Systematic trends in boron icosahedral structured materials

Boron materials exist in many different structures with an important similarity that they all contain connected B₁₂ icosahedra. Various structures that hold potential for super-hard material properties are examined using ab initio computational techniques. Systematic trends are established. The charge density between all B-B bonds in each structure that are examined and it is suggested that hardness of the material may, in part, relate to the average charge density between the boron bonds. Atoms connecting the B icosahedra donating charge that enhance the strength of the B-B bonds.     

高压下B12AS2晶体结构及晶格振动的第一性原理研究

利用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算,本文研究了二十面体硼化砷(B12As2)在外部静水压强0～30 GPa范围内的晶格结构变化.计算结果表明:二中心B-B键在高压下压缩率最大,硼二十面体基团相对比较稳定,外界压力对其影响较小.利用基于密度泛函微扰理论的计算,本文给出了在0～30 GPa范围内B12As2晶体所有12个...     

Atomic structure of icosahedral B4C boron carbide from a first principles analysis of NMR spectra

Density functional theory is demonstrated to reproduce the 13C and 11B NMR chemical shifts of icosahedral boron carbides with sufficient accuracy to extract previously unresolved structural information from experimental NMR spectra. B4C can be viewed as an arrangement of 3-atom linear chains and 12-atom icosahedra. According to our results, all the chains have a CBC structure. Most of the icosahedra have a B11C structure with the C atom placed in a polar site, and a few percent have a B (12) structure or a B10C2 structure with the two C atoms placed in two antipodal polar sites.     

Is the established structure of α-rhombohedral boron correct? Comparative study of IR-active phonons with B6O, B4.3C and β-rhombohedral boron

The established structure of α-rhombohedral boron, based on one B(12) icosahedron per unit cell only, is put in question. A careful evaluation of the IR-active phonons in comparison with B(6)O, B(4.3)C and β-rhombohedral boron makes it evident that-aside from the B(12) icosahedra-the α-rhombohedral boron structure also contains single boron atoms. We assume these single atoms replace the currently assumed inter-icosahedral three-centre-bonds by covalently saturating the outward directing bonds of the equatorial atoms of the three adjacent icosahedra. Indeed, the implied structure formula B(12)B(2) is not supported by previous density measurements. The IR-phonon spectra of the related structures are correlated and merely shifted relative to one another; significant features depend quantitatively on the actual structure, but they can be easily allocated.     

Revisiting the Phillips ionicity of conductors and the quantitative determination of the hardness of carbides and nitrides of transition metals using the LDA + U technique

The Phillips ionicity is modified, simulated and calculated for conductors. The results show that the percentage of metallic bonding in multiplex chemical bonds of transition metal (TM) carbides and nitrides is large; this affects the Phillips ionicity. The redefinition of Phillips ionicity has been applied to estimate the hardness of TM carbides and nitrides; the values obtained are in agreement with experimental and theoretical evidence. In addition, materials with the zinc blende structure are harder than those with rock salt structure.     

Structural classification of layered dichalcogenides of group IV B,V B and VI B transition metals

A classification of the trigonal prismatic and octahedral structures exhibited by the layered dichalcogenides of group IV B, V B and VI B metals is achieved through consideration of the relative size, polarisation of the bonding orbitals, and the ionicity of the metal-chalcogen bond. A plot of the ratio of the covalent radii of the metal and chalcogen atoms against Pauling's resonating bond ionicity is shown to successfully achieve a separation of the two structures, consistent with the primarily covalent nature of the bonds.     

Surface phonons of LaB6(100): deformation of boron octahedra at the surface

The surface phonon dispersion of clean LaB₆(100) surface has been measured by means of high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Eight vibrational modes, of which most are located in the energy gaps between the bulk phonon bands, have been detected. The lattice dynamical calculation of a slab-shaped crystal based on a force constant model has reproduced these experimental dispersion curves, which indicates the large increase in the force constant of interoctahedral boron-boron bond at the surface by 25%, and the large decrease in the force constants of intraoctahedral boron-boron bonds at the surface by 25–50%. These changes together with the analysis of the bulk phonon structure of metal hexaborides strongly suggest that the boron octahedra at the surface are expanded by about 0.004 nm parallel to the surface.     

Bond ionicities of high-Tc oxides

A semiempirical method for the calculation of the bond ionicity, which is applicable even to extremely anisotropic systems such as copper-oxide superconductors, is proposed as a generalization of the Phillips-Van Vechten-Levine scheme. The value of the ionicity calculated for oxides generally tends to increase as the crystal strain becomes more tensile. It is characteristic of cuprate superconductors that the values of the ionicity are high compared with other 3d transition-metal oxides. Also significant are the extremely high ionicities in the direction normal to the CuO₂ planes and the relatively high covalencies of the intraplanar bonds. These crystal-chemical characteristics may be intimately related to the remarkable insulator-to-metal transition and the associated high-T_c superconductivity in the layered copper-oxide systems.     

