| 1. |
- Abrikosov, Igor, et al.
(författare)
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Recent progress in simulations of the paramagnetic state of magnetic materials
- 2016
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Ingår i: Current opinion in solid state & materials science. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 1359-0286 .- 1879-0348. ; 20:2, s. 85-106
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We review recent developments in the field of first-principles simulations of magnetic materials above the magnetic order disorder transition temperature, focusing mainly on 3d-transition metals, their alloys and compounds. We review theoretical tools, which allow for a description of a system with local moments, which survive, but become disordered in the paramagnetic state, focusing on their advantages and limitations. We discuss applications of these theories for calculations of thermodynamic and mechanical properties of paramagnetic materials. The presented examples include, among others, simulations of phase stability of Fe, Fe-Cr and Fe-Mn alloys, formation energies of vacancies, substitutional and interstitial impurities, as well as their interactions in Fe, calculations of equations of state and elastic moduli for 3d-transition metal alloys and compounds, like CrN and steels. The examples underline the need for a proper treatment of magnetic disorder in these systems. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Alling, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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A theoretical investigation of mixing thermodynamics, age-hardening potential, and electronic structure of ternary (M1-xMxB2)-M-1-B-2 alloys with AlB2 type structure
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group: Open Access Journals - Option C / Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transition metal diborides are ceramic materials with potential applications as hard protective thin films and electrical contact materials. We investigate the possibility to obtain age hardening through isostructural clustering, including spinodal decomposition, or ordering-induced precipitation in ternary diboride alloys. By means of first-principles mixing thermodynamics calculations, 45 ternary (M1-xMxB2)-M-1-B-2 alloys comprising (MB2)-B-i (M-i = Mg, Al, Sc, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta) with AlB2 type structure are studied. In particular Al1-xTixB2 is found to be of interest for coherent isostructural decomposition with a strong driving force for phase separation, while having almost concentration independent a and c lattice parameters. The results are explained by revealing the nature of the electronic structure in these alloys, and in particular, the origin of the pseudogap at E-F in TiB2, ZrB2, and HfB2.
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| 3. |
- Alling, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamic and structural stability of cubic vanadium nitride
- 2015
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - : American Physical Society. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X .- 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 91:5, s. 054101-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structural phase transitions in epitaxial stoichiometric VN/MgO(011) thin films are investigated using temperature-dependent synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), resistivity measurements, high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD). At room temperature, VN has the B1 NaCl structure. However, below T-c = 250 K, XRD and SAED results reveal forbidden (00l) reflections of mixed parity associated with a noncentrosymmetric tetragonal structure. The intensities of the forbidden reflections increase with decreasing temperature following the scaling behavior I proportional to (T-c - T)(1/2). Resistivity measurements between 300 and 4 K consist of two linear regimes resulting from different electron/phonon coupling strengths in the cubic and tetragonal-VN phases. The VN transport Eliashberg spectral function alpha F-2(tr)(h omega), the product of the phonon density of states F(h omega) and the transport electron/phonon coupling strength alpha(2)(tr)(h omega), is determined and used in combination with AIMD renormalized phonon dispersion relations to show that anharmonic vibrations stabilize the NaCl structure at T greater than T-c. Free-energy contributions due to vibrational entropy, often neglected in theoretical modeling, are essential for understanding the room-temperature stability of NaCl-structure VN, and of strongly anharmonic systems in general.
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| 4. |
- Alling, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Strong impact of lattice vibrations on electronic and magnetic properties of paramagnetic Fe revealed by disordered local moments molecular dynamics
- 2016
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Ingår i: PHYSICAL REVIEW B. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2469-9950. ; 93:22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the impact of lattice vibrations on magnetic and electronic properties of paramagnetic bcc and fcc iron at finite temperature, employing the disordered local moments molecular dynamics (DLM-MD) method. Vibrations strongly affect the distribution of local magnetic moments at finite temperature, which in turn correlates with the local atomic volumes. Without the explicit consideration of atomic vibrations, the mean local magnetic moment and mean field derived magnetic entropy of paramagnetic bcc Fe are larger compared to paramagnetic fcc Fe, which would indicate that the magnetic contribution stabilizes the bcc phase at high temperatures. In the present study we show that this assumption is not valid when the coupling between vibrations and magnetism is taken into account. At the gamma-delta transition temperature (1662 K), the lattice distortions cause very similar magnetic moments of both bcc and fcc structures and hence magnetic entropy contributions. This finding can be traced back to the electronic densities of states, which also become increasingly similar between bcc and fcc Fe with increasing temperature. Given the sensitive interplay of the different physical excitation mechanisms, our results illustrate the need for an explicit consideration of vibrational disorder and its impact on electronic and magnetic properties to understand paramagnetic Fe. Furthermore, they suggest that at the gamma-delta transition temperature electronic and magnetic contributions to the Gibbs free energy are extremely similar in bcc and fcc Fe.
