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We synthesize and characterize the magnetic and thermodynamic properties of the quasi one-dimensional organic-inorganic hybrid ANiCl

Solid solutions of Yb2-xAxCdSb2 (A = Ca, Sr, Eu; x ≤ 1) are of interest for their promising thermoelectric (TE) properties. Of these solid solutions, Yb2-xCaxCdSb2 has end members with different crystal structures. Yb2CdSb2 crystallizes in the polar space group Cmc21, whereas Ca2CdSb2 crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group Pnma. Other solid solutions, Yb2-xAxCdSb2 (A = Sr, Eu), crystallize in the polar space group for x ≤ 1, and compositions with x ≥ 1 have not been reported. Both structure types are composed of corner-sharing CdSb4 tetrahedra condensed into sheets that differ by the stacking of the layers. Single crystals of the solid solution Yb2-xCaxCdSb2 (x = 0-1) were studied to elucidate the structural transition between the Yb2CdSb2 and Ca2CdSb2 structure types. For x ≤ 1, the structures remain in the polar space group Cmc21. As the Ca content is increased, a positional disorder arises in the intralayer cation sites (Yb2/Ca2) and the Cd site, resulting in inversion of the CdSb4 tetrahedral chain. This phenomenon could be indicative of an intergrowth of the opposing space group. The TE properties of polycrystalline samples of Yb2-xCaxCdSb2 (x ≤ 1) were measured from 300 to 525 K. The lattice thermal conductivity is extremely low (0.3-0.4 W/m·K) and the Seebeck coefficients are high (100-180 μV/K) across the temperature range. First-principles calculations show a minimum in the thermal conductivity for the x = 0.3 composition, in good agreement with experimental data. The low thermal conductivity stems from the acoustic branches being confined to low frequencies and a large number of phonon scattering channels provided by the localized optical branches. The TE quality factor of the Yb1.7A0.3CdSb2 (A = Ca, Sr, Eu) series has been calculated and predicts that the A = Ca and Sr solid solutions may not improve with carrier concentration optimization but that the Eu series is worthy of additional modifications. Overall, the x = 0.3 compositions provide the highest zT because they provide the best electronic properties with the lowest thermal conductivity.

The structure, magnetic properties, and 151Eu and 119Sn Mossbauer spectra of the solid-solution Eu11–xSrxZn4Sn2As12 are presented. A new commensurately modulated structure is described for Eu11Zn4S...

Yb14MnSb11 is a p-type high-temperature thermoelectric material with operational temperatures as high as 1273 K. Rare-earth (RE) substitution into this phase has been shown to increase the melting ...

We report on a solution-growth based method to synthesise single crystals of Y$_2$Co$_3$ and on its structural and magnetic properties. We find that Y$_2$Co$_3$ crystallizes in the La2Ni3-type orthorhombic structure with space group Cmce (No. 64), with Co forming distorted kagome lattices. Y$_2$Co$_3$ orders antiferromagnetically below $T_N$ = 252 K. Magnetization measurements reveal that the moments are primarily aligned along the b axis with evidence for some canting. Band-structure calculations indicate that ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders are nearly degenerate, at odds with experimental results. Magnetization measurements under pressure up to 1 GPa reveal that the N/'eel temperature decreases with the slope of -1.69 K/GPa. We observe a field-induced spin-flop transition in the magnetization measurements at 1.5 K and 21 T with magnetic field along the b direction. The magnetization is not saturated up to 35 T, indicating that the antiferromagnetic ordering in Y$_2$Co$_3$ is quite robust, which is surprising for such a Co-rich intermetallic.

The synthesis of IrI$_3$ at high pressure in its layered honeycomb polymorph is reported. Its crystal structure is refined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Faults in the honeycomb layer stacking are observed by single crystal diffraction, synchrotron powder diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. A previously unreported hyperhoneycomb polymorph of IrI$_3$ ($\beta$-IrI$_3$), is also described. Its structure in space group Fddd is determined by single crystal XRD. Both materials are highly-resistive diamagnetic semiconductors, consistent with a low spin d$^6$ configuration for Ir(III). The two- and three-dimensional Ir arrays in these polymorphs of IrI$_3$ are analogous to those found in the $\alpha$- and $\beta$- polymorphs of Li$_2$IrO$_3$, although the Ir electron configurations are different.

