An ab initio study on compressibility of Al-containing MAX-phase carbides
- National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments, Center for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080 (China)
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025 (China)
The compressibility of Al-containing MAX carbides was investigated in details using first-principle calculations based on density functional theory. The bond stiffness and bond angle as a function of pressure were examined. The M-Al bond stiffness is about 1/3–1/2 of M-C bond stiffness. The M-C bond close to Al atoms has the highest bond stiffness in M{sub 3}AlC{sub 2} and M{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} phases, with the similar bond stiffness of the other two bonds in the latter. Generally, the bond stiffness of the strongest M-C bond increases with increasing VEC (Valence Electron Concentration), which also affects the bond stiffness of other bonds. Of most importance, the bulk moduli are 0.256 of the mean bond stiffness for three series. With increasing pressure, M-Al bond angle increases, but M-C bond angles decreases, which indicates that M-Al and M-C bonds shift towards basal plane and along c-axis, respectively. As a result, the compressibility becomes more difficult along c-axis than a-axis. Some abnormal phenomena in the compressibility of Al-containing M{sub n+1}AlX{sub n} phases with VEC = 6 are attributed to the thermodynamical instability of these compounds.
- OSTI ID:
- 22257798
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 114, Issue 17; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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