Ab Initio Electron-Phonon Interactions in Correlated Electron Systems

Electron-phonon (e-ph) interactions are pervasive in condensed matter, governing phenomena such as transport, superconductivity, charge-density waves, polarons, and metal-insulator transitions. First-principles approaches enable accurate calculations of e-ph interactions in a wide range of solids. However, they remain an open challenge in correlated electron systems (CES), where density functional theory often fails to describe the ground state. Therefore reliable e-ph calculations remain out of reach for many transition metal oxides, high-temperature superconductors, Mott insulators, planetary materials, and multiferroics. Here we show first-principles calculations of e-ph interactions in CES, using the framework of Hubbard-corrected density functional theory (DFT + U) and its linear response extension (DFPT + U), which can describe the electronic structure and lattice dynamics of many CES. We showcase the accuracy of this approach for a prototypical Mott system, CoO, carrying out a detailed investigation of its e-ph interactions and electron spectral functions. While standard DFPT gives unphysically divergent and short-ranged e-ph interactions, DFPT + U is shown to remove the divergences and properly account for the long-range Frohlich interaction, allowing us to model polaron effects in a Mott insulator. Our work establishes a broadly applicable and affordable approach for quantitative studies of e-ph interactions in CES, a novel theoretical tool to interpret experiments in this broad class of materials.

Characterization at the Atomistic Level of Defective Structures in Complex Materials

Piyush Agrawal

Defects are key to enhance or deploy particular materials properties. In this thesis I present analyses of the impact of defects on the electronic structure of materials using combined experimental and theoretical Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy. The energy loss near-edge structure (ELNES) in EELS reflects the element-specific electronic structure providing insights into bonding characteristics of individual atomic species. New electron optical devices have boosted the analytical capabilities by which materials can be investigated with atomic resolution and single atom sensitivity using (scanning) transmission electron spectroscopy (STEM/TEM).With the help of aberration correctors for forming small electron probes, high intensity electron beams can nowadays be focused to clearly less than 100 pm which has enhanced the resolution and sensitivity in analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Various kinds of defects in different complex oxides were studied: point defects like oxygen vacancies in BiVO4 and SrMnO3, edge-dislocations in BiFeO3, and planar defects in GaAs. By comparison with experimental data, structures for these systems were proposed based on all-electron density functional theory (DFT) code Wien2k. By comparing theoretical calculations and experimental data, a pronounced surface reduction in the oxidation state of vanadium in BiVO4 from +5 to +4 was unveiled, which is due to a high density of oxygen vacancies, and its importance in potential application of BiVO4 in photoelectrochemical energy conversion. A similar study was performed on a series of SrMnO3 thin films with different epitaxial strain where theoretical investigations revealed the impact of oxygen non-stoichiometry and strain on the O-K ELNES. In the next study, molecular dynamics simulations were combined with FEFF-based EELS calculations and its comparison with experiments was helpful for the correct prediction of the edge dislocation core structure in BiFeO3. This study also confirmed the presence of Fe atoms in the core of the edge dislocation which possibly makes these defects ferromagnetic whereas the bulk structure is known to be antiferromagnetic. This thesis has established methodologies for utilizing different codes, illustrating how links between experimental and theoretical ELNES can be used in revealing structural information around defects and how defects affect materials properties. This tandem methodology of theory and experiments is applicable to various future materials where the reliable interpretation of EELS data is pivotal in unfolding mysteries of such technologically important materials.

