Certain doping concentrations caused half-metallic graphene

This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21173096).

Hybrid DFT calculations of the atomic and electronic structure for ABO3 perovskite (001) surfaces

Abstract We present the results of first-principles calculations on two possible terminations of the (0 0 1) surfaces of SrTiO3, BaTiO3, and PbTiO3 perovskite crystals. Atomic structure and the electronic configurations were calculated for different 2D slabs, both stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric, using hybrid (B3PW) exchange-correlation technique and re-optimized basis sets of atomic (Gaussian) orbitals. Results are compared with previous calculations and available experimental data. The electronic density distribution near the surface and covalency effects are discussed in details for all three perovskites. Both SrTiO3 and BaTiO3 (0 0 1) surfaces demonstrate reduction of the optical …

Nickel-catalyzed carboxylation of aryl zinc reagent with CO2: A theoretical and experimental study

Abstract Two Ni-complexes with 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) and tricyclohexylphosphine (PCy3) ligands were tested for the Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl zinc reagent with CO2 to form aryl carboxylic acid. Theoretical study with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) was carried out to understand the detailed reaction mechanism. The reasonable reaction pathway was deduced. The simulation results suggested that the free energy barrier of the rate-limiting step with (dppf)Ni is only 1.64 kcal mol−1 higher than the barrier with (PCy3)2Ni. However, our experiment provided an unexpectedly low yield by using (dppf)Ni complex as the catalyst. Further theoretical study ascrib…

Elastic, electronic and optical properties of boron- and nitrogen-doped 4,12,4-graphyne nanosheet

Abstract The effects of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) dopants on 4,12,4-graphyne have been systematically investigated with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The charge density analysis reveals that the N dopant at the sp-site destroys the acetylenic linkage in 4,12,4-graphyne, but instead tends to form a polar bond. The B- and N-doped 4,12,4-graphyne systems exhibit p- and n- semiconductor characters, respectively. Some obvious spin splitting polarizations can be observed in their band structures and DOS. Moreover, there is a giant difference in effective masses between electrons and electron holes, especially for B-doped 4,12,4-graphyne at C5 site. The directional electron and el…

Ab initio calculations for the polar (0 0 1) surfaces of YAlO3

Abstract The results of ab initio calculations of polar YAlO3 (0 0 1) surfaces by means of a hybrid B3LYP exchange-correlation functional as it is implemented in the CRYSTAL computer code are presented. Both polar YO and AlO2-terminations of the cubic YAlO3 (0 0 1) surface were considered. We performed relaxation of atoms on the upper three layers of both YO and AlO2-terminated YAlO3 (0 0 1) surfaces using in our calculations slabs containing 22 and 23 atoms as well as 9 layers, respectively. We predict a significant increase of the Al-O chemical bond covalency on the AlO2-terminated YAlO3 (0 0 1) surface with respect to the YAlO3 bulk. Our calculated YO and AlO2-terminated YAlO3 polar (0 0…

Ab initio hybrid DFT calculations of BaTiO3, PbTiO3, SrZrO3 and PbZrO3 (111) surfaces

Abstract The results of ab initio calculations for polar BaTiO 3 , PbTiO 3 , SrZrO 3 and PbZrO 3 (111) surfaces using the CRYSTAL code are presented. By means of the hybrid B3LYP approach, the surface relaxation has been calculated for two possible B (B = Ti or Zr) or AO 3 (A = Ba, Pb or Sr) BaTiO 3 , PbTiO 3 , SrZrO 3 and PbZrO 3 (111) surface terminations. According to performed B3LYP calculations, all atoms of the first surface layer, for both terminations, relax inwards. The only exception is a small outward relaxation of the PbO 3 -terminated PbTiO 3 (111) surface upper layer Pb atom. B3LYP calculated surface energies for BaO 3 , PbO 3 , SrO 3 and PbO 3 -terminated BaTiO 3 , PbTiO 3 , …

Large scale computer modelling of point defects in ABO 3 perovskites

We present results for basic intrinsic defects: F-type electron centers, free and bound electron and hole polarons in ABO3 perovskites. Both one-site (atomic) and two-site (molecular) hole polarons are expected to coexist, characterized by close absorption energies. Shell Model (SM) and intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO) calculations of the F center diffusion indicate that the relevant activation energy is quite low, ca. 0.8 eV. Further INDO calculations support the existence of self-trapped electron polarons in PbTiO3, BaTiO3, KNbO3, and KTaO3 crystals. The relevant lattice relaxation energies are typically 0.2 eV, whereas the optical absorption energies are around 0.8 eV.…

First-Principles Calculations of SrZrO3 (001) Surfaces

The results of calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings, and charge distribution for the SrZrO3 (001) surface using ab initio code CRYSTAL and a hybrid description of exchange and correlation are presented. Both SrO and ZrO2 terminations of the SrZrO3 (001) surface are considered. On the (001) surfaces all upper and third layer atoms relax inward, while outward relaxations of all atoms in the second layer are found with the sole exception of SrO-terminated SrZrO3 (001) surface second layer O atom. Calculated surface rumpling for the SrO-terminated SrZrO3 (001) surface 6.77% of the lattice constant is by a factor of ten larger than the surface rumpling for the ZrO2-terminated SrZrO3 (0…

First principles hybrid DFT calculations of BaTiO3/SrTiO3(001) interface

Abstract We present a first-principles study of BaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 (001) interfaces taking into account non-stoichiometric compositions. By means of hybrid exchange–correlation functional within density functional theory (DFT) we demonstrate that charge redistribution in the interface region weakly affects the electronic structure of studied material, while change in the stoichiometry (termination of deposited BaTiO 3 (001) thin film) yields in significant shifts of band edges. The optical band gap of BaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 (001) interface depends mostly on BaO or TiO 2 termination of the upper layer. Based on results of our calculations we predict enhancement of the Ti–O chemical bond covalency ne…

Quantum chemical simulations of the optical properties and diffusion of electron centres in mgo crystals

Semiempirical quantum chemical simulations have been undertaken to obtain the self-consistent atomic and electronic structure of the two basic electron defects in MgO crystals: F+ and F centres (one and two electrons trapped by an 0 vacancy, V,). The calculated absorption and luminescence energies agree well with the experimental data; the excited states of both defects are found to be essentially delocalised over nearest-neighbour cations. The activation energy for diffusion is found to increase monotonically in a series V, --f F+ --f F centre (2.50 eV, 2.72 eV and 3.13 eV, respectively).

First-principles calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of SrZrO3 and PbZrO3 (001) and (011) surfaces.

