Crystal structure and vibrational spectra of AlVO4. A DFT study.

We present periodic density functional calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (Perdew-Wang 91) on structure and vibrational properties of bulk AlVO(4). The optimized structure agrees well with crystallographic data obtained by Rietveld refinement (the mean absolute deviation of bond distances is 0.032 A), but the deviations are larger for the lighter oxygen atoms than for the heavier Al and V atoms. All observed bands in the Raman and IR spectrum have been assigned to calculated harmonic frequencies. Bands in the 1020-900 cm(-1) region have been assigned to V-O((2)) stretches in V-O((2))-Al bonds. The individual bands do not arise from vibrations of only one bond, not even from vibrations of several bonds of one VO(4) tetrahedron. The results confirm that vibrations around 940 cm(-1) observed for vanadia particles supported on thin alumina film are V-O-Al interface modes with 2-fold coordinated oxygen atoms in the V-O((2))-Al interface bonds.