The semiconductor ZnO has gained substantial interest in the research community in part because of its large exciton binding energy (60meV) which could lead to lasing action based on exciton recombination even above room temperature. Even though research focusing on ZnO goes back many decades, the renewed interest is fueled by availability of high-quality substrates and reports of p-type conduction and ferromagnetic behavior when doped with transitions metals, both of which remain controversial. It is this renewed interest in ZnO which forms the basis of this review. As mentioned already, ZnO is not new to the semiconductor field, with studies of its lattice parameter dating back to 1935 by Bunn [Proc. Phys. Soc. London 47, 836 (1935)], studies of its vibrational properties with Raman scattering in 1966 by Damen et al. [Phys. Rev. 142, 570 (1966)], detailed optical studies in 1954 by Mollwo [Z. Angew. Phys. 6, 257 (1954)], and its growth by chemical-vapor transport in 1970 by Galli and Coker [Appl. Phys. ...

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A comprehensive review of zno materials and devices

Titanium dioxide, TiO2, is an important photocatalytic material that exists as two main polymorphs, anatase and rutile. The presence of either or both of these phases impacts on the photocatalytic performance of the material. The present work reviews the anatase to rutile phase transformation. The synthesis and properties of anatase and rutile are examined, followed by a discussion of the thermodynamics of the phase transformation and the factors affecting its observation. A comprehensive analysis of the reported effects of dopants on the anatase to rutile phase transformation and the mechanisms by which these effects are brought about is presented in this review, yielding a plot of the cationic radius versus the valence characterised by a distinct boundary between inhibitors and promoters of the phase transformation. Further, the likely effects of dopant elements, including those for which experimental data are unavailable, on the phase transformation are deduced and presented on the basis of this analysis.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10853-010-5113-0.pdf

Review of the anatase to rutile phase transformation

The General Utility Lattice Program (GULP) has been extended to include the ability to simulate polymers and surfaces, as well as adding many other new features, and the current status of the program is fully documented. Both the background theory is described, as well as providing a concise review of some of the previous applications in order to demonstrate the range of its use. Examples are presented of work performed using the new compatibilities of the software, including the calculation of Born effective charges, mechanical properties as a function of applied pressure, calculation of frequency-dependent dielectric data, surface reconstructions of calcite and the performance of a linear-scaling algorithm for bond-order potentials.

The general utility lattice program (GULP)

Recent developments in density functional theory (DFT) methods applicable to studies of large periodic systems are outlined. During the past three decades, DFT has become an essential part of computational materials science, addressing problems in materials design and processing. The theory allows us to interpret experimental data and to generate property data (such as binding energies of molecules on surfaces) for known materials, and also serves as an aid in the search for and design of novel materials and processes. A number of algorithmic implementations are currently being used, including ultrasoft pseudopotentials, efficient iterative schemes for solving the one-electron DFT equations, and computationally efficient codes for massively parallel computers. The first part of this article provides an overview of plane-wave pseudopotential DFT methods. Their capabilities are subsequently illustrated by examples including the prediction of crystal structures, the study of the compressibility of minerals, and applications to pressure-induced phase transitions. Future theoretical and computational developments are expected to lead to improved accuracy and to treatment of larger systems with a higher computational efficiency. c 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 77: 895-910, 2000

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Electronic structure, properties, and phase stability of inorganic crystals: A pseudopotential plane-wave study

GIBBS: isothermal-isobaric thermodynamics of solids from energy curves using a quasi-harmonic Debye model

We have recently developed a non-empirical Debye-like model for the inclusion of thermal effects in the equation of state (EOS) of solids. This model allows the calculation of many thermodynamical properties from the E-V relationship. We report the results of a theoretical investigation that explores the EOS of two ionic solids: MgF2 and Al2O3. The interionic interactions are modelized using either the ab initio Perturbed Ion (aiPI) method or the electron gas formalism along with aiPI electronic wavefunctions, which are allowed to relax with crystal strains. Our EOS results are in overall good agreement with experimental data. Other thermodynamic properties behave in the same way, although Gruneisen constant and related quantities have significant errors. This may be caused by numerical inaccuracies on the high order derivatives needed for its calculation.

Thermodynamical properties of solids from microscopic theory : applications to mgf2 and al2o3

We present a detailed investigation of observable properties associated with the relative stability of the rocksalt ( B1) and cesium chloride (B2) phases in the AX (A5Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; X5F, Cl, Br, I! crystal family. Thermodynamic B1!B2 transition pressures and DY 5Y (B2)2Y (B1) differences in total energies, volumes, and bulk moduli at zero and transition pressures are computed following a localized Hartree-Fock method. The arrangement of the data in clear trends is shown to be mainly dominated by the cation atomic number. This behavior is well interpreted in terms of a variety of microscopic arguments that emerge from ~i! the evaluation of the energy Hessian at the B1 and B2 points and ~ii! the decomposition of the energy and pressure in anionic and cationic classical and quantum-mechanical contributions.

First-principles study of the rocksalt–cesium chloride relative phase stability in alkali halides

The structural and thermodynamic properties of MgF2 have been investigated in a wide range of pressures (0−80 GPa) and temperatures (0−850 K) by coupling quantum-mechanical ab initio perturbed ion ...

Quantum-Mechanical Study of Thermodynamic and Bonding Properties of MgF2

The equation of state of anatase ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ has been determined experimentally---using polycrystalline as well as single-crystal material---and compared with theoretical calculations using the ab initio perturbed ion model. The results are highly consistent, the zero-pressure bulk modulus being 179(2) GPa from experiment and 189 GPa from theory. Single-crystal tetragonal anatase transforms to the orthorhombic $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{PbO}}_{2}$ structure at about 4.5 GPa. This transition is suppressed in the polycrystalline material at room temperature, probably due to the presence of grain boundaries and other crystal defects. Polycrystalline anatase is found to transform to the monoclinic baddeleyite structure at about 13 GPa. Upon decompression, the baddeleyite phase transforms to the $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{PbO}}_{2}$ phase at about 7 GPa. The experimental zero-pressure bulk moduli are 258(8) GPa for the $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}{\mathrm{PbO}}_{2}$ phase and 290(10) GPa for the baddeleyite phase.

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High-pressure polymorphs of anatase TiO 2

An application of the atoms in molecules theory to the partitioning of static thermodynamic properties in condensed systems is presented. Attention is focused on the definition and the behavior of atomic compressibilities. Inverses of bulk moduli are found to be simple weighted averages of atomic compressibilities. Two kinds of systems are investigated as examples: four related oxide spinels and the alkali halide family. Our analyses show that the puzzling constancy of the bulk moduli of these spinels is a consequence of the value of the compressibility of an oxide ion. A functional dependence between ionic bulk moduli and ionic volume is also proposed.

J. M. Recio

Papers

Thermodynamical properties of solids from microscopic theory : applications to mgf2 and al2o3

First-principles study of the rocksalt–cesium chloride relative phase stability in alkali halides

Quantum-Mechanical Study of Thermodynamic and Bonding Properties of MgF2

High-pressure polymorphs of anatase TiO 2

Local compressibilities in crystals