Superconducting NbB2: An ab initio study of elastic constants

The five different elastic constants of the superconducting NbB2 are calculated for the first time by ab initio density functional method with both correlation and exchange potentials. In the absence of experimental data, the results are compared with those of other related diborides. The fully relaxed and isotropic bulk moduli are also estimated and the implication of their comparison is made.