Prediction of novel ultra-incompressibility compounds TM2B (TM=Mo,W, Re and Os) by first-principles calculations

Abstract

Several novel ultra-incompressibility compounds TM₂B (TM = Mo, W, Re and Os) have been predicted by means of the first-principles calculations. Those novel compounds were assumed to have a ReB₂-type structure [P6₃/mmc space group (No.194, Z = 2), atomic sites: TM 4f (2/3, 1/3, z), B 2c (1/3, 2/3, 1/4)]. We calculated the mechanical properties of the TM₂B, and the results reveal that they exhibit brittle behaviour and mechanically stable. The hardness values are 23.8 GPa, 23.3 GPa, 26.6 GPa and 26.3 GPa for Mo₂B, W₂B, Re₂B and Os₂B, respectively, which suggests that they are hard materials. Additionally, we found that the anisotropy of Re₂B is weaker than the others. Finally, the Mo₂B has the highest Debye temperature (905.8 K), while Os₂B has the lowest Debye temperature (615.5 K). We hoped that our results can help to offer a theoretical data for future experimental work and application of TM₂B.     

几种三元过渡金属碳化物弹性及电子结构的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函理论平面波方法研究了六方WC型Re_xW_1－xC(x=1, 0.25, 0.75, 0),Re_0.5Os_0.5C和Os_0.5W_0.5C的晶体结构、弹性和电子结构性质.研究发现Re_0.25W_0.75C晶体具有优异的弹性性能及稳定性,其剪切模量(312 GPa)超过了所有其他实验合成和     

Precipitation kinetics of W2B5 in (Ti0.4W0.5Cr0.1)B2 solid solutions

The isothermal precipitation kinetics of W₂B₅ secondary phase from supersaturated polycrystalline (Ti_0.4W_0.5Cr_0.1)B₂ solid solutions were investigated with X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy in the temperature range between 1500 and 1700°C. The precipitate formation is described by a modified Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) model, where W₂B₅ particles nucleate preferentially at grain boundaries and subsequently grow into the volume by a two-dimensional process controlled by volume diffusion of the transition metals. Numerical calculations are used to describe quantitatively the time dependence of the precipitated fraction and to determine a differential JMAK exponent n _diff which gives information on the nucleation and growth modes. n _diff decreases during the precipitation process from 2 to about 0.8 for all temperatures investigated. The first limit corresponds to the classical JMAK model (two-dimensional diffusional growth and constant nucleation rate) and the decrease in n _diff is the consequence of an impingement of the nucleating and growing particles in the late stages of the process. Nucleation and growth rates are determined as functions of reciprocal temperature, where the first quantity shows a non-monotonic behaviour with a maximum at about 1650°C and the second quantity exhibits an Arrhenius behaviour with an activation enthalpy of 3.6?eV. From this it can be concluded that the overall precipitate formation is dominated by the kinetics of atomic motion at low temperatures and by the thermodynamics of nucleation at high temperatures.     

Theoretical investigations on the elastic and thermodynamic properties of Ti2AlC0.5N0.5 solid solution

We have performed theoretical studies on the elastic and thermodynamic properties of the solid solution: Ti₂AlC_0.5N_0.5. The lattice parameters, elastic constants, bulk, shear, Young's moduli, Poisson's ratio and Debye temperature were calculated and compared with those of the end members, Ti₂AlC and Ti₂AlN. The temperature dependence of the bulk moduli, thermal expansion coefficient and specific heats of Ti₂AlC_0.5N_0.5 were obtained from the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The calculated elastic and thermodynamic properties were compared with experimental data.     

First-principles investigation of the structural,dynamical, electronic,and elastic properties of WGe2 and W5Ge3

ABSTRACT

We have investigated the structural, dynamical, elastic, and electronic properties of WGe₂ and W₅Ge₃ compounds in different phases. We have considered the C11_b (tetragonal, space group I4/mmm) and C23 (orthorhombic, space group Pnma) strukturbericht phases for WGe₂ compound and D8₁ (tetragonal, space group I4/mcm), D8_m (tetragonal space group I4/mcm) strukturbericht phases for W₅Ge₃ compound. The structural parameters, formation enthalpies, phonon dispersion curves, elastic constants, mechanical modulus, anisotropic factors, thermal conductivities, and electronic structures have been investigated using generalised gradient approximation within in the plane wave pseudopotential density functional theory. The calculated lattice constants are in a good agreement with the experimental data. The considered phases for WGe₂ and W₅Ge₃ compounds have a metallic character. The results indicated that all phases for compounds are both mechanically stable and dynamically stable except for W₅Ge₃-D8₁. The anisotropy in some mechanical modulus has been investigated using several elastic anisotropy indexes and directional dependence of compressibility, Young’s moduli, shear moduli, and Poisson’s ratio.     

