A comparative study of a Heusler alloy Co2FeGe using LSDA and LSDA+U

We have calculated the on-site Coulomb repulsion (U) for the transition elements Co and Fe. To study the impact of Hubbard potential or on-site Coulomb repulsion (U) on structural and electronic properties the calculated values of U were added on GGA and LSDA. We performed the structure optimization of Co₂FeGe based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA and GGA+U). The calculation of electronic structure was based on the full potential linear augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method and local spin density approximation (LSDA) as well as exchange correlation LSDA+U. The Heusler alloy Co₂FeGe fails to give the half-metallic ferromagnetism (HMF) when treated with LSDA. The LSDA+U gives a good result to prove that Co₂FeGe is a HMF with a large gap of 1.10 eV and the Fermi energy (E_F) lies at the middle of the gap of minority spin. The calculated density of states (DOS) and band structure show that Co₂FeGe is a HMF when treated with LSDA+U.     

Ab initio study of the structural,electronic, elastic and magnetic properties of Cu2GdIn,Ag2GdIn and Au2GdIn

We preformed first-principle calculations for the structural, electronic, elastic and magnetic properties of Cu₂GdIn, Ag₂GdIn and Au₂GdIn using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) scheme within the generalized gradient approximation by Wu and Cohen (GGA-WC), GGA+U, the local spin density approximation (LSDA) and LSDA+U. The lattice parameters, the bulk modulus and its pressure derivative and the elastic constants were determined. Also, we present the band structures and the densities of states. The electronic structures of the ferromagnetic configuration for Heusler compounds (X₂GdIn) have a metallic character. The magnetic moments were mostly contributed by the rare-earth Gd 4f ion.     

First-principles linear muffin-tin orbital investigations in the electronic and magnetic structures of double perovskites Ba2TMoO6 (T=V,Cr, Mn,Fe and Co)

The electronic and magnetic structures of ordered double perovskites Ba₂TMoO₆ (T=V, Cr, Mn, Fe and Co) are systematically investigated by means of the first-principle linear muffin-tin orbitals with the atomic-sphere approximation (LMTO-ASA) method. The calculations are performed by using the both local spin density approximation (LSDA) and the LSDA+U Coulomb interaction schemes. The results show a half-metallic ferrimagnetic ground states for T=Cr, Fe and Co in LSDA+U treatment, whereas half-metallic ferromagnetic character is observed for T=V. For T=Mn, insulating ground state is obtained, stabilized in the antiferromagnetic state. The LSDA+U calculations yield better agreement with the theoretical and the experimental results than do the LSDA.     

Study on the ground state of NiO: The LSDA (GGA)+U method

The ground-state properties of NiO have been investigated using the all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) and the so-called LSDA (GGA)+U (LSDA—local-spin-density approximation; GGA—generalized gradient approximation) method. The calculated result indicates that our estimation of U is in good agreement with experimental data. It is also found that none of the LSDA (GGA) methods is able to provide, at the same time, accurate electronic and structural properties of NiO. Although the GGA+U method can properly predict the electronic band gap, it overestimates the lattice constant and underestimates the bulk modulus. Then only the LSDA+U method accurately reports the electronic and structural properties of NiO. The calculated band gap and the density of states (DOS) show that the material NiO is the charge-transfer insulator, which agrees with the spectroscopy data. The comparison between the charge density of LSDA (not considering U) and that of LSDA+U (considering U) demonstrates that the trend of ionic crystal for NiO is obvious.     

First principles investigation on the band gap of the ground state of LaCoO3

The band gap of LaCoO₃ in ground state is obtained from the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with on-site Coulomb correction (GGA+U) calculations (U=3.4 eV, J=0.49 eV ), which agrees with the experimental result very well. A series of local spin density approximation (LSDA) with on-site Coulomb corrections (LSDA+U) and GGA+U calculations are performed with various U and J parameters to understand the recently published band gaps of 1.43 eV from LSDA+U (U=8.33 eV ) and 1.0 eV from GGA+U (U=2.7) calculations. The partial density of states (PDOSs) are presented to investigate the origin of the band gap.     

