Physical Properties of C-Si Alloys in C2/m Structure

Using the first principles calculations based on density functional theory, the crystal structure, elastic anisotropy, and electronic properties of carbon, silicon and their alloys(C_(12)Si_4, C_8Si_8, and C_4Si_(12)) in a monoclinic structure(C2/m) are investigated. The calculated results such as lattice parameters, elastic constants, bulk modulus,and shear modulus of C_(16) and Si_(16) in C2/m structure are in good accord with previous work. The elastic constants show that C_(16), Si_(16), and their alloys in C2/m structure are mechanically stable. The calculated results of universal anisotropy index, compression and shear anisotropy percent factors indicate that C-Si alloys present elastic anisotropy,and C_8Si_8 shows a greater anisotropy. The Poisson's ratio and the B/G value show that C_8Si_8 is ductile material and other four C-Si alloys are brittle materials. In addition, Debye temperature and average sound velocity are predicted utilizing elastic modulus and density of C-Si alloys. The band structure and the partial density of states imply that C_(16) and Si_(16) are indirect band gap semiconductors, while C_(12)Si_4, C_8Si_8, and C_4Si_(12) are semi-metallic alloys.     

Theoretical prediction of new C–Si alloys in C2/m-20 structure

We study structural,mechanical,and electronic properties of C_(20),Si_(20) and their alloys(C_(16)Si_4,C_(12)Si_8,C_8Si_(12),and C_4Si_(16)) in C2/m structure by using density functional theory(DFT) based on first-principles calculations.The obtained elastic constants and the phonon spectra reveal mechanical and dynamic stability.The calculated formation enthalpy shows that the C-Si alloys might exist at a specified high temperature scale.The ratio of BIG and Poisson's ratio indicate that these C-Si alloys in C2/m-20 structure are all brittle.The elastic anisotropic properties derived by bulk modulus and shear modulus show slight anisotropy.In addition,the band structures and density of states are also depicted,which reveal that C_(20),C_(16)Si_4,and Si_(20) are indirect band gap semiconductors,while C_8Si_(12) and C_4Si_(16) are semi-metallic alloys.Notably,a direct band gap semiconductor(C_(12)Si_8) is obtained by doping two indirect band gap semiconductors(C_(20) and Si_(20)).     

Mechanical,electronic and thermodynamic properties of TE-C36 under high pressure

The structural parameters, mechanical, electronic and thermodynamic properties of TE-C36 under high pressure were calculated via the density functional theory in combination with the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The results show that the pressure has significant effects on the equilibrium structure parameters, mechanical, electronic and thermodynamic properties of TE-C36. The obtained ground state structural parameters are in good agreement with previous theoretical results. The mechanically and dynamically stable under pressure were confirmed by the calculated elastic constants and phonon dispersion spectra. The elastic constants, elastic modulus, B/G ratio, Poisson’s ratio and Vicker’s hardness were determined in the pressure range of 0–100?GPa. The elastic anisotropy of TE-C36 under pressure are also determined in detail. The electronic structure calculations reveal that TE-C36 remains a direct band gap semiconductor when the pressure changes from 0 to 100?GPa, and the band gap decreases with increasing pressure. Furthermore, the pressure and temperature dependence of thermal expansion coefficient, heat capacity and Debye temperature are predicted in a wide pressure (0–90?GPa) and temperature (0–2500?K) ranges. The obtained results are expected to provide helpful guidance for the future synthesis and application of TE-C36.     

Ca3Co2O6及其掺镍体系的电子结构计算

用离散变分密度泛函方法(DFT-DVM)计算了钴酸盐Ca3Co2O6及其掺镍体系，讨论了电子结构，化学键等与热电性能之间的关系．结果表明，价带和导带主要由Co3d，Ni3d和O2p原子轨道贡献．价带和导带之间的能隙宽度表现出了半导体电子结构特征，且掺镍体系的能隙比不掺镍体系窄．掺镍体系的共价键和离子键都比不掺镍体系弱．由此得到，掺镍后体系的热电性能将有所改善．     

A novel superhard boron nitride polymorph with monoclinic symmetry

In this work, a new superhard material named Pm BN is proposed. The structural properties, stability, mechanical properties, mechanical anisotropy properties, and electronic properties of Pm BN are studied in this work. Pm BN is dynamically and mechanically stable, the relative enthalpy of Pm BN is greater than that of c-BN, and in this respect, and it is more favorable than that of T-B₃N₃, T-B₇N₇, tP24 BN, Imm2 BN, NiAs BN, and rocksalt BN. The Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of Pm BN are 327 GPa, 331 GPa, and 738 GPa, respectively, and according to Chen's model, Pm BN is a novel superhard material. Compared with its original structure, the mechanical anisotropy of Young's modulus of Pm BN is larger than that of C14 carbon. Finally, the calculations of the electronic energy band structure show that Pm BN is a semiconductor material with not only a wide band gap but also an indirect band gap.     

