Abstract

Interstitials, mixed occupancy, and partial substitution of one geometrical motif for another are frequently encountered in the structure refinements of intermetallic compounds as disorder or the formation of superstructures. In this article, we illustrate how such phenomena can serve as mechanisms for chemical pressure (CP) release in variants of the CaCu5 type. We begin by comparing the density functional theory CP schemes of YCo5, an f-element free analogue of the permanent magnet SmCo5, and its superstructure variant Y2Co17 = [Y2(Co2)1]Co15 (Th2Zn17-type) in which one-third of the Y atoms are replaced by Co2 dumbbells. The CP scheme of the original YCo5 structure reveals intensely anisotropic pressures acting on the Y atoms (similar to CP schemes of other CaCu5-type phases). The Y atoms experience large negative pressures along the length of the hexagonal channels they occupy while being simultaneously squeezed by the channel walls. Moving to the Y2Co17 structure provides significant relief to this CP...

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