Phase transition in CeSe, EuSe and LaSe under high pressure

The high pressure phase transition and elastic behavior of rare earth monoselenides (CeSe, EuSe and LaSe) which crystallize in a NaCl-structure have been investigated using the three body interaction potential (TBIP) approach. These interactions arise due to the electronshell deformation of the overlapping ions in crystals. The TBP model consists of a long range Coulomb, three body interactions and the short range overlap repulsive forces operative up to the second neighboring ions. The authors of this paper estimated the values of the phase transition pressure and the associated volume collapse to be closer than other calculations. Thus, the TBIP approach also promises to predict the phase transition pressure and pressure variations of elastic constants of lanthanide compounds.      

Structural phase transition and elastic properties of ZnSe at high pressure

We have evolved an effective interionic interaction potential to investigate the pressure-induced phase transitions from zinc blende (B3) to rock salt (B1) structure in II-VI [ZnSe] semiconductors. The elastic constants, including the long-range Coulomb and van der Waals (vdW) interactions and the short-range repulsive interaction of up to second-neighbor ions within the Hafemeister and Flygare approach, are deduced. Keeping in mind that both of the ions are polarisable, we employed the Slater-Kirkwood variational method to estimate the vdW coefficients. The estimated value of the phase transition pressure (P _t ) is higher than in the reported data, and the magnitude of the discontinuity in volume at the transition pressure is consistent with that data. The major volume discontinuity in the pressure-volume phase diagram identifies the structural phase transition from zinc blende to rock salt structure.

The variation of second-order elastic constants with pressure resembles that observed in some binary semiconductors. It is inferred that the vdW interaction is effective in obtaining the thermodynamic parameters such as the Debye temperature, the Gruneisen parameter, the thermal expansion coefficient and the compressibility. However, the inconsistency between the thermodynamic parameters as obtained from present model calculations and their experimental values is attributed to the fact that we have derived our expressions by assuming the overlap repulsion to be significant only up to the nearest second-neighbor ions, as well as neglecting thermal effects. It is thus argued that full analysis of the many physical interactions that are essential to binary semiconductors will lead to a consistent explanation of the structural and elastic properties of II–VI semiconductors.     

High pressure behavior of alkaline earth tellurides

We have predicted high pressure structural behavior and elastic properties of alkaline earth tellurides (AETe; AE = Ca, Sr, Ba) by using two body interionic potential approach with modified ionic charge (Z _m e). This method has been found quite satisfactory in case of the rare earth compounds. The equation of state curve, structural phase transition pressure from NaCl (B1) to CsCl (B2) phase and associated volume collapse at transition pressure of alkaline earth tellurides (AETe) obtained from this approach, so have been compared with experimentally measured data reveal good agreement. We have also investigated bulk modulus, second and third order elastic constants and pressure derivatives of second order elastic constants at ambient pressure which shows predominantly ionic nature of these compounds. First time, we have calculated the Poisson ratio, Young and Shear modulus of these compounds.      

Structural and elastic properties of barium chalcogenides (BaX,X=O,Se, Te) under high pressure

In the present paper we have investigated the high-pressure, structural phase transition of Barium chalcogenides (BaO, BaSe and BaTe) using a three-body interaction potential (MTBIP) approach, modified by incorporating covalency effects. Phase transition pressures are associated with a sudden collapse in volume. The phase transition pressures and associated volume collapses obtained from TBIP show a reasonably good agreement with experimental data. Here, the transition pressure, NaCl-CsCl structure increases with decreasing cation-to-anion radii ratio. In addition, the elastic constants and their combinations with pressure are also reported. It is found that TBP incorporating a covalency effect may predict the phase transition pressure, the elastic constants and the pressure derivatives of other chalcogenides as well.      

