The hcp to fcc transformation path of scandium trihydride under high pressure

We used density functional theory to calculate the phase stability of the hcp (hexagonal close packed) and the fcc (face centered cubic) structures of ScH3. The hcp form is stable up to 22 GPa according to the generalized gradient approximation calculation. Then the fcc form becomes energetically more stable. In order to provide insight into the phase transition mechanism, we modeled the hcp to fcc transition by sliding the hcp basal planes, i.e. (001)h planes, in such a way that the ABABAB sequence of the hcp form is altered into the ABCABC sequence of the fcc form. This sliding was suggested by the experiment. The configurations of these sliding steps are our proposed intermediate configurations, whose symmetry group is the Cm group. By using the Cm crystallography, we can match the d-spacings from the lattice planes of the hcp and fcc forms and the intermediate planes measured from the experiment. We also calculated the enthalpy per step, from which the energy barrier between the two phases at various pressures was derived. The barrier at 35 GPa is 0.370 eV per formula or 0.093 eV/atom. The movements of the hydrogen atoms during the hcp to intermediate phase transition are consistent with the result from the Raman spectra.