Ab initio study of pressure-induced magnetic transition in manganese pnictides

We report a density functional calculation on the NiAs-type Mn-based pnictides. The total energy as a function of volume is obtained by means of self-consistent tight-binding linear muffin–tin orbital method by performing spin and non-spin polarized calculation. From the present study, we predict a magnetic-phase transition from ferromagnetic (FM) to non-magnetic (NM) around 49 and 35.7 GPa for MnAs and MnSb, respectively. The pressure-induced transition is found to be a second-order transition. The band structure and density of states (DOS) are plotted for FM and NM states. Apart from this the ground-state properties like magnetic moment, lattice parameter and bulk modulus are calculated and are compared with the available results. Under large volume expansion these compounds exist in zinc-blende (ZB) structure, which shows half metallicity. The magnetic moment and equilibrium lattice constants for ZB structure are obtained as well as band structure and DOS are presented.     

Carrier-mediated ferromagnetism in N co-doped (Zn, Mn)O-based diluted magnetic semiconductors

Mn-doped ZnO is anti-ferromagnetic spin glass state, however, it becomes half-metallic ferromagnets upon hole doping. In this Letter we report a theoretical study of (Zn, Mn)O system codoped with N, and show that this codoping can change the ground state from anti-ferromagnetic to ferromagnetic. We have carried out the first-principles electronic structure calculations and report total energy to estimate whether the ferromagnetic state was stable or not. Our approach is based on the spin-polarized relativistic Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker (SPR–KKR) density functional theoretical (DFT) method, within the coherent potential approximation (CPA). Self-consistent electronic structure calculations were performed within the local density approximation, using the Vosko–Wilk–Nusair parameterization of the exchange-correlation energy functional. Our results for energy difference between ferromagnetic sate and spin glass state as well as their dependence on concentrations were presented and discussed.     

Binding energy of hydrogen-Cd vacancy complex in CdTe

The structural and electronic properties of hydrogen-Cd vacancy complex in CdTe have been studied by using density functional theory. Three typical complexes between hydrogen and Cd vacancy were found in our present study. The stablest complex P₂ was predicted by using the formation energy and the binding energy. We found that the formation of the complex is exothermic and its binding energy is extremely large. The analysis of the transition energy level indicates that the forming of the complex turns the double acceptors caused by Cd vacancy to be a single one. The position of the single acceptor deeper than the shallow acceptor derived from the cation vacancy. At the same time, the forming of the complex directly increases the lifetime of the minority carrier from decreasing its concentration. The mechanism of the hydrogen passivation effect was also briefly discussed in our present study.     

Theoretical study of the magnetic interaction of Cr-doped ZnO with and without vacancies

First-principles density-functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to study the magnetic properties of ZnO:Cr with and without vacancies. The results indicate that the doping of Cr in ZnO induces obvious spin polarization around the Fermi level and a total magnetic moment of 3.77μ_B. The ferromagnetism (FM) exchange interaction between Cr atoms is short-ranged and decreases with increasing Cr separation distance. It is suggested that the FM state is not stable with low concentration of Cr. The presence of O vacancies can make the half-metallic FM state of the system more stable, so that higher Curie temperature ferromagnetism may be expected. Nevertheless, Zn vacancies can result in the FM stability decreasing slightly. The calculated formation energy shows that V_Zn+Cr_Zn complex forms spontaneously under O-rich conditions. However, under Zn-rich conditions, the complex of V_O+Cr_Zn forms more easily. Thus, ZnO doped with Cr may exhibit a concentration of vacancies that influence the magnetic properties.     

The electronic structure and magnetism of GdSi2 by first-principles study

We have investigated electronic and magnetic properties of hexagonal, tetragonal, and orthorhombic GdSi₂, using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method based on general gradient approximation for exchange-correlation potential. Antiferromagnetic (AFM) states of the GdSi₂ are found from total energy calculations to be energetically more stable, compared to ferromagnetic (FM) states in all of the considered present crystal structures. It is in good agreement with an experimental result. The calculated magnetic moments of valence electrons of the Gd atoms are 0.16, 0.14, and 0.14 μ_B for hexagonal, tetragonal, and orthorhombic crystal structures in AFM states, respectively, and the Si atoms are coupled antiferromagnetically to the Gd atoms irrespective of crystal structure even though their magnitudes are negligible.     

