Structural, electronic and optical properties of SrCl2 under hydrostatic stress

The results of first-principles theoretical study of the structural, electronic and optical properties of SrCl₂ in its cubic structure, have been performed using the full-potential linear augmented plane-wave method plus local orbitals (FP-APW+lo) as implemented in the WIEN2k code. In this approach both the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) are used for the exchange-correlation (XC) potential. Also we have used the Engel-Vosko GGA formalism, which optimizes the corresponding potential for band structure calculations. We performed these calculations with and without spin-orbit interactions. Including spin-orbit coupling cause to lifts the triple degeneracy at Γ point and a double degeneracy at X point. Results are given for structural properties. The pressure dependence of elastic constants and band gaps are investigated. The dielectric function, reflectivity spectra and refractive index are calculated up to 30 eV. Also we calculated the pressure and volume dependence of the static optical dielectric constant.     

Structural,electronic, optical and bonding properties of strontianite,SrCO3: First-principles calculations

The first-principles calculations are performed within the density functional theory to investigate the crystal structure, energy band structure, density of states, optical properties, and bonding properties of strontianite. The optimized structure parameters and bonding results with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional and the localized density approximation (LDA) functional are in good agreement with the earlier experimental data. The band structure, density of states and chemical bonding of strontianite have been calculated and analyzed. The indirect band gap of strontianite is estimated to be ~4.45 eV (GGA) or ~4.24 eV (LDA). The absorption, reflectivity, refractive index and extinction coefficient have been calculated using the imaginary part of the dielectric function. The calculated results of the optical properties show that strontianite has an optical anisotropy along [100] (or [010]) and [010] polarization directions of incoming light. Furthermore, the calculated results of the density of states and Mulliken population indicate that the interactions among atoms are both ionic and covalent bonding in strontianite.     

First-principles calculations of structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the antiperovskite AsNMg3

The density functional theory (DFT) calculations of structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the cubic antiperovskite AsNMg₃ has been reported using the pseudo-potential plane wave method (PP-PW) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The equilibrium lattice, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative have been determined. The elastic constants and their pressure dependence are calculated using the static finite strain technique. We derived the bulk and shear moduli, Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio for ideal polycrystalline AsNMg₃ aggregate. We estimated the Debye temperature of AsNMg₃ from the average sound velocity. This is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the elastic properties of AsNMg₃ compound, and it still awaits experimental confirmation. Band structure, density of states and pressure coefficients of energy gaps are also given. The fundamental band gap (Γ-Γ) initially increases up to 4 GPa and then decreases as a function of pressure. Furthermore, the dielectric function, optical reflectivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and electron energy loss are calculated for radiation up to 30 eV. The all results are compared with the available theoretical and experimental data.     

Electronic and optical properties under pressure effect of alkali metal oxides

We report results of first-principles calculations for the electronic and optical properties under pressure effect of Li₂O, Na₂O, Ki₂O and Rb₂O compounds in the cubic antifluorite structure, using a full relativistic version of the full-potential augmented plane-wave plus local orbitals (FP-APW+lo) method based on density functional theory, within the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Moreover, the alternative form of GGA proposed by Engel and Vosko (GGA-EV) is also used for band structure calculations. The calculated equilibrium lattices and bulk moduli are in good agreement with the available data. Band structure, density of states, and pressure coefficients of the fundamental energy gap are given. The critical point structure of the frequency dependent complex dielectric function is also calculated and analyzed to identify the optical transitions. The pressure dependence of the static optical dielectric constant is also investigated.     

Electronic structure calculations of lead chalcogenides PbS, PbSe, PbTe

In this work, we have extended our study of the mechanical properties and the electronic structure of PbTe to include other Pb chalcogenide compounds (PbSe, PbS). The calculations were performed self-consistently using the scalar-relativistic full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method. Both the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) to density-functional theory were applied.The equilibrium lattice constants and the bulk modulus of a number of structures (NaCl, CsCl, ZnS) were calculated as well as the elastic constants for the structures (NaCl, CsCl). The NaCl structure is found to be the most stable one among all the three phases considered. We have found that the GGA predicts the elastic constants in good agreement with experimental data.Both the LDA and GGA were successful in predicting the location of the band gap at the L point of the Brillouin zone but they are inconclusive regarding the value of the band-gap width. To resolve the issue of the gap, we performed Slater-Koster (SK) tight-binding calculations, including the spin-orbit coupling in the SK Hamiltonian. The SK results that are based on our GGA calculations give the best agreement with experiment.Results are reported for the pressure dependence of the energy gap of these compounds in the NaCl structure. The pressure variation of the energy gap indicates a transition to a metallic phase at high pressure. Band structure calculations in the CsCl structure show a metallic state for all compounds. The electronic band structure in the ZnS phase shows an indirect band gap at the W and X point of the Brillouin zone.     