EPFL2017

Nitrous Oxide Abatement over Fe-Zeolite

Bryan Bromley

The use of zeolites for catalytic reactions is a field in continuous development. Since it was demonstrated that metal-zeolites are efficient catalysts for NOx abatement, decomposition of nitrous oxide (N2O) over Fe-containing zeolites has attracted great interest by the scientific community mainly due: N2O is the third most important gas contributing to global warming, its concentration in atmosphere is still on the rise and direct N2O decomposition to N2 and O2 is a sustainable alternative. N2O interaction with Fe-zeolite leads to the formation of "special" adsorbed oxygen (often called α-oxygen) with great potential for selective oxidation. Although the focus of a number of studies, the nature of the actives sites for the formation of this adsorbed oxygen is still unclear. The main objectives of this work are: 1) study the decomposition mechanism of N2O over isomorpously substituted Fe-ZSM-5 zeolite aiming on catalyst optimization and 2) optimization and further use of structured Fe-zeolite in novel micro-structured reactor. A number of refined transient kinetics methods were intensively used such as transient response, Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) and Temporal Analysis of Product (TAP). Density Functional Theory (DFT) and in situ IR spectroscopy studies were conducted in collaboration and our results support the following: In chapter 3, quantitative measurements have been carrier out to analyze the effect of temperature on the activation (under helium flow) and the irreversible deactivations that can happen during the pretreatment. The results obtained indicate that high temperature treatment (1273 K) results in the formation of a high amount of α-sites. The addition of a very low fraction of oxygen (2%) in the feed demonstrates that the catalyst is sensitive to its presence. Certain sites can be irreversibly destroyed, a result ascribed to the oxidation of active Fe(II) to Fe2O3 clusters which contain inactive Fe(III). Catalyst treatment at high temperature (1273 K) in He for up to 3 hours, also reduced irreversibly the concentration of α-sites. TPD measurements have shown desorption of oxygen at 3 different temperatures. Desorption at the lowest temperature (650 K) was assign to the α-oxygen recombination. The oxygen which desorbs at 700 K was associated to the oxygen from the deactivated sites. Oxygen which desorbs at the highest temperature (730 K) is originated from the surface NOx that desorbed as NO and O2. After a comparison of the concentration of the molecules accumulated, we propose that NO2 is the adsorbed specie. The mechanism of N2O decomposition on the binuclear oxo-hydroxo bridged extraframework iron core site [FeII(μ-O)(μ-OH)FeII]+ inside the ZSM-5 zeolite has been studied by combining theoretical and experimental approaches (see chapter 4). Rate parameters computed using standard statistical mechanics and transition state theory reveal that elementary catalytic steps involved into N2O decomposition are strongly dependent on the temperature. This theoretical result was contrasted with the experimentally observed steady state kinetics of the N2O decomposition and TPD experiments. As predicted by the theoretical study, the switch of the reaction order with respect to N2O pressure (from zero to one) occurs at around 800 K which confirms a change of the rate determining step from the α-oxygen recombination to α-oxygen formation. The proposed mechanism was also confirmed by O2-TD which confirmed the viability of the binuclear complex. The α-oxygen recombination at low temperature (

EPFL2010

Electrons leave the flatland: out-of-plane charge dynamics in layered materials

Edoardo Martino

The goal of this thesis is to explore the "neglected" third dimension of layered materials, by studying the interlayer charge dynamics through dc conductivity, optical spectroscopy and ab-initio calculations. This project was designed to respond to the growing interest in layered materials and heterostructures. It is today evident that new properties originate by the interaction between neighbouring atomic planes, but the magnitude of the interlayer coupling has so far been poorly investigated. Reliable and reproducible experiments, in particular for dc conductivity, are today made possible thanks to the recent advancements in the field of materials microfabrication through focused ion beam. In the case of this thesis, it enabled me to review long-standing scientific paradigms and verify that previous experimental results differ by more than 2 orders of magnitude from the intrinsic material property. The subjects of study are metallic layered transition metal chalcogenides, as they offer a very flexible playground of crystalline structure and physical properties. The discussion will start in Chapter 3, where we will discuss the case of simple layered metals (2H-NbSe2, 2H-TaS2) or semimetal (ZrTe5), for which the anisotropic transport properties can be accurately predicted by their simple band structure calculation and Fermi surface topology. The anisotropic response will be treated in a more general term by considering the effective number of carriers which contributes to charge transport along a specific direction. The discussion will continue by looking at the peculiar properties of 1T-TaS2, a prominent layered material for the rich set of charge density waves reconstruction, and the presence of a low temperature metal-insulator transition. Recent results from band structure calculations, photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, on the contrary, suggests that strong interlayer interactions need to be accounted to justify the observed properties of this material. The experimental results in this thesis provide a clear evidence from transport properties in support of this new interpretation of a layered material where physical properties are strongly dictated by the way different layers interact with each other. This counterintuitive result is regarded as the consequence of the intertwined relation between the charge density wave and the orbital character of the conduction electrons bands, producing a c-axis oriented orbital texture. The weak bond that holds together the crystalline planes in layered materials also creates the perfect condition for intercalation, or the growth of compounds with different crystalline layers stacked together, creating a natural heterostructure. We will explore the new physical properties that emerged in layered transition metal dichalcogenides when different layers are combined together to form a natural heterostructure, or when magnetic ions are intercalated. Surprising results are reported from the studies of interlayer conduction properties. The interaction between the different types of layers in the natural heterostructure of 4Hb-TaS2, influences the charge density wave and superconducting properties. In this situation, the conduction mechanism is highly anisotropic. In Chapter 6 we will see how conduction anisotropy is affected by the specific long-range magnetic order produced by the intercalated atoms.

EPFL2020