First-principles calculation of structural and thermodynamic properties of titanium boride

The equilibrium lattice parameters, electronic structure, bulk modulus, Debye temperature, heat capacity and Gibbs energy of TiB and TiB2 were investigated using the pseudopotential plane-wave method based on density functional theory (DFT) and the improved quasi-harmonic Debye method. The results show that the total density of states (DOS) of TiB2 is mainly provided by the orbit hybridization of Ti-3d and B-2p states, and the total DOS of TiB is mainly provided by the hybrids bond of Ti-3d and B-2p below the Fermi level and Ti-Ti bond up to the Fermi level. The Ti-B hybrid bond in TiB2 is stronger than that in TiB. Finally, the enthalpy of formation at 0 K, heat capacity and Gibbs free energy of formation at various temperatures were determined. The calculated results are in excellent agreement with the available experimental data.