Transformation of long-period stacking ordered structures in Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloys upon synergistic characterization of first-principles calculation and experiment and its effects on mechanical properties

Based on experiments and first-principles calculations,the microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast and solution treated Mg-10Gd-4Y-xZn-0.6Zr(x=0,1,2,wt.%)alloys are investigated.The transformation process of long-period stacking ordered(LPSO)structure during solidification and heat treatment and its effect on the mechanical properties of experimental alloys are discussed.Results reveal that the stacking faults and 18R LPSO phases appear in the as-cast Mg-10Gd-4Y-1Zn-0.6Zr and Mg-10Gd-4Y-2Zn-0.6Zr alloys,respectively.After solution treatment,the stacking faults and 18R LPSO phase transform into 14H LPSO phase.The Enthalpies of formation and reaction energy of 14H and 18R LPSO are calculated based on first-principles.Results show that the alloying ability of 18R is stronger than that of 14H.The reaction energies show that the 14H LPSO phase is more stable than the 18R LPSO.The elastic properties of the 14H and 18R LPSO phases are also evaluated by first-principles calculations,and the results are in good agreement with the experimental results.The precipitation of LPSO phase improves the tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of the alloy.After solution treatment,the Mg-10Gd-4Y-2Zn-0.6Zr alloy has the best mechanical properties,and its ultimate tensile strength and yield strength are 278.7 MPa and 196.4 MPa,respectively.The elongation of Mg-10Gd-4Y-2Zn-0.6Zr reaches 15.1,which is higher than that of Mg-10Gd-4Y0.6Zr alloy.The improving mechanism of elastic modulus by the LPSO phases and the influence on the alloy mechanical properties are also analyzed.

The growth ofβphase in Mg-Gd-Y-Ni alloy by experimental and first-principles study

The paper reports on the atomic investigation aboutβphase in Mg_(96)Gd_(2)Y_(1)Ni_(1) alloy by using the first-principles study and the high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope(HAADF-STEM)corrected by atomic Cs.By using HAADF-STEM,the rectangularβphases were observed in the underage and peak aging stages in Mg_(96)Gd_(2)Y_(1)Ni_(1) alloy.Theβphase could be precipitated from the previously precipitatedβphase,and theβphase grew in steps when it was precipitated.A special transition structure of three atomic layer thicknesses was first observed at the edge of theβphase and the structure of this interface is probably as theβ/Mg_(1) interface for the analysis of thermodynamic characterization and electronic characterization.Theβ'phase and theβ_(H) structure were precipitated only at the edge of the length directions of theβphase.Theβ'phase continues to grow into aβphase directly without the formation ofβ_(1) phase,resulting in an increase in the length of theβphase,which is discovered for the first time.

First-principles study on the diffusion behavior of Cs and I in Cr coating

Cs and I can migrate through fuel-cladding interfaces and accelerate the cladding corrosion process induced by the fuel-cladding chemical interaction.Cr coating has emerged as an important candidate for mitigating this chemical interaction.In this study,first-principles calculations were employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of Cs and I in the Cr bulk and grain boundaries to reveal the microscopic interaction mitigation mechanisms at the fuel-cladding interface.The interaction between these two fission products and the Cr coating were studied systematically,and the Cs and I temperature-dependent diffusion coefficients in Cr were obtained using Bocquet’s oversized solute-atom model and Le Claire’s nine-frequency model,respectively.The results showed that the Cs and I migration barriers were significantly lower than that of Cr,and the Cs and I diffusion coefficients were more than three orders of magnitude larger than the Cr self-diffusion coefficient within the temperature range of Generation-IV fast reactors(below 1000 K),demonstrating the strong penetration ability of Cs and I.Furthermore,Cs and I are more likely to diffuse along the grain boundary because of the generally low migration barriers,indicating that the grain boundary serves as a fast diffusion channel for Cs and I.

First-principles study on stability and superconductivity of ternary hydride LaYH_(x)(x=2,3,6 and 8)

