Origin of shear induced ‘catching bonds’ on half Heusler thermoelectric compounds XFeSb (X = Nb, Ta) and SnNiY (Y = Ti, Zr, Hf)

Half Heusler materials exhibit excellent thermoelectric and mechanical properties, rendering them potential candidates for advanced thermoelectric devices. Currently, the developments on interrelated devices are impeded by their inherent brittleness and limited ductility. Nevertheless, it exists the potential ductility on half Heusler materials with face-centered cubic sub-lattices through the expectation of the occurrence of shear-induced ‘catching bonds’ which can result in excellent ductility on other face-centered cubic materials. This work focuses on half Heusler thermoelectric materials XFeSb (X = Nb, Ta) and SnNiY (Y = Ti, Zr, Hf), the shear deformation failure processes are deeply investigated through the first principle calculations. Shear-induced ‘catching bonds’ are found on XFeSb (X = Nb, Ta) along the (111)/<-1-12> slip system, which releases the internal stress and exactly resulting in the potential ductility. According to the thermodynamic criterion based on generalized stacking fault energy, the essence of shear-induced ‘catching bonds’ are interpreted as the (111)/<-110> slips formed by several 1/3(111)/<-1-12> partial dislocations motions. During the (111)/<-1-12> shear on SnNiY (Y = Ti, Zr, Hf), the structural integrity is maintained without inducing ‘catching bonds’. Different deformation processes occurring in the identical crystal structure are elucidated through the energy explanation, revealing that shear-induced ‘catching bonds’ originate from the crystal plane cleavage on the (111) plane. The present works offer significant advantages for the assessment and comprehension of shear-induced ‘catching bonds’ in other materials and facilitate the development of XFeSb (X = Nb, Ta)-based thermoelectric devices with excellent ductility.