Structural,elastic, electronic,optical and thermoelectric properties of the Zintl-phase Ae3AlAs3 (Ae = Sr,Ba)

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the structural, elastic, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of the Zintl-phase Ae₃AlAs₃ (Ae = Sr, Ba) using two complementary approaches based on density functional theory. The pseudopotential plane-wave method was used to explore the structural and elastic properties whereas the full-potential linearised augmented plane wave approach was used to study the structural, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties. The calculated structural parameters are in good consistency with the corresponding measured ones. The single-crystal and polycrystalline elastic constants and related properties were examined in details. The electronic properties, including energy band dispersions, density of states and charge-carrier effective masses, were computed using Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson functional for the exchange-correlation potential. It is found that both studied compounds are direct band gap semiconductors. Frequency-dependence of the linear optical functions were predicted for a wide photon energy range up to 15 eV. Charge carrier concentration and temperature dependences of the basic parameters of the thermoelectric properties were explored using the semi-classical Boltzmann transport model. Our calculations unveil that the studied compounds are characterised by a high thermopower for both carriers, especially the p-type conduction is more favourable.     

GeI2 monolayer: a model thermoelectric material from 300 to 600 K

ABSTRACT

In this work, the electronic structure, optical properties and thermoelectric properties of the GeI₂ monolayer are calculated by the first principles with the Boltzmann transport equation. The monolayer is calculated as an indirect band gap semiconductor with an indirect band gap of a value 2.19?eV. This GeI₂ monolayer is good for absorbing low-energy photons, and it is insensitive to high-energy photons. The material is stable at temperatures up to 600?K, so we calculated the thermal conductivity (K_L), Seebeck coefficient (S), power factor (PF) and thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of the GeI₂ monolayer at various carrier concentrations from 300 to 600?K. Due to the lower group velocity, the GeI₂ monolayer has a lower thermal conductivity of 0.48?W/m?K at 300K. In P-type doping, the power factor can up to 0.11?mW/m?K², and its ZT value is 4.04 at 600?K of the GeI₂ monolayer, indicating that the GeI₂ monolayer is a potential thermoelectric material.     

晶粒尺寸对CoSb3化合物热电性能的影响

系统地研究了晶粒尺寸对CoSb₃化合物热电性能的影响规律，结果表明晶粒尺寸对CoSb₃化合物的晶格热导率κ_p、电导率σ、能隙宽度E_g和Seebeck系数α有显著影响.当晶粒尺寸由微米尺度减小到纳米尺度时，晶格热导率κ_p显著降低，Seebeck系数α有较大幅度的增加，能隙宽度E_g变宽，电导率σ有一定程度的下降.平均晶粒尺寸为200nm的CoSb₃化合物在温度为700K时，ZT值达到0.43，比平均晶粒尺寸为5000nm的试样增加了4倍.     

DFT investigation on the electronic and thermoelectric properties of ternary semiconductor AgBiS2 for energy conversion application

Via the FP-APW+lo method, we have performed a systematic theoretical study of the structural, electronic and thermoelectric properties of β-AgBiS₂ compound. The estimated structural properties such as cell parameters a and c, c/a ratio and internal parameters are in reasonable agreement with the earlier measured one. From band structure calculations we have found that β-AgBiS₂ is semiconductor with a band gap of 1.23 eV using the TB-mBJ approximation. In addition, the analysis of the total and partial DOS shows a considerable hybridization between Ag ‘d’ states and S ‘p’, Bi ‘s’ states indicating that both Ag-S and Bi-S have covalent character. The main thermoelectric properties such as electrical conductivity, thermo-power, electronic thermal conductivity, power factor and figure of merit are calculated and discussed. We observed that ZT increases when temperature is augmented and reached its maximum of 0.95 and 0.85 at 2 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ for p and n-type doping, respectively. Thus, β-AgBiS₂ compound has interesting thermoelectric properties in both p and n-type doping.     

Theoretical investigation of electronic structure and optical response in relation to the transport properties of Ga1−xInxN (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75)

The state-of-the-art all-electron FLPAW method and the BoltzTrap software package based on semi-classical theory were adopted to explore the electronic structure and the optical and thermoelectric properties of Ga_1−xIn_xN. Ga_1−xIn_xN is predicted to be a direct band gap material for all values of x. Moreover, the band gap varies between 2.99 eV and 1.95 eV as x changes. Optical parameters such as the dielectric constant, absorption coefficient, reflectivity and refractive index are calculated and discussed in detail. The doping of In plays an important role in the modulation of the optical constants. The static dielectric constant ɛ(0) of Ga_1−xIn_xN was calculated as 3.95, 3.99, 3.99 and 4.03 at x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75, respectively. The static refractive index is 2.0 for pure Ga_1−xIn_xN at x = 0.00. The thermal properties varied greatly as x fluctuated. The ternary alloy has large values for the Seebeck coefficient and figure of merit at high temperatures and is thus suitable for thermoelectric applications. Pure Ga_1−xIn_xN at x = 0 exhibited ZT = 0.80 at room temperature, and at higher temperatures, the thermal conductivity decreased with increased In doping.     

