Electronic, optical properties, surface energies and work functions of Ag8SnS6: First-principles method**Project supported by the Science and Technology Development Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 2012A0302015 and 2012B0302050).

Abstract

Ternary metal chalcogenide semiconductor Ag8SnS6, which is an efficient photocatalyst under visible light radiation, is studied by plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory. After geometry optimization, the electronic and optical properties are studied. A scissor operator value of 0.81 eV is introduced to overcome the underestimation of the calculation band gaps. The contribution of different bands is analyzed by virtue of total and partial density of states. Furthermore, in order to understand the optical properties of Ag8SnS6, the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, and refractive index are also performed in the energy range from 0 to 11 eV. The absorption spectrum indicates that Ag8SnS6 has a good absorbency in visible light area. Surface energies and work functions of , , , and (112) orientations have been calculated. These results reveal the reason for an outstanding photocatalytic activity of Ag8SnS6.