Search arXiv⌕ Search

arXiv · 2604.22910

Thermodynamic Modeling of Pure Elements from 0 K with Uncertainty Quantification using PyCalphad and ESPEI

Abstract

Thermodynamic modeling of pure elements is the foundation of the CALPHAD modeling of engineering materials. Recently, multiple physics-based models have been proposed to describe Gibbs energy of pure elements down to 0 K, extending from 298.15 K in the current CALPHAD modeling. To enable their systematic and quantitative comparison and adoption, those thermodynamic models of pure elements are implemented into the open-source software packages PyCalphad and ESPEI in the present work for evaluation of model parameters and model fitness. PyCalphad and ESPEI are suitable tools for implementation of these models for high throughput CALPHAD modeling of multicomponent materials. Particularly, Markov Chain Monte Carlo used in ESPEI allows for uncertainty quantification of model parameters and model predictions. Through the remodeling of 41 pure elements, the present work demonstrates the quantitative comparison of modeling of pure elements with different models and enables the efficient development of multicomponent systems with continuously improved CALPHAD description of pure elements.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Alexander Richter, Abdulmonem Obaied, Irina Roslyakova, Boris Wilthan, Allison Beese, Zi-Kui Liu. 2026-04-24. Thermodynamic Modeling of Pure Elements from 0 K with Uncertainty Quantification using PyCalphad and ESPEI. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.22910

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

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Crystal Dislocations as Atomic Scale Ratchets

The symmetry of a system's response to external stimuli is a fundamental concept in physics and materials science. At the microscopic scale, breaking this symmetry to achieve a rectified response is exceptionally difficult to engineer and remains rare in nature. Conventional micromechanics models of crystalline solids often assume a symmetric response to applied stress, where reversing the load simply inverts the direction of defect velocity without altering its magnitude. In this work, we report an atomic-scale, geometry-rooted mechanism that breaks this symmetry. Molecular dynamics simulations of face-centered cubic nickel reveal that dislocations containing atomic-scale jogs exhibit asymmetric mobility under opposite applied stresses: reversing the loading direction triggers significantly higher drag. This asymmetry arises from the coupling of two internal variables with different transformation parity: a non-affine displacement of an atom at the jog core, and a strain-like tensor associated with the advance of the dislocation. Because jogs are ubiquitous structures in plastic deformation, this discovery challenges classical descriptions of plastic deformation mechanisms, with direct implications for cyclic creep, and opens new pathways for defect engineering to enhance fatigue resistance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

The WEST code for large-scale excited-state materials simulations

We present WEST, an open-source plane-wave pseudopotential code for large-scale excited-state materials simulations, and describe its theoretical foundations, software architecture, and capabilities. WEST implements full-frequency GW, quantum defect embedding theory, the Bethe-Salpeter equation, and time-dependent density functional theory within a common algorithmic framework that avoids the explicit computation of virtual electronic states. By combining density functional and density matrix perturbation theory, low-rank representations of the dielectric screening and exact exchange, and localization techniques, WEST achieves favorable computational scaling with system size. The code supports the calculation of quasi-particle and neutral excitation energies, optical and photoluminescence spectra, excited-state forces, and non-adiabatic couplings, with interoperable workflows connecting to quantum chemistry, vibronic coupling, and quantum computing packages. A hierarchical parallelization strategy and GPU acceleration deliver near-ideal strong scaling to thousands of GPUs, enabling accurate excited-state simulations of systems with more than a thousand atoms. Representative applications, spanning the full optical cycle of solid-state spin defects, self-trapped excitons in metal-halide perovskites, and the optical response of liquid water and ice, demonstrate the accuracy and versatility of the code across diverse material classes. The capabilities implemented in WEST establish the code as a scalable platform for predictive excited-state simulations, high-throughput materials discovery, and the generation of high-fidelity datasets for machine learning in computational materials science.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

Symmetry-Based Design Rules for Second-Harmonic Generation in Stacked and Twisted MoS2 Bilayers

Understanding how stacking controls the nonlinear optical response of two-dimensional materials is key to designing van der Waals heterostructures with tailored functionalities. Here, we establish a comprehensive symmetry-based framework mapping the structural configuration of MoS2 bilayers across four point groups (D3h, D3d, C3v, C3) to their second-order susceptibility tensor chi^(2). Using group-theory arguments benchmarked against first-principles response-function calculations, we demonstrate how symmetry breaking controls the activation and suppression of individual tensor elements in these systems. We show that the emergence of the in-plane component chi_xxx in twisted configurations (C3 group) induces a rigid azimuthal rotation of the second-harmonic generation polar lobes, which remains frequency-independent across the entire optical spectrum, locking to half of the structural twist angle. Our findings establish a direct, wavelength-independent optical route for twist-angle determination and provide a clear roadmap for engineering nonlinear optical responses in two-dimensional materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