First-Principles Study on the Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structure of V Doped WCoB and W₂CoB₂ Ternary Borides

For the purpose of exploring new hard materials and doping methods, the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of WCoB and W₂CoB₂ ternary boride were investigated with 0, 8.33, 16.67, 25 and 33.33 at.% V doping content and W₂CoB₂ with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 at.% V doping content by first-principle calculations. The cohesive energy, impurity formation energy and formation energy indicate the structural stability of V doped WCoB and W₂CoB₂. The elastic constants and mechanical properties imply that V doping leads to the decrement of shear modulus and the increment of ductility. Two different kinds of hardness models verify that V doping contributes to the decrement of hardness, which is closely related to shear modulus. The electronic structure is analyzed by DOS (density of states), PDOS (partial density of states) and charge density difference, which indicate the formation of weaker B⁻V covalent bonds, W⁻V and W⁻W metallic bonds lead to the decrement of mechanical properties. Compared with previous studies of Cr, Mn doped WCoB and W₂CoB₂, V doping leads to worse mechanical properties and hardness, indicating V may not be a suitable choice of doping transition elements.