AbstractWe overall evaluated the enthalpies of formation and the formation energies of neutral vacancies in ANbO3 (A = Li, Na, K) using a plane-wave pseudopotential method within a density functional formalism. The LiNbO3 phase with the LiNbO3-type structure was confirmed to have lower enthalpy of formation than that with perovskite- or ilmenite-type structure. The NaNbO3 (R3c) and KNbO3 (Bmm2 and R3m) phases with the lowest symmetry were found to have the lowest enthalpy of formation. The formation energy of a A vacancy was found to be the lowest under an oxidizing atmosphere and that of an O vacancy was found to be the lowest under a reducing atmosphere. The formation energy of a Nb vacancy was the highest under both oxygen-rich and -poor conditions. These results are in agreement with the empirical rule that B site defects in perovskite-type oxide do not exist.
