First-principles study of structural,elastic, and thermodynamic properties of ZrHf alloy

Structural parameters, elastic constants, and thermodynamic properties of ordered and disordered solid solutions of Zr Hf alloys are investigated through first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory(DFT). The special quasi-random structure(SQS) method is used to model the disordered phase as a single unit cell, and two lamella structures are generated to model the ordered alloys. Small strains are applied to the unit cells to measure the elastic behavior and mechanical stability of Zr Hf alloys and to obtain the independent elastic constants by the stress–strain relationship. Phonon dispersions and phonon density of states are presented to verify the thermodynamic stability of the considered phases. Our results show that both the ordered and disordered phases of Zr Hf alloys are structurally stable. Based on the obtained phonon frequencies, thermodynamic properties, including Gibbs free energy, entropy, and heat capacity, are predicted within the quasi-harmonic approximation. It is verified that there are no obvious differences in energy between ordered and disordered phases over a wide temperature range.     

First-principles study of the structural and thermodynamic properties of AsNMg3 antiperovskite

The structural and elastic properties of the antiperovskite semiconductor AsNMg₃ are investigated using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital (FP-LAPW+lo) method within the generalized gradient in the frame of the density functional theory. The ground state properties such as lattice constant, bulk modulus, pressure derivative of the bulk modulus and elastic constants are in good agreement with numerous experimental and theoretical data. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, we have obtained successfully the thermodynamic properties such as the thermal expansion coefficient, Debye temperature and specific heats in the whole pressure range from 0 to 30 GPa and temperature range from 0 to 1200 K.     

First-principles calculations of structural and thermodynamic properties of BeB2 compound

The lattice parameter bulk modulus and pressure derivative of BeB2 are calculated by using the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package （CASTEP） program in the frame of density function theory. The calculated results agree well with the average experimental data and other theoretical results. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the dependences of the normalized lattice parameters a/ao, c/c0 and the normalized primitive cell volume V/Vo on pressure P, the variation of the thermal expansion coefficient ~ with pressure P and temperature T, as well as the dependences of the heat capacity Cv on pressure P and temperature T are obtained systematically.     

5d过渡金属二硼化物的结构和热、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系统地研究了5d过渡金属二硼化物TMB₂ (TM=Hf–Au) 的结构、热学、力学和电学性质. 我们考虑了三种结构, 分别为AlB₂, ReB₂和WB₂结构. 计算得到的晶格常数与先前的理论和实验研究符合得很好. 通过计算生成焓预测了化合物的热力学稳定性; 从HfB₂到AuB₂, 生成焓的整体趋势是逐渐增加的. 在所考虑的结构中, 对HfB₂和TaB₂, AlB₂结构是最稳定的; 对WB₂, ReB₂, OsB₂, IrB₂和AuB₂, ReB₂结构是最稳定的; 对PtB₂, WB₂结构是最稳定的. 在所考虑的化合物中, ReB₂结构的ReB₂具有最大的剪切模量(295 GPa), 是最硬的化合物, 与先前的理论和实验结果相符. 计算得到的总态密度显示所有结构都具有金属特性. 讨论了系列化合物的变化趋势. 关键词： 弹性性质 热力学性质 第一性原理 5d过渡金属二硼化物     

First-principles study of structural,electronic, thermodynamic,and thermoelectric properties of a new ternary half-Heusler alloy PdZrGe

This work concerns a predictive study of PdZrGe half-Heusler compound with 18 valence electrons. The structural and electronic properties are investigated by using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within the framework of generalized gradient approximation (GGA). To investigate the thermodynamic properties, we are applying the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The semi-classical Boltzmann theory as implemented in the BoltzTraP code is used to study the thermoelectric properties. We have found that the PdZrGe alloy is an indirect band gap semiconductor. Also the PdZrGe exhibit a negative thermal expansion. The Seebeck coefficient (S) is relatively high (237 µV/K at 300?K) due to its semiconducting nature. The calculated thermoelectric figure of merit is 0.759 at 300?K; this result indicates that our compound is an excellent candidate for practical applications in the thermoelectric field.     

First-principles study of the structural properties and magnetism of NpNiSn

First-principles calculations based on density functional theory have been performed on the intermetallic compound NpNiSn. The electronic density of states, bonding properties and equilibrium volume have been studied using relativistic full-potential APW+lo calculations. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy has been estimated from total-energy calculations and the a-axis is predicted to be the easy axis of magnetization. The LSDA+U method has been employed to mimic the orbital polarization and to obtain the total magnetic moments.     

