Effect of Rh Doping on Optical Absorption and Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity on BaTiO3 (001) Surfaces.

In the present work, we investigate the potential of modified barium titanate (BaTiO3), an inexpensive perovskite oxide derived from earth-abundant precursors, for developing efficient water oxidation electrocatalysts using first-principles calculations. Based on our calculations, Rh doping is a way of making BaTiO3 absorb more light and have less overpotential needed for water to oxidize. It has been shown that a TiO2-terminated BaTiO3 (001) surface is more promising from the point of view of its use as a catalyst. Rh doping expands the spectrum of absorbed light to the entire visible range. The aqueous environment significantly affects the ability of Rh-doped BaTiO3 to absorb solar radiation. After Ti→Rh replacement, the doping ion can take over part of the electron density from neighboring oxygen ions. As a result, during the water oxidation reaction, rhodium ions can be in an intermediate oxidation state between 3+ and 4+. This affects the adsorption energy of reaction intermediates on the catalyst's surface, reducing the overpotential value.

Formation and migration of oxygen vacancies in La(1-x)Sr(x)Co(1-y)Fe(y)O(3-δ) perovskites: insight from ab initio calculations and comparison with Ba(1-x)Sr(x)Co(1-y)Fe(y)O(3-δ).

The formation and migration of oxygen vacancies in the series of (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O(3-δ) perovskites, which can be used as mixed conducting SOFC cathode materials and oxygen permeation membranes, are explored in detail by means of first principles density functional calculations. Structure distortions, charge redistributions and transition state energies during the oxygen ion migration are obtained and analyzed. Both the overall chemical composition and vacancy formation energy are found to have only a small impact on the migration barrier; it is rather the local cation configuration which affects the barrier. The electron charge transfer from the migrating O ion towards the transition metal ion in the transition state is much smaller in (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O(3-δ) compared to (Ba,Sr)(Co,Fe)O(3-δ) perovskites where such a charge transfer makes a significant contribution to the low migration barriers observed (in particular for high Ba and Co content).

Jahn-Teller distortion in Sr2FeO4: group-theoretical analysis and hybrid DFT calculations.

We present theoretical justification for distorted Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases of the first-order by using hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations and group-theoretical analysis. We, thus, demonstrate the existence of the Jahn-Teller effect around an Fe[Formula: see text] ion in Sr[Formula: see text]FeO[Formula: see text]. On the calculation side, we have established a combination of Wu-Cohen (WC) exchange and Perdew-Wang (PW) correlation in a three-parameter functional WC3PW, giving the most accurate description of Sr[Formula: see text]FeO[Formula: see text] from the comparison of three hybrid DFT functionals. Self-consistently obtained Hartree-Fock exact exchange of 0.16 demonstrates consistent results with the experimental literature data. Importantly, we explain conditions for co-existing proper and pseudo-Jahn-Teller effects from the crystalline orbitals, symmetry-mode analysis and irreps products. Moreover, phonon frequency calculations support and confirm the results of symmetry-mode analysis. In particular, the symmetry-mode analysis identifies a dominating irreducible representation of the Jahn-Teller mode (X2+) and corresponding space group (SG) of ground state structure (SG Cmce model). Therefore, the usually suggested high-symmetry tetragonal crystal structure (SG I4/mmm model) is higher in energy by 121 meV/f.u. (equivalent to the Jahn-Teller stabilization energy) compared with the distorted low-symmetry structure (SG Cmce model). We also present diffraction patterns for the two crystal symmetries to discuss the differences. Therefore, our results shed light on the existence of low-symmetry RP phases and make possible direct comparisons with future experiments.

Modeling of the Lattice Dynamics in Strontium Titanate Films of Various Thicknesses: Raman Scattering Studies.

While the bulk strontium titanate (STO) crystal characteristics are relatively well known, ultrathin perovskites' nanostructure, chemical composition, and crystallinity are quite complex and challenging to understand in detail. In our study, the DFT methods were used for modelling the Raman spectra of the STO bulk (space group I4/mcm) and 5-21-layer thin films (layer group p4/mbm) in tetragonal phase with different thicknesses ranging from ~0.8 to 3.9 nm. Our calculations revealed features in the Raman spectra of the films that were absent in the bulk spectra. Out of the seven Raman-active modes associated with bulk STO, the frequencies of five modes (2Eg, A1g, B2g, and B1g) decreased as the film thickness increased, while the low-frequency B2g and higher-frequency Eg modes frequencies increased. The modes in the films exhibited vibrations with different amplitudes in the central or surface parts of the films compared to the bulk, resulting in frequency shifts. Some peaks related to bulk vibrations were too weak (compared to the new modes related to films) to distinguish in the Raman spectra. However, as the film thickness increased, the Raman modes approached the frequencies of the bulk, and their intensities became higher, making them more noticeable in the Raman spectrum. Our results could help to explain inconsistencies in the experimental data for thin STO films, providing insights into the behavior of Raman modes and their relationship with film thickness.

