Pseudopotential Plane-wave Study of the Uranium Metals and Uranium Compound

Ultrasoft pseudopotential was generated for uranium and the plane waves pseudopotential formalism was used to study its crystal structures at zero temperature as a function of pressure. The alpha phases of uranium were fully relaxed. The zero-pressure zero-temperature equilibrium volumes and bulk moduli are consistent with previous calculations, and in excellent agreement with the experiment. This is also the case for cell parameters and pressure-induced phase transitions. In the calculation of NaCl and CaF2 structure type of compound of uranium, the difference of theoretical lattice constant and the experimental value is less than 3%. For UO2+x the trend of the lattice shinking with the x value increase is in accord with the experiment. For large U2C3 and U2N3 complex cells the difference of theoretical lattice constant and the experimental value is less than 3%, and the difference of coordination of atom is less than 5%.