Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structures of M(M=Ti,V,Cr,Mn and Fe)Dopedβ-Si_(3)N_(4) from First-Principle

The structures,mechanical properties and electronic structures of M metals(M=Ti,V,Cr,Mn and Fe)dopedβ-Si_(3)N_(4) were investigated by First-principles calculations within CASTEP.The calculated lattice parameters ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) were consistent with previous date.The cohesive energy and formation enthalpy show that initialβ-Si_(3)N_(4) has the highest structural stability.The calculated elastic constant and the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation indicate that elastic moduli ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) are slightly reduced by M doping.Based on Poisson’s and Pugh’s ratio,β-Si_(3)N_(4) is a ductile material and the toughness ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) increases with M doping,and Fe doping exhibited the best toughness.The results of density of states,charge distributions and overlapping populations indicate thatβ-Si_(3)N_(4) has the strong covalent and ionic bond strength between N and Si.

Electronic Structure and Transport Coefficients of the Thermoelectric Materials Bi_2Te_3 from First-principles Calculations

The electronic structures of bulk Bi_2Te_3 crystals were investigated by the first-principles calculations.The transport coefficients including Seeback coefficient and power factor were then calculated by the Boltzmann theory,and further evaluated as a function of chemical potential assuming a rigid band picture.The results suggest that p-type doping in the Bi_2Te_3 compound may be more favorable than n-type doping.From this analysis results,doping effects on a material will exhibit high ZT.Furthermore,we can also find the right doping concentration to produce more efficient materials,and present the ＂advantage filling element map＂ in detail.

First-principles study of electronic structure and magnetic properties of Sr_(3)Fe_(2)O_(5) oxide

We investigate the electronic structure and magnetic properties of layered compound Sr_(3)Fe_(2)O_(5) based on firstprinciples calculations in the framework of density functional theory with GGA+U method.Under high pressure,the ladder-type layered structure of Sr_(3)Fe_(2)O_(5) is transformed into the infinite layered structure accompanied by a transition from G-type anti-ferromagnetic(AFM)insulator to ferromagnetic(FM)metal and a spin transition from S=2 to S=1.We reproduce these transformations in our calculations and give a clear physical interpretation.

First-principles investigations of structural, mechanical, electronic and optical properties of U_3Si_2-type AlSc_2Si_2 under high pressure

The structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties for U3Si2-type AlSc2Si2 compound under pressure were systematically investigated by using the first-principles calculations. The values of elastic constants and elastic moduli indicate that AlSc2Si2 keeps mechanical stability under high pressure. The mechanical properties of AISc2Si2 are compared with those of Al3Sc. The results indicate that AlSc2Si2 is harder than AI3Sc. Anisotropic constant AU and 3D curved surface of elastic moduli predict that AISc2Si2 is obviously anisotropic under pressure. The electronic structure of AlSc2Si2 exhibits metallic character and the metallicity decreases with the elevated pressure. In addition, optical properties as a function of pressure were calculated and analyzed. The present work provides theoretical support for further experimental work and industrial applications.

First-principles calculation of influences of La-doping on electronic structures of KNN lead-free ceramics

The electronic structures of lead-free piezoceramic(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3(KNN)and La-doped KNN((K0.5Na0.5)0.994La0.006NbO3)are studied by using first principles calculation on the basis of density functional theory(DFT).The results reveale that the piezoelectricity stems from strong hybridization between the Nb atom and the O atom.At the same time,the K or Na atoms are replaced by the La doping atoms,which brings about the anisotropic relaxation.The La doping reduces the forbidden band,at the same time it makes Fermi surfaces shift toward the energetic conduction band(CB)of KNN.With the increase of La-doping intent,the phase structure of KNN extends from O-phase to T-phase and improves the piezoelectric properties of KNN.

Structural, mechanical, electronic properties, and Debye temperature of quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics under high pressure: A first-principles study

Quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics has been investigated as a potential nuclear fusion structural material,and it has advantages in certain aspects compared with Ti2AlC,Ti3AlC2,and Ti3SiC2 structural materials.In this paper,quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics is pressurized to investigate its structural,mechanical,electronic properties,and Debye temperature.Quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics still maintains a cubic structure under pressure(0–110 GPa).At zero pressure,quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics only has three bonds:Ti–Al,Ni–Al,and Ti–C.However,at pressures of 20 GPa,30 GPa,40 GPa,60 GPa,and 70 GPa,new Ti–Ni,Ti–Ti,Al–Al,Ti–Al,and Ti–Ti bonds form.When the pressure reaches 20 GPa,the covalent bonds change to metallic bonds.The volume of quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics can be compressed to 72%of its original volume at most.Pressurization can improve the mechanical strength and ductility of quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics.At 50–60 GPa,its mechanical strength can be comparable to pure tungsten,and the material changes from brittleness to ductility.However,the degree of anisotropy of quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics increases with the increasing pressure.In addition,we also investigated the Debye temperature,density,melting point,hardness,and wear resistance of quaternary carbide Ti3NiAl2C ceramics under pressure.

