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.

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.

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.

Comparative study of Mo2Ga2C with superconducting MAX phase Mo2GaC： First-principles calculations

The structural, electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of Mo_2Ga_2C are investigated using density functional theory(DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation(GGA). The optimized crystal structure is obtained and the lattice parameters are compared with available experimental data. The electronic density of states(DOS) is calculated and analyzed. The metallic behavior for the compound is confirmed and the value of DOS at Fermi level is 4.2 states per unit cell per e V. Technologically important optical parameters(e.g., dielectric function, refractive index, absorption coefficient, photo conductivity, reflectivity, and loss function) are calculated for the first time. The study of dielectric constant(ε1) indicates the Drude-like behavior. The absorption and conductivity spectra suggest that the compound is metallic.The reflectance spectrum shows that this compound has the potential to be used as a solar reflector. The thermodynamic properties such as the temperature and pressure dependent bulk modulus, Debye temperature, specific heats, and thermal expansion coefficient of Mo_2Ga_2C MAX phase are derived from the quasi-harmonic Debye model with phononic effect also for the first time. Analysis of T c expression using available parameter values(DOS, Debye temperature, atomic mass,etc.) suggests that the compound is less likely to be superconductor.

First-principles calculations of structural,elastic and electronic properties of(TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high-entropy alloy under high pressure

To clarify the effect of pressure on a(TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 alloy composed of a solid solution with a single body-centered-cubic crystal structure,we used first-principles calculations to theoretically investigate the structural,elastic,and electronic properties of this alloy at different pressures.The results show that the calculated equilibrium lattice parameters are consistent with the experimental results,and that the normalized structural parameters of lattice constants and volume decrease whereas the total enthalpy differenceΔE and elastic constants increase with increasing pressure.The(TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 alloy exhibits mechanical stability at high pressures lower than 400 GPa.At high pressure,the bulk modulus B shows larger values than the shear modulus G,and the alloy exhibits an obvious anisotropic feature at pressures ranging from 30 to 70 GPa.Our analysis of the electronic structures reveals that the atomic orbitals are occupied by the electrons change due to the compression of the crystal lattices under the effect of high pressure,which results in a decrease in the total density of states and a wider electron energy level.This factor is favorable for zero resistance.

First-principles calculations on elastic, magnetoelastic, and phonon properties of Ni_2FeGa magnetic shape memory alloys

The elastic, magnetoelastic, and phonon properties of Ni_2FeGa were investigated through first-principles calculations.The obtained elastic and phonon dispersion curves for the austenite and martensite phases agree well with available theoretical and experimental results. The isotropic elastic moduli are also predicted along with the polycrystalline aggregate properties including the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio. The Pugh ratio indicates that Ni_2FeGa shows ductility, especially the austenite phase, which is consistent with the experimental results. The Debye temperatures of the Ni_2FeGa in the austenite and martensite phases are 344 K and 392 K, respectively. It is predicted that the magnetoelastic coefficient is -5.3 × 10~6 J/m^3 and magnetostriction coefficient is between 135 and 55 ppm in the Ni_2FeGa austenite phase.

Carrier and magnetism engineering for monolayer SnS_(2) by high throughput first-principles calculations

Two-dimensional(2D)semiconducting tin disulfide(SnS_(2))has been widely used for optoelectronic applications.To functionalize SnS_(2) for extending its application,we investigate the stability,electronic and magnetic properties of substitutional doping by high throughput first-principles calculations.There are a lot of elements that can be doped in monolayer SnS_(2).Nonmetal in group A can introduce p-type and n-type carriers,while most metals in group A can only lead to p-type doping.Not only 3d,but also 4d and 5d transition metals in groups VB to VⅢB9 can introduce magnetism in SnS_(2),which is potentially applicable for spintronics.This study provides a comprehensive view of functionalization of SnS_(2) by substitutional doping,which will guide further experimental realization.

Prediction of scandium tetraboride from first-principles calculations:Crystal structures,phase stability,mechanical properties,and hardness

Using the evolutionary methodology for crystal structure prediction,we have predicted the orthorhombic Cmcm and Pnma phases for ScB_(4).The earlier proposed Cr B_(4)^(-),Fe B_(4)^(-),Mn B_(4)^(-),and Re P_(4)^(-)type structures for ScB_(4)are excluded.It is first discovered that the Cmcm phase transforms to the Pnma phase at about 18 GPa.Moreover,both phases are dynamically and mechanically stable.The large bulk modulus,shear modulus,and Young's modulus of the two phases make it an optimistic low compressible material.Moreover,the strong covalent bonding nature of ScB_(4)is confirmed by the ELF analysis.The strong covalent bonding contributes greatly to its stability.

