Karel-Alexander N. Duerloo

Bio: Karel-Alexander N. Duerloo is an academic researcher from Stanford University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Monolayer & Piezoelectricity. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 14 publications receiving 2147 citations.

Intrinsic Piezoelectricity in Two-Dimensional Materials

Abstract: We discovered that many of the commonly studied two-dimensional monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) nanoscale materials are piezoelectric, unlike their bulk parent crystals. On the macroscopic scale, piezoelectricity is widely used to achieve robust electromechanical coupling in a rich variety of sensors and actuators. Remarkably, our density-functional theory calculations of the piezoelectric coefficients of monolayer BN, MoS2, MoSe2, MoTe2, WS2, WSe2, and WTe2 reveal that some of these materials exhibit stronger piezoelectric coupling than traditionally employed bulk wurtzite structures. We find that the piezoelectric coefficients span more than 1 order of magnitude, and exhibit monotonic periodic trends. The discovery of this property in many two-dimensional materials enables active sensing, actuating, and new electronic components for nanoscale devices based on the familiar piezoelectric effect.

Structural phase transitions in two-dimensional Mo- and W-dichalcogenide monolayers.

Abstract: Mo- and W-dichalcogenide compounds have a two-dimensional monolayer form that differs from graphene in an important respect: it can potentially have more than one crystal structure. Some of these monolayers exhibit tantalizing hints of a poorly understood structural metal-to-insulator transition with the possibility of long metastable lifetimes. If controllable, such a transition could bring an exciting new application space to monolayer materials beyond graphene. Here we discover that mechanical deformations provide a route to switching thermodynamic stability between a semiconducting and a metallic crystal structure in these monolayer materials. Based on state-of-the-art density functional and hybrid Hartree–Fock/density functional calculations including vibrational energy corrections, we discover that MoTe2 is an excellent candidate phase change material. We identify a range from 0.3 to 3% for the tensile strains required to transform MoTe2 under uniaxial conditions at room temperature. The potential for mechanical phase transitions is predicted for all six studied compounds. 2D transition metal dichalcogenide materials can potentially exist in more than one monolayer crystal structure, a feature likely to be useful for electronics that is absent in graphene. Here, the authors present calculations showing that such phase transitions may be readily accessible in MoTe2.

Structural semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transition in two-dimensional materials induced by electrostatic gating

Abstract: Dynamic control of conductivity and optical properties via atomic structure changes is of technological importance in information storage. Energy consumption considerations provide a driving force towards employing thin materials in devices. Monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides are nearly atomically thin materials that can exist in multiple crystal structures, each with distinct electrical properties. By developing new density functional-based methods, we discover that electrostatic gating device configurations have the potential to drive structural semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transitions in some monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. Here we show that the semiconductor-to-semimetal phase transition in monolayer MoTe2 can be driven by a gate voltage of several volts with appropriate choice of dielectric. We find that the transition gate voltage can be reduced arbitrarily by alloying, for example, for Mo(x)W(1-x)Te2 monolayers. Our findings identify a new physical mechanism, not existing in bulk materials, to dynamically control structural phase transitions in two-dimensional materials, enabling potential applications in phase-change electronic devices.

Holistic computational structure screening of more than 12 000 candidates for solid lithium-ion conductor materials

Abstract: We present a new type of large-scale computational screening approach for identifying promising candidate materials for solid state electrolytes for lithium ion batteries that is capable of screening all known lithium containing solids. To be useful for batteries, high performance solid state electrolyte materials must satisfy many requirements at once, an optimization that is difficult to perform experimentally or with computationally expensive ab initio techniques. We first screen 12 831 lithium containing crystalline solids for those with high structural and chemical stability, low electronic conductivity, and low cost. We then develop a data-driven ionic conductivity classification model using logistic regression for identifying which candidate structures are likely to exhibit fast lithium conduction based on experimental measurements reported in the literature. The screening reduces the list of candidate materials from 12 831 down to 21 structures that show promise as electrolytes, few of which have been examined experimentally. We discover that none of our simple atomistic descriptor functions alone provide predictive power for ionic conductivity, but a multi-descriptor model can exhibit a useful degree of predictive power. We also find that screening for structural stability, chemical stability and low electronic conductivity eliminates 92.2% of all Li-containing materials and screening for high ionic conductivity eliminates a further 93.3% of the remainder. Our screening utilizes structures and electronic information contained in the Materials Project database.

