Search

Abstract: Borogermanates are a class of very important compounds in materials chemistry. In this paper, the syntheses, structures, and properties of metal borogermanates are reviewed. Organically templated borogermanates with zeolite-like open-frameworks show potential applications as microporous materials. Many compounds in alkali or alkaline-earth borogermanate systems are structurally acentric or polar, some of which exhibit excellent Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) coefficients, wide transparency regions, and high optical-damage thresholds as well as excellent thermal stability. Most of the lanthanide borogermanates are structurally centrosymmetric and not SHG active; however, they are able to emit strong luminescence in visible or near-IR region. In the B-rich compounds, BO3 and BO4 groups can be polymerized into a variety of discrete polynuclear anionic cluster units or extended architectures via B–O–B bridges; whereas in the Ge-rich compounds, GeO4 and GeO6 polyhedra can also be polymerized. The combinations of borate and germinate afforded rich structural and topological types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 is a new diamond-like semiconductor with the Cu 4 NiSi 2 S 7 structure type. • CZGSe and Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 possess optical bandgaps of 1.38 and 0.91 eV, respectively. • CZGSe and Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 are air stable and have wide windows of optical transparency. • CZGSe exhibits a strong second harmonic generation response at λ = 2900 nm. • CZGSe is an excellent candidate for low-powered infrared nonlinear optical devices. [Display omitted] In this study, two quaternary diamond-like semiconductors (DLSs) in the Cu-Zn-Ge-Se system, the known Cu 2 ZnGeSe 4 (also referred to as CZGSe) and the new Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 , are compared in terms of their crystal structures, electronic structures and physicochemical properties. Both compounds were prepared by high-temperature, solid-state synthesis at 800 °C. Single crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the structure of Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7. The structures of both Cu 2 ZnGeSe 4 and Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 can be considered as derivatives of cubic diamond. Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 , with a reduced symmetry due to the cation ordering pattern, adopts the Cu 4 NiSi 2 S 7 structure type, with space group C 2. The corner-sharing tetrahedra in Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 are slightly distorted because the charge for some of the S2- anions is not compensated by the first-nearest-neighbor cations. Rietveld refinements using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data were used to assess the phase purity of the samples and confirm the bulk structural behavior. Diffuse reflectance UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy shows that Cu 2 ZnGeSe 4 and Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 have direct optical bandgaps of 1.38 and 0.91 eV, respectively. Electronic structure calculations implementing density functional theory confirm the direct bandgap for Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 , with a calculated value of 0.62 eV. Both compounds are air stable, thermally stable up to relatively high temperatures, undergo phase transitions and have wide windows of optical clarity. The Kurtz-Perry powder technique was used to determine the second harmonic generation (SHG) responses using a commercial AgGaSe 2 standard. While Cu 4 ZnGe 2 Se 7 displays a weak SHG response, Cu 2 ZnGeSe 4 exhibits a response that is greater than several benchmark materials, with a large SHG coefficient, χ (2) , of 43 ± 6 pm/V at λ = 2900 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]