Recent studies have shown that the La-and Y-hydrides can exhibit significant superconducting properties under high pressures.In this paper,we investigate the stability,electronic and superconducting properties of LaYH_(x)(x=2,3,6 and 8)under 0-200 GPa.It is found that LaYH_(2) stabilizes in the C2/m phase at ambient pressure,and transforms to the Pmmn phase at 67 GPa.LaYH_(3) stabilizes in the C2/m phase at ambient pressure,and undergoes phase transitions of C2/m→P2_(1)/m→R3m at 12 GPa and 87 GPa,respectively.LaYH_(6) stabilizes in the P4_32_12 phase at ambient pressure,and undergoes phase transitions of P4_(3)2_(1)2→P4/mmm→Cmcm at 28 GPa and 79 GPa,respectively.LaYH_(8) stabilizes in the Imma phase at 60 GPa and transforms to the P4/mmm phase at 117 GPa.Calculations of the electronic band structures show that the P4/mmm-LaYH_(8) and all phases of LaYH_(2) and LaYH_(3) exhibit metallic character.For the metallic phases,we then study their superconducting properties.The calculated superconducting transition temperatures(T_c)are 0.47 K for C2/m-LaYH_(2) at 0 GPa,0 K for C2/m-LaYH_(3) at 0 GPa,and 55.51 K for P4/mmm-LaYH_(8) at 50 GPa.

First-Principles Investigation of Charge Transfer Mechanism of B-Doped 3C-SiC Semiconductor Material

This study delves into the charge transfer mechanism of boron (B)-doped 3C-SiC through first-principles investigations. We explore the effects of B doping on the electronic properties of 3C-SiC, focusing on a 12.5% impurity concentration. Our comprehensive analysis encompasses structural properties, electronic band structures, and charge density distributions. The optimized lattice constant and band gap energy of 3C-SiC were found to be 4.373 Å and 1.36 eV respectively, which is in agreement with previous research (Bui, 2012;Muchiri et al., 2018). Our results show that B doping narrows the band gap, enhances electrical conductivity, and influences charge transfer interactions. The charge density analysis reveals substantial interactions between B dopants and surrounding carbon atoms. This work not only enhances our understanding of the material’s electronic properties, but also highlights the importance of charge density analysis for characterizing charge transfer mechanisms and their implications in the 3C-SiC semiconductors.

First-Principles Calculation of the Topological Nodal-Line Semimetal FeGe_(2)

The electronic and topological properties of FeGe2 with a tetragonal crystal structure were investigated via first-principles calculations.The results demonstrate that FeGe2 in this structure exhibits anti-ferromagnetism,with two bands crossing the Fermi level nesting each other at high-symmetry points in the Brillouin zone,forming a nodal ring where the nodes intersect in momentum space.Additionally,it possesses nontrivial topological surface states.Upon inclusion of SOC(spin-orbit coupling),there are no significant changes observed in the band structure,nodal features,or surface states,indicating the persistence of its topological nodal-line characteristics.

First-Principles Study of the New Layered Ternary Metal Telluride,Eu_(2)InTe_(5)

In this study,we performed first-principles calculations using the VASP(Vienna Ab initio Simulation)software package to investigate the crystal structure,electronic structure,and optical properties of a new layered ternary metal chalcogenide,Eu_(2)InTe_(5).Our results show that Eu_(2)InTe_(5) is a non-zero-gap metal with a layered structure characterized by strong intra-layer atomic bonding and weak inter-layer interaction,which suggests its potential application as a nanomaterial.We also studied the optical properties,including the absorption coefficient,imaginary and real parts of the complex dielectric constant,and found that Eu_(2)InTe_(5) exhibits strong photoresponse characteristics at the junction of ultraviolet and visible light as well as blue-green light,with peaks at wavelengths of 389 nm and 477 nm.This suggests that it could be used in the development of UV(ultraviolet)detectors and other optoelectronic devices.Furthermore,due to its strong absorption,low loss,and low reflectivity,Eu_(2)InTe_(5) has the potential to be used as a promising photovoltaic absorption layer in solar cells.

First-principles calculations of Ni–(Co)–Mn–Cu–Ti all-d-metal Heusler alloy on martensitic transformation,mechanical and magnetic properties

The martensitic transformation,mechanical,and magnetic properties of the Ni_(2)Mn_(1.5-x)Cu_(x)Ti_(0.5) (x=0.125,0.25,0.375,0.5) and Ni_(2-y)Co_(y)Mn_(1.5-x)Cu_(x)Ti_(0.5)[(x=0.125,y=0.125,0.25,0.375,0.5) and (x=0.125,0.25,0.375,y=0.625)]alloys were systematically studied by the first-principles calculations.For the formation energy,the martensite is smaller than the austenite,the Ni–(Co)–Mn–Cu–Ti alloys studied in this work can undergo martensitic transformation.The austenite and non-modulated (NM) martensite always present antiferromagnetic state in the Ni_(2)Mn_(1.5-x)Cu_(x)Ti_(0.5) and Ni_(2-y)Co_(y)Mn_(1.5-x)Cu_(x)Ti_(0.5) (y<0.625) alloys.When y=0.625 in the Ni_(2-y)Co_(y)Mn_(1.5-x)Cu_(x)Ti_(0.5) series,the austenite presents ferromagnetic state while the NM martensite shows antiferromagnetic state.Cu doping can decrease the thermal hysteresis and anisotropy of the Ni–(Co)–Mn–Ti alloy.Increasing Mn and decreasing Ti content can improve the shear resistance and normal stress resistance,but reduce the toughness in the Ni–Mn–Cu–Ti alloy.And the ductility of the Co–Cu co-doping alloy is inferior to that of the Ni–Mn–Cu–Ti and Ni–Co–Mn–Ti alloys.The electronic density of states was studied to reveal the essence of the mechanical and magnetic properties.