First-principles study of structural,electronic, thermodynamic,and thermoelectric properties of a new ternary half-Heusler alloy PdZrGe

This work concerns a predictive study of PdZrGe half-Heusler compound with 18 valence electrons. The structural and electronic properties are investigated by using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within the framework of generalized gradient approximation (GGA). To investigate the thermodynamic properties, we are applying the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The semi-classical Boltzmann theory as implemented in the BoltzTraP code is used to study the thermoelectric properties. We have found that the PdZrGe alloy is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Also the PdZrGe exhibit a negative thermal expansion. The Seebeck coefficient (S) is relatively high (237 µV/K at 300?K) due to its semiconducting nature. The calculated thermoelectric figure of merit is 0.759 at 300?K; this result indicates that our compound is an excellent candidate for practical applications in the thermoelectric field.     

Thermoelectric properties of stannite-phase CuZn2AS4 (CZAS; A=Al,Ga and In) nanocrystals for solar energy conversion applications

The current study aimed to comprehensively investigate structural, electronic, optical and transport properties of quaternary semiconductor CuZn₂AS₄ (CZAS; A=Al, Ga and In) nanocrystals (NCs). Based on energy considerations, the stannite structure (I-42m; No. 121) is found to be more stable than the kesterite (I-4; No.82) and wurtzite (P6₃mc; No.186) type structures. By means of hybrid functional calculations, these nanocrystals have direct band gap of 0.81–1.71 eV with a high absorption coefficient of >10⁴ cm^?1, which are well-suited for use in solar energy-conversion applications. Some of the latest advances in applications of these nanocrystals in thermoelectric applications are also highlighted in the current study. It is observed that transport coefficients of these materials are found to be nearly direction independent and isotropic. All three samples are p-type conductors at room temperature. Especially, the Seebeck coefficient of CuZn₂AlS₄ is even larger than that of CuZn₂GaS₄ and CuZn₂InS₄ under the studied carrier concentration and temperature region. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) reaches 0.982 (0.977), 0.984 (0.974) and 0.53 (0.955) for p-type (n-type) CuZn₂AlS₄, CuZn₂GaS₄, and CuZn₂InS₄, respectively, at 300 K. The high Seebeck coefficients, high figure of merit and low thermal conductivities make these systems good candidates for high-efficiency thermoelectric conversion applications.     

Dynamical stability,electronic and thermoelectric properties of quaternary ZnFeTiSi Heusler compound

We investigated the dynamical stability, electronic and thermoelectric properties of the ZnFeTiSi Heusler compound by combining the first-principles calculations and semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The phonon dispersion indicates the dynamical stability and the calculated formation energy is negative which confirm the stability of ZnFeTiSi in the Heusler structure. The calculated electronic structures show that ZnFeTiSi is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of about 0.573 eV using GGA and 0.643 eV by mBJ-GGA potentials at equilibrium lattice parameter (5.90 Å). Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity and electronic thermal conductivity were calculated to describe the thermoelectric properties of the ZnFeTiSi compound. It is found that it exhibits high Seebeck coefficient and power factor, making it promising for future thermoelectric applications.     

Structural,electronic, optical and elastic properties of the complex K2PtCl6-structure hydrides ARuH6 (A = Mg,Ca, Sr and Ba): first-principles study

We report a systematic study of the structural, electronic, optical and elastic properties of the ternary ruthenium-based hydrides A₂RuH₆ (A = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba) within two complementary first-principles approaches. We describe the properties of the A₂RuH₆ systems looking for trends on different properties as a function of the A sublattice. Our results are in agreement with experimental ones when the latter are available. In particular, our theoretical lattice parameters obtained using the GGA-PBEsol to include the exchange-correlation functional are in good agreement with experiment. Analysis of the calculated electronic band structure diagrams suggests that these hydrides are wide nearly direct band semiconductors, with a very slight deviation from the ideal direct-band gap behaviour and they are expected to have a poor hole-type electrical conductivity. The TB-mBJ potential has been used to correct the deficiency of the standard GGA for predicting the optoelectronic properties. The calculated TB-mBJ fundamental band gaps are about 3.53, 3.11, 2.99 and 2.68 eV for Mg₂RuH₆, Ca₂RuH₆, Sr₂RuH₆ and Ba₂RuH₆, respectively. Calculated density of states spectra demonstrates that the topmost valence bands consist of d orbitals of the Ru atoms, classifying these materials as d-type hydrides. Analysis of charge density maps tells that these systems can be classified as mixed ionic-covalent bonding materials. Optical spectra in a wide energy range from 0 to 30 eV have been provided and the origin of the observed peaks and structures has been assigned. Optical spectra in the visible range of solar spectrum suggest these hydrides for use as antireflection coatings. The single-crystal and polycrystalline elastic moduli and their related properties have been numerically estimated and analysed for the first time.     

