Lattice dynamics and phase transition of NiTi alloy

We have performed detailed first-principles calculations to investigate the structural and lattice dynamical properties of NiTi alloy. The calculated static structures consist well with the experimental data and other theoretical results. With quasi harmonic approximation, the phase boundary between B19′ and BCO phases can be described as a five order polynomial $T=100?89.28P+296.75P^2?717.94P^3+734.62P^4?274.25P^5$. The change of vibrational entropy is $0.07k_B$/atom at the transition temperature 100 K under zero pressure.     

High pressure lattice dynamics, dielectric and thermodynamic properties of SrO

Using density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory we have studied the effects of hydrostatic pressure on lattice dynamics, dielectric and thermodynamic properties of the rocksalt (NaCl) and CsCl phases of SrO. The stability of the NiAs type structure, experimentally confirmed to be stable in BaO, is also investigated. Studying the lattice dynamics of the NaCl and CsCl phases at various pressures, in the range of the phase stability, we have found the lattice dynamical instabilities which govern the phase transitions between NaCl and CsCl phases with increasing and decreasing pressure. By monitoring the behaviour of the found soft modes, we have calculated the transition pressures upon compression and decompression of SrO crystal. Lattice dynamics calculations reveal that the rocksalt and CsCl structures are unstable with respect to the soft transversal acoustic modes at single points of the Brillouin zone, which points to the fact that the transitions are of displacive type. Responses to electric fields and thermodynamic properties at high pressures are also given and discussed. All our results are in a good agreement with experimental data where applicable.     

High-pressure phase transitions of Mg2Ge and Mg2Sn: First-principles calculations

Phase transitions of the anti-fluorite compounds Mg₂Ge and Mg₂Sn under high pressure were investigated using the first-principles plane-wave method within the pseudopotential and generalized gradient approximations. The calculated results show that Mg₂Ge and Mg₂Sn undergo two first-order phase transitions at high pressure and the sequence of the pressure-induced phase transitions is from the anti-fluorite to the anti-cotunnite, and then to the Ni₂In-type structure. The high pressure behaviors of Mg₂Ge and Mg₂Sn are similar to Mg₂Si and the isostructural alkali-metal oxide Li₂O. Moreover, the electronic and optical properties of both the anti-fluorite and the high-pressure phases are presented.     

Ce-La-Th合金高压相变的第一性原理计算

采用第一性原理计算对Ce_(0.8)La_(0.1)Th_(0.1)在高压下fcc-bct的结构相变、弹性性质及热力学性质进行了研究讨论.通过对计算结果的分析,发现了合金在压力下的相变规律,压强升高到31.6 GPa附近时fcc相开始向bct相转变,到34.9 GPa时bct相趋于稳定.对弹性模量的计算结果从另一角度反映了结构相变的信息.最后,利用准谐德拜模型对两种结构的高温高压热力学性质进行了理论预测.     

Ab-initio study of structural phase transitions and optoelectronic properties in BeH2 at increasing pressure

The structural stability, electronic and optical properties of BeH₂ under high pressure have been studied using the density functional theory (DFT) employing full potential-linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The exchange correlation functional has been solved using the generalized gradient approximation. The calculations show that BeH₂ becomes unstable upon application of pressure. At a pressure of 29.40 GPa the ground state α-BeH₂ transforms to hypothetical phase β-BeH₂ and further at a pressure of 53.77 GPa (with respect to the ground state α-BeH₂) β-BeH₂ transforms to γ-BeH₂. In α-BeH₂ phase it remains as an insulator while in β-BeH₂ phase its behavior becomes metallic. But upon further increase in pressure it becomes a semiconductor in γ-BeH₂ phase. Hence the possibility of obtaining high-pressure phases with superconducting properties cannot be ruled out. There occurs a huge equilibrium volume collapse at α- to β-phase transition and relatively smaller volume changes at β- to γ-phase transition. Our obtained value of dielectric constant (3.0) for α-BeH₂ is in excellent agreement with earlier reported value (3.1). Also BeH₂ shows anisotropic behavior in all three studied phases.     

从头算自洽晶格动力学研究高压下钛结构相的稳定性

借助能够考虑声子间相互作用的从头算自洽晶格动力学方法,计算了钛的高温声子色散曲线,并通过分析其声子频率,计算了高温高压下的声速,并由声速获得了弹性常数的数据．通过分析声子色散 曲线能够直接获得钛各种相的动力学稳定区域,比较各相的自由能,较为准确地获得了钛的相图．     

Ab initio calculation of the lattice dynamics of the Boron group-V compounds under high pressure

High-pressure effects on the lattice dynamics and dielectric properties of the BN, BP, BAs, BSb and BBi alloys have been carried out using the density-functional perturbation theory within the local density approximation. We study the variation of the optical phonon frequencies (ω_TO and ω_LO), the high-frequency dielectric coefficient (ε_∞) and the dynamic effective charge (Z*) with pressure. The ω_TO and ω_LO have a quadratic form with pressure for all boron compounds. The obtained ε_∞ and Z* for BN, BP remain constant with pressure. However, for BAs, BSb and BBi, ε_∞ and Z* have a quadratic form with pressure. Our results are in good agreement with the available experimental data for BN and BP and they allow prediction for BAs, BSb and BBi.     

Pressure controllable phase transition in MoTe2 by the interlayer band occupancy

High pressure can effectively control the phase transition of MoTe₂ in experiment, but the mechanism is still unclear. In this work, we show by first-principles calculations that the phase transition is suppressed and $1T^{\prime }$ phase becomes more stable under high pressure, which originates from the pressure-induced change of the interlayer band occupancies near the Fermi energy. Specifically, the interlayer states of $1T^{\prime }$ phase tend to be fully occupied under high pressure, while they keep partially occupied for the $T_d$ phase. The increase of the band occupancies makes the $1T^{\prime }$ phase more favorable in energy and prevents the structure changing from $1T^{\prime }$ to $T_d$ phase. Moreover, we also analyze the superconductivity under high pressure based on BCS theory by calculating the density of states and phonon spectra. Our results may shed some light on understanding the relationship between the interlayer band occupancy and crystal stability of MoTe₂ under high pressures.     

Strain effects on phase transitions in transition metal dichalcogenides

We perform density functional theory calculation to investigate the structural and electronic properties of various two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, MX₂ (M=Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, or W, and X=S or Se), and their strain-induced phase transitions. We evaluate the relative stability and the activation barrier between the octahedral-T and the trigonal-H phases of each MX₂. It is found that the equilibrium and phase transition characteristics of MX₂ can be classified by the group to which its metal element M belongs in the periodic table. MX₂ with M in the group 4 (Ti, Zr, or Hf), forms an octahedral-T phase, while that with an M in the group 6 (Cr, Mo, or W) does a trigonal-H phase. On the other hand, MX₂ with M in the group 5 (V, Nb, or Ta), which is in-between the groups 4 and 6, may form either phase with a similar stability. It is also found that their electronic structures are strongly correlated to the structural configurations: mostly metallic in the T phase, while semiconducting in the H phase, although there are some exceptions. We also explore the effects of an applied stress and find for some MX₂ materials that the resultant strain, either tensile or compressive, may induce a structural phase transition by reducing the transition energy barrier, which is, in some cases, accompanied by its metal-insulator transition.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of phase transition of n-nonadecane under high pressure

The phase transition behavior of n-nonadecane under high pressure was investigated with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations method. A simplified model with amorphous structure and periodic boundary conditions in constant-temperature, constant-pressure ensemble was used in this study. The results showed that the whirling and molecules motion of n-nonadecane chains were restrained by the high pressure. The simulated phase transition temperature of n-nonadecane under high pressure is higher than that under atmospheric pressure. The order parameter of n-nonadecane decreases with the increase in temperature. The simulations reveal that MD is an effective method to understand the phase transition of alkane-based phase change materials on molecular and atomic scale.     

First-principles study of lattice dynamics and thermodynamics ofosmium under pressure

We have performed the first-principles linear response calculations of the lattice dynamics, thermal equation of state and thermodynamical properties of hcp Os metal by using the plane-wave pseudopotential method. The thermodynamical properties are deduced from the calculated Helmholtz free energy by taking into account the electronic contribution and lattice vibrational contribution. The phonon frequencies at Gamma point are consistent with experimental values and the dispersion curves at various pressures have been determined. The calculated volume, bulk modulus and their pressure derivatives as a function of temperature are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. The calculated specific heat indicates that the electronic contribution is important not only at very low temperatures but also at high temperatures due to the electronic thermal excitation. The calculated Debye temperature at a very low temperature is in good agreement with experimental values and drops to a constant until 100~K.     

