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Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a wide-gap semiconductor with numerous applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaics, and neuromorphic computing. The unique functional properties of this material critically depend on its ability to transport charge in the form of polarons, namely narrow electron wavepackets accompanied by local distortions of the crystal lattice. It is currently well established that the most important polymorphs of TiO2, the rutile and anatase phases, harbor small electron polarons and small hole polarons, respectively. However, whether additional polaronic species exist in TiO2, and under which conditions, remain open questions. Here, we provide definitive answers to these questions by exploring the rich landscape of polaron quasiparticles in TiO2via recently developed ab initio techniques. In addition to the already known small polarons, we identify three species, namely a large hole polaron in rutile, a large quasi-two-dimensional electron polaron in anatase, and a large exciton polaron in anatase. These findings complete the puzzle on the polaron physics of TiO2and pave the way for systematically probing and manipulating polarons in a broad class of complex oxides and quantum materials.
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This content will become publicly available on January 10, 2026
Thickness-dependent polaron crossover in tellurene
Polarons, quasiparticles from electron-phonon coupling, are crucial for material properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. However, scarce studies have investigated polaron formation in low-dimensional materials with phonon polarity and electronic structure transitions. In this work, we studied polarons of tellurene, composed of chiral Te chains. The frequency and linewidth of the A1phonon, which becomes increasingly polar for thinner tellurene, change abruptly for thickness below 10 nanometers, where field-effect mobility drops rapidly. These phonon and transport signatures, combined with phonon polarity and band structure, suggest a crossover from large polarons in bulk tellurium to small polarons in few-layer tellurene. Effective field theory considering phonon renormalization in the small-polaron regime semiquantitatively reproduces the phonon hardening and broadening effects. This polaron crossover stems from the quasi–one-dimensional nature of tellurene, where modulation of interchain distance reduces dielectric screening and promotes electron-phonon coupling. Our work provides valuable insights into the influence of polarons on phononic, electronic, and structural properties in low-dimensional materials.
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- PAR ID:
- 10566014
- Publisher / Repository:
- AAAS
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Science Advances
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2375-2548
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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