scale…
(Photo)electrocatalysts capture sunlight and use it to drive chemical reactions such as water splitting to produce H2. A major factor limiting photocatalyst development is their large heterogeneity which spatially modulates reactivity and…
A deep understanding of defects is essential for the optimisation of materials for solar energy conversion. This is particularly true for metal oxide photo(electro)catalysts, which typically feature high concentrations of charged point…
A comprehensive investigation on point defects and their clustering behavior in nonstoichiometric uranium dioxide UO2+x is carried out using LSDA+U method based on density functional theory. Accurate energetic information and charge…
Li-ion battery degradation processes are multi-scale, heterogeneous, dynamic and involve multiple cell components through cross talk mechanisms. Correlated operando characterization capable of measuring several key parameters are needed to…
X-ray powder diffraction using a synchrotron light source reveals significant modifications to both morphology and strain state in Palladium nanocubes after oxidation. Short-range strain measured by the static component of the Debye-Waller…
The exploration of the rich dynamics of electrons is a frontier in fundamental nano-physics. The dynamical behavior of electrons is dominated by random and chaotic thermal motion with ultrafast ($\approx$ ps) and nanoscale scatterings. This…
Graphene's intrinsically corrugated and wrinkled topology fundamentally influences its electronic, mechanical, and chemical properties. Experimental techniques allow the manipulation of pristine graphene and the controlled production of…
Atomic structures of nanomaterials are inherently dynamic, continuously reshaped through interactions with chemical species and external stimuli. Such dynamics are further amplified as the size and dimensionality of nanomaterials are…
Systems driven far from equilibrium may exhibit anomalous density fluctuations: active matter with orientational order display giant density fluctuations at large scale, while systems of interacting particles close to an absorbing phase…
We investigate the electronic and structural changes at the nanoscale in vanadium dioxide (VO2) in the vicinity of its thermally driven phase transition. Both electronic and structural changes exhibit phase coexistence leading to…
The energy to desorb atomic oxygen from an interstellar dust grain surface, $E_{\rm des}$, is an important controlling parameter in gas-grain models; its value impacts the temperature range over which oxygen resides on a dust grain.…
We investigate the system size scaling of the net defect number created by a rapid quench in a second-order quantum phase transition from an O(N) symmetric state to a phase of broken symmetry. Using a controlled mean-field expansion for…
Non-linear behavior in interstellar chemical models has been recognized for 25 years now. Different mechanisms account for the possibility of multiple fixed-points at steady state, characterized by the ionization degree of the gas. Chemical…
Linking electrode microstructure to electrochemical performance is essential for optimizing Li-ion batteries. However, this requires mechanistic 4D observations at ultimate spatio-temporal scales, which remains elusive. Here we demonstrate…