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| 5. |
- Dahlqvist, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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A critical evaluation of GGA plus U modeling for atomic, electronic and magnetic structure of Cr2AlC, Cr2GaC and Cr2GeC
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing: Hybrid Open Access. - 0953-8984 .- 1361-648X. ; 27:9, s. 095601-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work we critically evaluate methods for treating electron correlation effects in multicomponent carbides using a GGA + U framework, addressing doubts from previous works on the usability of density functional theory in the design of magnetic MAX phases. We have studied the influence of the Hubbard U-parameter, applied to Cr 3d orbitals, on the calculated lattice parameters, magnetic moments, magnetic order, bulk modulus and electronic density of states of Cr2AlC, Cr2GaC and Cr2GeC. By considering non-, ferro-, and five different antiferromagnetic spin configurations, we show the importance of including a broad range of magnetic orders in the search for MAX phases with finite magnetic moments in the ground state. We show that when electron correlation is treated on the level of the generalized gradient approximation (U = 0 eV), the magnetic ground state of Cr(2)AC (A = Al, Ga, Ge) is in-plane antiferromagnetic with finite Cr local moments, and calculated lattice parameters and bulk modulus close to experimentally reported values. By comparing GGA and GGA + U results with experimental data we find that using a U-value larger than 1 eV results in structural parameters deviating strongly from experimentally observed values. Comparisons are also done with hybrid functional calculations (HSE06) resulting in an exchange splitting larger than what is obtained for a U-value of 2 eV. Our results suggest caution and that investigations need to involve several different magnetic orders before lack of magnetism in calculations are blamed on the exchange-correlation approximations in this class of magnetic MAX phases.
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| 6. |
- Dahlqvist, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetically driven anisotropic structural changes in the atomic laminate Mn2GaC
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 93:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Inherently layered magnetic materials, such as magnetic M(n+1)AX(n) (MAX) phases, offer an intriguing perspective for use in spintronics applications and as ideal model systems for fundamental studies of complex magnetic phenomena. The MAX phase composition M(n+1)AX(n) consists of M(n+1)AX(n) blocks separated by atomically thin A-layers where M is a transition metal, A an A-group element, X refers to carbon and/or nitrogen, and n is typically 1, 2, or 3. Here, we show that the recently discovered magnetic Mn2GaC MAX phase displays structural changes linked to the magnetic anisotropy, and a rich magnetic phase diagram which can be manipulated through temperature and magnetic field. Using first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, an essentially one-dimensional (1D) interlayer plethora of two-dimensioanl (2D) Mn-C-Mn trilayers with robust intralayer ferromagnetic spin coupling was revealed. The complex transitions between them were observed to induce magnetically driven anisotropic structural changes. The magnetic behavior as well as structural changes dependent on the temperature and applied magnetic field are explained by the large number of low energy, i.e., close to degenerate, collinear and noncollinear spin configurations that become accessible to the system with a change in volume. These results indicate that the magnetic state can be directly controlled by an applied pressure or through the introduction of stress and show promise for the use of Mn2GaC MAX phases in future magnetoelectric and magnetocaloric applications.