We present the results of calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings, energetics, optical band gaps, and charge distribution for the SrZrO(3) and PbZrO(3) (001) and (011) surfaces using the ab initio code CRYSTAL and a hybrid description of exchange and correlation. We consider both SrO(PbO) and ZrO(2) terminations of the (001) surface and Sr(Pb), ZrO, and O terminations of the polar SrZrO(3) and PbZrO(3) (011) surfaces. On the (001) surfaces, we find that all upper and third layer atoms relax inward, while outward relaxations of all atoms in the second layer are found with the sole exception of the SrO-terminated SrZrO(3) (001) surface second layer O atom. Between all (001) and (011) s…

The electronic properties of an oxygen vacancy at ZrO2-terminated (001) surfaces of a cubic PbZrO3: computer simulations from the first principles

Combining B3PW hybrid exchange-correlation functional within the density functional theory (DFT) and a supercell model, we calculated from the first principles the electronic structure of both ideal PbZrO(3) (001) surface (with ZrO(2)- and PbO-terminations) and a neutral oxygen vacancy also called the F center. The atomic relaxation and electronic density redistributions are discussed. Thermodynamic analysis of pure surfaces indicates that ZrO(2) termination is energetically more favorable than PbO-termination. The O vacancy on the ZrO(2)-surface attracts approximately 0.3 e (0.7 e in the bulk PbZrO(3)), while the remaining electron density from the missing O(2-) ion is localized mostly on …

First-principles and semiempirical calculations forFcenters inKNbO3

The linear muffin-tin-orbital method combined with density functional theory (local approximation) and the semiempirical method of the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) based on the Hartree-Fock formalism are used for the study of the $F$ centers (O vacancy with two electrons) in cubic and orthorhombic ferroelectric KNbO$_3$ crystals. Calculations for 39-atom supercells show that the two electrons are considerably delocalized even in the ground state of the defect. Their wave functions extend over the two Nb atoms closest to the O vacancy and over other nearby atoms. Thus, the $F$ center in KNbO$_3$ resembles electron defects in the partially-covalent SiO$_2$ crystal (…

Metallic subnanometer porous silicon: A theoretical prediction

In the present work, T-Si, a silicon-based counterpart of T-carbon, has been designed with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Its stability has been fully confirmed from energetic, mechanical, lattice dynamic, and thermodynamic aspects. Due to the space extrusion, the delocalized electrons on the ${\mathrm{Si}}_{4}$ tetrahedrons are squeezed onto the inter-tetrahedron $\mathrm{Si}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Si}$ bonds, which therefore leads T-Si to be metallic. Furthermore, the electronic conductivity of this new material has also been predicted and discussed in this work. This new silicon allotrope with a low density of $0.869\mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$ can even floats on…

Critical effects in optical response due to charge transfer vibronic excitons and their structure in perovskite-like systems

Abstract A mechanism for bilinear interaction between high-frequency light-induced electronic polarization and low-frequency soft lattice polarization is proposed. It is based on the fluctuations of the charge transfer connected with charge transfer vibronic excitons (CTVE). This bilinear mechanism leads to the appearance of the critical peculiarities of the absolute diffraction efficiency of transient gratings near the ferroelectric phase transition. A semi-empirical Hartree–Fock INDO method was used for the evaluation of the energy parameters and the equilibrium displacements for the CTVE in KTaO 3 . This numerical study did confirm the proposed CTVE-model. It was shown that the CTVE-phas…

Quantum chemical modelling of electron polarons and excitons in ABO3perovskites

Quantum chemical calculations using the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) method, combined with the large unit cell periodic model argue for an existence of the self-trapped electrons in KNbO3 and KTaO3 perovskite crystals. An electron in the ground state occupies predominantly t2g orbital of a Nb4+ ion. Its orbital degeneracy is lifted by a combination of the breathing and Jahn-Teller modes where four nearest equatorial O atoms are displaced outwards and two oxygens shift inwards along the z axis. Triplet exciton is shown to be in a good approximation of a pair of nearest Jahn-Teller electron and hole polarons (a bipolaron) which is very likely responsible for the `gr…

Calculations of atomic and electronic structure for (100) surfaces of SrTiO3 perovskite

AbstractWe present and discuss main results of the calculations for the surface relaxation and rumpling of SrTiO3 surfaces with TiO2 and SrO terminations using a wide variety of methods of modern computational physics and chemistry, including the shell model (SM) and ab initio methods based on Hartree-Fock (HF) and Density Functional Theory (DFT). The HF and DFT formalisms with different exchange-correlation functionals are implemented into Crystal-98 computer code using a Gaussian-type basis set. We demonstrate that a hybrid B3PW formalism gives the best results for the bulk SrTiO3 properties. Results are compared with previous ab initio plane-wave LDA calculations and LEED experiments. Ou…

Tendencies in ABO3 Perovskite and SrF2, BaF2 and CaF2 Bulk and Surface F-Center Ab Initio Computations at High Symmetry Cubic Structure

This research was partly funded by the Latvian Council of Science project No. LZP‐ 2020/2‐0009 (for R. Eglitis), as well as the ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. We express our gratitude for the financial support from Latvian–Ukraine cooperation Project No. Latvia–Ukraine LV‐ UA/2021/5. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Framework Pro‐ gramme H2020‐WIDESPREAD01‐2016‐2017‐Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Ab InitioCalculations of the Atomic and Electronic Structure of SrZrO3(111) Surfaces

The paper presents and discusses the results of calculations of surface relaxations and energetics for the polar (111) surface of SrZrO3 using a hybrid B3LYP description of exchange and correlation. On the (111) surface, I consider both Zr- and SrO3-terminations. For both Zr and SrO3-terminated SrZrO3 (111) surfaces upper layer atoms relax inwards. The second layer atoms, with the sole exception of Zr-terminated SrZrO3 (111) surface Sr atom, relax outwards. The calculated surface relaxation energy for Zr-terminated SrZrO3 (111) surface is almost sixteen times larger, than the surface relaxation energy for SrO3-terminated SrZrO3 (111) surface. The surface energy for Zr-terminated SrZrO3 (111…

Calculations of F centers in KNbO 3 ferroelectric crystals

Semi-empirical method of the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) combined with the supercell model is applied to the calculations of the F center optical properties in ferroelectric KNbO 3 perovskite crystals. It is shown that two electrons of the defect are weakly localized inside the O vacancy, unlike similar defects in ionic alkali halides, but are considerably spread over two nearest Nb atoms. For the orthorhombic phase stable at room temperatures three absorption bands are predicted to be at 2.72 eV, 3.04 eV and 3.11 eV, respectively. The first energy is close to the band at 2.7 eV observed in electron- irradiated crystals. In the high temperature, cubic phase only …