Study of phase transformation and elastic properties of ThX (X = N,P, As and Sb) under high-pressure

An improved interaction potential model (IIPM) has been formulated to theoretically predict the pressure induced phase transition, elastic properties and thermophysical properties of thorium monopnictides (ThX; X = N, P, As and Sb). The phase transition pressures and volume drop obtained from this model show a better agreement with the available experimental than theoretical results. We have achieved elastic moduli, anisotropy factor, Poisson's ratio, Kleinman parameter, shear and stiffness constants on the basis of the calculated elastic constants. To know the anharmonic properties, we have also computed the third-order elastic constants, first-order pressure derivatives of second-order elastic constants and thermophysical quantities. Our results are in reasonable agreement with available measured and others reported data which supports the validity of model.     

Pressure induced phase transition in rare earth mono-antimonides

Pressure induced structural phase transition of mono-antimonides of lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium and neodymium (LnSb, Ln=La, Ce, Pr and Nd) has been studied theoretically using an inter-ionic potential with modified ionic charge which parametrically includes the effect of Coulomb screening by the delocalized f electrons of rare earth (RE) ion. The anomalous structural properties of these compounds have been interpreted in terms of the hybridization of f electrons with the conduction band and strong mixing of f states of Ln ion with the p orbital of neighbouring antimonide ion. All the four compounds are found to undergo from their initial NaCl (B₁) phase to body centered tetragonal (BCT) phase at high pressure and agree well with the experimental results. The body centered tetragonal phase is viewed as distorted CsCl structure and is highly anisotropic with c/a=0.82. The transition pressure of LnSb compounds is observed to increase with decreasing lattice constant in NaCl phase. The nature of bonds between the ions is predicted by simulating the ion-ion (Ln-Ln and Ln-Sb) distances at high pressure. The calculated values of elastic constants are also reported.     

MgO高温高压特性及相变的第一性原理研究

应用第一性原理密度泛函理论计算了MgO在零温(0K)下和0~200GPa静水压范围内的晶体结构和弹性模量,以及B1、B4和B8相结构的MgO的声速随压力的变化。利用准简谐近似下的Debye模型,通过拟合三阶Birch-Murnaghan物态方程模拟了高温效应并对三个相在高温高压下的相稳定性做了研究。本工作的计算结果与前人的理论和实验结果符合较好,说明第一性原理结合准简谐Debye模型能够比较准确的模拟矿物如MgO在高温高压下的热力学性质。     

MgO高温高压特性及相变的第一性原理研究

应用第一性原理密度泛函理论计算了MgO在零温(0K)下和0~200GPa静水压范围内的晶体结构和弹性模量，以及B1、B4和B8相结构的MgO的声速随压力的变化。利用准简谐近似下的Debye模型，通过拟合三阶Birch-Murnaghan物态方程模拟了高温效应并对三个相在高温高压下的相稳定性做了研究。本工作的计算结果与前人的理论和实验结果符合较好，说明第一性原理结合准简谐Debye模型能够比较准确的模拟矿物如MgO在高温高压下的热力学性质。     

Study of high pressure behavior and elastic properties of praseodymium monochalcogenides and monopnictides

The structural and elastic properties of praseodymium monochalcogenides (PrX: X = S, Se, Te) and monopnictides (PrY: Y = P, As, Sb, Bi) with NaCl-type structure have been investigated by using an interionic potential theory with necessary modification to include the effect of Coulomb screening due to the delocalized f-electrons of rare earth ion. The calculations are done at ambient as well as at high pressure. The structure of the high pressure phase of PrX compounds is CsCl-type while all the PrY compounds have been found to undergo from their initial NaCl-type structure to high pressure body centered tetragonal (BCT) structure, which can be seen as the distorted CsCl-type with c/a ratio ≈ 0.82–0.87. The calculated transition pressures are in good agreement with the experimental results. The elastic properties like second-order elastic constants for PrX, Y compounds are calculated for the first time. The nature of the bonding is also predicted by calculating the distance between the ions with the increasing pressure.