First-principles investigations on the mechanical,thermal,electronic,and optical properties of the defect perovskites Cs_2SnX_6(X= Cl,Br, I)

The mechanical properties, thermal properties, electronic structures, and optical properties of the defect perovskites Cs_2SnX_6(X = Cl, Br, I) were investigated by first-principles calculation using PBE and HSE06 hybrid functional. The optic band gaps based on HSE06 are 3.83 eV for Cs_2SnCl_6, 2.36 eV for Cs_2SnBr_6, and 0.92 eV for Cs_2SnI_6, which agree with the experimental results. The Cs_2SnCl_6, Cs_2SnBr_6, and Cs_2SnI_6 are mechanically stable and they are all anisotropic and ductile in nature. Electronic structures calculations show that the conduction band consists mainly of hybridization between the halogen p orbitals and Sn 5s orbitals, whereas the valence band is composed of the halogen p orbitals. Optic properties indicate that these three compounds exhibit good optical absorption in the ultraviolet region, and the absorption spectra red shift with the increase in the number of halogen atoms. The defect perovskites are good candidates for probing the lead-free and high power conversion efficiency of solar cells.