Prediction of novel ordered phases in U-X (X= Zr, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W) binary alloys under high pressure

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pan, Xiao L., Song, Hong X., Wang, H., Wu, F. C., Gan, Y. C., Chen, Xiang R., Chen, Ying, Geng, Hua Y.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Pan, Xiao L.
Song, Hong X.
Wang, H.
Wu, F. C.
Gan, Y. C.
Chen, Xiang R.
Chen, Ying
Geng, Hua Y.
author_facet Pan, Xiao L.
Song, Hong X.
Wang, H.
Wu, F. C.
Gan, Y. C.
Chen, Xiang R.
Chen, Ying
Geng, Hua Y.
contents U-based binary alloys have been widely adopted in fast nuclear reactors, but their stability under extreme conditions of high-pressure is almost unknown, mounting up to latent risk in applications. Here, possible ordered phases in U-Zr system up to 200 GPa are comprehensively investigated by unbiased first-principles structure prediction. Stable U2Zr, metastable U3Zr and U4Zr phases are discovered for the first time, which exhibit strong stability under compression. They all are metallic, with 5f electrons of uranium dominating the electronic density of states near the Fermi level. Prominent ionic interactions between U and Zr atoms, as well as covalent interactions between adjacent uranium atoms, are found. The same strategy is applied to explore the stability of ordered phases in other U-based binary transition metal alloys, U-X (X= Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W). Stable and metastable ordered phases similar to U-Zr alloy are unveiled, all with similar electronic structures. For these alloys, we find that the structure of U2X (X=Zr, Ti, Hf) hosts a unique hybrid phase transition similar to U2Nb, which is a superposition of a first-order transition and a second-order transition. The prediction of these novel phases not only refutes the stability of the long-believed ordered phase I4/mmm-U2Mo, but also rewrites the phase diagrams of U-X (X= Zr, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta) alloys under high pressure. All of these findings promote our understanding of the high-pressure behavior of the broad category of U-based binary alloys with transition metals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_15793
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Prediction of novel ordered phases in U-X (X= Zr, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W) binary alloys under high pressure
Pan, Xiao L.
Song, Hong X.
Wang, H.
Wu, F. C.
Gan, Y. C.
Chen, Xiang R.
Chen, Ying
Geng, Hua Y.
Materials Science
Applied Physics
Chemical Physics
Computational Physics
U-based binary alloys have been widely adopted in fast nuclear reactors, but their stability under extreme conditions of high-pressure is almost unknown, mounting up to latent risk in applications. Here, possible ordered phases in U-Zr system up to 200 GPa are comprehensively investigated by unbiased first-principles structure prediction. Stable U2Zr, metastable U3Zr and U4Zr phases are discovered for the first time, which exhibit strong stability under compression. They all are metallic, with 5f electrons of uranium dominating the electronic density of states near the Fermi level. Prominent ionic interactions between U and Zr atoms, as well as covalent interactions between adjacent uranium atoms, are found. The same strategy is applied to explore the stability of ordered phases in other U-based binary transition metal alloys, U-X (X= Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W). Stable and metastable ordered phases similar to U-Zr alloy are unveiled, all with similar electronic structures. For these alloys, we find that the structure of U2X (X=Zr, Ti, Hf) hosts a unique hybrid phase transition similar to U2Nb, which is a superposition of a first-order transition and a second-order transition. The prediction of these novel phases not only refutes the stability of the long-believed ordered phase I4/mmm-U2Mo, but also rewrites the phase diagrams of U-X (X= Zr, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta) alloys under high pressure. All of these findings promote our understanding of the high-pressure behavior of the broad category of U-based binary alloys with transition metals.
title Prediction of novel ordered phases in U-X (X= Zr, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W) binary alloys under high pressure
topic Materials Science
Applied Physics
Chemical Physics
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.15793