Density functional investigation of structural, electronic and optical properties of Ge-doped ZnO

Recent experiments reported fascinating phenomenon of photoluminescence (PL) blueshift in Ge-doped ZnO. To understand it, we examined the structural, electronic and optical properties of Ge-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ge) systematically by means of density functional theory calculations. Our results show that Ge atoms tend to cluster in heavily doped ZnO. Ge clusters can limit the conductivity of doped ZnO but reinforce the near-band-edge emission. The substitutional Ge for Zn leads to Fermi level pinning in the conduction band, which indicates Ge-doped ZnO is of n-type conductivity character. It is found that the delocalized Ge 4s states hybridize with conduction band bottom, and is dominant in the region near the Fermi level, suggesting that Ge-4s states provides major free carriers in ZnO:Ge crystal. The observed blueshift of PL in Ge-doped ZnO originates from the electron transition energy from the valence band to the empty levels above Fermi level larger than the gap of undoped ZnO. The electron transition between the gap states induced by oxygen vacancy and conduction band minimum may be the origin of the new PL peak at 590 nm.     

Structural,electronic and optical properties of Ca3Bi2: First-principles investigation

In this work by applying first principles calculations structural, electronic and optical properties of Ca₃Bi₂ compound in hexagonal and cubic phases are studied within the framework of the density functional theory using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) approach. According to our study band gap for Ca₃Bi₂ in hexagonal phase are 0.47, 0.96 and 1?eV within the PBE-GGA, EV-GGA and mBJ-GGA, respectively. The corresponding values for cubic phase are 1.24, 2.08 and 2.14?eV, respectively. The effects of hydrostatic pressure on the behavior of the electronic properties such as band gap, valence bandwidths and anti-symmetry gap are investigated. It is found that the hydrostatic pressure increases the band widths of all bands below the Fermi energy while it decreases the band gap and the anti-symmetry gap. In our calculations, the dielectric tensor is derived within the random phase approximation (RPA). The first absorption peak in imaginary part of dielectric function for both phases is located in the energy range 2.0–2.5?eV which are beneficial to practical applications in optoelectronic devices in the visible spectral range. For instance, hexagonal phase of Ca₃Bi₂ with a band gap around 1?eV can be applied for photovoltaic application and cubic phase with a band gap of 2?eV can be used for water splitting application. Moreover, we found the optical spectra of hexagonal phase are anisotropic along E||x and E||z.     

Influence of tungsten doping concentration on the electronic and optical properties of anatase TiO2

The structural, electronic and optical properties of tungsten-doped TiO₂ have been investigated using density functional theory with plane wave basis sets and ultrasoft pseuodopotential. Substitutional W doping at Ti sites create W 5d states just below the conduction band minimum while interstitial W doping gives isolated W 5d states in the middle of forbidden region. Averaged bond lengths show that W doping at Ti sites produce minimum structural distortion as compared to the interstitial W-doped TiO₂. Substitutional W-doped TiO₂ has better visible light absorption compared to interstitial W-doped TiO₂ and has stable configuration which provide reasonable explanation for the experimental findings. Tungsten doping in TiO₂ with different doping concentrations is investigated as an enabling concept for enhancing the visible light absorption. Optical properties show that optimal W doping concentration would improve the visible light absorption. 2.08% W doping concentration gives strong visible and ultraviolet light absorption among all doped models found consistent with experiments.     

First-principles investigation of structural,electronic and optical properties of IVA group spinel nitrides

The Si₃N₄ and Ge₃N₄ are important structural ceramics with many applications because of their attractive high temperature and oxidation resistant properties. The high-pressure and high-temperature spinel phases of these two materials were noticed to have wide, direct electronic band gaps. Other single and double spinel nitrides formed from IVA and IVB group elements have also attracted much attention. Present research focuses on selecting a special substance with promising optical properties and stability besides the attractive electronic properties. The formation energies of spinel nitrides are calculated and stabilities of a group of spinel nitrides are discussed, the structural and electronic properties of them are investigated in detail. By random phase approximation (RPA), the optical properties of spinel nitrides are researched. We obtain that γ-SiGe₂N₄ has some promising properties with potential technological applications from various aspects. The band transitions which contribute most to the peak of ε₂ have been identified. An assumption is proposed to raise the peak of ε₂.     

Structural,electronic, and optical properties of ZnO:ZnSnN2 compounds for optoelectronics and photocatalyst applications

Semiconductors with suitable band gap are highly desirable for the applications in optoelectronic and energy conversion devices. In this work, using the recently developed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) density functional calculations in conjunction with hybrid functional, we investigate the structural, electronic, and optical properties of earth abundant element based ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds formed through alloying. The proposed ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds in the low energy configurations possess band gaps of 2.28 eV-2.52 eV. The decrease in band gap compared to ZnO is mainly attributed to the p-d repulsion between N 2p+O 2p and Zn 3d electrons that lifts the top of valence band. For the ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds studied the band edges straddle the water redox potentials and the absorption onsets lie in the visible light range. Our studies are helpful for ZnO:ZnSnN₂ compounds' experimental synthesis and future application in optoelectronics and photocatalyst.     

