Diffusion of Lithium Ions in Lithium-Argyrodite Solid-State Electrolytes from Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The use of solid-state electrolytes to provide safer, next-generation rechargeable batteries is becoming more feasible as new materials with greater stability and higher ionic diffusion coefficients are designed. However, accurate determination of diffusion coefficients in solids is problematic and reliable calculations are highly sought-after. In this paper we compare diffusion coefficients calculated using nonequilibrium and equilibrium ab initio molecular dynamics simulations for highly diffusive solid-state electrolytes for the first time, to demonstrate the accuracy that can be obtained. Moreover, we show that ab initio nonequilibrium molecular dynamics can be used to determine diffusion coefficients when the diffusion is too slow for it to be feasible to obtain them using ab initio equilibrium simulations. Thereby, using ab initio nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations we are able to obtain accurate estimates of the diffusion coefficients of Li ions in Li$_6$PS$_5$Cl and Li$_5$PS$_4$Cl$_2$, two promising electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries. Furthermore, these calculations show that the diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in Li$_5$PS$_4$Cl$_2$ is higher than many other potential all-solid-state electrolytes, making it promising for future technologies. The reasons for variation in conductivities determined using computational and experimental methods are also discussed. It is demonstrated that small degrees of disorder and vacancies can result in orders of magnitude differences in diffusivities of Li ions in Li$_6$PS$_5$Cl, and these factors are likely to contribute to inconsistencies observed in experimentally reported values. Notably, the introduction of Li-vacancies and disorder can enhance the ionic conductivity of Li$_6$PS$_5$Cl.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, 2 table

Quantum states of a hydrogen atom adsorbed on Cu(100) and (110) surfaces

Quantum states of a hydrogen atom adsorbed on Cu(100) and Cu(110) are studied theoretically. In calculating eigenenergies and wave functions of hydrogen atom motion, three-dimensional adiabatic potential energy surfaces (PESs) are constructed within density functional theory and the Schrödinger equation for hydrogen atom motion on the PESs is solved by the variation method. The wave function on Cu(100) indicates a localized mode on the hollow (HL) site at the ground state. Wave functions of the first few excited states indicate vibrational modes on the HL site and suggest migration from an HL site to a neighboring HL site over the bridge (BR) site. In the case of Cu(110), the ground state wave function is spread from the short bridge (SB) site and to the pseudothreefold (PT) site. The first few excited states are vibrational modes centered at the SB and long bridge (LB) sites. The excited state wave function of the hydrogen atom motion on Cu(110) show isotope effects as follows. The fourth excited state wave function for the H atom motion shows a localized character on the LB site, and those for D and T atom motion show vibrational modes parallel to the surface. On the other hand, the fifth excited state wave functions for D and T atom motion show localized characters on the LB site and that for H atom motion shows a vibrational mode parallel to the surface. Our calculated eigenenergies of the hydrogen atom motion in excited states on Cu(100) and Cu(110) are fairly in agreement with their corresponding experimental findings

Polymorphism of Water in Two Dimensions

The structure of interfacial water is governed by a delicate interplay between water-substrate and water-water interactions. In order to identify the structure-determining factors of ordered two-dimensional water, first calculations of free-standing water layers have been performed. We demonstrate that square bilayers, rhombic bilayers, truncated-square bilayers, and secondary-prism bilayers are energetically more favorable than the traditionally considered hexagonal bilayer. These two-dimensional water structures are stabilized by a combination of high coordination and optimum tetrahedral bonding geometry. The identified structure-determining factors responsible for the polymorphism of water in two dimensions will be operative in any confined water structure. Graphene influence on the stability of water sheets is for the first time explicitly treated using first-principles electronic structure calculations, and changes in some ordered water structures due to non-negligible graphene-water interaction are described

Periodic density-functional calculations on work-function change induced by adsorption of halogens on Cu(111)

Using periodic density-functional theory calculations, we address the work-function change induced by the adsorption of chlorine and iodine on Cu(111) which are shown to change the work function in opposite ways, contrary to what one may expect for these two electron acceptors. In contrast to previous studies, we demonstrate that substrate effects play only a minor role in work-function changes brought about by halogen adsorption on metals. Instead, polarization on the adsorbate not only explains the sign of the work-function change as a contributor to a positive surface dipole moment, but it is also the decisive factor in the dependence of adsorption-induced work-function changes on the coverage of halogens on metal surfaces

Nickel-Based Single-Atom Alloys for Methane Dehydrogenation and the Effect of Subsurface Carbon: First-Principles Investigations

Using ab initio calculations, the reaction path for methane dehydrogenation over a series of Ni-based single-atom alloys (Cu, Fe, Pt, Pd, Zn, Al) and the effect that subsurface carbon at the Ni(111) surface has on the reaction barriers are investigated. Due to the well-known problem of coking for Ni-based catalysts, the adsorption and associated physical properties of 0.25 ML, 1.0 ML, and 2 ML of carbon on the Ni(111) surface of various sites are first studied. It is found that the presence of subsurface carbon reduces the stability of the intermediates and increases the reaction barriers, thus reducing the performance of the Ni(111) catalyst. The presence of Al, Zn, and Pt is found to reduce the barriers for the CH4 → CH3 + H and CH3 → CH2 + H (Pt); and CH → C + H (Al, Zn) reactions, while Ni(111) yields the lowest barriers for the CH2 → CH + H reaction. These results thus suggest that doping the Ni surface with both Al or Zn atoms and Pt atoms, functioning as distinct active sites, may bring about an improved reactivity and/or selectivity for methane decomposition. Furthermore, the results show that there can be significant adparticle–adparticle interactions in the simulation cell, which affect the reaction energy diagram and thus highlight the importance of ensuring a common reference energy for all steps

Equilibrium coverage of halides on metal electrodes

The adsorption of halides on Cu(111) and Pt(111) has been studied using periodic density functional theory calculations. The equilibrium coverage of the halides as a function of the electrode potential was determined using a thermodynamic approach in which the electrochemical environment is not explicitly taken into account. For all considered systems, halide coverages between 1/3 and 3/8 should be stable over a wide potential range. Although some quantitative discrepancies with experiment are obtained, the qualitative trends derived from the calculations are consistent with experimental observations. The reasons for the remaining discrepancies with the experiment are discussed