Structural and thermodynamic properties of OsN2 from first-principles calculations

We investigate the structural and thermodynamic properties of OsN2 by a plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method. The obtained lattice constant,bulk modulus and cell volume per unit formula are consistent with the available theoretical data. Moreover,the pressure-induced phase transition of OsN2 from pyrite structure to fluorite structure has been obtained. It is found that the transition pressure of OsN2 at zero temperature is 67.2 GPa. The bulk modulus B as well as other thermodynamic quantities of fluorite OsN2 (including the Gru¨neisen constant γ and thermal expansion α) on temperatures and pressures have also been obtained.     

Phase transition, elastic, thermodynamic properties of zinc-blend BeSe from first-principles

The structural phase transition, elastic, thermodynamics properties of BeSe in zinc-blende were investigated by performing first-principles calculations within generalized gradient approximation. The phase transition pressure P_t between the B3 phase and the B8 phase of BeSe was determined. The pressure dependencies of elastic constants, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio of BeSe are calculated. The thermodynamic properties of the zinc-blende structure BeSe are calculated by using the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The pressure and temperature dependencies of the heat capacity and the thermal expansion coefficient, as well as the Grüneisen parameter are investigated systematically in the ranges of 0–50 GPa and 0–1200 K.     

Mechanical stability and thermodynamic properties of OsC from first-principles calculations

The elastic and thermodynamic characteristics of OsC crystal have been predicted through a method of density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Compared with WC-type OsC, NaCl-type OsC is not only energy unfavorable but also mechanics unstable. The five independent elastic constants (C_ij), bulk modulus (B₀), the dependence of bulk modulus on temperature and pressure as well as the thermal expansion coefficient (α_V) at various temperatures for WC-type OsC are discussed. According to our calculations, WC-type OsC should be an ultra-incompressible material with high bulk modulus about 381 GPa. In addition, the bulk modulus will increase with increasing pressure while decrease with increasing temperature. The researches on the thermal expansion coefficient indicate that there will be a knee point during the process of thermal expansion coefficient variation versus increasing temperature. Our results may provide useful information for theoretical and experimental investigation of OsC.     

Phase transition and thermodynamic properties of SrS via first-principles calculations

The phase transition of SrS from NaCl structure （B1） to CsCl structure （B2） is investigated by means of ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory, and the thermodynamic properties of the B1 and the B2 structures are obtained through the quasi-harmonic Debye model. It is found that the transition phase from the B1 to the B2 structures occurs at 17.9 GPa, which is in good agreement with experimental data and other calculated results. Moreover, the thermodynamic properties （including specific heat capacity, the Debye temperature, thermal expansion and Griineisen parameter） have also been obtained successfully.     

Theoretical studies of elastic and thermodynamic properties of cubic B20 CoSi

The full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method based on the density functional theory as implemented in the WIEN2k package is applied successfully to the study of the equilibrium lattice parameter and the elastic constants of the cubic B20 structural CoSi. The quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, is used to investigate the thermodynamic properties of B20 CoSi. Young's modulus and Poisson ratio are obtained from the calculated elastic constants and compared with the available data. The pressure and temperature dependence of the volume, the bulk modulus, the thermal expansion coefficient, the heat capacity and the Debye temperature are successfully obtained in the whole pressure range from 0 to 40 GPa and temperature range from 0 to 1400 K .     

高压下CaPo弹性性质和热力学性质的第一性原理研究

利用密度泛函理论的平面波赝势方法预测研究了CaPo从岩盐结构(B1结构)到氯化铯结构(B2结构)的相变以及B1结构CaPo高压下的弹性性质以及热力学性质等.通过等焓原理发现B1→B2的相变压力为22.8GPa. 同时计算了B1结构CaPo高压下的弹性常数以及剪切模量、杨氏模量等相关弹性参数,结果发现当压力超过20GPa时,B1结构CaPo开始不稳定了,这和等焓原理所得结果相符合. 最后通过Debye模型成功获取了B1结构C 关键词： 相变 弹性性质 热力学性质 CaPo     

Structures, phase transition, elastic properties of SnO2 from first-principles analysis

We investigate the structural, phase transition and elastic properties of SnO₂ in the rutile-type, pyrite-type, ZrO₂-type and cotunnite-type phases by the plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory method. The lattice constants, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative are well consistent with the available experimental and other theoretical data. Also, we find that the rutile→pyrite, pyrite→ZrO₂ and ZrO₂→cotunnite phase transition occur at 12.9, 59.1 and 111.1 GPa, which are in better agreement with the experimental results than those of Gracia et al. (2007). Moreover, we obtain the pressure dependences of elastic constants for the four structures.     

