AFLOW-CHULL: Cloud-Oriented Platform for Autonomous Phase Stability Analysis.

A priori prediction of phase stability of materials is a challenging practice, requiring knowledge of all energetically competing structures at formation conditions. Large materials repositories-housing properties of both experimental and hypothetical compounds-offer a path to prediction through the construction of informatics-based, ab initio phase diagrams. However, limited access to relevant data and software infrastructure has rendered thermodynamic characterizations largely peripheral, despite their continued success in dictating synthesizability. Herein, a new module is presented for autonomous thermodynamic stability analysis, implemented within the open-source, ab initio framework AFLOW. Powered by the AFLUX Search-API, AFLOW-CHULL leverages data of more than 1.8 million compounds characterized in the AFLOW.org repository, and can be employed locally from any UNIX-like computer. The module integrates a range of functionality: the identification of stable phases and equivalent structures, phase coexistence, measures for robust stability, and determination of decomposition reactions. As a proof of concept, thermodynamic characterizations have been performed for more than 1300 binary and ternary systems, enabling the identification of several candidate phases for synthesis based on their relative stability criterion-including 17 promising C15 b-type structures and 2 half-Heuslers. In addition to a full report included herein, an interactive, online web application has been developed showcasing the results of the analysis and is located at aflow.org/aflow-chull .

Spectral descriptors for bulk metallic glasses based on the thermodynamics of competing crystalline phases.

Metallic glasses attract considerable interest due to their unique combination of superb properties and processability. Predicting their formation from known alloy parameters remains the major hindrance to the discovery of new systems. Here, we propose a descriptor based on the heuristics that structural and energetic 'confusion' obstructs crystalline growth, and demonstrate its validity by experiments on two well-known glass-forming alloy systems. We then develop a robust model for predicting glass formation ability based on the geometrical and energetic features of crystalline phases calculated ab initio in the AFLOW framework. Our findings indicate that the formation of metallic glass phases could be much more common than currently thought, with more than 17% of binary alloy systems potential glass formers. Our approach pinpoints favourable compositions and demonstrates that smart descriptors, based solely on alloy properties available in online repositories, offer the sought-after key for accelerated discovery of metallic glasses.

Burning Graphene Layer-by-Layer.

Graphene, in single layer or multi-layer forms, holds great promise for future electronics and high-temperature applications. Resistance to oxidation, an important property for high-temperature applications, has not yet been extensively investigated. Controlled thinning of multi-layer graphene (MLG), e.g., by plasma or laser processing is another challenge, since the existing methods produce non-uniform thinning or introduce undesirable defects in the basal plane. We report here that heating to extremely high temperatures (exceeding 2000 K) and controllable layer-by-layer burning (thinning) can be achieved by low-power laser processing of suspended high-quality MLG in air in "cold-wall" reactor configuration. In contrast, localized laser heating of supported samples results in non-uniform graphene burning at much higher rates. Fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were also performed to reveal details of oxidation mechanisms leading to uniform layer-by-layer graphene gasification. The extraordinary resistance of MLG to oxidation paves the way to novel high-temperature applications as continuum light source or scaffolding material.

Self-assembly of NiTPP on Cu(111): a transition from disordered 1D wires to 2D chiral domains.

The growth and self-assembling properties of nickel-tetraphenyl porphyrins (NiTPP) on the Cu(111) surface are analysed via scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT). For low coverage, STM results show that NiTPP molecules diffuse on the terrace until they reach the step edge of the copper surface forming a 1D system with disordered orientation along the step edges. The nucleation process into a 2D superstructure was observed to occur via the interaction of molecules attached to the already nucleated 1D structure, reorienting molecules. For monolayer range coverage a 2D nearly squared self-assembled array with the emergence of chiral domains was observed. The XPS results of the Ni 2p(3/2) core levels exhibit a 2.6 eV chemical shift between the mono- and multilayer configuration of NiTPP. DFT calculations show that the observed chemical shifts of Ni 2p(3/2) occur due to the interaction of 3d orbitals of Ni with the Cu(111) substrate.

Novel nanoscroll structures from carbon nitride layers.

Nanoscrolls (papyrus-like nanostructures) are very attractive structures for a variety of applications, owing to their tunable diameter and large accessible surface area. They have been successfully synthesized from different materials. In this work, we investigate, through fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, the dynamics of scroll formation for a series of graphene-like carbon nitride (CN) two-dimensional systems: g-CN, triazine-based g-C3 N4 , and heptazine-based g-C3 N4 . Our results show that stable nanoscrolls can be formed for each of these structures. Possible synthetic routes to produce these nanostructures are also addressed.

The structure and dynamics of boron nitride nanoscrolls.

Carbon nanoscrolls (CNSs) are structures formed by rolling up graphene layers into a scroll-like shape. CNNs have been experimentally produced by different groups. Boron nitride nanoscrolls (BNNSs) are similar structures using boron nitride instead of graphene layers. In this paper we report molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics results for the structural and dynamical aspects of BNNS formation. Similarly to CNS, BNNS formation is dominated by two major energy contributions, the increase in the elastic energy and the energetic gain due to van der Waals interactions of the overlapping surface of the rolled layers. The armchair scrolls are the most stable configuration while zigzag scrolls are metastable structures which can be thermally converted to armchairs. Chiral scrolls are unstable and tend to evolve into zigzag or armchair configurations depending on their initial geometries. The possible experimental routes to produce BNNSs are also addressed.