Electronic structure and photoluminescence properties of Eu-activated Ca2BN2F

The electronic structure of undoped and luminescence properties of Eu²⁺-doped Ca₂BN₂F have been investigated. First-principles calculations for Ca₂BN₂F show that the valence band is mainly composed of F and N 2p, B 2s and 2p orbitals, while the Ca 4s and 3d are almost empty, indicating that Ca₂BN₂F is a very ionic compound. The valence band close to the Fermi level is dominated by the N 2p states, and the bottom of the conduction band is determined by the Ca 3d and N/B 3s orbitals. The direct energy gap is calculated to be about 3.1 eV, in fair agreement with the experimental data of ∼3.6 eV derived from the diffuse reflection spectrum. Due to the high degree of ionic bonding of the coordinations of Eu with (N, F) on the Ca sites, Ca₂BN₂F:Eu²⁺ shows strong blue emission with a maximum at about 420 nm upon UV excitation in the absorption range of 330-400 nm.     

First-principle studies of Ca-X (X=Si,Ge,Sn,Pb) intermetallic compounds

The structural properties, elastic properties, heats of formation, electronic structures, and densities of states of 20 intermetallic compounds in the Ca-X (X=Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) systems have been systematically investigated by using first-principle calculations. Our computational results indicated that with increasing atomic weight of X, the bulk modulus of Ca-X intermetallic compounds decreases gradually. It was also found that Ca₃₆Sn₂₃ and CaPb are mechanically unstable phases. Results on the electronic energy band and densities of states also indicated that Ca₃Si₄ is an indirect band gap semiconductor with a band gap of 0.598 eV, and Ca₂Si, Ca₂Ge, Ca₂Sn, and Ca₂Pb are direct band gap semiconductors with band gaps of 0.324, 0.265, 0.06, and 0.07 eV, respectively. In addition, it is found that the absolute values of heats of formation for all Ca-X intermetallics are larger than 30 kJ/mol atom.     

Light Absorption Properties and Electronic Band Structures of Lead‐Vanadium Oxyhalide Apatites Pb5(VO4)3X (X=F,Cl, Br,I)

The Pb‐V oxyhalide apatite compounds Pb₅(VO₄)₃X (X=F, Cl, Br, I) were successfully synthesized using a facile solution method and studied with respect to their structural/optical characteristics and electronic band structures. UV‐visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical analysis and first‐principles calculations showed that the synthesized apatites behaved as n‐type semiconductors, with absorption bands in the UV‐visible region that could be assigned to electron transitions from the valence band to a conduction band formed by hybridized V 3d and Pb 6p orbitals. Among the apatites examined, Pb₅(VO₄)₃I had the smallest band gap of 2.7 eV, due to an obvious contribution of I 5p orbitals to the valence band maximum. Based on its visible light absorption capability, Pb₅(VO₄)₃I generated a continuous anodic photocurrent under visible light (λ>420 nm) in a solution of 0.1 m NaI in acetonitrile.     

Stability and oxygen ionic conductivity of zircon-type Ce1−xAxVO4+δ (A=Ca, Sr)

Zircon-type Ce_1−xA_xVO_4+δ (A=Ca, Sr; x=0-0.2) are stable in air up to approximately 1300 K, whilst further heating or reducing oxygen partial pressure leads to formation of A-site deficient zircon and CeO_2−δ phases. The stability boundaries of Ce_1−xA_xVO_4+δ are comparable to those of vanadium dioxide and calcium orthovanadate. At oxygen pressures lower than 10⁻¹⁵ atm, perovskite-type CeVO_3−δ is formed. The oxygen ion transference numbers of Ce_1−xA_xVO_4+δ, determined by faradaic efficiency measurements in air, vary in the range from 2×10⁻⁴ to 6×10⁻³ at 973-1223 K, increasing with temperature. The oxygen ionic conductivity has activation energy of 87-112 kJ/mol and is essentially independent of A-site dopant content. Contrary to the ionic transport, p-type electronic conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of Ce_1−xA_xVO_4+δ are influenced by the divalent cation concentration. The average thermal expansion coefficients of Ce_1−xA_xVO_4+δ, calculated from high-temperature XRD and dilatometric data in air, are (4.7-6.1)×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹.     

