First-principles study of the structural,mechanical and electronic properties of ZnX204 （X=Al,Cr and Ga）

This paper performs first-principles calculations to study the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of the spinels ZnA1204, ZnGa2O4 and ZnCr2O4, using density functional theory with the plane-wave pseudopotential method. Our calculations are in good agreement with previous theoretical calculations and the available experimental data. The studies in this paper focus on the evolution of the mechanical properties of ZnAl2O4, ZnGa2O4 and ZnCr2O4 under hydrostatic pressure. The results show that the cubic phases of ZnAl2O4, ZnCa2O4 and ZnCr2O4 become unstable at about 50 GPa, 40 GPa and 25 GPa, respectively. From analysis of the band structure of the three compounds at equilibrium volume, it obtains a direct band gap of 4.35 eV for ZnA1204 and 0.89 cV for ZnCr2O4, while ZnGa2O4 has an indirect band gap of 2.73 eV.     

Uniaxial stress influence on lattice, band gap and optical properties of n-type ZnO： first-principles calculations

The lattice,the band gap and the optical properties of n-type ZnO under uniaxial stress are investigated by firstprinciples calculations.The results show that the lattice constants change linearly with stress.Band gaps are broadened linearly as the uniaxial compressive stress increases.The change of band gap for n-type ZnO comes mainly from the contribution of stress in the c-axis direction,and the reason for band gap of n-type ZnO changing with stress is also explained.The calculated results of optical properties reveal that the imaginary part of the dielectric function decreases with the increase of uniaxial compressive stress at low energy.However,when the energy is higher than 4.0 eV,the imaginary part of the dielectric function increases with the increase of stress and a blueshift appears.There are two peaks in the absorption spectrum in an energy range of 4.0-13.0 eV.The stress coefficient of the band gap of n-type ZnO is larger than that of pure ZnO,which supplies the theoretical reference value for the modulation of the band gap of doped ZnO.     

Electronic structure of ScN and YN： density-functional theory LDA and GW approximation calculations

The desirable physical properties of hardness, high temperature stability, and conductivity make the early transition metal nitrides important materials for various technological applications. To learn more about the nature of these materials, the local-density approximation(LDA) and GW approximation i.e. combination of the Green function G and the screened Coulomb interaction W, have been performed. This paper investigates the bulk electronic and physical properties of early transition metal mononitrides, ScN and YN in the rocksalt structure. In this paper, the semicore electrons are regarded as valance electrons. ScN appears to be a semimetal, and YN is semiconductor with band gap of 0.142eV within the LDA, but are in fact semiconductors with indirect band gaps of 1.244 and 0.544\,eV respectively, as revealed by calculations performed using GW approximation.     

First-principles calculations on the electronic and vibrational properties of β-V2O5

Using a first-principles approach based on density functional theory,this paper studies the electronic and dynamical properties of β-V2O5.A smaller band gap and much wider split-off bands have been observed in comparison with αV2O5.The Ramanand infrared-active modes at the Γ point of the Brillouin zone are evaluated with LO/TO splitting,where the symbol denotes the longitudinal and transverse optical model.The nonresonant Raman spectrum of a βV2O5 powder sample is also computed,providing benchmark theoretical results for the assignment of the experimental spectrum.The computed spectrum agrees with the available experimental data very well.This calculation helps to gain a better understanding of the transition from αto β-V2O5.     