Solid solutions of Yb

FeAs2−xSex (x = 0.30–1.0) samples were synthesized as phase pure powders by conventional solid-state techniques and as single crystals (x = 0.50) from chemical vapor transport. The composition of the crystals was determined to be Fe1.025(3)As1.55(3)Se0.42(3), crystallizing in the marcasite structure type, Pnnm space group. FeAs2−xSex (0 < x < 1) was found to undergo a marcasite-to-arsenopyrite (P21/c space group) structural phase transition at x ∼ 0.65. The structures are similar, with the marcasite structure best described as a solid solution of As/Se, whereas the arsenopyrite has ordered anion sites. Magnetic susceptibility and thermoelectric property measurements from 300–2 K were performed on single crystals, FeAs1.50Se0.50. Paramagnetic behavior is observed from 300 to 17 K and a Seebeck coefficient of −33 μV K−1, an electrical resistivity of 4.07 mΩ cm, and a very low κl of 0.22 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K are observed. In order to determine the impact of the structural transition on the high-temperature thermoelectric properties, polycrystalline FeAs2−xSex (x = 0.30, 0.75, 0.85, 1.0) samples were consolidated into dense pellets for measurements of thermoelectric properties. The x = 0.85 sample shows the best thermoelectric performance. The electronic structure of FeAsSe was calculated with DFT and transport properties were approximately modeled above 500 K.

Magnetic structure and crystal symmetry, which primarily determine the time-reversal and inversion symmetry, may give rise to numerous exotic quantum phenomena in magnetic semiconductors and semimetals when arranged in different patterns. In this work, a new layered magnetic semiconductor, Eu3−δZn xSn yAs3, was discovered and high-quality single crystals were grown using the Sn flux. According to structural characterization by x-ray diffraction and atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, Eu3−δZn xSn yAs3 is found to crystallize in a hexagonal symmetry with the space group P63/ mmc (No. 194). After examining different specimens, we conclude that their stoichiometry is fixed at ∼Eu2.6Zn0.65Sn0.85As3, which meets the chemical charge balance. Eu3−δZn xSn yAs3 is composed of septuple (Eu1−δSn yAs2)-Eu-(Zn xAs)-Eu sequences. The shortest Eu–Eu distance in the system is between two Eu layers separated by Zn xAs along the c-axis. Magnetization measurement shows an antiferromagnetic ordering in Eu3−δZn xSn yAs3 at TN ∼ 12 K, where the magnetic easy-axis is along the c-axis, and Mössbauer spectroscopy observes magnetic hyperfine splitting on Eu and Sn at 6 K. Magnetic anisotropy is significantly different from the ones along the ab-plane in other layered Eu-based magnetic semimetals. Heat capacity measurements confirm the magnetic transition around 12 K. Electrical resistivity measurement indicates semiconductor behavior with a band gap of ∼0.86 eV. Various Eu-based magnetic semiconductors could provide a tunable platform to study potential topological and magnetic properties.

Zintl phases have been recognized as an important class of materials that have good properties for thermoelectric applications. Zintl phases are intermetallic compounds that are semiconductors with complex structures and a mix of ionic and covalent bonding. These structure types are composed of elements that display ionic bonding or covalent bonding and can be tuned in multiple fashions to provide efficient thermoelectric materials. The covalent bonding provides unique 0D clusters, 1D chains, 2D layers, and 3D frameworks that are interspersed and valence satisfied with alkaline earth, alkali metal, or rare earth cations. Because both the anionic framework and the cations can be alio- or isovalently substituted, a vast array of new compounds can be synthesized, and precise tuning of properties can be achieved. The combination of both ionic and covalent bonding within a semiconducting structure makes this an ideal phonon-glass electron-crystal class of compounds. This chapter will outline some of the most recent successes for thermoelectrics and suggest directions for new endeavors.

Correction for ‘Measured and simulated thermoelectric properties of FeAs2−xSex (x = 0.30–1.0): from marcasite to arsenopyrite structure’ by Christopher J. Perez et al., Mater. Adv., 2020, 1, 1390–1398, DOI: 10.1039/D0MA00371A.

