Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1612.02907

Comparative study of Mo2Ga2C with superconducting MAX phase Mo2GaC: a first-principles calculations

Abstract

The structural, electronic, optical and thermodynamic properties of Mo2Ga2C are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The optimized crystal structure is obtained and the lattice parameters are compared with available experimental data. The electronic density of states (DOS) is calculated and analyzed. The metallic behavior for the compound is confirmed and the value of DOS at Fermi level is 4.2 states per unit cell per eV. Technologically important optical parameters (e.g., dielectric function, refractive index, absorption coefficient, photo conductivity, reflectivity, and loss function) have been calculated for the first time. The study of dielectric constant (e1) indicates the Drude-like behavior. The absorption and conductivity spectra suggest that the compound is metallic. The reflectance spectrum shows that this compound has the potential to be used as a solar reflector. The thermodynamic properties such as the temperature and pressure dependent bulk modulus, Debye temperature, specific heats, and thermal expansion coefficient of Mo2Ga2C MAX phase are derived from the quasi-harmonic Debye model with phononic effect also for the first time. Analysis of Tc expression using available parameter values (DOS, Debye temperature, atomic mass etc.) suggests that the compound is less likely to be superconductor.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

M. A. Ali, M. R. Khatun, N. Jahan, M. M. Hossain. 2016-12-09. Comparative study of Mo2Ga2C with superconducting MAX phase Mo2GaC: a first-principles calculations. https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-1056%2F26%2F3%2F033102

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Incommensurate structural and magnetic modulations in potassium-rich cryptomelane, K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$)

Cryptomelane is a hollandite-like material consisting of K$^+$ cations in an $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnel-like crystallographic motif. Cryptomelane with stoichiometry K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$) has been synthesized and its magnetic properties investigated using variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction. Three distinct transitions at $T_1=184$\,K, $T_2=54.5$\,K, and $T_3=24$\,K are observed. At $T_1$ there is a subtle tetragonal$\rightarrow$monoclinic transition associated with emergence of a set of non-magnetic superstructure peaks indexable to a $\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}\approx0.74\vec{c^*}$ incommensurate modulation parallel to the $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnels. Our findings are consistent with a relation previously reported in titanate hollandites, that $x\approx2|\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}|$. Magnetic Bragg peaks emerge below $T_2=54.5$\,K, and their positions indicate an incommensurate modulated magnetic structure. The model consistent with the data is a dual-$\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}$ structure with a ferromagnetic $|\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}|=0$ component and an incommensurate $\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}\approx0.37\vec{c^*}$, with the latter most likely to be helical. The period of oscillation of the incommensurate magnetic component is in line with predictions based on a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian [Mandal \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. B 90, 104420 (2014)]. Below $T_3=24$\,K, there is a magnetic transition, which gives rise to a different set of magnetic Bragg peaks indicative of a highly complex magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems

Density function theory is the workhorse of modern electronic structure theory. However, its accuracy in practical calculations is limited by the choice of the exchange-correlation potential. In this respect, two-dimensional materials pose a special challenge, as all these materials and their heterostructures have a crucial similarity. The underlying atomic structures are strongly spatially inhomogeneous, implying that current exchange-correlation functionals, that in almost all cases are isotropic, are ill-prepared for an accurate description. We present an anisotropic screened-exchange potential, that remedies this problem and reproduces the band-gap of 2D materials as well as the piecewise linearity of the total energy with fractional occupation number.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Thermally-driven reorientation of the Néel vector in altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnets are novel magnetic systems that possess a spin-polarized electronic band structure without a net magnetic moment, making them promising for device applications. Hexagonal MnTe, a prototypical altermagnet, arguably exhibits the most properties consistent with theoretical predictions, including an anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishing net magnetization, and altermagnetinduced electronic band splitting. However, fundamental questions remain, including why some effects only appear significantly below the magnetic ordering temperature. Here, we resolve this discrepancy by revealing a reorientation of the Néel vector in single-crystalline MnTe. The Néel vector points 30° from the a-axis at low $T$, before aligning directly with the a-axis around $T\simeq 260$ K. We attribute this to single-ion anisotropy, which depends on temperature-dependent lattice parameters. We obtained these results using muon-spin spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, and X-ray diffraction; we show that the findings are consistent with neutron diffraction. Manipulating this effect, for example through strain, could unlock sensitive electronic detection schemes for external stimuli, paving the way for functional altermagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci