Investigations of the half-metallic behavior and the magnetic and thermodynamic properties of half-Heusler CoMnTe and RuMnTe compounds: A first-principles study

First-principles spin-polarized density functional theory （DFT） investigations of the structural, electronic, magnetic, and thermodynamics characteristics of the half-Heusler, CoMnTe and RuMnTe compounds are carried out. Calculations are accomplished within a state of the art full-potential （FP） linearized （L） augmented plane wave plus a local orbital （APW ＋ lo） computational approach framed within DFT. The generalized gradient approximation （GGA） parameterized by Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof （PBE） is implemented as an exchange correlation functional as a part of the total energy calculation. From the analysis of the calculated electronic band structure as well as the density of states for both compounds, a strong hybridization between d states of the higher valent transition metal （TM） atoms （Co, Ru） and lower valent TM atoms of （Mn） is observed. Furthermore, total and partial density of states （PDOS） of the ground state and the results of spin magnetic moments reveal that these compounds are both stable and ideal half-metallic ferromagnetic. The effects of the unit cell volume on the magnetic properties and half-metaliicity are crucial. It is worth noting that our computed results of the total spin magnetic moments, for CoMnTe equal to 4 ~tB and 3 p-B per unit cell for RuMnTe, nicely follow the rule μ2tot = Zt - 18. Using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, which considers the phononic effects, the effecs of pressure P and temperature T on the lattice parameter, bulk modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, Debye temperature, and heat capacity for these compounds are investigated for the first time.     

Co_(2~-)基Heusler合金Co_2FeAl_(1–x)Si_x(x=0.25,x=0.5,x=0.75)的结构、电子结构及热电特性的第一性原理研究

运用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法,对Co_2FeAl_(1–x)Si_x(x=0.25, 0.5, 0.75)系列Heusler合金的电子结构、四方畸变、弹性常数,声子谱以及热电特性进行了计算研究.结果显示, Co_2FeAl_(1–x)Si_x系列合金的电子结构均为半金属特性,向下自旋态(半导体性)均呈现良好的热电特性,并且随着硅原子浓度的增加功率因子随之增加.计算的声子谱不存在虚频,均满足动力学稳定性条件,弹性常数均满足玻恩稳定性条件,机械稳定性均良好.随着晶格常数c/a的比值变化,体系的能量最低点均出现在c/a=1处,即结构稳定性不随畸变度c/a的变化而变化,说明不存在马氏体相变.此系列合金薄膜的电子结构呈现较高的自旋极化率,在替代浓度x=0.75时自旋极化率达到100%,且当x=0.75时薄膜在畸变度c/a=1.2时存在马氏体相变.随着晶格畸变度的改变,总磁矩也发生变化,且主要由Fe和Co两种过渡金属原子的磁矩变化所决定.     

First-principles linear muffin-tin orbital investigations in the electronic and magnetic structures of double perovskites Ba2TMoO6 (T=V,Cr, Mn,Fe and Co)

The electronic and magnetic structures of ordered double perovskites Ba₂TMoO₆ (T=V, Cr, Mn, Fe and Co) are systematically investigated by means of the first-principle linear muffin-tin orbitals with the atomic-sphere approximation (LMTO-ASA) method. The calculations are performed by using the both local spin density approximation (LSDA) and the LSDA+U Coulomb interaction schemes. The results show a half-metallic ferrimagnetic ground states for T=Cr, Fe and Co in LSDA+U treatment, whereas half-metallic ferromagnetic character is observed for T=V. For T=Mn, insulating ground state is obtained, stabilized in the antiferromagnetic state. The LSDA+U calculations yield better agreement with the theoretical and the experimental results than do the LSDA.     

First-principles study of structural,electronic and optical properties of ZnF_2

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of rutile-, CaC12-, and PdF2-ZnF2 are calculated by the plane-wave pseudopotential method within the density functional theory. The calculated equilibrium lattice constants are in reasonable agreement with the available experimental and other calculated results. The band structures show that the rutile-, CaCl2-, and PdF2-ZnF2 are all direct band insulator. The band gaps are 3.63, 3.62, and 3.36 eV, respectively. The contribution of the different bands was analyzed by the density of states. The Mulliken population analysis is performed. A mixture of covalent and weak ionic chemical bonding exists in ZnF2. Furthermore, in order to understand the optical properties of ZnF2, the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, electronic energy loss spectroscopy, and optical reflectivity are also performed in the energy range from 0 to 30 eV. It is found that the main absorption parts locate in the UV region for ZnF2. This is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the electronic and optical properties of ZnF2 compound, and it still awaits experimental confirmation.     

