Electronic structure and optical properties of anatase doped with bismuth and carbon

The calculations of the electronic structure of pure anatase and the anatase doped with carbon and/or bismuth have been carried out using the ab initio tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method in the local spin density approximation with the inclusion of single-site Coulomb correlations (LSDA + U). The dielectric function, absorption coefficient, and refractive index have been calculated in the random phase approximation. It has been found that, upon doping, narrow bands of carbon and bismuth impurity states are formed in the band gap. The calculations of the optical absorption coefficient have demonstrated that the C,Bi-doping can lead to the absorption in the visible region and an enhancement of the absorption in the near-ultraviolet region. Therefore, the C,Bi-doping can increase the photocatalytic activity on the surface of doped anatase.     

Electronic structure of boron nitride nanostructures doped with a carbon atom

We have investigated, using first-principles calculations, the role of a substitutional carbon atom on the electronic properties of boron nitride monolayers, nanotubes, and nanocones. It is shown that electron states in the energy-gap are independent of the curvature, being the same for the monolayer, for the cone and for the tube. It is also found, that the presence of carbon in the boron nitride compounds induces a spin polarization, with magnetic moment of 1.0 μ_B, which does not depend on the curvature.     

Electronic structure and the optical and photocatalytic properties of anatase doped with vanadium and carbon

The electronic structures of undoped anatase and anatase doped with carbon and vanadium have been calculated using the ab initio tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method in the LSDA + U approximation. It has been shown that the doping of TiO₂ leads to the formation of narrow bands of the C and Vimpurity states in the band gap. The calculations of the imaginary part of the dielectric function have made it possible to estimate the intensity of the optical absorption. It has been established that the doping with vanadium and carbon leads to optical absorption in the visible range and to an increase in the absorption in the ultraviolet range up to 4 eV. This should result in an increase in the photocatalytic activity on the surface of the doped anatase. The experimental determination of the photocatalytic activity of whiskers of the anatase doped with carbon and vanadium in the reaction of hydroquinone oxidation has confirmed the increase in the activity of the doped materials under exposure to ultraviolet, visible, and blue light. The phenomenon of dark catalysis in the anatase doped with carbon and vanadium has been interpreted within the concept of low-energy electronic excitatio ns between the impurity levels of carbon.     

Dynamics of the processes of electron-hole recombination and capture of charge carriers in anatase doped with boron, carbon, or nitrogen

The first-principles investigation of the processes of nonradiative recombination of electron-hole pairs and binding of excited charge carriers with impurity atoms in anatase doped with boron, carbon, or nitrogen has been carried out using the perturbation theory method. The perturbation is provided by a dynamically screened electron-electron interaction potential calculated in the random phase approximation. It has been shown that the most probable processes occurring upon doping with boron and carbon are exchange processes in which electrons are bound with the impurity atom, whereas the most probable processes observed upon doping with nitrogen are exchange processes in which holes are bound with the impurity atom. These processes occur within a time interval of shorter than 2 fs. The next in probability are the processes of energy losses by unbound electrons and holes due to the generation of phonons. For the case of nitrogen doping, the time of this process is estimated at approximately 300 fs. For excitons formed in this case, the luminescence photon energy and the binding energy of electrons or holes with the impurity atom are estimated. The agreement between the calculated data and the results of experiments on the photocatalysis proceeding on the surface of N-doped anatase is discussed.     

Electronic band structure, optical absorption, and photocatalytic activity of iron-doped anatase

Quasi-one-dimensional solid solutions of the composition Ti_{1 ? x} Fe _x O_{2 ? x/2} (0.005 ≤ x ≤ 0.050) with the anatase-type structure and extended aggregates have been prepared by the precursor method. The absorption spectra of the solid solutions have been investigated in the ultraviolet and visible regions, and the photocatalytic activity in the oxidation reaction of hydroquinone in water has been estimated. It has been found that the synthesized solid solutions serve as photocatalysts only under ultraviolet irradiation, and their photoactivity increases with an increase in the dopant concentration. The first-principles calculations of the electronic band structure and optical absorption in iron-doped anatase and rutile have been performed using the pseudopotential method LSDA + U (with the VASP software package). The on-site exchange-correlation parameters have been calibrated in the calculations of the electronic band structure of hematite α-Fe₂O₃ and ilmenite FeTiO₃. It has been shown that, despite the appearance of impurity states within the band gap of anatase and rutile, doping with iron does not cause substantial absorption in the visible region, which correlates with the increase in photocatalytic activity only under ultraviolet irradiation. The most probable cause of the experimentally observed absorption in the visible region is the presence of finely dispersed hematite impurities in the obtained samples.     

