The Effect of High Pressure on the Energy Gap in Photocatalytic Semiconductors

In this study, we examine the high-pressure energy bandgap of several photocatalyst semiconductors (ZnO, MgO, CdO, WO3, CaO, SnO2, In2O3, ZrO2, ZnS, and TiO2) by applying the Angilella equation. This equation helps analyze the change in energy gap with pressure, relative to the variation in lattice constant. The Murnaghan equation of state (EOS) was used to calculate the pressure. The validity of the Angillela equation is confirmed only for cubic ZnO, wurtzite MgO, and rock salt CdO, but for other semiconductors(WO3, CaO, SnO2, In2O3, ZrO2, ZnS, and TiO2), it is found that the Angillela equation is not valid precisely. Our results indicate that the energy gap of these photocatalyst semiconductors behaves similarly to that of other semiconductors under high pressure, with an increase in energy gap as pressure rises. Additionally, our results reveal that the lattice constant decreases as pressure is applied for all photacatalyst semiconductors used in this work.