Electronic and Optical Properties of Rock-Salt AIN under High Pressure via First-Principles Analysis

Electronic and optical properties of rock-salt AIN under high pressure are investigated by first -principles method based on the plane-wave basis set. Analysis of band structures suggests that the rock-salt AIN has an indirect gap of 4.53 eV, which is in good agreement with other results. By investigating the effects of pressure on the energy gap, the different movement of conduction band at X point below and above 22.5 GPa is predicted. The optical properties including dielectric function, absorption, reflectivity, and refractive index are also calculated and analyzed. It is found that the rock-salt AIN is transparent from the partially ultra-violet to the visible light area and hardly does the transparence affected by the pressure. Furthermore, the curve of optical spectrum will shift to high energy area （blue shift） with increasing pressure.     

First-principles study of the structural,elastic, and optical properties for Sr0.5Ca0.5TiO3

A detailed theoretical study of the structural, elastic, and optical properties for Sr0.5Ca0.5TiO3 is carried out by first- principles calculations. The band structure exhibits a direct bandgap of 2.08 eV at the F point in the Brillouin zone. The bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young＇s modulus, and Poisson＇s ratio are derived based on the calculated elastic constants. The bulk modulus B = 153 GPa and shear modulus G = 81GPa are in good agreement with available experimental data. Poisson＇s ratio v = 0.275 suggests that Sr0.sCa0.sTiO3 should be classified as being a ductile material. Using the electronic band structure and density of states, we analyze the interband contribution to the optical properties. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, as well as the optical properties such as the optical absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and energy-loss spectrum are calculated. The static dielectric constant ε1 （0） and the refractive index n（0） are also investigated.     

Electronic structures and optical properties of IIIA-doped wurtzite Mg0.25Zn0.75O

The energy band structures, density of states, and optical properties of IliA-doped wurtzite Mg0.25Zn0.75O （IIIA= A1, Ga, In） are investigated by a first-principles method based on the density functional theory. The calculated results show that the optical bandgaps of Mg0.25Zn0.75O：IIIA are larger than those of Mg0.25Zn0.75O because of the Burstein-Moss effect and the bandgap renormalization effect. The electron effective mass values of Mg0.25Zn0.75O：IIIA are heavier than those of Mgo.25Zno.750, which is in agreement with the previous experimental result. The formation energies of MgZnO：Al and MgZnO：Ga are smaller than that of MgZnO：In, while their optical bandgaps are larger, so MgZnO：Al and MgZnO：Ga are suitable to be fabricated and used as transparent conductive oxide films in the ultra-violet （UV） and deep UV optoelectronic devices.     

Effect of Cr,Mo, and Nb additions on intergranular cohesion of ferritic stainless steel: First-principles determination

Effects of Cr, Mo, and Nb on the ferritic stainless steel ]2（210） grain boundary and intragranularity are investigated using the first-principles principle. Different positions of solute atoms are considered. Structural stability is lowered by Cr doping and enhanced by Mo and Nb doping. A ranking on the effect of solute atoms enhancing the cohesive strength of the grain boundary, from the strongest to the weakest is Cr, Mo, and Nb. Cr clearly prefers to locate in the intragranular region of Fe rather than in the grain boundary, while Mo and Nb tend to segregate to the grain boundary. Solute Mo and Nb atoms possess a strong driving force for segregation to the grain boundary from the intragranular region, which increases the grain boundary embrittlement. For Mo- and Nb-doped systems, a remarkable quantity of electrons accumulate in the region close to Mo （Nb）. Therefore, the bond strength may increase. With Cr, Mo, and Nb additions, an anti-parallel island is formed around the center of the grain boundary.     

First-Principles Study of Structural,Elastic and Electronic Properties of OsSi

First-principles study of structural, elastic, and electronic properties of the B20 structure OsSi has been reported using the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method. The calculated equilibrium lattice and elastic constants are in good agreement with the experimented data and other theoretical results. The dependence of the elastic constants, the aggregate elastic modulus, the deviation from the Cauchy relation, the elastic wave velocities in different directions and the elastic anisotropy on pressure have been obtained and discussed. This could be the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the elastic properties under high pressure of OsSi compound. Moreover, the electronic structure calculations show that OsSi is a degenerate semiconductor with the gap value of 0.68 eV, which is higher than the experimental value of 0.26 eV. The analysis of the PDOS reveals that hybridization between Os d and Sip states indicates a certain covalency of the Os-Si bonds.     

First-principles study of the electronic structure and optical properties of cubic Perovskite NaMgF_3

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of cubic perovskite NaMgF3 are calculated by plane-wave pseudopo- tential density functional theory. The calculated lattice constant a0, bulk modulus B0, and the derivative of bulk modulus B~ are 3.872/~, 78.2 GPa, and 3.97, respectively. The results are in good agreement with the available experimental and theo- retical values. The electronic structure shows that cubic NaMgF3 is an indirect insulator with a wide forbidden band gap of Eg = 5.90 eV. The contribution of the different bands is analyzed by total and partial density of states curves. Population analysis of NaMgF3 indicates that there is strong ionic bonding in the MgF2 unit, and a mixture of ionic and weak covalent bonding in the NaF unit. Calculations of dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, electronic energy loss spectroscopy, optical reflectivity, and conductivity are also performed in the energy range 0 to 70 eV.     

Theoretical investigation on the electronic structure,elastic properties, and intrinsic hardness of Si2N20

According to the density functional theory we systematically study the electronic structure, the mechanical prop- erties and the intrinsic hardness of Si2N2O polymorphs using the first-principles method. The elastic constants of four Si2N2O structures are obtained using the stress-strain method. The mechanical moduli （bulk modulus, Young’s mod-ulus, and shear modulus） are evaluated using the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approach. It is found that the tetragonal Si2N2O exhibits a larger mechanical modulus than the other phases. Some empirical methods are used to calculate the Vickers hardnesses of the Si2N2O structures. We further estimate the Vickers hardnesses of the four Si2N2O crystal structures, suggesting all Si2N2O phases are not the superhard compounds. The results imply that the tetragonal Si2N2O is the hardest phase. The hardness of tetragonal Si2N2O is 31.52 GPa which is close to values of β-Si3N4 and γ-Si3N4.     

First-principles calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of CeN： The LDA ＋ U method

Electronic and magnetic properties of CeN are investigated using first-principles calculations based on density func- tional theory （DFT） with the LDA ＋ U method. Our results show that CeN is a half-metal. The majority-spin electron band structure has metallic intersections, whereas the minority-spin electron band structure has a semiconducting gap straddling the Fermi level. A small indirect energy gap occurs between X and W. The calculated magnetic moment is 0.99 μb per unit cell.     

Electronic structures and thermoelectric properties of solid solutions CuGa_(1-x) In_xTe_2 : A first-principles study

The electronic structures of solid solutions CuGal_xlnxTe2 are systematically investigated using the full-potential all-electron linearized augmented plane wave method. The calculated lattice parameters almost linearly increase with the increase of the In composition, which are in good agreement with the available experimental results. The calculated band structures with the modified Becke-Johnson potential show that all solid solutions are direct gap conductors. The band gap decreases linearly with In composition increasing. Based on the electronic structure calculated, we investigate the thermoelectric properties by the semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The results suggest that when Ga is replaced by In, the bipolar effect of Seebeck coefficient S becomes very obvious. The Seebeck coefficient even changes its sign from positive to negative for p-type doping at low carrier concentrations. The optimal p-type doping concentrations have been estimated based on the predicted maximum values of the power factor divided by the scattering time.     

CuHg_2Ti型Ti_2Cr基合金的电子结构、能隙起源和磁性研究

利用第一性原理计算方法,研究了CuHg2Ti结构下Ti2CrK(K=Sb,Ge,Sn,Sb,Bi)系列合金的电子结构、能隙起源和磁性.研究发现:Ti2CrK(K=Si,Ge)合金是普通半导体材料;Ti2CrK(K=Si,Bi)合金是亚铁磁性半金属材料,其半金属性能隙受到Sb和Bi原子s态的直接影响;Ti2CrSn合金是完全补偿的亚铁磁性半导体.基于Ti2CrSn合金两个自旋方向上的能隙起源不同,通过Si和Ge替换掺杂同族Sn元素调制能隙的宽度,获得了完全补偿亚铁磁性自旋无能隙材料;通过Fe和Mn替换掺杂过渡族Cr元素获得了一系列半金属材料.Ti2Cr1-xFexSn和Ti2Cr1-xMnxSn合金都具有亚铁磁性.所研究的这些半金属性合金的分子磁矩Mtotal与总的价电子数Zt服从Mtotal=Zt-18规则.     

第一性原理研究闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs半金属铁磁性的稳定性

运用第一性原理的全势能线性缀加平面波方法对闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs的电子结构进行自旋极化计算.闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs处于晶格平衡时都具有半金属性,它们自旋向下的电子能带带隙分别为3.38 eV和1.79 eV,同时,它们的自旋总磁矩分别为4.00和3.00μ_B/formula.自旋总磁矩主要来源于Cr的原子磁矩,Se和As的原子磁矩对总磁矩的贡献很小而且为负值,因而它们具有明显的铁磁性特征.使晶体晶格在±10%的范围内发生各向同性形变,对闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs的电子结构进行计算.计算结果表明,当晶格各向同性形变分别为-4%～10%和-2%～10%时,闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs仍然保持半金属铁磁性,并且总磁矩都稳定于4.00和3.00μ_B/formula.     

