A first-principles study on the structural, elastic, vibrational, and thermodynamical properties of BaX (X=S, Se, and Te)

Ab-initio calculations based on norm-conserving pseudopotentials and density functional theory (DFT) have been performed to investigate the structural, elastic, thermodynamic, and lattice dynamical (phonon dispersion curves) properties of BaX in rock-salt (B1) and CsCl (B2) structures. The results support the experimental and theoretical data in the existing literature. Findings are also presented for the temperature-dependent behaviors of some thermodynamic properties such as entropy, heat capacity, internal energy, and free energy for the same compounds in the B1 phase.     

A first-principles study on the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of beryllium chalcogenides

First-principles calculations, which are based on the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to the density functional theory and the density functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation, have been performed to investigate the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of zinc blende (B3) structure beryllium chalcogenides: BeS, BeSe and BeTe. The results of ground-state parameters and phonon dispersion are compared and contrasted with the experimental and theoretical data of previous literature. The phonon frequencies at the zone-center are analyzed. We also used the phonon density of states and quasiharmonic approximation to calculate and predict some thermodynamic properties such as entropy, heat capacity, internal energy and free energy of the B3 phase beryllium chalcogenides.     

MAX相Nb2SnC和Nb2SnN的力学和热力学性质的第一性原理计算

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理,在广义梯度近似下研究了MAX相Nb₂SnC和Nb₂SnN的力学、晶格动力学、电子以及热力学性质.通过弹性常数和声子的计算,研究了Nb₂SnC和Nb₂SnN两种结构的力学稳定性和动力学稳定性;通过对Nb₂SnC和Nb₂SnN的力学性质计算,证明了它们均具有较高的体积模量和剪切性,并且说明了Nb₂SnC和Nb₂SnN是具有弹性各向异性的韧性材料.此外,通过计算电子能带结构和态密度,研究了Nb₂SnC和Nb₂SnN的电子性质和成键性质,结果表明,两个化合物均具有金属导电性和较强的共价键,而且Nb₂SnN比Nb₂SnC具有更强的金属导电性.最后利用声子色散曲线预测了热容、自由能、焓和熵等热力学性质,结果标明,计算出的熵、焓和自由能值变化符合热力学第三定律.     

Optical and electronic properties of pure and fully hydrogenated SiC and GeC nanosheets: first-principles study

In this work, the electronic and linear optical properties of pure and fully hydrogenated SiC and GeC nanosheets have been studied using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method within the density functional theory. Our study on SiC and GeC has confirmed their potential applications in electronic devices. The dielectric tensor is derived within the random phase approximation. The dielectric function, reflectivity, energy loss function and refraction index of these nanosheets for parallel (E||X) and perpendicular (E||Z) electric field polarization directions are well described. It is observed that hydrogenated nanosheets have semiconductor behavior with anisotropic optical spectra for both E||X and E||Z polarization direction. Also, hydrogenated nanosheets provide new electronic transitions between their neighboring atoms.     

Electronic structure,phase stability,and vibrational properties of Ir-based intermetallic compound IrX (X=Al,Sc, and Ga)

The phase stability and mechanical properties of B2 type IrX (X=Al, Sc and Ga) compounds are investigated. Self-consistenttotal-energy calculations in the framework of density functional theory using the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) to determine the equations of state and the elastic constants of IrX (X=Al, Sc, and Ga) in the B2 phase have been performed. The calculations predicted the equilibrium lattice constants, which are about 1% greater than experiments for IrAl, 1.81% for IrGa, and 0.71% for IrSc compound. IrAl is shown to be the least compressible, and it is followed by IrGa and the IrSc compound. The phase stability of the studied compounds is checked. The brittleness and ductility properties of IrX (X=Al, Sc, and Ga) are determined by Poisson's ratio σ criterion and Pugh's criterion. IrGa compound is a ductile material; however, IrAl and IrSc show brittleness. The band structure and density of states (DOS), and phonon dispersion curves have been obtained and analyzed. The position of the Fermi level and the contribution of d electrons to the density of states near E_F is studied and discussed in detail. We also used the phonon density of states and quasiharmonic approximation to calculate and predict some thermodynamic properties such as constant-volume specific heat capacity of the B2 phase of IrX (X=Al, Sc and Ga) compounds.     

Structural, vibrational and thermodynamic properties of Mg2 FeH6 complex hydride

Mg₂FeH₆, which has one of the highest hydrogen storage capacities among Mg based 3d-transitional metal hydrides, is considered as an attractive material for hydrogen storage. Within density-functional perturbation theory (DFPT), we have investigated the structural, vibrational and thermodynamic properties of Mg₂FeH₆. The band structure calculation shows that this compound is a semiconductor with a direct X-X energy gap of 1.96 eV. The calculated phonon frequencies for the Raman-active and the infrared-active modes are assigned. The phonon dispersion curves together with the corresponding phonon density of states and longitudinal-transverse optical (LO-TO) splitting are also calculated. Findings are also presented for the temperature-dependent behaviors of some thermodynamic properties such as free energy, internal energy, entropy and heat capacity within the quasi-harmonic approximation based on the calculated phonon density of states.     

