| Summary: | Magnesium–yttrium alloys show significantly improved room temperature ductility when compared with pure Mg. We study this interesting phenomenon theoretically at the atomic scale employing quantum-mechanical (so-called ab initio ) and atomistic modeling methods. Specifically, we have calculated generalized stacking fault energies for five slip systems in both elemental magnesium (Mg) and Mg–Y alloys using (i) density functional theory and (ii) a set of embedded-atom-method (EAM) potentials. These calculations predict that the addition of yttrium results in a reduction in the unstable stacking fault energy of basal slip systems. Specifically in the case of an I _2 stacking fault, the predicted reduction of the stacking fault energy due to Y atoms was verified by experimental measurements. We find a similar reduction for the stable stacking fault energy of the $\{11\bar {2}2\}\langle 11\bar {2}3\rangle $ non-basal slip system. On the other hand, other energies along this particular γ -surface profile increase with the addition of Y. In parallel to our quantum-mechanical calculations, we have also developed a new EAM Mg–Y potential and thoroughly tested its performance. The comparison of quantum-mechanical and atomistic results indicates that the new potential is suitable for future large-scale atomistic simulations.
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