Strongly correlated intermetallic rare-earth monoaurides (Ln-Au): Ab-initio study

In this paper, we explored the structural, elastic and mechanical properties of the strongly correlated electron systems, intermetallic Ln-Au (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) in cubic structure, using PF-LAPW method within the density functional theory. Structural properties of these intermetallics were investigated by treating the exchange-correlation potential with the GGA-PBE, GGA-PBEsol and GGA + U. The effectiveness of the U for the structural properties as compared to other methods confirms the strong correlated nature of these compounds and the calculated lattice constants endorse the divalency of Yb. The results demonstrate the stable cubic CsCl structure of these compounds. Bulk modulus, Young's modulus, shear modulus, B/G ratio, Cauchy pressure, Poisson's ratio, anisotropic ratio, Kleinman parameters and Lame's coefficients were studied using the PBEsol to evaluate their importance in various types of engineering applications. The most prominent features of these compounds are their ductility, very high melting points, resistance to corrosion, and anisotropic nature. (C) 2018 Chinese Society of Rare Earths. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.