Determination of surface properties and elastic constants of FCC metals: a comparison among different EAM potentials in thin film and bulk scale

Abstract

Three independent elastic constants C11, C12, and C44 were calculated and compared using available potentials of eight different metals with FCC crystal structure; Gold, Silver, Copper, Nickel, Platinum, Palladium, Aluminum and Lead. In order to calculate the elastic constants, the second derivative of the energy density of each system was calculated with respect to different directions of strains. Each set of the elastic constants of the metals in bulk scale was compared with experimental results, and the average relative error was for each was calculated and compared with other available potentials. Then, using the Voigt-Reuss-Hill method, approximated values for Young and shear moduli and Poisson’s ratio of the FCC metals in the bulk scale were found for each potential. Furthermore, to observe the surface effects on the metals in nanoscale, surface elastic constants of the thin films of the metals have been calculated. In the study of the thin films of materials in nanoscale, the number of surface atoms is considerable compared to all atoms of the object. This leads to an increase in the surface effects, which influence the elastic properties. By considering this fact and employing related definitions and equations, the properties of the thin films of the metals were calculated, and the surface effects for different crystallographic directions were compared. Subsequently, in some cases, comparisons among characteristics of the metals in the thin film and bulk material were made.