Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Electronic properties”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16

Electronic transport properties of spin-crossover polymer plus polyaniline composites with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles

Abstract Adding Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles to composites of [Fe(Htrz) 2 (trz)](BF 4 ) spin-crossover polymer and polyaniline (PANI) drives a phase separation of both and restores the molecular structure and cooperative effects of the spin-crossover polymer without compromising the increased conductivity gained through the addition of PANI. We observe an increased on-off ratio for the DC conductivity owing to an enlarged off state resistivity and a 20 times larger AC conductivity of the on state compared with DC values. The Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, primarily confined to the [Fe(Htrz) 2 (trz)](BF 4 ) phase, are ferromagnetically coupled to the local moment of the spin-crossover molecule suggesting the existence of an exchange interaction between both components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structural modulation, physical properties, and electronic band structure of the kagome metal UCr 6 ⁢Ge 6

The chemical flexibility of the 𝑅⁢𝑀 6 ⁢𝑋 6 stoichiometry, where an 𝑓-block element is intercalated in the CoSn structure type, allows for the tuning of flatbands associated with kagome lattices to the Fermi level and for emergent phenomena due to interactions between the 𝑓- and 𝑑-electron lattices. Yet, 5⁢𝑓 members of the “166” compounds are underrepresented compared with 4⁢𝑓 members. In this work, we report single-crystal growth of UCr 6 ⁢Ge 6 , which crystallizes in a monoclinically distorted Y 0.5⁢ Co 3 ⁢Ge 3 -type structure. The real-space character of the modulation, which is unique within the 𝑅⁢𝑀 6 ⁢𝑋 6 family, is approximated by a 3×1×2 supercell of the average monoclinic cell. The compound has kagome-lattice flatbands near the Fermi level and a moderately enhanced electronic heat capacity, as evidenced by its low-temperature Sommerfeld coefficient (𝛾=86.5 mJ mol −1 K −2 ) paired with band structure calculations. The small, isotropic magnetization and featureless resistivity of UCr 6 ⁢Ge 6 suggest itinerant uranium 5⁢𝑓 electrons and Pauli paramagnetism. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy results provide evidence for uranium 5⁢𝑓 weight at the Fermi level and for a flatband near the Fermi level associated with the chromium 3⁢𝑑 kagome lattice. The isotropic magnetic behavior of the uranium 5⁢𝑓 electrons starkly contrasts with localized behavior in other uranium 166 compounds, highlighting the high tunability of the magnetic ground state across the material family.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Physical properties and electronic structure of single-crystal KCo 2 As 2

We present a method for producing high quality KCo 2 As 2 crystals, stable in air and suitable for a variety of measurements. X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, electrical transport and heat capacity measurements confirm the high quality and an absence of long range magnetic order down to at least 2 K. Residual resistivity values approaching 0.25 µΩ cm are representative of the high quality and low impurity scattering, and a Sommerfeld coefficient γ = 7.3 mJ/mol K 2 signifies weaker correlations than the Fe-based counterparts. Together with Hall effect measurements, angle-resolved photoemission experiments reveal a Fermi surface consisting of electron pockets at the center and corner of the Brillouin zone, in line with theoretical predictions and in contrast to the mixed carrier types of other pnictides with the ThCr 2 Si 2 structure. A large, linear magnetoresistance of 200% at 14 T, together with an observed linear and hyperbolic, rather than parabolic, band dispersions are unusual characteristics of this compound.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Investigating the electrical transport properties and electronic structure of Zr 2 ⁢CuSb 3

The checkerboard lattice has been proposed to host topological flat bands as a result of destructive interference among its various electronic hopping terms. However, it has proven challenging to realize experimentally due to the difficulty of isolating this structure from any significant out-of-plane bonding while maintaining structural integrity. Here, in this study, single crystals of Zr 2 CuSb 3 , a potential candidate for the checkerboard lattice, were synthesized using the solution (self-flux) method, and their structure was confirmed via x-ray diffraction. Electrical-transport measurements indicate metallic behavior with electron-dominated carriers. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy reveals multiple electron pockets and significant k z broadening due to its large c axis and low dispersion features in k z . Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations further disentangle the contributions from each high-symmetry plane, providing a comprehensive characterization of electronic behavior. The DFT calculations were then used to determine the orbital contributions of the bands and detect the out-of-plane bonding which prevented the flat bands from forming.

