BAND PROPERTIES OF METALLIC CORUNDUM-PHASE V2O3

Band structure results for metallic corundum-Phase V2O3 feature narrow (approximately 2.7 eV) t2g conduction bands and a density-of-states p eak at E(F) such that the heat capacity to band ratio is approximately 4.4. The predominant V(3d) character of conduction electrons suggests that transport properties will be especially sensitive to cation diso rder. It is proposed that the structural and resistivity anomalies tha t occur in Cr-doped samples may arise from dopants that are interstiti al (i.e., at NiAs-type cation sites which are vacant in the corundum s tructure) rather than substitutional.