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We present an update on recently developed methodology and functionality in the computer program Local Orbital Basis Suite Toward Electronic‐Structure Reconstruction (LOBSTER) for chemical‐bonding analysis in periodic systems. LOBSTER is based on an analytic projection from projector‐augmented wave (PAW) density‐functional theory (DFT) computations (Maintz et al., J. Comput. Chem.2013, 34, 2557), reconstructing chemical information in terms of local, auxiliary atomic orbitals and thereby opening the output of PAW‐based DFT codes to chemical interpretation. We demonstrate how LOBSTER has been improved by taking into account time‐reversal symmetry, thereby speeding up the DFT and LOBSTER calculations by a factor of 2. Over the recent years, the functionalities have also been continually expanded, including accurate projected densities of states (DOSs), crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) analysis, atomic and orbital charges, gross populations, and the recently introduced k‐dependent COHP. The software is offered free‐of‐charge for non‐commercial research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The computer program LOBSTER (Local Orbital Basis Suite Towards Electronic-Structure Reconstruction) enables chemical-bonding analysis based on periodic plane-wave (PAW) density-functional theory (DFT) output and is applicable to a wide range of first-principles simulations in solid-state and materials chemistry. LOBSTER incorporates analytic projection routines described previously in this very journal [J. Comput. Chem. 2013, 34, 2557] and offers improved functionality. It calculates, among others, atom-projected densities of states (pDOS), projected crystal orbital Hamilton population (pCOHP) curves, and the recently introduced bond-weighted distribution function (BWDF). The software is offered free-of-charge for non-commercial research. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase-change materials (PCMs) are widely used for data storage and in other functional devices. Despite their seemingly simple compositions, these materials exhibit intriguing microscopic complexity and a portfolio of interesting properties. In this Feature Article, it is shown that structural and electronic peculiarities on the atomic scale are key determinants for the technological success of PCMs. Particular emphasis is put on the interplay of different experimental and theoretical methods, on the bonding nature of crystalline and amorphous PCMs, and on the role of surfaces and nanostructures. Then, unconventional transport properties of the crystalline phases are highlighted, both with regard to electrical and heat conduction. Finally, perspectives and future directions are drawn: for finding new PCMs based on microscopic understanding, and also for new applications of these materials in emerging fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum-chemical computations of solids benefit enormously from numerically efficient plane-wave (PW) basis sets, and together with the projector augmented-wave (PAW) method, the latter have risen to one of the predominant standards in computational solid-state sciences. Despite their advantages, plane waves lack local information, which makes the interpre-tation of local densities-of-states (DOS) difficult and precludes the direct use of atom-resolved chemical bonding indicators such as the crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) and the crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) techniques. Recently, a number of methods have been proposed to over-come this fundamental issue, built around the concept of basis-set projection onto a local auxiliary basis. In this work, we propose a novel computational technique toward this goal by transferring the PW/PAW wavefunctions to a properly cho- sen local basis using analytically derived expressions. In partic-ular, we describe a general approach to project both PW and PAW eigenstates onto given custom orbitals, which we then exemplify at the hand of contracted multiple-Ç Slater-type orbitals. The validity of the method presented here is illus-trated by applications to chemical textbook examples--dia-mond, gallium arsenide, the transition-metal titanium--as well as nanoscale allotropes of carbon: a nanotube and the C6o full-erene. Remarkably, the analytical approach not only recovers the total and projected electronic DOS with a high degree of confidence, but it also yields a realistic chemical-bonding pic-ture in the framework of the projected COHP method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]