First-principles study of electronic and optical properties of BaS,BaSe and BaTe

The optimized crystal structure, energy band structures, density of states (DOS) and optical properties of BaX (X=S, Se and Te) were investigated by the full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitals method (FP-LAPW+lo). The exchange-correlation potential was treated using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). We have used also Engel and Vosko GGA (EV-GGA) formalism to improve the band gap results. The calculated results such as band gaps, dielectric constants and reflectivity spectra showed good agreement with the experimental data. The effect of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on the optical properties was also studied and found to be very small, especially in the low-energy region.     

Density functional study of optical properties of beryllium chalcogenides compounds in nickel arsenide B8 structure

The structural, electronic and optical properties of beryllium chalcogenides BeS, BeSe and BeTe using the full-potential linear augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method are investigated. The exchange-correlation energy within the local density approximation (LDA) and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) are described. The Engel-Vosko (EVGGA) formalism is applied for electronic and optical properties. The structural parameters of our model and the transition pressure from zinc-blende (B3) to the NiAs (B8) phase are confirmed. It is found that these compounds have indirect band gaps except for BeTe in NiAs (B8) phase. The results of reflectivity, refractive index and optical dielectric functions of Be compounds are investigated. An agreement is found between our results and those of other theoretical calculations and the experimental data.     

Structural,electronic, and optical properties of ZnO_(1-x)Se_x alloys using first-principles calculations

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of binary ZnO, ZnSe compounds, and their ternary ZnO 1-x Se x alloys are computed using the accurate full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital (FP-LAPW + lo) method in the rocksalt (B1) and zincblende (B3) crystallographic phases. The electronic band structures, fundamental energy band gaps, and densities of states for ZnO 1-x Se x are evaluated in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 using Wu-Cohen (WC) generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation potential. Our calculated results of lattice parameters and bulk modulus reveal a nonlinear variation for pseudo-binary and their ternary alloys in both phases and show a considerable deviation from Vegard's law. It is observed that the predicted lattice parameter and bulk modulus are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. We establish that the composition dependence of band gap is semi-metallic in B1 phase, while a direct band gap is observed in B3 phase. The calculated density of states is described by taking into account the contribution of Zn 3d, O2p, and Se 4s, and the optical properties are studied in terms of dielectric functions, refractive index, reflectivity, and energy loss function for the B3 phase and are compared with the available experimental data.     

First-principles calculations of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of LiF up to 300 GPa

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of LiF are investigated at high pressures using the plane-wave pseudo-potential density functional method (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). From the analysis of Gibbs free energies, we find that no phase transition takes place for LiF in the presented pressure range from 0 to 300 GPa. The result is consistent with the theoretical prediction obtained from the ab initio calculations [N.A. Smirnov, Phys. Rev. B 83 (2011) 014109] that the rock-salt structure is thermodynamically stable up to 1000 GPa. Meanwhile, good agreement between the calculated equation of state parameters and the experimental results is obtained, and a direct energy gap of 8.65 eV is estimated in the DFT-GGA for LiF with rock-salt structure. In addition, the dielectric function and optical properties such as reflectivity, absorption coefficient, and refractive index dependence of the photon energy from 0 to 50 eV and wavelength from 0 to 200 nm at different pressures are also calculated and analyzed. It is found that the rock-salt LiF is transparent from the partially ultra-violet to the visible light area and hardly is the transparence affected by the pressure. Furthermore, the curve of optical spectrum will shift to high energy area with increasing pressure.     