2H-PbI2晶体的电子结构和力学性质

采用基于密度泛函平面波赝势方法(PWP)方法,计算了六角晶系2H-PbI2晶体的电子结构、力学性质和硬度。采用局域密度近似(LDA)方法计算的晶格常数、带隙、弹性常数与实验值和理论值符合较好。计算表明,2H-PbI2是一种直接带隙的半导体,带隙大约为2。38eV。运用复杂晶体硬度计算公式计算了六角晶系2H-PbI2晶体的硬度,硬度值大约为2. 54 GPa。还发现2H-PbI2晶体的各向异性非常明显。     

Orientation dependence of elastic properties in orthorhombic Ca_3Mn_2O_7

Elastic properties are important in fundamental understanding of multiferroic materials. However, up to now, there is no work about anisotropy of elastic properties in orthorhombic Ca_3Mn_2O_7. In this study, using coordinate transformation method, we investigated basic elastic parameters(elastic constants c'_(ij)) and engineering elastic parameters(Young's modulus E, Poisson's ratio v, and the rigidity modulus G') of orthorhombic Ca_3Mn_2O_7 along arbitrary orientations. The detailed anisotropic characteristics of these parameters were presented. The results reveal the orientation related elastic properties in mm2 point group orthorhombic Ca_3Mn_2O_7.     

Investigation of electronic,elastic, and optical properties of topological electride Ca_3Pb via first-principles calculations

Electrides are unique materials with the anionic electrons confined to the interstitial sites, expecting important applications in various areas. In this work, the electronic structure and detailed physical properties of topological electride Ca_3Pb are studied theoretically. By comparing the crystal structures and band structures of Ca_3Pb and Ca_3Pb O, we find that after removing O_2-ions from Ca_3Pb O, the remaining electrons are confined in the vacancies of the Ca_6 octahedra centers,playing the role as anions and forming an additional energy band compared with that of Ca_3Pb. These interstitial electrons partially result in the low work function of Ca_3Pb. Moreover, the calculated mechanic properties imply that Ca_3Pb has a strong brittleness. In addition, the dielectric functions and optical properties of Ca_3Pb are also analyzed.     

P213 BN: a novel large-cell boron nitride polymorph

A new boron nitride polymorph, P2₁3 BN (space group: P2₁3), is investigated by first-principles calculations, including its structural properties, stability, elastic properties, anisotropy and electronic properties. It is found that the new boron nitride polymorph P2₁3 BN is mechanically, dynamically and thermodynamically stable. The bulk modulus (B), shear modulus (G) and Young's modulus of P2₁3 BN are 91 GPa, 41 GPa and 107 GPa, respectively, all of which are larger than that of Y carbon and TY carbon. By comparing with c-BN, the Young's modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio of P2₁3 BN show tiny anisotropy in the (001), (010), (100) and (111) planes. At the same time, in contrast with most boron nitride polymorphs, P2₁3 BN is a semiconductor material with a smaller band gap of 1.826 eV. The Debye temperature and the anisotropic sound velocities of P2₁3 BN are also investigated in this work.     

The under-pressure behaviour of mechanical,electronic and optical properties of calcium titanate and its ground state thermoelectric response

Abstract

In this study, the elastic, electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ perovskite oxide have been investigated using first-principles calculations. The generalised gradient approximation (GGA) has been employed for evaluating structural and elastic properties, while the modified Becke Johnson functional is used for studying the optical response of this compound. In addition to ground state physical properties, we also investigate the effects of pressure (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 GPa) on the electronic structure of CaTiO₃. The application of pressure from 0 to 90 GPa shows that the indirect band gap (Γ-M) of CaTiO₃ increases with increasing pressure and at 120 GPa it spontaneously decreases transforming cubic CaTiO₃ to a direct (Γ-Γ) band gap material. The complex dielectric function and some optical parameters are also investigated under the application of pressures. All the calculated optical properties have been found to exhibit a shift to the higher energies with the increase of applied pressure suggesting potential optoelectronic device applications of CaTiO₃. The thermoelectric properties of CaTiO₃ have been computed at 0 GPa in terms of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient.     

