First-principles calculations to investigate structural, mechanical, electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of novel cubic double Perovskites X2AgBiBr6 (X=Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) for optoelectronic devices

Structural, elastic, electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of cubic double perovskites X2AgBiBr6 (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) were investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The DFT calculations were carried out with various exchange-correlation potentials, e.g. LDA, GGA-PBE, GGA-WC, and hybrid functionals (YS-PBE0). Structural and elastic properties of X2AgBiBr6 demonstrate that these compounds are ionically bonded, elastically stable, ductile, and anisotropic. Calculations show that the compounds are semiconductors with indirect bandgap at the (X- L) point, with bandgap values of 2.124, 2.222, 2.198, 2.209, and 1.902 eV for X2AgBiBr6 (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs), respectively. Due to their distinguishing optical characteristics and indirect wide bandgap, these compounds might be utilised as absorber layers in solar cells and other optoelectronic devices. Moreover, thermoelectric properties show that the Figure of Merit (ZT) has values of 0.713, 0.723, 0.721, 0.726, and 0.728 for X2AgBiBr6 (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs). The Figure of Merit shows a plateau in the temperature range of 500-900 K, which corresponds to the highest value of ZT. All investigated compounds have holes as the majority of charge carriers. Thermoelectric properties of X2AgBiBr6 compounds reveal that these compounds can be employed in thermoelectric devices.