Double perovskites are like the superheroes of solar tech, but they have a kryptonite: disorder in their atomic structure. Two of these heroes, Cs2AgBiCl6 and Cs2AgInCl6, have been under the spotlight. Scientists wanted to understand how these materials behave when their atoms get mixed up. They used fancy computer models to peek into the atomic world. What they fou...
Zinc oxide is a material that can be tweaked by adding tiny amounts of other elements. This process is called doping. When samarium and silver are added to zinc oxide, interesting things happen. This is not just about mixing stuff together. It is about changing how the material behaves at a tiny level. The goal is to make zinc oxide useful for new kinds of gadgets...
Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering our phones and electric cars. But have you ever wondered what makes them tick? Let's dive into the world of spinel LiMn2O4, or LMO for short. This material is like a superhighway for lithium ions, but the rules of the road aren't fully understood. First off, lithium ions don't just float around freely. They have to deal...
Nitride perovskites have been overshadowed by their oxide and halide cousins. This is a shame because they have a lot to offer. These materials are worth exploring for both scientific curiosity and practical applications. A recent study took a close look at lanthanum tungsten nitride (LaWN3). This was done using a method called density-functional theory. The focus w...
Cobalt is a metal that can form special bonds with itself. These bonds can create unique properties in compounds. However, figuring out how these bonds work is tricky. Many things can change how cobalt bonds with itself or with other parts of a compound. These things include the type of ligand, the shape of the compound, and the distance between cobalt atoms. Resear...
Imagine trying to figure out how iron behaves in glass. It's not easy, especially because glass is messy and unpredictable. Iron can exist in different forms, each with its own set of charges, shapes, and spins. This makes it hard to pin down exactly what's happening. Scientists have been using a special technique called 1s3p resonant inelastic X-ray scatter...
New fluorescent dyes have been brewing excitement in the science community. . What's so exciting you ask? The colorful compounds have push-pull topology. This means they are designed with different charges at either end. To top it off, these dyes have a special feature: a charge-transfer (CT) excited state that sits low in their electronic structure. But there's m...
Silicon is an incredible element, and its structures can be fascinating. You may have heard of a hydrogen-terminated Si(100) surface, where atoms stick out and have loose bonds. These loose ends are like tiny islands of high energy, stuck between the usual energy levels of silicon. Scientists are very interested in how these bare silicon dimers behave when they're jo...
Scientists are making big strides in solar cell technology using cadmium telluride (CdTe). One key focus is enhancing the performance of these cells by adding tiny amounts of phosphorus (P) and selenium (Se). They've used advanced microscopes, like Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM), to study the structure of thes...