D-Type Anti-Ferromagnetic Ground State in Ca_2Mn_2O_5

We study the electronic and magnetic properties of an oxygen-deficient perovskite Ca_2 Mn_2 O_5 based on the first principle calculations. The calculations show that the ground state of Ca_2 Mn_2 O_5 is a D-type anti-ferromagnetic structure with the anti-ferromagnetic spin coupling along the c-direction. The corresponding electronic structure of the D-type state is investigated, and the results display that Ca_2 Mn_2 O_5 is an insulator with an indirect energy gap of ~2.08 eV. By the partial density-of-state analysis, the valence band maximum is mainly contributed to by the O-2 p orbitals and the conduction band minimum is contributed to by the O-2 p and Mn-3 d orbitals. Due to the Coulomb repulsion interaction between electrons, the density of state of Mn-3 d is pulled to-6--4.5 eV.     

First-Principles Calculations of Structural,Elastic and ElectronicProperties of Tetragonal HfO2under Pressure

Structural, elastic and electronic properties of tetragonal HfO₂ at applied hydrostatic pressure up to 50 GPa have been investigated using the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential technique based on the first-principles density-functional theory (DFT). The calculated ground-state properties are in good agreement with previous theoretical and experimental data. Six independent elastic constants of tetragonal HfO₂ have been calculated at zero pressure and high pressure. From the obtained elastic constants, the bulk, shear and Young's modulus, Poisson's coefficients, acoustic velocity and Debye temperature have been calculated at the applied pressure. Band structure shows that tetragonal HfO₂ is an indirect band gap. The variation of the gap versus pressure is well fitted to a quadratic function.     

Electronic Structure and Elastic Properties of Ti3AlC from First-Principles Calculations

We perform a first-principles study on the electronic structure and elastic properties of TiaA1C with an antiperovskite structure. The absence of band gap at the Fermi level and the finite value of the density of states at the Fermi energy reveal the metallic behavior of this compound. The elastic constants of Ti3AlC are derived yielding c11 = 356 GPa, c12 = 55 GPa, c44 = 157 GPa. The bulk modulus B, shear modulus G and Young＇s modulus E are determined to be 156, 151 and 342 GPa, respectively. These properties are compared with those of Ti3AlC2 and Ti2AlC with a layered structure in the Ti-Al-C system and FeaAlC with the same antiperovskite structure.     

An ab initio study of the structural,elastic, electronic and optical properties of the newly synthesized nitridoaluminate LiCaAlN2

The structural parameters, elastic constants, electronic structure and optical properties of the recently reported monoclinic quaternary nitridoaluminate LiCaAlN₂ are investigated in detail using the ab initio plane-wave pseudopotential method within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters are in excellent agreement with the experimental data, which validate the reliability of the applied theoretical method. The chemical and structural stabilities of LiCaAlN₂ are confirmed by calculating the cohesion energy and enthalpy of formation. Chemical band stiffness is calculated to explain the pressure dependence of the lattice parameters. Through the band structure calculation, LiCaAlN₂ is predicted to be an indirect band gap of 2.725 eV. The charge-carrier effective masses are estimated from the band structure dispersions. The frequency-dependent dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity coefficient and electron energy loss function spectra are calculated for polarized incident light in a wide energy range. Optical spectra exhibit a noticeable anisotropy. Single-crystal and polycrystalline elastic constants and related properties, including isotropic sound velocities and Debye temperatures, are numerically estimated. The calculated elastic constants and elastic compliances are used to analyse and visualize the elastic anisotropy of LiCaAlN₂. The calculated elastic constants demonstrate the mechanical stability and brittle behaviour of the considered material.     

Comparative first-principles calculations of electronic, optical and elastic anisotropy properties of CsXBr3 (X=Ca,Ge,Sn ) crystals

Detailed ab initio calculations of the structural, electronic, optical and elastic properties of CsCaBr₃, CsGeBr₃ and CsSnBr₃ crystals are presented in this paper. Based on the obtained results, CsCaBr₃ is characterized as a dielectric with an indirect band gap, whereas CsGeBr₃ and CsSnBr₃ are semiconductors with very narrow direct band gaps. The first theoretical estimations of the refractive indexes for all compounds are reported. Variations of the electron density difference distribution induced by changes of the second cation were analyzed and related to the type of chemical bonding between atoms. In addition, the complete set of elastic parameters (which includes the elastic constants, elastic compliance constants, bulk and Young’s moduli, elastic anisotropy) was obtained. Directional anisotropy of elastic properties was visualized; the directions in the crystal lattices, along which the maximal and minimal values of the Young’s moduli are realized, were identified.     

