First-Principles Calculations on Pure and Ga-Doped Anatase TiO2

First-principles calculations using the plane-wave pseudo-potential (PWPP) method based on the density functional theory (DFT) is employed to study the crystal structure, band gap, density of states of anatase TiO2 doped with gadolinium (Gd). The generalized gradient approximation (GGA) based on exchange-correlation energy optimization is employed to calculate them. The calculated results demonstrate that the mixing of gadolinium dopants induces states with original titanium 3d and oxygen 2p valence band attributes to the band gap narrowing. This can enhance the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2.