Detailed structural,mechanical,and electronic study of five structures for CaF2 under high pressure

Detailed density functional theory(DFT)calculations of the structural,mechanical,thermodynamic,and electronicproperties of crystalline CaF2 with five different structures in the pressure range of 0 GPa–150 GPa are performed byboth GGA(generalized gradient approximation)-PBE(Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof)and LDA(local density approximation)-CAPZ(Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package).It is found that the enthalpy differences imply that the fluorite phase→PbCl2-type phase→Ni2In-type phase transition in CaF2 occurs at PGGA1=8.0 GPa,PGGA2=111.4 GPa by usingthe XC of GGA,and PLDA1=4.5 GPa,PLDA2=101.7 GPa by LDA,respectively,which is consistent with previousexperiments and theoretical conclusions.Moreover,the enthalpy differences between PbCl2-type and Ni2In-type phases inone molecular formula become very small at the pressure of about 100 GPa,indicating the possibility of coexistence of twophase at high pressures.This may be the reason why the transition pressure of the second phase transition in other reportsis so huge(68 GPa–278 GPa).The volume changed in the second phase transition are also consistent with the enthalpydifference result.Besides,the pressure dependence of mechanical and thermodynamic properties of CaF2 is studied.Itis found that the high-pressure phase of Ni2In-type structure has better stiffness in CaF2 crystal,and the hardness of thematerial has hardly changed in the second phase transition.Finally,the electronic structure of CaF2 is also analyzed withthe change of pressure.By analyzing the band gap and density of states,the large band gap indicates the CaF2 crystal isalways an insulator at 0 GPa–150 GPa.     

First principle investigation of the electronic and thermoelectric properties of Mg_2C

In this paper, electronic and thermoelectric properties of Mg_2C are investigated by using first principle pseudo potential method based on density functional theory and Boltzmann transport equations. We calculate the lattice parameters,bulk modulus, band gap and thermoelectric properties(Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity) of this material at different temperatures and compare them with available experimental and other theoretical data. The calculations show that Mg_2C is indirect band semiconductor with a band gap of 0.75 eV. The negative value of Seebeck coefficient shows that the conduction is due to electrons. The electrical conductivity decreases with temperature and Power factor(PF) increases with temperature. The thermoelectric properties of Mg_2C have been calculated in a temperature range of 100 K–1200 K.     

Effects of ⅢB transition metals on optoelectronic and magnetic properties of HoMnO_3: A first principles study

The optoelectronic and magnetic properties of pure Ho Mn O3 and Ho0.67T0.33 Mn O3(T = La, Y) alloys in hexagonal phase are theoretically investigated by using the first-principles calculations. The investigations are performed by means of the density functional theory through using the spin polarized generalized gradient approximation plus the Hubbard potential(SPGGA + U, U eff= 3 eV). The studied material Ho MnO3 exhibits two indirect band gaps: 1.58 eV for the spinup state and 0.72 eV for the spin-down state along the S–G direction within the SPGGA + U approximation. It is found that the band gap of pure Ho Mn O3 for the spin-up state increases with increasing La and Y dopants. The results show that all of the studied materials have semi-metallic behaviors for the spin-up state and semiconducting character for the spin-down state. The substitutions of La and Y for Ho in Ho MnO3 cause the static dielectric constant(ε0) to increase in the x direction but to decrease in the z direction. The calculated optical conductivity spectrum of Ho MnO3 in a low energy range is in good agreement with the recent experimental data.     

Investigation of optoelectronic properties of pure and Co substituted α-Al_2O_3 by Hubbard and modified Becke–Johnson exchange potentials

Advanced GGA + U(Hubbard) and modified Becke–Johnson(mBJ) techniques are used for the calculation of the structural, electronic, and optical parameters of α-Al2-x CoxO3(x = 0.0, 0.167) compounds. The direct band gaps calculated by GGA and m BJ for pure alumina are 6.3 eV and 8.5 eV, respectively. The m BJ approximation provides results very close to the experimental one(8.7 eV). The substitution of Al with Co reduces the band gap of alumina. The wide and direct band gap of the doped alumina predicts that it can efficiently be used in optoelectronic devices. The optical properties of the compounds like dielectric functions and energy loss function are also calculated. The rhombohedral structure of theα-Al2-x CoxO3(x = 0.0, 0.167) compounds reveal the birefringence properties.     

Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Semiconducting Orthorhombic BaSi2

Full potential linearized augmented plane wave （FPLAPW） method calculations are carried out for semiconducting orthorhombic BaSi2. The optical properties and the origin of the different optical transitions are investigated. Our calculated band gap of 1.0918eV is indirect, which is in good agreement with the experimental result. The bonds between Ba and Si are considered to be electrovalent bond. The anlsotropy in the imaginary part ε2（w） and real part εl（w） of the optical dielectric tensor are analysed. The contributions of various transition peaks are explained from the imagnary part of the dielectric function.     

Structural, magnetic, electronic, and elastic properties of face-centered cubic PuHx （x=2, 3） ： GGA （LSDA） ＋ U ＋ SO

We perform first-principles calculations to investigate the structural, magnetic, electronic, and mechanical properties of face-centered cubic (fcc) PuH 2 and fcc PuH 3 using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FP-LAPW) with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the local spin density approximation (LSDA) taking account of both relativistic and strong correlation effects. The optimized lattice constant a0 = 5.371  for fcc PuH2 and a0 = 5.343  for fcc PuH3 calculated in the GGA + sp (spin polarization) + U (Hubbard parameter) + SO (spin-orbit coupling) scheme are in good agreement with the experimental data. The ground state of fcc PuH3 is found to be slightly ferromagnetic. Our results indicate that fcc PuH2 is a metal while fcc PuH3 is a semiconductor with a band gap about 0.35 eV. We note that the SO and the strong correlation between localized Pu 5f electrons are responsible for the band gap of fcc PuH3 . The bonds for PuH2 have mainly covalent character while there are covalent bonds in addition to apparent ionicity bonds for PuH3 . We also predict the elastic constants of fcc PuH2 and fcc PuH3 , which were not observed in the previous experiments.     

First-principles calculations of electronic, optical and elastic properties of ZnAl2S4 and ZnGa2O4

The optimized crystal structures, band structures, partial and total densities of states (DOS), dielectric functions, refractive indexes and elastic constants for ZnAl₂S₄ and ZnGa₂O₄ were calculated using the CASTEP module of Materials Studio package. Pressure effects were modeled by performing these calculations for different values of external hydrostatic pressure up to 50 GPa. Obtained dependencies of the unit cell volume on pressure were fitted by the Murnaghan equation of state, and the relative changes of different chemical bond lengths were approximated by quadratic functions of pressure. Variations of applied pressure were shown to produce considerable re-distribution of the electron densities around ions in both crystals, which is evidenced in different trends for the effective Mulliken charges of the constituting ions and changes of contour plots of the charge densities. The longitudinal and transverse sound velocities and Debye temperatures for both compounds were also estimated using the calculated elastic constants.     

Pseudo-potential calculations of structural and elastic properties of spinel oxides ZnX2O4 (X=Al,Ga, In) under pressure effect

First principle calculations of structural and elastic properties of ZnAl₂O₄, ZnGa₂O₄ and ZnIn₂O₄ compounds are presented, using the pseudo-potential plane-waves approach based on density functional theory, within the generalized gradient approximation GGA. The lattice constants and internal parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental results. Young's modulus, Poisson ratio, bulk modulus, elastic constants and their pressure dependence are also calculated. As the experimental elastic constants are not available hence our results were only compared with the available theoretical values obtained at equilibrium volume.     

Structural transition, dielectric and bonding properties of BeCN2

By means of first principle total energy calculations, this paper studies the structural transition, elastic, mechanical, dielectric and electronic properties of BeCN₂. The calculations in total energy indicate that under ambient condition, the orthorhombic BeSiN₂-type BeCN₂ (space group Pna2₁) is a more favoured structure than the tetragonal chalcopyrite-type one (space group I-42d). The results of elastic properties reveal that BeCN₂ in both orthorhombic and tetragonal structure has higher bulk and shear moduli and smaller Poisson's ratio. The calculated Vicker hardness of tetragonal phase is 36.8 GPa, indicating a hard material. The analyses of electronic structure and electron density difference demonstrate that these excellent mechanical properties are attributed to the stronger covalent-bonding of CN₄ and BeN₄ subunits in BeCN₂ crystal. Also, the orthorhombic BeCN₂ phase is found to be a transparent semiconductor material with the calculated direct band gap of about 5.56 eV, superior to the indirect band gap of diamond and c-BN. Moreover, it also calculates Born effective charges and dielectric constants of BeCN₂. These results suggest that BeCN₂ may have some useful applications as optoelectronic, optical window and wear resistant materials.     