First-principles study of the bandgap renormalization and optical property ofβ-LiGaO_(2)

Theβ-LiGaO_(2)with an orthorhombic wurtzite-derived structure is a candidate ultrawide direct-bandgap semiconductor.In this work,using the non-adiabatic Allen-Heine-Cardona approach,we investigate the bandgap renormalization arising from electron-phonon coupling.We find a sizable zero-point motion correction of-0.362 eV to the gap atΓ,which is dominated by the contributions of long-wavelength longitudinal optical phonons.The bandgap ofβ-LiGaO_(2)decreases monotonically with increasing temperature.We investigate the optical spectra by comparing the model Bethe-Salpether equation method with the independent-particle approximation.The calculated optical spectra including electron-hole interactions exhibit strong excitonic effects,in qualitative agreement with the experiment.The contributing interband transitions and the binding energy for the excitonic states are analyzed.

Initial micro-galvanic corrosion behavior between Mg_(2)Ca and α-Mg via quasi-in situ SEM approach and first-principles calculation

The initial micro-galvanic corrosion behavior of Mg-30wt%Ca alloy only containing Mg_(2)Ca andα-Mg was studied by immersion testing in a 0.9%Na Cl solution at 37°C.The quasi-in situ SEM and TEM results show that Mg_(2)Ca corroded easier thanα-Mg,indicating that Mg_(2)Ca acted as an anode.The work function(Φ)for Mg_(2)Ca calculated by first-principles is significantly lower compared to that forα-Mg.The Volta potential measured by a scanning Kelvin probe force microscope reveals that the Mg_(2)Ca had a relatively low Volta potential(ψ)value.The lowerΦandψvalues for Mg_(2)Ca indicate a lower electrochemical nobility,which is consistent with the experimental phenomenon.

First-principles Study of Electronic Structural and Mechanical Properties of Mg_(x)La(x=1,2,3)Compounds under Pressure

The effects of pressure on structural,elastic and electronic properties of Mg_(x)La(x=1,2,3)compounds are investigated by using CASTEP program based on the density functional theory.The calculated equilibrium lattice parameters at zero pressure agree well with available experimental and theoretical values.The calculated DOS show that the structure of these compounds remains mechanically stable and structural phase transformation is not induced with increasing pressure from 0 to 30 GPa,and their structural stability increases with pressure.The ductility of MgLa can be improved by increasing pressure,which is the same as Mg_(2)La in 0-20 GPa,while brittle behavior turns into ductile behavior in 0-5 GPa for Mg_(3)La.The resistance to volume deformation of Mg_(x)La(x=1,2,3)compounds can be improved as the pressure increases.The shear deformation resistance and elastic stiffness of Mg_(3)La can be enhanced by rising pressure,but MgLa and Mg_(2)La increase first and then decrease when pressure is up to 25 GPa.In addition,the three compounds exhibit the elastic anisotropy with pressure.

A first-principles study on remote van der Waals epitaxy through a graphene monolayer on semiconductor substrates

To investigate the mechanism of remote epitaxy, where the overlayer can follow the same crystalline structure as the underlying semiconductor substrate through a thin two-dimensional interlayer, we systematically study the potential fluctuations of graphene covered Si, Ga As, and Ga N substrates from first-principles. We find that the uneven semiconductor surface, the distorted graphene, and the non-uniform interface charge transfer make significant contributions to the potential fluctuation. The semiconductor substrate with different surface reconstructions and orientations will generate different potential fluctuations through the graphene interlayer. We also calculate and compare the adsorption of adatoms on graphene covered substrates. The adsorption energies of adatoms not only depend on their distances to the underlying semiconductor surface, but are also sensitive to the direction of the charge transfer at the graphene/substrate interface. Changing the semiconductor reconstruction or orientation could even reverse the order of the adsorption energies of cation and anion adatoms by reversing the interface charge transfer direction, leading to a change in the growth orientation of the overlayer.Our study improves the understanding of the mechanism of remote epitaxy, and reveals that it is possible to control the initial nucleation and orientation of overlayers by changing the semiconductor reconstructions and/or orientations in remote epitaxy.