Effects of N-doping concentration on the electronic structure and optical properties of N-doped β-Ga_2O_3

The electronic structures and the optical properties of N-doped β-Ga2O3 with different N-doping concentrations are studied using the first-principles method.We find that the N substituting O（1） atom is the most stable structure for the smallest formation energy.After N-doping,the charge density distribution significantly changes,and the acceptor impurity level is introduced above the valence band and intersects with the Fermi level.The impurity absorption edges appear to shift toward longer wavelengths with an increase in N-doping concentration.The complex refractive index shows metallic characteristics in the N-doped β-Ga2O3.

The electronic structure of Nb＿3Al/Nb＿3Sn, a new test case for flat/steep band model of superconductivity

In this work, we choose Nb3Al/Nb3Sn as a new test case for flat/steep band model of superconductivity. Based on the density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation, the electronic structure of Nb3Al/ Nb3Sn has been studied. The obtained results agree well with those of the earlier studies and show clearly fiat bands around the Fermi level. The steep bands as characterized in this work locate around the M point in the first Brillouin zone. The obtained results reveal that Nb3Al/Nb3Sn fits more to the ＂Flat/steep＂ band model than to the van-Hove singularity scenario. The fiat/steep band condition for superconductivity implies a different thermodynamic behavior of superconductors other than that predicted from the conventional BCS theory. This observation sets up an indicator for selecting a suitable superconductor when its large-scale industrial use is needed, for example, in superconducting maglev system or ITER project.

First-principles calculation of structural and elastic properties of Pd_(3-x)Rh_xV alloys

The structural stability, electronic and elastic properties of Pd3-xRhxV alloys with L12 and D022 structures were investigated theoretically by the first-principles calculations. The results reveal that with the increase of Rh content, the unit cell volume of Pd3-xRhxV alloys with L12 and D022 structures decreases, and the structure of Pd3-xRhxV alloys tends to transform from D022 to L12. The elastic parameters such as elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, elastic modulus, and Poisson ratio, were calculated and discussed in details. Electronic structures were also computed to reveal the underlying mechanism for the stability and elastic properties.

First-principles study of structural stability and elastic properties of MgPd_(3) and its hydride

Theoretical study of structural stability and elastic properties ofα-andβ-MgPd_(3)intermetallic compounds as well as their hydrides have been carried out based on density functional theory.The results indicateα-MgPd_(3)is more stable thanβphase with increased stability in their hydrides.The calculated elastic constants ofα-MgPd_(3)are overall larger thanβphase.After hydrogenation,the elastic constants are enlarged.And the elastic moduli exhibit similar tendency.The anisotropy ofα-MgPd_(3)is larger thanβphase,and the hydrides demonstrate larger anisotropy.Their ductility follows the order ofα-MgPd_(3)H_(0.5)<α-MgPd_(3)<β-MgPd_(3)H<β-MgPd_(3).Compared withβphase,higher Debye temperature ofα-MgPd_(3)implies stronger covalent interaction,and the Debye temperature of hydrides increases slightly.The electronic structures demonstrate that the Pd-Pd interaction is stronger than Pd-Mg,and Pd-H bonds play a significant role in the phase stability and elastic properties of hydrides.

A first-principles study on interfacial properties of Ni(001)/Ni_3Nb(001)

The Ni （001） surface, Ni3Nb （001） surface and Ni （001）/Ni3Nb （001） interfaces were studied using the first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave method. The adhesion work, thermal stability and electronic structure of Ni/Ni3Nb （001） interfaces were calculated to expound the influence of atom termination and stacking sequence on the interface strength and stability. Simulated results indicate that Ni and Ni3Nb （001） surface models with more than eight atomic layers exhibit bulk-like interior. The （Ni＋Nb）-terminated interface with hollow site stacking has the largest cohesive strength and critical stress for crack propagation and the best thermal stability among the four models. This interfacial Ni and the first nearest neighbor Nb atoms form covalent bonds across the interface region, which are mainly contributed by Nb 4d and Ni 3d valence electrons. By comparison, the thermal stability of Ni/Ni3Nb （001） interfaces is worse than Ni/Ni3A1 （001） interface, implying that the former is harder to form. But the Ni/Ni3Nb interface can improve the mechanical properties ofNi-based superalloys.

