We present a Floquet scheme for the ab-initio calculation of nonlinear optical properties in extended systems. This entails a reformulation of the real-time approach based on the dynamical Berry-phase polarisation (Attaccalite and Grüning 2013 Phys. Rev. B 88 1–9) and retains the advantage of being non-perturbative in the electric field. The proposed method applies to periodically-driven Hamiltonians and makes use of this symmetry to turn a time-dependent problem into a self-consistent time-independent eigenvalue problem. We implemented this Floquet scheme at the independent particle level and compared it with the real-time approach. Our reformulation reproduces real-time-calculated 2nd and 3rd order susceptibilities for a number of bulk and two-dimensional materials, while reducing the associated computational cost by one or two orders of magnitude.

As the analogs of Li-rich materials, Na-rich transition metal layered oxides are promising cathode materials for Na-ion batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity and energy density through cumulative cationic and anionic redox. However, most of the reported Na-rich cathode materials are mainly Ru- and Ir-based layered oxides, which limits the practical application. Herein, we report a Na-rich and Ru-doped O3-type Na1.1Ni0.35Mn0.55O2 cathode to mitigate this issue. By partially substituting Mn4+ with high-electronegativity Ru4+, the structural stability and electrochemical performance of the cathode are both greatly improved. It is validated that the high covalency of Ru–O bonds could harden the structural integrity with rigid oxygen framework upon cycling, leading to enhanced O3-P3 phase transition reversibility. Ru doping also induces an enlarged interlayer spacing to boost the Na+ diffusion kinetics for improved rate capability. In addition, benefiting from the large energetic overlap between Ru 4d and O 2p states, the reinforced Ru–O covalency enables highly reversible Ru4+/Ru5+ redox accompanied with more stable oxygen redox, leading to improved specific capacity and stability over cycling. Our present study provides a promising strategy for designing high-performance Na-rich layered oxide cathode materials through covalency modulation toward practical applications.

The role of inorganic sulfur species in biological systems has gained considerable interest since the recognition of sulfanes, particularly dihydrogen sulfide or sulfane, H2S, disulfane, HSSH, trisulfane, HSSSH, and their conjugate bases, as endogenous species and mediators of signaling functions in different tissues. The one-electron oxidation of H2S/HS− has been assigned as the onset of signaling processes or oxidative detoxification mechanisms. These varied sulfur containing inorganic species are, together with organic counterparts, reunited as reactive sulfur species (RSS). In order to shed light on this rich and still not completely explored chemistry, we have performed electronic structure calculations at different levels of theory, to provide estimations and the molecular basis of the pKa values of the polysulfides HSSH and HSSSH and of the radical HS•. In addition, we also reported the characterization of selected inorganic RSS including both radical and non-radical species with different protonation states with the intention of assisting the interpretation of chemical/biochemical experiments involving these species.

Driving quantum phase transitions in the 3D topological insulators offers pathways to tuning the topological states and their properties. We use DFT-based calculations to systematically investigate topological phase transitions in Bi2Se3, Sb2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 by varying the c/a ratio of lattice constants. This ensures no net hydrostatic pressure under anisotropic stress and strain and allows a clear identification of the physics leading to the transition. As a function of c/a , all of these materials exhibit structural and electronic stability of the quintuple layers (QLs), and quasi-linear behavior of both the inter-QL distance and the energy gap near the topological transition. Our results show that the transition is predominantly controlled by the inter-QL physics, namely by competing Coulomb and van der Waals interactions between the outer atomic sheets in neighboring QLs. We discuss the implications of our results for topological tuning by alloying.

The energy-level alignment at the ubiquitous interfaces of optoelectronic devices is decisive for their performance and almost all pertinent publications include energy-level diagrams (ELDs). However, in most of these ELDs vacuum-level alignment across the complete heterojunction is assumed, which is oversimplified. On the contrary, the functioning of virtually all optoelectronic devices relies on interface phenomena like band bending, interface dipoles or potential drops. Consequently, such oversimplified ELDs do not help to understand the working mechanism of devices and have limited meaning. In this focus article, we give best practice rules for drawing ELDs: (1) give references for all the values of an ELD. (2) Mention the methods which have been used to obtain these values. (3) Add a disclaimer about the limitations of the ELD. (4) Measure as many energy levels as possible.

