Possible high-temperature superconductors predicted from electronic structure and data-filtering algorithms

We report here the completion of the electronic structure of the majority of the known stoichiometric inorganic compounds, as listed in the International Crystal Structure Data-base (ICSD). We make a detailed comparison of the electronic structure, crystal geometry and chemical bonding of cuprate high temperature superconductors, with the calculated over sixty thousand electronic structures. Based on compelling similarities of the electronic structures in the normal state and a data-filtering technique, we propose that high temperature superconductivity is possible for electron- or hole-doping in a much larger group of materials than previously considered. The indentified materials are composed of over one hundred layered compounds, most which hitherto are untested with respect to their super conducting properties. Of particular interest are the following materials; Ca$_2$(CuBr$_2$O$_2$), K$_2$CoF$_4$, Sr$_2$(MoO$_4$) and Sr$_4$V$_3$O$_{10}$, which are discussed in detail.

Dynamical stabilization of the bcc phase in lanthanum and thorium by phonon-phonon interaction

The recently developed self consistent {it ab initio} lattice dynamical method (SCAILD) has been applied to the high temperature bcc phase of La and Th which are dynamically unstable at low temperatures. The bcc phase of these metals is found to be stabilized by phonon-phonon interactions. The calculated high temperature phonon frequencies for La are found to be in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data.

Accurate electronic band gap of pure and functionalized graphane from GW calculations

Using the GW approximation, we study the electronic structure of the recently synthesized hydrogenated graphene, named graphane. For both conformations, the minimum band gap is found to be direct at the $Gamma$ point, and it has a value of 5.4 eV in the stable chair conformation, where H atoms attach C atoms alternatively on opposite sides of the two dimensional carbon network. In the meta-stable boat conformation the energy gap is 4.9 eV. Then, using a supercell approach, the electronic structure of graphane was modified by introducing either an hydroxyl group or an H vacancy. In this last case, an impurity state appears at about 2 eV above the valence band maximum.

Entropy driven stabilization of energetically unstable crystal structures explained from first principles theory

Conventional methods to calculate the thermodynamics of crystals evaluate the harmonic phonon spectra and therefore do not work in frequent and important situations where the crystal structure is unstable in the harmonic approximation, such as the body-centered cubic (bcc) crystal structure when it appears as a high-temperature phase of many metals. A method for calculating temperature dependent phonon spectra self consistently from first principles has been developed to address this issue. The method combines concepts from Borns inter-atomic self-consistent phonon approach with first principles calculations of accurate inter-atomic forces in a super-cell. The method has been tested on the high temperature bcc phase of Ti, Zr and Hf, as representative examples, and is found to reproduce the observed high temperature phonon frequencies with good accuracy.

Anomalous thermal expansion in $alpha$-titanium

We provide a complete quantitative explanation for the anisotropic thermal expansion of hcp Ti at low temperature. The observed negative thermal expansion along the c-axis is reproduced theoretically by means of a parameter free theory which involves both the electron and phonon contributions to the free energy. The thermal expansion of titanium is calculated and found to be negative along the c-axis for temperatures below $sim$ 170 K, in good agreement with observations. We have identified a saddle-point Van Hove singularity near the Fermi level as the main reason for the anisotropic thermal expansion in $alpha-$titanium.