Effect of structural vacancies on lattice vibration,mechanical, electronic,and thermodynamic properties of Cr5BSi3

In recent years,transition metal silicides have become the potential high temperature materials.The ternary silicide has attracted the attention of scientists and researchers.But their inherent brittle behaviors hinder their wide applications.In this work,we use the first-principles method to design four vacancy defects and discuss the effects of vacancy defects on the structural stability,mechanical properties,electronic and thermodynamic properties of hexagonal Cr;BSi;silicide.The data of lattice vibration and thermodynamic parameters indicate that the Cr;BSi;with different atomic vacancies can possess the structural stabilities.The different atomic vacancies change the mechanical properties and induce the Cr;BSi;to implement the brittle-to-ductile transition.The shear deformation resistance and volume deformation resistance of Cr;BSi;are weakened by different vacancy defects.But the brittleness behavior is remarkably improved.The structural stability and brittle-to-ductile transition of Cr;BSi;with different vacancies are explored by the electronic structures.Moreover,the thermal parameters indicate that the Cr;BSi;with vacancies exhibit different thermodynamic properties with temperature rising.     

ZnS结构相变、电子结构和光学性质的研究

运用第一性原理平面波赝势和广义梯度近似方法, 对闪锌矿结构(ZB)和氯化钠结构(RS) ZnS的状态方程及其在高压下的相变进行计算研究, 分析相变点附近的电子态密度、能带结构和光学性质的变化机理. 结果表明: 通过状态方程得到ZB相到RS相的相变压强值为18.1 GPa, 而利用焓相等原理得到的相变压强值为18.0 GPa; 在结构相变过程中, sp³轨道杂化现象并未消失, RS相ZnS的金属性明显增强; 与ZB相ZnS相比, RS相ZnS的介电常数主峰明显增强, 并向低能方向出现了明显偏移, 使得介电峰向低能方向拓展, 在低能区电子跃迁大大增强. 关键词： 硫化锌 相变 电子结构 光学性质     

First principle study of structural,electronic, mechanical,dynamic and optical properties of half-Heusler compound LiScSi under pressure

In this study, several physical properties of LiScSi compound with MgAgAs phase were investigated via the plane-wave pseudo-potential technique in density functional theory (DFT). The calculated total energy-atomic volume was fitted to the Murnaghan equation of state in order to obtain bulk modulus, their first derivatives and the lattice constant. These results were compared to findings of recent literature. Afterwards, the partial density of states (PDOS) and charge density differences were used to evaluate the electronic band structure of LiScSi under pressure. By analysing elastic properties (shear modulus, Poisson ratio, Young’s modulus, etc.) of the material, it has been shown that MgAgAs phase of the compound is mechanically stable under pressure. Moreover, the dynamical stability of this compound is calculated by means of the phonon dispersion curves and one-phonon DOS. Finally, the optical properties and related parameters (refractive index, dielectric function, and loss function) of LiScSi were examined with subject to different pressures.     

First-principles investigation of structural,mechanical, electronic,and bonding properties of NaZnSb

The structural, mechanical, electronic, and bonding properties and phase transition of NaZnSb are explored using the generalized gradient approximation based on ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory. With the help of the quasi-harmonic Debye model, we probe the Grüneisen parameter, thermal expansivity, heat capacity, Debye temperature, and entropy of NaZnSb in the tetragonal phase. The results indicate that the lattice constants and the bulk modulus and its first pressure derivative agree well with the available theoretical and experimental data. NaZnSb in its ground state structure exhibits a distinct energy gap of about 0.41 eV, which increases with increasing pressure. Our conclusions are consistent with the theoretical predictions obtained by the ABINIT package, but are different from those obtained through the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method. As a result, further experimental and theoretical researches need to be carried out. For the purpose of providing a comparative and complementary study for future research, we first investigate the thermodynamic properties of NaZnSb.     

