RESUMO
The microscopic doping mechanism behind the superconductor-to-insulator transition of a thin film of YBa2Cu3O7 was recently identified as due to the migration of O atoms from the CuO chains of the film. Here, we employ density-functional theory calculations to study the evolution of the electronic structure of a slab of YBa2Cu3O7 in the presence of oxygen vacancies under the influence of an external electric field. We find that, under massive electric fields, isolated O atoms are pulled out of the surface consisting of CuO chains. As vacancies accumulate at the surface, a configuration with vacancies located in the chains inside the slab becomes energetically preferred, thus providing a driving force for O migration toward the surface. Regardless of the defect configuration studied, the electric field is always fully screened near the surface, thus negligibly affecting diffusion barriers across the film.
RESUMO
A novel gas sensing mechanism exploiting lanthanide luminescence modulation upon NO2 adsorption is demonstrated here. Two isostructural lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are used, including an amino group as the sensitive recognition center for NO2 molecules. The transfer of energy from the organic ligands to Ln is strongly dependent on the presence of NO2, resulting in an unprecedented photoluminescent sensing scheme. Thereby, NO2 exposition triggers either a reversible enhancement or a decrease in the luminescence intensity, depending on the lanthanide ion (Eu or Tb). Our experimental studies combined with density functional theory and complete active space self-consistent field calculations provide an understanding of the nature and effects of NO2 interactions within the MOFs and the signal transduction mechanism.
RESUMO
We recently demonstrated that the superconductor-to-insulator transition induced by ionic liquid gating of the high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) is accompanied by a deoxygenation of the sample [A. M. Perez-Munoz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 114, 215 (2017)]. Density functional theory calculations helped establish that the pronounced changes in the spectral features of the Cu K-edge absorption spectra measured in situ during the gating experiment arise from a decrease of the Cu coordination within the CuO chains. In this work, we provide a detailed analysis of the electronic structure origin of the changes in the spectra resulting from three different types of doping: (i) the formation of oxygen vacancies within the CuO chains, (ii) the formation of oxygen vacancies within the CuO2 planes, and (iii) the electrostatic doping. For each case, three stoichiometries are studied and compared to the stoichiometric YBa2Cu3O7, i.e., YBa2Cu3O6.75, YBa2Cu3O6.50, and YBa2Cu3O6.25. Computed vacancy formation energies further support the chain-vacancy mechanism. In the case of doping by vacancies within the chains, we study the effect of oxygen ordering on the spectral features and we clarify the connection between the polarization of the x-rays and this doping mechanism. Finally, the inclusion of the Hubbard U correction on the computed spectra for antiferromagnetic YBa2Cu3O6.25 is discussed.
