First principles calculations are preformed to systematically investigate the elastic and thermodynamic properties of Re2N at high pressure and high temperature. The Re2N exhibits a clear elastic anisotropy and the elastic constants C11 and C33 vary rapidly in comparison with the variations in C12, C13 and C44 at high pressure. In addition, bulk modulus B, elastic modulus E, and shear modulus Gas a function of crystal orientations for Re2N are also investigated for the first time. The tensile directional dependences of the elastic modulus obey the following trend： [0001] [1211] [1010] [1011]EEEE〉〉〉 . The shear moduli of Re2N within the （0001） basal plane are the smallest and greatly reduce the resistance of against large shear deformations. Based on the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the dependences of Debye temperature, Grüneisen parameter, heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient on the temperature and pressure are explored in the whole pressure range from 0 to 50 GPa and temperature range from 0 to 1600 K.
By combining first-principles calculations with the particle swarm optimization algorithm, we predicted a hexagonal Pˉ3m1 structure for Tc B, which is energetically more favorable than the previously reported WC-type and Cmcm structures.The new phase is mechanically and dynamically stable, as confirmed by its phonon and elastic constants calculations.The calculated mechanical properties show that it is an ultra-incompressible and hard material. Meanwhile, the elastic anisotropy is investigated by the shear anisotropic factors and ratio of the directional bulk modulus. Density of states analysis reveals that the strong covalent bonding between Tc and B atoms plays a leading role in forming a hard material. Additionally, the compressibility, bulk modulus, Debye temperature, Gruneisen parameter, specific heat, and thermal expansion coefficient of Tc B are also successfully obtained by using the quasi-harmonic Debye model.
Combining first-principles calculations with the particle swarm optimization （PSO） algorithm, we have explored the ground-state structure of Pd2N, whose structure is in debate although it is the first synthesized binary platinum group nitride. The ground-state structure is predicted to be tetragonal with space group P^-4m2, which is energetically more favorable than the previously proposed orthorhombic Co2N-type structure. The stability is confirmed by the subsequent calculations on the phonon dispersion curves and elastic constants. Furthermore, the calculated mechanical properties indicate that Pd2N has low incompressibility and is a common hard material.