Water Splitting on Multifaceted SrTiO3 Nanocrystals: Calculations of Raman Vibrational Spectrum.

Various photocatalysts are being currently studied with the aim of increasing the photocatalytic efficiency of water splitting for production of hydrogen as a fuel and oxygen as a medical gas. A noticeable increase of hydrogen production was found recently experimentally on the anisotropic faces (facets) of strontium titanate (SrTiO3, STO) nanoparticles. In order to identify optimal sites for water splitting, the first principles calculations of the Raman vibrational spectrum of the bulk and stepped (facet) surface of a thin STO film with adsorbed water derivatives were performed. According to our calculations, the Raman spectrum of a stepped STO surface differs from the bulk spectrum, which agrees with the experimental data. The characteristic vibrational frequencies for the chemisorption of water derivatives on the surface were identified. Moreover, it is also possible to distinguish between differently adsorbed hydrogen atoms of a split water molecule. Our approach helps to select the most efficient (size and shape) perovskite nanoparticles for efficient hydrogen/oxygen photocatalytic production.

Oxygen Vacancy Formation and Migration within the Antiphase Boundaries in Lanthanum Scandate-Based Oxides: Computational Study.

The atomic structure of antiphase boundaries in Sr-doped lanthanum scandate (La1-xSrxScO3-δ) perovskite, promising as the proton conductor, was modelled by means of DFT method. Two structural types of interfaces formed by structural octahedral coupling were constructed: edge- and face-shared. The energetic stability of these two interfaces was investigated. The mechanisms of oxygen vacancy formation and migration in both types of interfaces were modelled. It was shown that both interfaces are structurally stable and facilitate oxygen ionic migration. Oxygen vacancy formation energy in interfaces is lower than that in the regular structure, which favours the oxygen vacancy segregation within such interfaces. The calculated energy profile suggests that both types of interfaces are advantageous for oxygen ion migration in the material.

Recruiting Perovskites to Degrade Toxic Trinitrotoluene.

Everybody knows TNT, the most widely used explosive material and a universal measure of the destructiveness of explosions. A long history of use and extensive manufacture of toxic TNT leads to the accumulation of these materials in soil and groundwater, which is a significant concern for environmental safety and sustainability. Reliable and cost-efficient technologies for removing or detoxifying TNT from the environment are lacking. Despite the extreme urgency, this remains an outstanding challenge that often goes unnoticed. We report here that highly controlled energy release from explosive molecules can be accomplished rather easily by preparing TNT-perovskite mixtures with a tailored perovskite surface morphology at ambient conditions. These results offer new insight into understanding the sensitivity of high explosives to detonation initiation and enable many novel applications, such as new concepts in harvesting and converting chemical energy, the design of new, improved energetics with tunable characteristics, the development of powerful fuels and miniaturized detonators, and new ways for eliminating toxins from land and water.

Adsorption of atomic and molecular oxygen on the LaMnO3(001) surface: ab initio supercell calculations and thermodynamics.

We present and discuss the results of ab initio DFT plane-wave supercell calculations of the atomic and molecular oxygen adsorption and diffusion on the LaMnO(3) (001) surface which serves as a model material for a cathode of solid oxide fuel cells. The dissociative adsorption of O(2) molecules from the gas phase is energetically favorable on surface Mn ions even on a defect-free surface. The surface migration energy for adsorbed O ions is found to be quite high, 2.0 eV. We predict that the adsorbed O atoms could penetrate the electrode first plane when much more mobile surface oxygen vacancies (migration energy of 0.69 eV) approach the O ions strongly bound to the surface Mn ions. The formation of the O vacancy near the O atom adsorbed atop surface Mn ion leads to an increase of the O-Mn binding energy by 0.74 eV whereas the drop of this adsorbed O atom into a vacancy possesses no energy barrier. Ab initio thermodynamics predicts that at typical SOFC operation temperatures (approximately 1200 K) the MnO(2) (001) surface with adsorbed O atoms is the most stable in a very wide range of oxygen gas pressures (above 10(-2) atm).