Downey, Eoghan [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (↗

Facet-selective etching trajectories of individual semiconductor nanocrystals

The size and shape of semiconductor nanocrystals govern their optical and electronic properties. Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) is an emerging tool that can directly visualize nanoscale chemical transformations and therefore inform the precise synthesis of nanostructures with desired functions. However, it remains difficult to controllably investigate the reactions of semiconductor nanocrystals with LCTEM, because of the highly reactive environment formed by radiolysis of liquid. Here, we harness the radiolysis processes and report the single-particle etching trajectories of prototypical semiconductor nanomaterials with well-defined crystalline facets. Lead selenide nanocubes represent an isotropic structure that retains the cubic shape during etching via a layer-by-layer mechanism. The anisotropic arrow-shaped cadmium selenide nanorods have polar facets terminated by either cadmium or selenium atoms, and the transformation trajectory is driven by etching the selenium-terminated facets. LCTEM trajectories reveal how nanoscale shape transformations of semiconductors are governed by the reactivity of specific facets in liquid environments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Self-assembly of nanocrystals into strongly electronically coupled all-inorganic supercrystals

Colloidal nanocrystals of metals, semiconductors, and other functional materials can self-assemble into long-range ordered crystalline and quasicrystalline phases, but insulating organic surface ligands prevent the development of collective electronic states in ordered nanocrystal assemblies. We reversibly self-assembled colloidal nanocrystals of gold, platinum, nickel, lead sulfide, and lead selenide with conductive inorganic ligands into supercrystals exhibiting optical and electronic properties consistent with strong electronic coupling between the constituent nanocrystals. The phase behavior of charge-stabilized nanocrystals can be rationalized and navigated with phase diagrams computed for particles interacting through short-range attractive potentials. By finely tuning interparticle interactions, the assembly was directed either through one-step nucleation or nonclassical two-step nucleation pathways. In the latter case, the nucleation was preceded by the formation of two metastable colloidal fluids.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Electronic and vibrational properties of bulk Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 from first-principles calculations

Here we use density functional theory based ab initio calculations to investigate the structural, vibrational, magnetic, and electronic properties of the layered ferromagnet Cr 2 Ge 2 Te 6 (CGT) that has attracted attention for potential spintronic applications. We optimize the structure for a fixed c/a ratio. Our results are in excellent agreement with experimental data on structure, phonons, and electronic properties. The use of van der Waals interactions and relativistic spin-orbit coupling yields accurate lattice constants and interlayer distances. Simultaneously, the adopted theoretical methods lead to a rigorous description of the vibrational normal modes, as well as the valence bands, that are in excellent agreement with Raman spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy spectra, respectively. The magnetic moment is slightly overestimated, and the magnetic anisotropy has the correct sign but is greater in magnitude than that in experiment. We find that inclusion of the on-site Coulomb repulsion on Cr−3d orbitals worsens agreement with experiment, in contrast to previous studies. Our results provide a path toward ab initio analysis of magnetic heterostructures based on CGT.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evolution of the Electronic and Excitonic Properties in 2D Ruddlesden–Popper Perovskites Induced by Bifunctional Ligands

2D Ruddlesden–Popper metal‐halide perovskites exhibit structural diversity due to a variety of choices of organic ligands. Incorporating bifunctional ligands in such materials is particularly intriguing since it can result in novel electronic properties and functions. However, an in‐depth understanding of the effects of bifunctional ligands on perovskite structures and, consequently, their electronic and excitonic properties, is still lacking. Here, in this work, n = 1 2D perovskites built with organic ligands containing ─CN, ─OH, ─COOH, ─phenyl (Ph), and ─CH 3 functional groups are investigated using ultraviolet and inverse photoemission spectroscopies, density functional theory calculations, and tight‐binding model analyses. The experimentally determined electronic gaps of the ─CN, ─COOH, ─Ph, and ─CH 3 based perovskites exhibit a strong correlation with the in‐plane Pb─I─Pb bond angle, while the ─OH based perovskite deviates from the linear trend. Based on the band structure calculations, this anomaly is attributed to the out‐of‐plane dispersion, caused predominantly by significant interlayer electronic coupling that is present in ─OH based perovskites. These results highlight the complex and diverse impacts of organic ligands on electronic properties, especially in terms of the involvement of strong interlayer electronic coupling. The impact of the bifunctional ligands on the evolution of the exciton binding energy is also addressed.

