Delocalized and localized states of eg electrons in half-doped manganites.

We have studied the magnetic behaviour of half-doped manganite Y0.5Ca0.5MnO3 in an extended range of temperatures by means of magnetic susceptibility, χ(T), and electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments. At high temperature the system crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure. The resistivity value, ρ ≃ 0.05 Ω cm at 500 K, indicates a metallic behaviour, while the Curie-Weiss dependence of χ(T) and the thermal evolution of the ESR parameters are very well described by a model that considers a system conformed by localized Mn(4+) cores, [Formula: see text], and itinerant, eg, electrons. The strong coupling between t2g and eg electrons results in an enhanced Curie constant and an FM Curie-Weiss temperature that overcomes the AFM interactions between the [Formula: see text] cores. A transition to a more distorted phase is observed at T ≈ 500 K and signatures of localization of the eg electrons appear in the χ(T) behaviour below 300 K. A new Curie-Weiss regime is observed, where the Curie-constant value is consistent with dimer formation. Based on mean-field calculations, the dimer formation is predicted as a function of the interaction strength between the t2g and eg electrons.

Phase coexistence in manganites: doping and structural dependence.

We present a study on the phase coexistence (PC) of paramagnetic insulating (PM-I) and ferromagnetic metallic (FM-M) phases in the La(1- y)(Ca(1-x)Sr(x))(y)MnO(3) system with 0.23 ≤ y ≤ 0.45. The study was performed by means of magnetization and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. At high temperatures the ESR spectrum consists of a single symmetric PM line. At T(C), a FM asymmetric line is observed shifted to low fields. In a ΔT temperature range both lines are visible, defining a range of PC. For x = 0, we obtained ΔT as a function of the carrier concentration y, finding that the largest ΔT corresponds to y = 0.25. For this y value, the extreme compounds are orthorhombic and rhombohedral for x = 0 and 1, respectively. The rhombohedral to orthorhombic temperature transition (T(RO)) was determined as a function of x. We found that [Formula: see text] only if T(C) < T(RO). The PM-I/FM-M phase coexistence was only observed in the orthorhombic phase while seems to be incompatible with the more symmetric rhombohedral phase.

A quantum mechanical study of TiCl3 alpha, beta and gamma crystal phases: geometry, electronic structure and magnetism.

The electronic structure of different magnetic states of alpha, beta and gamma modifications of TiCl(3) has been computed employing the density functional theory with periodic boundary conditions and localized Gaussian basis sets. The analysis of the density of the electronic states (DOS) and of the spin density makes it possible to classify these halides as Mott-Hubbard insulators, where the band gap appears a result of large on-site Coulomb interaction. For each crystalline phase, the relative stability of different magnetic states has been analyzed in terms of exchange mechanisms. The electronic population data along with the spin density maps support the assumption of a d(1) Titanium ion in a distorted octahedral crystal field, notwithstanding the not fully ionic character of TiCl(3) modifications. Dispersion forces are particularly important for this material: a classical correction (of the type f(R)/R(6)) has been added to the DFT energies and gradients, providing a good agreement with structural data.

Direct role of surface oxygen vacancies in visible light emission of tin dioxide nanowires.

Tin dioxide (SnO(2)) nanowires exhibit a strong visible photoluminescence that is not observed in bulk crystalline SnO(2). To explain such effect, oxygen vacancies are often invoked without clarifying if they represent the direct origin of luminescence or if their presence triggers other radiative processes. Here we report an investigation of the nature of the visible light emission in SnO(2) nanowires, showing that both experimental and theoretical ab initio analyses support the first hypothesis. On the basis of photoluminescence quenching analysis and of first-principles calculations we show that surface bridging oxygen vacancies in SnO(2) lead to formation of occupied and empty surface bands whose transition energies are in strong agreement with luminescence features and whose luminescence activity can be switched off by surface adsorption of oxidizing molecules. Finally, we discuss how such findings may explain the decoupling between "electrical-active" and "optical-active" states in SnO(2) gas nanosensors [G. Faglia et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 011923 (2005)].

Time dependent density functional investigation of the near-edge absorption spectra of V2O5.

We have performed Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) calculations employing a cluster model of the core excitation spectra of vanadium pentoxide, V(2)O(5). The excitation energies and dipole transition moments are determined for all the core edges, vanadium and oxygen K- and vanadium L-edges, treating them at the same level of accuracy. The agreement between the TDDFT theoretical spectra and the experimental data is rather good, particularly at the V and O K-edges. A quantitative reproduction of the fine pre-edge structures appears more difficult for the V L-edge. The comparison between the TDDFT results and the results obtained at the simpler one electron Kohn-Sham (KS) level indicates that the V and O K edges can be correctly described within a single particle approximation (KS), while the strong modification of the V L-edge structures from the KS to the TDDFT description emphasizes the importance of configuration mixing to treat the metal 2p excitations. The origin of the calculated pre-edge features is analyzed in detail with the help of the atom-projected density-of-states of the unoccupied levels. This analysis emphasizes the V 3d dominant character of the final states in the conduction band, probed by the V L-absorption. The strong octahedral distortion of the V(2)O(5) structure allows the mixing of the 3d state with the V 4p components, which are mapped by the oscillator strength in the V K-edge spectrum. The high intensity of the O 1s transitions reflects the presence of a significant O 2p component in the conduction band.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy of titanium oxide by time dependent density functional calculations.

The potentiality of the time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) for the description of core excitation spectra (XAS) in transition metal oxides is analyzed, considering the rutile form of TiO(2) as a test case. Cluster models are adopted to mimic the bulk, embedded within an array of point charges to simulate the Madelung potential. All of the edges, titanium and oxygen K and titanium L edges, are considered, and the TDDFT results are compared with the experimental data in order to assess the performance of the theoretical approach in dealing with this complex class of compounds. Satisfactory results have been obtained for the Ti and O K edges, while in the case of the Ti L edge some discrepancies with the experiment are still present. The configuration mixing explicitly included in the TDDFT model strongly influences the distribution of the 2p metal oscillator strength. The origin of the spectral features is investigated with the help of the partial density of the virtual states (PDOS) calculated for each core hole considered, which can be qualitatively compared with the theoretical spectra calculated in the Kohn-Sham one-electron approach.