Effect of pressure on electronic and thermoelectric properties of magnesium silicide: A density functional theory study

We study the effect of pressure on electronic and thermoelectric properties of Mg_2Si using the density functional theory and Boltzmann transport equations. The variation of lattice constant, band gap, bulk modulus with pressure is also analyzed. Further, the thermoelectric properties(Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, electronic thermal conductivity) have been studied as a function of temperature and pressure up to 1200 K. The results show that Mg_2Si is an n-type semiconductor with a band gap of 0.21 eV. The negative value of the Seebeck coefficient at all pressures indicates that the conduction is due to electrons. With the increase in pressure, the Seebeck coefficient decreases and electrical conductivity increases. It is also seen that, there is practically no effect of pressure on the electronic contribution of thermal conductivity.The paper describes the calculation of the lattice thermal conductivity and figure of merit of Mg_2Si at zero pressure. The maximum value of figure of merit is attained 1.83 × 10~(-3) at 1000 K. The obtained results are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical results.     

Effect of cycle numbers on the structural,linear and nonlinear optical properties in Fe2O3 thin films deposited by SILAR method

Fe₂O₃ thin films were deposited by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method onto glass substrates at different cycle numbers to investigate structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the Fe₂O₃ thin films have a non-crystalline nature. The morphological properties of the films were investigated by Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and the results show that the films’ surfaces are porous. The linear and nonlinear optical parameters were evaluated and analyzed by using transmittance and absorbance measurements. For these measurements, UV–Vis spectroscopy at room temperature was used. The refractive index values were calculated in the range of 1.45–3.23 for visible region (400–700 nm). Obtained results reveal that direct optical band gap changed between 2.62 and 2.68 eV and indirect optical band gap changed between 1.67 and 1.77 eV. Additionally, optical electronegativity, optical dielectric constants, surface and volume energy loss functions, nonlinear refractive index, linear optical susceptibility, third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility, optical and electrical conductivity, and loss tangent values were calculated and discussed in detail. It was found that each parameter studied is dependent on the cycle numbers. Also, it can be stated that Fe₂O₃ thin films are promising candidate for solar cells and optoelectronic device technology.     

Influence of Y3+ doping on the high-temperature transport mechanism and thermoelectric response of misfit-layered Ca3Co4O9

The high-temperature transport and thermoelectric characteristics of Ca_3−x Y _x Co₄O₉ (x=0–0.75) series were studied up to 1000 K. The results reveal that the substitution of Y³⁺ for Ca²⁺ not only increases resistivity but also gradually alters the transport mechanism. The localization of carriers narrows bandwidth, which induces the evolution of the system from metal to variable-range hopping semiconductor and then to thermally activated semiconductor. The increasing thermopower with doping originates from the reduction of carrier concentration along with enhanced electronic correlations. Thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of Ca₃Co₄O₉ system is improved by Y doping. However, the optimal thermoelectric performance is found to only exist at the critical doping level where doping-induced metal–semiconductor transition occurs. This result suggests an intrinsic correlation between transport mechanism and thermoelectric response in this system.     

Growth and comparison of physicochemical properties of pure,Ca and Sr doped NH4Sb3F10 single crystals for electro optic applications

Single crystals of pure, Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺ doped NH₄Sb₃F₁₀ are grown by slow evaporation technique. The effect of dopants on the growth and physicochemical properties also have been investigated and reported for the first time. The grown crystals are characterized with the aid of single crystal X-ray diffractometry to confirm the crystal structure. EDAX studies are done to confirm the presence of dopants in the crystal lattice. The vibrational frequencies of various group ligands in the crystals have been derived from the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum. From the optical absorption spectrum the band gap energy was calculated and it was found to be 5.76, 6.29 and 6.35 eV for pure, Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺ doped NH₄Sb₃F₁₀ crystals respectively. Thermal stability of the sample has been analysed using TG-DTA analysis. The activation energy of pure, Ca²⁺ and Sr²⁺ doped NH₄Sb₃F₁₀ crystals were calculated from the dc conductivity measurements and it is found to be 0.2728, 0.2816 and 0.3622 eV Experimental results shows improved physicochemical properties when the dopant is added to the pure material.     

