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Context: The electronic properties and optical properties of Cr-doped monolayer WS2 under uniaxial compressive deformation have been investigated based on density functional theory. In terms of electronic structure properties, both intrinsic and doped system bandgaps decrease with the increase of compression deformation, and the values of the bandgap under the same compression deformation after Cr doping are reduced compared with the corresponding intrinsic states. When the compressive deformation reaches 10%, both the intrinsic and doped system band gaps are close to zero. New electronic states and impurity energy levels appear in the WS2 system when doped with Cr atoms. For the optical properties, the calculation and analysis of the dielectric function under each deformation regime of monolayer WS2 show that the compression deformation affects the dielectric function, and when the compression deformation is 10%, the un-doped and Cr-doped regimes show a decrease in ε1(ω) compared to the compression deformation of 8%. For each deformation system, the peak reflections occur in the ultraviolet region. Near the position where the second peak of the absorption spectrum appears, it can be seen that the ability of each system to absorb light gradually decreases with the increase of the amount of deformation and appears to be red-shifted to varying degrees. Methods: This study follows the initial principles of the density functional theory framework and is based on the CASTEP module of Materials-Studio software GGA and PBE generalizations are used to perform computations such as geometry optimization of the model. We have calculated the energy band structure of monolayer WS2 with intrinsic and compressive deformations of 2% and 4% using PBE and HSE06, respectively. The band gap values calculated using PBE are 1.802 eV, 1.663 eV, and 1.353 eV, respectively, and the band gap values calculated with HSE06 are 2.267 eV, 2.034 eV, 1.751 eV. The results show that the bandgap values calculated by HSE06 are significantly higher than those calculated by PBE, but the bandgap variations calculated by the two methods have the same trend, and the shape characteristics of the energy band structure are also the same. However, it is worth noting that the computation time required for the HSE06 calculation is much longer than that of the PBE, which is far beyond the capability of our computer hardware, and the purpose of this paper is to investigate the change rule of the effect of deformation on the bandgap value, so to save the computational resources, the next calculations are all calculated using the PBE. The Monkhorst–Pack special K-point sampling method is used in the calculations. The cutoff energy for the plane wave expansion is 400 eV, and the K-point grid is assumed to be 5 × 5 × 1. Following geometric optimization, the iterative precision converges to a value of less than 0.03 eV/Å for all atomic forces and at least 1 × 10−5 eV/atom for the total energy of each atom. The vacuum layer's thickness was selected at 20 Å to mitigate the impact of the interlayer contact force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In this study, the effects of different shear deformations on the structural stability, electronic structure, and optical properties of a Mg atom adsorption system of S vacancy defect SnS2 are systematically investigated based on density functional theory. It is shown that the presence of an S-vacancy defect makes the band gap of the SnS2 system significantly smaller than that of the perfect SnS2 system, and the SnS2 system is changed from a direct band gap semiconductor to an indirect band gap semiconductor. The optimal adsorption position of a Mg atom on the S-vacancy SnS2 system is above the S atom where the adsorption energy is the largest and the system is the most stable. The density of states of the adsorption system is predominantly contributed by the S-3p and Sn-5 s orbital electrons. The imposition of shear deformation leads to the introduction of certain impurity energy levels in the adsorption system, and the forbidden bandwidth near the Fermi energy level decreases. As compared to the intrinsic SnS2, the absorption and reflection peaks of adsorption systems under different shear deformation are red-shifted and appear in the ultraviolet region. This improves the utilization of the adsorption system for ultraviolet light to a great extent. Methods: The model calculations in this paper are performed using the CASTEP module of the Material Studio (MS) software based on the first principles of Density Functional Theory (DFT) (Wei et al. in Physica B 545:99–106, 2018) for plane wave artifacts. Geometrical optimization and computational procedures are used to calculate the exchange–correlation energy using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) generalized function (Perdew et al. in Phys Rev B Condens Matter 48:4978, 1993) of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The Monkhorst–Pack method (Monkhorst and Pack in Phys Rev B 13:5188–5192, 1976) was used to rationalize the sampling of the highly symmetric k-points in the Brillouin zone. The grid of k-points is set to be 6 × 6 × 1. The plane-wave truncation energy is set to be 400 eV. The energy convergence criterion is 1.0 × 10−5 eV. The residual stress of all atoms is 0.01 eV/Å. A vacuum layer with a thickness of 15 Å is set up in the z-direction, which ensures that the interactions of the system along the z-axis between the top and the bottom layers can be ignored during the whole simulation process. We construct a 3 × 3 × 1 SnS2 system containing 27 atoms as the computational model. The intrinsic SnS2 contains 9 Sn atoms and 18 S atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical studies on CdS/BiOI heterojunctions are lacking; therefore, this paper studies their electronic structure and optical properties through density functional theory calculations. First-principles calculations were made to investigate the effect of introducing oxygen vacancy defects on the photocatalytic efficiency of CdS/BiOI. The band gap of CdS/BiOI was effectively narrowed compared to that of its constituent materials, resulting in a redshift of the absorption edge. Based on the obtained work functions, the difference in Fermi energy levels caused a spontaneous flow of electrons, resulting