Mo6S6 nanowires: structural, mechanical and electronic properties

The properties of nanowires were investigated with ab initio calculations based on the density-functional theory. The molecules build weakly coupled one-dimensional chains, like and Mo₆S_9-xI_x, and the crystals are strongly uniaxial in their mechanical and electronic properties. The calculated moduli of elasticity and resilience along the chain axis are c₁₁ = 320 GPa and E_R = 0.53 GPa, respectively. The electronic band structure and optical conductivity indicate that the crystals are good quasi-one-dimensional conductors. The frequency-dependent complex dielectric tensor ε, calculated in the random-phase approximation, shows a strong Drude peak in ε_∥, i.e., for the electric field polarised parallel to the chain axis, and several peaks related to interband transitions. The electron energy loss spectrum is weakly anisotropic and has a strong peak at the plasma frequency ħω_p ≈20 eV. The stability analysis shows that is metastable against the formation of the layered .     

First-principles study of structural stability, electronic and elastic properties of ZrC compounds

We theoretically study the possible pressure-induced structural phase transition, electronic and elastic properties of ZrC by using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT), in the presence and absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The calculations indicate that there exists a phase transition from the NaCl-type (B1) structure to CsCl-type (B2) structure at the transition pressure of 313.2 GPa (without SOC) and 303.5 GPa (with SOC). The detailed structural changes during the phase transition were analyzed. The band structure shows that B1-ZrC is metallic. A pseudogap appears around the Fermi level of the total density of states (DOS) of the B1 phase of ZrC, which may contribute to its structural stability.     

First-principles study of structural,mechanical, and electronic properties of W alloying with Zr

The structural, mechanical and electronic properties of W_(1-x)Zr_x(x=0.0625, 0.125, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.5) are systematically investigated by means of first-principles calculation. The total-energy calculations demonstrate that the W–Zr binary substitutional solid solution remaining bcc structure can be formed at an atom level. In addition, the derived bulk modulus(B), shear modulus(G), Young's modulus(E) for each of W–Zr alloys decrease gradually with the increase of Zr concentration, suggesting that W alloying with higher Zr concentration becomes softer than pure W metal. Based on the mechanical characteristic B/G ratio, Poisson's ratio υ and Cauchy pressure C, all W_(1-x)Zr_x alloys are regarded as ductile materials. The ductility for each of those materials is improved with the increase of Zr concentration. The calculated density of states indicates that the ductility of W_(1-x)Zr_x is due to the fact that the bonding in the alloy becomes more metallic through increasing the Zr concentration in tungsten. These results provide incontrovertible evidence for the fact that Zr has a significant influence on the properties of W.     

Density functional theoretical study of the structural, electronic and lattice dynamical properties of platinum pernitride

In the framework of density functional theory, the structural, electronic and lattice dynamical properties of platinum pernitride have been investigated using the plane wave pseudopotential within the GGA and LDA functional for treating the effects of exchange correlation implemented in PWSCF and ABINIT packages. The computed lattice constant and bulk modulus agree well with the experiment and other theoretical calculations. Both packages and correlation functional agree well on the lattice constant within the deviation of about 1.6%. The bulk modulus has been quite successfully predicted by LDA. The electronic structure and DOS of platinum pernitride show a narrow gap and confirms semiconducting nature of this compound. The lattice dynamical calculation shows that the platinum nitride in pyrite structure (platinum pernitride) is dynamically stable. The zone center phonon frequencies particularly the Raman active phonons agree well with the experimental Raman data in the case of GGA implemented in PWSCF. The pressure variation of Raman active modes shows a linear variation; however, at higher pressure the variation is fast.     

First-principles study of structural, mechanical, electronic and optical properties of 3R- and 2H-CuGaO2

We calculated the structural parameters, elastic, mechanical, electronic and optical properties of 3R- and 2H-CuGaO₂ using the first-principles density-functional theory. The results show that the structural parameters of two phases are in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental data. Two phases are mechanically stable, behave in ductile manner and have indirect band gap. The analyses of electronic structures and charge densities of two phases show mainly covalent nature in Cu-O bonds and coexistence of both ionic and covalent nature in Ga-O bonds. The optical properties are obtained and discussed, including the complex dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical reflectivity, absorption coefficient, energy-loss spectrum and complex conductivity function, which provide useful information for the future applications of CuGaO₂.     

