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This study investigates the adsorption mechanism of CO3^(2−) on the (111) surface of tricalcium silicate (C3S) using density functional theory simulations. Two distinct adsorption configurations were identified: a tilted alignment with localised bonding to Ca ions and concentrated charge transfer, and a parallel orientation with delocalised interactions involving multiple Ca ions. Charge density analysis revealed charge transfer from the surface to the carbonate molecule, with electron accumulation around oxygen atoms of CO3^(2−). Partial density of states analysis showed significant changes near the Fermi level after adsorption, indicating the formation of new bonding states. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the tilted configuration stabilises the surface by reducing Ca ion mobility, while the parallel configuration leads to increased ion mobility and higher surface reactivity. These findings emphasise the importance of site-specific interactions and electronic structure changes in understanding CO2 mineralisation mechanisms in cementitious materials. 

The efficiency of silicon solar cells is affected by the light absorption and recombination losses of photoexcited charge carries. One possible way to improve the efficiency is through the deposition of transition metal nanoparticles on Si surfaces. Here, we first carry out density functional theory (DFT) calculations to obtain electronic structures for Agn (n = 1–7) monolayered clusters adsorbed on Si(111)/H surfaces. Results are presented in the form of the density of states, band gaps, and light absorption, which allow for the investigation of the interaction of Ag clusters with Si. Different behaviors can be expected depending on the size of the deposited Ag clusters. Overall, the deposition of Ag clusters leads to smaller band gaps, red-shifts, and large increases in light absorption compared to the pristine Si slab. We then study the relaxation dynamics of electron–hole pairs for slabs based on nonadiabatic couplings using the reduced density matrix approach within the Redfield formalism. Nonradiative relaxation rates are noticeably different for various structures and transitions. One observes higher relaxation rates for surfaces with adsorbates than for the pristine Si surface due to charge transfer events involving Ag orbitals. We also compute emission spectra from excited-state relaxation dynamics. The band gap emission is dark for the pristine Si due to the indirect nature of its band gap. The addition of larger Ag clusters breaks the symmetry of Si slabs, enabling indirect gap transitions. These slabs thus exhibit bright band gap emission. The introduction of adsorbates is advantageous for applications in photovoltaics and photocatalysis. 

The optical properties of the tetragonal phase of BaTiO₃have been studied using density functional methods, applying the generalized gradient approximation at room temperature and a hybrid functional for static lattice analysis. 

The work provides computational arguments in support of excitonic approach for the treatment of the photo-induced processes in semiconductor quantum dots. The non-radiative relaxation, non-radiative recombination, and photo-luminescence quantum yield are computed for a range of atomistic models of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in the quantum confinement regime. The excitonic (EX) approach is compared to independent orbital approximation (IOA) approach. Both approaches address dissipation of the electronic energy from electronic degrees of freedom to thermal vibrations of the lattice. The difference of two approaches appears in treatment of energies of electronic states and in a way how the electron-phonon interaction is taken into account. IOA approach uses energies of Kohn-Sham orbitals and on the fly non-adiabatic couplings. [1-3] EX approach uses Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) for energies.[4-6] The excitonic wavefunctions from BSE is used to construct a linear transformation matrix that transforms IOA-based non-adiabatic couplings into an excitonic basis. Both approaches are compared in application to untrasmall 1 nm diameter Si QD.Results include an evidence that hot excitons relax sooner in the excitonic picture than in the IOA picture. The observed effect is rationalized via smaller subgaps and different available relaxation pathways in the excitonic picture. The most surprising result is found for the simulated emission spectrum. The spectum in the excitonic picture demonstrates intensity in several 5 orders of magnitude higher than in the IOA picture. This observation is related to formation of a bright exciton in the lowest excitation of the ultra-small Si QDs. Obtained evidence favors excitonic approach and promises a reliable interpretation and prediction of time-dependent observables in a range of semiconductor quantum dots of different composition, sizes, and surface environment.[7] Most intriguing results are expected for QDs representing interface between PbSe and CdSe. [8] Support of National Science foundation via NSF CHE-2004197 is gratefully acknowledged. [1] D. S. Kilin and D. A. Micha, “Relaxation of photoexcited electrons at a nanostructured Si(111) surface”, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 1, 1073-1077 (2010). [2] D. J. Vogel and D. S. Kilin, "First-Principles Treatment of Photoluminescence in Semiconductors" J. Phys. Chem. C 119, 50, 27954–27964 (2015). [3] D. J. Vogel, A. B. Kryjevski, T. M. Inerbaev, and D. S. Kilin, "Photoinduced Single- and Multiple-Electron Dynamics Processes Enhanced by Quantum Confinement in Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots", J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 8, 13, 3032–3039(2017). [4] A. B. Kryjevski and Dmitri Kilin, "Enhanced multiple exciton generation in amorphous silicon nanowires and films", Molec. Phys. 114, 365-379 (2016). [5] M. Rohlfing and S. G. Louie, "Electron-Hole Excitations in Semiconductors and Insulators", Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 2312-2315 (1998). [6] T. Sander, G. Kresse, "Macroscopic dielectric function within time-dependent density functional theory—Real time evolution versus the Casida approach", J. Chem. Phys. 146, 064110 (2017). [7] S. V. Kilina, P. K. Tamukong, and D. S. Kilin, "Surface Chemistry of Semiconducting Quantum Dots: Theoretical Perspectives", Acc. Chem. Res. 49, 10, 2127–2135 (2016). [8] H. B. Griffin, A. B. Kryjevski, and Dmitri S. Kilin, "Ab initio calculations of through-space and through-bond charge-transfer properties of interacting Janus-like PbSe and CdSe quantum dot heterostructures", Molec. Phys., e2273415 (2023). 

