AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Simulating solvation and acidity in complex mixtures with first-principles accuracy: the case of CH₃SO₃H and H₂O₂ in phenol

Set of inputs to perform the calculations reported in the paper.
The i-pi input enables to perform molecular dynamics / metadynamics / REMD / PIMD simulations, with adequate thermostats.
The DFTB and LAMMPS input respectively enable to calculate force and energies within the DFTB and Neural Network Forcefield frameworks.
The CP2K input files enable to calculate force and energies at PBE and PBE0 level. The latter is used as the reference to train the neural network correction on top of DFTB.

Brief description of the work: We present a generally-applicable computational framework for the efficient and accurate characterization of molecular structural patterns and acid properties in explicit solvent using H₂O₂ and CH₃SO₃H in phenol as an example. In order to address the challenges posed by the complexity of the problem, we resort to a set of data-driven methods and enhanced sampling algorithms. The synergistic application of these techniques makes the first-principle estimation of the chemical properties feasible without renouncing to the use of explicit solvation, involving extensive statistical sampling. Ensembles of neural network potentials are trained on a set of configurations carefully selected out of preliminary simulations performed at a low-cost density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) level. Energy and forces of these configurations are then recomputed at the hybrid density functional theory (DFT) level and used to train the neural networks. The stability of the NN model is enhanced by using DFTB energetics as a baseline, but the efficiency of the direct NN (i.e., baseline-free) is exploited via a multiple-time step integrator. The neural network potentials are combined with enhanced sampling techniques, such as replica exchange and metadynamics, and used to characterize the relevant protonated species and dominant non-covalent interactions in the mixture, also considering nuclear quantum effects.

Tags: acid, acid-homogeneous-catalysis, artificial-intelligence, catalysis, machine-learning, reaction, solution-chemistry
Elucidating structure and function of Ni/La-doped-ceria catalysts for CO2 reduction by the reverse water gas shift reaction

Reducing and/or utilizing CO2 in the atmosphere is mandatory to decrease its negative effects as greenhouse gas. The reverse water gas shift reaction (rWGS) is one of the most promising routes for CO2 valorization. Here, we show that Ni/La-doped ceria catalysts, prepared by the solution combustion synthesis method, has an excellent catalytic performance per unit mass of catalyst. Structure-activity correlations obtained using a combination of different techniques such as X-ray and neutron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, in-situ NAP-XPS, Electron Microscopy, and catalytic testing, point out to optimum values for the Ni loading and the La proportion. Density functional theory calculations of the elementary steps of the reaction on model Ni/ceria catalysts aid toward the microscopic understanding of the active sites nature. Metallic Ni activates H2 dissociation and a certain La doping maximizes Ce3+ sites, which supplies greater available oxygen to form H2O. These findings are essential for the rational design of highly efficient and selective rWGS catalysts.

Tags: ceo2, co2-reduction, lanthanum, nickel, oxygen-vacancies, rwgs
Finding new crystalline compounds using chemical similarity

We proposed an efficient high-throughput scheme for the discovery of new stable crystalline phases. Our approach was based on the transmutation of known compounds, through the substitution of atoms in the crystal structure with chemically similar ones. The concept of similarity is defined quantitatively using a measure of chemical replaceability, extracted by data mining experimental databases. In this way we build more than 250k possible crystal phases, with almost 20k that are on the convex hull of stability. This dataset contains the optimized structure and the energy of these 250k materials calculated with the PBE approximation, in a format that is convenient for data-mining or for machine-learning applications.