Pb-Sn合金及Pb的热力学性质的第一性原理计算

本文基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论(DFT)和密度泛函微扰理论(DFPT)方法,利用虚晶近似的计算方法研究了Pb-Sn合金的晶格结构、电子能带、声子能带及热力学性质,并用晶格能量差可与达到熔化温度时的振动能量相当的固-液相变机理研究了熔化温度,同时与所计算Pb的所有结果进行了对比.     

First-principles calculations of elastic,phonon and thermodynamic properties of W

We investigate the elastic properties, lattice dynamical, thermal equation of state and thermodynamic properties of bcc phase W under high pressure using density functional theory. The calculated high-pressure elastic constants of bcc phase W agree well with experimental and theoretical data. Under compression, the phonon dispersion curves of bcc phase W do not show any anomaly or instability. Our calculated zero-pressure phonon dispersion curves are in excellent agreement with experiments. Within the quasiharmonic approximation, we predict the thermal equation of state and other properties including the thermal expansion coefficient, adiabatic bulk modulus, specific heat at constant volume and entropy.     

Effect of doping Zn atom on the structural stability,mechanical and thermodynamic properties of AlLi phase in Mg–Li alloys from first-principles calculations

ABSTRACT

This work uses first-principles total energy calculations on the basis of density functional theory to predict the structural stability, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of Zn atom doped AlLi phase in Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy. The values of the equilibrium lattice parameters and the formation of enthalpy are highly consistent with the experimental and previous calculations results available. Negative enthalpies of formation ΔH are predicted for all AlLi phase doped concentrations which have positive consequences for its structural stability. The elastic modulus is deduced by Voigt–Reuss–Hill arithmetic approximation. The bulk modulus of the Al–Li–Zn compounds increases as the doping concentrations increase, which are larger than the value of the AlLi phase. In particular, the stability and mechanical anisotropy of the Al–Li–Zn compounds are discussed. The charge density cloud map is drawn to reveal the bonding characteristics of four compounds. The changes in thermodynamic properties are derived by the phonon frequencies within the quasi-harmonic approximation.     

Lattice Dynamics Study of Magnesium Chalcogenides

First-principles calculations,which are based on the plane-wave pseudopotential approach to density functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation,have been performed to investigate the structural,lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of zinc blende(B3) structure magnesium chalcogenides:MgS,MgSe and MgTe.The results of ground state parameters and phonon dispersion are compared and agree well with the experimental data available and other calculations.We obtain the change of Born effective charge and LO-TO splitting under hydrostatic pressure.Finally,by the calculations of phonon frequencies,some thermodynamic properties such as the entropy,heat capacity,internal energy,and free energy are also successfully obtained.     

Ground state and lattice dynamical study of ionic conductors CaF2, SrF2 and BaF2 using density functional theory

The present paper reports a comprehensive and complementary study on structural, electronic and phonon properties of face centered cubic fluorites, namely CaF₂, BaF₂ and SrF₂, using first principles density functional calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice constants and bulk modulus are in good agreement with available experimental data. The analysis of band structure and density of states confirms the ionic character for all the three fluorides. The phonon dispersion curves and corresponding phonon density of states obtained in the present work are consistent with the available experimental and other theoretical data. The LO-TO splitting is maximum for CaF₂, which confirms that the ionicity is maximum in the case of CaF₂. The phonon properties for SrF₂ have been calculated for the first time.     

Structural, electronic and phonon properties’ investigation of YP and YAs compounds

We have studied the structural, electronic and phonon properties of the YP and YAs compounds in NaCl(B1) and CsCl(B2) structures using the density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The calculated lattice constants, static bulk modulus, first-order pressure derivative of the bulk modulus and transition pressure are reported and compared with previous calculations. We have carried out the calculations of band structure and density of states (DOS) for YP and YAs. Then, a linear-response approach to the density-functional theory is used to derive the phonon frequencies and DOS in both B1 and B2 structures.     

Vibrational properties of Re2N and Re3N compounds

Using first-principles calculations, we have studied the structural, lattice dynamical and thermodynamical properties of the recently synthesized Re₂N and Re₃N compounds. The generalized gradient approximation is used to model exchange-correlation effects. The phonon dispersion curves are derived using the direct method. The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters are in overall agreement with the available experimental and theoretical results. The present phonon dispersion results show that both compounds are dynamically stable for the structures considered. The temperature-dependent behavior of thermodynamical properties, such as free energy, entropy, heat capacity, and internal energy, is also presented.     

