Ground state of the U2Mo compound: Physical properties of the Ω-phase

Using ab initio calculations, unexpected structural instability was recently found in the ground state of the U2 Mo compound. Instead of the unstable I4/mmm and the Pmmn structures, in this work the P6/mmm (#191) space group, usually called Ω-phase, is proposed as the fundamental state. Total energy calculations using Wien2k code slightly favoured the last structure. Electronic and elastic properties are studied in this work in order to characterize the physical properties of this new phase. The stability of the Ω-phase is studied by means of its elastic constants calculation and phonon dispersion spectrum. Analysis of isotropic indices shows that the new phase is a ductile material with a minimal degree of anisotropy, suggesting that U2 Mo in the P6/mmm structure is an elastic isotropic material. Analysis of charge density, density of electronic states (DOS) and the character of the bands revealed a high level of hybridization between d-molybdenum electronic states and d- and f-uranium ones.