Theoretical investigations of structural, elastic and electronic properties of M2N3 (M = Zr, Hf, W and Re) with U2S3 structure.

The structural, elastic and electronic properties of four nitrides M 2 N 3 (M = Zr, Hf, W and Re) with U 2 S 3 structure are investigated by plane-wave pseudopotential density functional theory by the generalized gradient approximation in this paper. The calculated elastic constants show that the nitrides are mechanically stable at ambient conditions, except Re 2 N 3 . The calculated bulk modulus B and shear modulus G indicate that Zr 2 N 3 , Hf 2 N 3 and W 2 N 3 are potential candidates for hard materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]