High-throughput theoretical design of lithium battery materials

The rapid evolution of high-throughput theoretical design schemes to discover new lithium battery materials is reviewed, including high-capacity cathodes, low-strain cathodes, anodes, solid state electrolytes, and electrolyte additives.With the development of efficient theoretical methods and inexpensive computers, high-throughput theoretical calculations have played an increasingly important role in the discovery of new materials. With the help of automatic simulation flow,many types of materials can be screened, optimized and designed from a structural database according to specific search criteria. In advanced cell technology, new materials for next generation lithium batteries are of great significance to achieve performance, and some representative criteria are: higher energy density, better safety, and faster charge/discharge speed.     

First principle study of LiXS_2(X=Ga,In) as cathode materials for Li ion batteries

From first principle calculations, we demonstrate that LiXS_2(X = Ga, In) compounds have potential applications as cathode materials for Li ion batteries. It is shown that Li can be extracted from the LiXS_2 lattice with relatively small volume change and the XS_4 tetrahedron structure framework remains stable upon delithiation. The theoretical capacity and average intercalation potential of the LiGaS_2(LiInS_2) cathode are 190.4(144._2) m Ah/g and 3.50 V(3.53 V). The electronic structures of the LiXS_2 are insulating with band gaps of _2.88 eV and 1.99 eV for X = Ga and In, respectively.However, Li vacancies, which are formed through delithiation, change the electronic structure substantially from insulating to metallic structure, indicating that the electrical conductivities of the LiXS_2 compounds should be good during cycling.Li ion migration energy barriers are also calculated, and the results show that Li ion diffusions in the LiXS_2 compounds can be as good as those in the currently widely used electrode materials.     

Photoluminescence properties of Ca_4La_6(SiO_4)_4(PO_4)_2O_2-based phosphors for wLEDs

The apatite compound Ca_4La_6(SiO_4)_4(PO_4)_2O_2(CLSPO) was explored as the host material for phosphors used in white light-emitting diodes(w LEDs). The crystal structure of the CLSPO host prepared by the solid-state reaction method was investigated with Rietveld refinement. The rare earth ions(Eu~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Ce~(3+), Tb~(3+)/Tb~(3+), Mn~(2+))activated CLSPO phosphors were synthesized, and their photoluminescence properties, quantum yields, as well as thermal stabilities, were studied. Under near-ultraviolet excitations, the Eu~(3+) and Tb~(3+) -doped CLSPO compounds exhibited red and green emissions with high luminescence efficiencies. Besides, tunable emissions from green to orange were obtained by introducing Mn~(2+) ions into the Tb~(3+) -doped CLSPO samples. The results showed that the phosphors studied may have potential applications for w LEDs.     

NaZnLa(PO_4)_2中Ce~(3+)和Tb~(3+)的发光

采用高温固相反应合成了NaZnLa(PO4 ) 2 中掺杂Ce3 +、Tb3+的荧光体 ,对其晶体结构、发光行为进行了研究 ,并尝试对NaZnLa(PO4 ) 2 ∶Ce ,Tb荧光体进行调制。NaZnLa(PO4 ) 2 是LaPO4 的同构物 ,为单斜晶系独居石结构 ,从XRD谱数据得到NaZnLa(PO4 ) 2 基质的晶胞参数为a =0 6 82 3nm ,b =0 70 45nm ,c =0 6 497nm ,β =10 3 9° ,V =0 30 3nm3,其晶胞参数与单斜LaPO4 的晶胞参数相似。在NaZnLa(PO4 ) 2 ∶Ce ,Tb荧光体中 ,Ce3 +对Tb3+有良好的敏化作用 ,掺杂适量的BO3 -3 、Al3 +、Dy3 +,可以增强发光亮度     

Computational design and screening of promising energetic materials: Novel azobis(tetrazoles) with ten catenated nitrogen atoms chain

Density functional theory methods were used to study on 2 N10 compounds, 1,1′‐azobis(tetrazole) and 1,1′‐azobis(5‐methyltetrazole). We systematically investigated 10 novel substituted azobis(tetrazoles) with 10 catenated nitrogen atoms and various energetic groups (–CF₃ 1 , –C(NO₂)₃ 3 , –N₃ 5 , –NH₂ 6 , –NHNH₂ 7 , –NHNO₂ 8 , –NO₂ 9 , –OCH₃ 10 , –OH 11 , –ONO₂ 12 ). The optimized geometry, frontier molecular orbitals, electrostatic potential, Infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum were calculated for inspecting the molecular structure and stability as well as chemical reactivity. The effects of different substituents on the density, enthalpy of formation, heat of explosion, detonation velocity and pressure, and sensitivity of the azobis(tetrazole) derivatives have been investigated. Compound 9 with nitro was found to have remarkable detonation performances (D = 9.61 km/s, P = 42.14 GPa), which are close to the excellent explosive CL‐20. Results show that compounds 1 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 9 , 11, and 12 have high potential to replace RDX. It is surprising that compounds 1 , 3 , 9, and 12 possess better energetic properties than HMX. These novel substituted azobis(tetrazoles) with unique N10 structure may be promising candidates of HEDMs with outstanding performance and acceptable sensitivities.     

