Nitrogen concentration driving the hardness of rhenium nitrides

Abstract

The structures and properties of rhenium nitrides are studied with density function based first principle method. New candidate ground states or high-pressure phases at Re:N ratios of 3:2, 1:3, and 1:4 are identified via a series of evolutionary structure searches. We find that the 3D polyhedral stacking with strong covalent N-N and Re-N bonding could stabilize Re nitrides to form nitrogen rich phases, meanwhile, remarkably improve the mechanical performance than that of sub-nitrides, as Re3N, Re2N, and Re3N2. By evaluating the trends of the crystal configuration, electronic structure, elastic properties, and hardness as a function of the N concentration, we proves that the N content is the key factor affecting the metallicity and hardness of Re nitrides.