Effect of Nitrogen Substitution in V2O3 on the Metal–Insulator Transition

The effect of N‐doping on the paramagnetic–antiferromagnetic transition associated with the metal–insulator (M–I) transition of V₂O₃ at 150 K has been studied in bulk samples as well as in nanosheets. The magnetic transition temperature of V₂O₃ is lowered to ～120 K in the N‐doped samples. Electrical resistivity data also indicate a similar lowering of the M–I transition temperature. First‐principles DFT calculations reveal that anionic (N) substitution and the accompanying oxygen vacancies reduce the energy of the high‐temperature metallic corundum phase relative to the monoclinic one leading to the observed reduction in Nèel temperature. In the electronic structure of N‐substituted V₂O₃, a sub‐band of 2p states of trivalent anion (N) associated with its strong bond with the vanadium cation appears at the top of the band of O(2p) states, the 3d‐states of V being slightly higher in energy. Its band gap is thus due to crystal field splitting of the degenerate d‐orbitals of vanadium and superexchange interaction, which reduces notably (ΔE_g=?0.4 eV) due to their hybridization with the 2p states of nitrogen. A weak magnetic moment arises in the monoclinic phase of N‐substituted V₂O₃ with O‐vacancies, with a moment of ?1 μ_B/N localized on vanadium atoms in the vicinity of oxygen vacancies.