Pressure effects on structural,elastic and electronic properties of BaZnO2: first-principles study

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of BaZnO₂ under pressure are investigated by the plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory (DFT). The calculated lattice parameters and unit cell volume of BaZnO₂ at the ground state are in good agreement with the available experimental data and other theoretical data. The pressure dependences of elastic constants C_ij, bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, B/G, Poisson’ s ratio σ, Debye temperature Θ and aggregate acoustic velocities V_P and V_S are systematically investigated. It is shown that BaZnO₂ maintains ductile properties under the applied pressures. Analysis for the calculated elastic constants has been made to reveal the mechanical stability and mechanical anisotropy of BaZnO₂. At the ground state, the calculated compressional and shear wave velocities are 8.26 km/s and 1.81 km/s, respectively, and the Debye temperature Θ is 240.8 K. The pressure dependences of the density of states and the bonding property of BaZnO₂ are also investigated.     

Vacancy-defect effect on the electronic and optical properties of Pmm2 BC2N: A first-principles study

Orthorhombic-Pmm2-BC₂N as a superhard photocatalyst simulates great interests in the researches of materials-design and application. To promote the studies of Pmm2 BC₂N as a multifunctional material with both great hardness and good optical properties, we investigated the electronic and optical properties of Pmm2 BC₂N with various vacancy-defects by the systematic first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations in this work. The absorption, refractivity, reflectivity, and photoconductivity of considered structures were calculated and explored. The various characteristics of the optical properties were analyzed based on relative computed density of states (DOS).     

A first-principles study of gas molecule adsorption on hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne

Hydrogen-substituted graphdiyne (HsGDY) is a novel alkynyl carbon material with a structure similar to that of graphene. In this paper, the adsorption of four gas molecules (NO, NO₂, NH₃, and N₂) on HsGDY and B-doped HsGDY (B-HsGDY) was studied using density functional theory. The results show that the adsorption of NO and NO₂ on HsGDY and B-HsGDY is characterized by a larger charge transfer, stronger interaction, and higher adsorption energy compared with that of NH₃ and N₂. Based on the doping with B atoms, the adsorption energies of the gas molecules on HsGDY significantly improve, especially that of NO and NO₂. The gas molecule adsorption on both HsGDY and B-HsGDY is physical adsorption and the adsorption selectivity is good and thus may be applied for gas-sensitive NO and NO₂ materials.     

Pressure effect on structural,electronic optical and thermodynamic properties of cubic AlxIn1-xP: a first-principles study

ABSTRACT

First-principles total energy calculations have been performed using the full potential linearised augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2k code based on the density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the Al-doping effects on the structural, electronic and optical properties of Al_xIn_1-xP ternary alloys in the zinc-blende (ZB) phase. Different approximations of exchange-correlations energy were used such as the local density approximation (LDA), the generalised gradient approximation within parameterisation of Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE-GGA), and the Wu-Cohen (WC-GGA). In addition, we have calculated the band structures with high accuracy using the Tran-Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) approach. The pressure dependence of the electronic and optical properties of binary AlP, InP compounds and their related ternary alloys Al_xIn_1-xP were also investigated under hydrostatic pressure for (P?=?0.0, 5.0,10.0, 15.0, 20.0, 25.0?GPa), where it is found that InP compound change from direct to indirect band gap for P?≥?9.16?GPa. Furthermore, we have calculated the thermodynamic properties of InP and AlP binary compounds as well as the Al_xIn_1-xP solid solutions, where the quasi-harmonic Debye model has been employed to predict the pressure and temperature dependent Gibbs free energy, heat capacity, Debye temperature and entropy.     

A first-principles study on the structural,elastic and electronic properties of AlCSc3 and AlNSc3

We present an ab initio study of the structural, elastic and electronic properties of the antiperovskite compounds AlCSc₃ and AlNSc₃. The calculated lattice parameters and equilibrium volumes are in good agreement with the available experimental data. Single-crystal elastic constants were calculated and the polycrystalline elastic moduli were estimated according to Voigt, Reuss and Hill’s approximations. The band structure shows a metallic character of both compounds; strong hybridization between Sc d–C p (or N p) and Sc d–Al p states was observed from the partial density of states. A significant charge transfer from Al to C (or N) atoms was observed. Moreover, these compounds are bonded by a mixture of ionic–covalent bonding.     

