Density Functional Perturbation Theory Research Articles

Sampling the Materials Space for Conventional Superconducting Compounds.

A large scale study of conventional superconducting materials using a machine-learning accelerated high-throughput workflow is performed, starting by creating a comprehensive dataset of around 7000 electron-phonon calculations performed with reasonable convergence parameters. This dataset is then used to train a robust machine learning model capable of predicting the electron-phonon and superconducting properties based on structural, compositional, and electronic ground-state properties. Using this machine, the transition temperatures (Tc ) of approximately 200000 metallic compounds are evaluated, all of which are on the convex hull of thermodynamic stability (or close to it) to maximize the probability of synthesizability. Compounds predicted to have Tc values exceeding 5K are further validated using density-functional perturbation theory. As a result, 541 compounds with Tc values surpassing 10K, encompassing a variety of crystal structures and chemical compositions, are identified. This work is complemented with a detailed examination of several interesting materials, including nitrides, hydrides, and intermetallic compounds. Particularly noteworthy is LiMoN2 , which is predicted to be superconducting in the stoichiometric trigonal phase, with a Tc exceeding 38K. LiMoN2 has previously been synthesized in this phase, further heightening its potential for practicalapplications.

Thermal transport in H-terminated ultrathin [110] Si nanowires: a first principles study

Phonon properties of ultrathin Si nanowires in [110] direction have been calculated by density functional perturbation theory. Several samples with varying diameters ranging from 0.38 to 1.5 nm have been investigated. It is found that the frequencies of optical phonons at the zone center increase with decrease in size of the nanowire, giving rise to avoided-crossing with longitudinal acoustic phonons. This feature determines a corresponding increase in the scattering rates and flattening of the longitudinal acoustic mode. More specifically, a remarkable change in scattering rates is shown for decreasing diameter. Results of the thermal conductivity are much lower with respect to bulk Si and are found between 40 and 119 hbox {Wm}^{-1}hbox {K}^{-1}, also providing evidence of increasing thermal conductivity with increase in diameter. This effect is attributed to several changes in the phonon dispersions. Finally, it is shown that approximating the boundary scattering of phonons by Casimir scattering leads to a severe underestimation of the thermal conductivity in these systems.

Precursor region with full phonon softening above the charge-density-wave phase transition in 2H-TaSe2

Research on charge-density-wave (CDW) ordered transition-metal dichalcogenides continues to unravel new states of quantum matter correlated to the intertwined lattice and electronic degrees of freedom. Here, we report an inelastic x-ray scattering investigation of the lattice dynamics of the canonical CDW compound 2H-TaSe2 complemented by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional perturbation theory. Our results rule out the formation of a central-peak without full phonon softening for the CDW transition in 2H-TaSe2 and provide evidence for a novel precursor region above the CDW transition temperature TCDW, which is characterized by an overdamped phonon mode and not detectable in our photoemission experiments. Thus, 2H-TaSe2 exhibits structural before electronic static order and emphasizes the important lattice contribution to CDW transitions. Our ab-initio calculations explain the interplay of electron-phonon coupling and Fermi surface topology triggering the CDW phase transition and predict that the CDW soft phonon mode promotes emergent superconductivity near the pressure-driven CDW quantum critical point.

Electron-phonon coupling from GW perturbation theory: Practical workflow combining BerkeleyGW, ABINIT, and EPW

We present a workflow of practical calculations of electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling with many-electron correlation effects included using the GW perturbation theory (GWPT). This workflow combines BerkeleyGW, ABINIT, and EPW software packages to enable accurate e-ph calculations at the GW self-energy level, going beyond standard calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT). This workflow begins with DFT and DFPT calculations (ABINIT) as starting point, followed by GW and GWPT calculations (BerkeleyGW) for the quasiparticle band structures and e-ph matrix elements on coarse electron k- and phonon q-grids, which are then interpolated to finer grids through Wannier interpolation (EPW) for computations of various e-ph coupling determined physical quantities such as the electron self-energies or solutions of anisotropic Eliashberg equations, among others. A gauge-recovering symmetry unfolding technique is developed to reduce the computational cost of GWPT (as well as DFPT) while fulfilling the gauge consistency requirement for Wannier interpolation.

Electronic band structure and thermoelectric properties of ternary SnSxSe2−x (x = 0,1,2)

In this work, we present a thorough investigation of the electronic structure of layered metal dichalcogenides ternary SnSxSe2−x, where x = 0, 1, and 2. The calculations have been performed by the density functional theory (DFT), density functional perturbation theory (DFPT), and Boltzmann transport theory. It has been found that adding Sulfur to the structure leads to an increase in i) direct and indirect band gaps, ii) the Seebeck coefficient iii) the acoustic and optical branches iv) the power factor v) the lattice thermal conductivity. The thermoelectric properties are studied from the first principle for the whole series of compositions at the highest achievable n- and p-doping levels.