Theoretical studies on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Cu2CdGeSe4

We investigate the electronic structure for Cu₂CdGeSe₄ in stannite structure with the first-principles method. This crystal is the direct band gap compound. In addition, the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, reflectivity, and energy-loss function are studied using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. We discuss the optical transitions between the valence bands and the conduction bands in the spectra of the imaginary part of the dielectric function at length. We also find a very high absorption coefficient and wide absorption spectrum for this material. The prominent structures in the spectra of reflectivity and energy-loss function are discussed in detail.     

Stress and strain effects on the electronic structure and optical properties of ScN monolayer

Based on the density functional theory, electronic and optical properties of a monolayer scandium nitride structure have been studied under different strain conditions. Our results indicate that both biaxial compressive and tensile strain effects lead to change the band gap of this structure with different rates. Also, optical absorption spectrum peaks experience an obvious red and blue shifts with the exerting of tensile and compressive strains, respectively. Our results express that ScN monolayer can be the promising candidate for the future nano-base electrical and optical devices.     

Tuning of the electronic and optical properties of single-layer indium nitride by strain and stress

Using first principles calculations, electronic and optical properties of indium nitride graphene-like structure have been studied under various stress and strain values. The results exhibit that this compound in the range of ±6 applied biaxial strain remains a direct band gap semiconductor. Also, exerting stress and strain reduces the energy band gap of the considered materials. The optical calculations illustrate that applying stress and strain on system results in blue and red shift in optical spectra. All obtained results presented that we can tune the optoelectronic properties of indium nitride by applying stress and strain.     

高压对氮化硼纳米管的几何结构、电子结构和光学性质的影响

运用密度泛函理论平面波赝势方法(PWP)和广义梯度近似(GGA),计算研究了纳米管BN(5,5)在不同压力条件下的几何结构、电子结构和光学性质. 在高压条件下管口形状发生了较大的变化. 与闪锌矿结构BN比较分析发现两种结构间存在一些性质上的差异：首先,在外压力作用下,BN(5,5)纳米管的带隙随压力增大而减小,变化率为-0.01795eV/GPa,而闪锌矿结构BN随压力增大而增大;其次光吸收谱在压力条件下,没有和闪锌矿结构BN一样发生“蓝移”,相反在红外方向有所拓展;但纳米管BN(5,5)电子的转移方向和 关键词： 氮化硼纳米管 密度泛函理论(DFT) 电子结构     

First-principles study of the structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the monoclinic BiScO3

The structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the monoclinic BiScO₃ are investigated in the framework of the density functional theory. The calculated structural parameters are in agreement with the experimental values. Moreover, the structural stability of BiScO₃ system has been confirmed by the calculated elastic constants. The band structure, density of states, charge transfers and bond populations are also given. The results indicate that BiScO₃ has a direct band gap of 3.36 eV between the occupied O 2p states and unoccupied Bi 6p states, and its bonding behavior is a combination of covalent and ionic nature. Finally, the absorption spectrum, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity, energy-loss function and dielectric function of the monoclinic BiScO₃ are calculated. In addition, the variation of the static dielectric constants ε₁(0) as a function of pressure for BiScO₃ is also discussed.     

Structural,electronic, and optical properties of bulk Cu2Se

By using first-principles calculations within the density functional theory and the many-body perturbation theory, we investigate the structural, electronic, and optical properties of bulk Cu₂Se with a recently discovered low-temperature layered configuration. We demonstrate that the effects of the van der Waals forces significantly modify the interlayer binding and distance in the layered Cu₂Se, while the band gap is invariant. Our density functional theory and post-processing GW calculations reveal that for the layered structure, GW correction remedies the serious band-gap underestimation of the density functional theory from 0.12 eV to 0.99 eV. By solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation, we find that the optical gap of the layered Cu₂Se is 0.86 eV, which is in close agreement with previous experimental observations. In addition, we show that the high-temperature fluorite structure has no band gap, even after GW correction, explaining that the band gap controversy among the theories stems from different structural models. This work may serve as an important guide in designing and evaluating photovoltaic devices using Cu₂Se-based materials.     

Effect of substitutional impurities on the electronic transport properties of graphene

Density-functional theory in combination with the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism is used to study the effect of substitutional doping on the electronic transport properties of hydrogen passivated zig-zag graphene nanoribbon devices. B, N and Si atoms are used to substitute carbon atoms located at the center or at the edge of the sample. We found that Si-doping results in better electronic transport as compared to the other substitutions. The transmission spectrum also depends on the location of the substitutional dopants: for single atom doping the largest transmission is obtained for edge substitutions, whereas substitutions in the middle of the sample give larger transmission for double carbon substitutions. The obtained results are explained in terms of electron localization in the system due to the presence of impurities.     

Cd、Sr掺杂Mg2Ge电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

此文用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理计算方法,分别研究了本征、掺Cd、掺Sr的Mg₂Ge的能带结构、电子态密度和光学性质.研究结果表明,本征Mg₂Ge是一种间接带隙半导体,带隙值为0.228eV.Sr的掺入使其变成带隙为0.591 eV的直接带隙半导体,Cd掺杂Mg₂Ge后表现出半金属性质.掺杂后的主要吸收峰减小,吸收谱范围增加.在可见光能量范围内,掺杂的Mg₂Ge有更低的反射率,对可见光的利用率增强.此外,掺杂还提高了高能区的光电导率.     

