Influences of Multicenter Bonding and Interstitial Elements on Twinned γ-TiAl Crystal

Abstract

The bonding properties of the twin boundary in polysynthetic twinned γ-TiAl crystal and the effect of interstitial alloy elements on it are investigated by first principles. Among the three different kinds of interface relationships in the γ/γ interface, the proportion of true twin boundaries is the highest because it has the lowest interfacial energy, the reason for which is discussed by local energy and three-center bond. The presence of the interstitial atoms C, N, H, and O induces the competition for domination between their affinity to host atoms and three-center bonds, which eventually influences the values of unstable stacking fault energy (USFE) and intrinsic stacking fault energy (ISFE). The relative importance of different bonding with different alloy elements is clarified based on the analysis of local energy combined with Electron Localization Function (ELF) and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) schemes.