We performed a first principles investigation on the structural and electronic properties of group-IV (C, SiC, Si, Ge, and Sn) graphene-like sheets in flat and buckled configurations and the respective hydrogenated or fluorinated graphane-like ones. The analysis on the energetics, associated with the formation of those structures, showed that fluorinated graphane-like sheets are very stable, and should be easily synthesized in laboratory. We also studied the changes on the properties of the graphene-like sheets, as result of hydrogenation or fluorination. The interatomic distances in those graphane-like sheets are consistent with the respective crystalline ones, a property that may facilitate integration of those sheets within three-dimensional nanodevices.

Structural, electronic, and optical properties for the cubic, tetragonal, and monoclinic crystalline phases of ZrO 2 , as derived from ab initio full-relativistic calculations, are presented. The electronic structure calculations were carried out by means of the all-electron full potential linear augmented plane wave method, within the framework of the density functional theory and the local density approximation. The calculated carrier effective masses are shown to be highly anisotropic. The results obtained for the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, the reflectivity, and the refraction index, show good agreement with the available experimental results. In order to obtain the static dielectric constant of ZrO 2 , we added to the electronic part, the optical phonons contribution, which leads to values of ǫ 1 (0) ≃ 29.5, 26.2, 21.9, respectively along the xx, yy, and zz directions, for the monoclinic phase, in excellent accordance with experiment. Relativistic effects, including the spin-orbit interaction, are demonstrated to be important for a better evaluation of the effective mass values, and in the detailed structure of the frequency dependent complex dielectric function.

We report first principles calculations on the electronic and structural properties of chemically functionalized adamantane molecules, either in isolated or crystalline forms. Boron and nitrogen functionalized molecules, aza-, tetra-aza-, bora-, and tetra-bora-adamantane, were found to be very stable in terms of energetics, consistent with available experimental data. Additionally, a hypothetical molecular crystal in a zincblende structure, involving the pair tetra-bora-adamantane and tetra-aza-adamantane, was investigated. This molecular crystal presented a direct and large electronic bandgap and a bulk modulus of 20 GPa. The viability of using those functionalized molecules as fundamental building blocks for nanostructure self-assembly is discussed.

The electronic band structure of cubic HfO2 is calculated using an it ab initio all-electron self--consistent linear augmented plane-wave method, within the framework of the local-density approximation and taking into account full-relativistic contributions. From the band structure, the carrier effective masses and the complex dielectric function are obtained. The \Gamma-isotropic heavy and light electron effective masses are shown to be several times heavier than the electron tunneling effective mass measured recently. The imaginary part of the complex dielectric function \epsilon_2(\omega) is in good agreement with experimental data from ultraviolet spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements in bulk yttria-stabilized HfO2 as well as with those performed in films deposited with the tetrakis diethylamido hafnium precursor for energies smaller than 9.5 eV

We performed a first principles total energy investigation on the structural, electronic, and vibrational properties of adamantane molecules, functionalized with amine and ethanamine groups. We computed the vibrational signatures of amantadine and rimantadine isomers with the functional groups bonded to different carbon sites. By comparing our results with recent infrared and Raman spectroscopic data, we discuss the possible presence of different isomers in experimental samples.