Passivation of PEA^(+) to MAPbI_(3) (110) surface states by first-principles calculations

The MAPbI_(3)(110) surface with low indices of crystal face is a stable and highly compatible photosensitive surface.Since the electronic states on the surface can be detrimental to the photovoltaic efficiency of the device,they should be passivated.Phenylethylamine(PEA^(+)),as a molecular ligand,has been widely used in continuous degradation and interfacial charge recombination experiments,and has satisfactory performance in improving surface defects.Therefore,we construct an adsorption model of MAPbI_(3) with small molecules,calculating the lattice structure and electronic properties of PEA^(+)-adsorbed MAPbI_(3)(110) surface.It is found that PEA^(+) as apassivator can effectively weaken the electronic states and regulate the band gap of the MAPbI_(3)(110) surface.Before and after adding the passivator,the peak value of electronic state densities at MAPbI_(3)(110) surface is reduced by about 50%,and the band gap is apparently reduced.Moreover,by comparing the Bader atomic charge and spatial charge distributions before and after PEA^(+)’s adsorption on the surface of MAPbI_(3),we observe a substantial change of PEA^(+) charges,which suggests the surface states have been passivated by PEA^(+).

Predicted High Thermoelectric Performance of Quasi-Two-Dimensional Compound GeAs Using First-Principles Calculations

The electronic structure of binary quasi-two-dimensional GeAs is investigated using first-principles calculations,and it is found that the anisotropic structure of the layered compound GeAs brings about the anisotropy of the transport properties. Meanwhile, the band structure of GeAs exhibits a relatively large dispersion near the valence-band maximum in the Z-V direction while it is rather flat in the Z-(?) direction, which is highly desirable for good thermoelectric performance. The calculated partial charge density distribution also reveals that GeAs possesses anisotropic electrical conductivity. Based on the semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory,the anisotropic transport properties are observed, and the optimal doping concentrations are estimated. The temperature dependence transport properties of p-type GeAs are compared with the experimental data in good agreement, and the theoretical figure-of-merit ZT has been predicted as well.

First-principles calculations of solute–vacancy interactions in aluminum

The interactions of solute atoms with vacancies play a key role in diffusion and precipitation of alloying elements,ultimately influencing the mechanical properties of aluminum alloys.In this study,first-principles calculations are systematically performed to quantify the solute–vacancy interactions for the 3d–4p series and the 4d–5p series.The solute–vacancy interaction gradually transforms from repulsion to attraction from left to right.The solute–vacancy binding energy is sensitive to the supercell size for elements at the beginning.These behaviors of the solute–vacancy binding energy can be understood in terms of the combination and competition between the elastic and electronic interactions.Overall,the electronic binding energy follows a similar trend to the total binding energy and plays a major role in the solute–vacancy interactions.

Structural,mechanical,and electronic properties of Zr-Te compounds from first-principles calculations

The first-principles calculations based on density functional theory are used to obtain structural,mechanical,and electronic properties of Zr-Te compounds.The optimized structural parameters are consistent with the available experimental data.The calculated mechanical properties and formation energy show that the Zr-Te compounds are all mechanically and thermodynamically stable.The bulk modulus B,shear modulus G,Young’s modulus E,Debye temperatureΘD,and sound velocity vm are listed,which are positively correlated with the increasing of atomic fraction of Zr.The behaviors of density of states of Zr-Te compounds are obtained.Furthermore,the electronic properties are discussed to clarify the bonding characteristics of compounds.The electronic characteristics demonstrate that the Zr-Te systems with different phases are both covalent and metallic.

First-principles calculations of structural,elastic and electronic properties of AB_(2)type intermetallics in Mg–Zn–Ca–Cu alloy

Electronic structure and elastic properties of MgCu_(2),Mg_(2)Ca and MgZn_(2)phases were investigated by means of first-principles calculations from CASTEP program based on density functional theory(DFT).The calculated lattice parameters were in good agreement with the experimental and literature values.The calculated heats of formation and cohesive energies shown that MgCu_(2)has the strongest alloying ability and structural stability.The elastic constants of MgCu_(2),Mg_(2)Ca and MgZn_(2)phases were calculated,the bulk moduli,shear moduli,Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio were derived.The calculated results shown that MgCu_(2),Mg_(2)Ca and MgZn_(2)are all ductile phases.Among the three phases,MgCu_(2)has the strongest stiffness and the plasticity of MgZn_(2)phase is the best.The density of states(DOS),Mulliken electron occupation number and charge density difference of MgCu_(2),Mg_(2)Ca and MgZn_(2)phases were discussed to analyze the mechanism of structural stability and mechanical properties.

