Modeling of CeO2, Ce2O3, and CeO2-x in the LDA plus U formalism

The electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of CeO2 and Ce2O3 have been studied from first principles by the all-electron projector-augmented-wave (PAW) method, as implemented in the ab initio total-energy and molecular-dynamics program VASP (Vienna ab initio simulation package). The local density approximation (LDA)+U formalism has been used to account for the strong on-site Coulomb repulsion among the localized Ce 4f electrons. We discuss how the properties of CeO2 and Ce2O3 are affected by the choice of U as well as the choice of exchange-correlation potential, i.e., the local density approximation or the generalized gradient approximation. Further, reduction of CeO2, leading to formation of Ce2O3 and CeO2-x, and its dependence on U and exchange-correlation potential have been studied in detail. Our results show that by choosing an appropriate U it is possible to consistently describe structural, thermodynamic, and electronic properties of CeO2, Ce2O3, and CeO2-x, which enables modeling of redox processes involving ceria-based materials.