Compact A15 Frank-Kasper nano-phases at the origin of dislocation loops in face-centred cubic metals.

It is generally considered that the elementary building blocks of defects in face-centred cubic (fcc) metals, e.g., interstitial dumbbells, coalesce directly into ever larger 2D dislocation loops, implying a continuous coarsening process. Here, we reveal that, prior to the formation of dislocation loops, interstitial atoms in fcc metals cluster into compact 3D inclusions of A15 Frank-Kasper phase. After reaching the critical size, A15 nano-phase inclusions act as a source of prismatic or faulted dislocation loops, dependent on the energy landscape of the host material. Using cutting-edge atomistic simulations we demonstrate this scenario in Al, Cu, and Ni. Our results explain the enigmatic 3D cluster structures observed in experiments combining diffuse X-ray scattering and resistivity recovery. Formation of compact nano-phase inclusions in fcc structure, along with previous observations in bcc structure, suggests that the fundamental mechanisms of interstitial defect formation are more complex than historically assumed and require a general revision. Interstitial-mediated formation of compact 3D precipitates can be a generic phenomenon, which should be further explored in systems with different crystallographic lattices.

Uranyl ion interaction at the water/NiO(100) interface: a predictive investigation by first-principles molecular dynamic simulations.

The behavior of the UO(2)(2+) uranyl ion at the water/NiO(100) interface was investigated for the first time using Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamic simulations with the spin polarized DFT + U extension. A water/NiO(100) interface model was first optimized on a defect-free five layers slab thickness, proposed as a reliable surface model, with an explicit treatment of the solvent. Water molecules are adsorbed with a well-defined structure in a thickness of about 4 Å above the surface. The first layer, adsorbed on nickel atoms, remains mainly in molecular form but can partly dissociate at 293 K. Considering low acidic conditions, a bidentate uranyl ion complex was characterized on two surface oxygen species (arising from water molecules adsorption on nickel atoms) with d(U-O(adsorption))=2.39 Å. This complex is stable at 293 K due to iono-covalent bonds with an estimated charge transfer of 0.58 electron from the surface to the uranyl ion.

Theoretical investigation of the uranyl ion sorption on the rutile TiO2(110) face.

Canister integrity and radionuclide retention is of first importance for assessing the long-term safety of nuclear waste stored in engineered geologic depositories. Uranyl ion sorption on the TiO(2) rutile (110) face is investigated using periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations. From experimental observations, only two uranyl surface complexes are observed and characterized. When the pH increases (from 1.5 to 4.5), the relative ratios of these two surface complexes are modified. From a crystallographic point of view, three sorption sites can be considered and have been studied with different protonation states of the surface to account for very acidic and low acidic conditions. The two surface complexes experimentally observed were calculated as the most stable ones, while the evolution of their sorption energies agrees with experimental data.

Density functional theory analysis of the structural and electronic properties of TiO2 rutile and anatase polytypes: performances of different exchange-correlation functionals.

The two polymorphs of TiO2, rutile and anatase, have been investigated at the ab initio level using different Hamiltonians with all-electron Gaussian and projector augmented plane wave basis sets. Their equilibrium lattice parameters, relative stabilities, binding energies, and band structures have been evaluated. The calculations have been performed at the Hartree-Fock, density functional theory (DFT), and hybrid (B3LYP and PBE0) levels. As regards DFT, the local density and generalized gradient (PBE) approximations have been used. Our results show an excellent agreement with the experimental band structures and binding energies for the B3LYP and PBE0 functionals, while the best structural descriptions are obtained at the PBE0 level. However, no matter which Hamiltonian and method are used, anatase is found more stable than rutile, in contrast with recent experimental reports, although the relative stabilities of the two phases are very close to each other. Nevertheless, based on the overall results, the hybrid PBE0 functional appears as a good compromise to obtain an accurate description of both structural and electronic properties of solids.

Migration energy of He in W revisited by ab initio calculations.

We use state of the art ab initio calculations to obtain the diffusion properties of He in tungsten. The calculated migration energy of He is very low, around 0.06 eV. This value is much lower than the experimental field-ion microscopy results which lead to a migration energy of the order of 0.24-0.32 eV. The reason for this discrepancy is the high propensity for He to form He-He clusters characterized by a very large binding energy of the order of 1 eV. Such a large binding energy indicates that He atoms can be trapped by other He atoms and can explain the formation of He blisters close to the surface of He implanted tungsten.

Periodic density functional theory investigation of the uranyl ion sorption on the TiO2 rutile (110) face.

Periodic density functional theory calculations have been performed in order to study the uranyl ion sorption on the TiO2 rutile (110) face. From experimental measurements, two uranyl surface complexes have been observed and the two corresponding sorption sites have been identified. However, from a crystallographic point of view, three different sorption sites can be considered on this face. The corresponding three surface bidentate complexes were modeled and optimized, and their relative energies were calculated. Only 5 kJ/mol separates the two most stable structures, which correspond to the experimental ones. The third surface complex is nearly 10 kJ/mol less stable, in agreement with the fact that it was not observed experimentally.

Simulation of screw dislocation motion in iron by molecular dynamics simulations.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to investigate the response of a/2<111> screw dislocation in iron submitted to pure shear strain. The dislocation glides and remains in a (110) plane; the motion occurs exclusively through the nucleation and propagation of double kinks. The critical stress is calculated as a function of the temperature. A new method is developed and used to determine the activation energy of the double kink mechanism from MD simulations. It is shown that the differences between experimental and simulation conditions lead to a significant difference in activation energy. These differences are explained, and the method developed provides the link between MD and mesoscopic simulations.