First-principles study of structural,electronic, and optical properties of ZnSnO3

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of ZnSnO₃ were investigated using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. The structure parameters obtained agree well with the experimental results. The electronic structures indicate that ZnSnO₃ is a semiconductor with a direct band gap of 1.0 eV. The calculated optical spectra can be assigned to contributions of the interband transitions from valence band O 2p levels to conduction band Sn 5s levels or higher conduction band Zn 3d levels in the low-energy region, and from O 2p to Sn 5p or Zn 4p conduction band in the high-energy region.     

Structural,mechanical, and electronic properties of P3m1-BCN

The mechanical and electronic properties of P3m1-BCN have been studied by using first principles calculations. The anisotropy studies of Young's modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio show that P3m1-BCN exhibits a large anisotropy. Electronic structure study shows that P3m1-BCN is an indirect semiconductor with band gap of 4.10 eV. Unusually, the band gap of P3m1-BCN increase with increasing pressure.     

Investigation of structural,morphological and dynamic mechanical properties of PANI filled Nylon 11

Nylon 11 samples were filled with conducting polymer, polyaniline (PANI) of two different concentration (1% and 5% w/w) each. The samples in the form of disc containing above concentration were obtained by hot press molding. The structural properties have been investigated using density measurements, wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The morphology of pure and filled samples has been studied using scanning electron microscopy. Glass transition (T_g) temperature was determined using dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMTA). The result shows that there is slight crystal modification due to addition of fillers and this effect reduced the crystallinity marginally.     

First principles determination of structural,electronic and lattice dynamical properties of a model dipeptide molecular crystal

We present the results of ab initio calculations of the structural, electronic and lattice dynamical properties of the solid-state crystal of the glycyl-l-alanine dipeptide. Intramolecular bond lengths are found to be in good agreement with experimental values; lattice constants are in reasonable agreement, although it is found that discrepancies do exist. A hierarchy of hydrogen bond strengths is found, with those between (oppositely-charged) amine and carboxy functional groups being strongest. The crystal is found to be an indirect-bandgap material, with indirect bandgaps ≈4.95 eV, compared to a direct bandgap of 5.00 eV. Analysis of the electronic structure reveals that the electronic states in the near vicinity of the energy gap arise from carboxylate and amide oxygen atoms. The arrangement of both molecules and hydrogen bonds in the unit cell is found to manifest itself in increased bandwidth along specific reciprocal space directions, reflecting coupling brought about by hydrogen bonds. Determination of the zone-centre lattice dynamical behaviour permits the IR absorption spectrum to be explained. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds are found to couple intramolecular motions in adjacent moelcules, revealing the importance of an accurate treatment of intermolecular interactions, even for high-frequency vibronic modes.     

First-principles calculation of structural stability,lattice dynamic and thermodynamic properties of BeX (X = S,Se and Te) compounds under high pressure

The phase transitions, lattice dynamical and thermodynamic properties of BeS, BsSe and BeTe at high pressure have been investigated with the density functional theory. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters agree well with the available experimental and theoretical values. The phase transition pressures from the zinc-blende (ZB) to the nickel arsenide (NiAs) phase of these compounds are determined. The calculated phonon dispersion curves of these compounds in ZB phase at zero pressure do not show any anomaly or instability. Dynamically, the ZB phase of BeS, BeSe and BeTe is found to be stable near transition pressures P_T. Within the quasiharmonic approximation, the thermodynamic properties including the thermal expansion coefficient, heat capacity at constant volume, heat capacity at constant pressure and entropy are predicted.     