The magnetic properties of transparent pink Na2Mn3Cl8 and NaMnCl3 are presented. For both phases, the effective magnetic moments are large, while the Curie-Weiss thetas are below 10 K. The compounds crystallize in the Trigonal R-3m and R-3 space groups, respectively. A Kagome plane of Mn2+ octahedrally coordinated to Cl− is found in Na2Mn3Cl8 and the material has no apparent magnetic ordering above 1.8 K, while the octahedrally coordinated, honeycomb network of Mn2+ in NaMnCl3 orders antiferromagnetically at 6.3 ± 0.2 K. The heat capacity of NaMnCl3 has one transition, consistent with the susceptibility; while Na2Mn3Cl8 exhibits a more complex heat capacity with two peaks, at 0.7 K and 1.2 K. A third, broad peak near 6.2 K in the heat capacity of Na2Mn3Cl8 is problematic but may be due to the intergrowth of domains of NaMnCl3.

We report the synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of a new Zintl phase and structure type, Eu11Zn4Sn2As12. The structure and composition of this phase have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe analysis. Eu11Zn4Sn2As12 crystallizes in monoclinic space group C2/c (No. 15) with the following lattice parameters: a = 7.5679(4) A, b = 13.0883(6) A, c = 31.305(2) A, and β = 94.8444(7)° [R1 = 0.0398; wR2 = 0.0633 (all data)]. The anisotropic structural features staggered ethane-like [Sn2As6]12– units and infinite ∞2[Zn2As3]5– sheets extended in the a–b plane. Eu cations fill the space between these anionic motifs. Temperature-dependent magnetic properties and magnetoresistance of this Zintl phase have been studied, and the electronic structure and chemical bonding were elucidated using first-principles quantum chemical calculations (TB-LMTO-ASA). Quantum chemical calculations show that the ethane-like units can be considered as consisting of covalent single bonds;...

Polycrystalline samples of CoAsSb were prepared by annealing a stoichiometric mixture of the elements at 1073 K for 2 weeks. Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction refinement indicated that CoAsSb adopts arsenopyrite-type structure with space group P21/c. Sb vacancies were observed by both elemental and structural analysis, which indicate CoAsSb0.883 composition. CoAsSb was thermally stable up to 1073 K without structure change but decomposed at 1168 K. Thermoelectric properties were measured from 300 to 1000 K on a dense pellet. Electrical resistivity measurements revealed that CoAsSb is a narrow-band-gap semiconductor. The negative Seebeck coefficient indicated that CoAsSb is an n-type semiconductor, with the maximum value of −132 μV/K at 450 K. The overall thermal conductivity is between 2.9 and 6.0 W/(m K) in the temperature range 300–1000 K, and the maximum value of figure of merit, zT, reaches 0.13 at 750 K. First-principles calculations of the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient confirmed ...

The ambient temperature structure of Cu4SnS4 has been revisited and the recently reported low temperature structure has been confirmed from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. A structural phase transition from a large monoclinic unit cell at low temperature to a smaller orthorhombic unit cell at high temperature has been observed. The room temperature phase exhibited disorder in the two copper sites, which is a different finding from earlier reports. The low temperature monoclinic form crystallizes in P21/c space group, which is isostructural with Cu4GeS4. The phase transition has also been studied with variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction and 119Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy. The Seebeck coefficients and electrical resistivity of polycrystalline Cu4SnS4 are reported from 16 to 400 K on hot pressed pellets. Thermal conductivity measurements at high temperatures, 350 – 750 K exhibited very low thermal conductivities in the range 0.28 – 0.35 W K–1 m–1. In all the transport measurements the phase transition has been observed at around 232 K. Resistivity decreases, while Seebeck coefficient increases after the phase transition during warming up from low to high temperatures. This change in resistivity has been correlated with the results of first-principles electronic band structure calculations using highly-accurate screened-exchange local density approximation. It was found that both the low hole effective mass of 0.63 me for the Γ→Y crystallographic direction and small band gap, 0.49 eV, are likely to contribute to the observed higher conductivity of the orthorhombic phase. Cu4SnS4 is also electrochemically active and shows reversible reaction with lithium between 1.7 and 3.5 volts.

