First-principles prediction of crystal structure and physical properties of ScB3

The crystal structure of ScB3 is seeked by combining the developed particle swarm optimisation algorithm for crystal structure prediction with first-principles calculations. A new monoclinic phase with the C2/m symmetry is predicted successfully, which is energetically more superior to the early reported R-3m-, P21/m-, P63/mmc-, P-6m2-, Pnma-, and Pm-3m-type structures in the pressure range from 0 to 100 GPa. The obtained elastic constants and phonon dispersion curve reveal that the C2/m-ScB3 is mechanically and dynamically stable. The predicted large bulk module, high shear modulus, small Poisson’s ratio as well as the considerable hardness indicate that the C2/m-ScB3 has outstanding mechanical property. Meanwhile, the dependences of the bulk modulus and Young’s modulus of ScB3 on the crystal orientation are investigated theoretically. Through applying the strain–stress method, the ideal tensile and shear strengths along different crystal directions are also estimated, and the obtained results confirm th...