Theoretical Prediction for Structural Stabilities and Optical Properties of SrS, SrSe and SrTe under High Pressure

An investigation on the structural stabilities and electronic properties of SrX （X =S, Se and Te） under high pressure is conducted using the first-principles calculation based on density functional theory （DFT） with the plane wave basis set as implemented in the CASTEP code. Our results demonstrate that the sequence of the pressure-induced phase transition of the three compounds is the NaCl-type （B1） structure （Fm3rn） to the CsC1- type （B2） structure （Pm3m）. The phase transition and the metallization pressures are determined theoretically. The pressure effect on the optical properties is discussed. The results are compared with the previous calculations and experimental data.     

Structural, Elastic and Electronic Properties of ReO2

Structural, elastic and electronic properties of ReO₂ are investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The ground stateof ReO₂ has an orthorhombic symmetry which belongs to space group Pbcn with a=4.7868Å b=5.5736Å, and c=4.5322Å. The calculated bulk moduli are 322GPa, 353GPa, and 345GPa for orthorhombic, tetragonal, and monoclinic ReO₂, respectively, indicating that ReO₂ has a strong incompressibility. ReO₂ is a metal ductile solid and presents large elastic anisotropy. The obtained Debye temperatures are 850K for orthorhombic, 785K for tetragonal, and 791K for monoclinic ReO₂.     

Geometric and Electronic Properties of SrCoO2.5: An LSDA+U Study

The geometric and electronic properties of SrCoO_2.5 have been studied using the local-spin density approximation together with the Hubbard method. The geometric optimization shows that the energy of a unit supercell for SrCoO_2.5 with the space group Pnma is at least 1.37eV lower than the others, so we infer that the Pnma structure is the ground state of SrCoO_2.5 at low temperature. The electronic band structure calculations demonstrate that the paramagnetic ordering SrCoO_2.5 at high temperature has the character of an indirect band gap semi-conductor, while the antiferromagnetic ordering SrCoO_2.5 at low temperature has the character of a conductor. The magnetism calculation shows that the magnetic moment of Co is 2.96μ_B, comparable with the experimental measurement at the liquid nitrogen temperature, i.e. 3.30±0.5μ_B.     

First-Principles Study of Structural and Electronic Properties of Layered B2CN Crystals

Based on the hexagonal BN structure, six possible layered B~ CN structures are constructed. Their total energies, lattice constants as well as electronic properties are calculated using the ab initio pseudopotential density functional method within the local density approximation. The calculated results show that the B2 CN-V configuration with AA stacking sequence is the most stable among the six B2CN layered structures. The characteristics of electronic structures indicate that the B2 CN-V shows metallicity, which mainly comes from -B1-C-B1-C- chains.     

Ab Initio Study of Structural and Electronic Properties of Hexagonal BC2N

We investigate hexagonal BC2N in graphite unit cells using the first-principles method and calculate the total energies, lattice parameters, and electronic band structures after full relaxation. It is shown that stable hexagonal BC2N should be stacked sequentially with one graphite layer and one h-BN layer. The density of states indicates that this structure should have metallicity.     

First-Principles Calculations of Phase Transition and Stability of Si2CN4 under High Pressure

A pressure-induced phase transition and stability in Si2 CN4 polymorphs under high pressure are studied by firstprinciples calculations. The result shows that the phase transition pressure of α- and β-Si2 CN4 to the cubic spinal phase is 29.9 GPa and 27.5 GPa predicted by thermodynamic method respectively. Under ambient condition, all of the three Si2CN4 polymorphs are metastable with positive formation enthalpy. Unlike the stability of Si3N4 polymorphs, α-Si2 CN4 is more stable than the β phase.     

Effect of In-Doping on Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Sr2TiO4

The effect of In doping on the electronic structure and optical properties of Sr2 TiO4 is investigated by a firstprinciples calculation of plane wave ultrasoft pseudopotentials based on density functional theory. The calculated results reveal that corner-shared TiO6 octahedra dominate the main electronic properties of Sr2TiO4 and the covalency of the Ti-O（1） bond in the ab plane is stronger than that of the Ti-O（2） bond along the c-axis. After In doping, there is a little lattice expansion in Sr2In0.125 Ti0.875 O4 and the interaction between the Ti-O bond near the impurity In atom is weakened. The binding energies of Sr2TiO4 and Sr2In0.125Ti0.875O4 estimated from the electronic structure calculations indicate that the crystal structure of Sr2In0.125 Ti0.875 O4 is still stable after doping, but its stability is lower than that of undoped Sr2TiO4. Moreover, the valence bands （VBs） of the Sr2In0.125Ti0.875O4 system consist of O 2p and In 4d states, and the mixing of O 2p and In 4d states makes the top VBs shift significantly to high energies, resulting in visible light absorption. The adsorption of visible light is of practical importance for the application of St2 TiO4 as a photocatalyst.     