Forming solid electrolyte interphase in situ in an ionic conducting Li_(1.5)Al_(0.5)Ge_(1.5)(PO_4)_3-polypropylene(PP) based separator for Li-ion batteries

A new concept of forming solid electrolyte interphases(SEI) in situ in an ionic conducting Li_(1.5)Al_(0.5)Ge_(1.5)(PO_4)_3-polypropylene(LAGP-PP) based separator during charging and discharging is proposed and demonstrated. This unique structure shows a high ionic conductivity, low interface resistance with electrode, and can suppress the growth of lithium dendrite. The features of forming the SEI in situ are investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results confirm that SEI films mainly consist of lithium fluoride and carbonates with various alkyl contents. The cell assembled by using the LAGP-coated separator demonstrates a good cycling performance even at high charging rates, and the lithium dendrites were not observed on the lithium metal electrode. Therefore, the SEI-LAGP-PP separator can be used as a promising flexible solid electrolyte for solid state lithium batteries.     

Ab‐initio calculations and structural studies of (SiTe)2(Sb2Te3)n (n: 1, 2, 4 and 6) phase‐change superlattice films

(SiTe)₂(Sb₂Te₃)_n phase‐change superlattices were investigated theoretically and experimentally. Ab‐initio first principle simulations predicted that the (SiTe)₂(Sb₂Te₃)_n structures are stable and possess a Dirac semimetal‐like band structure. Calculation of the Z₂ invariant indicated that the structure was topologically nontrivial. (SiTe)₂(Sb₂Te₃)_n superlattice structures derived from first‐principles were successfully fabricated on a Si substrate by RF‐magnetron sputtering. XRD and TEM indicated that the superlattice films were highly oriented with the 00X planes of Sb₂Te₃ and the superlattice normal to the substrate surface. The (SiTe)₂(Sb₂Te₃)_n superlattice is suggested as new material system for interfacial phase‐change memory applications. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electronic structure and photoluminescence property of a novel white emission phosphor Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3:Dy~(3+) for warm white light emitting diodes

To explore suitable single-phase white emission phosphors for warm white light emitting diodes, a series of novel phosphors Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3:xDy~(3+)(0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) is prepared, and their phase purities as well as photoluminescence properties are discussed in depth via x-ray diffraction structure refinement and photoluminescence spectrum measurement.The electronic structure properties of the Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3host are calculated. The results reveal that Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3 possesses a direct band gap with a band gap value of 4.917 e V. The obtained Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3:Dy~(3+) phosphors are all well crystallized in trigonal structure with space group Rc, which has strong absorption around 365 nm and can generate warm white light emissions peaking at 487, 576, and 673 nm upon ultraviolet excitation, which are attributed to the transitions from ~4F_(9/2) to ~6H_(15/2),~6H_(13/2), and ~6H_(11/2) of Dy~(3+) ions, respectively. The optimal doping content, critical distance, decay time, and Commission International de L'Eclairage(CIE) chromaticity coordinates are investigated in Dy~(3+) ion-doped Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3. The thermal quenching analysis shows that Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3:Dy~(3+) has a good thermal stability, and the thermal activation energy is calculated. The performances of Na_3MgZr(PO_4)_3:Dy~(3+) make it a potential single-phase white emission phosphor for warm white light emitting diode.     

Two-dimensional MTe2 (M = Co,Fe, Mn,Sc, Ti) transition metal tellurides as sodium ion battery anode materials: Density functional theory calculations

We performed density functional theory calculations to probe sodium adsorption and diffusion properties on two-dimensional (2D) MTe₂ (M = Co, Fe, Mn, Sc, Ti) first-row transition metal tellurides, and gauge their potentials as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). In this work, we found that all considered MTe₂ possess strong sodium adsorption properties and excellent diffusion kinetics. Moreover, sodium atoms prefer to bind on sites that are farther apart rather than on nearby sites, implying that (1) the sodium clustering is not favored and (2) the large adsorption energies are essentially due to the sodium-MTe₂ interaction. We further adopted ab initio random structure search to compute probable stable sodium adsorption configurations, to obtain more accurate capacities and open circuit voltages. The calculated capacities and open circuit voltage are reasonable, and are suitable for anode applications. Our results show that in general, 2D MTe₂ sheets have suitable sodium adsorption energies and diffusion barriers, and could be applied as sodium ion battery anode materials.     

