Electronic, Optical, Thermoelectric and Elastic Properties of Rb_xCs_1-xPbBr₃ Perovskite

Inorganic halide perovskites of the type AMX₃, where A is an inorganic cation, M is a metal cation, and X is a halide anion, have attracted attention for optoelectronics applications due to their better optical and electronic properties, and stability, under a moist and elevated temperature environment. In this contribution, the electronic, optical, thermoelectric, and elastic properties of cesium lead bromide, CsPbBr₃, and Rb-doped CsPbBr₃, were evaluated using the density functional theory (DFT). The generalized gradient approximation (GGA) in the scheme of Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) was employed for the exchange-correlation potential. The calculated value of the lattice parameter is in agreement with the available experimental and theoretical results. According to the electronic property results, as the doping content increases, so does the energy bandgap, which decreases after doping 0.75. These compounds undergo a direct band gap and present an energies gap values of about 1.70 eV (x = 0), 3.76 eV (x = 0.75), and 1.71 eV (x = 1). The optical properties, such as the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, the absorption coefficient, optical conductivity, refractive index, and extinction coefficient, were studied. The thermoelectric results show that after raising the temperature to 800 K, the thermal and electrical conductivities of the compound RbxCs_1-xPbBr₃ increases (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50 and 1). Rb_0.75Cs_0.25PbBr₃ (x = 0.75), which has a large band gap, can work well for applications in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, such as UV detectors, are potential candidates for solar cells; whereas, CsPbBr₃ (x = 0) and RbPbBr₃ (x = 1), have a narrow and direct band gap and outstanding absorption power in the visible ultraviolet energy range.