Ab initio prediction of the electronic, magnetic and topological properties of Ln2O3 clusters

The structural, electronic and magnetic properties of the lanthanide oxide Ln2O3 clusters, where Ln signifies lanthanides from La to Lu, have been calculated using spin-polarized density functional theory with the B3LYP hybrid functional. The intensities of ferromagnetic RKKY interaction are found comparable with that of antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction in Ce2O3 / Pr2O3 / Nd2O3 / Gd2O3 / Tb2O3 / Tm2O3 clusters, while the other Ln2O3 clusters prefer ferromagnetic states to antiferromagnetic states in energy, except nonmagnetic La2O3 and Lu2O3 clusters. The theoretical spin magnetic moments, calculated three-dimensional spin density maps and dipole moments of Ln2O3 clusters suggest that the induced polarizations of oxygen atoms in Sm2O3, Eu2O3 and Yb2O3 clusters remarkably lead to the elongated Ln–O bond lengths in these clusters. The partial density of states of Ln2O3 clusters reveals that Sm3+ /Eu3+ /Yb3+ ions are distinctive from other Ln3+ ions in that their Ln-4f electrons are strongly hybrid with O-2 p electrons. The topological analysis of the electron density was also performed with quantum theory of atoms in molecules, which indicates the ionic Ln–O bonds have partial covalent characteristics.