Data Mining for New Two- and One-Dimensional Weakly Bonded Solids and Lattice-Commensurate Heterostructures

Abstract: Layered materials held together by weak interactions including van der Waals forces, such as graphite, have attracted interest for both technological applications and fundamental physics in their layered form and as an isolated single-layer. Only a few dozen single-layer van der Waals solids have been subject to considerable research focus, although there are likely to be many more that could have superior properties. To identify a broad spectrum of layered materials, we present a novel data mining algorithm that determines the dimensionality of weakly bonded subcomponents based on the atomic positions of bulk, three-dimensional crystal structures. By applying this algorithm to the Materials Project database of over 50,000 inorganic crystals, we identify 1173 two-dimensional layered materials and 487 materials that consist of weakly bonded one-dimensional molecular chains. This is an order of magnitude increase in the number of identified materials with most materials not known as two- or one-dimensional ...

Fast parallel algorithms for short-range molecular dynamics

Abstract: Three parallel algorithms for classical molecular dynamics are presented. The first assigns each processor a fixed subset of atoms; the second assigns each a fixed subset of inter-atomic forces to compute; the third assigns each a fixed spatial region. The algorithms are suitable for molecular dynamics models which can be difficult to parallelize efficiently—those with short-range forces where the neighbors of each atom change rapidly. They can be implemented on any distributed-memory parallel machine which allows for message-passing of data between independently executing processors. The algorithms are tested on a standard Lennard-Jones benchmark problem for system sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000,000 atoms on several parallel supercomputers--the nCUBE 2, Intel iPSC/860 and Paragon, and Cray T3D. Comparing the results to the fastest reported vectorized Cray Y-MP and C90 algorithm shows that the current generation of parallel machines is competitive with conventional vector supercomputers even for small problems. For large problems, the spatial algorithm achieves parallel efficiencies of 90% and a 1840-node Intel Paragon performs up to 165 faster than a single Cray C9O processor. Trade-offs between the three algorithms and guidelines for adapting them to more complex molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed.

Recent Advances in Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

Abstract: Since the discovery of mechanically exfoliated graphene in 2004, research on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics, material science, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Highlighting their compelling physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as their various potential applications, in this Review, we summarize the state-of-art progress on the ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with a particular emphasis on their recent advances. First, we introduce the unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures. The assortments of their synthetic methods are then summarized, including insights on their advantages and limitations, alongside some recommendations on suitable characterization techniques. We also discuss in detail the utilization of these ultrathin 2D nanomaterials for wide ranges of potential applications among the electronics/optoelectronics, electrocat...

2D transition metal dichalcogenides

Abstract: Graphene is very popular because of its many fascinating properties, but its lack of an electronic bandgap has stimulated the search for 2D materials with semiconducting character. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which are semiconductors of the type MX2, where M is a transition metal atom (such as Mo or W) and X is a chalcogen atom (such as S, Se or Te), provide a promising alternative. Because of its robustness, MoS2 is the most studied material in this family. TMDCs exhibit a unique combination of atomic-scale thickness, direct bandgap, strong spin–orbit coupling and favourable electronic and mechanical properties, which make them interesting for fundamental studies and for applications in high-end electronics, spintronics, optoelectronics, energy harvesting, flexible electronics, DNA sequencing and personalized medicine. In this Review, the methods used to synthesize TMDCs are examined and their properties are discussed, with particular attention to their charge density wave, superconductive and topological phases. The use of TMCDs in nanoelectronic devices is also explored, along with strategies to improve charge carrier mobility, high frequency operation and the use of strain engineering to tailor their properties. Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) exhibit attractive electronic and mechanical properties. In this Review, the charge density wave, superconductive and topological phases of TMCDs are discussed, along with their synthesis and applications in devices with enhanced mobility and with the use of strain engineering to improve their properties.

Two-dimensional material nanophotonics

Abstract: The optical properties of graphene and emerging two-dimensional materials including transition metal dichalcogenides are reviewed with an emphasis on nanophotonic applications. Two-dimensional materials exhibit diverse electronic properties, ranging from insulating hexagonal boron nitride and semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides such as molybdenum disulphide, to semimetallic graphene. In this Review, we first discuss the optical properties and applications of various two-dimensional materials, and then cover two different approaches for enhancing their interactions with light: through their integration with external photonic structures, and through intrinsic polaritonic resonances. Finally, we present a narrow-bandgap layered material — black phosphorus — that serendipitously bridges the energy gap between the zero-bandgap graphene and the relatively large-bandgap transition metal dichalcogenides. The plethora of two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures, together with the array of available approaches for enhancing the light–matter interaction, offers the promise of scientific discoveries and nanophotonics technologies across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum.