Analysis of the electrical and optical properties of VBO3 single crystals and Fe1−xVxBO3 solid solutions on the basis of a many-electron model of energy band structure

A many-electron model of the energy band structure of VBO3 and of Fe1−xVxBO3 solid solutions is proposed with strong electron correlations taken into account. Experimental optical absorption spectra and data on the resistivity are discussed in the framework of the suggested model. Variation in the magnetic and electronic properties of VBO3 and Fe1−xVxBO3 under high pressure is predicted. For VBO3, a Mott-Hubbard (insulator-metal) transition is expected in the high-pressure phase. In Fe1−xVxBO3 solid solutions, a nontrivial variation in the properties is predicted, leading to the appearance of a different magnetic state.