Electronic and optical properties of GaN–MoS2 heterostructure from first-principles calculations

Heterostructures(HSs)have attracted significant attention because of their interlayer van der Waals interactions.The electronic structures and optical properties of stacked GaN-MoS2 HSs under strain have been explored in this work using density functional theory.The results indicate that the direct band gap(1.95 e V)of the Ga N-MoS2 HS is lower than the individual band gaps of both the GaN layer(3.48 e V)and the MoS2 layer(2.03 eV)based on HSE06 hybrid functional calculations.Specifically,the GaN-MoS2 HS is a typical type-II band HS semiconductor that provides an effective approach to enhance the charge separation efficiency for improved photocatalytic degradation activity and water splitting efficiency.Under tensile or compressive strain,the direct band gap of the GaN-MoS2 HS undergoes redshifts.Additionally,the GaN-MoS2 HS maintains its direct band gap semiconductor behavior even when the tensile or compressive strain reaches 5%or-5%.Therefore,the results reported above can be used to expand the application of Ga N-MoS2 HSs to photovoltaic cells and photocatalysts.

First-Principles Calculations of the Structural, Mechanical and Thermodynamics Properties of Cubic Zirconia

The structural, mechanical and thermodynamics properties of cubic zirconium oxide (cZrO2) were investigated in this study using ab initio or first-principles calculations. Density functional theory was used to optimize the crystal structure of cZrO2 and thereafter, simulations were conducted to predict the lattice parameters and elastic constants. The Zr-O bond distance was calculated as 2.1763 &#197 with unit cell density of 6.4179 g/cm3. The data obtained were used to determine Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, Poisson’s ratio and hardness of cZrO2 as 545.12 GPa, 136.464 GPa, 0.1898 and 12.663(Hv) respectively. The result indicates that cZrO2 is mechanically stable with thermodynamics properties of a refractory material having potential for structural and catalytic applications in various forms as a nanomaterial.

Alloying effects of V on stability,elastic and electronic properties of TiFe2 via first-principles calculations

The alloying effects of V on structural,elastic and electronic properties of TiFe_2 phase were investigated by the first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory.The calculated energy properties including cohesive energy and formation enthalpy indicate V atom would preferentially substitute on 6h sites of Fe atoms in the lattice of TiFe_2 to form the intermetallic Ti_4Fe_7(V).The calculated results of polycrystalline elastic parameters confirm that the plasticity of TiFe_2 would be improved with the addition of V.By discussing the percentage of elastic anisotropy,anisotropy in linear bulk modulus and directional dependence of elastic modulus,it is revealed that the anisotropy of TiFe_2 and Ti_4Fe_7(V) is small.Finally,the density of states,charge density distribution and Mulliken population for TiFe_2 and Ti_4Fe_7(V) were calculated,suggesting there is a mixed bonding with metallic,covalent and ionic nature in TiFe_2 and Ti_4Fe_7(V) compounds.These results also clarify that the reason for the improvement of plasticity with the addition of V in TiFe_2 is the weakened bonding of covalent feature between Ti and V atoms.

First-principles calculations of F-, Cl-, and N-related defects of amorphous SiO_(2) and their impacts on carrier trapping and proton release

The first-principles calculations based on density functional theory are performed to study F-,Cl-,and N-related defects of amorphous SiO_(2)(a-SiO_(2)) and their impacts on carrier trapping and proton release.The possible geometric configurations of the impurity-related defects,the formation energies,the hole or electron trapping of the neutral defects,and the mechanisms to suppress proton diffusion by doping N are investigated.It is demonstrated by the calculations that the impurity atoms can interact with the oxygen vacancies and result in impurity-related defects.The reactions can be utilized to saturate oxygen vacancies that will cause ionization damage to the semiconducting devices.Moreover,the calculated formation energy indicates that the F-or Cl-related oxygen vacancy defect is a deep hole trap,which can trap holes and prevent them from diffusing to the a-SiO_(2)/Si interface.However,three N-related defects,namely N(2)o-H,N(2)o=O,and N(3)o-Vo,tend to act as shallow hole traps to facilitate hole transportation during device operation.The N(2)o and N(3)o configurations can be negatively charged as deep electron traps during the oxide charge buildup after ionization radiation.In addition,the nudged elastic band(NEB) calculations show that four N-related defects,namely N(2)o,N(2)o-H,N(2)o=O,and N(3)o are capable of capturing protons and preventing them from diffusing to and de-passivating the interface.This research reveals the fundamental properties of the F-,Cl-,and N-related defects in amorphous silica and the details of the reactions of the carrier trapping and proton release.The findings help to understand the microscopic mechanisms that alleviate ionization damage of semiconducting devices by doping a-SiO_(2).

