First-principles study of the structure, elastic constants, electronic and thermodynamic properties of C15 laves phase ZrMo2

Abstract

The structure, elastic constants and electron state density of ZrMo2 in [Formula: see text]15 phase are investigated by pseudopotential plane-wave method based on density functional theory (DFT). The thermodynamic properties are studied with the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The calculated results are in good agreement with the previous experimental results and theoretical simulations. The calculated phonon spectra and elastic constants show that [Formula: see text]15 phase of ZrMo2 is mechanically stable. Through the analysis of [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] value and Poisson’s ratio, [Formula: see text]15 phase of ZrMo2 shows ductility at 0–150 GPa, and it increases with the increment of pressure. We further explore the mechanism of the metallic properties by analyzing the electronic density of states. In addition, Debye temperature, thermal expansion coefficient and heat capacity as a function of pressure and temperature is discussed, respectively.