First-principles electronic-structure calculation on the spin distribution and the half-metallic properties of the mixed valence iron compound Ba2F2Fe1.5S3

The first principles within the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) approach were applied to study the new mixed valence compound Ba(2)F(2)Fe(1.5)S(3). The density of states, the electronic band structure and the spin magnetic moment are calculated. The calculations reveal that the compound has an antiferromagnetic interaction between the Fe(III) and Fe(II) ions arising from the bridging S atoms, which validate the experimental assumptions that there is a low-dimensional antiferromagnetic interaction in Ba(2)F(2)Fe(1.5)S(3). The spin magnetic moment mainly comes from the Fe(III) and Fe(II) ions with smaller contribution from S anion. By analysis of the band structure, we find that the compound has half-metallic property. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.