MgO声子散射曲线和热力学特性的第一原理研究

利用从头算场论结合局域密度近似和Troullier-Martins赝势,计算了MgO的声子散射曲线和热力学特性.计算结果和所有的有效实验值进行了比较,发现理论计算结果和实验结果吻合的很好.     

Structural, thermodynamic and electronic properties of zinc-blende AlN from first-principles calculations

Structural, thermodynamic and electronic properties of zinc-blende AlN under pressure are investigated by first-principles calculations based on the plane-wave basis set. Through the analysis of enthalpy variation of AlN in the zinc-blende (ZB) and the rock-salt (RS) structures with pressure, we find the phase transition of AlN from ZB to RS structure occurs at 6.7 GPa. By using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, we obtain the heat capacity C_V, Debye temperature Θ_D, Grüneisen parameter γ and thermal expansion coefficient α. The electronic properties including fundamental energy gaps and hydrostatic deformation potentials are investigated and the dependence of energy gaps on pressure is analysed.     

NbSi2奇异高压相及其热力学性质的第一性原理研究

采用基于粒子群优化算法的结构预测程序CALYPSO, 并结合第一性原理的VASP程序, 在175 GPa发现NbSi₂的奇异立方高压相. 在此结构中, Nb原子形成金刚石结构, 而Si原子则形成正四面体镶嵌在金刚石结构中. 声子谱计算结果表明该结构是动力学稳定的. 电子结构分析表明, 六角相和立方相NbSi₂均为金属, 对金属性贡献较大的是Nb原子, 而且Nb和Si原子之间存在明显的p-d杂化现象, 电荷更多地聚集在Si四面体中. 利用“应力应变”方法, 计算了NbSi₂的弹性常数, 分析了其体积模量、剪切模量、杨氏模量和德拜温度等热动力学性质随压力的变化并进行了详细的讨论. 根据剪切模量和体积模量的比值分析了NbSi₂两种相结构的脆性和延展性, 发现压力会导致六角相NbSi₂的延展性增加, 但对立方相结构的延展性影响较小; 采用经验算法计算了NbSi₂两种相结构硬度变化情况, 结合这一比值进行了详细的分析. 弹性各向异性计算结果表明, 随着压力增加, 六角结构的各向异性增强, 而立方结构的各向异性减小.     

Structural, electronic, and optical properties of ZnOl_xSex alloys using first-principles calculations

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of binary ZnO, ZnSe compounds, and their ternary ZnOl_xSex alloys are computed using the accurate full potential linearized augmented plane wave plus local orbital （FP-LAPW ＋ lo） method in the rocksalt （B 1） and zincblende （B3） crystallographic phases. The electronic band structures, fundamental energy band gaps, and densities of states for ZnO1_xSex are evaluated in the range 0 〈 x 〈 1 using Wu-Cohen （WC） generalized gradient approximation （GGA） for the exchange-correlation potential. Our calculated results of lattice parameters and bulk modulus reveal a nonlinear variation for pseudo-binary and their ternary alloys in both phases and show a considerable deviation from Vegard＇s law. It is observed that the predicted lattice parameter and bulk modulus are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. We establish that the composition dependence of band gap is semi-metallic in B1 phase, while a direct band gap is observed in B3 phase. The calculated density of states is described by taking into account the contribution of Zn 3d, O 2p, and Se 4s, and the optical properties are studied in terms of dielectric functions, refractive index, reflectivity, and energy loss function for the B3 phase and are compared with the available experimental data.     

Elastic and thermodynamic properties of c-BN from first-principles calculations

The elastic constants and thermodynamic properties of c-BN are calculated using the first-principles plane wave method with the relativistic analytic pseudopotential of the Hartwigen, Goedecker and Hutter (HGH) type in the frame of local density approximation and using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, separately. Moreover, the dependences of the normalized volume V/V₀ on pressure P, as well as the bulk modulus B, the thermal expansion α, and the heat capacity C_V on pressure P and temperature T are also successfully obtained.     