ZnSe小团簇结构稳定性和电子性质研究

文章研究了小尺寸的(ZnSe)n团簇(n=2-16)的结构和电子性质.通过手工搭建得到团簇结构,用DMol软件包进行结构优化和能量计算,最后分析计算结果 .研究结果表明,对于n=2-4,平面环状结构的能量最低;对于n=5,非平面环状结构的能量最低;对于n=6-12,空心笼状结构的能量最低;对于n=13,核-壳笼状结构的能量最低;对于n=14-16,依旧是空心笼状结构的能量最低.通过分析(ZnSe)_n团簇(n=2-16)的电子性质,我们可以得到,(ZnSe)_9团簇、(ZnSe)_(12)团簇具有很好的稳定性.     

Structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of pristine and oxygen-adsorbed graphene nanoribbons

The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of pristine and oxygen-adsorbed (3,0) zigzag and (6,1) armchair graphene nanoribbons have been investigated theoretically, by employing the ab initio pseudopotential method within the density functional scheme. The zigzag nanoribbon is more stable with antiferromagnetically coupled edges, and is semiconducting. The armchair nanoribbon does not show any preference for magnetic ordering and is semiconducting. The oxygen molecule in its triplet state is adsorbed most stably at the edge of the zigzag nanoribbon. The Stoner metallic behaviour of the ferromagnetic nanoribbons and the Slater insulating (ground state) behaviour of the antiferromagnetic nanoribbons remain intact upon oxygen adsorption. However, the local magnetic moment of the edge carbon atom of the ferromagnetic zigzag ribbon is drastically reduced, due to the formation of a spin-paired C-O bond.     

Effects of aluminum vacancies on electronic structure and optical properties of Ta4AlC3: A first principles study

We investigated the effect of aluminum vacancies (V_Al) on the structural, electronic and optical properties of Ta₄Al_1−xC₃ (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75) based on the first-principle calculation using density functional theory. We found that the lattice constant a remains almost unchanged with the variation of V_Al concentration, while c and c/a ratio decrease with increasing V_Al concentration. Moreover V_Al induced local distortions have significant influence on the electronic and optical properties of Ta₄AlC₃, especially beyond the critical V_Al concentration (x=0.5). On the other hand, the presence of V_Al can improve the dielectric properties of Ta₄AlC₃. From the optical properties analysis, we predicted that Ta₄Al_1−xC₃ is not suitable as a coating material to avoid solar heating.     

Structural and electronic properties of the TiC nanotubes: Density functional-based tight binding calculations

Atomic models of the hypothetical single- and multi-walled cylindrical- and prismatic-like TiC nanotubes have been constructed and their structural and electronic properties have been studied by means of density functional-based tight binding (DFTB) method. The electronic bands, densities of states and binding energies are analyzed as a function of the TiC tubes sizes. Our calculations showed that TiC nanotubes are semiconducting, in contrary to the metallic-like crystalline TiC, and the band gaps tend to vanish as the number of tube walls increase.     

四种耐热含能化合物电子结构的第一性原理研究

本文模拟计算了2,2’,4,4’,6,6’-六硝基联苯(HNBP)、2,2’,4,4’,6,6’-六硝基二苯乙烯(HNS)、2,5-二苦基-1,3,4-噁二唑(DPO)和5,5''-双(2,4,6-三硝基苯基)-2,2''-双(1,3,4-噁二唑)(TKX-55)四种耐热含能化合物的分子结构、Mulliken电荷布居、分子静电势(MEP)和Hirshfeld表面, 通过研究其分子特性、电子特性以及分子间相互作用, 以了解高耐热性含能化合物的耐热机理. 结果表明, 桥连接结构的复杂性以及分子间强氢键相互作用会增强含能化合物的稳定性. 此外, 本研究还发现中间基团的加入会对四种含能化合物分子两侧芳香环上碳原子的电荷分布以及分子表面正负静电势区域面积产生一定的影响.     

硫化锡电子结构和光学性质的量子尺寸效应

基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算,系统研究了硫化锡(SnS)晶体、纳米单层及多层的结构稳定性、电子结构和光学性质.结果表明:由于相对弱的层间范德瓦尔斯力作用,SnS单层纳米片可以像石墨烯等二维材料一样从块体中剥离出来;受制于量子尺寸效应和层间相互作用的影响,SnS的结构稳定性随层数减少而逐渐减弱,其带隙随层数减少而逐渐增大;由于材料的本征激发和吸收取决于电子结构,因此改变SnS材料的层数可以到达调控其光学性质的目的;SnS块体和纳米结构的主要光学吸收峰起源于Sn-5s,5p和S-2p轨道之间的电子跃迁;并且从块体到单层纳米结构,SnS的光学吸收峰出现明显的蓝移.本文的研究将有助于SnS材料在太阳能电池领域的应用.