Electronic structure and binding mechanism of Cu2O

A self-consistent LAPW band structure calculation of Cu₂O is presented. Total and partial densities of states and electron densities were calculated and are used to give an interpretation of chemical bonding. It is found that there are significant deviations from a simple ionic picture due to a depletion of the valence band of Cu-3d electrons leading to a non-spherical charge density around Cu. A critical discussion of theoretical and experimental work on Cu₂O is given.