Effect of different pseudopotentials on the phonon frequencies, dielectric constant, and Born effective charge of SnSe and SnSe2 nanostructures: A density functional perturbation theory study

The choice of the pseudopotentials (PPs) is a crucial step towards an accurate atomistic calculation of physical properties of 2D materials. In this study, based on Density-Functional Perturbation Theory (DFPT), we investigated the dependency of the phonon properties such as phonon frequencies, dielectric constant, Born effective charge, and vibrational modes of SnSe and SnSe2 monolayers to the different types of PPs. On the basis of Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) using PBE functional, we computed eight phonon calculations for both lattices in combinations with four different PPs including Normconversing (NC) FHI/HGH, Ultrasoft (USPP), and Standard Solid-State (SSSP), while other parameters like cut-off energy, k-points mesh, and convergence threshold were kept fixed. However, the phonon properties of acoustic and optical phonons were better predicted by USPP and SSSP for phonon dispersion of SnSe and SnSe2, respectively. Regarding the dielectric constant and Bohr effective charge calculations, our results showed that SnSe and SnSe2 structures possess the dielectric tensor of 8.9 and 6.6 along the in-plane direction by using USPP calculations. Our outcomes also revealed less sensitivity of SnSe2 polarization to the type of PPs by applying the electric field. This study recommends USPP and SSSP to further phonon analysis of other semiconductors.

Electron phonon coupling and superconductivity in α-MoB2 as a function of pressure

We have studied the lattice dynamics, electron-phonon coupling, and superconducting properties of α-MoB2, as a function of applied pressure, within the framework of density functional perturbation theory using a mixed-basis pseudopotential method. We found that phonon modes located along the A−H, H−L, and L−A high-symmetry paths exhibit large phonon linewidths and contribute significantly to the electron-phonon coupling constant. Although linewidths are particularly large for the highest-frequency optical phonon modes (dominated by B vibrations), their contribution to the electron-phonon coupling constant is marginal. The latter is largely controlled by the acoustic low-frequency modes of predominantly Mo character. It was observed that at a pressure of 90 GPa, where α-MoB2 forms, the phonon-mediated pairing falls into the strong-coupling regime, and the estimate for the superconducting critical temperature T c agrees well with experimental observations. When further increasing the applied pressure, a reduction of T c is predicted, which correlates with a hardening of the acoustic low-frequency phonon modes and a decrease of the electron-phonon coupling parameter.

Temperature dependence of thermodynamic and mechanical properties of Fe2RhSi and Fe2RhGe: An ab-initio investigation

In this research, we conducted an exploration of the thermodynamic and mechanical properties of ferromagnetic inverse Heusler alloys Fe2RhSi and Fe2RhGe employing computational methods based on pseudopotentials, plane waves, density-functional theory and density-functional Perturbation theory. Our study indicates that the alloys are dynamically stable, as evidenced by the presence of positive phonon frequencies for all modes. Moreover, our computational results of specific heat and Debye temperature exhibited a remarkable agreement with experimental measurements, confirming to the accuracy of our approach. Both alloys displayed positive thermal expansion and demonstrated a decrease in elastic constants with increasing temperature, consistent with the Born–Huang criteria for mechanical stability. These alloys also exhibit an anisotropic and ductility behavior. The ductility is attributed to their metallic bonds.

Exploration of the structural, optoelectronic, magnetic, elastic, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of molybdenum-based chalcogenides A2MoSe4 (A =Li, K) for photovoltaics and spintronics applications: a first-principle study.

In the present work, the cubic phase of the chalcogenide materials, i.e., A2MoSe4 (A =Li, K) is examined to explore the structural, optoelectronic, magnetic, mechanical, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties. The lattice parameters for Li2MoSe4 are found to be a= 7.62 Å with lattice angles of α=β=γ=90° whereas for K2MoSe4, a= 8.43 Å, and α=β=γ=90°. These materials are categorized as semiconductors because Li2MoSe4 and K2MoSe4 exhibit direct energy band gap worth 1.32 eV and 1.61 eV, respectively through HSE06 functional. The optical analysis has declared them efficient materials for optoelectronic applications because both materials are found to be effective absorbers of ultraviolet radiations. These materials are noticed to be brittle while possessing anisotropic behavior for various mechanical applications. The vibrational properties are explored to check the thermal stability of the materials. On the basis of thermodynamics and heat capacity response, Li2MoSe4 is more stable than K2MoSe4. The results of our study lay the groundwork for future research on the physical characteristics of ternary transition metal chalcogenides (TMC). These physical properties are explored for the first time while using a first-principles approach based on density functional theory (DFT) in the framework of Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) by Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) functional. However, GGA+U and HSE06 are also employed to improve electronic properties. Kramers-Kronig relations are used to evaluate the dielectric function with a smearing value of 0.5 eV. Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation is used for seeking the elastic response of these materials. The thermodynamic response is sought by harmonic approximation. The density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) approach is used for investigating atomic vibrations.

