First-principles calculation to investigate phase transition and associated changes in electronic, excitonic, and optical behavior of RbMgH3 perovskite polymorphs

Abstract

Motivated by recent experimental and theoretical research on the ability to store and release hydrogen from a hydride perovskite with a large ionic character called RbMgH3, we conducted a study using density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the optoelectronic behavior of RbMgH3 in both Cubic and Hexagonal structures, as well as its phase transition.Our findings reveal that RbMgH3 exhibits an indirect band gap of 2.41 eV in the Hexagonal phase and a direct band gap of 2.15 eV in the Cubic phase. Additionally, we calculated the Gibbs energy to predict the occurrence of the phase transition. It was determined that RbMgH3 undergoes a structural transformation from Cubic to Hexagonal at a pressure of 1.78 GPa. This transition has the potential to enhance the storage kinetics of hydrogen, making RbMgH3 suitable for various applications.