First-principles study of structural,elastic, electronic and thermodynamic properties of topological insulator Bi2Se3 under pressure

The structural, elastic, electronic and thermodynamic properties of the rhombohedral topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ are investigated by the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with the Wu–Cohen (WC) exchange-correlation functional. The calculated lattice constants agree well with the available experimental and other theoretical data. Our GGA calculations indicate that Bi₂Se₃ is a 3D topological insulator with a band gap of 0.287 eV, which are well consistent with the experimental value of 0.3 eV. The pressure dependence of the elastic constants C_ij, bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, Young’s modulus E, and Poisson’s ratio σ of Bi₂Se₃ are also obtained successfully. The bulk modulus obtained from elastic constants is 53.5 GPa, which agrees well with the experimental value of 53 GPa. We also investigate the shear sound velocity V_S, longitudinal sound velocity V_L, and Debye temperature Θ_E from our elastic constants, as well as the thermodynamic properties from quasi-harmonic Debye model. We obtain that the heat capacity C_v and the thermal expansion coefficient α at 0 GPa and 300 K are 120.78 J mol^?1 K^?1 and 4.70 × 10^?5 K^?1, respectively.     

First-principles study of the elastic and thermodynamic properties of thorium hydrides at high pressure

The high pressure behaviors of Th_4H_(15) and ThH_2 are investigated by using the first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory(DFT). From the energy–volume relations, the bct phase of ThH_2 is more stable than the fcc phase at ambient conditions. At high pressure, the bct ThH_2 and bcc Th_4H(15) phases are more brittle than they are at ambient pressure from the calculated elastic constants and the Poisson ratio. The thermodynamic stability of the bct phase ThH_2 is determined from the calculated phonon dispersion. In the pressure domain of interest, the phonon dispersions of bcc Th_4H(15) and bct ThH_2 are positive, indicating the dynamical stability of these two phases, while the fcc ThH_2 is unstable. The thermodynamic properties including the lattice vibration energy, entropy, and specific heat are predicted for these stable phases. The vibrational free energy decreases with the increase of the temperature, and the entropy and the heat capacity are proportional to the temperature and inversely proportional to the pressure. As the pressure increases, the resistance to the external pressure is strengthened for Th_4H_(15) and ThH_2.     

高温高压下碳化钨晶体的结构、力学、电子、光学以及热力学性能的第一性原理计算

本文利用密度泛函理论中的广义梯度近似对碳化钨晶体的三种结构(碳化钨相、闪锌矿相以及纤锌矿相)进行了优化,得到能量最低的稳定构型,并在此基础上计算了它的力学、电子、光学和高温高压下的热力学性质.研究表明:在0～300 GPa压力范围内,碳化钨相具有最高的稳定性.同时,高压下碳化钨相的弹性常数满足Born-Huang准则,且0 GPa和300 GPa下的声子色散没有虚频,证明了高压下碳化钨相的静力学稳定性和动力学稳定性.电子性质表明了碳化钨的金属性.光学性质表明碳化钨在高能区很难吸收光.热力学性质的研究表明:体积比V/V_0对压强的变化更敏感;高温时C_V曲线近似一条直线;给定压强下热膨胀系数α在600 K温度以上增长非常缓慢;压强对德拜温度Θ_D的影响较大;在低压下格林艾森系数γ的变化较大.     

高压下TiAl3结构及热动力学性质的第一性原理研究

采用平面波赝势密度泛函理论研究了钛铝系金属间化合物TiAl₃的结构性质, 计算值与实验值及其他理论值相符合. 通过准谐德拜模型研究了TiAl₃的热动力学性质, 计算得到了相对体积(V/V₀)与压强和温度的关系, 以及不同温度和压强下的热膨胀系数和热容. 与TiAl的计算结果进行对比, 发现随着温度的升高, TiAl的热膨胀系数增大的速度高于TiAl₃, 且随着压强的增大温度效应减弱; TiAl₃的热容值近似为TiAl的热容值的2倍. 关键词： 结构性质 热动力学性质 第一性原理 高压     

多壳层铜纳米线结构和电子特性的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理计算,系统地研究了多壳层Cu纳米线的稳定结构和电子特性.得到不同线径多壳层Cu纳米线的平衡态晶格常数相差不大,都表现出金属特性,且其单原子平均结合能和量子电导随着纳米线直径的增加而增加.纳米线中内壳层Cu原子表现出体相结构Cu原子相似的电子特性,而表面壳层由于配位数的减少,其3d态能量范围变窄且整体向费米能级发生移动.电荷密度分析表明,相对于体相Cu晶体中原子间的相互作用,纳米线表面壳层Cu原子与其最近邻原子间的相互作用明显增强.     

First-principles study of structural,electronic and optical properties of ZnF_2

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of rutile-, CaC12-, and PdF2-ZnF2 are calculated by the plane-wave pseudopotential method within the density functional theory. The calculated equilibrium lattice constants are in reasonable agreement with the available experimental and other calculated results. The band structures show that the rutile-, CaCl2-, and PdF2-ZnF2 are all direct band insulator. The band gaps are 3.63, 3.62, and 3.36 eV, respectively. The contribution of the different bands was analyzed by the density of states. The Mulliken population analysis is performed. A mixture of covalent and weak ionic chemical bonding exists in ZnF2. Furthermore, in order to understand the optical properties of ZnF2, the dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, electronic energy loss spectroscopy, and optical reflectivity are also performed in the energy range from 0 to 30 eV. It is found that the main absorption parts locate in the UV region for ZnF2. This is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the electronic and optical properties of ZnF2 compound, and it still awaits experimental confirmation.     

