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Ab initio techniques have been used to investigate structural changes in semiconducting Mg2Si and Ca2Si thin films (from 17 nm down to 0.2 nm corresponding to the 2D structure) along with band-gap variations due to quantum confinement. Cubic Mg2Si(111) thin films being dynamically stable at thicknesses (d) larger than 0.3 nm displayed an indirect band gap, the reduction of which with increasing d could be reasonably well described by the simple effective mass approximation. Only 2D Mg2Si has a unique structure because of the orthorhombic distortion and the direct band gap. Since the surface energy of cubic Ca2Si(111) films was lower with respect to any surface of the orthorhombic phase, which is the ground state for the Ca2Si bulk, the metastable in-bulk cubic phase in the form of thin films turned out to be preferable in total energy than any orthorhombic Ca2Si thin film for d < 3 nm. Sizable structural distortion and the appearance of surface states in the gap region of Ca2Si thin films with d < 3 nm could be the reason for an odd dependence of the band-gap variation on d., QC 20230911

W18O49 has been studied by means of ab initio techniques in the framework of the density functional theory using the onsite Hubbard-U correction applied to the W-d states as well as using the hybrid potential. The existence of bipolarons is found to be an intrinsic feature of this oxide resulting in the presence of different oxidation states of W atoms (W6+ and W5+) and in the co-existence of localized and delocalized electrons. We also discuss possible switching from the W6+ to W5+ and from the W5+ to W4+ oxidation states in the presence of an O vacancy. It appears that O vacancy formation does not cause any additional charge localization at W sites but solely contributes to delocalized electrons. The calculated absorption and reflection coefficients manifest a transparency window in the visible region. At the same time, sizable absorption, occurring due to the presence of free carriers, is detected in the far and mid infrared regions. Additionally, in the near infrared region we confirm and explain an experimentally observed shielding effect originating from transitions involving the localized bipolaronic states.

By means of ab-initio techniques we have investigated changes in the structure and electronic properties of alkaline-earth metal silicide (Ca2Si, Mg2Si and MgCaSi) nanotubes caused by the curvature-induced effects. It is revealed that the curvature-induced effects can: 1) stabilize Mg2Si nanotubes in a phase, which is metastable for the parent 2D Mg2Si; 2) lead to an energy gain as a result of 2D to nanotube structural transformation in the case of ternary MgCaSi nanotubes; 3) modify the band dispersion and band gaps for nanotubes with the diameters less than 30 angstrom. In addition, Mg2Si and MgCaSi nanotubes are found to be direct band-gap (0.5-1.2 eV) materials with appreciable oscillator strength of the first direct transitions.

We present the results of an extended theoretical study of the structure, phonon, electronic and optical properties of 2D alkaline-earth metal silicides, germanides and stannides (2D Me2X, where Me=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and X=Si, Ge, Sn). The performed analysis has shown the occurrence of the pseudo passivation effect and ionic chemical bonding in these 2D Me2X. In addition, the preformed investigation of their phonon spectra has shown the absence of imaginary frequencies indicating the stability of these 2D structures. The band structure calculations performed using the hybrid functional have revealed that all 2D Me2X are semiconductors with the gap varying from 0.12 to 1.01 eV. Among them Mg- and Ca-based 2D materials are direct band-gap semiconductors with the first direct transition having appreciable oscillator strength. We also propose to consider ternary 2D silicides, germanides and stannides with different Me atoms as a feasible way to modify properties of parent 2D Me2X.

We present the ab initio study of different phases of Nb12O29, which has been done in the framework of density functional theory using the onsite Hubbard-U correction applied to the Nb-d states. We vary the U parameter in between 0 and 7 eV and suggest U = 3.7–5.0 eV to be most appropriate for the description of Nb12O29. We show that one cannot get any adequate description of this oxide using the crystallographic unit cell but at least 3 times larger supercell is needed increased along the shortest lattice parameter b to accommodate lattice distortions associated with polaron formation. Our results obtained for the enlarged cells show the possibility of simultaneous co-existence of localized states (polaron formation) and delocalized states providing metal-like properties of Nb12O29, in qualitative agreement with available experimental data.

By means of ab initio calculations, we have estimated stability of 2D Me2X (Me = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and X = Si, Ge, Sn) in the T and Td phases, which are similar to the ones of 2D transition metal chalcogenides, in addition to their phonon spectra. The T phase is found to be more stable for 2D Ca2X, Sr2X and Ba2X, whereas the Td phase is predicted to be the ground state for 2D Mg2X. We have also discussed that imaginary frequencies in the calculated phonon spectra of 2D Me2X, which appeared in the vicinity of the Gamma point, were not necessarily associated with the dynamic instability.

By means of ab initio calculations with hybrid functionals we show a possibility for quasi-2D silicon structures originated from semiconducting Mg2Si, Ca2Si, Sr2Si and Ba2Si silicides to exist. Such a 2D structure is similar to the one of transition metal chalcogenides where silicon atoms form a layer in between of metal atoms aligned in surface layers. These metal surface atoms act as pseudo passivation species stabilizing crystal structure and providing semiconducting properties. Considered 2D Mg2Si, Ca2Si, Sr2Si and Ba2Si have band gaps of 1.14 eV, 0.69 eV, 0.33 eV and 0.19 eV, respectively, while the former one is also characterized by a direct transition with appreciable oscillator strength. Electronic states of the surface atoms are found to suppress an influence of the quantum confinement on the band gaps. Additionally, we report Sr2Si bulk in the cubic structure to have a direct band gap of 0.85 eV as well as sizable oscillator strength of the first direct transition.

In the first part [D. B. Migas et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2014, DOI: 10.1039/C3CP54988G] by means of ab initio calculations we have analyzed and discussed anisotropy effects on electronic properties of 001 -, 100 - and 110 - oriented anatase TiO2 nanowires. In this part we present results indicating crucial changes in morphology of anatase TiO2 nanotubes originating from TiO2 nanowires by making a hole along the wire axis. The critical wall thickness has been found to exist for the nanotubes with 001 and 110 axes: at smaller thickness their shape can be rounded, squeezed, viewed as conglomerates of nanocrystals and even represented as cylindrical and `single-walled'- like structures formed without rolling up a thin titania layer into a nanotube. In general, band dispersion near the gap region of TiO2 nanotubes is close to the one of TiO2 nanowires with the same orientation. We have also revealed that optimization of the unit cell parameter along the wire axis and consideration of quantum confinement and surface state effects are important to provide an interpretation of band-gap variation with respect to wall thickness in TiO2 nanotubes., QC 20140519

By means of ab initio calculations we have revealed the existence of sizable anisotropy in electronic properties of anatase TiO2 nanowires with respect to orientation: nanowires with 001 , 100 and 110 axes are found to be direct band-gap, indirect band-gap and degenerate semiconductor materials, respectively. The degenerate semiconducting properties of 110 oriented TiO2 nanowires are predicted to be the intrinsic features closely connected with stoichiometry. A band-gap variation with nanowire diameter is also shown to display rather complex behavior characterized by a competition between quantum confinement and surface state effects that is fully compatible with the available contradictory experimental data. Finally, we propose a model to explain the band-gap variation with size in TiO2 nanowires, nanocrystals and thin films., QC 20140613