Metastable Multi-centered Polarons in BiVO$_{4}$

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Park, Seyeon, Zhang, Yajing, Reticcioli, Michele, Franchini, Cesare, Kim, Bongjae
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Park, Seyeon
Zhang, Yajing
Reticcioli, Michele
Franchini, Cesare
Kim, Bongjae
author_facet Park, Seyeon
Zhang, Yajing
Reticcioli, Michele
Franchini, Cesare
Kim, Bongjae
contents Polarons, quasiparticles formed through interactions between lattice and charge carriers (electrons and holes), strongly influence the electronic and optical properties of functional materials. In nanostructured BiVO$_{4}$, polaron formation and dynamics govern photocatalytic efficiency and charge transport, yet the microscopic nature remains not fully resolved. Here, using first-principles calculations, we report the formation of multi-centered polarons, in contrast to the more common single-centered states. Moreover, electron polarons exhibit pronounced anisotropy compared to the isotropic hole counterpart, reflecting a distinct character in charge-lattice coupling. These theoretical insights offer a direct interpretation of optical and spectroscopic experiments, providing strong evidence of anisotropic multi-centered polaronic behavior in BiVO$_{4}$. The presence of multiple in-gap states, especially from multi-centered polarons, introduces new channels for charge transport and recombination, possibly offering opportunities to control carrier dynamics in nanoscale photocatalytic and optoelectronic devices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_19853
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Metastable Multi-centered Polarons in BiVO$_{4}$
Park, Seyeon
Zhang, Yajing
Reticcioli, Michele
Franchini, Cesare
Kim, Bongjae
Materials Science
Computational Physics
Polarons, quasiparticles formed through interactions between lattice and charge carriers (electrons and holes), strongly influence the electronic and optical properties of functional materials. In nanostructured BiVO$_{4}$, polaron formation and dynamics govern photocatalytic efficiency and charge transport, yet the microscopic nature remains not fully resolved. Here, using first-principles calculations, we report the formation of multi-centered polarons, in contrast to the more common single-centered states. Moreover, electron polarons exhibit pronounced anisotropy compared to the isotropic hole counterpart, reflecting a distinct character in charge-lattice coupling. These theoretical insights offer a direct interpretation of optical and spectroscopic experiments, providing strong evidence of anisotropic multi-centered polaronic behavior in BiVO$_{4}$. The presence of multiple in-gap states, especially from multi-centered polarons, introduces new channels for charge transport and recombination, possibly offering opportunities to control carrier dynamics in nanoscale photocatalytic and optoelectronic devices.
title Metastable Multi-centered Polarons in BiVO$_{4}$
topic Materials Science
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.19853