arXiv subjects

Aleksey N. Kolmogorov

Publications and source records attributed to Aleksey N. Kolmogorov.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Stability and superconductivity of Ca-B phases at ambient and high pressure

In the search for MgB2-like phonon-mediated superconductors we have carried out a systematic density functional theory study of the Ca-B system, isoelectronic to Mg-B, at ambient and gigapascal pressures. A remarkable variety of candidate high-pressure ground states have been identified with an evolutionary crystal structure search, including a stable alkaline-earth monoboride oI8-CaB, a superconductor with an expected critical temperature (Tc) of 5.5 K. We have extended our previous study of CaB6 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 102501 (2012)] to nearby stoichiometries of CaB[6+x], finding that extra boron further stabilizes the proposed B24 units. Here an explanation is given for the transformation of cP7-CaB6 into the more complex oS56 and tI56 polymorphs at high pressure. The stability of the known metallic tP20 phase of CaB4 at ambient pressure is explained from a crystal structure and chemical bonding point of view. The tP20 structure is shown to destabilize at 19 GPa relative to a semiconducting MgB4-like structure due to chemical pressure from the metal ion. The hypothetical AlB2-type structure of CaB2, previously shown to have favorable superconducting features, is demonstrated here to be unstable at all pressures; two new metallic CaB2 polymorphs with unusual boron networks stabilize at elevated pressures above 8 GPa but are found to have very low critical temperatures (Tc ~1 K). The stability of all structures has been rationalized through comparison with alkaline-earth analogs, emphasizing the importance of the size of the metal ion for the stability of borides. Our study illustrates the inverse correlation between the thermodynamic stability and superconducting properties and the necessity to carefully examine both in the design of new synthesizable superconducting materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Discovery of a superhard iron tetraboride superconductor

Single crystals of novel orthorhombic (space group Pnnm) iron tetraboride FeB4 were synthesised at pressures above 8 GPa and high temperatures. Magnetic susceptibility measurements demonstrated bulk superconductivity below 2.9 K. The putative isotope effect on the superconducting critical temperature indicates that FeB4 is likely a phonon-mediated superconductor, which is unexpected in the light of previous knowledge on Fe-based superconductors. The discovered iron tetraboride is highly incompressible and has the nanoindentation hardness of 65(5) GPa, thus, it opens a new class of highly desirable materials combining advanced mechanical properties and superconductivity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2012

Structure, bonding, and hardness of CrB$_4$: a superhard material?

By electron and X-ray diffraction we establish that the CrB$_4$ compound discovered over 40 years ago crystallizes in the $oP10$ (\emph{Pnnm}) structure, in disagreement with previous experiments but in agreement with a recent first-principles prediction. The 3D boron network in the new structure is a distorted version of the rigid carbon $sp^3$ network proposed recently for the high-pressure C$_4$ allotrope. According to our density functional theory calculations and the analysis of the bonding, CrB$_4$ is a potentially superhard material. In fact, the calculated weakest shear and tensile stresses exceed 50 GPa and its Vickers hardness is estimated to be 48 GPa.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Thermodynamic stabilities of ternary metal borides: An ab initio guide for synthesizing layered superconductors

Density functional theory calculations have been used to identify stable layered Li-$M$-B crystal structure phases derived from a recently proposed binary metal-sandwich (MS) lithium monoboride superconductor. We show that the MS lithium monoboride gains in stability when alloyed with electron-rich metal diborides; the resulting ordered Li$_{2(1-x)}M_x$B$_2$ ternary phases may form under normal synthesis conditions in a wide concentration range of $x$ for a number of group-III-V metals $M$. In an effort to pre-select compounds with the strongest electron-phonon coupling we examine the softening of the in-plane boron phonon mode at $Γ$ in a large class of metal borides. Our results reveal interesting general trends for the frequency of the in-plane boron phonon modes as a function of the boron-boron bond length and the valence of the metal. One of the candidates with a promise to be an MgB$_2$-type superconductor, Li$_2$AlB$_4$, has been examined in more detail: according to our {\it ab initio} calculations of the phonon dispersion and the electron-phonon coupling $λ$, the compound should have a critical temperature of $\sim4$ K.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Quest for high Tc in layered structures: the case of LiB