高压下CaF_2结构相变和光学性质的第一性原理计算

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法,计算了在压力作用下CaF2的结构相变和光学性质。结果证实了CaF2的压致结构转变的顺序是从氟石结构(空间群Fm3m)转变到PbCl2型结构(空间群Pnma),然后继续转变为Ni2In型结构(空间群P63/mmc)。在Fm3m和Pnma两种结构中,电子带隙随着压力的增加而增加,而在P63/mmc结构中,带隙随着压力的增加开始下降。实验结果显示,直到210 GPa,CaF2没有发生由绝缘体到金属的转变。据此推测,CaF2的金属化压力高于300 GPa。还讨论了压力对CaF2光学性质的影响。     

First-Principles Calculations for Thermodynamic Properties of Perovskite-Type Superconductor MgCNi3

The ground state properties and equation of state of the non-oxide perovstdte-type superconductor MgCNi3 are investigated by first-principles calculations based on the plane-wave basis set with the local density approximation （LDA） as well as the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） for exchange and correlation, which agree well with both theoretical calculations and experiments. Some thermodynamic properties including the heat capacity, the thermal expansion coefficient and the Griineisen parameter for perovskite structure MgCNi3 are obtained. The dependences of these thermodynamic properties on pressure and temperature are given for the first time.     

Ab Initio Study of Structural and Electronic Properties of Sodium Bromide

The structural and electronic properties of sodium bromide （NaBr） are investigated by the density functional theory （DFT） within the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） for the exchange and correlation energy. The equilibrium lattice constant, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are obtained by fitting the calculated total energy to the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state. The band structure along the higher symmetry axes in the Brillouin zone, the density of states （DOS） and the partial density of states （PDOS） are presented. The results have been discussed and compared with the available experimental and theoretical data.     

Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of La-Doped SrTiO3 and Sr2TiO4 by Density Function Theory

The effect of La doping on the electronic structure and optical properties of SrTiO₃ and Sr₂TiO₄ is investigated by the first-principles calculation of plane wave ultrasoft pseudopotential based on the density function theory (DFT). The calculated results reveal that the electron doping in the case of Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃ and Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ can be described within the rigid band model. The La³⁺ ions fully acts as electron donors in Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃ and Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ systems and the Fermi level shifts further into the conduction bands (CBs) for Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ compared to Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃. The two systems exhibit n-type degenerate semiconductor features. At the same time, the density of states (DOS) of the two systems shift towards low energies and the optical band gaps are broadened. The Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ is highly transparent with the transmittance about 90% in the visible range, which is larger than that of Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃(85%). The wide band gap, small transition probability and weak absorption due to the low partial density of states (PDOS) of impurity in the Fermi level result in the optical transparency of the films...     

Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structures of Cotunnite TiO2

Based on the first-principles plane-wave basis pseudopotential calculations, we investigate mechanical properties and electronic structures of the hardest known oxide, cotunnite TiO2. The calculated results show that cotunnite TiO2 has the highest bulk modulus （348 GPa） and hardness （32 GPa） among the high-pressure phases of TiO2, but its mechanical properties are not superior to those of c-BN. Moreover, the high hardness of cotunnite TiO2 can be understood from both the dense crystal structure （high valence electron density and short bond lengths） and the unusual mixtures of covalent and ionic bonding of Ti-O.     

Li- Site and Metal-Site Ion Doping in Phosphate-Olivine LiCoPO4 by First-Principles Calculation

We present a first-principles investigation of the crystal and electronic structure as well as the average insertion voltage of the Li-site （by Na and Cr） and metal-site （by isovalent Ni, Zn, Ca, Mg and Mn and aliovalent Cu, Al, In, Mo and Zr） doped LiCoPO4. The results show that both the Li-site doping and metal-site doping may reduce the volume change of the material during Li extraction/reinsertion process. The metal doped at Li-site will block the path of Li ion diffusion. The doping by aliovalent transition metals will introduce defect levels in the energy band. It could influence the conductivity insertion voltage.     

First-Principles Calculations for Elastic Properties of ZnS under Pressure

The pressure dependence of elastic properties of ZnS in zinc-blende （ZB） and wurtzite （WZ） structures are investigated by the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） within the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory （DFT）. Our results are in good agreement with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. From the high-pressure elastic constants obtained, we find that the ZB and WZ structures of ZnS are unstable when the applied pressures are larger than 15.8 GPa and 21.3 GPa, respectively. The sound velocities along different directions for the two structures are also obtained. It is shown that as pressure increases, the sound velocities of the shear wave decrease, and those of all the longitudinal waves increase. An analysis has been made to reveal the anisotropy and highly noneentral forces in ZnS.     