Pressure effect on electronic,elastic and optical properties of Eu:CaF2 crystal: a first-principles study

The structure, electronic structure, elastic and optical properties of pure CaF₂ and Eu:CaF₂ are investigated by performing the generalized gradient approximation in the frame of density functional theory. The obtained lattice constant, band structure, elastic constants and imaginary part of dielectric function of pure CaF₂ agree well with the experimental and other theoretical results. These properties of Eu:CaF₂ are also calculated, and it follows that Eu doping leads to the crystal structure distorted, as well as the spin polarization of the system. Especially an impurity band is introduced in the bandgap, above the Fermi level, in the band structure of the Eu:CaF₂, narrowing the bandgap. In addition, it is observed that the optical peaks of Eu:CaF₂ shift towards the longer wavelength side, and the peak intensities drop compared with pure CaF₂. Furthermore, Eu doping induces a series of new peaks in the optical properties, which is probably caused by the transitions of the 4f electrons of the Eu atoms. It is worth mentioning that the effect of pressure on the optical properties of Eu:CaF₂ is also studied, we can hold that the optical peaks will have a blueshift.     

Structural,electronic, and mechanical properties of cubic TiO_2:A first-principles study

We present an analysis of structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of cubic titanium dioxide(TiO_2) using an all electron orthogonalzed linear combinations of atomic orbitals(OLCAO) basis set under the framework of density functional theory(DFT). The structural property, especially the lattice constant a, and the electronic properties such as the band diagram and density of states(DOS) are studied and analyzed. The mechanical properties such as bulk moduli, shear moduli, Young's Moduli, and Poison's ratio are also investigated thoroughly. The calculations are carried out on shear moduli and anisotropy factor for cubic TiO_2. The Vickers hardness is also tested for fluorite and pyrite cubic-structured TiO_2. Furthermore, the results are compared with the previous theoretical and experimental results. It is found that DFTbased simulation produces results which are approximation to experimental results, whereas the calculated elastic constants are better than the previous theoretical and experimental values.     

A first-principles study of the structural, electronic and elastic properties of solid nitromethane under pressure

The structural,electronic and elastic properties of solid nitromethane are investigated under pressure by performing first-principles density functional theory(DFT)calculations within the generalized gradient approximation(GGA)and the local density approximation(LDA).The obtained ground state structure properties are found to be consistent with existing experimental and theoretical results.The pressure-induced variations of structure parameters(a,b,c and V)indicate that the solid nitromethane has an anisotropic compressibility,and the compression along the c direction is more difficult than along a and b directions.From the vibration curves of intermolecular bond length and bond angle,we find that the C—N bond is the most sensitive among these bonds under pressure,suggesting that the C—N bonds may be broken first under external loading.The influence of pressure on the electronic properties of solid NM has been studied,indicating that solid NM is an insulating compound with a large indirect band gap and tends to be a semiconductor with increasing pressure.Finally,we predict the elastic constants and their pressure dependence for the solid NM with the bulk modulus,Young’s modulus,shear modulus and the Poisson’s ratio derived.     

Hydrostatic-pressure-dependent electronic and optical properties of tungstate MnWO4: A first-principles study

The dependence of electronic structure and optical properties of tungstate MnWO₄ on hydrostatic pressure is presented using the first-principles method based on density functional theory. The calculation results show that the energy band gap of MnWO₄ decreases along three different stages with pressure increasing, from which it is deduced that the material will transform into the metal state at about 134.7 Gpa. Meanwhile, the crystal structure of MnWO₄ also undergoes three different stages. Besides, it is found that the energy range of Mn 3d states and O 2s states expand gradually with pressure as well the peak of them reduce accordingly. In addition, the results show that the peaks’ position in the imaginary part of dielectric function and the absorption band edge of MnWO₄ are also influenced by the external pressure.     