Tags: density-functional-theory, high-throughput, machine-learning
Improved photoelectrochemical water splitting of CaNbO2N photoanodes by Co-Pi photodeposition and surface passivation

Photoelectrochemical solar water splitting is a promising approach to convert solar energy into sustainable hydrogen fuel using semiconductor electrodes. Due to their visible light absorption properties, oxynitrides have shown to be attractive photocatalysts for this application. In this study, the influence of the preparation method of CaNbO2N particles on their morphological and optical properties, and thereby their photoelectrochemical performance, is investigated. The best performing CaNbO2N photoanode is produced by ammonolysis of Nb enriched calcium niobium oxide. The enhanced photoactivity arises from an enlarged surface area and superior visible light absorption properties. The photoactivity of this photoanode was further enhanced by photodeposition of Co-Pi co-catalyst and by atomic layer deposition of an Al2O3 overlayer. A photocurrent density of 70 mA at 1.23 V vs RHE was achieved. The observed enhancement of the photoelectrochemical performance after Co-Pi/Al2O3 deposition is the combined effect of the improved kinetics of oxygen evolution due to the Co-Pi co-catalyst and the reduced surface recombination of the photogenerated carriers at the Al2O3 surface layer.

Tags: computational-screening, marvel, photoelectrochemical-water-splitting, surface-passivation
Enhanced ultrafast relaxation rate in the Weyl semimetal phase of MoTe2 measured by time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

This record contains the results of the first experimental investigation of the change in the electron dynamics across the topological phase transition from the type-II Weyl semimetal phase of MoTe2 to the trivial phase. By using the capability of time-resolved ARPES to access the unoccupied density of states, we succeed in transiently populating the Weyl points, which are otherwise above the Fermi level and out of the reach of conventional ARPES. We observe a bottleneck in the electron dynamics when the Weyl points annihilate and gaps are opened in the high-temperature trivial phase. This interpretation is supported by the observation that, in the "sister" compound WTe2 the dynamics is not affected by the change in temperature, and it is always much slower, thus reflecting the larger energy separation between the valence and conduction band.

Tags: electron-dynamics, electronic-bands, erc, experimental, marvel, snsf, topological-phase-transition, type-ii-weyl-semimetal
Flat-band hybridization between f and d states near the Fermi energy of SmCoIn₅

We present high-quality angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) and density functional theory calculations (DFT+U) of SmCoIn₅. We find broad agreement with previously published studies of LaCoIn₅ and CeCoIn₅, confirming that the Sm 4f electrons are mostly localized. Nevertheless, our model is consistent with an additional delocalized Sm component, stemming from hybridization between the 4f electrons and the metallic bands at "hot spot" positions in the Brillouin zone. The dominant hot spot, called γz, is similar to a source of delocalized f states found in previous experimental and theoretical studies of CeCoIn₅. In this work, we identify and focus on the role of geometric frustration in exploring the relationship between heavy quasiparticles and the magnetically ordered ground state of SmCoIn₅. Specifically, we find a globally flat band consisting of Co 3dxy/3dz2 orbital states near E = −0.7 eV, indicating a general role for geometric frustration in the "115" family of materials. We also show that the delocalized Sm 4f states can hybridize directly with the Co 3dxz/3dyz orbitals, which occurs in our model at the Brillouin zone boundary point R in a band that is locally flat and touches the Fermi level from above. Our work identifies microscopic ingredients for additional magnetic interactions in the "115" materials beyond the RKKY mechanism, and strongly suggests that the Co d bands are an important ingredient in the formation of both magnetic and superconducting ground states.

Tags: dftu, heavy-fermions, kondo-effect, marvelp4, snsf
Quantum ESPRESSO at the exascale

Quantum ESPRESSO is an open-source distribution of computer codes for quantum-mechanical materials modeling, based on density-functional theory, pseudo-potentials, and plane waves, and renowned for its performance on a wide range of hardware architectures, from laptops to massively parallel computers, as well as for the breadth of its applications. In this paper we present a motivation and brief review of the ongoing effort to port Quantum ESPRESSO onto heterogeneous architectures based on hardware accelerators, which will overcome the energy constraints that are currently hindering the way towards exascale computing.

