The kinetic MC modelling of reversible pattern formation in initial stages of thin metallic film growth on crystalline substrates

The results of kinetic MC simulations of the reversible pattern formation during the adsorption of mobile metal atoms on crystalline substrates are discussed. Pattern formation, simulated for submonolayer metal coverage, is characterized in terms of the joint correlation functions for a spatial distribution of adsorbed atoms. A wide range of situations, from the almost irreversible to strongly reversible regimes, is simulated. We demonstrate that the patterns obtained are defined by a key dimensionless parameter: the ratio of the mutual attraction energy between atoms to the substrate temperature. Our ab initio calculations for the nearest Ag-Ag adsorbate atom interaction on an MgO substrate give an attraction energy as large as 1.6 eV, close to that in a free molecule. This is in contrast to the small Ag adhesion and migration energies (0.23 and 0.05 eV, respectively) on a defect-free MgO substrate. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

First principles evaluation on photocatalytic suitability of 2H structured and [0001] oriented WS2 nanosheets and nanotubes

This study was supported by the EC ERA.Net RUS Plus Project No. 237 WATERSPLIT. R.E. acknowledges the financial support provided by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant N 17-03-00130a) and High Performance Computer Center of St. Petersburg University for the assistance. The authors are indebted to D. Bocharov, O. Lisovski and E. Spohr for stimulating discussions.Pristine WS2 multilayer nanosheets (NSs), which thickness h NS varies from 1 to 12 monolayers (MLs), as well as single- and multi-walled nanotubes (SW and MW NTs) of different chirality, which diameter d NT exceeds 1.9 nm, display photocatalytic suitability to split H2O molecules. Obviously, such a phenomenon can occur since the band gap of these nanostructures corresponds to the energy range of visible light between the red and violet edges of spectrum (1.55 eV < Δϵgap < 2.65 eV). For all the studied WS2 NSs and NTs, the levels of the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band must be properly aligned relatively to H2O oxidation and reduction potentials separated by 1.23 eV: ϵ VB < ϵO2/H2O < ϵH+/H2 < ϵ CB. The values of Δϵgap decrease with growth of h NS and increase with enlargement of dNT. 1 ML nanosheet can be considered as a limit of infinite SW NT thickness growth (d NT→∞), which band gap increases up to ∼2.65 eV. First principles calculations have been performed using the hybrid DFT-HF method (HSE06 Hamiltonian) adapted for 2H WS2 bulk. The highest solar energy conversion efficiency (15-18%) expected at Δϵgap = 2.0-2.2 eV (yellow-green range) has been found for 2 ML thick (stoichiometric) WS2 (0001) NS as well as WS2 NTs with diameters 2.7-3.2 nm (irrespectively on morphology and chirality indices n of nanotubes). Moreover, unlike discrete variation of hNS magnitudes, tuning of d NT values provides much higher energy resolution.Russian Foundation for Basic Research N 17-03-00130a; European Commission EC 237 WATERSPLIT; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART

Theory of bound polarons in oxide compounds

We present a multilateral theoretical study of bound polarons in oxide compounds MgO and \alpha-Al_2O_3 (corundum). A continuum theory at arbitrary electron-phonon coupling is used for calculation of the energies of thermal dissociation, photoionization (optically induced release of an electron (hole) from the ground self-consistent state), as well as optical absorption to the non-relaxed excited states. Unlike the case of free strong-coupling polarons, where the ratio \kappa of the photoionization energy to the thermal dissociation energy was shown to be always equal to 3, here this ratio depends on the Froehlich coupling constant \alpha and the screened Coulomb interaction strength \beta. Reasonable variation of these two parameters has demonstrated that the magnitude of \kappa remains usually in the narrow interval from 1 to 2.5. This is in agreement with atomistic calculations and experimental data for hole O^- polarons bound to the cation vacancy in MgO. The thermal dissociation energy for the ground self-consistent state and the energy of the optically induced charge transfer process (hops of a hole between O^{2-} ions) have been calculated using the quantum-chemical method INDO. Results obtained within the two approaches for hole O$^-$ polarons bound by the cation vacancies (V^-) in MgO and by the Mg^{2+} impurity (V_{Mg}) in corundum are compared to experimental data and to each other. We discuss a surprising closeness of the results obtained on the basis of independent models and their agreement with experiment.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected]

Determination of temperature dependences of Young's modulus and internal friction of fuel cladding by resonance method

We study elastic characteristics and internal friction of fuel claddings to improve computer codes for VVER-1000 fuel rods. We analytically described elastic characteristics of cladding material and obtained coefficient of the form of the first longitudinal frequency numerically. We described new measuring module for automatic acquisition data. We’ve established temperature dependences of Young’s modulus and internal friction via high-temperature facility and developed electronic module and noted maximum of these characteristics at the temperature 1160 K. It can be explained by the destruction of the texture in the material of claddings

Electronic structure and thermodynamic stability of double-layered SrTiO3 (001) surfaces: ab initio simulations

Using the B3PW hybrid exchange-correlation functional within density-functional theory and employing Gaussian-type basis sets, we calculated the atomic and electronic structures and thermodynamic stability of three double-layered (DL) SrTiO3(001) surfaces: (i) SrO-terminated, (ii) TiO2-terminated, and (iii) (2x1) reconstruction of TiO2-terminated SrTiO3(001) recently suggested by Erdman [Nature (London) 419, 55 (2002)]. A thermodynamic stability diagram obtained from first-principles calculations shows that regular TiO2- and SrO-terminated surfaces are the most stable. The stability regions of (2x1) DL TiO2- and DL SrO-terminated surfaces lie beyond the precipitation lines of SrO and TiO2 compounds and thus are less stable with respect to regular SrTiO3(001) surfaces. Analysis of the stability diagram suggests that Sr precipitation on SrTiO3 surface never occurs. Our simulations show a substantial increase of Ti-O covalency on the DL surfaces as compared to the regular surfaces, which are themselves more covalent than the crystalline bulk. The implications of our calculated results for recent experimental observations are discussed

Adsorption of single Ag and Cu atoms on regular and defective MgO(001) substrates: an ab initio study

The DFT slab calculations were performed for Ag and Cu atoms adsorbed on both regular and defective MgO(001) substrates. Both metal atoms and surface O vacancies (F-s centers) were distributed uniformly with a concentration of one Ag, Cu or F-s per 2 x 2 surface supercell. Surface O2- ions are energetically more preferable for metal-atom adsorption on a regular substrate as compared to Mg2+ ions. The nature of the interaction between Ag or Cu adatoms and a defectless MgO substrate is physisorption (despite the difference in the adsorption energies: 0.62 vs. 0.39 eV per Cu and Ag adatom, respectively). Above the F-s centers, metal atoms are bounded much stronger when compared with regular O2- sites (2.4 vs. 2.1 eV per Cu and Ag adatoms, respectively). This is accompanied by a substantial charge transfer towards each adatom (Deltaq(Cu) = 0.41 e and Deltaq(Ag) = 0.32e) as well as a formation of partly covalent Me-F-s bonds across the interface (Mulliken bond populations p(Cu-Fs) = 0.25e and PAg-Fs = 0.33e). (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

First-principles Modeling of Defects in Advanced Nuclear Fuels

In this paper we present and discuss the results of first first-principle modelling of point defects in nitride nuclear fuels. Calculations have been performed using the VASP computer code combined with supercells containing up to 250 atoms. The effective atomic charges, the electronic density redistribution, atomic displacements around U and N vacancies and their formation energies are discussed.JRC.E.3-Materials researc