First-principles Investigation of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$: A Multifunctional Heteroanionic Oxychalcogenide for Photocatalytic and Thermoelectric Applications

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to explore CaV$_2$TeO$_8$, revealing its potential as a multifunctional material for photocatalytic and thermoelectric energy applications due to its stability, electronic properties, and high carrier mobility.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive first-principles analysis of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$, highlighting its stability, electronic structure, charge transport, and thermoelectric properties for energy harvesting.

Findings

CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ is mechanically stable with high elastic modulus.

It exhibits a wide bandgap indicating semiconducting nature.

High carrier mobility and thermoelectric figure of merit suggest potential for energy applications.

Abstract

The development of industrial growth raises global energy demand. Novel materials with promising unorthodox features satiate and demand for sustainable, non-toxic, and cost-effective energy. A first-principles investigation were carried out to ground state and transport properties of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ towards energy harvesting and photocatalytic applications was carried out. In groundstate the CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ showed good mechanically stable with a volume of (1138.235 \text{\AA}^3) and a high elastic modulus of (215.73 GPa). Further, the electronic properties of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$, PBE-GGA exchange-correlation was utilized, demonstrates direct and indirect transitions with a wide bandgap of 2.7 and 2.8 eV, indicating its semiconducting nature. Photoinduced charge carriers were investigated through Deformation Potential Theory (DPT) to estimate the mobility of charge carriers, excitonic radius, and effective mass. Axial anisotropic strain in band degeneracy and shifts in the S-Y and Y-\Gamma transitions offer a (3.17 \text{\AA}^3) Frenkel-type strongly bound exciton with a high carrier mobility of (2409.91 \, \text{cm}^2 \, \text{V}^{-1} \, \text{s}^{-1}) electrons and (316.46 \, \text{cm}^2 \, \text{V}^{-1} \, \text{s}^{-1}) holes respectively. To estimate the feasibility of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ in photocatalysis, we examined the conduction and valence band edges under harsh pH conditions within PBE-GGA exchange-correlation functionals. The band edges of CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ show the halfway reaction for hydrogen evolution with reference to the Normal Hydrogen Electrode (NHE). Moreover, the Boltzmann equation interface was used to investigate the transport and thermoelectric properties. A high Seebeck coefficient in CaV$_2$TeO$_8$ at 300 K directs a thermoelectric figure of merit of 0.94.