Infrared-active phonons in one-dimensional materials and their spectroscopic signatures

Dimensionality provides a clear fingerprint on the dispersion of infrared-active, polar-optical phonons. For these phonons, the local dipoles parametrized by the Born effective charges drive the LO-TO splitting of bulk materials; this splitting actually breaks down in two-dimensional materials. Here, we develop the theory for one-dimensional (1D) systems—nanowires, nanotubes, and atomic and polymeric chains. Combining an analytical model with the implementation of density-functional perturbation theory in 1D boundary conditions, we show that the dielectric splitting in the dispersion relations collapses as {x}^{2}log (x) at the zone center. The dielectric properties and the radius of the 1D materials are linked by the present work to these red shifts, opening infrared and Raman characterization avenues.

Stability and optoelectronic properties of HfS2/HfSe2 heterostructures under tensile strain: A first-principles study

The optoelectronic properties of monolayer HfS2, HfSe2, and HfS2/HfSe2 heterostructures under biaxial strain were calculated using density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). The heterostructure formed by monolayer HfS2 and HfSe2 undergoes a transition from an indirect to a direct bandgap. Additionally, under biaxial tensile strain, the bandgaps of all systems exhibit a linear increase. The stability of the structures was further verified by calculating the phonon spectra. Monolayer HfS2 and HfSe2 exhibited imaginary frequencies at a biaxial strain of 8%, whereas the HfS2/HfSe2 heterostructure displayed an imaginary frequency at a strain of 6%. This suggests that the structures have reached their maximum load-bearing limit and lost stability. The van der Waals interactions between the layers of the heterostructure had minimal influence in the x–y plane, but they could induce interlayer tearing in the vertical direction, resulting in an earlier loss of stability compared to the monolayer structures. The optical absorption and reflectance properties of the three systems under strain were also calculated. A blue shift was observed in the low-energy region, while a significant red shift was observed in the high-energy region. The two-dimensional heterostructure exhibited significantly improved absorption coefficients and reflectance in the high-energy region compared to the two monolayer structures.

A first-principles assessment of the thermoelectric properties in half-heusler compound NbIrSn

Converting waste heat into electric power using thermoelectric materials could significantly address global energy needs. Half-Heusler compounds exhibit significant promise as thermoelectric materials suitable for high temperatures, thereby offering a potential solution to address the energy crisis. By employing density functional theory (DFT), semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory (BTE), and density functional perturbation theory (DFPT), this study thoroughly examines the structural, electronic, magnetic, phonon, mechanical, and thermoelectric properties of 18 valence electron half Heusler compound NbIrSn. Considering the presence of heavy 5d transition element Ir in our compound, all calculations are carried out with and without spin–orbit coupling (SOC). This material display both dynamic and mechanical stability, and also possess the property of ductility as indicated by Pugh’s ratio and Poisson’s ratio. NbIrSn is identified as non-magnetic semiconductors with indirect band gaps of 0.65 eV and it reduces to 0.63 eV when SOC is included. The different transport parameters are analyzed in relation to the chemical potential and doping concentrations for different temperatures. The lattice thermal conductivity of the material at room temperature is measured to be 13.40 Wm−1K−1 and 14.81 Wm−1K−1without and with SOC respectively. The optimal zT values for NbIrSn at 1200 K are 0.98 with p-type doping and 0.31 with n-type doping. Incorporating SOC leads to a substantial improvement, raising the optimal zT values to 1.33 for p-type doping and 0.47 for n-type doping. In conclusion, incorporating SOC is essential when analyzing the characteristics of the proposed compound. The present study highlights NbIrSn as a potentially a favorable candidate for p-type doping on high-temperature power generation.

Light-Induced Nonthermal Phase Transition to the Topological Crystalline Insulator State in SnSe.