First-principles calculations for SrTiO3() surface structure

As a continuation of our recent abinitio calculations of SrTiO 3(1 0 0) surface relaxation for the two different terminations (SrO and TiO2) [Phys. Rev. B 64 (2001) 23417], we analyze here their electronic structures (band structure, density of states, and the electronic density redistribution with emphasis on the covalency effects). We compare results of abinitio Hartree–Fock method with electron correlation corrections and density functional theory with different exchange-correlation functionals, including hybrid (B3PW, B3LYP) exchange techniques. Our results are also compared with previous abinitio plane-wave local density approximation calculations and experiments when availab le. Consi…

Ab initiomodeling of surface structure forSrTiO3perovskite crystals

We present and discuss the results of calculations of ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ (100) surface relaxation and rumpling with two different terminations (SrO and ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}).$ These are based on ab initio Hartree-Fock method with electron correlation corrections and density functional theory calculations with different exchange-correlation functionals, including hybrid exchange techniques. Both approaches use the localized Gaussian-type basis set. All methods agree well on surface energies and on atomic displacements, as well as on considerable increase of covalency effects nearby the surface. More detailed experiments on surface rumpling and relaxation are necessary for further testing …

Ab initio calculations of CaZrO3 (011) surfaces: systematic trends in polar (011) surface calculations of ABO3 perovskites

Financial support via Latvian-Ukrainian Joint Research Project No. LV-UA/2018/2 for A. I. Popov, Latvian Council of Science Project No. 2018/2-0083 “Theoretical prediction of hybrid nanostructured photocatalytic materials for efficient water splitting” for R. I. Eglitis and J. Kleperis as well as ERAF project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073 for R. I. Eglitis and J. Purans is greatly acknowledged.

Ab initio calculations of Li2(Co, Mn)O8 solid solutions for rechargeable batteries

The presented study has been financed via the Latvian Science Council Grant No. 2018/2-0083. The author is grateful to Professors M. R. Philpott, G. Ceder and G. Borstel for many stimulating discussions during his work at Singapore. We performed all our ab initio calculations at North German Parallel Computer Center located at Hannover (HLRN).

Theoretical Prediction and Experimental Confirmation of Charge Transfer Vibronic Excitons and Their Phase in ABO3 Perovskite Crystals

AbstractThe current theoretical and experimental knowledge of new polaronic-type excitons in ferroelectric oxides - charge transfer vibronic excitons (CTVE) is discussed. It is shown that quantum chemical Hartree-Fock-type calculations using a semiempirical Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap (INDO) method (modified for ionic/partly ionic solids) as well as photoluminescence studies in ferroelectric oxygen-octahedral perovskites confirm the CTVE existence. Our INDO calculations for KTaO3 and KNbO3 have demonstrated that the triplet exciton is a triad centre containing one active O atom and two Ta atoms sitting on the opposite sites from this O atom. The total energy of a system is …

Computer Modeling of Luminescence in ABO3 Perovskites

ABSTRACTWe suggest theoretical interpretation to a long-debated discussion on a nature of the intrinsic “green” luminescence observed in many ABO3 perovskites. For this purpose we performed quantum chemical calculations using the Intermediate Neglect of the Differential Overlap combined with the Large Unit Cell periodic model. Triplet exciton which is very likely responsible for the “green” luminescence is shown to be in a good approximation a pair of nearest Jahn-Teller electron and hole polarons (a bipolaron).

Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Calculations of N- and S-Doped TiO2 Nanotube for Water-Splitting Applications

This research was funded by the Latvian Council of Science grant LZP-2018/2-0083. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, as the Center of Excellence, has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Computer modelling of point defects in ABO3 perovskites and MgO

We present results for basic intrinsic defects: F-type electron centers (O vacancy which trapped one or two electrons) and hole polarons bound to Mg or K vacancy in ionic MgO and partly covalent KNbO3 perovskite, respectively. We demonstrate that a considerable covalency of the perovskite chemical bonding makes the F-type centers therein much more similar to defects in partly-covalent quartz-type oxides rather than the conventional F centers in alkali halides and ionic MgO. Both one-site (atomic) and two-site (molecular) polarons are expected to coexist in KNbO3 characterized by close absorption energies. Our calculations confirm existence of the self-trapped electron polarons in KNbO3, KTa…

First principles hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT calculations of bulk and (001) surface F centers in oxide perovskites and alkaline-earth fluorides

Valuable discussions with E. A. Kotomin are gratefully acknowledged. Research contribution of R. E. and A. I. P. has been performed within the framework of the EUROfusion Enabling Research project: ENR-MFE19.ISSP-UL-02 “Advanced experimental and theoretical analysis of defect evolution and structural disordering in optical and dielectric materials for fusion applications.” The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.

Theoretical simulations of I-center annealing in KCl crystals

Abstract This paper focus on theory of diffusion-controlled annealing of the most mobile radiation-induced defects—I centers—in KCl crystals. The kinetics of annealing of pairs of close oppositely charged defects—α-I centers (arising as a result of the tunnelling recombination of primary Frenkel defects—F and H centers) and F-I centers (when H center trap electrons) is calculated taking into account defect diffusion and Coulomb/elastic interaction. Special attention is paid to the conditions under which multi-stage annealing arises; theoretical results are compared with the relevant experimental data.

First-principles and semi-empirical calculations for bound hole polarons in KNbO3

The ab initio linear muffin-tin-orbital (LMTO) formalism and the semi-empirical method of the Intermediate Neglect of the Differential Overlap (INDO) based on the Hartree-Fock formalism are combined for the study of the hole polarons (a hole trapped nearby the cation vacancy) in a cubic phase of KNbO3 perovskite crystals. The 40-atom and 320-atom supercells were used, respectively. We predict existence of both, one-site and two-site (molecular) polarons with close optical absorption energies (0.9 eV and 0.95 eV). The relevant experimental data are discussed.

Quantum chemical modelling of point defects in KNbO3 perovskite crystals

Abstract We present results of semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations for several perovskite KNb x Ta 1−x O 3 (KTN) solid solutions, as well as point intrinsic defects – F centers and hole polarons bound to K vacancy – in KNbO 3 . Method of the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) was combined with typically 320-atom supercells and atomic geometry optimization. Analysis of the optimized atomic and electronic structure has clearly demonstrated that several nearest Nb atoms substituting for Ta in KTaO 3 – unlike Ta impurities in KNbO 3 – reveal the self-ordering effect, which probably triggers the ferroelectricity observed in KTN. We predict co-existence of one-site (…

Calculations of the Electronic and Atomic Structure and Diffusion of Point Defects in KNbO3 Perovskite Crystals and Relevant KTN Solid Solutions

