Fundamental state quantities and high-pressure phase transition in beryllium chalcogenides.

In this work we study the structural and electronic properties of Be chalcogenides (BeS, BeSe and BeTe) using two different methods: the full-potential linear augmented-plane wave (FP-LAPW) and the plane-wave pseudopotential (PPsPW). The exchange-correlation effects are treated in the local-density approximation (LDA) and the generalized-gradient approximation (GGA). We have evaluated the ground-state quantities such as equilibrium volume, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative as well as the elastic constants. Various structural phase transitions were considered here in order to confirm the most stable structure and to predict the phase transition under hydrostatic pressure. In addition we have studied the band structure and the density of states, which show a wide indirect band gap for these compounds. These results were in favourable agreement with previous theoretical works and the existing experimental data. To complete the fundamental characteristics of beryllium chalcogenide compounds we have analysed their bonding character in terms of charge transfer and the ionicity parameter. The latter is found to be in agreement with the charge transfer behaviour, which shows an important ionic localization.