in band bending and the establishment of a local electric field. The electric field promoted the separation of electron–hole pairs. At the same time, the addition of oxygen vacancies created impurity levels, allowing light absorption to extend to the infrared region, further promoting carrier separation. Our study reveals the origin of the enhanced efficiency of CdS/BiOI heterostructures and also predicts the photocatalytic activity of CdS/BiOI heterojunctions after introducing oxygen vacancies. These results may facilitate the design of such structures with enhanced photocatalytic properties. • The electronic structure and optical properties of CdS/BiOI heterojunction are studied by using density functional theory, and the effect of introducing oxygen vacancy defects into the structure is predicted theoretically. • According to the band structure, density of state, 3D/2D charge density difference and work function calculated by the first principle, the electron transfer from BiOI to CdS can be analyzed, and the trend is enhanced after the introduction of oxygen vacancy defect. • The calculation of optical properties shows that the formation of heterojunction and the introduction of oxygen vacancy defects promote the enhancement of optical absorption intensity. • This paper supplements the theoretical calculation of vacancy in CdS/BiOI heterojunction. And defects are introduced into the heterostructure to enhance the catalytic performance of such materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, the Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE06) hybrid functional is employed to explore the structural, electronic, and optical properties of M 2 Si 5 N 8 :Eu2+ phosphors (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) on the ground–state and excited–state levels. From the detailed study of electronic structures of pure M 2 Si 5 N 8 , the top of the valence band is predominantly of N p character and the calculated band gaps are consistent with the reported experimental values. By Eu doping, the occupied 4f band is located directly in the band gap and results in the optical transition of the 4f–5d character. In order to confirm the location of the Eu 5d band below the conduction band, the excited–state calculation was executed. Using the position of the lowest excited–state 5d band below the conduction band, the calculated 4f–5d energy gaps agrees well with the experimental data. The excited–state calculation confirms that the Eu2+ d–f emission will be predominant in these phosphors. Furthermore, in order to understand and explain the excitation and emission observations, the energy level scheme was constructed from the calculated electronic structures. The findings in this article could well suggest a new Mg 2 Si 5 N 8 :Eu2+ phosphor with a stable Eu2+ d–f emission and can also be applied to select another rare-earth dopant. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • First principles calculations of M 2 Si 5 N 8 :Eu2+ phosphors (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) are performed. • The structural, electronic, and optical properties are investigated. • The energy level scheme is constructed from the calculated electronic structures. • New Mg 2 Si 5 N 8 :Eu2+ phosphor with a stable Eu2+ d–f emission is predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of K 2 CuBiX 6 (X ​= ​Br, Cl) are studied by the first principle calculation in this paper. Their structural and thermodynamic stabilities are guaranteed by the formation energy, binding energy and Born-Huang criterion. The results of elastic constants show that the two materials are ductile and can be applied in foldable optoelectronic devices. Besides, The calculated bandgap values are 1.03 ​eV and 1.44 ​eV for K 2 CuBiBr 6 and K 2 CuBiCl 6 , respectively, which is just in the ideal energy gap range of semiconductors. K 2 CuBiX 6 has very small effective mass advantageous to carrier transport. In addition, the optical properties analysis shows that K 2 CuBiX 6 has excellent light absorption properties in ultraviolet–visible wavelength. Due to their suitable bandgaps and good light absorption, K 2 CuBiX 6 has a promising application in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. In this study, the perovskites K 2 CuBiX 6 (X ​= ​Br, Cl) are proposed as functional materials in solar cells. [Display omitted] • The K 2 CuBiX 6 (X ​= ​Br, Cl) are very suitable for photosensitive materials of solar cells. • The K 2 CuBiX 6 can be a potential candidate for excellent light absorbing material. • The K 2 CuBiX 6 is the structural and thermodynamic stabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrite is a mineral often associated with coal in coal seams and is a major source of sulfur in coal. Coal–pyrite is widely distributed, easily available, low-cost, and non-toxic, and has high light absorption coefficient. So, it shows potential for various applications. In this paper, the density-functional theory (DFT + U) is used to construct coal–pyrite with carbon doped in the sulfur and iron vacancies of pyrite. The effects of different carbon defects, different carbon doping concentrations, and different doping distributions in the same concentration on the electronic structure and optical properties of coal–pyrite were studied. The results show that the absorption coefficient and reflectivity of coal–pyrite, when its carbon atom substitutes the iron and sulfur atoms in the sulfur and iron vacancies, are significantly higher than those of the perfect pyrite, indicating that coal–pyrite has potential for application in the field of photovoltaic materials. When carbon is doped in the sulfur vacancy, this impurity state reduces the width of the forbidden band; with the increase in the doping concentration, the width of the forbidden band decreases and the visible-light absorption coefficient increases. The distribution of carbon impurities impacts the band gap but has almost no effect on the light absorption coefficient, complex dielectric function, and reflectivity, indicating that the application of coal–pyrite to photovoltaic materials should mainly consider the carbon doping concentration instead of the distribution of carbon impurities. The research results provide a theoretical reference for the application of coal–pyrite in the field of photoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]