Exploring the electronic structure of Pb2+ ions containing material Pb16(OH)16(NO3)16

A theoretical band structure calculation for lead nitrate hydroxide Pb16(OH)16(NO3)16 single crystal was performed based on the experimental crystallographic data obtained by Chang et al. Calculations exhibit that the conduction band minimum (CBM) is situated at Γ the center of the Brillouin zone (BZ) while the valence band maximum (VBM) is located between Γ and Y points of the BZ, resulting in an indirect energy band gap of about 3.70 eV in close agreement to the measured one (3.78 eV). The angular momentum resolved projected density of states reveals the existence of the strong hybridization between the orbitals and the VBM is originated from Pb-6s/6p and O-2p orbitals while the CBM from N-2p and Pb-6p orbitals. The calculated valence electronic charge density distribution explore the bond characters and the dominancy of the covalent bonding between Pb-O of PbOn ployhedra and N-O of [NO3]− triangle. The calculated bond lengths and angles show good agreement with the experimental data.