Tags: density-functional-theory, dft, first-principles, gpu, hpc, marvel, max, nccr, snsf
Microscopic nature of the charge-density wave in the kagome superconductor RbV₃Sb₅

The recently discovered vanadium-based Kagome metals AV₃Sb₅ (A = K, Rb, Cs) undergo a unique phase transition into charge-density wave (CDW) order which precedes both unconventional superconductivity and time-reversal symmetry breaking. Therefore the essential first step in building a full understanding of the role of CDW in establishing these unconventional phases is to unveil the symmetries and the microscopic nature of the charge-ordered phase. Here, we determine the exact structure of the 2×2×2 superlattice that develops below the charge-density wave ordering temperature (TCDW) in RbV₃Sb₅. We present a comprehensive set of ⁵¹V, ⁸⁷Rb, and ¹²¹Sb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements and density functional theory simulations of NMR observables to provide a unique site-selective view into the local nature of the charge-ordered phase. The combination of these experimental results with simulations provides compelling evidence that the CDW structure prevailing below 103 K in RbV₃Sb₅ is the so-called inverse Star of David pattern, π-shifted along the c axis. These findings put severe constraints on the topology of these Kagome compounds and thus provide essential guidance for the development of an appropriate theoretical framework for predicting properties of exotic electronic orders arising within the CDW phase.

Tags: dft, kagome-metal-rbv3sb5, nuclear-magnetic-resonance, nuclear-quadrupole-resonance
Towards constant potential modeling of CO-CO coupling at liquid water-Cu(100) interfaces

We have studied electrochemical *CO-*CO coupling in explicit electrolyte with density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and metadynamics. We considered both the *CO-*CO coupling reaction and the charging process required to keep the potential constant. The charging process consists of transferring explicit cations from the electrolyte and electrons from the potentiostat to the interface. Under constant charge conditions (non-constant electrostatic potential), the *CO-*CO coupling reaction energies are relative insensitive to the charge state at the interface and the electrolyte composition and the reaction occurs with co-adsorption of water. Under constant potential conditions, the *CO-*CO coupling reaction is stabilized at lower potentials because of charging and the reaction is influenced by the electrolyte composition.
Here we have collected the data from the eight AIMD metadynamics simulations conducted in the study. Each AIMD data tar.gz file contains the VASP input files (INCAR, KPOINTS, POTCAR, ICONST), the VASP output files for the full AIMD run (OUTCAR*, PENALTYPOT), python scripts that have been used to analyze the AIMD run, data files made by those scripts (*dat), a folder (0/) used to set up single point calculations of workfunction and Bader chages at 0.125 ps intervals along the AIMD trajectory, and one folder (*.000ps) containing an example of a workfunction and Bader charge calculation.

Tags: ab-initio-molecular-dynamics, co-and-co2-reduction, electrocatalysis, water-metal-interfaces
First-principles and experimental characterization of the electronic and optical properties of CaS and CaO

Doped alkaline-earth chalcogenides are interesting photoluminescent materials for opto-electronic applications. It is crucial to have an extended knowledge about the undoped bulk CaS and CaO since all the excited state properties of the doped material heavily depend on it. In this work we investigate the structural parameters, electronic band structures, macroscopic dielectric constants and absorption spectra for CaS and CaO compounds. Their quasi-particle band structure in the GW approximation yields a value of 4.28 eV and 6.02 eV for the indirect theoretical particle gap of CaS and CaO, respectively. The imaginary part of the macroscopic dielectric function e(omega) is computed including excitonic effects through the Bethe–Salpeter equation. The onset of absorption is within 0.1 eV of the experimental one and the calculated spectrum shows a qualitative agreement with experiment. Our computed exciton binding energies are 0.27 eV and 0.40 eV for CaS and CaO, respectively.

Tags: ab-initio, absorption-spectrum, bethesalpeter, calcium-chalcogenides, cao, cas, density-functional-theory, exciton, first-principles, macroscopic-dielectric-function
Local polarization in oxygen-deficient LaMnO3 induced by charge localization in the Jahn-Teller distorted structure

The functional properties of transition metal perovskite oxides are known to result from a complex interplay of magnetism, polarization, strain, and stoichiometry. Here, we show that for materials with a cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion, such as LaMnO3 (LMO), the orbital order can also couple to the defect chemistry and induce novel material properties. At low temperatures, LMO exhibits a strong Jahn-Teller distortion that splits the eg orbitals of the high-spin Mn3+ ions and leads to alternating long, short, and intermediate Mn-O bonds. Our DFT+U calculations show that, as a result of this orbital order, the charge localization in LMO upon oxygen vacancy formation differs from other manganites, like SrMnO3, where the two extra electrons reduce the two Mn sites adjacent to the vacancy. In LMO, relaxations around the defect depend on which type of Mn-O bond is broken, affecting the d-orbital energies and leading to asymmetric and hence polar excess electron localization with respect to the vacancy. Moreover, we show that the Mn-O bond lengths, the orbital order and consequently the charge localization and polarity are tunable via strain.