Electronic structure of rutile simultaneously doped with carbon and nitrogen atoms in the coherent potential approximation

The coherent potential method has been used for calculating the electronic structure and magnetic properties of rutile with a disordered arrangement of impurity carbon and nitrogen atoms in the oxygen sublattice: TiO_{2 ? x ? y} C _x N _y , x(y) = 0, 0.03, and 0.06. The tendencies to changes in the magnetic moment and photocatalytic activity with variations in the carbon-nitrogen composition of codoped rutile have been analyzed using the obtained data.     

Electronic band structure and x-ray spectra of boron nitride polytypes

The electronic band structures of boron nitride crystal modifications of the graphite (h-BN), wurtzite (w-BN), and sphalerite (c-BN) types are calculated using the local coherent potential method in the cluster muffin-tin approximation within the framework of the multiple scattering theory. The specific features of the electronic band structure of 2H, 4H, and 3C boron nitride polytypes are compared with those of experimental x-ray photoelectron, x-ray emission, and K x-ray absorption spectra of boron and nitrogen. The features of the experimental x-ray spectra of boron nitride in different crystal modifications are interpreted. It is demonstrated that the short-wavelength peak revealed in the total densities of states (TDOS) in the boron nitride polytypes under consideration can be assigned to the so-called outer collective band formed by 2p electrons of boron and nitrogen atoms. The inference is made that the decrease observed in the band gap when changing over from wurtzite and sphalerite to hexagonal boron nitride is associated with the change in the coordination number of the components, which, in turn, leads to a change in the energy location of the conduction band bottom in the crystal.     

Electron spin polarization and conduction band structure of doped ferromagnetic semiconductors

The spin polarization of the conduction electrons of a doped semiconductor (e.g. EuO + x%Gd) is calculated using a moment method together with an alloy analogy. It is shown to be caused by a complicated temperature- and carrier concentration-dependence of the quasiparticle spectrum of the s-f model. Obtained polarization agrees very well with recent photoemission experimental data.     

碳掺杂ZnO的电子结构和光学性质

采用基于密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理计算研究碳掺杂ZnO的电子结构和光学性质.计算结果表明：C原子替代O原子和C原子替代Zn原子两种掺杂体系的电子结构存在明显差异,这主要是由于C原子的电子分布及对周围原子的影响不同;碳掺杂ZnO光学性质的变化集中在低能量区,而高能量区的光学性质没有明显变化.结合电子结构定性解释了光学性质的变化. 关键词： ZnO 碳掺杂 电子结构 光学性质     

Effect of doping by boron,carbon, and nitrogen atoms on the magnetic and photocatalytic properties of anatase

The effect of doping of titanium dioxide with the anatase structure by boron, carbon, and nitrogen atoms on the magnetic and optical properties and the electronic spectrum of this compound has been investigated using the ab initio tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) band-structure method in the local spin density approximation explicitly including Coulomb correlations (LSDA + U) in combination with the semiempirical extended Hückel theory (EHT) method. The LSDA + U calculations of the electronic structure, the imaginary part of the dielectric function, the total magnetic moments, and the magnetic moments at the impurity atoms have been carried out. The diagrams of the molecular orbitals of the clusters Ti₃ X (X = B, C, N) have been calculated and the pseudo-space images of the molecular orbitals of the clusters have been constructed. The effect of doping on the nature and origin of photocatalytic activity in the visible spectral range and the specific features of the generation of ferromagnetic interactions in doped anatase have been discussed based on the analysis of the obtained data. It has been shown that, in the sequence TiO_{2 ? y} N _y → TiO_{2 ? y} C _y → TiO_{2 ? y} B _y (y = 1/16), the photocatalytic activity can increase with the generation of electronic excitations with the participation of impurity bands. The calculated magnetic moments for boron and nitrogen atoms are equal to 1 μ_B, whereas the impurity carbon atoms are nonmagnetic.     

