Point defect formation at finite temperatures with machine learning force fields

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Mosquera-Lois, Irea, Klarbring, Johan, Walsh, Aron
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Mosquera-Lois, Irea
Klarbring, Johan
Walsh, Aron
author_facet Mosquera-Lois, Irea
Klarbring, Johan
Walsh, Aron
contents Point defects dictate the properties of many functional materials. The standard approach to modelling the thermodynamics of defects relies on a static description, where the change in Gibbs free energy is approximated by the internal energy. This approach has a low computational cost, but ignores contributions from atomic vibrations and structural configurations that can be accessed at finite temperatures. We train a machine learning force field (MLFF) to explore dynamic defect behaviour using $\mathrm{Te_i^{+1}}$ and $\textit{V}{\mathrm{_{Te}^{+2}}}$ in CdTe as exemplars. We consider the different entropic contributions (e.g., electronic, spin, vibrational, orientational, and configurational) and compare methods to compute the defect free energies, ranging from a harmonic treatment to a fully anharmonic approach based on thermodynamic integration. We find that metastable configurations are populated at room temperature and thermal effects increase the predicted concentration of $\mathrm{Te_i^{+1}}$ by two orders of magnitude -- and can thus significantly affect the predicted properties. Overall, our study underscores the importance of finite-temperature effects and the potential of MLFFs to model defect dynamics at both synthesis and device operating temperatures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_16741
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Point defect formation at finite temperatures with machine learning force fields
Mosquera-Lois, Irea
Klarbring, Johan
Walsh, Aron
Materials Science
Chemical Physics
Point defects dictate the properties of many functional materials. The standard approach to modelling the thermodynamics of defects relies on a static description, where the change in Gibbs free energy is approximated by the internal energy. This approach has a low computational cost, but ignores contributions from atomic vibrations and structural configurations that can be accessed at finite temperatures. We train a machine learning force field (MLFF) to explore dynamic defect behaviour using $\mathrm{Te_i^{+1}}$ and $\textit{V}{\mathrm{_{Te}^{+2}}}$ in CdTe as exemplars. We consider the different entropic contributions (e.g., electronic, spin, vibrational, orientational, and configurational) and compare methods to compute the defect free energies, ranging from a harmonic treatment to a fully anharmonic approach based on thermodynamic integration. We find that metastable configurations are populated at room temperature and thermal effects increase the predicted concentration of $\mathrm{Te_i^{+1}}$ by two orders of magnitude -- and can thus significantly affect the predicted properties. Overall, our study underscores the importance of finite-temperature effects and the potential of MLFFs to model defect dynamics at both synthesis and device operating temperatures.
title Point defect formation at finite temperatures with machine learning force fields
topic Materials Science
Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.16741