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| 7. |
- Ekholm, Marcus, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the SCAN functional for itinerant electron ferromagnets
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 98:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Density functional theory is a standard model for condensed-matter theory and computational material science. The accuracy of density functional theory is limited by the accuracy of the employed approximation to the exchange-correlation functional. Recently, the so-called strongly constrained appropriately normed (SCAN) [Sun, Ruzsinszky, and Perdew, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 036402 (2015)] functional has received a lot of attention due to promising results for covalent, metallic, ionic, as well as hydrogen- and van der Waals-bonded systems alike. In this work, we focus on assessing the performance of the SCAN functional for itinerant magnets by calculating basic structural and magnetic properties of the transition metals Fe, Co, and Ni. We find that although structural properties of bcc-Fe seem to be in good agreement with experiment, SCAN performs worse than standard local and semilocal functionals for fcc-Ni and hcp-Co. In all three cases, the magnetic moment is significantly overestimated by SCAN, and the 3d states are shifted to lower energies, as compared to experiments.
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| 8. |
- Eklof, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
-
Mysterious SiB3: Identifying the Relation between alpha- and beta-SiB3
- 2019
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Ingår i: ACS Omega. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2470-1343. ; 4:20, s. 18741-18759
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Binary silicon boride SiB3 has been reported to occur in two forms, as disordered and nonstoichiometric alpha-SiB3-x, which relates to the alpha-rhombohedral phase of boron, and as strictly ordered and stoichiometric beta-SiB3. Similar to other boron-rich icosahedral solids, these SiB3 phases represent potentially interesting refractory materials. However, their thermal stability, formation conditions, and thermodynamic relation are poorly understood. Here, we map the formation conditions of alpha-SiB3-x and beta-SiB3 and analyze their relative thermodynamic stabilities. alpha-SiB3-x is metastable (with respect to beta-SiB3 and Si), and its formation is kinetically driven. Pure polycrystalline bulk samples may be obtained within hours when heating stoichiometric mixtures of elemental silicon and boron at temperatures 1200-1300 degrees C. At the same time, alpha-SiB3-x decomposes into SiB6 and Si, and optimum time-temperature synthesis conditions represent a trade-off between rates of formation and decomposition. The formation of stable beta-SiB3 was observed after prolonged treatment (days to weeks) of elemental mixtures with ratios Si/B = 1:11:4 at temperatures 1175-1200 degrees C. The application of high pressures greatly improves the kinetics of SiB3 formation and allows decoupling of SiB3 formation from decomposition. Quantitative formation of beta-SiB3 was seen at 1100 degrees C for samples pressurized to 5.5-8 GPa. beta-SiB3 decomposes peritectoidally at temperatures between 1250 and 1300 degrees C. The highly ordered nature of beta-SiB3 is reflected in its Raman spectrum, which features narrow and distinct lines. In contrast, the Raman spectrum of alpha-SiB3-x is characterized by broad bands, which show a clear relation to the vibrational modes of isostructural, ordered B6P. The detailed composition and structural properties of disordered alpha-SiB3-x were ascertained by a combination of single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Si-29 magic angle spinning NMR experiments. Notably, the compositions of polycrystalline bulk samples (obtained at T amp;lt;= 1200 degrees C) and single crystal samples (obtained from Si-rich molten Si-B mixtures at T amp;gt; 1400 degrees C) are different, SiB2.93(7) and SiB2.64(2), respectively. The incorporation of Si in the polar position of B-12 icosahedra results in highly strained cluster units. This disorder feature was accounted for in the refined crystal structure model by splitting the polar position into three sites. The electron-precise composition of alpha-SiB3-x is SiB2.5 and corresponds to the incorporation of, on average, two Si atoms in each B-12 icosahedron. Accordingly, alpha-SiB3-x constitutes a mixture of B10Si2 and B11Si clusters. The structural and phase stability of alpha-SiB3-x were explored using a first-principles cluster expansion. The most stable composition at 0 K is SiB2.5, which however is unstable with respect to the decomposition beta-SiB3 + Si. Modeling of the configurational and vibrational entropies suggests that alpha-SiB3-x only becomes more stable than beta-SiB3 at temperatures above its decomposition into SiB6 and Si. Hence, we conclude that alpha-SiB3-x is metastable at all temperatures. Density functional theory electronic structure calculations yield band gaps of similar size for electron-precise alpha-SiB2.5 and beta-SiB3, whereas alpha-SiB3 represents a p-type conductor.
