New Ternary Superconducting Compound LaRu2As2: Physical Properties from DFT Calculations

TL;DR

This study uses DFT calculations to explore the physical properties of the newly discovered superconductor LaRu2As2, revealing its mechanical stability, ductile nature, metallic behavior, and potential as a thermal barrier coating material.

Contribution

First-principles DFT calculations providing detailed physical property analysis of the new superconductor LaRu2As2.

Findings

LaRu2As2 is mechanically stable and ductile.

It exhibits metallic nature with multi-band Fermi surface.

Potential use as a thermal barrier coating material.

Abstract

In this paper, we have presented the density functional theory (DFT) based calculations performed within the first-principles pseudopotential method to investigate the physical properties of the newly discovered superconductor LaRu2As2 for the first time. The optimized structural parameters are in good agreement with the experimental results. The calculated independent elastic constants ensure mechanical stability of the compound. The calculated Cauchy pressure, Pugh's ratio as well as Poisson's ratio indicate that LaRu2As2 should behave as a ductile material. Due to low Debye temperature, LaRu2As2 may be used as a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material. The new compound should exhibit metallic nature as its valence bands overlap considerably with the conduction bands. LaRu2As2 is expected to be a soft material and easily machineable because of its low hardness value of 6.8 Gpa. The multi-band nature is observed in calculated Fermi surface. A highly anisotropic combination of ionic, covalent, and metallic interactions is expected in accordance with charge density calculations.