Electronic structure and optical property of boron doped semiconducting graphene nanoribbons

We present a system study on the electronic structure and optical property of boron doped semiconducting graphene nanoribbons using the density functional theory. Energy band structure, density of states, deformation density, Mulliken popular and optical spectra are considered to show the special electronic structure of boron doped semiconducting graphene nanoribbons. The C—B bond form is discussed in detail. From our analysis it is concluded that the Fermi energy of boron doped semiconducting graphene nano...     

Unusual band structure and exotic electrical conduction for electrons in incommensurate lattice potentials

Electrons in crystals with incommensurate periodic potentials are shown to exhibit a band structure with many very narrow bands separated by narrow band gaps. This makes such systems ideal candidates for observing such exotic electrical conduction phenomena in d.c. fields as Zener tunneling and Stark oscillations. Estimates are made of the conditions under which such phenomena should be observable experimentally.     

Ab initio thermodynamic characteristics of the formation of oxygen vacancies,and boron,carbon, and nitrogen impurity centers in anatase

Using the ab initio projector augmented wave (PAW) method, calculations are performed for the electronic energy-band structure of titanium dioxide having the structure of anatase doped with boron, nitrogen, and carbon. Thermodynamic characteristics are determined for the formation of impurity centers, such as the preference energy for the interstitial position, the energy of impurity oxidation, and the energy of oxygen vacancy formation. It is shown that under the conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium the interstitial position of boron atoms is stable, whereas carbon atoms, depending on the oxygen pressure, can occupy both interstitial positions and substitutional positions of oxygen atoms, and nitrogen atoms replace oxygen atoms. It is shown that the presence of oxygen vacancies promotes the thermodynamic stability of carbon and nitrogen atoms. The obtained densities of electronic states correspond to ESR spectroscopy data, which indicates the presence of spin-polarized electrons in the states of the oxygen vacancy.     

Electronic structure and dynamics of optically excited single-wall carbon nanotubes

We have studied the electronic structure and charge-carrier dynamics of individual single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and nanotube ropes using optical and electron–spectroscopic techniques. The electronic structure of semiconducting SWNTs in the band-gap region is analyzed using near-infrared absorption spectroscopy. A semi-empirical expression for E₁₁^S transition energies, based on tight-binding calculations is found to give striking agreement with experimental data. Time-resolved PL from dispersed SWNT-micelles shows a decay with a time constant of about 15 ps. Using time-resolved photoemission we also find that the electron–phonon (e–ph) coupling in metallic tubes is characterized by a very small e–ph mass-enhancement of 0.0004. Ultrafast electron–electron scattering of photo-excited carriers in nanotube ropes is finally found to lead to internal thermalization of the electronic system within about 200 fs. PACS 78.47.+p; 81.07.De; 78.67.Ch; 87.64.Ni     

Electronic band structure and optical absorption of nanotubular zinc oxide doped with Iron, Cobalt, or Copper

The absorption spectra of the precursor-derived solid solutions Zn_{1 ? x} M _x O (M = Fe, Co, Cu) with a tubular morphology of aggregates have been investigated in the ultraviolet and visible regions. The maximum metal concentration x in the Zn_{1 ? x} M _x O solid solutions is 0.075 for iron, 0.2 for cobalt, and 0.1 for copper. It has been found that the optical absorption and the band gap of the Zn_{1 ? x} M _x O compounds depend on the type of dopant. The obtained experimental data have been interpreted using the results of the performed ab initio calculations of the electronic band structure and optical absorption.     

