Electrical properties of isotopically enriched neutron-transmutation-doped ^{70} Ge:Ga near the metal-insulator transition

We report the low temperature carrier transport properties of a series of nominally uncompensated neutron-transmutation doped (NTD) ^{70} Ge:Ga samples very close to the critical concentration N_c for the metal-insulator transition. The concentration of the sample closest to N_c is 1.0004N_c and it is unambiguously shown that the critical conductivity exponent is 0.5. Properties of insulating samples are discussed in the context of Efros and Shklovskii's variable range hopping conduction.Comment: 8 pages using REVTeX, 8 figures, published versio

Ultrafast Structural Rearrangements in the MLCT Excited State for Copper(I) bis-Phenanthrolines in Solution

Ultrafast excited state structural dynamics of [Cu{sup I}(dmp){sub 2}]{sup +} (dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) have been studied to identify structural origins of transient spectroscopic changes during the photoinduced metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) transition that induces an electronic configuration change from Cu(I) (3d{sup 10}) to Cu(II) (3d{sup 9}). This study has important connections with the flattening of the Franck-Condon state tetrahedral geometry and the ligation of Cu(II)* with the solvent observed in the thermally equilibrated MLCT state by our previous laser-initiated time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (LITR-XAS) results. To better understand the structural photodynamics of Cu(I) complexes, we have studied both [Cu{sup I}(dmp){sub 2}]{sup +} and [Cu{sup I}(dpp){sub 2}]{sup +} (dpp = 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) in solvents with different dielectric constants, viscosities and thermal diffusivities by transient absorption spectroscopy. The observed spectral dynamics suggest that a solvent-independent inner-sphere relaxation process is occurring despite the large amplitude motions due to the flattening of the tetrahedral coordinated geometry. The singlet fluorescence dynamics of photoexcited [Cu{sup I}(dmp){sub 2}]{sup +} were measured in the coordinating solvent acetonitrile, using the fluorescence upconversion method at different emission wavelengths. At the bluest emission wavelengths, a prompt fluorescence lifetime of 66 fs is attributed to the excited state deactivation processes due to the internal conversion and intersystem crossing at the Franck-Condon state geometry. The differentiation between the prompt fluorescence lifetime with the tetrahedral Franck-Condon geometry and that with the flattened tetrahedral geometry uncovers an unexpected ultrafast flattening process in the MLCT state of [Cu{sup I}(dmp){sub 2}]{sup +}. These results provide guidance for future x-ray structural studies on ultrafast time scale, as well as for synthesis towards its applications in solar energy conversion

Ultrafast structure and dynamics in ionic liquids: 2D-IR spectroscopy probes the molecular origin of viscosity

The viscosity of imidazolium ionic liquids increases dramatically when the strongest hydrogen bonding location is methylated. In this work, ultrafast two-dimensional vibrational spectroscopy of dilute thiocyanate ion ([SCN] -) in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4C1im][NTf2]) and 1-butyl-2,3- dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C4C 1C12im][NTf2]) shows that the structural reorganization occurs on a 26 ± 3 ps time scale and on a 47 ± 15 ps time scale, respectively. The results suggest that the breakup of local ion-cages is the fundamental event that activates molecular diffusion and determines the viscosity of the fluids. © 2014 American Chemical Society

Water Dynamics at Protein Interfaces: Ultrafast Optical Kerr Effect Study

The behavior of water molecules surrounding a protein can have an important bearing on its structure and function. Consequently, a great deal of attention has been focused on changes in the relaxation dynamics of water when it is located at the protein surface. Here we use the ultrafast optical Kerr effect to study the H-bond structure and dynamics of aqueous solutions of proteins. Measurements are made for three proteins as a function of concentration. We find that the water dynamics in the first solvation layer of the proteins are slowed by up to a factor of 8 in comparison to those in bulk water. The most marked slowdown was observed for the most hydrophilic protein studied, bovine serum albumin, whereas the most hydrophobic protein, trypsin, had a slightly smaller effect. The terahertz Raman spectra of these protein solutions resemble those of pure water up to 5 wt % of protein, above which a new feature appears at 80 cm–1, which is assigned to a bending of the protein amide chain

Dopant-induced crossover from 1D to 3D charge transport in conjugated polymers

The interplay between inter- and intra-chain charge transport in bulk polythiophene in the hopping regime has been clarified by studying the conductivity as a function of frequency (up to 3 THz), temperature and doping level. We present a model which quantitatively explains the observed crossover from quasi-one-dimensional transport to three-dimensional hopping conduction with increasing doping level. At high frequencies the conductivity is dominated by charge transport on one-dimensional conducting chains.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Modelling charge self-trapping in wide-gap dielectrics: Localization problem in local density functionals

We discuss the adiabatic self-trapping of small polarons within the density functional theory (DFT). In particular, we carried out plane-wave pseudo-potential calculations of the triplet exciton in NaCl and found no energy minimum corresponding to the self-trapped exciton (STE) contrary to the experimental evidence and previous calculations. To explore the origin of this problem we modelled the self-trapped hole in NaCl using hybrid density functionals and an embedded cluster method. Calculations show that the stability of the self-trapped state of the hole drastically depends on the amount of the exact exchange in the density functional: at less than 30% of the Hartree-Fock exchange, only delocalized hole is stable, at 50% - both delocalized and self-trapped states are stable, while further increase of exact exchange results in only the self-trapped state being stable. We argue that the main contributions to the self-trapping energy such as the kinetic energy of the localizing charge, the chemical bond formation of the di-halogen quasi molecule, and the lattice polarization, are represented incorrectly within the Kohn-Sham (KS) based approaches.Comment: 6 figures, 1 tabl

Electron Spin-Relaxation Times of Phosphorus Donors in Silicon

Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of donor electron spins in natural phosphorus-doped silicon (Si:P) and isotopically-purified 28Si:P show a strongly temperature-dependent longitudinal relaxation time, T1, due to an Orbach process with DeltaE = 126 K. The 2-pulse echo decay is exponential in 28Si:P, with the transverse relaxation (decoherence) time, T2, controlled by the Orbach process above ~12 K and by instantaneous diffusion at lower temperatures. Spin echo experiments with varying pulse turning angles show that the intrinsic T2 of an isolated spin in 28Si:P is ~60 ms at 7 K.Comment: Submitted to PRL on 02.28.200

Colossal dielectric constants in transition-metal oxides

Many transition-metal oxides show very large ("colossal") magnitudes of the dielectric constant and thus have immense potential for applications in modern microelectronics and for the development of new capacitance-based energy-storage devices. In the present work, we thoroughly discuss the mechanisms that can lead to colossal values of the dielectric constant, especially emphasising effects generated by external and internal interfaces, including electronic phase separation. In addition, we provide a detailed overview and discussion of the dielectric properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 and related systems, which is today's most investigated material with colossal dielectric constant. Also a variety of further transition-metal oxides with large dielectric constants are treated in detail, among them the system La2-xSrxNiO4 where electronic phase separation may play a role in the generation of a colossal dielectric constant.Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J. for publication in the Special Topics volume "Cooperative Phenomena in Solids: Metal-Insulator Transitions and Ordering of Microscopic Degrees of Freedom