Bandgap engineering in Mn3TeO6: giant irreversible bandgap reduction triggered by pressure.

In this study, the bandgap energy of the multiferroic oxide Mn3TeO6 is successfully reduced by ∼39% from 3.15 eV to 1.86 eV, accompanied by a phase transition at high pressures. The high-pressure phase with smaller bandgap energy is quenchable to ambient conditions and represents a promising light-harvesting material for photovoltaic applications.