Effect of Substitutions at the Nickel Site on the Electronic Structure of LaNi5 and its Hydrides

ABSTRACTThe effect of Ni substitution in LaNi5 by 3d and s-p elements on the electronic structure of the intermetallic and its hydrides has been investigated using the self consistent linear muffin tin orbital (LMTO) method in the atomic sphere approximation (ASA). The Fermi level, EF, of LaNi4M (M = Fe,Co,Mn) is found to lie in the narrow additional M 3d subband above the Ni d states, leading to an increase in the density of states (DOS) at EF. In contrast, the substitution of Ni by an s element of the 3d series, Cu, or by an s-p element: Al or Sn results in a progressive filling of the Ni-d bands and in a decrease of the DOS at EF. In all the substituted intermetallic compounds, we find that the lattice expansion accounts for less than 50% of the observed decreased stability, this shows the importance of the effect of chemical substitution. We also discuss the factors which affect the electronic structure and the stability of the hydrides and compare our results with available experimental data.