Properties of hexagonal Al2Ge2RE (RE=Y,La,Ce,Nd,Eu,Gd,Tb,Y b and Lu) : A first-principles study

In this work, we present a study of the structural, elastic and electronic properties of the Al₂Ge₂RE (RE=Y, La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Yb and Lu) through the approaches of generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and local spin density approximation with the Hubbard energy (LSDA+U) based on density-functional theory. For most of the compounds (RE=Y, La, Ce, Nd, Eu, Yb and Lu), the results of the structural constants calculated from the approach of LSDA+U are in good agreement with the reported experimental data. Both the approaches of GGA and LSDA+U have been used to calculate DOS. Compared with the results of the GGA approach, the LSDA+U is more credible because it can show the influence of RE-f states and the RE-f states play an important role in the compound. The magnetic property has been investigated according to the result of DOS and it shows that the Al₂Ge₂Y, Al₂Ge₂La, Al₂Ge₂Y b and Al₂Ge₂Lu do not exhibit obvious magnetic property, while the other five ternary compounds are magnetic. The Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH) approach is used to calculate the elastic properties including bulk and shear moduli. The results of the calculated Poisson’s ratio ν and the B/G ratio demonstrate that all the Al₂Ge₂RE ternary compounds are brittle materials. The compounds, i.e. Al₂Ge₂Nd, Al₂Ge₂Eu, Al₂Ge₂Gd and Al₂Ge₂Tb which are mechanically unstable, display differences with the other five in the elastic properties.     

First-principles study of electronic structure and magnetism of cubic Al1−xErxN using the LSDA+U approach

First-principles calculations, by means of the full-potential augmented plane wave method using the LSDA+U approach (local spin density approximation with Hubbard-U corrections), have been carried out for the electronic structure of the Al_0.75Er_0.25N. The LSDA+U method is applied to the rare-earth 4? states. We have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties.The Al_0.75Er_0.25N is shown to be a semiconductor, where the filled ? states are located in the valence bands and the empty ones above the conduction band edge. The magnetic interaction of the rare-earth ion with the host states at the valence and conduction band edges has been investigated and discussed.     

A full potential all-electron calculation on electronic structure of NiO

We perform a first principle calculation on NiO system, a prototypical correlated electronic system due to partial filled 3d electronic shell, using various density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid functional methods inclusion of spin polarization (SP), on-site Coulomb repulsion U and spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effects. It is shown that localized spin density approximation (LSDA) plus U (LSDA?+?U) correctly reproduce experimental lattice parameter, while spin polarization generalized gradient approximation (SP?+?GGA?+?U) obviously overestimates lattice parameter. LSDA?+?U/SP?+?GGA?+?U band gaps and magnetic moments are in agreement with experimental data, and correctly predict NiO to be an insulator. NiO undergoes a Mott–Hubbard metal–insulator transition (MIT) by addition of Coulomb interaction U. Our LSDA?+?SOC calculation shows that SOC further splitting of Ni d e_g and t_2g orbitals into d_z2, d_xy, d_x2y2 and d_xz?+?d_yz orbitals, and SP nearly cancels out SOC effect, giving rise to symmetry of density of states (DOS) for spin-up and spin-down states, hence appearance of zero net magnetic moment. For LSDA?+?U?+?SOC calculation, combination effect of SP, U and SOC results in non-occupying of spin-up conduction band and a negligible density of states for spin-down states.     

First-principles study on the crystal, electronic structure and mechanical properties of hexagonal Al3RE (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) intermetallic compounds

The structural properties, elastic properties and electronic structures of hexagonal Al₃RE intermetallic compounds are calculated by using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. Since there exists strong on-site Coulomb repulsion between the highly localized 4f electrons of RE atoms, we present a combination of the GGA and the LSDA+U approaches in order to obtain the appropriate results. The GGA calculated lattice constants for the hexagonal Al₃RE intermetallic compounds are in good agreement with available experimental values. The results of cohesive energy indicate that these compounds can be stable under absolute zero Kelvin and the stability of Al₃Gd is the strongest in all of the hexagonal Al₃RE compounds. The densities of states for GGA and LSDA+U approaches are also obtained for the Al₃RE intermetallic compounds. The mechanical properties are calculated from the GGA method in this paper. According to the computed single crystal elastic constants, Al₃La, Al₃Sm and Al₃Gd are mechanically unstable, while Al₃Ce, Al₃Pr and Al₃Nd are stable. The polycrystalline elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio have been deduced by using Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH) approximations, and the calculated ratio of bulk modulus to shear modulus indicates that Al₃La compound is ductile material, but Al₃Ce, Al₃Pr, Al₃Nd, Al₃Sm and Al₃Gd are brittle materials.     