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| 9. |
- Eklund, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Transition-metal-nitride-based thin films as novel energy harvesting materials
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7526 .- 2050-7534. ; 4:18, s. 3905-3914
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The last few years have seen a rise in the interest in early transition-metal and rare-earth nitrides, primarily based on ScN and CrN, for energy harvesting by thermoelectricity and piezoelectricity. This is because of a number of important advances, among those the discoveries of exceptionally high piezoelectric coupling coefficient in (Sc,Al)N alloys and of high thermoelectric power factors of ScN-based and CrN-based thin films. These materials also constitute well-defined model systems for investigating thermodynamics of mixing for alloying and nanostructural design for optimization of phase stability and band structure. These features have implications for and can be used for tailoring of thermoelectric and piezoelectric properties. In this highlight article, we review the ScN-and CrN-based transition-metal nitrides for thermoelectrics, and drawing parallels with piezoelectricity. We further discuss these materials as a models systems for general strategies for tailoring of thermoelectric properties by integrated theoretical-experimental approaches.
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| 10. |
- Eklöf, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
-
Mysterious SiB3 : Identifying the Relation between α- and β-SiB3
- 2019
-
Ingår i: ACS Omega. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2470-1343. ; 4:20, s. 18741-18759
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Binary silicon boride SiB3 has been reported to occur in two forms, as disordered and nonstoichiometric alpha-SiB3-x, which relates to the alpha-rhombohedral phase of boron, and as strictly ordered and stoichiometric beta-SiB3. Similar to other boron-rich icosahedral solids, these SiB3 phases represent potentially interesting refractory materials. However, their thermal stability, formation conditions, and thermodynamic relation are poorly understood. Here, we map the formation conditions of alpha-SiB3-x and beta-SiB3 and analyze their relative thermodynamic stabilities. alpha-SiB3-x is metastable (with respect to beta-SiB3 and Si), and its formation is kinetically driven. Pure polycrystalline bulk samples may be obtained within hours when heating stoichiometric mixtures of elemental silicon and boron at temperatures 1200-1300 degrees C. At the same time, alpha-SiB3-x decomposes into SiB6 and Si, and optimum time-temperature synthesis conditions represent a trade-off between rates of formation and decomposition. The formation of stable beta-SiB3 was observed after prolonged treatment (days to weeks) of elemental mixtures with ratios Si/B = 1:11:4 at temperatures 1175-1200 degrees C. The application of high pressures greatly improves the kinetics of SiB3 formation and allows decoupling of SiB3 formation from decomposition. Quantitative formation of beta-SiB3 was seen at 1100 degrees C for samples pressurized to 5.5-8 GPa. beta-SiB3 decomposes peritectoidally at temperatures between 1250 and 1300 degrees C. The highly ordered nature of beta-SiB3 is reflected in its Raman spectrum, which features narrow and distinct lines. In contrast, the Raman spectrum of alpha-SiB3-x is characterized by broad bands, which show a clear relation to the vibrational modes of isostructural, ordered B6P. The detailed composition and structural properties of disordered alpha-SiB3-x were ascertained by a combination of single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Si-29 magic angle spinning NMR experiments. Notably, the compositions of polycrystalline bulk samples (obtained at T <= 1200 degrees C) and single crystal samples (obtained from Si-rich molten Si-B mixtures at T > 1400 degrees C) are different, SiB2.93(7) and SiB2.64(2), respectively. The incorporation of Si in the polar position of B-12 icosahedra results in highly strained cluster units. This disorder feature was accounted for in the refined crystal structure model by splitting the polar position into three sites. The electron-precise composition of alpha-SiB3-x is SiB2.5 and corresponds to the incorporation of, on average, two Si atoms in each B-12 icosahedron. Accordingly, alpha-SiB3-x constitutes a mixture of B10Si2 and B11Si clusters. The structural and phase stability of alpha-SiB3-x were explored using a first-principles cluster expansion. The most stable composition at 0 K is SiB2.5, which however is unstable with respect to the decomposition beta-SiB3 + Si. Modeling of the configurational and vibrational entropies suggests that alpha-SiB3-x only becomes more stable than beta-SiB3 at temperatures above its decomposition into SiB6 and Si. Hence, we conclude that alpha-SiB3-x is metastable at all temperatures. Density functional theory electronic structure calculations yield band gaps of similar size for electron-precise alpha-SiB2.5 and beta-SiB3, whereas alpha-SiB3 represents a p-type conductor.
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