2D perovskites↗

Strain-stabilized interfacial polarization tunes work function over 1 eV in RuO 2 /TiO 2 heterostructures

Interfacial polarization – charge accumulation at the heterointerface – is a well-established tool in semiconductors, but its influence in metals remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that interfacial polarization can robustly modulate surface work function in metallic rutile RuO 2 layers in epitaxial RuO 2 /TiO 2 heterostructures grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. Using multislice electron ptychography, we directly visualize polar displacements of transition metal ions relative to oxygen octahedra near the interface, despite the conductive nature of RuO 2 . This interfacial polarization enables over 1 eV modulation of the RuO 2 work function, controlled by small thickness variations (2-3 nm), as measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy, with a critical thickness of ~4 nm – corresponding to the transition from fully-strained to relaxed film. These results establish interfacial polarization as a powerful route to control electronic properties in metals and have implications for designing tunable electronic, catalytic, and quantum devices through interfacial control in polar metallic systems.

Electronic properties and materials↗

Implementing the donor–acceptor approach in electronically conducting copolymers via electropolymerization

Electropolymerization has become a convenient method for synthesizing and characterizing complex organic copolymers having intrinsic electronic conductivity, including the donor (D)–acceptor (A) class of electronically conducting polymers (ECPs). This review begins with an introduction to the electrosynthesis of common second-generation ECPs. The information obtainable from electroanalytical studies, charge carriers such as polarons (positive and negative) and bipolarons (positive and negative) and doping will be discussed. The evolutionary chain of ECPs is then presented. ECPs comprising electron-rich D and electron-deficient A moieties have been shown to possess intrinsic electronic conductivity and unique optical and electronic properties. They are third generation ECPs and electropolymerization of mixtures of D and A leads to stoichiometrically controlled block copolymers. These D–A type ECPs are discussed on the basis of selected representative materials. Since the discovery of electropolymerization as a powerful tool to synthesize copolymers of conjugated monomers with a pre-determined ratio of D and A repeat units present in the polymer, the field of D–A type ECPs has grown considerably and the literature available since 2004 to 2021 is summarized and tabulated. Electronic and optical properties of the materials determined by computational chemistry are presented. The data obtained from electrochemical and optical methods are compared with those obtained from computational methods and reasons for discrepancies are given. The literature on the concept of electropolymerization extended to synthesizing triblock and many-block copolymers is reviewed. Finally, applications of D–A polymers in optoelectronic devices (organic solar cells and field-effect transistors) and in bio-imaging are explained quoting appropriate examples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Berry curvature memory through electrically driven stacking transitions

In two-dimensional layered quantum materials, the interlayer stacking order determines both crystalline symmetry and quantum electronic properties such as Berry curvature, topology and electron correlation. Electrical stimuli can strongly influence quasi-particle interactions and the free energy landscape, thus making it possible to access hidden stacking orders with novel quantum properties and enabling dynamic engineering of these attributes. In this paper, we demonstrate electrically driven stacking transitions and a new type of nonvolatile memory based on Berry curvature in few-layer WTe 2 . The interplay of out-of-plane electric fields and electrostatic doping controls in-plane interlayer sliding and creates multiple polar and centrosymmetric stacking orders. In-situ nonlinear Hall transport reveals such stacking rearrangements result in a layer-parity-selective Berry curvature memory in momentum space, where the sign reversal of the Berry curvature only occurs in odd layer crystals. Our findings open an avenue towards exploring coupling between topology, electron correlations, and ferroelectricity in hidden stacking orders and demonstrate a new low energy cost, electrically-controlled topological memory in the atomically thin limit.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Nanoscale properties of lead halide perovskites by scanning tunneling microscopy