Structure and conductivity of strontium-doped cerium orthovanadates Ce1−xSrxVO4 (0≤x≤0.175)

A-site substituted cerium orthovanadates, Ce_1−xSr_xVO₄, were synthesised by solid-state reactions. It was found that the solid solution limit in Ce_1−xSr_xVO₄ is at x=0.175. The crystal structure was analysed by X-ray diffraction and it exhibits a tetragonal zircon structure of space group I4₁/amd (1 4 1) with a=7.3670 (3) and c=6.4894 (1) Å for Ce_0.825Sr_0.175VO₄. The UV-vis absorption spectra indicated that the compounds have band gaps at room temperature in the range 4.5-4.6 eV. Conductivity measurements were performed for the first time up to the strontium solid solution limit in air and in dry 5% H₂/Ar with conductivity values at 600 °C ranging from 0.3 to 30 mS cm⁻¹ in air to 30-45 mS cm⁻¹ in reduced atmosphere. Sample Ce_0.825Sr_0.175VO₄ is redox stable at a temperature below 600 °C although the conductivity is not high enough to be used as an electrode for solid oxide fuel cells.     

Electronic band structure and chemical bonding in the new antiperovskites AsNMg3 and SbNMg3

The electronic properties of the new Mg-based antiperovskites AsNMg₃ and SbNMg₃ are investigated within the ab initio local-density full-potential LMTO-GGA method. Both compounds are ionic wide-gap semiconductors with a direct energy gap at Γ of 1.332 eV for AsNMg₃ and an indirect energy gap (Γ→M transitions) of 0.623 eV for SbNMg₃. The valence bands are composed mainly of N 2p and (As,Sb) np states. There is some covalent mixing between Mg-N and Mg-(As,Sb) valence states. The equilibrium values of lattice constants and the bulk modulus were also obtained.     

Semiconducting thin films of zinc selenide quantum dots

A novel chemical route for deposition of zinc selenide quantum dots in thin film form is developed. The deposited films are characterized with very high purity in crystallographic sense, and behave as typical intrinsic semiconductors. Evolution of the average crystal size, lattice constant, lattice strain and the optical properties of the films upon thermal treatment is followed and discussed. The band gap energy of as-deposited ZnSe films is blue-shifted by ≈0.50 eV with respect to the bulk value, while upon annealing treatment it converges to 2.58 eV. Two discrete electronic states which originate from the bulk valence band are observed in the UV-VIS spectra of ZnSe 3D quantum dots deposited in thin film form via allowed electronic transitions to the 1S electronic state arising from the bulk conduction band—appearing at 3.10 and 3.50 eV. The splitting between these two states is approximately equal to the spin-orbit splitting in the case of bulk ZnSe. The electronic transitions in the case of non-quantized annealed films are discussed in terms of the direct allowed band-to-band transitions with the spin-orbit splitting of the valence band of 0.40 eV. The effective mass approximation model (i.e., the Brus model) with the static relative dielectric constant of bulk ZnSe fails to predict correctly the size dependence of the band gap energy, while only a slight improvement is obtained when the hyperbolic band model is applied. However, when substantially smaller value for ε_r (2.0 instead of 8.1) is used in the Brus model, an excellent agreement with the experimental data is obtained, which supports some earlier indications that the quantum dots ε_r value could be significantly smaller than the bulk material value. The ionization energy of a deep donor impurity level calculated on the basis of the temperature dependence of the film resistivity is 0.82 eV at 0 K.     

