Thermodynamic properties of cubic ZrC under high pressure from first-principles calculations

The elastic and thermodynamic properties of Zirconium carbide (ZrC) are investigated by ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density function theory method. The obtained lattice constant, elastic constant and bulk modulus B are consistent with the experimental and theoretical data. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the dependences of the normalized volume V/V ₀ and the bulk modulus B on pressure P, as well as the specific heat C _V on the temperature T are obtained successfully. The relationships of the thermal expansion α with temperature and pressure are also investigated, which indicate the temperature hardly has any effect on the thermal expansion α at high pressure. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10776022)