Synthesis and crystal structures of La3MgBi5 and LaLiBi2

A Class of Magnetic Topological Material Candidates with Hypervalent Bi Chains

The link between crystal and electronic structure is crucial for understanding structure-property relations in solid-state chemistry. In particular, it has been instrumental in understanding topological materials, where electrons behave differently than they would in conventional solids. Herein, we identify 1D Bi chains as a structural motif of interest for topological materials. We focus on Sm₃ZrBi₅, a new quasi-one-dimensional (1D) compound in the Ln₃MPn₅ (Ln = lanthanide; M = metal; Pn = pnictide) family that crystallizes in the P6₃/mcm space group. Density functional theory calculations indicate a complex, topologically nontrivial electronic structure that changes significantly in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. Magnetic measurements show a quasi-1D antiferromagnetic structure with two magnetic transitions at 11.7 and 10.7 K that are invariant to applied field up to 9 T, indicating magnetically frustrated spins. Heat capacity, electrical, and thermoelectric measurements support this claim and suggest complex scattering behavior in Sm₃ZrBi₅. This work highlights 1D chains as an unexplored structural motif for identifying topological materials, as well as the potential for rich physical phenomena in the Ln₃MPn₅ family.

Electronic stabilization by occupational disorder in the ternary bismuthide Li3-x-yInxBi (x ≃ 0.14, y ≃ 0.29)

A ternary derivative of Li₃Bi with the composition Li_3-x-yIn_xBi (x ≃ 0.14, y ≃ 0.29) was produced by a mixed In+Bi flux approach. The crystal structure adopts the space group Fd-3m (No. 227), with a = 13.337 (4) Å, and can be viewed as a 2 × 2 × 2 superstructure of the parent Li₃Bi phase, resulting from a partial ordering of Li and In in the tetrahedral voids of the Bi fcc packing. In addition to the Li/In substitutional disorder, partial occupation of some Li sites is observed. The Li deficiency develops to reduce the total electron count in the system, counteracting thereby the electron doping introduced by the In substitution. First-principles calculations confirm the electronic rationale of the observed disorder.

Yet again, new compounds found in systems with known binary phase diagrams. Synthesis, crystal and electronic structure of Nd3Bi7 and Sm3Bi7

The binary bismuthides Nd3Bi7 and Sm3Bi7 were synthesized and structurally characterized for the first time. The results from the calorimetric analysis show that both compounds are stable only up to about 500 °C, which may explain why they were overlooked during the original assessment of the corresponding phase diagrams.

Undistorted linear Bi chains with hypervalent bonding in La3TiBi5 from single-crystal X-ray diffraction

The crystal structure of the lanthanum titanium bismuthide La₃TiBi₅ (Pearson code hP18, Wyckoff sequence b d g2) has been established from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and analyzed in detail using first-principles calculations. There are no anomalies pertaining to the atomic displacement parameter of the Ti site, previously reported based on a powder X-ray diffraction analysis of this compound. The anionic substructure contains columns of face-sharing TiBi₆ octahedra and linear Bi chains. Due to a significant La(5d) and Bi(6p) orbital mixing, a perfectly one-dimensional character of the Bi chains is not realised, while a three-dimensional electronic structure is established instead. The latter fact explains the stability of the polyanionic pnictide units against Peierls distortions. The hypervalent bonding in the Bi chains is reflected in a rather long Bi-Bi distance of 3.2264 (4) Å and a typical pattern of bonding and antibonding interactions, as revealed by electronic structure calculations.

Synthesis and structure determination of seven ternary bismuthides: crystal chemistry of the RELi3Bi2 family (RE = La-Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb)

Zintl phases are renowned for their diverse crystal structures with rich structural chemistry and have recently exhibited some remarkable heat- and charge-transport properties. The ternary bismuthides RELi3Bi2 (RE = La-Nd, Sm, Gd, and Tb) (namely, lanthanum trilithium dibismuthide, LaLi3Bi2, cerium trilithium dibismuthide, CeLi3Bi2, praseodymium trilithium dibismuthide, PrLi3Bi2, neodymium trilithium dibismuthide, NdLi3Bi2, samarium trilithium dibismuthide, SmLi3Bi2, gadolinium trilithium dibismuthide, GdLi3Bi2, and terbium trilithium dibismuthide, TbLi3Bi2) were synthesized by high-temperature reactions of the elements in sealed Nb ampoules. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows that all seven compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the LaLi3Sb2 type structure in the trigonal space group P-3m1 (Pearson symbol hP6). The unit-cell volumes decrease monotonically on moving from the La to the Tb compound, owing to the lanthanide contraction. The structure features a rare-earth metal atom and one Li atom in a nearly perfect octahedral coordination by six Bi atoms. The second crystallographically unique Li atom is surrounded by four Bi atoms in a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry. The atomic arrangements are best described as layered structures consisting of two-dimensional layers of fused LiBi4 tetrahedra and LiBi6 octahedra, separated by rare-earth metal cations. As such, these compounds are expected to be valance-precise semiconductors, whose formulae can be represented as (RE(3+))(Li(1+))3(Bi(3-))2.

A metal-insulator transition in R2O2Bi with an unusual Bi2- square net (R = rare earth or Y)

A series of tetragonal ThCr(2)Si(2)-type compounds, R(2)O(2)Bi (R = rare earth or Y), are synthesized in which an unusual Bi(2-) anion forms a square net layer that is sandwiched between (R(2)O(2))(2+) fluorite layers. Two-dimensional (2D) electronic bands around the Fermi energy are predominantly composed of 6p(x)6p(y) orbitals in the Bi(2-) square net, which contains a positive hole per Bi(2-) ion. The decrease in the size of the square net caused by reducing the size of the R ion enhances the electrical conductivity because of the hole, resulting in a "chemical pressure"-induced metal-insulator transition.