LaBiTe3: An unusual thermoelectric material

Using first‐principles calculations and semi‐classical Boltzmann transport theory, the thermoelectric properties of LaBiTe₃ are studied. The band gap and, hence, the thermoelectric response are found to be easily tailored by application of strain. Independent of the temperature, the figure of merit turns out to be maximal at a doping of about 1.6 × 10²¹ cm^–3. At room temperature we obtain values of 0.4 and 0.5 for unstrained and moderately strained LaBiTe₃, which increases to 1.1 and 1.3 at 800 K. A large spin splitting is observed in the conduction band at the T point. Therefore, LaBiTe₃ merges characteristics that are interesting for thermoelectric as well as spintronic devices. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Tunability of electronic and optical properties of the Ba–Zr–S system via dimensional reduction

Transition metal sulfide perovskites offer lower band gaps and greater tunability than oxides, along with other desirable properties for applications. Here, we explore dimensional reduction as a tuning strategy using the Ruddlesden–Popper phases in the Ba–Zr–S system as a model. The three-dimensional perovskite BaZrS₃ is a direct gap semiconductor, with a band gap of 1.5 eV suitable for solar photovoltaic application. However, the three known members of the Ruddlesden–Popper series, are all indirect gap materials, and additionally have lower fundamental band gaps. This is accompanied in the case of Ba₂ZrS₄ by a band structure that is more favorable for carrier transport for oriented samples. The layered Ruddlesden–Popper compounds show significantly anisotropic optical properties, as may be expected. The optical spectra show tails at low energy, which may complicate experimental characterization of these materials.     

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.     

The under-pressure behaviour of mechanical,electronic and optical properties of calcium titanate and its ground state thermoelectric response

Abstract

In this study, the elastic, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ perovskite oxide have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The generalised gradient approximation (GGA) has been employed for evaluating structural and elastic properties, while the modified Becke Johnson functional is used for studying the optical response of this compound. In addition to ground state physical properties, we also investigate the effects of pressure (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 GPa) on the electronic structure of CaTiO₃. The application of pressure from 0 to 90 GPa shows that the indirect band gap (Γ-M) of CaTiO₃ increases with increasing pressure and at 120 GPa it spontaneously decreases transforming cubic CaTiO₃ to a direct (Γ-Γ) band gap material. The complex dielectric function and some optical parameters are also investigated under the application of pressures. All the calculated optical properties have been found to exhibit a shift to the higher energies with the increase of applied pressure suggesting potential optoelectronic device applications of CaTiO₃. The thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ have been computed at 0 GPa in terms of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient.     

Preparation and semiconductive properties of rock salt type solid solution systems,Cd1−xMxS (M = Sr, Ca, Mg, Pb, Sn)

Measurements have been made of the semiconductive properties of rock salt type solid solution systems, Cd_1?xM_xS (M = Sr, Ca, Mg, Pb, Sn) synthezised at high pressures. The Cd_1?xCa_xS system has a high electrical resistivity of more than 3 × 10¹⁰Ω-cm, and a band gap estimated from its optical absorption edge which varies from 1.9–2.6 eV with Cd_1?xPb_xS system is between 1 and 10Ω-cm, and decreases with increase in the substitution ratio. This system is photoconductive, similar to the normal pressure phase of CdS, and the photoconductivity peak shifts from 0.75–0.96μm with increase in the substitution ratio from 0.1–0.5. The above results are extrapolated to pure CdS and give for CdS having a rock salt type structure high resistivity, photoconductivity, and a band gap of 1.7–1.8 eV at room temperature and normal pressure.     

Theoretical investigation of the thermoelectric transport properties of BaSi2

The full-potential linear augmented plane wave method based on density functional theory is employed to investigate the electronic structure of BaSi 2 . With the constant relaxation time and rigid band approximation,the electrical conductivity,Seebeck coefficient and figure of merit are calculated by using Boltzmann transport theory,further evaluated as a function of carrier concentration. We find that the Seebeck coefficient is more anisotropic than electrical conductivity. The figure of merit of BaSi 2 is predicted to be quite high at room temperature,implying that optimal doping may be an effective way to improve thermoelectric properties.     

Electronic,optical and thermoelectric investigations of Zintl phase AE3AlAs3 (AE = Sr,Ba): First-principles calculations

First principles calculations were performed to investigate the electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of Zintl orthorhombic phase AE₃AlAs₃ (AE?=?Sr, Ba) compounds using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The exchange-correlation potential is treated with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and modified Becke-Johnson potential (TB-mBJ) to improve the electronic structure calculations. These two compounds are semiconductors have direct band gaps. The optical transitions are investigated via dielectric function along with other related optical constants such as refractive index and absorption coefficient. Thermoelectric properties are examined using the combination of electronic structure and Boltzmann transport theory. In detail, the calculated results of Seebeck coefficient, electrical and thermal conductivity, figure of merit and power factor are reported as a function of temperature.