First-Principles Investigation of Sr2PrSbO6 Double Perovskite: An Emerging Aspirant for Electrocatalysis, Plasmonic, Photonics, Thermoelectric and Solar Cell Applications

TL;DR

This study uses first-principles calculations to explore Sr2PrSbO6's structural, electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties, highlighting its potential for applications in electrocatalysis, optoelectronics, and thermoelectric devices.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive theoretical analysis of Sr2PrSbO6, demonstrating its stability and promising properties for various advanced technological applications.

Findings

Sr2PrSbO6 has a stable cubic perovskite structure.

It exhibits a wide direct bandgap of 3.488 eV.

The thermoelectric figure of merit ZT is 0.33 at room temperature.

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the structural properties, chemical stability, and electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of $\mathrm{Sr_2PrSbO_6}$ using first-principles calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). The goal of this study is to evaluate its potential contribution to next-generation electrocatalysts, optoelectronic devices, and thermoelectric systems. The structural optimization reveals that $\mathrm{Sr_2PrSbO_6}$ crystallizes in a stable cubic perovskite structure with space group $Fm\bar{3}m$. The calculated formation energy indicates high thermodynamic stability, confirming the viability of $\mathrm{Sr_2PrSbO_6}$ for practical applications. The electronic band structure calculations show that $\mathrm{Sr_2PrSbO_6}$ is a wide bandgap semiconductor with a direct bandgap of $3.488~\mathrm{eV}$ at the $\Gamma$-point. The calculated density of states (DOS) indicates significant contributions from O $2p$, Sb $5p$, and Pr $5d$ orbitals. Optical property calculations, including the dielectric function and absorption coefficient, reveal strong absorption in the UV regions, making $\mathrm{Sr_2PrSbO_6}$ a promising candidate for optoelectronic applications such as UV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photovoltaic-thermoelectric (PV-TE) tandem systems. At room temperature, the calculated dimensionless quantity $ZT$ is $0.33$, which indicates this material as a possible candidate for thermoelectric applications. Our results will serve as a benchmark for future experimental and theoretical research on the properties of this material.