Materials under high pressure often
exhibit unusual physical and
chemical behaviors. We investigated the Sc–N system under high
pressure in the range of 0–110 GPa using variable-composition
methodology implemented in Universal Structure Predictor: Evolutionary
Xtallograpgy (USPEX) in conjunction with Vienna Ab Initio Simulation
Package (VASP). The calculation led to prediction of new thermodynamically
stable compounds, Sc
4
N
3
, Sc
8
N
7
, ScN
3
, and ScN
5
, and also phase transition
of ScN
5
from triclinic to monoclinic at 104 GPa. These
results are important to understand the structure of Sc–N compounds
under high pressure and their elastic and electronic properties.