Electronic bandstructures on 5d-transition metal pyrochlore: Cd2Re2O7 and Cd2Os2O7

The electronic bandstructure calculations for Cd₂Re₂O₇ and Cd₂Os₂O₇ are performed by using an FLAPW method based on the local density approximation, where the spin–orbit interactions are taken into account. It is found that the spin–orbit interaction changes significantly Re/Os-5d (t_2g) band dispersion situated near the Fermi level. Cd₂Re₂O₇ is a semi-metal, the Fermi level is located just in the valley, the specific heat coefficient is calculated as 2.7 mJ/K² mol Re and the carrier number is 0.039/cell in each hole and electron. The Re/Os-5d bands hybridize well with the O-p bands so that the Re/Os-5d component significantly appears even in the bottom of the wide O-p bands. Therefore, it is important to consider Re-5d O-p hybridization to investigate the physical properties of these compounds.     

First-principles studies on Ti3Si0.5Ge0.5C2 under pressure

The structural, electronic and elastic properties of Ti₃Si_0.5Ge_0.5C₂ have been investigated by using the pseudopotential plane-wave method within the density-functional theory. Our calculated equation of state (EOS) is consistent with the experimental results. The density of states (DOS) indicates that Ti₃Si_xGe_1−xC₂ (x=0, 0.5, 1.0) are metallic, and these compounds have nearly the same electrical conductivity. The elastic constants for Ti₃Si_0.5Ge_0.5C₂ are obtained at zero pressure, which is compared to Ti₃SiC₂ and Ti₃GeC₂. We can conclude that Ti₃Si_0.5Ge_0.5C₂ is brittle in nature by analyzing the ratio between bulk and shear moduli. There appears to be little effect on the electronic and elastic properties with the Ge substitution to Si atoms in Ti₃SiC₂.     

Calculated structural, electronic and elastic properties of M2GeC (M=Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W)

Using ab initio calculations, we have studied the structural, electronic and elastic properties of M₂GeC, with M=Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta and W. Geometrical optimizations of the unit cell are in agreement with the available experimental data. The band structures show that all studied materials are electrical conductors. The analysis of the site and momentum projected densities shows that bonding is due to M d-C p and M d-Ge p hybridizations. The elastic constants are calculated using the static finite strain technique. The shear modulus C ₄₄, which is directly related to the hardness, reaches its maximum when the valence electron concentration is in the range 8.41–8.50. We derived the bulk and shear moduli, Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratio for ideal polycrystalline M₂GeC aggregates. We estimated the Debye temperature of M₂GeC from the average sound velocity. This is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the elastic constants of Ti₂GeC, V₂GeC, Cr₂GeC, Zr₂GeC, Nb₂GeC, Mo₂GeC, Hf₂GeC, Ta₂GeC and W₂GeC compounds, and it still awaits experimental confirmation.     

Supreme shear modulus predicted in the monocarbide system: the Rex W1–x C alloy

The energetic, mechanical and electronic properties as a function of composition for Re_x W_1–x C alloys in the WC structure have been investigated. It has been demonstrated that the shear modulus of WC can be enhanced by alloying with a small amount of Re, to a maximum shear modulus of 311 GPa at x = 0.23. The designed alloy is energetically stable and could be expected to be a potential extremely hard transition‐metal monocarbide, which is attributed to the strong metal–metalloid interaction with modulated valence electron concentration with respect to WC. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The electric field gradient at188Os nuclei in Re metal

The electric quadrupole interaction of the first excited 2⁺ state of¹⁸⁸Os in hexagonal rhenium metal was investigated by means of the time-differential perturbed angular correlation technique. From the observed quadrupole frequencyV _Q=170(7) MHz, we deduce an electric field gradient value of |V_zz|=4.77(23)·10²¹V/m² for the system OsRe. The half-life of the 2⁺ state was measured to be 641(4)ps.     