Ab initio electronic, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties of isotopic lithium hydrides (LiH, LiD, LiT, LiH, LiD, and LiT)

The structural, dielectric, lattice-dynamical, and thermodynamical properties of isotopic lithium hydrides (⁶LiH, ⁶LiD, ⁶LiT, ⁷LiH, ⁷LiD, and ⁷LiT) were investigated within density-functional theory. The atomic structure was fully relaxed and the structural parameters were found to differ by less than 2% from the experimental data. The associated electronic band structure and density of states were also presented. A linear-response approach to the density-functional perturbation theory was employed to work out the Born effective charges, dielectric tensors and phonon frequencies, and thermodynamic properties. The compounds with the heavier Li isotope or H isotope have the lower phonon frequencies; ⁶LiT is more stable than ⁷LiT, ⁶LiD, ⁷LiD, ⁶LiH, and ⁷LiH in the temperature range 0-2700 K. These properties of LiT were predicted for the first time. The results were discussed in terms of the isotope effects on phonon dispersion curves and thermodynamic properties.     

Theoretical study of the structural, elastic, electronic and thermal properties of the MAX phase Nb2SiC

Structural, elastic, electronic and thermal properties of the MAX phase Nb₂SiC are studied by means of a pseudo-potential plane-wave method based on the density functional theory. The optimized zero pressure geometrical parameters are in good agreement with the available theoretical data. The effect of high pressure, up to 40 GPa, on the lattice constants shows that the contractions along the c-axis were higher than those along the a-axis. The elastic constants C_ij and elastic wave velocities are calculated for monocrystal Nb₂SiC. Numerical estimations of the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, average sound velocity and Debye temperature for ideal polycrystalline Nb₂SiC aggregates are performed in the framework of the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation. The band structure shows that Nb₂SiC is an electrical conductor. The analysis of the atomic site projected densities and the charge density distribution shows that the bonding is of covalent-ionic nature with the presence of metallic character. The density of states at Fermi level is dictated by the niobium d states; Si element has a little effect. Thermal effects on some macroscopic properties of Nb₂SiC are predicted using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account. The variations of the primitive cell volume, volume expansion coefficient, bulk modulus, heat capacity and Debye temperature with pressure and temperature in the ranges of 0-40 GPa and 0-2000 K are obtained successfully.     

Ab initio study of phonons in the rutile structure of TiO2

The local-density approximation is used to find the phonon dispersion relations, total and partial phonon density of states for TiO₂ crystal of rutile structure. For that the Hellmann-Feynman forces were computed and direct method applied. Some thermodynamic quantities are also presented. Calculated results are analyzed and compared with the experimental neutron scattering and optic data. Good agreement has been achieved. A giant LO/TO splitting is observed for A_2u and E_u modes.     

First-principles study of the anisotropic thermal expansion of hcp metals Be and Y

A first-principles study of the anisotropic thermal expansion of hcp metals Be and Y is reported. According to quasiharmonic approximation, the phonon spectra were computed at a set of lattice parameters using the pseudopotential plane wave method with the local density approximation in the framework of the density functional perturbation theory. The free energies were obtained according to the calculated phonon spectra and thermal properties such as specific heat at constant volume (pressure) were calculated. The electronic contribution to specific heat was found important to metal Y not only at very low temperature but also over room temperature. The calculated results are in good agreement with available experimental data in a wide range of temperature.     

Vibrational and thermodynamic properties of orthorhombic CaSnO3 from DFT and DFPT calculations

Density functional theory (DFT) and density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) calculations were used to investigate the vibrational and thermodynamic properties of orthorhombic stannate CaSnO₃ compound. Our approach was based on the generalized gradient approximation with dispersion correction (GGA+D), considering the norm-conserved pseudopotentials. The phonon dispersion relation as well as theoretical peaks of the infrared (IR) and Raman spectrum in the frequency range of 100–800 cm⁻¹ was analyzed and assigned. The thermodynamic potentials and the specific heat at constant volume of the CaSnO₃ compound are also calculated, whose dependence with the temperature are discussed.     

First-principles calculation of structural stability,lattice dynamic and thermodynamic properties of BeX (X = S,Se and Te) compounds under high pressure

The phase transitions, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of BeS, BsSe and BeTe at high pressure have been investigated with the density functional theory. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters agree well with the available experimental and theoretical values. The phase transition pressures from the zinc-blende (ZB) to the nickel arsenide (NiAs) phase of these compounds are determined. The calculated phonon dispersion curves of these compounds in ZB phase at zero pressure do not show any anomaly or instability. Dynamically, the ZB phase of BeS, BeSe and BeTe is found to be stable near transition pressures P_T. Within the quasiharmonic approximation, the thermodynamic properties including the thermal expansion coefficient, heat capacity at constant volume, heat capacity at constant pressure and entropy are predicted.