AbstractIn this paper we review our recent achievements in large scale computer simulations of point defects in advanced perovskite crystals. We have calculated the defect migration energies in the KNbO3 cubic phase using quantum chemical method of the Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap (INDO) and classical shell model (SM). The migration energies for the O vacancy obtained by means of these two quite different methods are reasonably close (0.68 eV and 0.79 eV, respectively) and also agree with the only experimental estimate available (ca. 1 eV). Atomic relaxations calculated by these two methods also agree quite well. We used INDO method for a large-scale modeling of the atomic a…

Novel Carbon Nanotubes Rolled from 6,6,12-Graphyne: Double Dirac Points in 1D Material

Two kinds of novel carbon nanotubes, namely, (N, 0) and (0, N) 6,6,12-graphyne nanotubes (6,6,12-GNTs), are constructed by rolling up the rectangular 6,6,12-graphyne sheets along two different sides into cylinders. The mechanical and electronic properties of 6,6,12-GNTs with varied N from 3 to 20 are investigated by using density functional theory. Unlike the single-wall carbon nanotubes, the Young’s moduli of 6,6,12-GNTs do not remain constant in the case of (N, 0), but the (0, N) tubes possess almost the same one around 0.32 TPa. The band structures and density of states are also exhibited in this work. When the tube sizes N are bigger than four, Dirac points appear at Fermi level in the …

Experimental and theoretical studies of polaron optical properties in KNbO3 perovskite

Time-resolved absorption and luminescence spectra have been measured in KNbO3 perovskite crystals after pulsed band-gap excitation by 200 fs laser pulses and 10 ns electron pulses. Quantum chemical calculations using the large unit cell periodic model support the interpretation of the observed transient absorption bands at 0.8 and 1.1 eV as the self-trapped electron polarons and bound hole polarons, respectively. The activation energy for the 2.2 eV green luminescence quenching is 0.05 eV. We suggest that the short lifetime (,15 ns) of the luminescence at RT is caused by the radiative recombination of nearest electron and hole polarons. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Electron Correlation inside Disordered Crystals

S.P.K. acknowledges support by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Project No.0116U002067). Calculations were performed using Latvian Super Cluster (LASC), located in the Center of Excellence at Institute of Solid State Physics, the University of Latvia, which is supported by European Union Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming. Phase two under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

First principles studies of the self trapped hole and the fluorine adsorption on the SrF2(111) surface

Abstract By using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW, the ground states of self trapped hole and adsorbed fluorine atom on the strontium fluoride (1 1 1) surface are investigated. The self trapped hole at an interstitial anion site is denoted by H-center. In both the H-center and fluorine adsorption cases, the strong relaxations due to the surface effects are observed. In the H-center case, the unpaired electron distributes almost equally over two H-center atoms. This equivalent distribution of the unpaired electron is totally different from that of the bulk H-center [J. Phys. Chem. A 114 (2010) 8444]. The other case with an adsorbed fluorine at…

How does graphene enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells? An insight from a theoretical perspective

The main goal of this work is to clearly answer the question from a theoretical perspective: how does graphene enhance the photoelectric conversion efficiency in the semiconducting layer of a dye sensitized solar cell? Several arrangements of the graphene layer between the dye molecule and the TiO2 (101) surface are carefully studied and discussed. The dynamic interfacial electron propagations are simulated with consideration of the underlying nuclear motion effect. Theoretical investigation shows that graphene can speed up the electron injection from the dye molecules to the semiconductor layer, only when the graphene sheet is bonded to the TiO2 surface via C–Ti bonds. The excited electron…

AB INITIO CALCULATIONS OF SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3, CaTiO3 AND BaZrO3 (001) AND (011) SURFACES

I present results of calculations of surface relaxations and rumplings for the (001) and (011) surfaces of BaZrO3 and ATiO3 perovskites (A = Sr, Ba, Pb and Ca) using a hybrid B3PW description of exchange and correlation. The (001) surface energies of AO, TiO2 and ZrO2 terminations are found to be comparable with each other for all five materials. The surface energies for BaZrO3, SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (011) surfaces for all terminations are considerably larger than for (001) surfaces. We predict a considerable increase in the Ti-O (Zr-O) chemical bond covalency near the (011) surface as compared both to the bulk and to the (001) surface.

Novel 2D boron nitride with optimal direct band gap: A theoretical prediction

Abstract A novel structurally stable 2D-boron nitride material, namely di-BN, is predicted by means of the first-principles simulations. This monolayer BN system is composed of the azo (N-N) and diboron (B-B) groups. Its in-plane stiffness is close to the monolayer h-BN. Usually, the boron nitride materials are semiconductors with large band gaps. However, the monolayer di-BN possesses a moderate direct band gap of 1.622 eV obtained from our HSE06 calculation. Although the GW correction enlarges the band gap to 2.446 eV, this value is still in the range of the visible light. The detailed investigation of its band arrangement reveals that this material is able to product hydrogen molecules i…

First-principles simulations on the aggregation of F centers in BaF2: R centers

Abstract F center (an electron trapped in the fluorine vacancy) and R center (a defect composed of three F centers) in BaF 2 crystal, have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. Our calculations show that the F -center transfer barrier is equal to 1.83 eV. During the F -center transfer, the trapped electron is more delocalized than that in the static F -center case, and the gap between defect leveland CB in the α-spin state decreases obviously. The association energy calculations on R centers indicate stable aggregations of isolated F centers. During F -center aggregation, a considerable covalency between two neighbor fluorine…

Co-doping with boron and nitrogen impurities in T-carbon

Previously, Ren et al. [Chem. Phys. 518, 69–73, 2019] reported the failure of Boron-Nitrogen (B-N) co-doping as inter B-N bond in T-carbon. In present work, a B-N atom pair is introduced in T-carbon as p-n co-dopant to substitute two carbon atoms in the same carbon tetrahedron and form an intra B-N bond. The stability of this doping system is verified from energy, lattice dynamic, and thermodynamic aspects. According to our B3PW calculations, B-N impurities in this situation can reduce the band gap of T-carbon from 2.95 eV to 2.55 eV, making this material to be a promising photocatalyst. Through the study of its transport properties, we can also conclude that B-N co-doping cannot improve th…

Quantum Mechanical Modelling of Pure and Defective KNbO3 Perovskites

Ab initio electronic structure calculations using the density-functional theory (DFT) are performed for KNbO3 with and without defects. Ferroelectric distortive transitions involve very small changes in energies and are therefore sensitive to DFT-approximations. This is discussed by comparing results obtained with the local density approximation (LDA) to those where generalized gradient approximations (GGA) are used. The results of ab initio calculations for F-type centers and bound hole polarons are compared to those obtained by a semiempirical method of the Intermediate Neglect of the Differential Overlap (INDO), based on the HartreeFock formalism. Supercells with 40 and 320 atoms were us…