Tags: jahn-teller-distortion, lamno3, marveldd5, oxygen-vacancies, polarization, prace, snsf
Time-resolved ARPES at LACUS: band structure and ultrafast electron dynamics of solids

This record contains the first experimental results obtained at the time-resolved ARPES endstation developed at the Lausanne Centre for Ultrafast Science. The use of VUV photons, generated by means of high-harmonic generation in gas, allows us to explore the out-of-equilibrium electron dynamics over the entire Brillouin zone of solids. In this work we give evidence of this capability by accessing the linearly dispersing surface state of the nodal-line Dirac semimetal ZrSiTe.

Tags: electronic-bands, experimental, h2020, nodal-line-dirac-semimetal, snsf, ultrafast-electronic-spectroscopy
Electronic transport across quantum dots in graphene nanoribbons: Toward built-in gap-tunable metal-semiconductor-metal heterojunctions

The success of all-graphene electronics is severely hindered by the challenging realization and subsequent integration of semiconducting channels and metallic contacts. Here, we comprehensively investigate the electronic transport across width-modulated heterojunctions consisting of a graphene quantum dot of varying lengths and widths embedded in a pair of armchair-edged metallic nanoribbons, of the kind recently fabricated via on-surface synthesis. We show that the presence of the quantum dot enables the opening of a width-dependent transport gap, thereby yielding built-in one-dimensional metal-semiconductor-metal junctions. Furthermore, we find that, in the vicinity of the band edges, the conductance is subject to a smooth transition from an antiresonant to a resonant transport regime upon increasing the channel length. These results are rationalized in terms of a competition between quantum-confinement effects and quantum dot-to-lead coupling. Overall, our work establishes graphene quantum dot nanoarchitectures as appealing platforms to seamlessly integrate gap-tunable semiconducting channels and metallic contacts into an individual nanoribbon, hence realizing self-contained carbon-based electronic devices.

Tags: cscs, electronic-transport, gnr, graphene, marvel, nanoribbon, quantum-dot, snsf
Exploring energy landscapes of charge multipoles using constrained density functional theory

We present a method to constrain local charge multipoles within density-functional theory. Such multipoles quantify the anisotropy of the local charge distribution around atomic sites and can indicate potential hidden orders. Our method allows selective control of specific multipoles, facilitating a quantitative exploration of the energetic landscape outside of local minima. Thus, it enables a clear distinction between electronically and structurally driven instabilities. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this method by applying it to charge quadrupoles in the prototypical orbitally ordered material KCuF₃. We quantify intersite multipole-multipole interactions as well as the energy-lowering related to the formation of an isolated local quadrupole. We also map out the energy as a function of the size of the local quadrupole moment around its local minimum, enabling quantification of multipole fluctuations around their equilibrium value. Finally, we study charge quadrupoles in the solid solution KCu₁₋ₓZnₓF₃ to characterize the behavior across the tetragonal-to-cubic transition. Our method provides a powerful tool for studying symmetry breaking in materials with coupled electronic and structural instabilities and potentially hidden orders.