Femtosecond pulses have been used to reveal hidden broken symmetry states and induce transitions to metastable states. However, these states are mostly transient and disappear after laser removal. Photoinduced phase transitions toward crystalline metastable states with a change of topological order are rare and difficult to predict and realize experimentally. Here, by using constrained density functional perturbation theory and accounting for light-induced quantum anharmonicity, we show that ultrafast lasers can permanently transform the topologically trivial orthorhombic structure of SnSe into the topological crystalline insulating rocksalt phase via a first-order nonthermal phase transition. We describe the reaction path and evaluate the critical fluence and possible decay channels after photoexcitation. Our simulations of the photoexcited structural and vibrational properties are in excellent agreement with recent pump-probe data in the intermediate fluence regime below the transition with an error on the curvature of the quantum free energy of the photoexcited state that is smaller than 2%.

HfSe2: Unraveling the microscopic reason for experimental low mobility.

Monolayer HfSe2, in the family of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), is a potential thermoelectric candidate due to its low thermal conductivity. While its mobility remains low as in other 2D TMDCs is inconceivable for electronic and thermoelectric applications. Earlier theoretical attempts have failed to give justification for the orders of low experimental mobility obtained for monolayer HfSe2. We calculate the carrier mobility in the framework of the density functional perturbation theory in conjunction with the Boltzmann transport equation and correctly ascertain the experimental value. We also calculate the carrier mobility with the previously employed method, the deformation potential (DP) model, to figure out the reason for its failure. We found that it is the strong electron-optical phonon interaction that is causing the low mobility. As the DP model does not account for the optical phonons, it overestimates the relaxation time by an order of two and also underestimates the temperature dependence of mobility. A strong polar type interaction is evidenced as a manifestation of a discontinuity in the first derivative of the optical-phonons at the K and Γ points as well as a dispersive optical phonon at the K point. We also included the spin-orbit coupling which leads to an energy splitting of ∼330meV and significantly affects mobility and scattering rates.

GaAs/GaP Superlattice Nanowires for Tailoring Phononic Properties at the Nanoscale: Implications for Thermal Engineering.

The possibility to tune the functional properties of nanomaterials is key to their technological applications. Superlattices, i.e., periodic repetitions of two or more materials in one or more dimensions, are being explored for their potential as materials with tailor-made properties. Meanwhile, nanowires offer a myriad of possibilities to engineer systems at the nanoscale, as well as to combine materials that cannot be put together in conventional heterostructures due to the lattice mismatch. In this work, we investigate GaAs/GaP superlattices embedded in GaP nanowires and demonstrate the tunability of their phononic and optoelectronic properties by inelastic light scattering experiments corroborated by ab initio calculations. We observe clear modifications in the dispersion relation for both acoustic and optical phonons in the superlattices nanowires. We find that by controlling the superlattice periodicity, we can achieve tunability of the phonon frequencies. We also performed wavelength-dependent Raman microscopy on GaAs/GaP superlattice nanowires, and our results indicate a reduction in the electronic bandgap in the superlattice compared to the bulk counterpart. All of our experimental results are rationalized with the help of ab initio density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) calculations. This work sheds fresh insights into how material engineering at the nanoscale can tailor phonon dispersion and open pathways for thermal engineering.

Epiq: An open-source software for the calculation of electron-phonon interaction related properties

epiq (Electron-Phonon wannier Interpolation over k and q-points) is an open-source software for the calculation of electron-phonon interaction related properties from first principles. Acting as a post-processing tool for a density-functional perturbation theory code (Quantum ESPRESSO) and wannier90, epiq exploits the localization of the deformation potential in the Wannier function basis and the stationary properties of a force-constant functional with respect to the first-order perturbation of the electronic charge density to calculate many electron-phonon related properties with high accuracy and free from convergence issues related to Brillouin zone sampling. epiq features include: the adiabatic and non-adiabatic phonon dispersion, superconducting properties (including the superconducting band gap in the Migdal-Eliashberg formulation), double-resonant Raman spectra and lifetime of excited carriers. The possibility to customize most of its input makes epiq a versatile and interoperable tool. Particularly relevant is the interaction with the Stochastic Self-Consistent Harmonic Approximation (SSCHA) allowing anharmonic effects to be included in the calculation of electron-properties. The scalability offered by the Wannier representation combined with a straightforward workflow and easy-to-read input and output files make epiq accessible to the wide condensed matter and material science communities. Program summaryProgram Title:epiqCPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/f2syws66d7.1Developer's repository link:https://gitlab.com/the-epiq-team/epiqLicensing provisions: GPLv3Programming language: FORTRAN95External routines: BLAS (http://www/netlib.org/blas), LAPACK (http://www.netlib.org/lapack), Quantum ESPRESSO (https://www.quantum-espresso.org/), wannier90 (https://wannier.org/)Nature of problem: Direct first principles calculation of quantities obtained via linear response methods in solid-state systems, such as the deformation potential, can be computationally demanding, hindering proper convergence.Solution method: An interpolation scheme exploiting the localization of the deformation potential in the Wannier function basis and the stationary properties of a force-constant functional with respect to the first-order perturbation of the electronic charge density is implemented in epiq. Within this approach it is possible to calculate many electron-phonon related properties with high accuracy and a low computational effort.