Cobalt polypyridyl complexes efficiently catalyze hydrogen evolution in aqueous media and exhibit high stability under reducing conditions. Their stability and activity can be tuned through electronic and steric considerations, but the rationalization of these effects requires detailed mechanistic understanding. As an example, tetradentate ligands with two non-permanently occupied coordination sites show higher activity with these sites in cis compared to trans configuration. Here reaction mechanisms of the Co-polypyridyl complex [CoII(bpma)Cl2] (bpma = bipyridinylmethyl-pyridinylmethyl-methyl-amine) have been studied using hybrid density-functional theory. This complex has two exchangeable cis sites, and provides a flexible ligand environment with both pyridyl and amine coordination. Two main pathways with low barriers are found. One pathway, which includes both open sites, is hydrogen evolution from a CoII-H intermediate with a water ligand as the proton donor. In the second pathway H–H bond formation occurs between the hydride and the protonated bpma ligand, with one open site acting as a spectator. The two pathways have similar barriers at higher pH, while the latter becomes more dominant at lower pH. The calculations consider a large number of interconnected variables; protonation sites, isomers, spin multiplicities, and the identities of the open binding sites, as well as their combinations, thus exploring many simultaneous dimensions within each pathway. The results highlight the effects of having two open cis-coordination sites and how their relative binding affinities change during the reaction pathway. They also illustrate why CoII-H intermediates are more active than CoIII-H ones, and why pyridyl protonation gives lower reaction barriers than amine protonation.

While bottom-up synthesis allows for precise control over the properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), the use of certain precursor molecules can result in edge defects, such as missing benzene rings that resemble a ‘bite’. We investigate the adverse effect of the ‘bite’ defects on the electronic transport properties in three chevron-type GNRs and discover that the extent of scattering is governed by the different defect positions. Applying the concepts learned in single GNRs, we engineer defects in two nanostructures to construct prototypical components for nanoelectronics. First, we design a switch, consisting of three laterally fused fluorenyl-chevron GNRs, and place a pair of ‘bite’ defects to effectively allow the switching between four binary states corresponding to distinct current pathways. Second, we show that conscientious placement of a ‘bite’ defect pair can increase conductance between two leads in a triple chevron GNR junction. Overall, we outline how the incorporation of ‘bite’ defects affects transport properties in chevron-type nanostructures and provide a guide on how to design nanoelectronic components.

Point defect formation and migration in oxides governs a wide range of phenomena from corrosion kinetics and radiation damage evolution to electronic properties. In this study, we examine the thermodynamics and kinetics of anion and cation point defects using density functional theory in hematite ( α -Fe2O3), an important iron oxide highly relevant in both corrosion of steels and water-splitting applications. These calculations indicate that the migration barriers for point defects can vary significantly with charge state, particularly for cation interstitials. Additionally, we find multiple possible migration pathways for many of the point defects in this material, related to the low symmetry of the corundum crystal structure. The possible percolation paths are examined, using the barriers to determine the magnitude and anisotropy of long-range diffusion. Our findings suggest highly anisotropic mass transport in hematite, favoring diffusion along the c-axis of the crystal. In addition, we have considered the point defect formation energetics using the largest Fe2O3 supercell reported to date.

Understanding the quantum mechanical origins of friction forces has become increasingly important in the past decades with the advent of nanotechnology. At the nanometer scale, the universal Amontons–Coulomb laws cease to be valid and each interface requires individual scrutiny. Furthermore, measurements required to understand friction at the atomic scale are riddled with artificial factors such as the properties of the friction force microscope, effect of the environment, and the type of the substrate. It therefore proves difficult to isolate the actual behavior of interfaces from these effects. Electronic structure methods are an indispensable tool in understanding the details of interfaces, their interactions with lubricants, the environment and the support. In particular, density functional theory (DFT) has given large contributions to the field through accurate calculations of important properties such as the potential energy surfaces, shear strengths, adsorption of lubricant materials and the effect of the substrate. Although unable to tackle velocity- or temperature-dependent properties for which classical molecular dynamics is employed, DFT provides an affordable yet accurate means of understanding the quantum mechanical origins of the tribological behavior of interfaces in a parameter-free manner. This review attempts to give an overview of the ever-increasing literature on the use of DFT in the field of tribology. We start by summarizing the rich history of theoretical work on dry friction. We then identify the figures-of-merit which can be calculated using DFT. We follow by a summary of bulk interfaces and how to reduce friction via passivation and lubricants. The following section, namely friction involving two-dimensional materials is the focus of our review since these materials have gained increasing traction in the field thanks to the advanced manufacturing and manipulation techniques developed. Our review concludes with a brief touch on other interesting examples from DFT tribology literature such as rolling friction and the effect of photoexcitation in tribology.

