In order to improve the hydrogen storage properties of calcium hydride (CaH2), we have tuned its thermodynamical properties through fluorination. Using ab-initio total energy calculations based on density functional theory, the structural stability, electronic structure and chemical bonding of CaH2-xFx systems are investigated. The phase transition of fluorinated systems from orthorhombic to cubic structure has been observed at 18% fluorine doped CaH2. The phase stability analysis shows that CaH2-xFx systems are highly stable and the stability is directly correlating with their ionicity. Density of states (DOS) plot reveals that CaH2-xFx systems are insulators. Partial DOS and charge density analyses conclude that these systems are governed by ionic bonding. Our results show that H closer to F can be removed more easily than that far away from F and this is due to disproportionation induced in the bonding interaction by fluorination.
@article{arxiv.1610.00269,
title = {Structural Phase Stability in Fluorinated Calcium Hydride},
author = {R. Varunaa and P. Ravindran},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1610.00269},
year = {2017}
}