The spin effect in zinc-blende CdEuS and CdEuSe: GGA and GGA+U studies

We have investigated the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of substitutional europium rare earth impurity in cubic CdS and CdSe by employing the ab-initio method. Calculations were performed by using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbitals (FP-L/APW+lo) method within the framework of spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT). The electronic exchange-correlation energy is described by generalized gradient approximation GGA and GGA+U (U is the Hubbard correction). The GGA+U method is applied to the rare-earth 4f states. We have calculated the lattice parameters, bulk modulii, the first pressure derivatives of the bulk modulii and the cohesive energies. The calculated densities of states presented in this study identify the metallic behavior of CdEuS and CdEuSe when we use the GGA scheme, whereas when we use the GGA+U, we see that these compounds are half-metallic.     

Hyperfine interactions and electronic structures of BaFe 2 As 2 : a first-principles LDA+U study

The hyperfine parameters of hyperfine fields, electric field gradients and isomer shifts at the Fe site are investigated based on the first-principles calculations of the electronic structures using LDA (GGA)+U method in the low-temperature orthorhombic antiferromagnetic phase of undoped BaFe₂As₂. It is fond that the electric field gradient of Fe nucleus is highly related with the electronic structures close to the Fermi level. Though the addition of negative on-site Coulomb interaction to Fe-3d states improves the calculated magnetic moment of Fe atom and the hyperfine parameters of Fe nucleus when U = ?0.1 Ry (?0.08 Ry) for GGA+U (LDA+U) method, a negative U correction does not capture the right physics of this system. The calculations prove the strong coupling between the magnetic, structural and electronic properties in antiferromagnetic BaFe₂As₂ parent.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiC

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of Fe₂SiC compound have been studiedusing the framework of an all-electron full-potential linearized augmented-plane wave(FP-LAPW) method within the local density (LSDA) and + U corrected(LSDA + U)approximations. An antiferromagnetic spin ordering of Fe atoms is shown to be the groundstate for this compound. From the electronic band structures and density of states (DOS),Fe₂SiC has ametallic character and from the analysis of the site and momentum projected densities, itis deduced that the bonding is achieved through hybridization of Fe-3d with C-2p states andFe-3d withSi-3pstates. It is also pointed out that the Fe-C bonding is more covalent than Fe-Si. In theFM phase, the spin polarized calculations indicate that the total magnetic moment ofFe₂SiC increasesfrom 0.41 to 4.33μ _B when the Hubbard U parameter for iron isconsidered.     

Structure, electronic and magnetic properties of Ca-doped chromium oxide studied by the DFT method

Using first-principles density functional theory calculations within the generalised gradient approximation (GGA) as well as GGA+U method we study Ca-doped α-Cr₂O₃ crystal. Structural, electronic and magnetic properties due to the singular impurity incorporation have been investigated and discussed in detail. Atomic shifts as well as computed Bader charges on atoms imply the importance of ionic nature in the atomic interactions in chromium oxide. The study improves our knowledge on how the crystalline lattice reacts on the presence of a Ca dopant. According to our research it is found that Ca impurity incorporation produces some local changes upon the electronic band structure of the material without occurrence of local states within the band-gap. It is found that Ca incorporation produces change in magnetic behaviour of the crystal: it becomes ferromagnetic.     

First-principles investigations of Cr doping effects on electronic structure and magnetic properties in Sr2FeReO6

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of double perovskites Sr₂Fe_1−xCr_xReO₆ (x=0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) have been studied within the local spin density approximation (LSDA) and LSDA+U schemes. The calculated results reveal that with increasing Cr content the cell volume shrinks 2.61%; the Fe/Cr site magnetic moment decreases while the Re-site moment increases. The total spin magnetic moment linearly decreases with the Cr doping from 3.00μB for x=0.00 down to 1.00μB for x=1.00 per formula unit. The magnetic coupling constants increase with increasing x. The electronic structure calculations indicate that the electronic concentration in the Re spin-down subband slightly increases resulting from the increase of bonding-antibonding interaction between the localised and the delocalised states in spin-down band; the coupling of O-2p_↑ and transition-metal-3d_↑ is substantially enhanced with the Cr doping. We discuss the origin of the anomalously high TC of Cr-doped Sr₂FeReO₆ compounds in terms of band hybridization effects.     