Ab initio calculations of the hydroxyl impurities in BaF2

Abstract OH − impurities in BaF 2 crystal have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid exchange potentials, namely DFT-B3PW. Three different configurations of OH − impurities were investigated and the (1 1 1)-oriented OH − configuration is the most stable one. Our calculations show that OH − as an atomic group has a steady geometrical structure instead of electronic properties in different materials. The studies on band structures and density of states (DOS) of the OH − -impurity systems indicate that there are two defect levels induced by OH − impurities. The two superposed occupied OH − -bands located 1.95 eV above the valance bands (VB) at Γ point mainly consist…

Ab initio hybrid DFT calculations of BaTiO3 bulk and BaO-terminated (001) surface F-centers

Using a supercell model and a hybrid B3PW exchange-correlation functional, we have performed first principles calculations for the F-center in the BaTiO3 bulk and on the BaO-terminated (001) surface. We find that two Ti atoms nearest to the bulk F-center are repulsed, while nearest eight oxygen and four barium atoms relax toward the oxygen vacancy (by 1.06, 0.71 and 0.08% of the lattice constant [Formula: see text], respectively). The magnitudes of atomic displacements around the F-center located on the BaO-terminated (001) surface in most cases (except for Ti) are larger than those around the bulk F-center (0.1, 1.4 and 1.0% of [Formula: see text], respectively). Our calculated BaTiO3 bul…

Ab initiocalculations of theSrTiO3(110) polar surface

Results of ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations for the SrTiO3 ~110! polar surface are discussed. We have calculated the surface energies, near-surface atomic displacements for four possible terminations ~TiO, Sr, and two kinds of O terminations! as well as Mulliken atomic charges and dipole moments of atoms characterizing their polarization, and the atomic bond populations. We predict a considerable increase of the TiuO chemical bond covalency near the ~110! surface, as compared to both the bulk and the ~100! surface. The O-terminated ~110! surface has surface energy close to that for ~100!, which indicates that both ~110! and ~100! SrTiO3 surfaces can coexist in polycrystals and perovskite…

Ab initio calculations of SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3, CaTiO3, SrZrO3, PbZrO3 and BaZrO3 (001), (011) and (111) surfaces as well as F centers, polarons, KTN solid solutions and Nb impurities therein

In this paper, the review of recent results of calculations of surface relaxations, energetics, and bonding properties for ABO 3 perovskite (001), (011) and (111) surfaces using mostly a hybrid description of exchange and correlation is presented. Both AO and BO 2-terminations of the nonpolar (001) surface and A , BO , and O terminations of the polar (011) surface, as well as B and AO 3-terminations of the polar (111) surface were considered. On the AO -terminated (001) surface, all upper-layer A atoms relax inwards, while all second layer atoms relax outwards. For the BO 2-terminated (001) surface, in most cases, the largest relaxations are on the second-layer metal atoms. For almost all …

Theoretical study on hydrogen storage capacity of expanded h-BN systems

In this work, the hydrogen storage capacity of the expanded hexagonal Boron Nitride (eh-BN) systems has been presented. We have employed a new equation of state (EOS) for hydrogen gas to figure out the hydrogen density distribution profiles in the eh-BN systems. In this regard, the environmental conditions (i.e., temperature and pressure) are considered in the prediction procedure using DFT single point calculations. The eh-BN systems with different layer spacings are studied by PBE method with consideration of the long range dispersion corrections. On account of the in-plane polar bonds, a series of adsorption positions are considered. Additionally, the adsorption energy and hydrogen densi…

Theoretical Modelling of the Energy Surface (001) and Topology of CaZrO3 Perovskite

I present the results of ab initio calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings, energetics, optical band gaps, and charge distribution for the CaZrO3 (001) surfaces using computer code CRYSTAL and a hybrid description of exchange and correlation. I consider both CaO and ZrO2-terminations of the CaZrO3 (001) surface. On the both CaO and ZrO2-terminated CaZrO3 (001) surfaces, I find that all upper and third layer atoms relax inwards, whereas all second layer atoms relax upwards. I predict a considerable increase of the Zr-O chemical bond covalency (0.102e) near the ZrO2-terminated CaZrO3 (001) surface relative to the CaZrO3 bulk (0.086e). My calculated CaO (0.87 eV) and ZrO2-terminated (1.…

Semi-empirical indo and shell-model calculations for perovskites

Abstract Structural, phonon and some elastic and dielectric properties have been calculated for various paraelectric or ferroelectric phases of the perovskites KNbO3 and SrTiO3, using either the semi-empirical INDO (Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap) method or a temperature-dependent shell model. The INDO method was used to calculate the energy changes resulting from [100], [110] or [111] displacements of Nb atoms in the cubic perovskite cell of KNbO3, at 0K. The conventional shell model gives a good account of the elastic, dielectric and phonon properties of the cubic phase of strontium titanate at room temperature, but difficulties remain in modelling the permittivity and elast…

A novel T-C3N and seawater desalination

A structurally stable stacked multilayer carbonitride is predicted with the aid of ab initio calculations. This carbonitride consists of C3N tetrahedra, and is similar to T-carbon and thus named T-C3N. Its 2-dimensional (2D) monolayer is also carefully investigated in this work. The studies on electronic properties reveal that bulk and 2D T-C3N are insulators with a 5.542 eV indirect band gap and a 5.741 eV direct band gap, respectively. However, the monolayer T-C3N exhibits an excellent uniform porosity. Its 5.50 A pore size is perfect for water nanofiltration. The adsorption and permeation of water molecules on the monolayer T-C3N are investigated. Its promising potential application in h…

Comparative Hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT Calculations of ReO3, SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (001) Surfaces

MD Simulation Investigation on the Binding Process of Smoke-Derived Germination Stimulants to Its Receptor

Karrikins (KARs) are a class of smoke-derived seed germination stimulants with great significance in both agriculture and plant biology. By means of direct binding to the receptor protein KAI2, the compounds can initiate the KAR signal transduction pathway, hence triggering germination of the dormant seeds in the soil. In the research, several molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques were properly integrated to investigate the binding process of KAR1 to KAI2 and reveal the details of the whole binding event. The calculated binding free energy, -7.00 kcal/mol, is in good agreement with the experimental measurement, -6.83 kcal/mol. The obtained PMF profile indicates the existence of thre…

Ab initio calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of BaZrO3 (111) surfaces

Abstract The paper presents and discusses the results of calculations of surface relaxations and energetics for the polar (111) surface of BaZrO 3 using a hybrid B3LYP description of exchange and correlation. On the (111) surface, both Zr- and BaO 3 -terminations were analyzed. For both Zr and BaO 3 -terminated BaZrO 3 (111) surface upper layer atoms, with the sole exception of BaO 3 -terminated surface Ba atoms, relax inwards. The Zr-terminated BaZrO 3 (111) surface second layer Ba atoms exhibit the strongest relaxation between all Zr and BaO 3 -terminated BaZrO 3 (111) surface atoms. The calculated surface relaxation energy for Zr-terminated BaZrO 3 (111) surface is almost fifteen times l…

