Crystal structure of Mg3Pd from first-principles calculations

Crystal structure of Mg3Pd alloy was studied by first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. The total energy, formation heat and cohesive energy of the two types of Mg3Pd were calculated to assess the stability and the preferentiality. The results show that Mg3Pd alloy with Cu3P structure is more stable than Na3As structure, and Mg3Pd alloy is preferential to Cu3P structure. The obtained densities of states and charge density distribution for the two types of crystal structure were analyzed and discussed in combination with experimental findings for further discussion of the Mg3Pd structure.