Electronic and optical properties of layered RE2Ti2O7 (RE = Ce and Pr) from first principles

We have studied the structural and electronic properties of Ce2Ti2O7 (CeTO) and Pr2Ti2O7 (PrTO) by first-principles density functional theory calculations. The computed structural parameters are in fairly good agreement with the available experimental findings. Band structure calculations using the GGA+U approach predict an insulating ground state for the herein studied compounds. The insulating band gaps of 2.00 eV and 2.83 eV are found for CeTO and PrTO, respectively. The analysis of the density of states reveals that the strongly localized RE 4f levels act as charge-trapping sites, predicting a lower photocatalytic activity for CeTO. We have also calculated the optical properties for both CeTO and PrTO. Based on these properties, it is predicted that these titanates are insensitive to ultra-violet radiation, while they are more sensitive to frequencies of the radiation in visible and early UV regions.