Rational design of Fe/Co-based diatomic catalysts for Li–S batteries by first-principles calculations

Fe/Co-based diatomic catalysts decorated on an N-doped graphene substrate are investigated by first-principles calculations to improve the electrochemical properties of Li–S batteries.Our results demonstrate that Fe CoN8@Gra not only possesses moderate adsorption energies towards Li2Snspecies,but also exhibits superior catalytic activity for both reduction and oxidation reactions of the sulfur cathode.Moreover,the metallic property of the diatomic catalysts can be well maintained after Li2Snadsorption,which could help the sulfur cathode to maintain high conductivity during the whole charge–discharge process.Given these exceptional properties,it is expected that Fe CoN8@Gra could be a promising diatomic catalyst for Li–S batteries and afford insights for further development of advanced Li–S batteries.

Thermal transport properties of two-dimensional boron dichalcogenides from a first-principles and machine learning approach

The investigation of thermal transport is crucial to the thermal management of modern electronic devices.To obtain the thermal conductivity through solution of the Boltzmann transport equation,calculation of the anharmonic interatomic force constants has a high computational cost based on the current method of single-point density functional theory force calculation.The recent suggested machine learning interatomic potentials(MLIPs)method can avoid these huge computational demands.In this work,we study the thermal conductivity of two-dimensional MoS_(2)-like hexagonal boron dichalcogenides(H-B_(2)VI_(2);V I=S,Se,Te)with a combination of MLIPs and the phonon Boltzmann transport equation.The room-temperature thermal conductivity of H-B_(2)S_(2)can reach up to 336 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),obviously larger than that of H-B_(2)Se_(2)and H-B_(2)Te_(2).This is mainly due to the difference in phonon group velocity.By substituting the different chalcogen elements in the second sublayer,H-B_(2)VIV I′have lower thermal conductivity than H-B_(2)VI_(2).The room-temperature thermal conductivity of B2STe is only 11%of that of H-B_(2)S_(2).This can be explained by comparing phonon group velocity and phonon relaxation time.The MLIP method is proved to be an efficient method for studying the thermal conductivity of materials,and H-B_(2)S_(2)-based nanodevices have excellent thermal conduction.

Pressure-dependent electronic,optical,and mechanical properties of antiperovskite X_(3)NP(X=Ca,Mg):A first-principles study

Hydrostatic pressure provides an efficient way to tune and optimize the properties of solid materials without chang-ing their composition.In this work,we investigate the electronic,optical,and mechanical properties of antiperovskite X_(3)NP(X^(2+)=Ca,Mg)upon compression by first-principles calculations.Our results reveal that the system is anisotropic,and the lat-tice constant a of X_(3)NP exhibits the fastest rate of decrease upon compression among the three directions,which is different from the typical Pnma phase of halide and chalcogenide perovskites.Meanwhile,Ca_(3)NP has higher compressibility than Mg_(3)NP due to its small bulk modulus.The electronic and optical properties of Mg_(3)NP show small fluctuations upon compression,but those of Ca_(3)NP are more sensitive to pressure due to its higher compressibility and lower unoccupied 3d orbital energy.For example,the band gap,lattice dielectric constant,and exciton binding energy of Ca_(3)NP decrease rapidly as the pressure increases.In addition,the increase in pressure significantly improves the optical absorption and theoretical conversion effi-ciency of Ca_(3)NP.Finally,the mechanical properties of X_(3)NP are also increased upon compression due to the reduction in bond length,while inducing a brittle-to-ductile transition.Our research provides theoretical guidance and insights for future experi-mental tuning of the physical properties of antiperovskite semiconductors by pressure.

Magnetic and electronic properties of bulk and two-dimensional FeBi_(2)Te_(4):A first-principles study

Layered magnetic materials,such as MnBi_(2)Te_(4),have drawn much attention owing to their potential for realizing twodimensional(2D)magnetism and possible topological states.Recently,FeBi_(2)Te_(4),which is isostructural to MnBi_(2)Te_(4),has been synthesized in experiments,but its detailed magnetic ordering and band topology have not been clearly understood yet.Here,based on first-principles calculations,we investigate the magnetic and electronic properties of FeBi_(2)Te_(4)in bulk and 2D forms.We show that different from MnBi_(2)Te_(4),the magnetic ground states of bulk,single-layer,and bilayer FeBi_(2)Te_(4)all favor a 120°noncollinear antiferromagnetic ordering,and they are topologically trivial narrow-gap semiconductors.For the bilayer case,we find that a quantum anomalous Hall effect with a unit Chern number is realized in the ferromagnetic state,which may be achieved in experiment by an external magnetic field or by magnetic proximity coupling.Our work clarifies the physical properties of the new material system of FeBi_(2)Te_(4)and reveals it as a potential platform for studying magnetic frustration down to 2D limit as well as quantum anomalous Hall effect.

