PbO₂: from semi-metal to transparent conducting oxide by defect chemistry control

Abstract

Lead dioxide has been studied for over 150 years as a component of the lead-acid battery. Based on first-principles calculations, we predict that by tuning the concentration of electrons in the material, through control of the defect chemistry, PbO(2) can be rendered from black to optically transparent, thus opening up applications in the field of optoelectronics.