The local physical structure of amorphous hydrogenated boron carbide: insights from magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Magic angle spinning solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques are applied to the elucidation of the local physical structure of an intermediate product in the plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of thin-film amorphous hydrogenated boron carbide (B(x)C:H(y)) from an orthocarborane precursor. Experimental chemical shifts are compared with theoretical shift predictions from ab initio calculations of model molecular compounds to assign atomic chemical environments, while Lee-Goldburg cross-polarization and heteronuclear recoupling experiments are used to confirm atomic connectivities. A model for the B(x)C:H(y) intermediate is proposed wherein the solid is dominated by predominantly hydrogenated carborane icosahedra that are lightly cross-linked via nonhydrogenated intraicosahedral B atoms, either directly through B-B bonds or through extraicosahedral hydrocarbon chains. While there is no clear evidence for extraicosahedral B aside from boron oxides, ～40% of the C is found to exist as extraicosahedral hydrocarbon species that are intimately bound within the icosahedral network rather than in segregated phases.     

快凝过程中液态Cu64Zr36合金二十面体团簇遗传与演化跟踪

采用分子动力学方法模拟研究了液态Cu₆₄Zr₃₆合金在冷速50 K/ns下 的快速凝固过程, 并通过双体分布函数、Honeycutt-Andersen (H-A) 键型指数和团簇类型指数对其微结构演变特性进行了分析. 液态与快凝玻璃合金的主要原子组态都是二十面体(12 0 12 0)及其变形结构 (12 8/1551 2/1541 2/1431), 其中比例最高的是Cu芯Cu₈Zr₅基本原子团, 其次是Cu₇Zr₆和Cu₉Zr₄团簇; 并且由这些二十面体基本原子团铰链形成的中程序, 其尺寸分布在液相和固相中分别呈现出13, 19, 25,···和13, 19, 23, 25, 29, 37,···的幻数特征. 团簇的演化与跟踪分析发现: 没有任何团簇能从液态直接遗传到固态合金, 遗传的起始温度出现在T_m–T_g过冷液相区. 二十面体团簇的遗传主要以完全和直接遗传为主, 并且一个明显的增加发生在T_g附近. 在玻璃化转变温度T_g以下, (12 0 12 0) 二十面体比 (12 8/1551 2/1541 2/1431) 变形二十面体具有更高的结构遗传能力, 但仅有少部分在遗传过程中能保持化学成分的恒定. 通过部分遗传, 某些二十面体中程序甚至也能从过冷液体中被遗传到玻璃合金. 关键词： 快速凝固 分子动力学 二十面体团簇 遗传     

Ab initio study on the anisotropy of mechanical behavior and deformation mechanism for boron carbide

The mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of boron carbide under a-axis and c-axis uniaxial compression are investigated by ab initio calculations based on the density functional theory.Strong anisotropy is observed.Under a-axis and c-axis compression,the maximum stresses are 89.0 GPa and 172.2 GPa respectively.Under a-axis compression,the destruction of icosahedra results in the unrecoverable deformation,while under c-axis compression,the main deformation mechanism is the formation of new bonds between the boron atoms in the three-atom chains and the equatorial boron atoms in the neighboring icosahedra.     

Valence electronic structure of tantalum carbide and nitride

The valence electronic structures of tantalum carbide (TaC) and tantalum nitride (TaN) are studied by using the empirical electronic theory (EET). The results reveal that the bonds of these compounds have covalent, metallic and ionic characters. For a quantitative analysis of the relative strength of these components, their ionicities have been calculated by implanting the results of EET to the PVL model. It has been found that the ionicity of tantalum carbide is smaller than that of tantalum nitride. The EET results also reveal that the covalent electronic number of the strongest bond in the former is larger than that of the latter. All these suggest that the covalent bond of TaC is stronger than that of TaN, which coincides to that deduced from the first-principles method.     

Advanced microstructure of boron carbide

The rhombohedral elementary cell of the complex boron carbide structure is composed of B(12) or B(11)C icosahedra and CBC, CBB or B□B (□, vacancy) linear arrangements, whose shares vary depending on the actual chemical compound. The evaluation of the IR phonon spectra of isotopically pure boron carbide yields the quantitative concentrations of these components within the homogeneity range. The structure formula of B(4.3)C at the carbon-rich limit of the homogeneity range is (B(11)C) (CBC)(0.91) (B□B)(0.09) (□, vacancy); and the actual structure formula of B(13)C(2) is (B(12))(0.5)(B(11)C)(0.5)(CBC)(0.65)(CBB)(0.16) (B□B)(0.19), and deviates fundamentally from (B(12))CBC, predicted by theory to be the energetically most favourable structure of boron carbide. In reality, it is the most distorted structure in the homogeneity range. The spectra of (nat)B(x)C make it evident that boron isotopes are not randomly distributed in the structure. However, doping with 2% silicon brings about a random distribution.     

