Chiang, TC, Chou MY, Kidd T, Miller T.
2002.
Fermi surfaces and energy gaps in Sn/Ge(111), Jan. Journal of Physics-Condensed Matter. 14:R1-R20., Number 1
AbstractOne third of a monolayer of Sn adsorbed on Ge(111) undergoes a broad phase transition upon cooling from a (root3 x root3)R30degrees normal phase at room temperature to a (3 x 3) phase at low temperatures. Since band-structure calculations for the ideal (root3 x root3)R30degrees phase show no Fermi-surface nesting, the underlying mechanism for this transition has been a subject of much debate. Evidently, defects formed by Ge substitution for Sn in the adlayer, at a concentration of just a few percent, play a key role in this complex phase transition. Surface areas near these defects are pinned to form (3 x 3) patches above the transition temperature. Angle-resolved photoemission is employed to examine the temperature-dependent band structure, and the results show an extended gap forming in k-space as a result of band splitting at low temperatures. On account of the fact that the room temperature phase is actually a mixture of (root3 x root3)R30degrees areas and defect-pinned (3 x 3) areas, the band structure for the pure (root3 x root3)R30degrees phase is extracted by a difference-spectrum method. The results are in excellent agreement with band calculations. The mechanism for the (3 x 3) transition is discussed in terms of a response function and a tight-binding cluster calculation. A narrow bandwidth and a small group velocity near the Fermi surface render the system highly sensitive to surface perturbations, and formation of the (3 x 3) phase is shown to involve a Peierls-like lattice distortion mediated by defect doping. Included in the discussion, where appropriate, are dynamic effects and many-body effects that have been previously proposed as possible mechanisms for the phase transition.
Wei, SQ, Chou MY.
1994.
FIRST-PRINCIPLES DETERMINATION OF EQUILIBRIUM CRYSTAL SHAPES FOR METALS AT T=0, Aug. Physical Review B. 50:4859-4862., Number 7
AbstractWe propose a simple method to evaluate the energies of ideal metal surfaces as a function of orientation based on cluster energy expansion. By symmetry only clusters with even-number corners will be present. It is found that the energy expansion converges rapidly and in most cases can be truncated at the pair interaction level. The parameters can be determined from a limited number of low-index surface energies obtained from first-principles calculations. The equilibrium crystal shape at T = O is then predicted and the step energy on major facets is derived for some fee metals.
Ma, Z, Chou MY.
2009.
First-principles investigation of sodium and lithium alloyed alanates, Jun. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 479:678-683., Number 1-2
AbstractWe present a first-principles investigation to study the possible alloy phases of sodium and lithium alanates. Structural and energetics properties of alloy systems Na(1-x)Li(x)AlH(4) and Na(3(1-x))Li(3x)AlH(6) are studied via phase interpolation. Alloy system Na(1-x)Li(x)AlH(4) is found to have a small mixing energy (<5 kj/mol). The equilibrium structure undergoes a transition from a tetragonal structure to a monoclinic structure between x = 0.25 and 0.5. Within each structure the cell volume decreases with increasing x, which can be explained by Li having a smaller ion size than Na. Alloy system Na(3(1-x))Li(3x)AlH(6) is also studied, and one intermediate composition Na(2)LiAlH(6) is found to be stable in agreement with experimental findings. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Alford, JA, Chou MY, Chang EK, Louie SG.
2003.
First-principles studies of quasiparticle band structures of cubic YH3 and LaH3, Mar. Physical Review B. 67:7., Number 12
AbstractQuasiparticle band structures for the cubic trihydrides YH3 and LaH3 have been calculated by evaluating the self-energy in the GW approximation using ab initio pseudopotentials and plane waves. These are the prototype metal hydrides that exhibit switchable optical properties. For both materials, the local-density approximation (LDA) yields semimetallic energy bands with a direct overlap of about 1 eV. We find the self-energy correction to the LDA energies opens a gap at Gamma of 0.8-0.9 eV for LaH3 and 0.2-0.3 eV for YH3, where the latter is in sharp contrast to a previous study using linear-muffin-tin orbitals. The quasiparticle band gaps are analyzed as a function of an initial shift in the LDA bands used to evaluate the random-phase approximation screening in constructing the self-energy. We also make a comparison of results obtained by using two different pseudopotentials, each designed to better approximate exchange and correlation between the semicore states and valence states of Y and La.
Wang, Y, Chou MY.
2007.
First-principles study of cation and hydrogen arrangements in the Li-Mg-N-H hydrogen storage system, Jul. Physical Review B. 76:6., Number 1
AbstractRecently it was discovered that a total of 5.6 wt. % H-2 could be released from the 1:2 mixture of lithium amide and magnesium hydride at temperatures as low as 150 degrees C. With a reaction enthalpy of 44 KJ/mol H-2, this system has high potential for on-board hydrogen storage applications. The fully desorbed product is believed to be a mixed lithium and magnesium imide Li2Mg(NH)(2). In this work, the crystal structure of this mixed imide is studied from total-energy density-functional calculations. Based on a recent experimentally established space group, possible ordered configurations are examined. Important local orderings are identified for the experimentally observed disordered phase at room temperature. These unique local arrangements are also connected with the observed structural transitions above room temperature. In addition, the local ordering in Mg(NH2)(2) is analyzed. The similarity and difference of local arrangements among hydrogen, cations, and vacancies are discussed for the three amide (imide) systems: LiNH2, Mg(NH2)(2), and Li2Mg(NH)(2). The identification of the cation and hydrogen local orderings are expected to facilitate the design of new mixed imides and amides as hydrogen storage materials with desired physical properties.