Synthesis, crystal chemistry and physical properties of the Ruddlesden-Popper phases Sr3Fe2−xNixO7−δ (0?x?1.0)

The crystal chemistry, electronic structure, and electrical and magnetic properties of the novel perovskite-related nickel oxides Sr₃Fe_2−xNi_xO_7−δ with 0?x?1.0 have been studied. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction (ED) data indicate that the samples have a tetragonal (Space group I4/mmm) structure. ED patterns and high-resolution images reveal the presence of a regular stacking along the c-axis for the x=1.0 sample. The lattice parameters, oxygen content, and average oxidation state of iron and nickel decrease with increasing Ni content. The electronic structure of the x=1.0 sample was studied by M 2p X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An analysis of the spectra using the cluster model indicates that this material is in the negative charge-transfer regime and the ground state is dominated by the 3dⁿ⁺¹L configuration with 2p holes (L) in the oxygen band. The insulator states are stabilized due to a p-p type band gap that arises because the p-d transfer integral T_σ dominates over the O 2p bandwith. Although magnetic measurements reveal the presence of ferromagnetic interactions that lead to magnetic frustration at , no long-range magnetic order was observed for the samples with x?0.3. The electrical resistivity decreases with increasing Ni content as the p-p band gap tend to close due to the reduction of the T_σ value. Negative magnetoresistance (∼−24% for x=0.6 and −7% for x=1.0 at 20 K and 9 T) was observed for the Ni containing samples.     

KBiMS4 (M=Si, Ge): Synthesis, structure, and electronic structure

Two new bismuth sulfides KBiSiS₄ and KBiGeS₄ have been synthesized by means of the reactive flux method. They adopt the RbBiSiS₄ structure type and crystallize in space group P2₁/c of the monoclinic system. The structure consists of (M=Si, Ge) layers separated by bicapped trigonal-prismatically coordinated K atoms. The M atom is tetrahedrally coordinated to four S atoms and the Bi atom is coordinated to a distorted monocapped trigonal prism of seven S atoms. The optical band gap of 2.25(2) eV for KBiSiS₄ was deduced from the diffuse reflectance spectrum. From a band structure calculation, the optical absorption for KBiSiS₄ originates from the layer. The Si 3p orbitals, Bi 6p orbitals, and S 3p orbitals are highly hybridized near the Fermi level. The orbitals of K have no contributions on both the upper of valence band and the bottom of conduction band.     

Cation Distribution of the Transparent Conductor and Spinel Oxide Solution Cd1+xIn2−xSnxO4

The cation distribution in the transparent conducting oxide Cd_1+xIn_2−xSn_xO₄ was investigated to determine if there is a correlation between structure and electronic properties. Combined Rietveld refinements of neutron and X-ray diffraction data and ¹¹⁹Sn Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis were used to show that the cation distribution changed with x(0≤x≤0.7) from a primarily normal spinel (x=0) to an increasingly random spinel. CdIn₂O₄ quenched from 1175°C has an inversion parameter of 0.31 (i.e., (Cd_0.69In_0.31)^tet(In_1.69Cd_0.31)^octO₄). The inversion parameter decreases to 0.27 as the quench temperature is lowered from 1175°C to 1000°C. The decrease in inversion parameter with temperature correlates with an increase in optical gap from 3.0 eV to 3.3 eV for specimens prepared at 1175°C and 800°C, respectively. We show that this is a consequence of an increase in the fundamental band gap.     

Structural analysis and characterization of layer perovskite oxynitrides made from Dion-Jacobson oxide precursors