A first principles lattice dynamics and Raman spectra of the ferroelastic rutile to CaCl2 phase transition in SnO2 at high pressure

A first principles calculation of the lattice dynamical properties of rutile SnO₂ has been performed using density functional perturbation theory at ambient and high‐pressure conditions to understand the pressure‐induced phase transition. The calculated zone centre phonon modes at ambient and high pressures have been compared with Raman scattering and infrared measurements. Full phonon dispersion curves and phonon densities of states and Raman intensities at high pressures are calculated and given for the first time in literature. The ferroelastic transition from the rutile to the CaCl₂‐type structure was confirmed. It is clearly illustrated that the first transition is associated with macroscopic shear instability which arises from the strong coupling between elastic constants and softening of Raman active B_1g mode. The observed pressure of phase transition in experimental measurements was reproduced more accurately than in previous calculations, and the difference between observed and calculated transition pressure is only of the order of 2%. The mode Grüneisen parameter is quantitatively as well as qualitatively different from the earlier reported values. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ab initio study of the structure and dynamical properties of crystalline ice

We investigated the structural and dynamical properties of a tetrahedrally coordinated crystalline ice from first principles based on density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation with the projected augmented wave method. First, we report the structural behaviour of ice at finite temperatures based on the analysis of radial distribution functions obtained by molecular dynamics simulations. The results show how the ordering of the hydrogen bonding breaks down in the tetrahedral network of ice with entropy increase, in agreement with the neutron diffraction data. We also calculated the phonon spectra of ice in a 3× 1× 1 supercell using the direct method. So far, due to the direct method used in this calculation, the phonon spectra are obtained without taking into account the effect of polarization arising from dipole–dipole interactions of water molecules, which is expected to yield the splitting of longitudinal and transverse optic modes at the Γ point. The calculated longitudinal acoustic velocities from the initial slopes of the acoustic mode are in reasonable agreement with the neutron scattering data. Analysis of the vibrational density of states shows the existence of a boson peak at low energy of the translational region, a characteristic common to amorphous systems.     

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.     

Nonlinear dynamics of a two-dimensional lattice

The dynamics of the nonlinear excitations in a two-dimensional (2D) φ⁴-diatomic lattice, with nonlinear on-site electron-phonon coupling at the polarizable ion site has been presented, without considering the self consistent phonon approximation. One of the major results obtained from our calculations is in the understanding of continuous structural phase transition, where we have obtained the minimum in soft mode frequency at a soft mode temperatureT _s (>T _c), not at critical temperatureT _c. This occurs due to the anisotropy of such 2D systems.     

Unified study of lattice dynamics of NiO

A unified study of lattice dynamics of paramagnetic NiO has been studied by correcting the basic equations of the three-body force shell model for the valency of the cations and anions. The shell charge and core charge parameters are also modified. This approach explains the complete lattice dynamics of NiO successfully only when both the ions are taken to be polarizable. There is good scope for fresh determination of positive ion polarizability and Debye temperature variation.     

First-principles study on the phase transitions,crystal stabilities and thermodynamic properties of TiN under high pressure

The structural and thermodynamic properties of titanium nitride (TiN) have been investigated by merging first-principles calculations and particle-swarm algorithm. The three phases are identified for TiN, including the B1, the $P{6}_3/mmc$, and the B2 phases. A new phase of anti-TiP structure with the space group $P{6}_3/mmc$ has been predicted. The calculated phase transition from the B1 to the $P{6}_3/mmc$ occurs at 270 GPa. The vibrational, elastic, and thermodynamic properties for the three phases have been calculated and discussed.     

First-principles calculations of structure and high pressure phase transition in gallium nitride

The phase transitions of semiconductor GaN from the Wurtzite (WZ) structure and the zinc-blende (ZB) structure to the rocksalt (RS) structure are investigated by using the first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential density functional method combined with the ultrasoft pseudopotential scheme in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) correction. It is found that the phase transitions from the WZ structure and the ZB structure to the RS structure occur at pressures of 46.1 GPa and 45.2 GPa, respectively. The lattice parameters, bulk moduli and their pressure derivatives of these structures of GaN are also calculated. Our results are consistent with available experimental and other theoretical results. The dependence of the normalized formula-unit volume $V/V_{0 }$ on pressure $P$ is also successfully obtained.     

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.