Ab initio calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of MgF2 (011) and (111) surfaces

Abstract The results of ab initio slab calculations of surface relaxations, rumplings and charge distribution for the different terminations of the MgF2 (011) and (111) polar surfaces are presented and discussed. We have employed the computer code CRYSTAL with the Gaussian basis set and the hybrid B3PW exchange-correlation functional. Despite the ionic nature of the chemical bonding at both surfaces, a considerable decrease of the optical band gap is predicted (1.3 eV or 10%) for the (111) surface as compared to the bulk.