Luminescence enhancement of ZnGa2O4:Mn by Ge and Li doping

Structural and optical properties of ZnGa₂O₄:Ge⁴⁺ and ZnGa₂O₄:Ge⁴⁺, Li⁺, Mn²⁺ phosphors were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. The XRD patterns show that Ge-doped ZnGa₂O₄ has a spinel phase and its lattice constant increases with respect to ZnGa₂O₄. Emission wavelength shifts from 400 to 360 nm in comparison with ZnGa₂O₄ when Ge is doped in ZnGa₂O₄ and a peak related with oxygen defect was observed in Ge-doped ZnGa₂O₄. The CL luminance of ZnGa₂O₄:Ge⁴⁺, Li⁺, Mn²⁺ phosphors is seven times brighter than that of ZnGa₂O₄:Mn²⁺. This drastic luminance improvement can be attributed to Ge doping in ZnGa₂O₄ acting as donor ion and Li doping resulting in increasing conductivity of ZnGa₂O₄. These results indicate that ZnGa₂O₄:Ge⁴⁺, Li⁺, Mn²⁺ phosphors hold promise for potential applications in field-emission display devices with high brightness operating in green spectral regions.     

Trends in the band-gap pressure coefficients and bulk moduli in different structures of ZnGa2S4, ZnGa2Se4 and ZnGa2Te4

We have performed a first-principles investigation for the family of compounds ZnGa2X4 (X = S, Se, Te). The properties of two possible structures, defect chalcopyrite and defect famatinite are both calculated. We reveal that ZnGa2S4 and ZnGa2Se4 have direct band gaps, while ZnGa2Te4 has an indirect band gap. The local density approximation band gaps are found to be very different in two structures, while the lattice parameters and bulk moduli are similar. We extend Cohen’s empirical formula for zinc-blende compounds to this family of compounds. The pressure coefficients are calculated and metallization pressures are discussed. We find that agi remains fairly constant when the group-Ⅵ element X is varied in ZnGa2X4 (Ⅱ-Ⅲ2 -Ⅵ4 ).     

缺陷黄铜矿结构Xga2S4 (X=Zn,Cd, Hg)晶体电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理超软赝势方法对缺陷黄铜矿结构XGa₂S₄ (X=Zn, Cd, Hg)晶体的晶格结构、电学以及光学性质进行了对比研究. 分析比较了它们的晶格常数、键长、能带结构、态密度、介电函数、折射率和反射系数等性质, 并总结其变化趋势. 结果表明: 这三种材料的光学性质在中间能量区域(4 eV–10 eV)表现出较强的各向异性, 而在低能区域(<4 eV)和高能区域(>10 eV)各向异性较弱. ZnGa₂S₄和HgGa₂S₄两种材料的折射率曲线在等离子体频率ω_p处有一明显的拐点, 反射系数在ω_p处达到最大值后急剧下降. 三种晶体的强反射峰均处于紫外区域, 因此可以用作紫外光屏蔽或紫外探测材料. 关键词： 缺陷黄铜矿结构 电子结构 光学性质 第一性原理计算     

Energy transfer among three luminescent centers in full-color emitting ZnGa2O4:Mn, Cr phosphors

The ZnGa₂O₄:Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺ phosphors show three colors; the blue band of 380 nm from the charge transfer between Ga-O, the green band of 505 nm from Mn²⁺ and the red band of 705 nm from Cr³⁺. As a variation of Mn²⁺ or Cr³⁺ concentrations in ZnGa₂O₄:Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺, the relative emission intensity can be tuned. This phenomenon is explained in terms of the energy transfer based on four factors: the spectral overlap between the energy donors (Ga-O) and the energy accepters of Mn²⁺ or Cr³⁺, the absorption cross section of the energy accepters, the distance between them, and the decay time of the energy donors. ZnGa₂O₄:0.0025Mn²⁺, 0.010Cr³⁺ shows the CIE coordinates of x=0.4014, y=0.3368, which is a pure white light. The single-phased full-color emitting ZnGa₂O₄:Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺ phosphors can be applied to illumination devices.     