Since the introduction of lead halide perovskites, tremendous progress has been made regarding their stability, reproducibility and durability. However, one of the issues that remains is related to the interfacial atomic structure arrangement and structure-property relationship under optical and electrical stimuli. In this critical review, we highlight the recent progress using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to understand the nanoscale properties and dynamic processes occurring in these halide perovskite materials. STM is known to be a very challenging technique, which is reflected by the low number of relevant publications in the last years. These initial reports mirror the unique potential of STM to give Ångstrom-scale insight into the (opto)-electronic properties, morphology and underlying electronic structure and provide a path toward harnessing the full potential of these materials. However, care must be taken to understand the effects of the perturbations caused by STM and tailor the measurement conditions accordingly.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structural, electronic, and polarization properties of YN and LaN

ScN has attracted great attention for its electronic properties and its ability to enhance polarization of AlN; however, its sister compounds, YN and LaN, remain much less studied. Here, we use first-principles calculations to evaluate YN and LaN in their cubic and hexagonal phases. Rocksalt YN and LaN are semiconductors, although we show that LaN differs from ScN and YN in having a direct band gap, which we attribute to its weaker p-p coupling. Both have low electron effective masses. In addition to their rocksalt structures, we evaluate the layered hexagonal and wurtzite phases of YN and LaN. For YN, the wurtzite phase cannot be stabilized, and hexagonal YN is higher in energy than rocksalt YN. In contrast, for LaN, the wurtzite phase is favored, and it is comparable in energy to rocksalt LaN. Wurtzite LaN has a polarization of 0.608 C/m 2 (referenced to the centrosymmetric layered hexagonal phase), and a high piezoelectric coefficient e 33 = 1.78 C/m 2 . Interestingly, we find that the polarization of wurtzite LaN may be reversible; we find a relatively small switching barrier of 0.06 eV per formula unit, offering the potential for its use as a ferroelectric. Since wurtzite LaN is closely lattice matched to InP, we investigate a heterostructure between (0001) wurtzite LaN and (111) zinc-blende InP, and find the polarization discontinuity would yield a bound charge of 1.3 × 10 14 e/cm 2 , offering the potential for novel electronic applications such as tunnel junctions. Furthermore, our results compare and contrast ScN, YN, and LaN, and highlight the potential of these materials for adoption in electronic and ferroelectric devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Integrating computation and experiment to investigate photoelectrodes for solar water splitting at the microscopic scale.

CONSPECTUS: Photoelectrochemical water-splitting is a promising and sustainable way to store the energy of the sun in chemical bonds and use it to produce hydrogen gas, a clean fuel. The key components in photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) are photoelectrodes, including a photocathode that reduces water to hydrogen gas and a photoanode that oxidizes water to oxygen gas. Materials used in photoelectrodes for PECs must effectively absorb sunlight, yield photogenerated carriers, and exhibit electronic properties that enable the efficient shuttling of carriers to the surface to participate in relevant water-splitting reactions. Discovering and understanding the key characteristics of optimal photoelectrode materials is paramount to the realization of PEC technologies. Oxide-based photoelectrodes can satisfy many of these materials requirements, including stability in aqueous environments, band edges with reasonable alignment with the redox potentials for water splitting, and ease of synthesis. However, oxide photoelectrodes generally suffer from poor charge transport properties and considerable bulk electron-hole separation, and they have relatively large band gaps. Numerous strategies have been proposed to improve these aspects and understand how these improvements are reflected in the photoelectrochemical performance. Unfortunately, the structural and compositional complexity of multinary oxides accompanied by the inherent complexity of photoelectrochemical processes makes it challenging to understand the individual effects of composition, structure, and defects in the bulk and on the surface on a material's photoelectrochemical properties. The integration of experiment and theory has great potential to increase our atomic-level understanding of structure-composition-property relationships in oxide photoelectrodes. In this Account, we describe how integrating experiment and theory is beneficial for achieving scientific insights at the microscopic scale. We highlight studies focused on understanding the role of (i) bulk composition via solid-state solutions, intercalation, and comparison with isoelectronic compounds, (ii) dopants for both the anion and cation and their interactions with oxygen vacancies, and (iii) surface/interface structure in the photocurrent generation and photoelectrochemical performance in oxide photoelectrodes. In each instance, we outline strategies and considerations for integrating experiment and theory and describe how this integration led to valuable insights and new directions in uncovering structure-composition-property relationships. Our aim is to demonstrate the unique value of combining experiment and theory in studying photoelectrodes and to encourage the continued effort to bring experiment and theory in closer step with each other.

Wang, Wennie↗