The bond ionicity in ANB8−N compounds from maximally localized Wannier functions

The bond ionicity in seventy two A^NB^8−N compounds is investigated according to the recently introduced first-principles ionicity scale, based on the centers of the maximally localized Wannier functions, which has several interesting features. The obtained bond ionicities (q_i) are found to exhibit the expected trends, according to electronegativity arguments. In particular, the bond ionicity in the alkaline-earth oxides increases by going from MgO to BaO. A strong crystal structure dependence of q_i is observed. A critical value of q_i (of 0.91) that separates between the tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated systems is inferred directly from the calculated values of q_i. The volume dependence of q_i is investigated for all the considered compounds and found to reduce by volume decrease for most of the studied systems. The adopted ionicity scale is established as a very strong competitor to the most widely accepted Phillips and Pauling ionicity measures.     

The influence,on lithium electrochemical intercalation,of bond ionicity in layered chalcogenophosphates of transition metals

In the course of lithium electrochemical intercalation in the host structure of layered M∥PX₃ phases (M = V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, X = S, Se), it was shown that the best energy yield was obtained from low ionicity bond materials. The absorption edge energy, along with the free energy of the intercalation reactions have been correlated in a satisfactory way to the ionicity fi of the M-X bonds. These diagrams indicate which phases have to be looked at to obtain the maximum electrochemical yields.     

Ionicity scale and piezoelectricity of crystals with zincblende- and wurtzite-type structure

We have tried to determine the ionicity of crystals with a dynamical effective ionic charge defined by the observed TO-LO splitting. We find excellent agreement between our results and the ionicity scale derived by Phillips from band gap theory. We confirm that the observed piezoelectric constants can be well accounted for on the basis of the Born lattice-dynamical treatment by adding the concept of charge transfer, and we have made an estimate of the latter.     

二十面体团簇的遗传:一个与快凝Cu56Zr44合金玻璃形成能力有关的动力学参数

采用分子动力学方法模拟研究了液态Cu₅₆Zr₄₄合金在不同冷速γ与压力P下的快速凝固过程, 并通过基于Honeycutt-Andersen键型指数的扩展团簇类型指数法对其微结构演变特性进行了分析. 结果表明: 快凝玻璃合金的局域原子组态主要是(12 12/1551)规则二十面体、以及 (12 8/1551 2/1541 2/1431)与(12 2/1441 8/1551 2/1661) 缺陷二十面体. 通过原子轨迹的逆向跟踪分析发现: 从过冷液体中遗传下来的二十面体对快凝合金的玻璃形成能力(GFA)具有重要影响, 不仅其可遗传分数F_i =N_{300 K←Tg}ⁱ/N_Tg 与GFA密切相关, 而且其遗传起始温度(T_onset)与合金约化玻璃转变温度T_rg = T_g/T_m也存在很好的对应关系.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence property of boron carbide nanowires

Large scale, high density boron carbide nanowires have been synthesized by using an improved carbothermal reduction method with B/B203/C powder precursors under an argon flow at 1100℃. The boron carbide nanowires are 5-10 μm in length and 80-100 nm in diameter. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and selected area electron diffraction （SAED） characterizations show that the boron carbide nanowire has a B4C rhombohedral structure with good crystallization. The Raman spectrum of the as-grown boron carbide nanowires is consistent with that of a B4C structure consisting of B11C icosahedra and C-B-C chains. The room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the boron carbide nanowires exhibits a visible range of emission centred at 638 nm.     

On the origin of photocontraction effect in amorphous chalcogenide films

Large photocontraction of up to 26% has been observed in some chalcogenide films. Conditions necessary for the occurrence of large photocontraction are indicated to be: ability to form a glass, high bond ionicity, strong electron-phonon coupling, low density of the bulk material, and a large density difference between the bulk and the thin-film. These studies suggest that contraction (densification) is due to the mechanical collapse of the columns resulting from the large internal stresses caused by the interaction of the photogenerated carriers and the charged dangling bonds.     

Ab-initio study of phase transition and momentum density in PbTe

In this article, the high-pressure structural phase transition and electron momentum density in PbTe have been studied by means of first-principles total energy calculations which are based on the linear combination of atomic orbitals method within generalized gradient approximation. It is observed that the stable phase of PbTe is rocksalt (B1) type and it transforms to an orthorhombic Pnma (B27, FeB type) structure at 6.77?GPa. Further, structural phase transition from the Pnma phase to the cesium chloride (B2) phase has been observed at 13.04?GPa. The anisotropies in theoretical directional Compton profiles indicate larger occupied states along the [100] direction. On the basis of equal-valence-electron-density profiles, it is found that PbTe shows less ionicity as compared to PbS and PbSe.