Electronic Structure,Optical Properties,and Pressure Behavior of the CdB<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> and HgB<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> Compounds

Ab initio calculations of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the CdB₄O₇ and HgB₄O₇ tetraborate compounds in three structural modifications with the Pbca, Cmcm, and Pmn2₁ symmetry have been performed in the framework of the density functional theory using the VASP package. The calculations of the electronic band structure showed that these compounds in all the investigated modifications are dielectrics with a band gap of 2–4 eV. The calculation of the structural properties of the tetraborates under pressure showed that the phase transition between the Pbca and Pmn2₁ structures in cadmium and mercury tetraborates occurs under pressures of 4.8 and 4.7 GPa, respectively.     

Calculations of physical properties of pure and doped crystals: Ab initio and semi-empirical methods in application to YAlO3:Ce and TiO2

In this paper we demonstrate that two independent methods of calculations (DFT based ab initio and semi-empirical crystal field theory) can be used to form a complementary picture of the optical and electronic properties of the doped host and impurity ion. The crystals considered in the present paper are: (i) YAlO₃:Ce³⁺ and (ii) two dominant phases of TiO₂—rutile and anatase. As an example, detailed calculations of the band structure and crystal field energy level scheme of YAlO₃:Ce³⁺ are reported. From the analysis of the band structure and density of states, the character of the YAlO₃ energetic bands and positions of the Ce impurity energy levels were established. It was also shown how the ab initio methods can be used for calculations of the structural properties of solids under elevated pressure. Taking the two dominant phases of TiO₂ as an example, it was demonstrated how the elastic properties can be extracted from the calculated unit cell’s volume at different pressures. Particular attention was paid to the microscopic effects of crystal field, which were evidenced by the pressure-induced changes of the structure and shape of distribution of the Ti 3d electrons density of states. It was demonstrated how the difference in crystal structure of the anatase and rutile phases leads to remarkable difference in microscopic crystal field effects, which was explained by different Ti-O distances in both phases. In addition, the pressure dependence of the band gaps for anatase and rutile was investigated. It was shown that the hydrostatic pressure leads to the band gap narrowing in anatase and band gap widening in rutile, with pressure coefficients +0.00681 eV/GPa for rutile and −0.0088 eV/GPa for anatase.     

Structural, electronic and thermodynamic properties of cubic Zn3N2 under high pressure from first-principles calculations

The structural, electronic and thermodynamic properties of cubic Zn₃N₂ under hydrostatic pressure up to 80 GPa are investigated using the local density approximation method with pseudopotentials of the ab initio norm-conserving full separable Troullier-Martin scheme in the frame of density functional theory. The structural parameters obtained at ambient pressure are in agreement with experimental data and other theoretical results. The change of bond lengths of two different types of Zn-N bond with pressure suggests that the tetrahedral Zn-N bond is slightly less compressible than the octahedral bond. By fitting the calculated band gap, the first and second order pressure coefficients for the direct band gap ofthe Zn₃N₂ were determined to be 1.18×10⁻² eV/GPa and −2.4×10⁻⁴ eV/(GPa)², respectively. Based on the Mulliken population analysis, Zn₃N₂ was found to have a higher covalent character with increasing pressure. As temperature increases, heat capacity, enthalpy, product of temperature and entropy increase, whereas the Debye temperature and free energy decrease. The present study leads to a better understanding of how Zn₃N₂ materials respond to compression.