Using electronic structure calculation we study the superconducting properties of the theoretically-devised superconductor MS1-LiB (LiB). We calculate the electron-phonon coupling ($λ=0.62$) and the phonon frequency logarithmic average ($<ω>_{log}=54.6$ meV) and show that the LiB critical temperature is in the range of 10-15 K, despite the frozen-phonon deformation potential being of the same order of MgB$_2$. As a consequence, LiB captures some of the essential physics of MgB$_2$ but (i) the electron-phonon coupling due to $σ$ states is smaller and (ii) the precious contribution of the $π$ carriers to the critical temperature is lacking. We investigate the possible change in $T_c$ that can be induced by doping and pressure and find that these conditions cannot easily increase $T_c$ in LiB.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Theoretical study of the thermal behavior of free and alumina-supported Fe-C nanoparticles

The thermal behavior of free and alumina-supported iron-carbon nanoparticles is investigated via molecular dynamics simulations, in which the effect of the substrate is treated with a simple Morse potential fitted to ab initio data. We observe that the presence of the substrate raises the melting temperature of medium and large $Fe_{1-x}C_x$ nanoparticles ($x$ = 0-0.16, $N$ = 80-1000, non- magic numbers) by 40-60 K; it also plays an important role in defining the ground state of smaller Fe nanoparticles ($N$ = 50-80). The main focus of our study is the investigation of Fe-C phase diagrams as a function of the nanoparticle size. We find that as the cluster size decreases in the 1.1-1.6-nm-diameter range the eutectic point shifts significantly not only toward lower temperatures, as expected from the Gibbs-Thomson law, but also toward lower concentrations of C. The strong dependence of the maximum C solubility on the Fe-C cluster size may have important implications for the catalytic growth of carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2006

Theoretical study of metal borides stability

We have recently identified metal-sandwich (MS) crystal structures and shown with ab initio calculations that the MS lithium monoboride phases are favored over the known stoichiometric ones under hydrostatic pressure [Phys. Rev. B 73, 180501(R) (2006)]. According to previous studies synthesized lithium monoboride tends to be boron-deficient, however the mechanism leading to this phenomenon is not fully understood. We propose a simple model that explains the experimentally observed off-stoichiometry and show that compared to such boron-deficient phases the MS-LiB compounds still have lower formation enthalpy under high pressures. We also investigate stability of MS phases for a large class of metal borides. Our ab initio results suggest that MS noble metal borides are less unstable than the corresponding AlB$_2$-type phases but not stable enough to form under equilibrium conditions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Prediction of new crystal structure phases in metal borides: a lithium monoboride analog to MgB2

Modern compound prediction methods can efficiently screen large numbers of crystal structure phases and direct the experimental search for new materials. One of the most challenging problems in alloy theory is the identification of stable phases with a never seen prototype; such predictions do not always follow rational strategies. While performing ab initioa data mining of intermetallic compounds we made an unexpected discovery: even in such a well-studied class of systems as metal borides there are previously unknown layered phases comparable in energy to the existing ones. With ab initio calculations we show that the new metal-sandwich (MS) lithium monoboride phases are marginally stable under ambient conditions but become favored over the known stoichiometric compounds under moderate pressures. The MS lithium monoboride exhibits electronic features similar to those in magnesium diboride and is expected to be a good superconductor.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2005

High-throughput ab initio analysis of the Bi-In, Bi-Mg, Bi-Sb, In-Mg, In-Sb, and Mg-Sb systems

Prediction and characterization of crystal structures of alloys are a key problem in materials research. Using high-throughput ab initio calculations we explore the low-temperature phase diagrams for the following systems: {Bi-In, Bi-Mg, Bi-Sb, In-Mg, In-Sb, and Mg-Sb}. For the experimentally observed phases in these systems we provide information about their stability at low temperatures. Keywords: Binary Alloys, Ab initio, Intermetallics, Transition Metals, Structure Prediction, Phase Stability, Magnesium, Indium, Bismuth, Antimony.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