First-principles calculations of dynamical and thermodynamic properties of cuprite doped with silver (Cu2(1−x)Ag2xO)

Abstract

Cuprite (Cu2O) is a solid mineral and a compound whose simplicity of preparation, non toxic nature, low band gap and its abundance has made it a prospective candidate for the realisation of low cost photovoltaic applications. The present work successfully dopes Cuprite with Ag at different concentrations x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1, their first-principle calculations of their electronic, dynamical and thermodynamic properties have been investigated extensively within the generalised gradient approximation. Direct band gap energies at are predicted for all the studied systems. A small bowing parameter for lattice constants ba and bulk modulus bB of and 0.8747 GPa were obtained when compared to Vegard’s law. The results of phonon dispersion when x = 0 and 1 indicate stability, these agree with available theoretical and experimental results while negative frequencies observed along the Brillouin zone for the doped systems when x = 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 imply that they are dynamically unstable. The thermodynamic properties between 0 to 800 K were determined using the calculated phonon density of states within the harmonic approximation and the values of the specific heat capacity at constant volume at ambient temperature and the temperature at which lattice vibrations and thermal motion of electrons contribute to the constant volume specific heat capacity are presented for all the systems.