Electronic and structural properties of N-vacancy in AlN nanowires: A first-principles study

The stability and electronic structures of AlN nanowires with and without N-vacancy are investigated using firstprinciples calculations.We find that there is an inverse correlation between formation energy and diameter in ideal AlN nanowires.After calculating the formation energies of N-vacancy at different sites in AlN nanowires with different diameters,we find that the N-vacancy prefers to stay at the surface of the nanowires and it is easier to fabricate them under Al-rich conditions.Through studying the electronic properties of AlN nanowires with N-vacancies,we further find that there are two isolated bands in the deep part of the band gap,one of them is fully occupied and the other is half occupied.The charge density indicates that the half-fully occupied band arises from the Al at the surface,and this atom becomes an active centre.     

A first-principles study on structural stability and mechanical properties of polar intermetallic phases CaZn2 and SrZn2

Structural stability and electronic properties of polar intermetallic CaZn₂ and SrZn₂ in both CeCu₂-type and MgZn₂-type structures have been investigated using first-principles method. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters agree closely with the available experimental and other theoretical results. In terms of formation enthalpy, it is discovered that the present compounds with CeCu₂-type structure are energetically more stable than that with MgZn₂-type. They are all mechanically stable according to the criteria of elastic stability. In particular, we have investigated the pressure effect on the compressive behaviour and structural stability of each compound. Subsequently, the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, theoretical hardness, Poisson’s ratio and Debye temperature in the ground state can be estimated using Voigt–Reuss–Hill homogenization method. Mechanical anisotropy is characterized by the anisotropic factors and direction-dependent Young’s modulus. Finally, the electronic structures are determined to reveal the bonding characteristics of considered phases.     

TDPAC and first-principles study of electronic and structural properties of a Pd-vacancy complex in undoped germanium

Pd is one of the metals suitable for inducing low-temperature crystallization in Ge. However, it is not clear how residual Pd atoms are integrated into the Ge lattice. Therefore, time-differential γ–γ perturbed angular correlations (TDPAC) technique using the ¹⁰⁰Pd(→¹⁰⁰Rh) nuclear probe produced by recoil implantation has been applied to study the hyperfine interactions of this probe in single-crystalline undoped Ge. A Pd-vacancy complex aligned along the <111> crystallographic direction with a unique interaction frequency of 8.4(5) Mrad/s has been identified. This complex was measured to have a maximum relative fraction of about 76(4)% following annealing at 350 ^°C. Further annealing at higher temperatures reduced this fraction, possibly via dissociation of the complex. Calculations suggest dissociation energy of 1.94(5) eV for the complex. DFT calculations performed in this work are in reasonable good agreement with the experimental values for the electric-field gradient of the defect complex in Ge and Si for comparison. The calculations predict a split-vacancy configuration with the Pd on a bond-centred interstitial site having a nearest-neighbour semi-vacancy on both sides (V-Pd_BI-V) in Ge and Si.     

A first-principles study of the size-dependent electronic properties of SiC nanotubes

We investigate the structural and electronic properties of SiC nanotubes(NTs) with hexagonal cross sections by a first-principles calculation using plane-wave ultra-soft pseudo-potential technology based on the density-functional theory.Our results reveal that surface-layer C and Si atoms relax significantly upon decreasing the tube-wall thickness because of surface-size and quantum-size effects.We also find that all relaxed SiC NTs stay stably on the nanoscale because of an admixture of sp2 and sp3 hybridization between C and Si atoms and a strong covalent,and that the band gap tends to decrease with increasing tube-wall thickness.Our calculations further indicate that both C and Si atoms on the inner and outer surface of SiC NTs contribute to defect states at the top of the valence band and at the bottom of the conduction band.These results provide reference information for a thorough understanding of the properties of SiC nanostructures and also enable more precise monitoring and control of the growth of SiC nanostructures.     

