Defect-induced photoconductivity in layered manganese oxides: A density functional theory study

Enhanced photoconductivity of layered Mn(IV)O-2 containing protonated Mn(IV) vacancy defects has been recently demonstrated, suggesting new technological possibilities for photoelectric conversion based on visible light harvesting. Using spin-polarized density functional theory, we provide the first direct evidence that such defects can indeed facilitate photoconductivity by (i) reducing the band-gap energy and (ii) separating electron and hole states. Our results thus support the proposition that nanosheet MnO2 offers an attractive new material for a variety of photoconductivity applications.