Phase stability in alpha- and beta-rhombohedral boron
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Phase stability in - and -B has been investigated by using first-principles quasiharmonic phonon calculations. It is found that the defect-free -B is more stable than the defect-free -B at lower temperatures up to the predicted 1388 K. It is revealed that the defect-free -B is mechanically unstable at high temperatures (above 1840 K), indicated by the appearance of imaginary phonon modes, which can be suppressed by introducing defects, e.g., the extra B atoms. This discovery is consistent with the experimental observations that defects occur commonly in -B. 2007 The American Physical Society.