First-principles prediction of quantum anomalous Hall effect in two-dimensional Co2Te lattice

The quantum anomalous Hall effect(QAHE) has special quantum properties that are ideal for possible future spintronic devices. However, the experimental realization is rather challenging due to its low Curie temperature and small non-trivial bandgap in two-dimensional(2D) materials. In this paper, we demonstrate through first-principles calculations that monolayer Co2Te material is a promising 2D candidate to realize QAHE in practice. Excitingly, through Monte Carlo simulations, it is found that the Curie temperature of single-layer Co2Te can reach 573 K. The band crossing at the Fermi level in monolayer Co2Te is opened when spin–orbit coupling is considered, which leads to QAHE with a sizable bandgap of Eg= 96 me V, characterized by the non-zero Chern number(C = 1) and a chiral edge state. Therefore, our findings not only enrich the study of quantum anomalous Hall effect, but also broaden the horizons of the spintronics and topological nanoelectronics applications.

Structural,electronic,and Li-ion mobility properties of garnet-type Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12) surface:An insight from first-principles calculations

Garnet-type Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(LLZO) is a promising solid-state electrolyte for Li-ion batteries,but Li-dendrite's formation greatly limits the applications.In this paper,we systematically investigate the stability,electronic properties,and Li-ion mobility of the LLZO surface by the ifrst-principles calculations.We consider the(110) and(001) slab structures with different terminations in the t-and c-LLZO.Our results indicate that both(110) and(001) surfaces prefer to form Li-rich termination due to their low surface energies for either t-or c-LLZO.Moreover,with the decrease of Li contents the stability of Li-rich surfaces is improved initially and degrades later.Unfortunately,the localized surface states at the Fermi level can induce the formation of metallic Li on the Li-rich surfaces.In comparison,Li/La-termination has a relatively low metallic Li formation tendency due to its rather low diffusion barrier.In fact,Li-ion can spontaneously migrate along path II(Li3→Li2) on the Li/La-T(001) surface.In contrast,it is more difficult for Li-ion diffusion on the Li-T(001) surface,which has a minimum diffusion barrier of 0.50 eV.Interestingly,the minimum diffusion barrier decreases to 0.34 eV when removing four Li-ions from the Li-T(001) surface.Thus,our study suggests that by varying Li contents,the stability and Li-ion diffusion barrier of LLZO surfaces can be altered favorably.These advantages can inhibit the formation of metallic Li on the LLZO surfaces.

First-principles Study on Neutral Nitrogen Impurities in Zinc Oxide

The atomic geometries, electronic structures, and formation energies of neutral nitrogen im- purities in ZnO have been investigated by first-principles calculations. The nitrogen impuri- ties are always deep acceptors, thus having no contributions to p-type conductivity. Among all the neutral nitrogen impurities, nitrogen substituting on an oxygen site has the lowest formation energy and the shallowest acceptor level, while nitrogen .substituting on a zinc site has the second-lowest formation energy in oxygen-rich conditions. Nitrogen interstitials are unstable at the tetrahedral site and spontaneously relax into a kick-out configuration. Though nitrogen may occupy the octahedral site, the concentrations will be low for the high formation energy. The charge density distributions in various doping cases are discussed, and self-consistent results are obtained.

First-principles study of stacking fault energies in Ni_3Al intermetallic alloys

The first-principles method based on the projector augmented wave method within the generalized gradient approximation was employed to calculate the superlattice intrinsic stacking fault（SISF） and complex stacking fault（CSF） energies of the binary Ni3Al alloys with different Al contents and the ternary Ni3Al intermetallic alloys with addition of alloying elements,such as Pd,Pt,Ti,Mo,Ta,W and Re.The results show that the energies of SISF and CSF increase significantly with increase of Al contents in Ni3Al.Addition of Pd and Pt occupying the Ni sublattices does not change the SISF and CSF energies of Ni3Al markedly in comparison with the Ni-23.75Al alloy.While addition of alloying elements,such as Ti,Mo,Ta,W and Re,occupying the Al sublattices dramatically increases the SISF and CSF energies of Ni3Al.The results suggest that the energies of SISF and CSF are dependent both on the Al contents and on the site occupancy of the ternary alloying element in Ni3Al intermetallic alloys.