A three-layer oxynitride Ruddlesden-Popper phase Rb_1+xCa₂Nb₃O_10−xN_x·yH₂O (x=0.7-0.8, y=0.4-0.6) was synthesized by ammonialysis at 800 °C from the Dion-Jacobson phase RbCa₂Nb₃O₁₀ in the presence of Rb₂CO₃. Incorporation of nitrogen into the layer perovskite structure was confirmed by XPS, combustion analysis, and MAS NMR. The water content was determined by thermal gravimetric analysis and the rubidium content by ICP-MS. A similar layered perovskite interconversion occurred in the two-layer Dion-Jacobson oxide RbLaNb₂O₇ to yield Rb_1+xLaNb₂O_7−xN_x·yH₂O (x=0.7-0.8, y=0.5-1.0). Both compounds were air- and moisture-sensitive, with rapid loss of nitrogen by oxidation and hydrolysis reactions. The structure of the three-layer oxynitride Rb_1.7Ca₂Nb₃O_9.3N_0.7·0.5H₂O was solved in space group P4/mmm with a=3.887(3) and , by Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction data. The two-layer oxynitride structure Rb_1.8LaNb₂O_6.3N_0.7·1.0H₂O was also determined in space group P4/mmm with a=3.934(2) and . GSAS refinement of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data showed that the water molecules were intercalated between a double layer of Rb+ ions in both the two- and three-layer Ruddlesden-Popper structures. Optical band gaps were measured by diffuse reflectance UV-vis for both materials. An indirect band gap of 2.51 eV and a direct band gap of 2.99 eV were found for the three-layer compound, while an indirect band gap of 2.29 eV and a direct band gap of 2.84 eV were measured for the two-layer compound. Photocatalytic activity tests of the three-layer compound under 380 nm pass filtered light with AgNO₃ as a sacrificial electron acceptor gave a quantum yield of 0.025% for oxygen evolution.     

YBa2Cu3O7 electro-magnetic optic effects in Ba L2,3 X-ray absorption near Tc

The onset of electro-magnetic optic effects, observed at the Ba L_2,3 edges synchrotron X-ray absorption by a YBa₂Cu₃O₇ single crystal, 20 K above the transition temperature to superconductivity, T_c ∼ 92 K is used to identify the role played by the Ba donor layer in the transition to superconductivity in the CuO₂ layers. Negative permeability leads to Faraday rotation of the transmitted beam below T = 112 to 56 K for the 22 μm thick single crystal (c-axis orientation of 8π/18 relative to ε_X-rays) and sharp changes in the density of empty final states lead to zero transmitted radiation in an interval ΔE at the given orientation. The temperature dependence: ΔE(L₂) = 1.4, 3.5 and 3.9 eV, while ΔE(L₃) = 5.3, 6 and 7 eV at T = 92, 74 and 63 K, respectively, indicates that the width of the empty final states bands increases as T decreases. ΔE(L₃)/ΔE(L₂) = 3.8 at 92 K to 1.8 at 63 K also indicates that the d_5/2 symmetry bands fill faster than those of d_3/2 symmetry below T_c, providing the first experimental evidence of unpaired spin-orbit states in the Ba donor layer of a superconductor. These effects, characteristic of ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic materials near a resonance absorption, signal the onset of a Mott transition. The interaction between the layer states is described using 1D conjugate molecular orbitals.     

The layered metal Ti2PTe2

Crystals of Ti₂PTe₂ have been synthesised by chemical vapour transport. Ti₂PTe₂ crystallises, isostructural to the mineral tetradymite (Bi₂STe₂), in the space group R3¯m with unit-cell parameters a=3.6387(2) Å and c=28.486(2) Å for the hexagonal setting. In the structure, layers of isolated phosphide and telluride anions form an ordered close sphere-packing with titanium cations filling two-thirds of the octahedral voids. From XANES fluorescence, the presence of Ti⁴⁺ is clearly established. In accordance with the ionic formula (Ti⁴⁺)₂(P³⁻)(Te²⁻)₂(e⁻) metallic conductivity (ρ=40 μΩ cm at 300 K) and nearly temperature-independent paramagnetism are found. The electronic band structure shows bands of titanium states crossing the Fermi level in directions corresponding to the ab-plane and a band gap along the c-axis.     

Isomorphous substitution of europium for strontium in the structure of synthetic hydroxovanadate

Polycrystalline strontium-europium hydroxovanadates Sr_10−xEu_x(VO₄)₆(OH)_2−xO_x were synthesized and studied by X-ray powder diffraction, infrared absorption and diffuse-reflectance spectroscopies and also thermogravimetry. The single-phase region of isomorphous substitution of Eu for Sr in hydroxovanadate has been found to lie in the compositional interval 0?x?0.18 at 800 °C. Refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns by the Rietveld method shows that Eu substitutes for Sr preferentially at the Sr(1) sites of the apatite structure. The substitution results in a more uniform distribution of Sr-O bond lengths in coordination polyhedra both around Sr (1) and Sr (2) sites and also in a slight contraction of the vanadate anion VO₄³⁻. Synthetic Sr hydroxovanadates absorb a considerable amount of water in two forms: capillary condensed and chemically combined. The latter form may be absorbed at temperatures as high as 500 °C.     

