Anisotropic thermal expansion in molecular solids: Theory and experiment on LiBH 4

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Abstract

We propose a reliable and efficient computational method for predicting elastic and thermal expansion properties in crystals, particularly complex anisotropic molecular solids, and we apply it to the room-temperature orthorhombic  Pnma  phase of  LiBH 4 . Using density-functional theory, we find thermal expansion coefficients at finite temperature, and we confirm them by temperature-dependent,  in situ  x-ray diffraction measurements. We also consider the effects of volume and pressure, as well as energy barriers for  BH 4−  rotations and collective motions. Our combined study validates the theory and provides a better understanding of the structural behavior of  LiBH 4 .
Original languageAmerican English
JournalPhysical Review B
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Keywords

  • anisotropi thermal expansion

Disciplines

  • Chemistry

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