EuGa4 hosts a magnetic Eu2+ sublattice surrounded by a network of covalently-bound Ga atoms with the BaAl4 structure type (space group I4/ m m m ). In this study, we present the synthesis and characterization of three new single crystal substitutional series Eu A x 1 − x Ga4 with A ​= ​Ca, Sr, or La. X-ray diffraction and resistivity measurements show that Ca substitution induced a structural phase transition from the tetragonal crystal structure at high temperatures to the monoclinic crystal structure (CaGa4 type, space group C2/m) at low temperatures and suppressed the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature to 8.8 ​K for x ​= ​0.45. Comparatively, La or Sr substitution maintained the tetragonal crystal structure and suppressed the antiferromagnetic ordering temperatures to 6.7 ​K and 1.6 ​K for (A, x) = (La, 0.37) and (Sr, 0.91), respectively. In addition to suppressing the magnetic order, magnetization and specific heat measurements indicate the onset of anisotropic metamagnetic transitions in (La, 0.18), (La, 0.37), and (Sr, 0.63), along with an incommensurate-to-commensurate magnetic transition in (Sr, 0.38). By comparing these effects of doping EuGa4, we show how size, disorder, and charge determine the structure-physical property relations in EuGa4.

High-temperature, solid-state synthesis in the Li2MnSnS4 system led to the discovery of two new polymorphic compounds that were analyzed using single crystal X-ray diffraction. The α-polymorph crystallizes in Pna21 with the lithium cobalt (II) silicate, Li2CoSiO4, structure type, where Z=4, R1=0.0349 and wR2=0.0514 for all data. The β-polymorph possesses the wurtz-kesterite structure type, crystallizing in Pn with Z=2, R1=0.0423, and wR2=0.0901 for all data. Rietveld refinement of synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction was utilized to quantify the phase fractions of the polymorphs in the reaction products. The α/β-Li2MnSnS4 mixture exhibits an absorption edge of ∼2.6–3.0 eV, a wide region of optical transparency in the mid- to far-IR, and moderate SHG activity over the fundamental range of 1.1–2.1 μm. Calculations using density functional theory indicate that the ground state energies and electronic structures for α- and β-Li2MnSnS4, as well as the hypothetical polymorph, γ-Li2MnSnS4 with the wurtz-stannite structure type, are highly similar.

The new Li 2 CoGeS 4 compound crystallizes in the Pn space group with the wurtz-kesterite structure, according to single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of Li 2 CoGeS 4 and the high degree of phase-purity in which it is prepared are supported by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. Varying the divalent ion in Li 2 -II-GeS 4 materials yields three different structure types, all of which are derived from hexagonal diamond. These structural variations give rise to Li + -encompassing [II–GeS 4 ] 2 − nets with different topologies that offer diversity in lithium ion diffusion pathways. In the first systematic study of the lithium ion conductivity in quaternary diamond-like materials, wurtz-kesterite-type Li 2 CoGeS 4 and Li 2 FeGeS 4 ( Pn ), lithium cobalt(II) silicate-type Li 2 MnGeS 4 ( Pna 2 1 ), and wurtz-stannite-type Li 2 CdGeS 4 ( Pmn 2 1 ) are presented as environmentally stable lithium ion conductors. These materials are comprised of cubic diamond-like [CoGeS 4 ] 2 − and [FeGeS 4 ] 2 − anionic frameworks, ABW-like [MnGeS 4 ] 2 − , and square lattice-like [CdGeS 4 ] 2 − . As assessed using impedance spectroscopy, Li 2 FeGeS 4 exhibits the most promising Li + ion conductivity of 1.8(3) × 10 − 4 S/cm at 100 °C, while Li 2 CdGeS 4 shows the lowest activation energy for lithium ion conduction, E A = 0.74(2) eV.

While X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) is a fundamental analytical technique used by solid-state laboratories across a breadth of disciplines, it is still underrepresented in most undergraduate curricula. In this work, we incorporate XRPD analysis into an inquiry-based project that requires students to identify the crystalline component(s) of familiar household products. Centering the project on materials which students encounter in their everyday lives helps to demystify the technique, making it accessible to everyone with a basic understanding of crystallinity and unit cells. In an XRPD study, each crystalline component generates a unique set of peaks in the diffractogram. Comparing the collected diffractogram to a library of diffractograms for known crystalline materials allows students to identify the crystalline components in their unknown. Students must determine for themselves the chemical compositions of the possible unknowns, and link their findings back to the analysis of the collected data. Init...