Detailed investigation of thermodynamic properties of hexagonal osmium using the ab-initio technique

The finite-temperature density functional theory and the quasiharmonic approximation are adopted to investigate thermodynamics properties of hexagonal osmium. By varying lattice volume, the anharmonic effect is part considered in present work. Phonon frequencies calculations are performed from density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). By fitting the total free energy (including both electronic and vibrational parts) to equation of states at different temperatures, some classical thermodynamic quantities and their pressure and temperature dependences are investigated systematically. The results are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data.     

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of BiI3: First-principles calculations

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of BiI₃ are investigated using the first-principles pseudopotential calculations within the framework of density functional theory. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters agree well with the experimental values. The results show that rhombohedral R-3 structure is low enthalpy structure at zero pressure. R-3 structure will transform into SbI₃-type structure (space group P2₁/c) at about 7.0 GPa. At zero pressure, BiI₃ with R-3 symmetry meets the mechanical stability criteria, but BiI₃ with P-31 m symmetry is an unstable one mechanically. For R-3 structure, the obtained bulk, shear, and Young’s moduli are 25.6, 15.3 and 38.3 GPa, respectively. BiI₃ presents large elastic anisotropy. Debye temperature of R-3 structure calculated is 181 K. The metallization pressure of R-3 structure is about 133 GPa and that of predicted high pressure phase P2₁/c structure is about 61 GPa, indicating BiI₃’s potential application as a nuclear radiation detector under high pressure environment.     

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.     

Structural and thermodynamic properties of wurtzite-type aluminium nitride from first-principles calculations

The lattice parameter, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative of the wurtzite-type aluminium nitride (w-AlN) are investigated by using the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) program in the framework of Density Functional Theory (DFT). The calculated results are in good agreement with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the dependences of the normalized lattice parameters $a/a_{0}$ and $ c/c_{0}$, axial ratio $c/a$, normalized primitive-cell volume $V/V_{0}$, Debye temperature ${\it\Theta} _{\rm D} $ and heat capacity $C_{\rm V}$ on pressure $P $ and temperature $ T$ are obtained. It is found that the interlayer covalent interactions (Al-N bonds) are more (even a little) sensitive to temperature and pressure than intralayer ones (N--N bonds), which gives rise to a little lattice anisotropy in the w-AlN.     

Structural and electronic properties of the TiC nanotubes: Density functional-based tight binding calculations

Atomic models of the hypothetical single- and multi-walled cylindrical- and prismatic-like TiC nanotubes have been constructed and their structural and electronic properties have been studied by means of density functional-based tight binding (DFTB) method. The electronic bands, densities of states and binding energies are analyzed as a function of the TiC tubes sizes. Our calculations showed that TiC nanotubes are semiconducting, in contrary to the metallic-like crystalline TiC, and the band gaps tend to vanish as the number of tube walls increase.     

First-principles calculations of elastic,phonon and thermodynamic properties of W

We investigate the elastic properties, lattice dynamical, thermal equation of state and thermodynamic properties of bcc phase W under high pressure using density functional theory. The calculated high-pressure elastic constants of bcc phase W agree well with experimental and theoretical data. Under compression, the phonon dispersion curves of bcc phase W do not show any anomaly or instability. Our calculated zero-pressure phonon dispersion curves are in excellent agreement with experiments. Within the quasiharmonic approximation, we predict the thermal equation of state and other properties including the thermal expansion coefficient, adiabatic bulk modulus, specific heat at constant volume and entropy.     

Electronic structure, optical and thermodynamic properties of orthorhombic UCoGe under pressure

The electronic structures, optical and thermodynamic properties of orthorhombic UCoGe are investigated using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) formalism in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). The obtained lattice parameters, bulk modulus B and its pressure derivative B′ of UCoGe are in agreement with the available experimental data. From the analysis of band structure and density of states coming out from our calculations, we can see that UCoGe in the ground state belongs to a typical metallic alloy. Various optical properties, including the dielectric function and absorption coefficient as functions of the photon energy are calculated. The thermodynamic properties of UCoGe are predicted using the quasi-harmonic Debye model for the first time. The Debye temperature, the Grüneisen parameter, the heat capacity and the thermal expansion coefficient are obtained at high pressures and temperatures.