Electronic properties of single-crystal diamonds heavily doped with boron

Single-crystal diamonds with characteristic sizes of 2–7 mm doped with boron in the concentration range 10¹⁹–10²⁰ cm^?3 have been grown by the temperature gradient method at high static pressures. The temperature dependence of the resistance R of the synthesized single crystals has been measured in the range 0.5 K < T < 297 K. An activated dependence R(T) with an activation energy of about 50 meV is observed in the range from room temperature to T ≈ 200 K. At temperatures below approximately 50 K, the temperature dependence of the conductivity for heavily doped crystals is proportional to T ^1/2, which is characteristic of degenerate semiconductors with a high number of defects.     

Electronic properties of boron and nitrogen doped graphene nanoribbons and its application for graphene electronics

On the basis of density functional theory calculations, we have systematically investigated the electronic properties of armchair-edge graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) doped with boron (B) and nitrogen (N) atoms. B (N) atoms could effectively introduce holes (electrons) to GNRs and the system exhibits p- (n-) type semiconducting behavior after B (N) doping. According to the electronic structure calculations, Z-shape GNR-based field effect transistors (FETs) is constructed by selective doping with B or N atoms. Using first-principles quantum transport calculations, we demonstrate that the B-doped p-type GNR-FETs can exhibit high levels of performance, with high ON/OFF ratios and low subthreshold swing. Furthermore, the performance parameters of GNR-FETs could be controlled by the p-type semiconducting channel length.     

Determination of band alignment between GaOx and boron doped diamond for a selective-area-doped termination structure

An n-GaO_x thin film is deposited on a single-crystal boron-doped diamond by RF magnetron sputtering to form the pn heterojunction. The n-GaO_x thin film presents a small surface roughness and a large optical band gap of 4.85 eV. In addition, the band alignment is measured using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to evaluate the heterojunction properties. The GaO_x/diamond heterojunction shows a type-II staggered band configuration, where the valence and conduction band offsets are 1.28 eV and 1.93 eV, respectively. These results confirm the feasibility of the use of n-GaO_x as a termination structure for diamond power devices.     

Electron-phonon relaxation and excited electron distribution in zinc oxide and anatase

We propose a first-principles method for evaluations of the time-dependent electron distribution function of excited electrons in the conduction band of semiconductors. The method takes into account the excitations of electrons by an external source and the relaxation to the bottom of the conduction band via electron-phonon coupling. The methods permit calculations of the non-equilibrium electron distribution function, the quasi-stationary distribution function with a steady-in-time source of light, the time of setting of the quasi-stationary distribution and the time of energy loss via relaxation to the bottom of the conduction band. The actual calculations have been performed for titanium dioxide in the anatase structure and zinc oxide in the wurtzite structure. We find that the quasi-stationary electron distribution function has a peak near the bottom of the conduction band and a tail whose maximum energy rises linearly with increasing energy of excitation. The calculations demonstrate that the relaxation of excited electrons and the setting of the quasi-stationary distribution occur within a time of no more than 500?fs for ZnO and 100?fs for anatase. We also discuss the applicability of the effective phonon model to energy-independent electron-phonon transition probability. We find that the model only reproduces the trends in the change of the characteristic times whereas the precision of such calculations is not high. The rate of energy transfer to phonons at the quasi-stationary electron distribution also have been evaluated and the effect of this transfer on the photocatalysis has been discussed. We found that for ZnO this rate is about five times less than in anatase.     

Electronic properties of graphene nanoribbon doped by boron/nitrogen pair: a first-principles study

By using the first-principles calculations, the electronic properties of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) doped by boron/nitrogen (B/N) bonded pair are investigated. It is found that B/N bonded pair tends to be doped at the edges of GNR and B/N pair doping in GNR is easier to carry out than single B doping and unbonded B/N co-doping in GNR. The electronic structure of GNR doped by B/N pair is very sensitive to doping site besides the ribbon width and chirality. Moreover, B/N pair doping can selectively adjust the energy gap of armchair GNR and can induce the semimetal-semiconductor transmission for zigzag GNR. This fact may lead to a possible method for energy band engineering of GNRs and benefit the design of graphene electronic device.