First principle investigation of crystal lattice structure, thermodynamics and mechanical properties in ZnZrAl2 intermetallic compound

ZnZrAl2 is a kind of heterogeneous nucleation to promote the refine of grain of ZA43 alloy. ZnZrAl2 intermetallic is also considered as a candidate for superalloys. The crystal lattice structure, alloy thermodynamics and mechanical properties of ZnZrAl2 intermetallic compound were investigated by ab initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). In particular, the site preference of atoms in different sublattices was predicted based on alloy thermodynamics. At ground state, the most stable structure is L12 structure with sublattice model (Zn)1a(Zr0.3333Al0.6667)3c or (Zr)1a(Zn0.3333Al0.6667)3c, and the occupying preferences of Zn, Zr and Al atoms are independent with the increasing temperature. The bulk, shear, Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio of the L12 structure ZnZrAl2 were calculated based on the site occupying configurations. The results show that ZnZrAl2 is a brittle material in nature. Electronic structures analysis revealed that Al-Zr atoms possess a covalent bonding character, while the Zn-Zr atoms have a metallic bonding character. ZnZrAl2 has stable mechanical properties at high temperature. The grain refinement effect of ZnZrAl2 precipitates in Zn-Al alloys were discussed based on crystal lattice match theory.