Pressure-induced structural, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of lead-free GaGeX 3 (X = Cl, Br and, I) perovskites: First-principles calculation.

Researchers are now focusing on inorganic halide-based cubic metal perovskites that are not toxic as they strive to commercialize optoelectronic products and solar cells derived from perovskites. This study explores the properties of new lead-free compounds, specifically GaGeX ₃ (where X = Cl, Br, and I), by executing first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) to analyze their optical, electronic, mechanical, and structural characteristics under pressure. Assessing the reliability of all compounds is done meticulously by applying the criteria of Born stability and calculating the formation energy. As discovered through elastic investigations, these materials showed anisotropic behavior, flexibility, and excellent elastic stability. The electronic band structures, calculated using both HSE06 and GGA-PBE functionals at 0 GPa, reveal fascinating behavior. However, computed band structures with non-zero pressures using GGA-PBE. Here, the conduction band moved to the lower energy when the halide Cl was changed with Br or I. In addition, the application of hydrostatic pressure can lead to tunable band gap properties in all compounds such as from 0.779 eV to 0 eV for GaGeCl ₃ , from 0.462 eV to 0 eV for GaGeBr ₃ and from 0.330 eV to 0 eV for GaGeI ₃ , resulting transformation from semiconductor to metallic. Understanding the origins of bandgap changes can be illuminated by examining the partial and total density of states (PDOS & TDOS). When subjected to pressure, all the studied compounds showed an impactful increase in absorption coefficients and displayed exceptional optical conductivity in both the visible and UV zones. Yet, GaGeCl ₃ is a more effective UV absorber because it absorbs light more strongly in the UV area. Moreover, GaGeI ₃ stands out among the compounds examined due to its impressive visible absorption and optical conductivity, which remain consistent under varying pressure conditions. Besides, GaGeI ₃ exhibits higher reflectivity when subjected to pressure making them suitable for UV shielding applications. At last, these metal cubic halide perovskites without lead present promising opportunities for advancing optoelectronic technologies. With their tunable properties and favorable optical characteristics, these materials are highly sought after for their potential in solar cells, multi-junctional solar cells, and different optoelectronic functions.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(© 2024 The Authors.)