Influence of heteroatoms and substituents on structural and spectroscopic parameters of saturated six-member ring heterocycles: experimental and theoretical study of 1-methyl-1-germacyclohexane

The conformational analysis of newly synthesized compound, 1-methyl-1-germacyclohexane, is performed by means of a combined vibrational spectroscopy and theoretical methods. The liquid 1-methyl-1-germacyclohexane at room temperature is investigated using conventional ATR-FTIR, FT-IR (gas phase) and Raman methods. FT-IR spectra of the isolated in low-temperature neon and nitrogen matrices are registered. The further detailed vibrational conformational analysis is performed utilizing density functional theory and perturbation theory based methods. All possible 12 canonical ring conformations considering axial/equatorial CH3 group position are analyzed by utilizing DFT/B3LYP, DFT/M06-2X and MP2 at aug-cc-pVTZ theory level.The most stable conformer with the global energy minimum structure in the chair axial conformation is investigated in detail. Analysis of the potential energy surface reveals transition states (TS) and energy barriers. The conformational path is found to be as follows: chair (1C4)→ envelope/half-chair (TS)→ skew-boat (1S3 - C1 symmetry)→ boat (TS)→ skew-boat (1S5 - C2 symmetry). The energy barrier for 1C4 (chair) to 1S3 (skew-boat) conversion is 4.8 kcal/mol while for the reverse process equals to 0.5 kcal/mol.A similar conformational analysis is performed for different configurations of germacyclohexane, silacyclohexane and cyclohexane with mono- and disubstituents: CH2Cl, CH3, Cl and F. Such approach enables investigation of influence of the heteroatoms and substituents of various size and type on the structural parameters and conformational diversity.

Effects of vacancy defects on vibrational properties of Ni–Al

The phonon spectra of Ni, Al, and NiAl, as well as their electronic characteristics, are investigated using density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory. Our research on phonon dispersion has concentrated on every high symmetry point of NiAl, both with and without defects. The phonon gap of NiAl is measured to be 1.78 THz between the lowest value of the optical branch and the top bound of the acoustic branch. The NiAl supercell with a center Al vacancy was built to investigate the effects of defects on its vibrational characteristics. The phonon gap of a NiAl crystal at the center of the Brillouin zone with no defect is calculated to be 1.06 THz. This value of the phonon gap is affected by the Al vacancy defect and decreases by 7.67%. The development of phonon spectrum is investigated using electronic structure and properties. The majority of free electrons accumulated at the Fermi level contribute to promoting the vibration. The importance of a heavier element in a compound has also been explored in terms of gap tuning. Reduced thermal conductivity by narrowing the gap between optical and acoustic modes raises the figure of merit (zT) value, which improves the thermoelectric energy conversion efficiency.

Strain induced modification in thermal properties of monolayer 1T-HfS2 and HfS2/HfSe2 heterojunction

We have calculated the phonon spectra of HfS2, HfSe2, and HfS2/HfSe2 heterojunction under biaxial tensile strain and analyzed the effect of strain on the stability of the structures using density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). The upper limit of the applied strain of three systems were investigated, and the results revealed that monolayer HfS2 and HfSe2 can withstand biaxial tensile strains of up to 8%. The HfS2/HfSe2 heterostructure can withstand biaxial tensile strains of up to 6%. In addition, the van der Waals forces between the layers of the HfS2/HfSe2 heterojunction have little effect in the x-y plane but can cause phonon splitting in the vertical direction. The biaxial strain can effectively change the entropy, enthalpy, and free energy of the three systems but has little effect on the heat capacity after high temperatures. When the strain reaches the critical strain, the thermal properties will decrease significantly due to structural instability.

Lattice vibration and dielectric properties of CaNb2O6

The lattice vibration and dielectric properties of CaNb2O6 have been studied using density functional perturbation theory. The complete set of the zone center optical phonon modes and frequency dependent dielectric function of the CaNb2O6 have been determined. The assignment of mode vibrations to all of the optical phonon frequencies was made by analyzing the eigen displacements. We find that the highest frequency mode of all the Raman active symmetry species is due to NbO6 stretching vibration. Our calculated dielectric functions and quality factor are in very good agreement with the corresponding experimental results.