The Influence of Alkaline Earth Elements on Electronic Properties ofα-Si3N4 via DFT Calculation

We used density functional theory(DFT)calculations to study the influence of alkali earth metal element(AE)doping on the crystal structure and electronic band structure ofα-Si3N4.The diversity of atomic radii of alkaline earth metal elements results in structural expansion when they were doped into theα-Si3N4 lattice.Formation energies of the doped structures indicate that dopants prefer to occupy the interstitial site under the nitrogen-deficient environment,while substitute Si under the nitrogen-rich environment,which provides a guide to synthesizingα-Si3N4 with different doping types by controlling nitrogen conditions.For electronic structures,energy levels of the dopants appear in the bottom of the conduction band or the top of the valence band or the forbidden band,which reduces the bandgap ofα-Si3N4.

First-principles study on electronic structure and optical properties of N-doped P-type β-Ga_2O_3

The band structure, density of states, electron density difference and optical properties of intrinsic β-Ga2O3 and N-doped β-Ga2O3 were calculated using first-principles based on density functional theory. After N doping, the band gap decreases, shallow acceptor impurity levels are introduced over the top of the valence band and the absorption band edge is slightly red-shifted compared to that of the intrinsic one. The anisotropic optical properties are investigated by means of the complex dielectric function, which are explained by the selection rule of the band-to-band transitions. All calculation results indicate that N-doping is a very promising method to get P-type β-Ga2O3.

Prediction of stable BC_(3)N_(2)monolayer from first-principles calculations:Stoichiometry,crystal structure,electronic and adsorption properties

In this paper,a novel BC_(3)N_(2)monolayer has been found with a graphene-like structure using the developed particle swarm optimization algorithm in combination with ab initio calculations.The predicted structure meets the thermodynamical,dynamical,and mechanical stability requirements.Interestingly,the BC_(3)N_(2)plane shows a metallic character.Importantly,BC_(3)N_(2)has an in-plane stiffness comparable to that of graphene.We have also investigated the adsorption characteristics of CO_(2)on pristine monolayer and Mo functionalized monolayer using density functional theory.Subsequently,electronic structures of the interacting systems(CO_(2)molecule and substrates)have been preliminarily explored.The results show that Mo/BC_(3)N_(2)has a stronger adsorption capacity towards CO_(2)comparing with the pristine one,which can provide a reference for the further study of the CO_(2)reduction mechanism on the transition metal-functionalized surface as well as the new catalyst’s design.

First-principles study of electronic structure and magnetic properties of SrTi1-xMxO3 （M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, or Ni）

We used first-principles calculations to conduct a comparative study of the structure and the electronic and magnetic properties of SrTiO3 doped with a transition metal（TM）, namely, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, or Ni. The calculated formation energies indicate that compared with Sr, Ti can be substituted more easily by the TM ions. The band structures show that SrTi0.875Cr0.125O3 and SrTi0.875Co0.125O3 are half metals, SrTio.sTDFe0.125O3 is a metal, and SrTi0.875Mn0.125O3 is a semiconductor. The 3d TM-doped SrTiO3 exhibits various magnetic properties, ranging from ferromagnetism （Cr-, Fe-, and Co-doped SrTiO3） to antiferromagnetism （Mn-doped SrTiO3） and nonmagnetism （Ni-doped SrTiO3）. The total magnetic moments are 4.0#8, 6.23μ8, and 2.0μ8 for SrTi0.75Cr0.25O3, SrTi0.75Fe0.25O3, and SrTi0.75Co0.25O3, respectively. Room-temperature ferromagnetism can be expected in Cr-, Fe-, and Co-doped SrTiO3, which agrees with the experimental observations. The electronic structure calculations show that the spin polarizations of the 3d states of the TM atoms are responsible for the ferromagnetism in these compounds. The magnetism of TM-doped SrTiO3 is explained by the hybridization between the TM-3d states and the O-2p states.

First-Principles Calculations on Electronic,Chemical Bonding and Optical Properties of Cubic Hf_3N_4

Electronic, chemicM bonding and optical properties of cubic Hf3N4 （ c-Hf3N4 ） are calculated using the first- principles based on the density functional theory （DFT）. The optimized lattice parameter is in good agreement with the available experimental and cedculational values. Band structure shows that c-Hf3N4 has direct band gap. Densities of states （DOS） and charge densities indicate that the bonding between Hf and N is ionic. The optical properties including complex dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, and refleetivity are predicted. Prom the theory of crystal-field and molecular-orbited bonding, the optical transitions of c-Hf3N4 affected by the electronic structure and molecular orbited are studied. It is found that the absorptive transitions of c-Hf3N4 compound are predominantly composed of the transitions from N T2 2p valence bands to Hf T2 （dxy, dxz, dyz） conduction bands.