Charge distribution and optical properties of and F centres in crystals

Results of quantum chemical calculations for the and F centres in cubic and orthorhombic phases of a perovskite ferroelectric are presented and analysed in the light of existing experimental literature. It is shown that one (two) electrons of the and F centres, respectively, are considerably delocalized, even in the ground state of defects, over the two Nb atoms nearest to the O vacancy, and other close atoms. They resemble more electron defects in partly covalent crystals (the so-called centre) than F-type centres in ionic MgO crystals. We predict two or three absorption bands (depending on the crystalline phase) for each of the defects. The calculated absorption energies for the centre ar…

First-Principles Calculations of the Atomic and Electronic Structure of CaTiO3(111) Surfaces

The results of calculations of CaTiO3 polar (111) surface relaxations, rumplings, energetics, optical band gaps, and charge distribution using the ab initio code CRYSTAL and a hybrid description of exchange and correlation are presented. Using a hybrid B3LYP approach, the surface relaxation for the two possible Ti and CaO3 CaTiO3 (111) surface terminations are calculated. For both Ti and CaO3-terminated CaTiO3 (111) surfaces upper layer atoms relax inwards, while the second layer atoms, with the sole exception of CaO3-terminated surface Ca atom, relax outwards. Calculated surface relaxation energy for Ti-terminated CaTiO3 (111) surface is more than five times larger than the surface relaxat…

Quantum chemical modelling of polarons and perovskite solid solutions

Abstract Following our previous study [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 10 (1998) 6271] of a single Nb impurity and Nb clusters in KTaO 3 , we present results of the calculations for a series of perovskite KNb x Ta 1− x O 3 (KTN) solid solutions ( x =0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.75, 1). The quantum chemical method of the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) combined with the large unit cell (LUC) periodic model is used. According to the INDO calculations, Nb impurity becomes off-center in KTaO 3 already at the lowest studied concentrations ( x =0.125), in a good agreement with XAFS measurements. We compare our results with previous ab initio FP-LMTO calculations. Quantum chemical calculati…

Comparative Hybrid Hartree-Fock-DFT Calculations of WO2-Terminated Cubic WO3 as Well as SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (001) Surfaces

We greatly acknowledge the financial support via the ERAF Project No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. Calculations were performed using Latvian Super Cluster (LASC), located in the Center of Excellence at Institute of Solid State Physics, the University of Latvia, which is supported by European Union Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase 2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART.

Quantum chemical modelling of "green" luminescence in ABO $ \mathsf {_3}$ perovskites

The origin of the intrinsic excitonic (“green”) luminescence in ABO3 perovskites remains a hot topic over the last quarter of a century. We suggest as a theoretical interpretation for the “green” luminescence in these crystals, the recombination of electron and hole polarons forming a charge transfer vibronic exciton. In order to check quantitatively the proposed model, we performed quantum chemical calculations using the Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap (INDO) method combined with the periodic defect model. The luminescence energies calculated for four perovskite crystals are found to be in good agreement with experimental data.

WITHDRAWN: Ab initio calculations of SrZrO3 and PbZrO3 (001) surfaces

Ab Initio Computations of O and AO as well as ReO2, WO2 and BO2-Terminated ReO3, WO3, BaTiO3, SrTiO3 and BaZrO3 (001) Surfaces

This research received funding from the Latvian-Ukraine cooperation Project No. LV/UA-2021/5. The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (Latvia), as the Centre of Excellence, has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD01-2016-2017-Teaming Phase2 under Grant Agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Calculations of the atomic and electronic structure for SrTiO3 perovskite thin films

The results of calculations of SrTiO3 (100) surface relaxation and rumpling with two different terminations (SrO and TiO2) are presented and discussed. We have used the ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF) method with electron correlation corrections and the density functional theory (DFT) with different exchange–correlation functionals, including hybrid exchange techniques. All methods agree well on surface energies and on atomic displacements, as well as on the considerable increase of covalency effects near the surface. More detailed experiments on surface rumpling and relaxation are necessary for further testing of theoretical predictions.

First-Principles Simulation of Substitutional Defects in Perovskites

The results of supercell calculations of electronic structure and related properties of substitutional impurities in perovskite oxides KNbO3 and KTaO3 are discussed. For Fe impurities in KNbO3, the results obtained in the local density approximation (LDA) and in the LDA+U approach (that allows an ad hoc treatment of nonlocality in exchange-correlation) are compared, and different impurity charge configurations are discussed. The study of off-centre Li defects in incipient ferroelectric KTaO3 have been done by the appropriately parametrized Intermediate Neglect of Differential Overlap (INDO) method. The interaction energies of two off-centre impurities in different relative configurations ar…

Dipoles in 4,12,4-graphyne

Abstract In present work, B-N pairs as dipole source were introduced into 4,12,4-graphyne. According to the density functional theory (DFT) simulations, the electronic configurations of the doped 4,12,4-graphyne systems were significantly modified owing to the built-in electric fields caused by the B-N dipoles. Different B-N concentrations and arrangements can alter the electronic structure of 4,12,4-graphyne. Consequently, an obvious in-plane piezoelectricity can also be induced. Moreover, the direct band gap can be delicately modulated from 150 meV to 660 meV at PBE level. The B-N dipoles can also greatly enhance the light absorption instead of shifting the absorption region. According to…

Computer Modeling of Defects and Surfaces in Advanced Perovskite Ferroelectrics

The (110) surface relaxations are calculated for SrTiO3 and BaTiO3 perovskites. The positions of atoms in 16 near-surface layers placed atop a slab of rigid ions are optimized. Strong surface rumpling and surface-induced dipole moments perpendicular to the surface are predicted for both the O-terminated and Ti-terminated surfaces. Calculated optical properties of basic point defects – F-type centres and hole polarons – in KNbO3 are used for the interpretation of available experimental data.

Comparative ab initio calculations of SrTiO3/BaTiO3 and SrZrO3/PbZrO3 (0 0 1) heterostructures

Abstract Using a B3PW hybrid exchange–correlation functional within the density functional theory (DFT) we calculated from the first principles the electronic structure of BaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 and PbZrO 3 /SrZrO 3 (0 0 1) interfaces. The optical band gap of both BaTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 and PbZrO 3 /SrZrO 3 (0 0 1) interfaces depends mostly from BaO or TiO 2 and SrO or ZrO 2 termination of the upper layer, respectively. Based on the results of our calculations we predict increase of the Ti–O and Zr–O chemical bond covalency near the SrTiO 3 /BaTiO 3 and SrZrO 3 /PbZrO 3 (0 0 1) interfaces as compared to the BaTiO 3 and PbZrO 3 bulk.

