15 research outputs found
Role of C in MgC_xNi_3 investigated from first principles
The influence of vacancies in the sub-lattice of , on its
structural, electronic and magnetic properties are studied by means of the
density-functional based Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method
formulated in the atomic sphere approximation. Disorder is taken into account
by means of coherent-potential approximation. Characterizations representing
the change in the lattice properties include the variation in the equilibrium
lattice constants, bulk modulus and pressure derivative of the bulk modulus,
and that of electronic structure include the changes in the, total, partial and
-resolved density of states. The incipient magnetic properties are
studied by means of fixed-spin moment method of alloy theory, together in
conjunction with the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau equation for magnetic
phase transition. The first-principles calculations reveal that due to the
breaking of the - bonds, some of the 3d states, which were lowered
in energy due to strong hybridization, are transfered back to higher energies
thereby increasing the itinerant character in the material. The Bloch spectral
densities evaluated at the high symmetry points however reveal that the charge
redistribution is not uniform over the cubic Brillouin zone, as new states are
seen to be created at the point, while a shift in the states on the
energy scale are seen at other high symmetry points
Compositional disorder and its influence on the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of MgC(Ni_{1-x}Co_{x})_{3} alloys using first-principles
First-principles, density-functional based electronic structure calculations
are carried out for MgC(Ni_{1-x}Co_{x})_{3} alloys over the concentration range
0\leq x\leq1, using Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential approximation
(KKR CPA) method in the atomic sphere approximation (ASA). The self-consistent
calculations are used to study the changes as a function of x in the equation
of state parameters, total and partial densities of states, magnetic moment and
the on-site exchange interaction parameter. To study the magnetic properties as
well as its volume dependence, fixed-spin moment calculations in conjunction
with the phenomenological Landau theory are employed. The salient features that
emerge from these calculations are (i) a concentration independent variation in
the lattice parameter and bulk modulus at x~0.75 with an anomaly in the
variation of the pressure derivative of bulk modulus, (ii) the fixed-spin
moment based corrections to the overestimated magnetic ground state for 0.0\leq
x\leq0.3 alloys, making the results consistent with the experiments, and (iii)
the possibility of multiple magnetic states at x~0.75, which, however, requires
further improvements in the calculations
A first-principles comparison of the electronic properties of MgC_{y}Ni_{3} and ZnC_{y}Ni_{3} alloys
First-principles, density-functional-based electronic structure calculations
are employed to study the changes in the electronic properties of ZnC_{y}Ni_{3}
and MgC_{y}Ni_{3} using the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential
approximation method in the atomic sphere approximation (KKR-ASA CPA). As a
function of decreasing C at%, we find a steady decrease in the lattice constant
and bulk modulus in either alloys. However, the pressure derivative of the bulk
modulus displays an opposite trend. Following the Debye model, which relates
the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus with the average phonon frequency
of the crystal, it can thus be argued that ZnCNi_{3} and its disordered alloys
posses a different phonon spectra in comparison to its MgCNi_{3} counterparts.
This is further justified by the marked similarity we find in the electronic
structure properties such as the variation in the density of states and the
Hopfield parameters calculated for these alloys. The effects on the equation of
state parameters and the density of states at the Fermi energy, for partial
replacement of Mg by Zn are also discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figure
Mn and Fe Impurities in MgB_{2}
Based on first principles calculations, we show that impurities are
magnetic in due to exchange-splitting of band and they
substantially modify and bands through
hybridization. Thus, impurities could act as strong magnetic scattering
centers leading to pair-breaking effects in . In contrast, we find
impurities in to be nearly non-magnetic.Comment: revised versio
Is Delta_{pi}-gap-only superconductivity possible in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_{2} and Mg(B_{1-y}C_{y})_{2} alloys?
Using density-functional-based method, we study the k-resolved sigma- and
pi-band holes in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_{2} and Mg(B_{1-y}C_{y})_{2} alloys. We find
that the calculated profiles of the loss of sigma- and pi-band holes in these
two systems as a function of impurity concentration are in qualitative
agreement with experiments, as expected. We also describe its implications
vis-a-vis superconductivity in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_{2} and Mg(B_{1-y}C_{y})_{2}.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
On the propensity of magnetism in 3d transition-metal-MgCNi3 alloys
The effects of disorder and incipient magnetism in MgC(Ni1-xTx)3 (T≡Fe, Co or Cu) alloys are studied using coherent-potential approximation and Ginzburg–Landau coefficients. The first-principles, local-density-functional-based calculations for substitutionally disordered Fe and Co impurities in the Ni sub-lattice of MgCNi3, in low concentrations, show that incipient magnetism resides in these materials. The overestimation of the calculated magnetic properties points to the limitations of the local-density approximation. However, using a phenomenological approach based on Ginzburg–Landau coefficients and the fixed-spin moment method, we show that MgC(Ni1-xTx)3 alloys remain paramagnetic. At expanded volumes, we also find the possibility of a ferromagnetic state for MgC(Ni0.95Fe0.05)3 and MgC(Ni0.90Co0.10)3 alloys.© Elsevie