Pressure effects on electronic, elastic, and vibration properties of metallic antiperovskite PbNCa3 by ab initio calculations

Ab initio computations are performed to study the structural, elastic, electronic, and vibrational characteristics of the cubic antiperovskite compound PbNCa₃ under pressure up to 50 GPa. By using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), the equilibrium structural parameters, energy band structure, density of states, elastic properties, and phonon frequencies for PbNCa₃ have been examined. We have obtained some concerned feature as Young modulus and Poisson ratio for this compound using the elastic parameters. The computed elastic constant values show that PbNCa₃ is stable up to 30 GPa as mechanically. To assess the stability of this compound dynamically, we have investigated the one-phonon DOS and phonon dispersion relations under pressure. Our results indicate that the calculated structural parameter values at 0 GPa are in accord with the existing data.

New family of three-dimensional topological insulators with antiperovskite structure

All known topological insulators are crystallographically related to either the noncentrosymmetric zinc-blende HgTe-type family or to the hexagonal centrosymmetric Bi2Se3 one. Through first-principles calculations, here we show evidence that under a proper uniaxial strain cubic ternary centrosymmetric antiperovskite compounds (M3N)Bi (M=Ca, Sr, and Ba) are three-dimensional topological insulators. This proposed family of materials is chemically inert and the lattice structure is well matched to important semiconductors, which provides a rich platform to easily integrate with electronic devices.

Stacking Design of Inverse Perovskites: The Systems (Sr3-xBaxN)E, E = Bi, Sb

The first representatives of 4H (BaMnO3-type structure, P63/mmc, Z = 4) and 9R (BaMnO3-type structure, Rm, Z = 9) inverse Perovskite phases are presented. The phases are obtained within the solid solutions (Sr3-xBaxN)E with E = Bi, Sb. The crystal structures and homogeneity ranges were studied by combined X-ray and neutron diffraction as well as chemical analyses. The cubic Perovskite phase with Bi (Sb) is stable in the range of 0.00 < or = x < or = 0.90(5) (0.00 < or = x < or = 1.30(5)), the 4H variant is stable for 1.55(5) < or = x < or = 2.10(5) (1.85(5) < or = x < or = 2.45(5)), the 9R structure is stable for 2.50(2) < or = x < or = 2.55(2) (2.56(2) < or = x < or = 2.60(2)), and the 2H phase is stable for 2.75(5) < or = x < or = 3.00 (2.80(5) < or = x < or = 3.00). Ba occupies preferable sites in the hexagonal stacking of close packed layers of alkaline earth metal ions and E3-; Sr is mainly located in cubic stacked layers. The phase order upon going from cubic (Sr3N)E to 2H-type (Ba3N)E concomitant to the pronounced Sr/Ba partial order can, in general, be rationalized considering the Coulomb repulsion of nitride ions, as well as the size and charge density of the alkaline earth metal ions.