Electronic, mechanical, and thermodynamic properties of americium dioxide

By performing density functional theory (DFT) +U calculations, we systematically study the electronic, mechanical, tensile, and thermodynamic properties of AmO2. It is found that the chemical bonding character in AmO2 is similar to that in PuO2, with smaller charge transfer and stronger covalent interactions between americium and oxygen atoms. The stress–strain relationship of AmO2 is examined along the three low-index directions, showing that the [1 0 0] and [1 1 1] directions are the strongest and weakest tensile directions, respectively, but the theoretical tensile strengths of AmO2 are smaller than those of PuO2. The phonon dispersion curves of AmO2 are calculated and the heat capacities as well as lattice expansion curve are subsequently determined. The lattice thermal conductivity of AmO2 is further evaluated and compared with attainable experiments. Our present work integrally reveals various physical properties of AmO2 and can be referenced for technological applications of AmO2 based materials.