Physical properties of tetragonal transition-metal borides Nb2MB2 (M = Mo,W, Re or Os) with a new superstructure

The mechanical and thermodynamic properties, chemical bonding characteristics and electronic structure of Nb₂MB₂ (M = Mo, W, Re or Os) with a new tetragonal U₃Si₂-type superstructure (space group P4/mnc, no. 128) were studied by means of density functional theory calculations. All Nb₂MB₂ structures studied were demonstrated to be thermodynamically and mechanically stable. The bulk, shear and Young's moduli, Poisson's ratio, Debye temperature and anisotropy factors were derived for ideal polycrystalline Nb₂MB₂ aggregates. Among these compounds, Nb₂WB₂ was found to have the highest shear modulus and hardness. The electronic densities of state and electronic localization function analysis revealed the metallicity and strong covalent B–B, Nb–B and M−B bonding in Nb₂MB₂. Moreover, these results reveal that the covalence between Nb 4d, M nd (n = 4 for Mo and 5 for W, Re and Os) and B 2p states is the cause of the relatively higher elastic modulus and hardness of the Nb-based compounds. Finally, thermodynamic properties, including the bulk modulus, heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient of Nb₂WB₂ were obtained systematically under high temperature and pressure.     

Mechanical and lattice dynamical properties of the Re2C compound

In this work, density functional theory calculations on the structural, mechanical, and lattice dynamical properties of Re₂C within ReB₂‐type structure are reported. The generalized gradient approximation has been used for modeling exchange–correlation effects. We have predicted the lattice constants, bulk modulus, bond distances, elastic constants, shear modulus, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, hardness, Debye temperature, and sound velocities of this compound. Furthermore, the band structure, phonon dispersion curves and corresponding density of states are computed. The obtained results are in good agreement with the available experimental and other theoretical data. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Structural, elastic and electronic properties and formation energies for hexagonal (W0.5Al0.5)C in comparison with binary carbides WC and Al4C3 from first-principles calculations

First principle calculations have been performed with the purpose to understand the peculiarities of the structural, elastic parameters and electronic properties and interatomic bonding for novel hexagonal carbide (W_0.5Al_0.5)C in comparison with binary phases WC and Al₄C₃. The geometries of all phases were optimized and their structural, elastic parameters and theoretical density were established. Besides, we have evaluated the formation energies (E_form) of W_0.5Al_0.5C for different possible preparation routes (namely for the reactions with the participation of simple substances (metallic W, Al and graphite, binary W or Al carbides and metallic Al and W, or binary W and Al carbides). The results show that the synthesis of the ternary carbide from simple substances is more favorable in comparison with the reactions with participation of W and Al carbides. Moreover, band structures, total and partial densities of states were obtained and analyzed systematically for (W_0.5Al_0.5)C, WC and Al₄C₃ phases in comparison with available theoretical and experimental data. The bonding picture in W_0.5Al_0.5C was described as a mixture of metallic, ionic and covalent contributions with the high anisotropy for the covalent W-C and Al-C bonds, where p-p like Al-C bonds become weaker than p-d like W-C bonds.     

Theoretical investigation of the crystallographic structure,anisotropic elastic response,and electronic properties of the major borides in Ni-based superalloys

ABSTRACT

In Ni-based superalloys, it is usually found that borides can strengthen the grain boundaries, thereby resulting in an increase in mechanical strength and high-temperature creep properties. Due to their importance and prevalence in Ni-based superalloys, this study employs first-principles methods to investigate the crystallographic structure, anisotropic elastic response, and electronic properties of the major borides, such as M₂B, M₅B₃ and M₃B₂ (M: Cr, Mo, W), respectively, which is necessary for the assessment of complex mechanical responses of Ni-based superalloys. The results demonstrate that the studied borides are all thermodynamically and mechanically stable. Among the M _x B _y binary borides analysed, Cr _x B _y exhibits the largest shear modulus, Young’s modulus, and Vicker hardness values, and these properties increase with the increase of B contents. The studied borides display nearly isotropic elastic properties except for W₅B₃ and W₃B₂. The electronic structure analysis of M _x B _y shows that the strong hybridisation between M-d and B-p orbitals leads to these borides exhibiting higher theoretical hardness, and the overlapping peaks of M-d and B-p orbitals move to a lower energy area with the increase of B contents, which leads to the increase of shear and Young’s moduli of M _x B _y . Furthermore, for M₃B₂ borides, the Cr-B bonds and Cr–Cr bonds are much stronger than the W-B & Mo-B bonds, and W-W & Mo-Mo bonds, respectively, which leads to Cr _x B _y yielding the largest values of elastic moduli.     