Using density functional theory calculations and the addition of van der Waals correction, the graphene/HfS2 heterojunction is constructed, and its electronic properties are examined thoroughly. This interface is determined as n-type ohmic, and the impacts of different amounts of interlayer distance and strain on the contact are shown using Schottky barrier height and electron injection efficiency. Dipole moment and work function of the interface are also altered when subjected to change in these two categories. The effects of an applied electric field on transforming the ohmic contact to Schottky is also investigated. The conclusions given can assist in the design and modeling of HfS2 based devices in the future.

Heusler compounds have been intensively studied owing to the important technological advancements that they provide in the fields of shape memory, thermomagnetic energy conversion and spintronics. Many of their intriguing properties are ultimately governed by their magnetic states and understanding and possibly tuning them is evidently of utmost importance. In this work we examine the Ni1.92Mn1.44(SnxIn1−x)0.64 alloys with density functional theory simulations and 55Mn nuclear magnetic resonance and combine these two methods to carefully describe their ground state magnetic order. In addition, we compare the results obtained with the conventional generalized gradient approximation with the ones collected using the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) semilocal functional for exchange and correlation. Experimental results eventually allow to discriminate between two different scenarios identified by ab initio simulations.

We present an efficient implementation of the analytical nuclear gradient of linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (LR-TDDFT) with the frozen core approximation (FCA). This implementation is realized based on the Hutter’s formalism and the plane wave pseudopotential method. Numerical results demonstrate that the LR-TDDFT/FCA method using a small subset of Kohn–Sham occupied orbitals are accurate enough to reproduce the LR-TDDFT results. Here, the FCA remarkably reduces the computational cost in solving the LR-TDDFT eigenvalue equation. Another challenge in the calculations of analytical nuclear gradients for LR-TDDFT is the solution of the Z-vector equation, for which the Davidson algorithm is a popular choice. While, for large systems the standard Davidson algorithm exhibits a low convergence rate. In order to overcome this problem, we generalize the two-level Davidson algorithm to solve linear equation problems. A more stable performance is achieved with this new algorithm. Our method should encourage further studies of excited-state properties with LR-TDDFT in the plane wave basis.

Density functional theory (DFT) with generalised gradient approximation (GGA) functionals is commonly used to predict defect properties in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Since GGA functionals often underestimate band gaps of semiconductors and incorrectly describe the character of electron localisation in defects and their level positions within the band gap, it is important to assess the accuracy of these predictions. To this end, we used the non-local density functional Perdew—Burke—Ernzerhof (PBE)0-TC-LRC to calculate the properties of a wide range of intrinsic defects in monolayer WS2. The properties, such as geometry, in-gap states, charge transition levels, electronic structure and the electron/hole localisation of the lowest formation energy defects are discussed in detail. They are broadly similar to those predicted by the GGA PBE functional, but exhibit numerous quantitative differences caused by the degree of electron and hole localisation in charged states. For some anti-site defects, more significant differences are seen, with both changes in defect geometries (differences of up to 0.5 Å) as well as defect level positions within the band gap of WS2. This work provides an insight into the performance of functionals chosen for future DFT calculations of TMDs with respect to the desired defect properties.

Dynamic manipulation of magnetism in topological materials is demonstrated here via a Floquet engineering approach using circularly polarized light. Increasing the strength of the laser field, besides the expected topological phase transition (PT), the magnetically doped topological insulator thin film also undergoes a magnetic PT from ferromagnetism to paramagnetism, whose critical behavior strongly depends on the quantum quenching. In sharp contrast to the equilibrium case, the non-equilibrium Curie temperatures vary for different time scale and experimental setup, not all relying on change of topology. Our discoveries deepen the understanding of the relationship between topology and magnetism in the non-equilibrium regime and extend optoelectronic device applications to topological materials.

Many interesting properties of functional materials, such as dynamic response and thermodynamic behavior, depend on their excited state properties. These functional properties are often related to excitations in the system, such as phonons and plasmons, which lead to inelastic losses, lifetime, and other dynamic effects. The excitations are pure many-body correlation effects that are missing from independent particle theories. They are revealed in x-ray spectra such as photoemission and absorption, where they show up as satellites beyond the quasi-particle approximation. Our main focus in this work is the use of Green’s function methods to describe these effects. In particular, we discuss how the cumulant Green’s function provides a unified treatment of such dynamic correlation effects in many contexts. Besides a robust theoretical framework, these methods also yield widely applicable tools for practical calculations of many functional properties of materials. This methodology is illustrated with a number of applications ranging from optical and x-ray spectra to thermodynamic properties, and dynamic response. Some recent extensions for more correlated systems are also briefly discussed.