An exploration of the “on-the-fly” nonadiabatic couplings (NACs) for nonradiative relaxation and recombination of excited states in 2D Dion–Jacobson (DJ) lead halide perovskites (LHPs) is accelerated by a machine learning approach. Specifically, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) of nanostructures composed of heavy elements is performed with the use of machine-learning force-fields (MLFFs), as implemented in the Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP). The force field parametrization is established using on-the-fly learning, which continuously builds a force field using AIMD data. At each time step of the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the total energy and forces are predicted based on the MLFF and if the Bayesian error estimate exceeds a threshold, an ab initio calculation is performed, which is used to construct a new force field. Model training of MLFF and evaluation were performed for a range of DJ-LHP models of different thicknesses and halide compositions. The MLFF-MD trajectories were evaluated against pure AIMD trajectories to assess the level of discrepancy and error accumulation. To examine the practical effectiveness of this approach, we have used the MLFF-based MD trajectories to compute NAC and excited-state dynamics. At each stage, results based on machine learning are compared to traditional ab initio based electronic dissipative dynamics. We find that MLFF-MD provides comparable results to AIMDs when MLFF is trained in an NPT ensemble. 

Inorganic mixed-halogen perovskites exhibit excellent photovoltaic properties and stability; yet, their photoelectric conversion efficiency is limited by inherent surface defects. In this work, we study the impact of defects on properties of CsPbI2Br slabs using first-principles calculations, focusing on specific defects such as I vacancy (VI), I interposition (Ii), and I substitution by Pb (PbI). Our findings reveal that these defects affect the geometric and optoelectronic properties as well as dynamics of charge carriers of slabs. We employ two theoretical frameworks (surface hopping and Redfield theory) of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations to comprehensively study relaxation processes and obtain consistent results. The presence of VI reduces carrier lifetimes, while the influence of PbI on carrier lifetimes is negligible. In contrast, Ii defects lead to prolonged carrier lifetimes. These insights provide valuable guidance for the rational design of perovskite photovoltaic devices, aiming to enhance their efficiency and stability. 

Lead halide perovskites (LHP) are of interest for light-emitting applications due to the tunability of their bandgap across the visible and near-infrared spectrum (IR) coupled with efficient photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY). It is widely speculated that photoexcited electrons and holes spatially separate into large negative (electron) and positive (hole) polarons. Polarons are expected to be optically active. With the observed optoelectronic signatures expecting to show potential excited states within the polaronic potential well. From the polaron excited-state we predict that large polarons should be capable of spontaneous emission, photoluminescence, in the mid-IR to far-IR regime based on the concept of inverse occupations within the polaron potential well. Here we use density functional theory (DFT), including spin–orbit coupling interactions, for calculations on a two-dimensional Dion-Jacobson (DJ) lead chloride perovskite atomistic model of various sizes as a host material for either negative or positive polarons to examine the effects of size on polaron formation. This work provides computational evidence that polaron formation through selective charge injection does not show the same level of localisation for positive and negative polarons. 

Heterostructure quantum dots (QDs) are composed of two QD nanocrystals (NCs) conjoined at an interface. They are useful in applications such as photovoltaic solar cells. The properties of the interface between the NCs determine the efficiency of electron–hole recombination rates and charge transfer. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of how this interface works between the two materials is useful. To contribute to this understanding, we simulated two isolated heterostructure QD models with Janus-like geometry composed of Cd33Se33 + Pb68Se68 NCs. The first Janus-like model has a bond connection between the two NCs and is approximately 16 × 17 × 29 Å3 in size. The second model has a through-space connection between the NCs and is approximately 16 × 17 × 31 Å3. We use density functional theory to simulate the ground state properties of these models. Nonadiabatic on-the-fly couplings calculations were then used to construct the Redfield Tensor, which described the excited state dynamics due to nonradiative relaxation. From our results, we identified a qualitative trend which shows that having a bond connecting the two NCs reduces hole relaxation time. We also identified for a sample of electron–hole excitations pairs that the through-bond model allows for a net positive or negative numerical net charge transfer, depending on the excitation pair.