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Defect-induced non-radiative losses are currently limiting the performance of hybrid perovskite devices. Experimental reports have indicated the existence of point defects that act as detrimental non-radiative recombination centres under iodine-poor synthesis conditions. However, the microscopic nature of these defects is still unknown. Here we demonstrate that hydrogen vacancies can be present in high densities under iodine-poor conditions in the prototypical hybrid perovskite MAPbI 3 (MA = CH 3 NH 3 ). They act as very efficient non-radiative recombination centres with an exceptionally high carrier capture coefficient of 10 −4  cm 3  s −1 . By contrast, the hydrogen vacancies in FAPbI 3 [FA = CH(NH 2 ) 2 ] are much more difficult to form and have a capture coefficient that is three orders of magnitude lower. Our study unveils the critical but overlooked role of hydrogen vacancies in hybrid perovskites and rationalizes why FA is essential for realizing high efficiency in hybrid perovskite solar cells. Minimizing the incorporation of hydrogen vacancies is key to enabling the best performance of hybrid perovskites. First-principles calculations reveal that hydrogen vacancies induce non-radiative losses in methylammonium lead iodide perovskites synthesized under iodine-poor conditions, whereas they are less detrimental in formamidinium-based hybrid perovskites.

Very recently, a novel two-dimension (2D) MXene, MoSi2N4, was successfully synthesized with excellent ambient stability, high carrier mobility, and moderate band gap (2020 Science 369 670). In this work, the intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity of monolayer MoSi2N4 is predicted by solving the phonon Boltzmann transport equation based on the first-principles calculations. Despite the heavy atomic mass of Mo and complex crystal structure, the monolayer MoSi2N4 unexpectedly exhibits a quite high lattice thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range between 300 to 800 K. At 300 K, its in-plane lattice thermal conductivity is 224 Wm−1 K−1. The detailed analysis indicates that the large group velocities and small anharmonicity are the main reasons for its high lattice thermal conductivity. We also calculate the lattice thermal conductivity of monolayer WSi2N4, which is only a little smaller than that of MoSi2N4. Our findings suggest that monolayer MoSi2N4 and WSi2N4 are potential 2D materials for thermal transport in future nano-electronic devices.

HighlightsThe toxicity issue of lead-based halide perovskites hinders theirs large-scale commercial applications in solar cells.A variety of non- or low-toxic perovskite materials have been used for development of environmentally friendly lead-free perovskite solar cells, some of which show excellent optoelectronic properties and device performances.At present, more new lead-free perovskite materials with tunable optical and electrical properties are urgently required to design highly efficient and stable lead-free perovskite solar cells.The toxicity issue of lead hinders large-scale commercial production and photovoltaic field application of lead halide perovskites. Some novel non- or low-toxic perovskite materials have been explored for development of environmentally friendly lead-free perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This review studies the substitution of equivalent/heterovalent metals for Pb based on first-principles calculation, summarizes the theoretical basis of lead-free perovskites, and screens out some promising lead-free candidates with suitable bandgap, optical, and electrical properties. Then, it reports notable achievements for the experimental studies of lead-free perovskites to date, including the crystal structure and material bandgap for all of lead-free materials and photovoltaic performance and stability for corresponding devices. The review finally discusses challenges facing the successful development and commercialization of lead-free PSCs and predicts the prospect of lead-free PSCs in the future.

HighlightsThe reaction mechanisms of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on various crystal surfaces of zinc anode have been systematically investigated by first-principle calculations.Both the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of HER have been studied to reveal the relative HER activity of several crystal surface of zinc anode.The generalized coordination number of surface Zn atoms are proposed as a key descriptor of HER activity of Zn anode.Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has become a key factor affecting the cycling stability of aqueous Zn-ion batteries, while the corresponding fundamental issues involving HER are still unclear. Herein, the reaction mechanisms of HER on various crystalline surfaces have been investigated by first-principle calculations based on density functional theory. It is found that the Volmer step is the rate-limiting step of HER on the Zn (002) and (100) surfaces, while, the reaction rates of HER on the Zn (101), (102) and (103) surfaces are determined by the Tafel step. Moreover, the correlation between HER activity and the generalized coordination number (CN¯) of Zn at the surfaces has been revealed. The relatively weaker HER activity on Zn (002) surface can be attributed to the higher CN¯ of surface Zn atom. The atomically uneven Zn (002) surface shows significantly higher HER activity than the flat Zn (002) surface as the CN¯ of the surface Zn atom is lowered. The CN¯ of surface Zn atom is proposed as a key descriptor of HER activity. Tuning the CN¯ of surface Zn atom would be a vital strategy to inhibit HER on the Zn anode surface based on the presented theoretical studies. Furthermore, this work provides a theoretical basis for the in-depth understanding of HER on the Zn surface.