Electronic structures of efficient MBiO_-3(M= Li,Na, K,Ag) photocatalyst

In order to deepen the understanding of the relationship between fundamental properties(including: microstructure and composition) and photocatalytic performance, four bismuthate compounds, including: LiBiO_3, NaBiO_3, KBiO_3, and AgBiO_3, are regarded as research examples in the present work, because they have particular crystal structures and similar compositions. Using density functional theory calculations, their structural, electronic, and optical properties are investigated and compared systematically. First of all, the calculated results of crystal structures and optical properties are in agreement with available published experimental data. Based on the calculated results, it is found that the tunneled or layered micro-structural properties lead to the stronger interaction between bismuth and oxygen, and the weaker interaction between alkaline-earth metal and [BiO_6] octahedron, resulting in the feature of multi-band gaps in the cases of LiBiO_3,NaBiO_3, and KBiO_3. This conclusion is supported by the case of AgBiO_3, in which the feature of multi-band gaps disappears, due to the stronger interaction between the noble metal and [BiO_6] octahedron. These properties have significant advantages in the photocatalytic performance: absorbing low energy photons, rapidly transferring energy carriers. Furthermore, the features of electronic structures of bismuthate compounds are well reflected by the absorption spectra, which could be confirmed by experimental measurements in practice. Combined with the calculated results, it could be considered that the crystal structures and compositions of the photocatalyst determine the electronic structures and optical properties,and subsequently determine the corresponding photocatalytic performance. Thus, a novel Bi-based photocatalyst driven by visible-light could be designed by utilizing specific compositions to form favorable electronic structures or specific micro-structures to form a beneficial channel for energy carriers.     

Elastic,vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of Sr_(10)(PO_4)_6F_2 and Ca_(10)(PO_4)_6F_2 from first principles

The electronic, elastic, vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of Sr_(10)(PO_4)_6F_2(Sr-FAP) and Ca_(10)(PO_4)_6F_2(CaFAP) are systematically investigated by the first-principles calculations. The calculated electronic band structure indicates that the Sr-FAP and Ca-FAP are insulator materials with the indirect band gap of 5.273 eV and 5.592 eV, respectively. The elastic constants are obtained by the "stress–strain" method, and elastic modulus are further evaluated and discussed. The vibrational properties, including the phonon dispersion curves, the phonon density of states, the Born effective charge, and associated longitudinal optical and transverse optical(LO–TO) splitting of optical modes, as well as the phonon frequencies at zone-center are obtained within the linear-response approach. Substitution of Ca by Sr causes phonon frequencies to shift to lower values as expected due to the mass effect. Additionally, some phonon-related thermodynamic properties, such as Helmholtz free energy F, internal energy E, entropy S, and specific heat C_V of Sr-FAP and Ca-FAP are predicted with the harmonic approximation. The present calculated results of two apatites are consistent with the reported experimental and theoretical results.     

表面效应对锂离子电池正极材料LiMn2O4性能的影响

应用基于自旋极化和广义梯度近似(generalized gradient approximation,GGA)的密度泛函理论计算,研究了锂离子电池正极材料LiMn₂O₄ (001)表面原子和电子结构.发现表面和亚表面附近的原子在垂直于(001)面的方向上具有非常大的弛豫,这对LiMn₂O₄材料在锂离子电池中应用时发现的表面Mn的溶解现象有很大关联.由于表面效应,在LiMn₂O₄ (001) 表面只有三价Mn³⁺离子存在,而这些三价锰离子非常活跃,在该材料电极/电解液界面很容易发生歧化反应,从而加速了Mn的溶解.其他计算结果也和实验观察相符合. 关键词： 锂二次电池 表面弛豫 从头算     

Nd: Sr_5 (PO_4 )_3 F Crystal Laser Characteristics Using GaAs as Passive Q-switch

1 IntroductionQ- switching Of diode-pumped lasers iS an effective technique because they provideshort duration optical pulses required for laser ranging, nonlinear studies, medidne andother important applications[1--#]. It is obvious that the replacement of an organic dyewith a solid-state one makeS a laser more convenient tO use. Semiconductor materialsare attractive for saturable absorber because Of the large optical nonlinearities that can beobtained, particularly in quantum--well .t..t..…     

