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Cao W, Deb S, Stern MV, Raab N, Urbakh M, Hod O, Kronik L, Shalom MB. Polarization Saturation in Multilayered Interfacial Ferroelectrics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2400750. [PMID: 38662941 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202400750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Van der Waals polytypes of broken inversion and mirror symmetries have been recently shown to exhibit switchable electric polarization even at the ultimate two-layer thin limit. Their out-of-plane polarization has been found to accumulate in a ladder-like fashion with each successive layer, offering 2D building blocks for the bottom-up construction of 3D ferroelectrics. Here, it is demonstrated experimentally that beyond a critical stack thickness, the accumulated polarization in rhombohedral polytypes of molybdenum disulfide saturates. The underlying saturation mechanism, deciphered via density functional theory and self-consistent Poisson-Schrödinger calculations, point to a purely electronic redistribution involving: 1. Polarization-induced bandgap closure that allows for cross-stack charge transfer and the emergence of free surface charge; 2. Reduction of the polarization saturation value, as well as the critical thickness at which it is obtained, by the presence of free carriers. The resilience of polar layered structures to atomic surface reconstruction, which is essentially unavoidable in polar 3D crystals, potentially allows for the design of new devices with mobile surface charges. The findings, which are of general nature, should be accounted for when designing switching and/or conductive devices based on ferroelectric layered materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cao
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences and The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Swarup Deb
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Maayan Vizner Stern
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Noam Raab
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Michael Urbakh
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences and The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Oded Hod
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences and The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Leeor Kronik
- Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth, 7610001, Israel
| | - Moshe Ben Shalom
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
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2
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The Role of Metal Ions in the Electron Transport through Azurin-Based Junctions. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11093732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
We studied the coherent electron transport through metal–protein–metal junctions based on a blue copper azurin, in which the copper ion was replaced by three different metal ions (Co, Ni and Zn). Our results show that neither the protein structure nor the transmission at the Fermi level change significantly upon metal replacement. The discrepancy with previous experimental observations suggests that the transport mechanism taking place in these types of junctions is probably not fully coherent.
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3
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Hofmann OT, Zojer E, Hörmann L, Jeindl A, Maurer RJ. First-principles calculations of hybrid inorganic-organic interfaces: from state-of-the-art to best practice. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:8132-8180. [PMID: 33875987 PMCID: PMC8237233 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp06605b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The computational characterization of inorganic-organic hybrid interfaces is arguably one of the technically most challenging applications of density functional theory. Due to the fundamentally different electronic properties of the inorganic and the organic components of a hybrid interface, the proper choice of the electronic structure method, of the algorithms to solve these methods, and of the parameters that enter these algorithms is highly non-trivial. In fact, computational choices that work well for one of the components often perform poorly for the other. As a consequence, default settings for one materials class are typically inadequate for the hybrid system, which makes calculations employing such settings inefficient and sometimes even prone to erroneous results. To address this issue, we discuss how to choose appropriate atomistic representations for the system under investigation, we highlight the role of the exchange-correlation functional and the van der Waals correction employed in the calculation and we provide tips and tricks how to efficiently converge the self-consistent field cycle and to obtain accurate geometries. We particularly focus on potentially unexpected pitfalls and the errors they incur. As a summary, we provide a list of best practice rules for interface simulations that should especially serve as a useful starting point for less experienced users and newcomers to the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver T Hofmann
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology, NAWI Graz, Petersgasse 16/II, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Egbert Zojer
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology, NAWI Graz, Petersgasse 16/II, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Lukas Hörmann
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology, NAWI Graz, Petersgasse 16/II, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Andreas Jeindl
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology, NAWI Graz, Petersgasse 16/II, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Reinhard J Maurer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
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4
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Nascimbeni G, Wöll C, Zojer E. Electrostatic Design of Polar Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 10:E2420. [PMID: 33287401 PMCID: PMC7761790 DOI: 10.3390/nano10122420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, optical and electronic properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have increasingly shifted into the focus of interest of the scientific community. Here, we discuss a strategy for conveniently tuning these properties through electrostatic design. More specifically, based on quantum-mechanical simulations, we suggest an approach for creating a gradient of the electrostatic potential within a MOF thin film, exploiting collective electrostatic effects. With a suitable orientation of polar apical linkers, the resulting non-centrosymmetric packing results in an energy staircase of the frontier electronic states reminiscent of the situation in a pin-photodiode. The observed one dimensional gradient of the electrostatic potential causes a closure of the global energy gap and also shifts core-level energies by an amount equaling the size of the original band gap. The realization of such assemblies could be based on so-called pillared layer MOFs fabricated in an oriented fashion on a solid substrate employing layer by layer growth techniques. In this context, the simulations provide guidelines regarding the design of the polar apical linker molecules that would allow the realization of MOF thin films with the (vast majority of the) molecular dipole moments pointing in the same direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Nascimbeni
- Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, Austria;
| | - Christof Wöll
- Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz-1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany;
| | - Egbert Zojer
- Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, Austria;
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5
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Kramer N, Sarkar S, Kronik L, Ashkenasy N. Systematic modification of the indium tin oxide work function via side-chain modulation of an amino-acid functionalization layer. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:21875-21881. [PMID: 31553031 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04079j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Controlled modification of the semiconductor surface work function is of fundamental importance for improvements in the efficiency of (opto-)electronic devices. Binding amino acids to a semiconductor surface through their common carboxylic group offers a versatile tool for modulation of surface properties by the choice of their side chain. This approach is demonstrated here by tailoring the surface work function of indium tin oxide, one of the most abundant transparent electrodes in organic optoelectronic devices. We find that the work function can be systematically tuned by the side chain of the amino acid, resulting in either an increase or a decrease of the work function, over a large range of ∼250 meV. This side chain effect is mostly due to alteration of the dipole component perpendicular to the surface, with a generally smaller contribution for changes in surface band bending. These findings also shed light on electronic interactions at the interface between proteins and semiconductors, which are of importance for future bio-electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Kramer
- Department of Materials Engineering and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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6
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Schosser WM, Zotti LA, Cuevas JC, Pauly F. Doping hepta-alanine with tryptophan: A theoretical study of its effect on the electrical conductance of peptide-based single-molecule junctions. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:174705. [PMID: 31067872 DOI: 10.1063/1.5090457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivated by a recent experiment [C. Guo et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 113, 10785 (2016)], we carry out a theoretical study of electron transport through peptide-based single-molecule junctions. We analyze the pristine hepta-alanine and its functionalizations with a single tryptophan unit, which is placed in three different locations along the backbone. Contrary to expectations from the experiment on self-assembled monolayers, we find that insertion of tryptophan does not raise the electrical conductance and that the resulting peptides instead remain insulating in the framework of a coherent transport picture. The poor performance of these molecules as conductors can be ascribed to the strongly off-resonant transport and low electrode-molecule coupling of the frontier orbitals. Although the introduction of tryptophan increases the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the peptides in the gas phase, the new HOMO states are localized on the tryptophan unit and therefore essentially do not contribute to coherent charge transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner M Schosser
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Linda A Zotti
- Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Cuevas
- Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabian Pauly
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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7
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Zotti LA, Cuevas JC. Electron Transport Through Homopeptides: Are They Really Good Conductors? ACS OMEGA 2018; 3:3778-3785. [PMID: 31458620 PMCID: PMC6641635 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b01917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Motivated by recent experiments, we performed a theoretical study of electron transport through single-molecule junctions incorporating four kinds of homopeptides (based on alanine, glutamic acid, lysine, and tryptophan). Our results suggest that these molecules are rather insulating and operate in off-resonance tunneling as their main transport mechanism. We ascribe their poor performance as conductors to the high localization of their frontier orbitals. We found that binding scenarios in which side chains lie on the side of gold protuberances could give rise to an increase in conductance with respect to end-to-end binding configurations. These findings provide an insight into the conductance mechanism of the building blocks of proteins and identify key issues that need to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda A. Zotti
- Departamento
de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria
de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Cuevas
- Departamento
de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria
de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
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8
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Ing NL, Nusca TD, Hochbaum AI. Geobacter sulfurreducenspili support ohmic electronic conduction in aqueous solution. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:21791-21799. [DOI: 10.1039/c7cp03651e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Solid-state and electrochemical observations of ohmic conductivity in purifiedGeobacter sulfurreducenspili.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Ing
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- University of California
- Irvine
- Irvine
- USA
| | - Tyler D. Nusca
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- University of California
- Irvine
- Irvine
- USA
| | - Allon I. Hochbaum
