No Arabic abstract
By means of the first-principles calculations, we have studied in details the structural, elastic and electronic properties of the new tetragonal CaBe2Ge2-type 5.2K superconductor SrPt2As2 in comparison with two hypothetical SrPt2As2 polymorphs with ThCr2Si2-type structures which differ by atomic configurations of [Pt2As2] (or [Pt2As2]) blocks. We have found that CaBe2Ge2-type SrPt2As2 is a quite unique system with complicated 2D-3D character of near-Fermi bands, and the intermediate type of the Fermi surface, which consists of electronic pockets having cylinder-like (2D) topology (typical for 122 FeAs phases) together with 3D-like electronic and hole pockets, which are characteristic for ThCr2Si2-like iron-free low-Tc superconductors. Our analysis reveals that against ThCr2Si2-like 122 phases, the other features for CaBe2Ge2-like SrPt2As2 are: (1). The essential differences of contributions of states from [Pt2As2] and [Pt2As2] blocks into near-Fermi region when the conduction is expected to be anisotropic and happening mainly in [Pt2As2] blocks; (2). The formation of the 3D system of strong covalent Pt-As bonds (inside and between of [Pt2As2]/[As2Pt2] blocks) which is responsible for enhanced stability of this polymorph, and (3). the essential charge anisotropy between the adjacent [Pt2As2] and [As2Pt2] blocks. We have predicted also that CaBe2Ge2-like SrPt2As2 is mechanically stable, relatively soft material with high compressibility and will behave in a ductile manner. On the contrary the ThCr2Si2-type SrPt2As2 polymorphs which contain only [Pt2As2] or [As2Pt2] blocks, are less stable, their Fermi surfaces adopt a multi-sheet three-dimensional type - similar to ThCr2Si2-like iron-free 122 phases, and these polymorphs will be ductile materials with high elastic anisotropy.
Very recently, as an important step in the development of layered Fe-free pnictide-oxide superconductors, the new phase BaTi2Bi2O was discovered which has the highest TC (about 4.6 K) among all related non-doped systems. In this Letter, we report for the first time the electronic bands, Fermi surface topology, total and partial densities of electronic states for BaTi2Bi2O obtained by means of the first-principles FLAPW-GGA calculations. The inter-atomic bonding picture is described as a high-anisotropic mixture of metallic, covalent, and ionic contributions. Besides, the structural and electronic factors, which can be responsible for the increased transition temperature for BaTi2Bi2O (as compared with related pnictide-oxides BaTi2As2O and BaTi2Sb2O), are discussed.
Very recently (November, 2010, PRB, 82, 180520R) the first 122-like ternary superconductor KxFe2Se2 with enhanced TC ~ 31K has been discovered. This finding has stimulated much activity in search of related materials and triggered the intense studies of their properties. Indeed already in 2010-2011 the superconductivity (TC ~ 27-33K) was also found in the series of new synthesized 122 phases such as CsxFe2Se2, RbxFe2Se2, (TlK)xFeySe2 etc. which have formed today the new family of superconducting iron-based materials without toxic As. Here, using the ab initio FLAPW-GGA method we have predicted for the first time the elastic properties for KFe2Se2 and discussed their interplay with inter-atomic bonding for this system. Our data reveal that the examined phase is relatively soft material. In addition, this system is mechanically stable, adopts considerable elastic anisotropy, and demonstrates brittleness. These conclusions agree with the bonding picture for KFe2Se2, where the inter-atomic bonding is highly anisotropic and includes ionic, covalent and metallic contributions.
Based on First-principles calculation, we have investigated electronic structure of a ZrCuSiAs structured superconductor LaNiPO. The density of states, band structures and Fermi surfaces have been given in detail. Our results indicate that the bonding of the La-O and Ni-P is strongly covalent whereas binding property between the LaO and NiP blocks is mostly ionic. Its also found that four bands are across the Fermi level and the corresponding Fermi surfaces all have a two-dimensional character. In addition, we also give the band decomposed charge density, which suggests that orbital components of Fermi surfaces are more complicated than cuprate superconductors.
We have examined theoretically the electronic band structure and Fermi surface of tetragonal low-temperature superconductor Bi2Pd. Our main results are that (i) the Pd 4d and Bi 6p states determine the main peculiarities of the multiple-sheets FS topology, thus for this material the complicated superconducting gap structure with different energy gaps on different FS sheets should be assumed; (ii) the effect of the spin-orbit coupling is of minor importance for the distributions of the near-Fermi electronic states; and (iii) this phase adopts 3D-like type owing to the directional bonds between the adjacent atomic sheets.
By means of DFT-based first-principles calculations, we examine two polymorphs of the newly synthesized 1111-like MgFeSeO as possible new superconducting systems. We have found that the polymorph with blocks [MgO], where Mg atoms are placed in the centers of O4 tetrahedra, is dynamically unstable - unlike the ZrCuSiAs-type polymorph with oxygen atoms placed in the centers of Mg4 tetrahedra. The characterization of this material covers the structural, elastic properties, electronic band structure, density of electronic states, and Fermi surface. Our calculations suggest that a high critical temperature for MgFeSeO may be achieved as a result of electron or hole doping through ion substitutions or through creation of lattice vacancies.