Ab initio study on the thermal properties of the fcc Al3Mg and Al3Sc alloys

Ab initio density functional theory (DFT) and density function perturbation theory (DFPT) have been used to investigate the thermal properties of the fcc Al3Mg and Al3Sc alloys over a wide range of pressure and temperature, in comparison with fcc Al. Phonon dispersions were obtained at equilibrium and strained configurations by density functional perturbation theory. Using the quasiharmonic approximation for the free energy, several thermal quantities of interest, such as the thermal Gruneisen parameter, heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient and entropy, were calculated as a function of temperature and pressure, and the variation features of these quantities were discussed in detail. This investigation provides useful information for design and applications of technologically relevant Al-based alloys.