VO3/CeO2(111)催化剂上丙烷氧化脱氢反应活性和选择性的密度泛函理论研究

低碳烯烃一直以来都是化工行业非常重要的基础原料,一般采用烷烃直接热裂解制得,但该方法耗能很大,经济价值有限.近年来,人们开始尝试利用氧化脱氢反应(ODH)方法制备低碳烯烃,并取得了巨大的研究进展,其中稀土氧化物负载钒氧化物催化剂具有良好的低碳烷烃氧化脱氢性能.本文分析了前人对于钒氧化物负载在CeO2表面的计算研究结果,并选取了最具代表性的VO3/CeO2(111)作为烷烃ODH制烯烃的模型催化剂,详细研究了丙烷在该催化剂体系中发生ODH反应机理.通过使用密度泛函理论,对丙烷在VO3/CeO2(111)催化剂上断裂第一根和第二根碳氢键的反应过程进行了理论模拟,并对比了丙烷制丙烯中碳氢键断裂先后的活化能及VO3/CeO2(111)催化剂材料自身的电子性质.结果表明,该催化剂的电子结构在丙烷氧化脱氢反应中扮演关键角色.在丙烷分子断裂第一根碳氢键的反应过程中,会产生两个自由电子,对其电子结构分析发现,其中的一个自由电子会局域在由VO3/CeO2(111)催化剂中五个相关氧原子的2p轨道所形成的新发生局域空轨道(NELS)上,这个独特的新发生局域空轨道只能接受一个电子,另一个电子则会通过丙基在CeO2表面发生吸附将电子传递到CeO2表面的Ce原子上;当丙烷分子进一步发生第二根碳氢键断裂反应时,同样会产生两个新的局域电子,其中一个电子局域在Ce的4f轨道上,此时CeO2表面存在两个局域电子,相互排斥,导致该催化剂上丙烷断裂第二根碳氢键所需的活化能远高于第一根碳氢键.综上,本文对VO3/CeO2(111)催化剂上低碳烷烃ODH反应独特的催化活性和选择性给出了较为细致的分析和解释.     

X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Diffuse Reflectance Infra Fourier Transformation (DRIFT) study of Ba0.5Sr0.5CoxFe1−xO3−δ (BSCF: x=0-0.8) ceramics

The X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of sintered BSCF ceramics (Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_xFe_1-xO_3-δ,0≤x≤0.8) were measured at room temperature (RT). Peak areas of Fe_2p1, Fe_2p3, Fe_3p and Co_3p increased systematically with increasing cobalt concentration, while their binding energies (BEs) remained the same (723.3, 710.0, 55.0 and 60.9 eV, respectively). However, the BEs of lattice oxygen in O_1s (528.1 eV) and Ba_4d for the BaO bond (87.9V and 90.2 eV) increased with increasing cobalt concentration. The shoulder peak of Ba_3d/Co_2p increased from 778.0 to 778.7 eV, which implies that this peak can be attributed to another Ba XPS peak (described as Ba_2nd in this study) due to the overlapping area between barium cations and oxygen anions. The overall peak areas of Ba_4d increased up to x=0.4, and then decreased, which coincides with the behavior of the Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) bands representing adsorbed CO₃²⁻ (νCO₃²⁻) and structurally bonded CO₃²⁻ (ν₂, ν₃) (800-1200 and 862/1433 cm⁻¹, respectively).     