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- University of California
- Irvine
- Irvine
- USA
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9
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Eckshtain-Levi M, Capua E, Refaely-Abramson S, Sarkar S, Gavrilov Y, Mathew SP, Paltiel Y, Levy Y, Kronik L, Naaman R. Cold denaturation induces inversion of dipole and spin transfer in chiral peptide monolayers. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10744. [PMID: 26916536 PMCID: PMC4773432 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chirality-induced spin selectivity is a recently-discovered effect, which results in spin selectivity for electrons transmitted through chiral peptide monolayers. Here, we use this spin selectivity to probe the organization of self-assembled α-helix peptide monolayers and examine the relation between structural and spin transfer phenomena. We show that the α-helix structure of oligopeptides based on alanine and aminoisobutyric acid is transformed to a more linear one upon cooling. This process is similar to the known cold denaturation in peptides, but here the self-assembled monolayer plays the role of the solvent. The structural change results in a flip in the direction of the electrical dipole moment of the adsorbed molecules. The dipole flip is accompanied by a concomitant change in the spin that is preferred in electron transfer through the molecules, observed via a new solid-state hybrid organic-inorganic device that is based on the Hall effect, but operates with no external magnetic field or magnetic material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meital Eckshtain-Levi
- Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Eyal Capua
- Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Sivan Refaely-Abramson
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Soumyajit Sarkar
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Yulian Gavrilov
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Shinto P. Mathew
- Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Yossi Paltiel
- Department of Applied Physics and Center for Nano Science and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Leeor Kronik
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
| | - Ron Naaman
- Department of Chemical Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth 76100, Israel
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10
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Sepunaru L, Refaely-Abramson S, Lovrinčić R, Gavrilov Y, Agrawal P, Levy Y, Kronik L, Pecht I, Sheves M, Cahen D. Electronic Transport via Homopeptides: The Role of Side Chains and Secondary Structure. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:9617-26. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b03933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lior Sepunaru
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Sivan Refaely-Abramson
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Robert Lovrinčić
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Yulian Gavrilov
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Piyush Agrawal
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Leeor Kronik
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Israel Pecht
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Mordechai Sheves
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - David Cahen
- Department of Materials and Interfaces, ‡Department of Organic
Chemistry, §Department of Structural
Biology, and ∥Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
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11
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Kretz B, Egger DA, Zojer E. A Toolbox for Controlling the Energetics and Localization of Electronic States in Self-Assembled Organic Monolayers. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2015; 2:1400016. [PMID: 27547707 PMCID: PMC4973851 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201400016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Revised: 01/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Controlling the nature of the electronic states within organic layers holds the promise of truly molecular electronics. To achieve that we, here, develop a modular concept for a versatile tuning of electronic properties in organic monolayers and their interfaces. The suggested strategy relies on directly exploiting collective electrostatic effects, which emerge naturally in an ensemble of polar molecules. By means of quantum-mechanical modeling we show that in this way monolayer-based quantum-cascades and quantum-well structures can be realized, which allow a precise control of the local electronic structure and the localization of electronic states. Extending that concept, we furthermore discuss strategies for activating spin sensitivity in specific regions of an organic monolayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kretz
- Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz Graz University of Technology Petersgasse 16 A-8010 Graz Austria
| | - David A Egger
- Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz Graz University of Technology Petersgasse 16A-8010 Graz Austria; Department of Materials and Interfaces Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovoth 76100 Israel
| | - Egbert Zojer
- Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz Graz University of Technology Petersgasse 16 A-8010 Graz Austria
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12
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Zuzovski M, Boag A, Natan A. An auxilliary grid method for the calculation of electrostatic terms in density functional theory on a real-space grid. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:31550-7. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cp01090j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The calculation of electrostatic integrals is performed using domain decomposition and auxiliary non-uniform grids for density functional theory real-space implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Zuzovski
- Department of Physical Electronics
- Tel-Aviv University
- Tel-Aviv
- Israel
| | - Amir Boag
- Department of Physical Electronics
- Tel-Aviv University
- Tel-Aviv
- Israel
| | - Amir Natan
- Department of Physical Electronics
- Tel-Aviv University
- Tel-Aviv
- Israel
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13
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Hofmann OT, Deinert JC, Xu Y, Rinke P, Stähler J, Wolf M, Scheffler M. Large work function reduction by adsorption of a molecule with a negative electron affinity: Pyridine on ZnO(101¯0). J Chem Phys 2013; 139:174701. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4827017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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