Electronic structures and optical properties of TiO2:Improved density-functional-theory investigation

TiO2 has been recently used to realize high-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors.In fact,it has been widely used for a long time as white pigment and sunscreen because of its whiteness,high refractive index,and excellent optical properties.However,its electronic structures and the related properties have not been satisfactorily understood.Here,we use Tran and Blaha＇s modified Becke-Johnson（TB-mBJ） exchange potential（plus a local density approximation correlation potential） within the density functional theory to investigate electronic structures and optical properties of rutile and anatase TiO2.Our comparative calculations show that the energy gaps obtained from mBJ method agree better with the experimental results than that obtained from local density approximation（LDA） and generalized gradient approximation（GGA）,in contrast with substantially overestimated values from many-body perturbation（GW） calculations.As for optical dielectric functions（both real and imaginary parts）,refractive index,and extinction coefficients as functions of photon energy,our mBJ calculated results are in excellent agreement with the experimental curves.Our further analysis reveals that these excellent improvements are achieved because mBJ potential describes accurately the energy levels of Ti 3d states.These results should be helpful to understand the high temperature ferromagnetism in doped TiO2.This approach can be used as a standard to understand electronic structures and the related properties of such materials as TiO2.     

First-principles investigation of structural, electronic, optical and dynamical properties in CsAu

The structural, electronic, optical and dynamical properties of CsAu compound in the CsCl(B2) phase were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated lattice constant, static bulk modulus and first-order pressure derivative of the bulk modulus are reported and compared with previous experimental and theoretical calculations. The calculated electronic band structure for this compound is in good agreement with available theoretical and experimental studies. The present band calculation indicates that CsAu compound has an indirect gap at R→X points. Furthermore, the linear photon-energy-dependent dielectric functions have been calculated. For the first time, the electronic structure results are used, within the implementation of a linear-response technique, for calculations of phonon properties.     

Electronic structures and optical properties of TiO₂:Improved density-functional-theory investigation

TiO2 has been recently used to realize high-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors.In fact,it has been widely used for a long time as white pigment and sunscreen because of its whiteness,high refractive index,and excellent optical properties.However,its electronic structures and the related properties have not been satisfactorily understood.Here,we use Tran and Blaha’s modified Becke-Johnson(TB-mBJ) exchange potential(plus a local density approximation correlation potential) within the density functional theory to investigate electronic structures and optical properties of rutile and anatase TiO2.Our comparative calculations show that the energy gaps obtained from mBJ method agree better with the experimental results than that obtained from local density approximation(LDA) and generalized gradient approximation(GGA),in contrast with substantially overestimated values from many-body perturbation(GW) calculations.As for optical dielectric functions(both real and imaginary parts),refractive index,and extinction coefficients as functions of photon energy,our mBJ calculated results are in excellent agreement with the experimental curves.Our further analysis reveals that these excellent improvements are achieved because mBJ potential describes accurately the energy levels of Ti 3d states.These results should be helpful to understand the high temperature ferromagnetism in doped TiO2.This approach can be used as a standard to understand electronic structures and the related properties of such materials as TiO2.     

Electronic energy gaps and optical properties of LaMnO3

We investigate electronic structure and optical properties of LaMnO₃ through density-functional-theory calculations with a recent improved exchange potential. Calculated gaps are consistent with recent experimental values, and calculated optical conductivities and dielectric constants as functions of photon energy are in excellent agreement with low-temperature experimental results. These lead to a satisfactory theoretical understanding of the electronic gaps and optical properties of LaMnO₃ without tuning atomic parameters and can help elucidate electronic structures and magnetic properties of other manganite materials.     

Theoretical investigation of the elastic,electronic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structure AlN under high pressure

The elastic, electronic, thermodynamic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structure aluminum nitride (AlN) under high pressure have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The dependencies of the elastic constants, the bulk modulus, the shear modulus and energy gaps on the applied pressure are presented, and the results are in good agreement with comparable experimental and theoretical values. Also, the energy band structure and density of states under high pressure have been analysed. Furthermore, the optical constants, including the dielectric function, optical reflectivity, refractive index and electron energy loss, are discussed for radiation up to 50 eV.     

Theoretical Calculations for Structural, Elastic and Thermodynamic Properties of MgB2 under High Pressure

We have investigated the structural and elastic properties of MgB₂ under high pressures using the full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital (FP-LMTO) scheme within the generalized gradient approximation correction (GGA) in the frame of density functional theory. The calculated pressure dependence of the normalized volume is in excellent agreement with the experimental results. At the same time the elastic constants and acoustic anisotropy as a function of applied pressure are presented. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, we also investigate the thermodynamic properties of MgB₂.     

