Related papers: First-principles Study of Metallic-atom Diffusion …
This work investigates the problematic diffusion of metal atoms into phase change chalcogenides, which can destroy resonances in photonic devices. Interfaces between Ge2Sb2Te5 and metal layers were studied using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and…
We have coupled electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy experiments with \textit{ab-initio} modeling to study the solubility and diffusion of Au in Bi$_2$Te$_3$. We found that thermal annealing of Au films results in Au…
Bi2Te3 based thermoelectric devices typically use a nickel layer as a diffusion barrier to block the diffusion of solder or copper atoms from the electrode into the thermoelectric material. Previous studies have shown degradation in the…
Hole formation in a polycrystalline Ni film on an $\alpha$-Al$_2$O$_3$ substrate coupled with a continuum diffusion analysis demonstrates that Ni diffusion along the Ni/$\alpha$-Al$_2$O$_3$ interface is surprisingly fast. Ab initio…
The ongoing search for high voltage positive electrode materials for Mg batteries has been primarily hampered by poor Mg mobility in bulk oxide frameworks. Motivated by the presence of Mo$_3$ clusters that can facilitate charge…
We present ab initio studies of structures, energetics, and diffusion properties of Mg in Si, Ge, and Sn diamond structures to evaluate their potential as insertion type anode materials for Mg batteries. We show that Si could provide the…
The light elemental solutes B, C, N, and O can penetrate the surface of Mg alloys and diffuse during heat treatment or high temperature application, forming undesirable compounds. We investigate the diffusion of these solutes by determining…
Structural and thermoelectric properties of metallic and semiconducting Sb2Te3 are reported. X-Ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal that semiconducting sample have higher defect density. Nature and origin of possible…
Ab initio simulations are combined with in situ infrared spectroscopy to unveil the molecular transport of H$_2$, CO$_2$, and H$_2$O in the metal organic framework MOF-74-Mg. Our study uncovers---at the atomistic level---the major factors…
We have performed density functional calculations of the formation energies of substitutional transition metal (TM) defects, C vacancies, and C interstitial defects in TiC. In addition we have evaluated the migration energy barriers for C…
Cu$_3$SbSe$_4$ is a promising thermoelectric material due to high thermopower ($>400\ \mu$V/K) at 300K and higher. Although it has a simple crystal structure derived from zinc blende structure, previous work has shown that the physics of…
Traditional thermoelectric materials rely on low thermal conductivity to enhance their efficiency but suffer from inherently limited power factors. Novel pathways to optimize electronic transport are thus crucial. Here, we achieve ultrahigh…
When certain elemental metals like Cu, Sr and Nb are intercalated between the layers of Bi$_2$Se$_3$, a topological insulator, the intercalated systems superconduct with critical temperatures around 3 K. Naturally, in all these cases, the…
The lattice thermal conductivity of the candidate thermoelectric material Mg$_3$Sb$_2$ is studied from first principles, with the inclusion of anharmonic, isotope, and boundary scattering processes, and via an accurate solution of the…
In the design of materials with low lattice thermal conductivity, compounds with high density, low speed of sound, and complexity at either the atomic, nano- or microstructural level are preferred. The layered compound Mg$_3$Sb$_2$ defies…
We discuss the dependence of self- and interdiffusion coefficients on temperature and composition for two prototypical binary metallic melts, Al-Ni and Zr-Ni, in molecular-dynamics (MD) computer simulations and the mode-coupling theory of…
We present a comprehensive ab initio investigation on Mg$_3$Bi$_2$, a promising Mg-ion battery anode material with high rate capacity. Through combined DFT (PBE, HSE06) and $G_0W_0$ electronic structure calculations, we find that…
First principles calculations have been used to investigate the trends on the properties of isolated 3d transition metal impurities (from Sc to Cu) in diamond. Those impurities have small formation energies in the substitutional or double…
Materials that undergo reversible metal-insulator transitions are obvious candidates for new generations of devices. For such potential to be realised, the underlying microscopic mechanisms of such transitions must be fully determined. In…
The distribution of chemically similar transition-metal ions is a fundamental issue in the study of herbertsmithite-type kagome antiferromagnets. Using synchrotron radiation, we have performed resonant powder x-ray diffractions on newly…