Ab initio calculations of interfacial magnetism in Fe/Mo superlattices

Ab initio calculations have been performed on Fe/Mo(1 0 0) superlattices in order to study the interfacial magnetic properties and layer thickness effect on the magnetic moments. In most cases, the magnetic moments of interfacial Fe monolayers are always smaller than those of the inner layers, and the induced magnetic moments of interfacial Mo monolayers oriented in the opposite direction. Calculation results show that the Fe layers are ferromagnetic when n = 3. As the thickness of the Mo layers increases, the influence of the Mo layer increases and the magnetic state of the Fe layer gradually changes into an antiferromagnetic or non-magnetic state. The change of magnetic moments of Fe/Mo superlattices is in agreement with the experimentally observed oscillation periods.     

Prediction study of elastic properties under pressure effect for filled tetrahedral semiconductors LiZnN, LiZnP and LiZnAs

First principle calculations of elastic properties under pressure of the filled tetrahedral semiconductors LiZnN, LiZnP and LiZnAs are presented, using the pseudo-potential plane-waves approach based on density functional theory, within the local density approximation. Elastic constants, bulk modulus, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio are calculated at zero pressure. A linear dependence of the bulk modulus and elastic constants with applied pressure is found. As the experimental elastic constants are not available for LiZnX, we have also calculated the elastic constants of GaN, GaP and GaAs, the binary analogues of LiZnN, LiZnP and LiZnAs, respectively, for checking the reliability and accuracy of our predicted results for LiZnX. The obtained results agree well with the available experimental data.     

Ab initio study of formation, migration and binding properties of helium-vacancy clusters in aluminum

Ab initio calculations based on density functional theory have been performed to study the dissolution and migration of helium, and the stability of small helium-vacancy clusters He_nV_m (n, m=0-4) in aluminum. The results indicate that the octahedral configuration is more stable than the tetrahedral. Interstitial helium atoms are predicted to have attractive interactions and jump between two octahedral sites via an intermediate tetrahedral site with low migration energy. The binding energies of an interstitial He atom and an isolated vacancy to a He_nV_m cluster are also obtained from the calculated formation energies of the clusters. We find that the di- and tri-vacancy clusters are not stable, but He atoms can increase the stability of vacancy clusters.     

Theoretical and experimental study on the electronic structure and optical absorption properties of P-doped TiO2

Phosphorus-doped nanosized TiO₂ powders were prepared by a sol-gel technology. The optical absorption studies revealed that the spectral responses of phosphorus-doped (P-doped) TiO₂ powders shift to the visible light region. The optimum phosphorus (P) content in our experiments is 16.7% (mol), and the corresponding absorption edge shifts to 450 nm. Furthermore, our ab initio calculations support the conclusion that the doping of phosphorus can reduce the band gap by mixing the P 3p states with O 2p states. The theoretical lattice parameters and optimum phosphorus content are in agreement with the experimental results.     

First principle study on phase stability and electronic structure of YCu

The phase stability and electronic structure of YCu were studied by self-consistent full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FP_LAPW) on the basis of the density functional theory (DFT). The calculated equilibrium volumes are 41.963 and 173.21 Å³$173.21{\text{Å}}^3$ for B2 and B27 structures respectively, which are in good agreement with the experimental values. The total energy of the B27 phase is about 0.03 eV lower than that of the B2 phase. The formation energies are −1.173 and −1.204 eV$-1.204\text{eV}$ for B2 and B27 structures respectively. The density of state at the Fermi energy, N(EF)$N(E_F)$, is 1.08 states/eV$1.08\text{states}/\text{eV}$ for B2 phase and 0.92 states/eV$0.92\text{states}/\text{eV}$ for B27 phase, respectively. These results indicate that the B27 phase is the thermodynamic ground state equilibrium phase of YCu at low temperatures, as observed experimentally. However, our calculations also predict that a pressure-induced B27 to B2 phase transition exists in YCu.     