Tags: constrained-dft, electronic-instability, erc, multipoles, perovskite
Torsional stress can regulate the unwrapping of two outer half superhelical turns of nucleosomal DNA

Torsional stress has a significant impact on the structure and stability of the nucleosome.  RNA polymerase imposes torsional stress on the DNA in chromatin and unwraps the DNA from the nucleosome to access the genetic information encoded in the DNA.  To understand how the torsional stress affects the stability of the nucleosome, we examined the unwrapping of two half superhelical turns of nucleosomal DNA from either end of the DNA under torsional stress with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.  The free energies for unwrapping the DNA indicate that positive stress that overtwists DNA facilitates a large-scale asymmetric unwrapping of the DNA without a large extension of the DNA.  During the unwrapping, one end of the DNA was dissociated from H3 and H2A-H2B while the other end of the DNA stably remained wrapped.  The detailed analysis indicates that this asymmetric dissociation is facilitated by the geometry and bendability of the DNA under positive stress.  The geometry stabilized the interaction between the major groove of the twisted DNA and the H3 αN-helix, and the straightened DNA destabilized the interaction with H2A-H2B.  Under negative stress, the DNA became more bendable and flexible, which facilitated the binding of the unwrapped DNA to the octamer in a stable state.  Consequently, we conclude that the torsional stress has a significant impact on the affinity of the DNA and the octamer through the inherent nature of the DNA, and can change the accessibility of regulatory proteins.

Tags: bendability, dna, nucleosome, torsional-stress, unwrapping
Analysis of minerals as electrode materials for Ca-based rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries dominate the consumer electronics and electric vehicle markets. However, concerns on Li availability have prompted the development of alternative high energy density electrochemical energy storage systems. Rechargeable batteries based on a Ca metal anode can exhibit advantages in terms of energy density, safety and cost. The development of rechargeable Ca metal batteries requires the identification of suitable high specific energy cathode materials. This work focuses on Ca-bearing minerals because they represent stable and abundant compounds. Suitable minerals should contain a transition metal able of being reversibly reduced and oxidized, which points to several major classes of silicates and carbonates: olivine (CaFeSiO4; kirschsteinite), pyroxene (CaFe/MnSi2O6; hedenbergite and johannsenite, respectively), garnet (Ca3Fe/Cr2Si3O12; andradite and uvarovite, respectively), amphibole (Ca2Fe5Si8O22(OH)2; ferroactinolite) and double carbonates (CaMn(CO3)2; kutnahorite and CaFe(CO3)2; ankerite). This work discusses their electrode characteristics based on crystal chemistry analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results indicate that upon Ca deintercalation, compounds such as pyroxene, garnet and double carbonate minerals could display high theoretical energy densities (ranging from 780 to 1500 Wh/kg) with moderate structural modifications. As a downside, DFT calculations indicate a hampered Ca mobility in their crystal structures. The overall analysis then disregards olivine, garnet, pyroxene, amphibole and double carbonates as structural types for future Ca-cathode materials design.

Tags: batteries, electrode-materials, geochemistry, minerals
In situ high-energy X-ray diffraction of a CuZr-based metallic glass

There is much current work on metallic glasses (MGs). The field is making rapid advances and has opened up questions of fundamental scientific interest. Metallic glasses are known to suffer from poor formability. Among other methods of improving the mechanical properties of MGs, introducing deformable crystalline phases into MGs is beneficial for enhancing the plastic compliance of MGs. The definition of the principal phase transformations (on heating and on cooling) underlying the feasibility of such a method is the focus of the deposited in situ high-energy XRD data carried out at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany. This archive entry contains the temporal evolution of the equilibrium and metastable phases on flash-annealing (heating and cooling) and during containerless solidification via electromagnetic levitation with an unprecedented timescale of ~4 ms.

Tags: containerless-solidification, electromagnetic-levitation, metallic-glasses, phase-transformation-mechanisms, synchrotron-xrd
Alloying as a strategy to boost the stability of Copper nanocatalysts during electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction

Cu nano catalysts are among the most promising candidates to enable the up-conversion of CO₂ by means of electrochemical reduction. Yet, the lack of stability of Cu nano catalysts during electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction represents a strong limiting factor in enabling their widespread use at the industrial level.  The record gathers data related to the theoretical evaluation of the stability and activity of Cu-rich nano catalysts, in the presence of a second metal, namely Ga, whose amount varies between 5% and 30%.

Tags: co2rr, cu, dft