Critical assessment of Co-Cu phase diagram from first-principles calculations

Using first-principles alloy theory, we perform a systematic study of the Co-Cu phase diagram. Calculations are carried out for ferromagnetic and paramagnetic Co₁-ₗCuₗ solid solutions with face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystal structure. We find that the equilibrium volumes and magnetic states are crucial for a quantitative description of the thermodynamics of the Co-Cu system at temperatures up to 1400 K. In particular, the paramagnetic state of Cu-rich alloys with persisting local magnetic moments is shown to be responsible for the solubility of a small amount of Co in fcc Cu whereas the excess entropy in the ferromagnetic Co-rich region critically depends on the adopted lattice parameters. None of the common local or semilocal density functional theory approximations have the necessary accuracy for the lattice parameters when compared to the experimental data. The predicted ab initio Co-Cu phase diagram is in good agreement with the measurements and CALPHAD data, making it possible to gain a deep insight into the various contributions to the Gibbs free energy. The present study provides an atomic-level description of the thermodynamic quantities controlling the limited mutual solubility of Co and Cu and highlights the importance of high-temperature magnetism.