First principles study of structural stability,electronic structure and mechanical properties of ReN and TcN

The crystal structure, structural stability, electronic and mechanical properties of ReN and TcN are investigated using first principles calculations. We have considered five different crystal structures: NaCl, zinc blende (ZB), NiAs, tungsten carbide (WC) and wurtzite (WZ). Among these ZB phase is found to be the lowest energy phase for ReN and TcN at normal pressure. Pressure induced structural phase transitions from ZB to WZ phase at 214 GPa in ReN and ZB to NiAs phase at 171 GPa in TcN are predicted. The electronic structure reveals that both ReN and TcN are metallic in nature. The computed elastic constants indicate that both the nitrides are mechanically stable. As ReN in NiAs phase has high bulk and shear moduli and low Poisson's ratio, it is found to be a potential ultra incompressible super hard material.     

First-principles study of structural,electronic and optical properties of orthorhombic SrZrO3

We have investigated the structural parameters, electronic structure and optical properties of orthorhombic SrZrO₃ using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential technique based on the first-principles density-functional theory (DFT). Our calculated structural parameters are in good agreement with the previous theoretical and experimental data. Band structure, density of states and chemical bonding have been systematically studied. Furthermore, the complex dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical reflectivity, absorption coefficient, loss function and optical conductivity are calculated, which show an optical anisotropy in the components of polarization directions (100), (010) and (001).     

The effects of topology on the structural, dynamic and mechanical properties of network-forming materials

The effects of network topology on the static structural, mechanical and dynamic properties of MX(2) network-forming liquids (with tetrahedral short-range order) are discussed. The network topology is controlled via a single model parameter (the anion polarizability) which effectively constrains the inter-tetrahedral linkages in a physically transparent manner. Critically, it is found to control the balance between the stability of corner-?and edge-sharing tetrahedra. A potential rigidity transformation is investigated. The vibrational density of states is investigated, using an instantaneous normal model analysis, as a function of both anion polarizability and temperature. A low frequency peak is seen to appear and is shown to be correlated with the fraction of cations which are linked through solely edge-sharing structural motifs. A modified effective mean atom coordination number is proposed which allows the appearance of the low frequency feature to be understood in terms of a mean field rigidity percolation threshold.     

Theoretical studies of the structural,electronic and optical properties of carbazole‐based compounds

Carbazole derivatives have drawn increasing attention recently in organic electronic device applications because of their particular optoelectronic properties. An in‐depth theoretical investigation was elaborated in this paper to reveal the molecular structures, optoelectronic properties, and the structure‐property relationships of different carbazole‐linked functional groups. The geometric and electronic structures in ground and the mobility for the hole and electron are both calculated by density functional theory method. The excited‐state geometries of these compounds were obtained through Single‐excitation Configuration Interaction method, and time‐dependent density functional theory calculation results described the absorption and emission spectra properties, respectively. Some conclusions are as follows: (1) enlarging the π‐conjugated area, the corresponding spectra red shifted markedly; (2) by introducing the electron‐donor such as carbazole, the spectra blue shifted slightly; (3) compared with compound 1, the spectra for these compounds are hardly influenced by introducing an electron‐acceptor or heterocyclic substitution. On all accounts, these compounds are interesting optoelectronic functional materials. On the basis of their structural modifiability, the arylamine derivatives substituted carbazole compounds have great potential in the applications of organic light‐emitting diodes, organic solar cells, and sensors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High T c,structural instabilities and electronic properties of Nb3Ge

Abstract

A number of Nb₃Ge samples with rather high T _c,on (T _c,on ? 22.5 K) were prepared by CVD and characterized by the electrical resistance, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope patterns. It was found that the crystal growth patterns are roughly divided into two categories, (i) a particles-pattern in a nearly single phase of Nb₃Ge and (ii) a network pattern with a fairly large amount of the Nb₅Ge₃ phase but with rather a large resistance ratio and a small resistivity at T ? T _c,on. The latter type of samples shows generally higher T _c,on. It is deduced that the origin of high T _c,on comes mainly from a deformation of the atomic potential at the Nb-site into an anharmonic and rather unstable shape due to the coexistence of the Nb₅Ge₃ phase. The mechanism of the formation of different patterns is discussed on the basis of the theory of non-equilibrium thermodynamics of Prigogine.