42 research outputs found
Reliable lattice dynamics from an efficient density functional
First principles predictions of lattice dynamics are of vital importance for
a broad range of topics in materials science and condensed matter physics. The
large-scale nature of lattice dynamics calculations and the desire to design
novel materials with distinct properties demands that first principles
predictions are accurate, transferable, efficient, and reliable for a wide
variety of materials. In this work, we demonstrate that the recently
constructed r2SCAN density functional meets this need for general systems by
demonstrating phonon dispersions for typical systems with distinct chemical
characteristics. The functional's performance opens a door for phonon-mediated
materials discovery from first principles calculations
Evidence of Weyl Fermion Enhanced Thermal Conductivity Under Magnetic Fields in Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator Mn(Bi(1-x)Sb(x))2Te4
We report thermal conductivity and Seebeck effect measurements on
Mn(Bi1-xSbx)2Te4 (MBST) with x = 0.26 under applied magnetic fields below 50 K.
Our data shows clear indications of the electronic structure transition induced
by the antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) transition driven by
applied magnetic field as well as significant positive magnetothermal
conductivity in the Weyl semimetal state of MBST. Further, by examining the
dependence of magnetothermal conductivity on field orientation for MBST and
comparison with the magnetothermal conductivity of MnBi2Te4 we see evidence of
a contribution to thermal conductivity due to Weyl fermions in the FM phase of
MBST. From the temperature dependence of Seebeck coefficient under magnetic
fields for MBST, we also observed features consistent with the Fermi surface
evolution from a hole pocket in the paramagnetic state to a Fermi surface with
coexistence of electron and hole pockets in the FM state. These findings
provide further evidence for the field-driven topological phase transition from
an AFM topological insulator to a FM Weyl semimetal.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Comparing first-principles density functionals plus corrections for the lattice dynamics of YBaCuO
The enigmatic mechanism underlying unconventional high-temperature
superconductivity, especially the role of lattice dynamics, has remained a
subject of debate. Theoretical insights have long been hindered due to the lack
of an accurate first-principles description of the lattice dynamics of
cuprates. Recently, using the r2SCAN meta-GGA functional, we were able to
achieve accurate phonon spectra of an insulating cuprate YBaCuO,
and discover significant magnetoelastic coupling in experimentally interesting
Cu-O bond stretching optical modes [Phys. Rev. B 107, 045126 (2023)]. We extend
this work by comparing PBE and r2SCAN performances with corrections from the
on-site Hubbard U and the D4 van der Waals (vdW) methods, aiming at further
understanding on both the materials science side and the density functional
side. We demonstrate the importance of vdW and self-interaction corrections for
accurate first-principles YBa2 Cu3 O6 lattice dynamics. Since r2SCAN by itself
partially accounts for these effects, the good performance of r2SCAN is now
more fully explained. In addition, the performances of the Tao-Mo series of
meta-GGAs, which are constructed in a different way from SCAN/r2SCAN, are also
compared and discussed.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2210.0656
Critical role of magnetic moments on lattice dynamics in YBaCuO
The role of lattice dynamics in unconventional high-temperature
superconductivity is still vigorously debated. Theoretical insights into this
problem have long been prevented by the absence of an accurate first-principles
description of the combined electronic, magnetic, and lattice degrees of
freedom. Utilizing the recently constructed rSCAN density functional that
stabilizes the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state of the pristine oxide
YBaCuO, we faithfully reproduce the experimental dispersion of key
phonon modes. We further find significant magnetoelastic coupling in numerous
high energy Cu-O bond stretching optical branches, where the AFM results
improve over the soft non-magnetic phonon bands
Single and composite damage mechanisms of soil polyethylene/polyvinyl chloride microplastics to the photosynthetic performance of soybean (Glycine max [L.] merr.)
IntroductionAdverse impacts of soil microplastics (MPs, diameter<5 mm) on vegetative growth and crop production have been widely reported, however, the single and composite damage mechanisms of polyethylene (PE) /polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics (MPs) induced photosynthesis inhibition are still rarely known.MethodsIn this study, two widely distributed MPs, PE and PVC, were added to soils at a dose of 7% (dry soil) to examine the single and composite effects of PE-MPs and PVC-MPs on the photosynthetic performance of soybean.ResultsResults showed PE-MPs, PVC-MPs and the combination of these two contaminants increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content by 21.8-97.9%, while decreased net photosynthesis rate (Pn) by 11.5-22.4% compared to those in non-stressed plants, PVC MPs caused the most severe oxidative stress, while MPs stress resulted in Pn reduction caused by non-stomatal restriction. The reason for this is the single and composite MPs stress resulted in a 6% to 23% reduction in soybean PSII activity RCs reaction centers, along with negative effects on soybean PSII energy uptake, capture, transport, and dissipation. The presence of K-band and L-band also represents an imbalance in the number of electrons on the donor and acceptor side of PSII and a decrease in PSII energy transfer. Similarly, PVC single stress caused greater effects on soybean chloroplast PSII than PE single stress and combined stresses.DiscussionPE and PVC microplastic stress led to oxidative stress in soybean, which affected the structure and function of photosynthetic PSII in soybean, ultimately leading to a decrease in net photosynthetic rate in soybean