第一性原理研究闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs半金属铁磁性的稳定性

运用第一性原理的全势能线性缀加平面波方法对闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs的电子结构进行自旋极化计算。闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs处于晶格平衡时都具有半金属性,它们自旋向下的电子能带带隙分别为3.38eV 和1. 79eV,同时,它们的自旋总磁矩分别为4.00和3.00μB/formula。自旋总磁矩主要来源于Cr的原子磁矩,Se和As的原子磁矩对总磁矩的贡献很小而且为负值,因而它们具有明显的铁磁性特征. 使晶体晶格在±10%的范围内发生各向同性形变,对闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs的电子结构进行计算. 计算结果表明,当晶格各向同性形变分别为-4 % ~ 10 %和-2 % ~10 %时,闪锌矿结构CrSe和CrAs仍然保持半金属铁磁性,并且总磁矩都稳定于4.00和3.00μB/formula.     

Structural, electronic, and optical properties of ZnOl_xSex alloys using first-principles calculations

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of binary ZnO, ZnSe compounds, and their ternary ZnOl_xSex alloys are computed using the accurate full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital （FP-LAPW ＋ lo） method in the rocksalt （B 1） and zincblende （B3） crystallographic phases. The electronic band structures, fundamental energy band gaps, and densities of states for ZnO1_xSex are evaluated in the range 0 〈 x 〈 1 using Wu-Cohen （WC） generalized gradient approximation （GGA） for the exchange-correlation potential. Our calculated results of lattice parameters and bulk modulus reveal a nonlinear variation for pseudo-binary and their ternary alloys in both phases and show a considerable deviation from Vegard＇s law. It is observed that the predicted lattice parameter and bulk modulus are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. We establish that the composition dependence of band gap is semi-metallic in B1 phase, while a direct band gap is observed in B3 phase. The calculated density of states is described by taking into account the contribution of Zn 3d, O 2p, and Se 4s, and the optical properties are studied in terms of dielectric functions, refractive index, reflectivity, and energy loss function for the B3 phase and are compared with the available experimental data.     

First-principles calculations of structural,electronic, and thermodynamic properties of ZnO_(1-x)S_x alloys

In this study the pseudo-potential method is used to investigate the structural, electronic, and thermodynamic proper- ties of ZnOl_xSx semiconductor materials. The results show that the electronic properties are found to be improved when calculated by using LDA ~ U functional as compared with local density approximation （LDA）. At various concentrations the ground-state properties are determined for bulk materials ZnO, ZnS, and their tertiary alloys in cubic zinc-blende phase. From the results, a minor difference is observed between the lattice parameters from Vegard＇s law and other calculated results, which may be due to the large mismatch between lattice parameters of binary compounds ZnO and ZnS. A small deviation in the bulk modulus from linear concentration dependence is also observed for each of these alloys. The ther- modynamic properties, including the phonon contribution to Helmholtz free energy △F, phonon contribution to internal energy △E, and specific iheat at constant-volume Cv, are calculated within quasi-harmonic approximation based on the calculated phonon dispersion relations.     

Study of electronic structures and absorption bands of BaMgF4 crystal with F colour centre

The electronic structures of BaMgF 4 crystals containing an F colour centre are studied within the framework of the fully relativistic self-consistent Direc-Slater theory,using a numerically discrete variational (DV-Xα) method. It is concluded from the calculated results that the energy levels of the F colour centre are located in the forbidden band. The optical transition energy from the ground state to the excited state for the F colour centre is about 5.12 eV,which corresponds to the 242-nm absorption band. These calculated results can explain the origin of the absorption bands.     

Electronic Structure Analysis of USiO4

Uranium is a member of Actinides and plays important role in nuclear science and technology. Electronic and structural investigations of actinide compounds attract major interest in science. The electronic structure and chemical bonding of coffinite USiO4 are investigated by X-ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy （XAFS）. U L3- edge absorption spectrum in USiO4 is compared with U L3-edge spectra in UO2 and UTe due to their different electronic and chemical structures. The study presents XANES （x-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure） and Extended XAFS （EXAFS） calculations of USiO4 thin films. The full multiple scattering approach has been applied to the calculation of U L3 edge XANES spectra of USiO4, UO2 and UTe, based on different choices of one electron potentials according to Uranium coordinations by using the real space multiple scattering method FEFF 8.2 code.