Ab-initio study of the structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of CdAl2Se4 defect-chalcopyrite

The complex density functional theory (DFT) calculations of structural, electronic, linear and nonlinear optical properties for the defect chalcopyrite CdAl₂Se₄ compound have been reported using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code. We employed the Wu and Cohen generalized gradient approximation (GGA-WC), which is based on exchange-correlation energy optimization to calculate the total energy. Also we have used the Engel-Vosko GGA formalism, which optimizes the corresponding potential for band structure, density of states and the spectral features of the linear and nonlinear optical properties. This compound has a wide direct energy band gap of about 2.927 eV with both the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum located at the center of the Brillouin zone. The ground state quantities such as lattice parameters (a, c, x, y and z), bulk modulus B and its pressure derivative B′ are evaluated. We have calculated the frequency-dependent complex ε(ω), its zero-frequency limit ε₁(0), refractive index n(ω), birefringence Δn(ω), the reflectivity R(ω) and electron energy loss function L(ω). Calculations are reported for the frequency-dependent complex second-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities. We find opposite signs of the contributions of the 2ω and 1ω inter/intra-band to the imaginary part for the dominant component through the wide optical frequency range.     

Cationic Rydberg states observed in resonantly enhanced electron spectra of CS2

The inner valence electron spectrum of the CS₂ molecule has been investigated in the binding energy range between 18.6 and 26.3 eV using synchrotron radiation for ionisation. Photon energies in the range from 67 to about 167 eV have been used, with particular focus on 166.70, 166.89 and 167.09 eV for which S2p electrons are resonantly transferred into Rydberg orbitals close to the ionisation threshold. From there, autoionisation takes the molecule into various cationic states characterized by two valence holes and a Rydberg spectator electron. Many new bands are observed which contain vibrational progressions with spacings around 120 meV in most cases. These are assigned as excitations of the totally symmetric stretching ν₁ mode in the cationic state. The new bands reflect states in the cation that are close to the electronic states of the dication and assignments are made by comparison to double ionisation electron spectra.     

Revised phase diagram of Li2MoO4-ZnMoO4 system, crystal structure and crystal growth of lithium zinc molybdate

Orthorhombic lithium zinc molybdate was first chosen and explored as a candidate for double beta decay experiments with ¹⁰⁰Mo. The phase equilibria in the system Li₂MoO₄-ZnMoO₄ were reinvestigated, the intermediate compound Li₂Zn₂(MoO₄)₃ of the α-Cu₃Fe₄(VO₄)₆ (lyonsite) type was found to be nonstoichiometric: Li_2−2xZn_2+x(MoO₄)₃ (0≤x≤0.28) at 600 °C. The eutectic point corresponds to 650 °C and 23 mol% ZnMoO₄, the peritectic point is at 885 °C and 67 mol% ZnMoO₄. Single crystals of the compound were prepared by spontaneous crystallization from the melts and fluxes. In the structures of four Li_2−2xZn_2+x(MoO₄)₃ crystals (x=0; 0.03; 0.21; 0.23), the cationic sites in the face-shared octahedral columns were found to be partially filled and responsible for the compound nonstoichiometry. It was first showed that with increasing the x value and the number of vacancies in M3 site, the average M3-O distance grows and the lithium content in this site decreases almost linearly. Using the low-thermal-gradient Czochralski technique, optically homogeneous large crystals of lithium zinc molybdate were grown and their optical, luminescent and scintillating properties were explored.     

Synthesis, crystal and band structures, and properties of a new supramolecular complex (Hg2As)2(CdI4)

A new quaternary supramolecular complex (Hg₂As)₂ (CdI₄) (1) has been prepared by the solid-state reaction and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 1 crystallizes in the space group P2₁ of the monoclinic system with two formula units in a cell: a=7.945(4), b=12.934(6), c=8.094(4) Å, β=116.898°(1), V=741.7(6) Å³. The structure of 1 is characterized by a tridymite-like three-dimensional cationic framework, which is composed of mercury and arsenic atoms, with the channels being occupied by discrete CdI₄²⁻ tetrahedral guest-anions. The optical properties were investigated in terms of the diffuse reflectance and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The electronic band structure along with density of states (DOS) calculated by DFT method indicates that the present compound is a semiconductor with a direct band gap, and that the optical absorption is mainly originated from the charge transitions from I-5p and As-4p to Cd-5s and Hg-6s states.