The kinetics of diffusion-controlled annealing of Frenkel defects in alkali halide crystals

Abstract The annealing kinetics of the strongly correlated (the so-called geminate) pairs of both neutral F,H centers as well as F, I centers entering secondary triplets (F…Ihellip; self-trapped hole) in KCl and KBr crystals is calculated. In this model diffusion of hole I and H centers and their annihilation with electron F centers at short relative distances stimulated by the elastic or Coulomb interaction are taken into account. It is demonstrated that F,H pairs are destroyed by tunneling recombination already at times ≤ 10−4 s, i.e. much before the beginning of the thermostimulated experiments. A possible explanation of this contradiction is discussed.

Quantum chemical calculations of KTN solid solutions

Abstract The results of semi-empirical calculations for perovskite KNbxTa1−xO3 (KTN) solid solutions are presented for x = 0.04, 0.11, 0.89, and 0.96. Quantum chemical method of the Intermediate Neglect of the Differential Overlap (INDO) was combined with 135- and 320-atom supercells. Analysis of the optimised atomic and electronic structure has clearly demonstrated that several nearest Nb atoms substituting for Ta in KTaO3 — unlike Ta impurities in KNbO3 — reveal the self-ordering effect, which probably triggers the ferroelectricity observed in KTN.

Quantum chemical modelling of electron polarons and  green  luminescence in PbTiO3perovskite crystals

In an extension of our previous study on the electron polarons and excitons in KNbO3, KTaO3 and BaTiO3 (Kotomin E A, Eglitis R I and Borstel G 2000 J. Phys. Condens. Matter 12 L557; Eglitis R I, Kotomin E A and Borstel G 2002 J. Phys. Condens. Matter 14 3735) by the semiempirical Hartree–Fock method we present here results for free electron polarons in the PbTiO3 perovskite crystal. We discuss the origin of the intrinsic visible band emission of PbTiO3 perovskite oxides (so-called 'green luminescence') which has remained a topic of high interest during the last quarter of a century. We present a theoretical calculation modelling this emission in the framework of a concept of charge transfer…

Theory of bound polarons in oxide compounds

We present a multilateral theoretical study of bound polarons in oxide compounds MgO and \alpha-Al_2O_3 (corundum). A continuum theory at arbitrary electron-phonon coupling is used for calculation of the energies of thermal dissociation, photoionization (optically induced release of an electron (hole) from the ground self-consistent state), as well as optical absorption to the non-relaxed excited states. Unlike the case of free strong-coupling polarons, where the ratio \kappa of the photoionization energy to the thermal dissociation energy was shown to be always equal to 3, here this ratio depends on the Froehlich coupling constant \alpha and the screened Coulomb interaction strength \beta.…

Modeling of defects and surfaces in perovskite ferroelectrics

The results of electronic structure calculations for different terminations of SrTiO3 (100) and (110) perovskite thin films are discussed. These calculations are based on the ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) method and Density Functional Theory (DFT). Results are compared with previous ab initio plane-wave LDA and classical Shell Model (SM) calculations. Calculated considerable increase of the Ti – O chemical bond covalency nearby the surface is confirmed by experimental data. Our quantum chemical calculations performed by means of the intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO) method confirm the existence of self-trapped electrons in KNbO3, KTaO3 and BaTiO3 crystals. The relevant latti…

First-principles calculations of perovskite thin films

Abstract The results of the electronic structure calculations for different surface terminations of SrTiO3 (1 0 0) perovskite thin films are discussed. These calculations are based on ab initio Hartree–Fock method with a posteriori electron correlation corrections and density functional theory with a number of different exchange-correlation functionals, including hybrid (B3PW, B3LYP) exchange techniques. Results are compared with previous ab initio plane-wave local density approximation and classical shell model calculations. Calculated considerable increase of the Ti–O chemical bond covalency nearby the surface is confirmed by experimental data. We predict also the band-gap reduction, espe…

The Kinetics of Excitonic Luminescence in Mixed Silver Halides

ABSTRACTTwo kinds of luminescence (excitonic luminescence and excitonic molecule luminescence) were investigated for solid solutions AgBr1-xClx after pulsed electron beam and N2 laser irradiation. Careful theoretical treatment of a set of experimental excitonic luminescence kinetics is presented. It is shown that the effective activation energy of Agoi migration is a linear function of the composition x. The narrow peak of the excitonic molecule luminescence shifts from 2.66ev in pure AgBr towards higher energies as x increases.

<title>High-excitation-density luminescence as probe of mixed silver halides</title>

Two kinds of intrinsic luminescence in mixed AgBr1-xClx (1 io. Dependence of the parameters of this process on crystal composition has been investigated in terms of spatially well correlated Frenkel defect recombinations. The main effect found was the linear increase of the Agio migration energy with the crystal composition x. The second kind of luminescence arising due to exciton molecules has been shown to be sensitive to the solid solution composition and the quality of a crystal. It is shown that this luminescence correlates with the optical losses of the fibers studied.

Modelling of defects and surfaces in perovskite ferroelectrics

The results of electronic structure calculations for different terminations of SrTiO 3 (100) and (110) perovskite thin films are discussed. These calculations are based on the ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) method and Density Functional Theory (DFT). Results are compared with previous ab initio plane-wave LDA and classical Shell Model (SM) calculations. Calculated considerable increase of the Ti-O chemical bond covalency nearby the surface is confirmed by experimental data. Our quantum chemical calculations performed by means of the intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO) method confirm the existence of self-trapped electrons in KNbO 3 , KTaO 3 and BaTiO 3 crystals. The relevant la…

First-principles calculations of surfaceHcenters inBaF2

H center, a hole trapped at an interstitial anion site, placed on the 111 surface of Barium fluoride BaF2 has been studied by using density functional theory DFT with hybrid exchange potentials, namely, DFT-B3PW. Two different configurations of surface H center are investigated carefully. Both surface H-center systems have strong relaxations because of the surface effect. In the configuration that the interstitial fluorine atom is within the surface, named case 1 in this paper, the unpaired electron is almost equally distributed onto the two atoms of the H center, which is quite different from the bulk H-center case. The other configuration with one of the F atoms of the H center located ab…

A new phase in ferroelectric oxides: The phase of charge transfer vibronic excitons

It is shown, by means of Hartree-Fock-type calculations using the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) method, that polaronic-type charge transfer vibronic excitons (CTVE) in ferroelectric oxides could lead to the formation of a new phase. The ground-state energy of this phase of strongly correlated CTVE lies within an optical gap of pure crystal, and is characterized by a strong tetragonal lattice distortion, as well as ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic ordering. It is shown also that clusters of the CTVE phase being stabilized by oxygen vacancies could be responsible for the unusually strong optical Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) in nominally pure incipient ferroele…