First-principles study of structural and electronic properties of Cd3P2

First-principles linear combination of atomic orbitals method within the framework of density functional theory is applied to study structural and electronic properties of tetragonal and cubic phases of Cd₃P₂. The equilibrium lattice constants and bulk moduli deduced from Murnaghan equation of state for the two structures are in good agreement with the experiment. Enthalpy–pressure curves do not show possibility of pressure induced structural phase transitions between the two structures up to 80 GPa. Electronic band structures and Mulliken population analysis for the two structures are presented. It is found that tetragonal Cd₃P₂ has direct band gap 1.38 eV while cubic structure shows indirect band gap of 0.35 eV. The branch point energies for the tetragonal structure lie below the conduction band while for cubic structure it lies in the conduction band. Mulliken population analysis shows that occupancies in 5sp, 6sp and 5d states of Cd and 3sp and 4sp states of P are largely affected on bond formation.     

Cu_3N弹性和热力学性质的第一性原理研究

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理全势线性缀加平面波方法,研究了立方反ReO3结构Cu3N在零温(0K)零压下的平衡晶格常数、体弹模量及其对压强的一阶导数,计算结果与其他实验及理论结果基本相符.同时得出Cu3N的弹性常数,Poisson比等,并分析出Cu3N在零温零压下是稳定的.通过准谐Debye模型计算Cu3N的热力学性质,得到了Cu3N的晶格常数、等压比热容、等容比热容、热胀系数与温度和压强之间的关系,同时计算出不同温度不同压强下其体弹模量及Debye温度的值。     

First-principles study on the structural and electronic properties of ultrathin ZnO nanofilms

Using first-principles density-functional calculations, we have studied the structural and electronic properties of ultrathin ZnO {0001} nanofilms. The structural parameters, the charge densities, band structures and density of states have been investigated. The results show that there are remarkable charge transfers from Zn to O atoms in the ZnO nanofilms. All the ZnO nanofilms exhibit direct wide band gaps compared with bulk counterpart, and the gap decreases with increased thickness of the nanofilms. The decreased band gap is associated with the weaker ionic bonding within layers and the less localization of electrons in thicker films. A staircase-like density of states occurs at the bottom of conduction band, indicating the two-dimensional quantum effects in ZnO nanofilms.     

First-principles calculations on the elastic and thermodynamic properties of NbN

<正>The elastic and thermodynamic properties of NbN at high pressures and high temperatures are investigated by the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory（DFT）.The generalized gradient approximation（GGA） with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof（PBE） method is used to describe the exchange-correlation energy in the present work.The calculated equilibrium lattice constant a₀,bulk modulus B₀,and the pressure derivative of bulk modulus B₀’ of NbN with rocksalt structure are in good agreement with numerous experimental and theoretical data.The elastic properties over a range of pressures from 0 to 80.4 GPa are obtained.Isotropic wave velocities and anisotropic elasticity of NbN are studied in detail.It is indicated that NbN is highly anisotropic in both longitudinal and shear-wave velocities. According to the quasi-harmonic Debye model,in which the phononic effect is considered,the relations of（V-V₀）/V₀ to the temperature and the pressure,and the relations of the heat capacity C_V and the thermal expansion coefficientαto temperature are discussed in a pressure range from 0 to 80.4 GPa and a temperature range from 0 to 2500 K.At low temperature,C_V is proportional to T³ and tends to the Dulong-Petit limit at higher temperature.We predict that the thermal expansion coefficientαof NbN is about 4.20×10^-6/K at 300 K and 0 GPa.     

First-principles calculations for transition phase and thermodynamic properties of GaAs

The transition phase of GaAs from the zincblende (ZB) structure to the rocksalt (RS) structure is investigated by ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method, and the thermodynamic properties of the ZB and RS structures are obtained through the quasi-harmonic Debye model. It is found that the transition from the ZB structure to the RS structure occurs at the pressure of about 16.3\,GPa, this fact is well consistent with the experimental data and other theoretical results. The dependences of the relative volume V/V₀ on the pressure P, the Debye temperature \Th and specific heat C_V on the pressure P, as well as the specific heat C_V on the temperature T are also obtained successfully.     

First-principles calculations of structural stability,elastic, dynamical and thermodynamic properties of SiGe,SiSn, GeSn

A first-principles calculations, based on the norm-conserving pseudopotentials and the density functional theory (DFT) and the density functional perturbation theory (DFPT) as implemented in the ABINIT code, have been performed to investigate the structural stability, elastic, lattice dynamic and thermodynamic properties of the ordered SiGe, SiSn and GeSn cubic alloy in zinc-blende (B3) structure. The calculated lattice parameters and bulk modulus agree with the previous results. The second-order elastic constants have been calculated and other related quantities such as the Young’s modulus, shear modulus, anisotropy factor are also estimated. We also obtain the data of lattice dynamics and the temperature dependent properties currently lacking for SiGe, SiSn and GeSn. Findings are also presented for the temperature-dependent behaviors of some thermodynamic properties such as the internal energy, Helmholtz free energy, entropy and heat capacity.