First-principles calculations of the electronic and optical properties of In6S7 compound

The electronic structure and the optical properties of In₆S₇ crystal are calculated by the first-principles full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FP-LAPW) using density functional theory (DFT) in its generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated band structure shows that the In₆S₇ is a semiconductor with a direct band gap in good agreement with experimental studies. Furthermore, the dielectric tensor and the optical properties, such as absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, energy-loss spectrum and reflectivity, are derived and analyzed in the study.     

Influence of magnetic quantization on the Einstein relation in non-linear optical, optoelectronic and related materials: Simplified theory, relative comparison and suggestion for experimental determination

In this paper, we have investigated the Einstein relation for the diffusivity-to-mobility ratio (DMR) under magnetic quantization in non-linear optical materials on the basis of a newly formulated electron dispersion law by considering the crystal field constant, the anisotropies of the momentum-matrix element and the spin-orbit splitting constant, respectively, within the frame work of k·p formalism. The corresponding result for the three-band model of Kane (the conduction electrons of III-V, ternary and quaternary compounds obey this model) forms a special case of our generalized analysis. The DMR under magnetic quantization has also been investigated for II-VI (on the basis of Hopfield model), bismuth (using the models of McClure and Choi, Cohen, Lax and parabolic ellipsoidal, respectively), and stressed materials (on the basis of model of Seiler et al.) by formulating the respective electron statistics under magnetic quantization incorporating the respective energy band constants. It has been found, taking n-CdGeAs₂, n-Hg_1−xCd_xTe, p-CdS, and stressed n-InSb as examples of the aforementioned compounds, that the DMR exhibits oscillatory dependence with the inverse quantizing magnetic field due to Subhnikov de Haas (SdH) effect with different numerical values. The DMR also increases with increasing carrier degeneracy and the nature of oscillations are totally dependent on their respective band structures in various cases. The classical expression of the DMR has been obtained as a special case from the results of all the materials as considered here under certain limiting conditions, and this compatibility is the indirect test of our generalized formalism. In addition, we have suggested an experimental method of determining the DMR for degenerate materials under magnetic quantization having arbitrary dispersion laws. The three applications of our results in the presence of magneto-transport have further been suggested.     

First-principles prediction of coexistence of magnetism and ferroelectricity in rhombohedral Bi2FeTiO6

First principles calculations based on the density functional theory within the local spin density approximation plus U(LSDA + U) scheme, show rhombohedral Bi₂FeTiO₆ is a potential multiferroic in which the magnetism and ferroelectricity coexist. A ferromagnetic configuration with magnetic moment of 4μB per formula unit has been reported with respect to the minimum total energy. Spontaneous polarization of 27.3 μC/cm², caused mainly by the ferroelectric distortions of Ti, was evaluated using the berry phase approach in the modern theory of polarization. The Bi-6s stereochemical activity of long-pair and the ‘d⁰-ness’ criterion in off-centring of Ti were coexisting in the predicted new system. In view of the oxidation state of Bi³⁺, Fe²⁺, Ti⁴⁺, and O²⁻ from the orbital-resolved density of states of the Bi-6p, Fe-3d, Ti-3d, and O-2p states, the valence state of Bi₂FeTiO₆ in the rhombohedral phase was found to be Bi³⁺₂Fe²⁺Ti⁴⁺O₆.     

Coupling of Magnetization and Structural Distortions in Multiferroic BiFeO3： an Ab Initio Density Functional Theory Study

The coupling between magnetism and structural distortions in BiFeO3 （BFO） is investigated using density functional theory by considering the spin-orbit effect. Computational results show that the resulting magnetization M is rotated by reversal of sense of rotation of the oxygen octahedra in the double cell. The resulting magnetization is determined by the antiferrodistortive （AFD） distortions and ferroelectric （FE） displacements. This work clarifies the previous view that magnetism is only coupled with, and determined by, FE displacements. The excellent ferroelectricity is attributed significantly to the anomaly of Born effective charge of Bi, which is caused by the stereochemically active long pair of Bi 6s.     