Comparative First-Principles Calculations of SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 (001), (011) and (111) Surfaces

I present the results of my ab initio calculations for SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 neutral (001), as well as for polar (011) and (111) surfaces using the hybrid description of exchange and correlation. AO and BO2-terminations for the nonpolar (001) surface and A, BO, and O terminations of the polar (011) surface, as well as B and AO3-terminations of the polar (111) surface were calculated. In the case of the neutral AO-terminated (001) surface for SrTiO3, BaTiO3, PbTiO3 and CaTiO3 perovskites, all upper-layer A atoms relax inward towards the bulk, while all second layer atoms relax outwards. For the BO2-terminated (001) surface, in most cases, the largest relaxations are on the second…

Ab initio calculations of PbTiO 3 /SrTiO 3 (001) heterostructures

We performed ab initio calculations for the PbTiO3/SrTiO3 (001) heterostructures. For both PbO and TiO2-terminations of the PbTiO3 (001) thin film, augmented on the SrTiO3 (001) substrate, the magnitudes of atomic relaxations Δz increases as a function of the number of augmented monolayers. For both terminations of the augmented PbTiO3 (001) nanothin film, all upper, third and fifth monolayers are displaced inwards (Δz is negative), whereas all second, fourth and sixth monolayers are displaced outwards (Δz is positive). The B3PW calculated PbTiO3/SrTiO3 (001) heterostructure band gaps, independently from the number of augmented layers, are always smaller than the PbTiO3 and SrTiO3 bulk band…

Semi-empirical Hartree-Fock calculations for KNbO 3 and KTaO 3

As a first step in modeling the electronic structure of Perovskite-type ferroelectric mixed crystals K(Nb,Ta)O3, semiempirical calculations for pure KNbO3 and KTaO3 are performed with the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) quantum chemical method. The calculations are mostly done for 40-atom supercells. The choice of the INDO parameters based on the comparison of results with ab initio and experimental data is discussed. INDO results for the equilibrium geometry and the (Gamma) -TO phonon frequencies are given. The results show that the accuracy of the INDO method is sufficient for reliably reproducing the energy differences on the order of 1 mRy (per formula unit) scal…

From determination of the fugacity coefficients to estimation of hydrogen storage capacity: A convenient theoretical method

Abstract The equation of state (EOS) from virial expansion (VE) is used in this work to pave the way for determining the fugacity coefficients of the hydrogen fluid at arbitrary temperature and pressure. The fugacity coefficients from our VE method have more physical meanings than the empirical values. In this way, the hydrogen storage capacity of a novel material model can be estimated by using few density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the aid of a continuum model. The efficient continuum model can provide a more accurate estimation of the hydrogen storage capacity than the pure DFT calculations. Furthermore, the expensive grand canonical ensemble (μNT) simulations combining wi…

Ab initio study of the SrTiO3, BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 (001) surfaces

The results of first-principles calculations of the two possible terminations of (0 0 1) surfaces of SrTiO 3 (STO), BaTiO3 (BTO) and PbTiO3 (PTO) perovskites are presented. Surface atomic structures and their electronic configurations have been calculated using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) combined with hybrid (B3PW) exchange-correlation technique. Our results are compared with previous quantum mechanical calculations and available experimental data. Surface relaxations and the electronic states near valence band gap are discussed in details for all three perovskites. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Quantum chemical modelling of perovskite solid solutions

In line with our previous study (Eglitis R I et al 1998 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 10 6271) for a single Nb impurity and Nb clusters in KTaO3 we present here the results of calculations for a series of perovskite KNbx Ta 1−x O3 (KTN) solid solutions (x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.75, and 1). The quantum chemical method of the intermediate neglect of the differential overlap (INDO) combined with the large unit cell (LUC) periodic model is used. According to the INDO calculations, Nb impurity becomes off-centre in KTaO3 already at the lowest studied Nb concentration. Its off-centre displacement is in a good agreement with XAFS measurements. We compare our results with previous FP-LMTO calculations. Pe…

Calculations of radiation-induced point defects, polarons and excitons in ferroelectric perovskites

Abstract We review results of our recent large-scale computer simulations of radiation-induced point defects, excitons and polarons in ABO3 perovskite crystals, focusing mostly on KNbO3 and KTaO3 as representative examples. We have calculated the atomic and electronic structure of defects, their optical absorption, defect-induced electron density redistribution, and activation energies for defect migration. The majority of our results were obtained using the quantum-chemical method of the intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO) based on the Hartree–Fock formalism, as well as the shell model (SM). The main findings are compared with those obtained by means of ab initio density fu…

Computer Simulations of I-Center Annealing in KCl and KBr Crystals. Theoretical Interpretation of Thermostimulated Experiments

Results of computer simulations of the kinetics of correlated annealing of pairs of close α–I and F–I centers in KCI and KBr crystals, enhanced by I-center diffusion and Coulomb or elastic attractions, respectively, are presented. Special attention is paid to the conditions under which multi-stage annealing stages arise as it has been observed experimentally more than once. Our general conclusions are: (i) a weak elastic interaction affects the recombination kinetics and the survival probability even for relatively well-separated F–I pairs, the more so is true for the case of Coulomb attraction between charged α–I pairs; (ii) the multi-step (kink) structure arises only for close (typically,…

Ab Initio Calculations of the Transfer and Aggregation of F Centers in CaF2

The F center and R center in CaF2 crystals have been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) with a hybrid B3PW description of exchange and correlation. Our calculations show that the F-center diffusion barrier is equal to 1.67 eV. During the F-center transfer, the trapped electron is more delocalized than that in the regular F-center case, and the gap between defect level and CB in the α-spin state decreases. The surface F-center investigation shows the trend of F centers to locate near the surface. The association energy calculations of R centers indicate stable aggregations of isolated F centers. During the F-center aggregation, a considerable covalency forms between two neighbo…

First-principles and semiempirical Hartree-Fock calculations for F centers in KNbO3 and Li impurities in KTaO3

The LMTO method based on the density-functional theory and the semi-empirical INDO method based on the Hartree--Fock formalism are used for the supercell study of the F centers in cubic and orthorhombic ferroelectric KNbO3 crystals. Two electrons are found to be considerably delocalized even in the ground state of the defect. The absorption energies were calculated by means of the INDO method using the Delta-SCF scheme after a relaxation of atoms surrounding the F center. As an example of another type of point defect in perovskite, an isolated Li impurity in KTaO3 as well as interacting Li pairs are considered in the supercell approach, using the supercells of up to 270 atoms. The off-cente…