First-principles calculations of the hole-induced depassivation of SiO2/Si interface defects

The holes induced by ionizing radiation or carrier injection can depassivate saturated interface defects.The depassivation of these defects suggests that the deep levels associated with the defects are reactivated,affecting the performance of devices.This work simulates the depassivation reactions between holes and passivated amorphous-SiO_(2)/Si interface defects(HP_(b)+h→P_(b)+H^(+)).The climbing image nudged elastic band method is used to calculate the reaction curves and the barriers.In addition,the atomic charges of the initial and final structures are analyzed by the Bader charge method.It is shown that more than one hole is trapped by the defects,which is implied by the reduction in the total number of valence electrons on the active atoms.The results indicate that the depassivation of the defects by the holes actually occurs in three steps.In the first step,a hole is captured by the passivated defect,resulting in the stretching of the Si-H bond.In the second step,the defect captures one more hole,which may contribute to the breaking of the Si-H bond.The H atom is released as a proton and the Si atom is three-coordinated and positively charged.In the third step,an electron is captured by the Si atom,and the Si atom becomes neutral.In this step,a Pb-type defect is reactivated.

Raman and infrared spectra of complex low energy tetrahedral carbon allotropes from first-principles calculations

Up to now,at least 806 carbon allotropes have been proposed theoretically.Three interesting carbon allotropes(named Pbam-32,P6/mmm,and I43d)were recently uncovered based on a random sampling strategy combined with space group and graph theory.The calculation results show that they are superhard and remarkably stable compared with previously proposed metastable phases.This indicates that they are likely to be synthesized in experiment.We use the factor group analysis method to analyze theirΓ-point vibrational modes.Owing to their large number of atoms in primitive unit cells(32 atoms in Pbam-32,36 atoms in P6/mmm,and 94 atoms in I43d),they have many Raman-and infrared-active modes.There are 48 Raman-active modes and 37 infrared-active modes in Pbam-32,24 Raman-active modes and 14 infrared-active modes in P6/mmm,and 34 Raman-active modes and 35 Raman-and infrared-active modes in I43d.Their calculated Raman spectra can be divided into middle frequency range from 600 cm-1 to 1150 cm-1 and high frequency range above 1150 cm-1.Their largest infrared intensities are 0.82,0.77,and 0.70(D/Å)2/amu for Pbam,P6/mmm,and I43d,respectively.Our calculated results provide an insight into the lattice vibrational spectra of these sp3 carbon allotropes and suggest that the middle frequency Raman shift and infrared spectrum may play a key role in identifying newly proposed carbon allotropes.

Electronic structures of new tunnel barrier spinel MgAl_2O_4:first-principles calculations

The electronic structures of spinel MgAl 2 O 4 and MgOtunnel barrier materials were investigated using first-principles density functional theory calculations. Our results show that similar electronic structures are found for the MgAl 2 O 4 and MgO tunneling barriers. The calculated direct energy gaps at the Γ-point are about 5.10 eV for MgAl 2 O 4 and 4.81 eV for MgO, respectively. Because of the similar feature in band structures from Γ high-symmetry point to F point ( band), the coherent tunneling effect might be expected to appear in MgAl 2 O 4-based MTJs like in MgO-based MTJs. The small difference of the surface free energies of Fe (2.9 J m 2 ) and MgAl 2 O 4 (2.27 J m 2 ) on the {100} orientation, and the smaller lattice mismatch between MgAl 2 O 4 and ferromagnetic electrodes than that between MgO and ferromagnetic electrodes, the spinel MgAl 2 O 4 can substitute MgO to fabricate the coherent tunneling and chemically stable magnetic tunnel junction structures, which will be applied in the next generation read heads or spintronic devices.