Inorganic electride: Theoretical study on structural and electronic properties

We report self-consistent ab initio calculations of structural and electronic properties for a kind of recently synthesized inorganic electride. The optimized geometry gives zigzag cesium chains within the sinusoidal channels of the zeolite. Among the wide energy gap of the zeolite, near the conduction bands, there are two interstitial electride bands mainly contributed by 6s electrons of Cs atoms, which have a delocalized real space distribution along the channels. For all different doping rates studied, we find that a finite density of states appears at the Fermi level, which predicts a metallic behavior of this material. Detailed electronic structure reveals all the essential properties of the electride model. The shift of Fermi level and the delocalization of the highest occupied bands cause this material to be a powerful reducing agent. Copyright © 2003 American Chemical Society.