Ab initio calculation and analysis of the properties of digital magnetic heterostructures and diluted magnetic semiconductors of IV and III-V groups

We present the first-principles calculations of digital magnetic heterostructures Si/M, Ge/M. GaAs/M, GaSb/M, GaN/M and GaN/M (50%) with M=Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co. The interaction between magnetic dopants results in a wide spin-polarized two-dimensional band inside the gap. It is found that beginning occupation of the minority-spin band greatly increases the energy of the ferromagnetic (FM) state and leads, as a rule, to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin ordering. This mechanism causes transition to the AFM state, when interaction between magnetic atoms is too strong, and defines the optimum of Curie temperature as a function of transition element concentration in magnetic layers.     

First-principles study of the electronic and optical properties of rutile TiO2

The electronic, structural properties and optical properties of the rutile TiO₂ have been reported using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2K code. We employed the 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 results including lattice parameter, bulk modulus, density of states, the reflectivity spectra, the refractive index and band gap are compared with the experimental data. We present calculations of the frequency-dependent complex dielectric function ε(ω) and its zero-frequency limit ε₁(0).     

Electronic structure and magnetism of NpTAl (T=Co, Ni, Rh, Ir and Pt) and NpNiGa from first-principles calculations

First-principles calculations based on density-functional theory were performed for the first time on NpTAl (T=Co, Ni, Rh, Ir and Pt) and NpNiGa. The electronic density of states and equilibrium volume were studied using relativistic full-potential APW plus local-orbitals calculations. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy was estimated from total-energy calculations and the a-axis was predicted to be the easy axis of magnetization with the exception of T=Rh. Finally, we employed the LSDA+U method to mimic the orbital polarization and to obtain the correct total magnetic moments in experimental equilibrium.     

Orbital and magnetic structure of quasi-1D cobaltites: Ab initio calculations and experiment

The magnetic properties of the orbitally degenerate quasi-one-dimensional cobaltites Sr_xBa_1−xCoO₃ are explained on the basis of a phase separation phenomenon. Noninteracting magnetic particles embedded in a nonferromagnetic matrix develop in the system. Details are given about the electronic and magnetic structure for x=0,0.2$x=0,0.2$ and 0.5. At x=0.5$x=0.5$, the geometry of the CoO₆ trigonally distorted octahedra changes by about 1–2%, but magnetic particles get 3 times bigger, compared to the parent compound, with the corresponding changes in the magnetic properties. The electronic structure of the Co⁴⁺ ion, however, stays roughly unchanged.     

Structural and Thermodynamic Properties of Gallium Arsenide with Hexagonal Wurtzite Structure from First-Principles Analysis

A first-principles plane wave method with the ultrasoft pseudopotential scheme in the frame of the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） is performed to calculate the lattice parameters, the bulk modulus Bo and its pressure derivative B~o of the hexagonal wurtzite GaAs （w-GaAs） by the Cambridge serial total energy package （CASTEP）. Our calculations show that the most stable structure of the w-GaAs corresponds to the axial ratio c/α = 1.651 and the internal parameter u = 0.374, consistent with other theoretical results. Also, the thermodynamic properties of the w-GaAs are investigated from the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The dependences of the normalized lattice parameters α/α0, c/c0, the axial ratio c/α, the normalized volume V/V0, the heat capacity Cv and the thermal expansion α on pressure P and temperature T are also obtained successfully.     

Electronic structure and magnetism of MnFeP1−xSix alloys from first-principles calculations

First-principles calculations of electronic structure and magnetic properties based on density-functional theory were performed for MnFeP_1−xSi_x (0.44?x?0.60) alloys which are considered as promising magnetocaloric refrigerants. We used the full-potential APW+lo method and treated the random order of P(Si) atoms in the ZrNiAl-type structure in a virtual-crystal approximation. A non-monotonic behavior of the alloy magnetization as a function of x was obtained, in qualitative agreement with experiment, and explained in terms of the spin-polarized densities of states.