Moment collapse in the Ce(Rh1−xOsx)3B2 system

The compound CeRh₃B₂ orders magnetically with a low saturation moment of about 0.4 micro_B per formula unit but a very high Curie temperature of 115 K. On replacing Rh with Os, it is observed that in the Ce(Rh_1?xOs_x)₃B₂ (0 ? x ? 0.167) series, both the magnetic moment and the Curie temperature decrease rapidly with increasing x. The compound CeRh_2.5Os_0.5B₂ (x = 0.167) does not appear to be ordered magnetically down to 5 K. This behavior is thought to arise from the changes in the hybridization of Ce 4f levels with sp type conduction electrons and/or with Rh and Os derived d bands.     

IR and Raman investigation on the structure of (100-x)B2O3-x[0.5 BaO-0.5 ZnO] glasses

Glasses with molar composition of (100-x)B₂O₃-x[0.5 BaO-0.5 ZnO], x=40, 50, 60, 70 were prepared from the melts of ZnO, BaCO₃ and H₃BO₃ mixture. The structure and thermal behavior were characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy, DSC and Dilatometer. The investigation shows that the transition of the structural unit [BO₄] (B^IV) to [BO₃] (B^III) happens when BaO and ZnO content x increases in the borate glass, resulting in fewer B^III-O-B^IV bonds and more B^III-O-B^III bonds. At the same time, the diborate groups, which are found to be the predominant structural group of the glass with high B₂O₃ content, gradually changes into ring-type metaborate, pyro- and orthoborate groups. With increasing ZnO and BaO content x, the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the softening point (T_f) decreases, while linear expansion coefficient (α) increases, that comes from the weakening of the glass network.     

Effect of Cr doping on the magnetic and electrical transport properties of charge-ordered Bi0.5Ca0.5MnO3

An experimental study on the magnetic and electrical transport properties of the manganites Bi_0.5Ca_0.5Mn_1−xCr_xO₃ (BCMCO) (0≤x≤0.12) is carried out. The results show that Cr doping can suppress the charge-ordering transition, favoring the ferromagnetic clusters. For x=0.12, the charge-ordering transition disappears but a very broad paramagnetic-ferromagnetic-like transition is detected at the Curie temperature T_C=72.6 K. It is caused by phase separation or coexistence of the charge-ordering and ferromagnetic phase. Moreover, the critical Cr content to destroy charge ordering phase in BCMCO does not match the general monotonous tendencies shown by Cr-doped Re_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ (Re-rare-earth). These differences are ascribed to the fact that the ground state in BCMCO differs markedly from the ferromagnetic metallic phase in Cr-doped Re_0.5Ca_0.5MnO₃ compounds.     

Deformation‐induced bonding evolution of iron tetraboride and its electronic origin

First‐principles density functional calculations are employed to provide a fundamental understanding of the structural features, mechanical properties, deformation behaviours and its electronic origin for the new synthesized FeB₄. The calculated elastic moduli suggest that FeB₄ has a low compressibility, but results of ideal shear strength and theoretical hardness indicate that FeB₄ is a hard material, not a superhard material. We find that the collapse of the unique corrugated B₆ units ring in FeB₄ under deformation is responsible for the failure under tensile and shear deformation based on the calculated charge density distribution and bonding evolution. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electronic structural, elastic properties and thermodynamics of Mg17Al12, Mg2Si and Al2Y phases from first-principles calculations

Electronic structures, elastic properties and thermal stabilities of Mg₁₇Al₁₂, Mg₂Si and Al₂Y have been determined from first-principle calculations. The calculated heats of formation and cohesive energies show that Al₂Y has the strongest alloying ability and structural stability. The brittle behavior and structural stability mechanism is also explained through the electronic structures of these intermetallic compounds. The elastic constants are calculated, the bulk moduli, shear moduli, Young's moduli and Poisson ratio value are derived, the brittleness and plasticity of these phases are discussed. Gibbs free energy, Debye temperature and heat capacity are calculated and discussed.     

Structural, electronic and elastic properties of M2SC (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) compounds

Using ab initio calculations, we have studied the structural, electronic and elastic properties of M₂SC, with M = Ti, Zr and Hf. Geometrical optimization of the unit cell are in good agreement with the available experimental data. The band structures show that all three materials are conducting. The analysis of the site and momentum projected densities shows that the bonding is achieved through a hybridization of M-atom d states with S and C-atom p states. The Md-Sp bonds are lower in energy and are stiffer than Md-Cp bonds. The elastic constants are calculated using the static finite strain technique. We derived the bulk and shear moduli, Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio for ideal polycrystalline M₂SC aggregates. We estimated the Debye temperature of M₂SC from the average sound velocity. This is a quantitative theoretical prediction of the elastic properties of Ti₂SC, Zr₂SC, and Hf₂SC compounds, and it still awaits experimental confirmation.