VO2: a two-fluid incoherent metal?

We present {\it ab initio} LDA+DMFT results for the many-particle density of states of $VO_{2}$ on the metallic side of the strongly first-order ($T$-driven) insulator-metal transition. In strong contrast to LDA predictions, there is {\it no} remnant of even correlated Fermi liquid behavior in the correlated metal. Excellent quantitative agreement with published photoemission and X-ray absorption experiments is found in the metallic phase. We argue that the absence of FL-quasiparticles provides a natural explanation for the bad-metallic transport for $T > 340 K$. Based on this agreement, we propose that the I-M transition in $VO_{2}$ is an orbital-selective Mott transition, and point out the relevance of orbital resolved one-electron and optical spectroscopy to resolve this outstanding issue.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Stability of boron-doped graphene/copper interface: DFT, XPS and OSEE studies

Two different types of boron-doped graphene/copper interfaces synthesized using two different flow rates of Ar through the bubbler containing the boron source were studied. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) measurements have demonstrated that boron-doped graphene coating provides a high corrosion resistivity of Cu-substrate with the light traces of the oxidation of carbon cover. The density functional theory calculations suggest that for the case of substitutional (graphitic) boron-defect only the oxidation near boron impurity is energetically favorable and creation of the vacancies that can induce the oxidation of copper substrate is energetically unfavorable. In the case of non-graphitic boron defects oxidation of the area, a nearby impurity is metastable that not only prevent oxidation but makes boron-doped graphene. Modeling of oxygen reduction reaction demonstrates high catalytic performance of these materials.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, to appear in Appl. Surf. Sc