Ab initio calculation of the phase stability, mechanical properties and electronic structure of ZrCr2 Laves phase compounds

Ab initio calculations have been used to investigate the phase stability, mechanical properties and electronic structure of ZrCr2 Laves phase compounds, based on the method of augmented plane waves plus local orbitals with the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice constants for the C15, C36 and C14 structures are in good agreement with experimental values. The calculation of heats of formation showed that C 15 is a ground-state phase, whereas C36 is an intermediate phase and C14 the high-temperature phase. The elastic constants and elastic moduli for the C 15 structure were calculated systematically and compared with experiments and previous theoretical calculations. The intrinsic and extrinsic stacking fault energies are found to be 112 and 98 mJ m(-2), respectively. The equilibrium separations between Schockley are also predicted using the calculated elastic moduli and stacking fault energies. Finally, the calculated electronic structures of these Laves phases are discussed based on these results.