Structural, elastic, magnetic and electronic properties of 4d perovskite CaTcO3: a DFT+U investigation

The structural, elastic, magnetic and electronic properties of 4d high Neél temperature perovskite (Pv) CaTcO(3) have been studied using density functional theory plus the Hubbard U (DFT+U) method. The degree of correlations of CaTcO(3) is determined with a reasonable value of U. The compound is found to be an indirect band gap semiconductor with G-type antiferromagnetic ordering and large superexchange interactions. Large anisotropic compression behavior is found that is much alike the case of Pv CaIrO(3) reported by recent high pressure experiment. The b and c axes decrease linearly with pressure whereas the a axis nearly keeps constant and even slightly expands after ~23 GPa. Finally, we predict the single crystal elastic constants and investigate the polycrystalline elastic properties.     

Physical properties of Ima2-BN under pressure: First principles calculations

A fully orthorhombic boron nitride (BN) polymorph with an orthorhombic symmetry (Ima2-BN, space group: Ima2) was investigated by first-principles calculations. The Ima2-BN under 30 GPa is both mechanically and dynamically stable via elastic constants and phonon spectra. The anisotropic and electronic properties of Ima2-BN under different pressure are investigated in this work. The anisotropic properties calculations show that the Young's modulus of Ima2-BN in (001) plane exhibits the greatest anisotropy under ambient pressure, while in (111) plane it is the greatest when P > 20 GPa, while the (010) plane has always exhibited the minimal anisotropy whether under ambient pressure or high pressure. Ima2-BN is an indirect wider band gap semiconductor material under ambient pressure, and the band gap of Ima2-BN decreases with the increasing pressure. The minimum thermal conductivities κ_min of Ima2-BN is 1.85 W/(cmK), it is slightly higher than of B₄N₄-I and c-BN.     

Density-functional theory investigation of electronic structure,elastic properties,optical properties,and lattice dynamics of Ba_2Zn WO_6

The electronic structures,optical dielectric functions,elastic properties,and lattice dynamics of Ba2ZnWO6 have been investigated by using the generalized gradient approximation.The density of states and distributions of charge density show that O and Ba tend toward ionic bond,but O and W or Zn display the covalent bond character.The calculated energy band structure shows that Ba2ZnWO6 is a wide indirect band gap semiconductor.The static value 2.28 of the refractive index is attained.The analysis of the elastic properties of Ba2ZnWO6 indicates a rather weak elastic anisotropy.The phonon dispersion is calculated,suggesting no structural instability,which is agreement with the recent low temperature neutron diffraction experiments.The mensurability C v(phonon heat capacity) as the function of the temperature is also calculated to judge our results for future experiment.     

Ab initio calculations of the elastic, electronic, optical, and vibrational properties of PdGa compound under pressure

The structural, elastic, electronic, optical, and vibrational properties of cubic PdGa compound are investigated using the norm-conserving pseudopotentials within the local density approximation (LDA) in the framework of the density functional theory. The calculated lattice constant has been compared with the experimental value and has been found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The obtained electronic band structures show that PdGa compound has no band gap. The second-order elastic constants have been calculated, and the other related quantities such as the Young’s modulus, shear modulus, Poisson’s ratio, anisotropy factor, sound velocities, and Debye temperature have also been estimated. Our calculated results of elastic constants show that this compound is mechanically stable. Furthermore, the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function and the optical constants such as the electron energy-loss function, the optical dielectric constant and the effective number of electrons per unit cell are calculated and presented in the study. The phonon dispersion curves are also derived using the direct method.     

DFT - based study of electronic structures and mechanical properties of LiTaO3: ferroelectric and paraelectric phases

Abstract

By applying ab initio calculation within density functional theory (DFT), we study the structure parameters, electronic band structure, elastic coefficients, polycrystalline elastic properties, anisotropy factors and Debye temperature of ferroelectric and paraelectric phases of LiTaO₃ within the generalised gradient approximation at ambient pressure. The atomic structure in both phases is fully relaxed and the lattice constant, angle and atomic positions are well consistent with experimental values. The computed single-crystal elastic coefficients indicate that mechanical stability of LiTaO₃ in both phases is confirmed using the generalised Born criteria. The shear, bulk and Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and Vickers hardness were computed according to theoretical elastic constants by Voight–Reuss–Hill method. Several anisotropy factors and indexes are computed to illustrate mechanical anisotropy. Both phases are shown to be weakly anisotropic. The Debye temperature is estimated using the longitude and transverse elastic wave velocity of the ideal polycrystalline LiTaO₃ aggregates. We have found that LiTaO₃ in both phases has an indirect energy band gap. The differences in the electronic structure and density of states for both phases are quite small. Our results indicate that the mechanical and bonding properties of both phases are very similar. The obtained results were compared with the available experimental and theoretical values.