Perovskite variants have attracted wide interest because of the lead-free nature and strong self-trapped exciton (STE) emission. Divalent Sn(II) in CsSnX 3 perovskites is easily oxidized to tetravalent Sn(IV), and the resulted Cs 2 SnCl 6 vacancy-ordered perovskite variant exhibits poor photoluminescence property although it has a direct band gap. Controllable doping is an effective strategy to regulate the optical properties of Cs 2 SnX 6 . Herein, combining the first principles calculation and spectral analysis, we attempted to understand the luminescence mechanism of Te 4+ -doped Cs 2 SnCl 6 lead-free perovskite variants. The chemical potential and defect formation energy are calculated to confirm theoretically the feasible substitutability of tetravalent Te 4+ ions in Cs 2 SnCl 6 lattices for the Sn-site. Through analysis of the absorption, emission/excitation, and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, the intense green-yellow emission in Te 4+ :Cs 2 SnCl 6 was considered to originate from the triplet Te(IV) ion 3 P 1 → 1 S 0 STE recombination. Temperature-dependent PL spectra demonstrated the strong electron-phonon coupling that inducing an evident lattice distortion to produce STEs. We further calculated the electronic band structure and molecular orbital levels to reveal the underlying photophysical process. These results will shed light on the doping modulated luminescence properties in stable lead-free Cs 2 MX 6 vacancy-ordered perovskite variants and be helpful to understand the optical properties and physical processes of doped perovskite variants.

The band structure, the density of states and optical absorption properties of Cu-doped ZnO were studied by the first-principles generalized gradient approximation plane-wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory. For the Zn1-xCuxO (x = 0, x = 0.0278, x = 0.0417) original structure, geometric optimization and energy calculations were performed and compared with experimental results. With increasing Cu concentration, the band gap of the Zn1-xCuxO decreased due to the shift of the conduction band. Since the impurity level was introduced after Cu doping, the conduction band was moved downwards. Additionally, it was shown that the insertion of a Cu atom leads to a red shift of the optical absorption edge, which was consistent with the experimental results.

Carbon has been proposed as a major component in the Martian core alongside sulfur for its siderophile behavior during core‐mantle segregation. However, the core C content remains poorly constrained, due to uncertainties in both seismically observed core properties and the equation of state of C‐bearing Fe‐rich liquids. Here we conducted first‐principles molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the equation of state and sound velocity of Fe–S–C liquids under pressures of 10–55 GPa and temperatures of 1,700–3,200 K, conditions relevant to the Martian core. Our results show that the presence of C increases the sound velocity of Fe–S liquids, in contrast to what is observed for other light elements such as S, O, and H. Regardless of the particular seismic model used for the Martian core, we find that about 4.3 ± 1.5 wt% C is required to reproduce the velocity of the core, confirming its role as a major light element.

Intrinsic van der Waals materials layered magnets have attracted much attention, especially the air-stable semiconductor CrSBr. Herein, we carry out a comprehensive investigation of both bulk and monolayer CrSBr using the first-principles linear-response method. Through the calculation of the magnetic exchange interactions, it is confirmed that the ground state of bulk CrSBr is A-type antiferromagnetic, while there are five sizable large intralayer exchange interactions with small magnetic frustration, which results in a relatively high magnetic transition temperature of both bulk and monolayer CrSBr. Moreover, the significant electron doping effect and strain effect are demonstrated, with further increased Curie temperature for monolayer CrSBr, as well as an antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition for bulk CrSBr. We also calculate the magnon spectra using linear spin-wave theory. These features of CrSBr can be helpful to clarify the microscopic magnetic mechanism and promote the application in spintronics.

Exploring two-dimensional valleytronic crystals with large valley-polarized state is of considerable importance due to the promising applications in next-generation information related devices. Here, we show first-principles evidence that single-layer NbX 2 (X = S, Se) is potentially the long-sought two-dimensional valleytronic crystal. Specifically, the valley-polarized state is found to occur spontaneously in single-layer NbX 2 , without needing any external tuning, which arises from their intrinsic magnetic exchange interaction and inversion asymmetry. Moreover, the strong spin-orbit coupling strength within Nb-d orbitals renders their valley-polarized states being of remarkably large (NbS 2 ∼ 156 meV/NbSe 2 ∼ 219 meV), enabling practical utilization of their valley physics accessible. In additional, it is predicted that the valley physics (i.e., anomalous valley Hall effect) in single-layer NbX 2 is switchable via applying moderate strain. These findings make single-layer NbX 2 tantalizing candidates for realizing high-performance and controllable valleytronic devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials within the hematene-type binary oxides and perovskites family have recently gathered huge research interest for nanoelectronic devices. However, the exploration of their fascinating topological properties remains limited. Herein, through first-principles calculations, we systematically examine the electronic, magnetic, and topological properties of substitutionally doped 2D ABO 3 (A = As, Sb, or Bi, and B = V, Nb, or Ta) perovskite structures at the B site of a B 2 O 3 system. Interestingly, the atomic substitution makes the 2D ABO 3 structures dynamically stable. Our detailed calculations show the ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic phases of these materials. The calculated Chern number ( C ) for the FM 2D ABO 3 (A = As, Sb, or Bi, B = Nb or Ta) suggests their topologically non-trivial phases. Furthermore, the computed nontrivial Berry curvature highlights the topological properties in AsNbO 3 . These findings highlight opportunities in 2D-ABO 3 materials, for applications in spintronics.