FIRST-PRINCIPLE STUDY ON STRUCTURAL, ELASTIC AND ELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF BINARY RARE EARTH INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS: GdCu AND GdZn

Abstract

First principle study on structural, elastic and electronic properties of binary copper and zinc based rare earth intermetallics have been carried out using the full-potential augmented plane waves plus local orbital (APW+ lo) within density functional theory (DFT). Results on elastic properties are obtained using generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange correlation potentials. The equilibrium lattice parameter, bulk modulus and its pressure derivative have been obtained using optimization method. Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson ratio, sound velocities for longitudinal and shear waves, Debye average velocity, Debye temperature and Grüneisen parameters have been calculated. From electronic calculations, it has been found that electronic conduction in copper and zinc based rare earth intermetallics is mainly attributed to 3d-orbital electrons of Cu and Zn .