First principles study on magnetic properties in ZnS doped with palladium

The electronic structures and magnetic properties in zinc-blende structure ZnS doped with nonmagnetic noble metal palladium have been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations employing the generalised gradient approximation (GGA) and the GGA plus Hubbard U (GGA + U). Both the GGA and GGA + U methods demonstrate half-metallicity in Pd-doped ZnS with total magnetic moments of about 2.0μ _B per supercell. The half-metallic ferromagnetism stems from the hybridisation between Pd-4d and S-3p states and could be attributed to a double-exchange mechanism. These results suggest a recipe for obtaining a promising dilute magnetic semiconductor by doping nonmagnetic 4d elements in ZnS matrix.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of NdCrSb3: A first principles study

The electronic and magnetic properties of NdCrSb₃ are calculated by the first principles full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method based on the density functional theory (DFT). Density of states (DOS), magnetic moments and band structures of the system are presented. For the exchange and correlation energy, local spin density approximation (LSDA+U) with the inclusion of Hubbard potential U is used. Our calculation shows that the 3d state electron of Cr and 4f state electrons of Nd contribute to the total DOS and the band structures. The effective magnetic moment is found to be 5.77μ_B, which is comparable to the earlier experimental results of NdCrSb₃.     

First-principles study of ferromagnetism in Zn- and Cd-doped SnO2

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of Zn- and Cd-doped SnO₂ are investigated using first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA+U scheme. The substitutional Zn and Cd atoms introduce holes in the 2p orbitals of the O atoms and the introduced holes are mostly confined to the minority-spin states. The magnetic moment induced by doping mainly comes from the 2p orbitals of the O atoms, among which the moment of the first neighboring O atoms around the dopant are the biggest. The U correction for the anion-2p states obviously increases the moment of the first neighboring O atoms and transforms the ground states of the doped SnO₂ from half-metallic to insulating. The magnetic coupling between the moments induced by two dopants is ferromagnetic and the origin of ferromagnetic coupling can be attributed to the p–d hybridization interaction involving holes.     

Investigation of possible half-metal material on double perovskites Sr2BBO6 (B,B=3d transition metal) using first-principle calculations

We investigated the possible candidates of half-metal (HM) material in double perovskites structure Sr₂BB′O₆ (B, B′=3d transition metal). The electronic structure calculations were based on density functional theory (DFT) with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA+U approaches, where +U is on-site Coulomb interaction correction. With the consideration of 4 types of magnetic states, i.e. ferromagnetic (FM), ferromagnetic (FiM), antimagnetic (AF) and nonmagnetic (NM), we found 5 promising candidates for half-metallic (HM) materials: Sr₂ScCrO₆, Sr₂TiCrO₆, Sr₂MnCrO₆, Sr₂ZnMnO₆ and Sr₂ZnFeO₆.     

The role of Co impurities and oxygen vacancies in the ferromagnetism of Co-doped SnO2: GGA and GGA+U studies

The electronic structure and ferromagnetic stability of Co-doped SnO₂ are studied using the first-principle density functional method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA+U schemes. The addition of effective U_Co transforms the ground state of Co-doped SnO₂ to insulating from half-metallic and the coupling between the nearest neighbor Co spins to weak antimagnetic from strong ferromagnetic. GGA+U_Co calculations show that the pure substitutional Co defects in SnO₂ cannot induce the ferromagnetism. Oxygen vacancies tend to locate near Co atoms. Their presence increases the magnetic moment of Co and induces the ferromagnetic coupling between two Co spins with large Co-Co distance. The calculated density of state and spin density distribution calculated by GGA+U_Co show that the long-range ferromagnetic coupling between two Co spins is mediated by spin-split impurity band induced by oxygen vacancies. More charge transfer from impurity to Co-3d states and larger spin split of Co-3d and impurity states induced by the addition of U_Co enhance the ferromagnetic stability of the system with oxygen vacancies. By applying a Coulomb U_O on O 2 s orbital, the band gap is corrected for all calculations and the conclusions derived from GGA+U_Co calculations are not changed by the correction of band gap.     

Magnetic and electronic structure studies of the perovskite oxide Nd2/3Sr1/3MnO3 from the first principle calculation

Generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U (U denotes on-site Coulomb interactions) methods are applied to investigate the magnetic and electronic structures of the perovskite oxide Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃. Under GGA the compound prefers ferrimagnetic ordering in which Nd sublattice is spin-antiparallel to Mn sublattice. Nd 4f states cross over the Fermi level under GGA, leading the ferrimagnetic Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ to a metallic character. The on-site Coulomb interactions should be included to emphasize the localized feature of Nd 4f states. Under GGA + U, the spins of Nd and Mn sublattices tend to be parallel in the ground state, and fully spin-polarized Mn 3d electrons yield a half-metallic band structure for the ferromagnetic Nd_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃. The ferromagnetic coupling between Nd and Mn sublattices is ascribed to the super-exchange interaction between Nd 4f and Mn 3d (t2g) electrons via O 2p electrons.