Abstract Twisted double bilayer graphene (tDBLG) is a moiré material that has recently generated significant interest because of the observation of correlated phases near the magic angle. We carry out atomistic Hartree theory calculations to study the role of electron–electron interactions in the normal state of tDBLG. In contrast to twisted bilayer graphene, we find that such interactions do not result in significant doping-dependent deformations of the electronic band structure of tDBLG. However, interactions play an important role for the electronic structure in the presence of a perpendicular electric field as they screen the external field. Finally, we analyze the contribution of the Hartree potential to the crystal field, i.e. the on-site energy difference between the inner and outer layers. We find that the on-site energy obtained from Hartree theory has the same sign, but a smaller magnitude compared to previous studies in which the on-site energy was determined by fitting tight-binding results to ab initio density-functional theory (DFT) band structures. To understand this quantitative difference, we analyze the ab initio Kohn–Sham potential obtained from DFT and find that a subtle interplay of electron–electron and electron–ion interactions determines the magnitude of the on-site potential.

In low dimensional materials, the conversion of thermal to electrical energy via thermoelectric devices gained much more attention when a ZT > 5 was reported in metastable Fe2V0.8W0.2Al thin film (2019 Nature 576 85). In this brief review, we tried to describe the underlying physics of nanostructured thermoelectric materials accompanied by the introduction to enhance the efficiency of energy conversion from one form to another. From this determination, we select the two dimensional (AB type) materials such as ScX (X = P, As), SiX (X = S, Se, N, P, As, Sb, Bi), GeX (X = S, Se, Te), SnX (X = S, Se, Te) and BX (X = S, Se, Te) etc. Different theoretical methods have also been mentioned to study the intrinsic thermoelectric properties which might help in searching experimentally the new and promising thermoelectric materials. We explore the thermoelectric parameters such as Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity by using density functional theory, Boltzmann transport theory with constant relaxation time approximation and non-equilibrium Green’s function approach. Reduced dimensions potentially expand the thermoelectric efficiency by enhancing the Seebeck coefficient and decrease the thermal conductivity. Theoretical calculations thus recommend the stimulation of the two-dimensional (2D) materials with experimental capabilities in designing and improving the thermoelectric performances.

For a quantum-mechanical many-electron system, given a density, the Zhao–Morrison–Parr method allows to compute the effective potential that yields precisely that density. In this work, we demonstrate how this and similar inversion procedures mathematically relate to the Moreau–Yosida regularization of density functionals on Banach spaces. It is shown that these inversion procedures can in fact be understood as a limit process as the regularization parameter approaches zero. This sheds new insight on the role of Moreau–Yosida regularization in density-functional theory and allows to systematically improve density-potential inversion. Our results apply to the Kohn–Sham setting with fractional occupation that determines an effective one-body potential that in turn reproduces an interacting density.

In this work, the effect of strain on the vibrational and electronic properties of the YBa2Cu3O7 compound was studied through ab initio calculations. For this, two structural models were used: a bulk model and a surface model (a monolayer with CuO2 and BaO as the terminating layers). The phonon spectra was calculated for both structures under different levels of c axis strain. The most appreciable change occurs in the vibrational properties, and in the surface case. From the simulation of the Raman spectra, we were able to quantify the Raman shift ratio as a function of the applied strain, and analyzed its behavior in terms of the overlap population of the different bonds and the reduced mass of selected phonons. The effect of the level of deformation on the band structure and the electronic density of states is small for both structures, although more noticeable in the case of the surface model. In both cases, tendencies are observed when the fine features of the band structure are analyzed by means of the tight binding model. Due to the lower symmetry, the surface model also shows modifications of the bands related to the CuO2 planes.

Reparameterized semi-empirical methods can reproduce gas-phase experimental vibrational frequencies to within 24 cm−1 or better for a 100-fold decrease in computational cost in the anharmonic fundamental vibrational frequencies. To achieve such accuracy and efficiency, the default parameters in the PM6 semi-empirical model are herein optimized to reproduce the experimental and high-level theoretical vibrational spectra of three small hydrocarbon molecules, C2H2, c-C3H2, and C2H4, with the hope that these same parameters will be applicable to large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This massive cost reduction allows for the computation of explicit anharmonic frequencies and the inclusion of resonance corrections that have been shown to be essential for accurate predictions of anharmonic frequencies. Such accurate predictions are necessary to help to disentangle the heretofore unidentified infrared spectral features observed around diverse astronomical bodies and hypothesized to be caused by PAHs, especially with the upcoming influx of observational data from the James Webb Space Telescope. The optimized PM6 parameters presented herein represent a substantial step in this direction with those obtained for ethylene (C2H4) yielding a 37% reduction in the mean absolute error of the fundamental frequencies compared to the default PM6 parameters.