First-Principles Calculations of Structures and Electronic Properties of Solid Pentaerythritol under Pressure

Structures and electronic properties of the pentaerythritol （PE） crystal under volume compression up to 0.85V0 are studied by E - V fitting method using density functional theory （DFT）. The compression dependences of the cell volumes, lattice constants, and molecular geometries of solid PE are presented and discussed. It is found that the solid PE presents anisotropy along a- and c-axes, and the c axis is the most compressible. Decreasing anisotropy ratio （c/a） with elevating compression suggests an enhancement of the vdW interaction with increasing compression. The C-C and C-H bonds are significantly reduced under compression, which may be related to the sensitivity. The solid PE has indirect band gap （X - G） in the range of the researched compression and the band gap is decreased with compression.     

Elastic Properties of Rutile TiO2 at High Temperature

Dependence of elastic properties on temperature for rutile TiO2 is investigated by the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package （CASTEP） program in the frame of density function theory （DFT） and the quasi-harmonic Debye model The six independent elastlc constants of rutile TiO2 at high temperature are theoretically obtained for the first time. It is found that with increasing temperature, the elastic constants will decrease monotonically. Moreover, we successfully obtain the polycrystalline moduli BH and GH, as well as the Debye temperature ⊙D.     

First-principles electronic-structure calculation on the spin distribution and the half-metallic properties of the mixed valence iron compound Ba2F2Fe1.5S3

The first principles within the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) approach were applied to study the new mixed valence compound Ba₂F₂Fe_1.5S₃. The density of states, the electronic band structure and the spin magnetic moment are calculated. The calculations reveal that the compound has an antiferromagnetic interaction between the Fe^III and Fe^II ions arising from the bridging S atoms, which validate the experimental assumptions that there is a low-dimensional antiferromagnetic interaction in Ba₂F₂Fe_1.5S₃. The spin magnetic moment mainly comes from the Fe^III and Fe^II ions with smaller contribution from S anion. By analysis of the band structure, we find that the compound has half-metallic property.     

First-Principles Calculation of Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Sb-Doped ZnO

The geometric structure, electronic structure, optical properties and the formation energy of Sb-doped ZnO with the wurtzite structure are investigated using the first-principles ultra-soft pseudo-potential approach of plane wave based upon the density functional theory. The calculated results indicate that the volume of ZnO doped with Sb becomes larger, and the doping system yields the lowest formation energy of Sb on the interstitial site and the oxygen site. Furthermore, Sb dopant first occupies the octahedral oxygen sites of the wurtzite structure. It is found that Sb substituting on oxygen site behaves as a deep acceptor and shows the p-type degenerate semiconductor character. After doping, the electron density difference demonstrates the considerable electron charge density redistribution, which induces the effect of Sb-doped ZnO to increase the charge overlap between atoms. The density of states move towards lower energy and the optical band gap is broadened. Our culated results are in agreement with other experimental results and could make more precise monitoring and controlling possible during the growth of ZnO p-type materials.     

Structural, Electronic Properties and Chemical Bonding of Borate Li4CaB2O6 under High Pressure： an Ab Initio Investigation

We calculate structural, electronic properties and chemical bonding of borate Li4CaB2O6 under high pressure by means of the local density-functional pseudopotential approach. The equilibrium lattice constants, density of states, Mulliken population, bond lengths, bond angles as well as the pressure dependence of the band gap are presented. Analysis of the simulated high pressure band structure suggests that borate Li4CaB2O6 can be used as the semi-conductor optical material. Based on the Mulliken population analysis, it is found that the electron transfer of the Li atom is very different from that of other atoms in the studied range of high pressures. The charge populations of the Li atom decrease with the pressure up to 60 GPa, then increase with the pressure.     

Phase Transition in CCl4 under Pressure: a Raman Spectroscopic Study

High-pressure Raman studies at room temperature are performed on CCl₄ up to 13GPa. The Raman bands of the internal modes (v₂, v₄ and v₁) show entirely positive pressure dependence. The slopes dω/dP of the internal modes exhibit two sudden changes at 0.73GPa and 7.13GPa, respectively. A new lower frequency mode (225cm^-1) appears at 3.03GPa, and the splitting of v₂, ν₃ and v₄ occurs at about 7.13GPa. Moreover, Raman spectra of Fermiresonance show that the relative position of the v₁ + v₄ combination and the ν₃ fundamental firstly interchanges corresponding to that at ambient pressure, then the v₁ +v₄ combination disappears in the gradual process of compression. It is indicated that the pressure-induced phase transition from CCl₄ II to CCl₄ III occurs at 0.73GPa, and CCl₄ III undergoes a transition to CCl₄ IV below 3.03GPa. Further CCl₄ IV transforms in a new high-pressure phase at about 7.13GPa, and the symmetry of the new high-pressure phase is lower than that of CCl₄ IV. All the transitions are reversible during decompression.