First-principles calculations of the monoclinic transition-metal doped NaMnO2 cathode material

ABSTRACT

Using spin-polarised generalised gradient approximation (GGA?+?U), I successfully investigate the electronic properties of the monoclinic NaMnO₂ doped with Cr, Fe and V atom to enhance the electrochemical performance. The expansion of volumes is induced by the dopants. The lowest conduction band and highest valence band are mostly from d orbital of Mn atom and transition-metal dopants which are responsible for the electronic conductivity. Na(Mn, Fe)O₂ is a semiconductor with the reduced band gap. Cr and V doping in NaMnO₂ compound reveal the half-metallic performance. The enhancement of the insertion potentials is induced by transition-metal dopants. The electronic conductivity of NaMnO₂ cathode material is improved by Cr-doping scheme. Finally, this research presents the new horizons for the expenditure of transition-metal doping for designing and improving the NaMnO₂ cathode materials in Na-ion rechargeable batteries.     

A periodic DFT study on adsorption of small molecules(CH_4,CO,H_2O,H_2S,NH_3)on the WO_3(001) surface-supported Au

Gas molecules(such as CH4,CO,H2O,H2S,NH_3)adsorption on the pure and Au-doped WO3(001)surface have been studied by Density functional theory calculations with generalized gradient approximation.Based on the the calculation of adsorption energy,we found the most stable adsorption site for gas molecules by comparing the adsorption energies of different gas molecules on the WO3(001)surface.We have also compared the adsorption energy of five different gas molecules on the WO3(001)surface,our calculation results show that when the five kinds of gases are adsorbed on the pure WO3(001)surface,the order of the surface adsorption energy is CO>H2S>CH4>H2O>NH3.And the results show that NH3 is the most easily adsorbed gas among the other four gases adsorbed on the surface of pure WO3(001)surface.We also calculated the five different gases on the Au-doped WO3(001)surface.The order of adsorption energy was found to be different from the previous calculation:CO>CH4>H2S>H2O>NH3.These results provide a new route for the potential applications of Au-doped WO3 in gas molecules adsorption.     

Eu2+激活的Ba5-xSrx(PO4)3Cl的发光性质

采用高温固相法合成了Eu2+激活的Ba5-zSrx(PO4)3cl(x=0,1,2,3,4,5)蓝色发光粉.样品的XRD衍射光谱表明,随着Ba2+浓度的增加,衍射峰向小角度方向移动.所有样品的激发光谱都存在两个激发峰,随着Ba2+浓度的增加,两个尖峰逐渐靠近,同时激发峰强度降低,这种现象可以通过位形坐标解释.激发和发射...     

A theoretical study on the mechanism and dynamics of reactions (CF3)2CHOCH2F/(CF3)2CHOCHF2 with OH radical

The information related with the mechanism of reactions (CF₃)₂CHOCH₂F + OH (R1) and (CF₃)₂CHOCHF₂ + OH (R2) was explored theoretically at the BMC-CCSD//BMK/6-311 + G(d,p) level. Based on the optimised structures, energies, and other information, the rate constants were evaluated by the canonical variational transition-state theory with small curvature tunneling contributions in a temperature range of 220–2000 K. For each reaction, there are both hydrogen-abstraction and displacement channels. In addition, more than one hydrogen atom can be abstracted. The relationship between hydrogen abstraction and displacement, between different hydrogen-abstraction channels, and between reactions R1 and R2 are elucidated.     

First-principle studies on the electronic structure of Fe3O4(110) surface

The first-principle was employed to study the six possible models for the Fe₃O₄(110) surface, namely the AB-terminated surface (AB model), the AB-terminated with Fe_A vacancy (AB-Fe_A vac model), the AB-terminated with Fe_B vacancy (AB-Fe_B vac model), the B-terminated surface (B model), the B-terminated surface with Fe_B vacancy (B-Fe_B vac model) and the B-terminated surface with O vacancy (B-O vac model). The stability, the electronic structure and the magnetic properties of the six surface models were also calculated. The results predict that the B-O vac model is more stable than other types of surface models. The half-metallic property remain in the AB and B models, while the other four surface models exhibit metallic properties. At the same time, the AB, AB-Fe_A vac, AB-Fe_B vac, B and the B-Fe_B vac models have ferrimagnetic properties, while the B-O vac model has antiferromagnetic property.