First-principles study of structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of SrMO3 (M=Ti and Sn)

We present structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the perovskites SrMO₃ (M=Ti, and Sn) for different pressure. The computational method is based on the pseudo-potential plane wave method (PP-PW). The exchange-correlation energy is described in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters are in reasonable agreement with the available experimental data. This work shows that the perovskites SrTiO₃, and SrSnO₃ are mechanically stable and present an indirect band gaps at the Fermi level. Applied pressure does not change the shape of the total valence electronic charge density and most of the electronic charge density is shifted toward O atom. Furthermore, in order to understand the optical properties of SrMO₃, the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, optical reflectivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient and electron energy-loss are calculated for radiation up to 80 eV. The enhancement of pressure decreases the dielectric function and refractive indices of SrTiO₃ and SrSnO₃.     

Electronic properties of chalcopyrite CuAlX2(X=S,Se,Te) compounds

We present results of the band structure and density of states for the chalcopyrite compounds CuAlX₂ (X=S,Se,Te) using the state-of-the-art full potential linear augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. Our calculations show that these compounds are direct band gap semiconductors. The energy gap decreases when S is replaced by Se and Se replaced by Te in agreement with the experimental data. The values of our calculated energy gaps are closer to the experimental data than the previous calculations. The electronic structure of the upper valence band is dominated by the Cu-d and X-p interactions. The existence of Cu-d states in the upper valence band has significant effect on the optical band gap.     

First-principles study of the optical properties of PbFX (X = Cl,Br, I) compounds in its matlockite-type structure

We present the results of the ab initio theoretical study of the optical properties for PbFX (X = Cl, Br, I) compounds in its matlockite-type structure using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2K code. We employed generalized gradient approximation (GGA), 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 calculations. Our calculations show that the valence band maximum (VBM) and conduction band minimum (CBM) are located at Z resulting in a direct energy gap. We present calculations of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function ε( ω) and its zero-frequency limit ε₁ ( 0 ). We find that the values of ε₁ ( 0 ) increases with decreasing the energy gap. The reflectivity spectra and absorption coefficient has been calculated and compared with the available experimental data. The optical properties are analyzed and the origin of some of the peaks in the spectra is discussed in terms of the calculated electronic structure.     

Full potential calculation of electronic properties of rutile RO2 (R=Si, Ge, Sn and Pb) compounds via modified Becke Johnson potential

The electronic properties of RO₂ (R=Si, Ge, Sn and Pb; a group IVA element) compounds in rutile structure have been calculated using WIEN2k implementation of full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FPLAPW) method. The exchange and correlation (XC) effects are taken into account by an orbital independent modified Becke Johnson (MBJ) potential as coupled with Local Density Approximation (LDA) for all the compounds except for PbO₂ where only Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) is considered for the same. We predict a direct band gap in all these compounds with continuous decrease as the atomic size of IVA element increases such that there is an appearance of semimetallic band structure for the last compound, PbO₂. The largest band gap (7.66 eV) has been found for SiO₂, which governs its insulating nature. We observe that MBJLDA results for band gaps of these compounds are far better than those obtained using GGA and Engel-Vosko's GGA (EV-GGA). A very good agreement is observed between MBJLDA band gaps with corresponding experimental values as compared to other calculations. The electronic band structures are also analyzed in terms of contributions from various electrons.     

First-principles calculations for electronic and optical properties of the zinc-blende structured BeS compound under pressure

The electronic and the optical properties of the cubic zinc-blende (ZB) BeS under high pressure have been investigated by using \it ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method in the generalised gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange-correlation interaction. The electronic band structure and the pressure dependence of the total and partial densities of state under pressure are successfully described. Our calculations show that the ZB BeS has large and indirect band gaps associated with (Γ → X) transitions in ambient conditions. The results obtained are consistent with the experimental data available and other calculations. The optical properties, including dielectric function, energy-loss function, complex refractive index, reflection and absorption spectra, are investigated and analysed at different external pressures. The results suggest that the optical absorption appears mostly in the ultra-violet region and the curve of refractive index shift toward high energies (blue shift) with pressure increasing.