Strain-tunable electronic,elastic, and optical properties of CaI2 monolayer: first-principles study

ABSTRACT

The effects of biaxial strain on the electronic structure and the elastic and optical properties of monolayer CaI₂ were studied using first-principles calculations. The two-dimensional (2D) equation of state for monolayer CaI₂ as fit in a relative area of 80–120% is more accurate. The band gap can be tuned under strain and reached a maximum at a tensile strain of 4%. Under compressive strains, the absorption spectrum showed a significant red shift at higher strains. The static reflectance and static refractive index decreased in the strain range of ?10% to 10%.     

金衬底调控单层二硫化钼电子性能的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函的第一性原理研究了金衬底对单层二硫化钼电子性能的调控作用. 从结合能、能带结构、电子态密度和差分电荷密度四个方面进行了深入研究. 结合能计算确定了硫原子层在界面的排布方式, 并指出这种吸附结构并不稳定. 能带结构分析证实了金衬底与单层二硫化钼形成肖特基接触, 并出现钉扎效应. 电子态密度分析表明金衬底并没有影响硫原子和钼原子之间的共价键, 而是通过调控单层二硫化钼的电子态密度增加其导电率. 差分电荷密度分析表明单层二硫化钼的导电通道可能在界面处产生. 研究结果可对单层二硫化钼晶体管的建模和实验制备提供指导.     

Adsorptions of metal adatoms on graphene-like BC_3 and their rich electronic properties: A first-principles study

Density functional calculations have been performed to investigate the adsorption of twenty two different kinds of metal adatoms on graphene-like BC_3. In contrast to the graphene adsorbed with adatoms, the BC_3 with adatoms shows many interesting properties.(1) The interaction between the metal adatoms and the BC_3 sheet is remarkably strong. The Li, Na, K, and Ca possess the binding energies larger than the cohesive energies of their corresponding bulk metals.(2)The Li, Na, and K adatoms form approximately ideal ionic bonds with BC_3, while the Be, Mg, and Ca adatoms form ionic bonds with BC_3 with slight hybridization of covalent bonds. The Al, Ga, In, Sn, and all transition metal adatoms form covalent bonds with BC_3.(3) For all the structures studied, there exhibit metal, half-metal, semiconducting, and spin-semiconducting behaviors. Especially, the BC_3 with Co adatom shows a quantum anomalous Hall(QAH) phase with a Chern number of -1 based on local density approximation calculations.(4) For Li, Na, K, Ca, Ga, In, Sn, Ti, V, Cr,Ni, Pd, and Pt, there exists a trend that the adatom species with lower ionization potential have lower work function. Our results indicate the potential applications of functionalization of BC_3 with metal adatoms.     

Effect of C doping on the structural and electronic properties of LiFePO4: A first-principles investigation

Using first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） ＋U framework, we inves- tigate the effect of C doping on the structural and electronic properties of LiFePO4. The calculated formation energies indicate that C doped at O sites is energetically favoured, and that C dopants prefer to occupy 03 sites. The band gap of the C doped material is much narrow than that of the undoped one, indicating better electro- conductive properties. To maintain charge balance, the valence of the Fe nearest to C appears as Fe3＋, and it will be helpful to the hopping of electrons.     

六角氮化硼(h-BN)对单层硒化铟(InSe)的调制效应及这一新结构的电子性质

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算和分析了三种InSe/h-BN异质结的结构和电子性质.研究发现InSe/h-BN异质结具有间接带隙特点,并且价带顶和导带底的贡献均来自于InSe,差分电荷密度表明体系中没有明显的电荷交换.通过体系能带结构,我们发现h-BN层对单层InSe有着明显的调控效应.对比纯粹应变调控下单层的InSe的能带结构,发现h-BN对InSe能带结构的调控效应实际上是由InSe和h-BN之间的相互作用而诱导的晶格应变引起的.我们的研究结果表明,单层InSe沉积或生长在不同h-BN片上可以获得不同的晶格应变,实现对单层InSe能带结构的有效调控.