Effects of substitution of X (X=rhenium,chromium and zirconium) on the properties of Co7Mo6 μ phase: A first‐principles study

The effects of three typical refractory elements (rhenium, chromium and zirconium) substituting the molybdenum atom in Co₇Mo₆ μ phase were investigated using first‐principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT). Energy (including binding energy and defect energy) and electronic structures (including density of states and charge density) of Co₇Mo₅X (X=rhenium, chromium and zirconium) were calculated. The optimized lattice structure of Co₇Mo₆ agrees well with the experimental data. The calculated results show the bonding between doped rhenium atom and its nearest neighbor molybdenum and cobalt atoms gets visibly stronger, contributing to the good stability of the unit cell. Neverthless, the bonding between chromium and its nearest neighbor molybdenum and cobalt is weaker, and the zirconium‐molybdenum and zirconium‐cobalt bonds are much weaker. The results reveal rhenium tends to participate in the formation of μ phase, but zirconium and chromium atoms are not prone to concentrate in μ phase.