Low-dimensional solids: an interface between molecular and solid-state chemistry? The example of chainlike niobium and tantalum chalcogenides

Giant intrinsic piezoelectricity in 2D hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites [C6H11NH3]2MX4 (M = Ge, Sn, Pb; X = Cl, Br, I)

2D-piezoelectric materials are attractive for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), medical implants and wearable devices because of their numerous exceptional properties. 2D-hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) have attracted extensive research interest due to their merits of structural diversity, good mechanical flexibility, and ease of fabrication. The electronic energy band, charge density and the elastic properties of 2D-HOIP-[C6H11NH3]2MX4 (M = Ge, Sn, Pb; X = Cl, Br, I) were investigated using first-principles calculations. The excellent piezoelectricity of 2D-HOIP-[C6H11NH3]2MX4 has been analyzed in detail. More importantly, 2D-[C6H11NH3]2MX4 have giant intrinsic positive and negative out-of-plane piezoelectric coefficients under the effect of van der Waals interaction. The d31 and d32 of [C6H11NH3]2SnBr4 are 82.720 pm V-1 and -36.139 pm V-1, respectively, which are among the largest piezoelectric coefficients among all kinds of atomic-thick 2D materials reported. The high flexibility together with the giant out-of-plane piezoelectricity would endow these 2D-HOIP-[C6H11NH3]2MX4 with potential applications in ultrathin piezoelectric cantilever and diaphragm devices.

Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3): hypervalent Te in a new structure type with low thermal conductivity

Heavier pnictogen (Sb, Bi) containing chalcogenides are well known for their complex structures and semiconducting properties for numerous applications, particularly thermoelectric materials. Here, we report the syntheses of single crystals and polycrystalline phases of a new complex quaternary polytelluride, Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3), via a high-temperature reaction of elements. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study showed that it crystallizes in an unprecedented structure type with monoclinic symmetry (space group: P21/c). The crystal structure of Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3) consists of one-dimensional ∞1[Si4Sb8Te32(Te3)]28- stripes, which are separated by the Ba2+ cations. Its complex structure features linear polytelluride units of Te34- having intermediate Te⋯Te interactions. A polycrystalline Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3) sample shows a direct narrow bandgap of 0.8(2) eV, which indicates its semiconducting nature. The electrical resistivity of a sintered pellet of the polycrystalline sample exponentially decreases from ∼39.3 Ωcm to ∼0.57 Ωcm on heating it from 323 K to 773 K, confirming the sample's semiconducting nature. The sign of Seebeck coefficient values is positive in the 323 K to 773 K range confirming the p-type nature of the sintered sample. Interestingly, the sample attains an extremely low thermal conductivity of ∼0.32 Wm-1K-1 at 773 K, which could be attributed to the lattice anharmonicity caused by the lone pair effect of Sb3+ species in its complex pseudo-one-dimensional crystal structure. The electronic band structure of the title phase and the strength of chemical bonding of pertinent atomic pairs have been evaluated theoretically using the DFT method.

Electronic and topological properties of group-10 transition metal dichalcogenides

The group 10 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) (MX ₂: M = Ni, Pd, Pt; X = S, Se, Te) have attracted much attention in the last few decades because of observation of exotic phases and phenomena such as superconductivity (SC), topological surface states (TSSs), type II Dirac fermions, helical spin texture, Rashba effect, 3D Dirac plasmons, metal-insulator transitions, charge density waves (CDW) etc. In this review, we cover the experimental and theoretical progress on the physical phenomena influenced by the strong electron-electron correlation of the group-10 TMDs from the past to the present. We have especially emphasized on the SC and topological phases in the bulk as well as in atomically thin materials.

Ternary Chalcogenides BaMxTe2 (M = Cu, Ag): Syntheses, Modulated Crystal Structures, Optical Properties, and Electronic Calculations

Standard solid-state methods produced black crystals of the compounds BaCu_0.43(3)Te₂ and BaAg_0.77(1)Te₂ at 1173 K; the crystal structures of each were established using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Both crystal structures are modulated. The compound BaCu_0.43(3)Te₂ crystallizes in the monoclinic superspace group P2(αβ1/2)0, having cell dimensions of a = 4.6406(5) Å, b = 4.6596(5) Å, c = 10.362(1) Å, β = 90.000(9)°, and Z = 2 and an incommensurate vector of q = 0.3499(6)b* + 0.5c*. The compound BaAg_0.77(1)Te₂ crystallizes in the orthorhombic P2₁2₁2(α00)000 superspace group with cell dimensions of a = 4.6734(1) Å, b = 4.6468(1) Å, c = 11.1376(3) Å, and Z = 2 and an incommensurate vector of q = 0.364(2)a*. The asymmetric unit of the BaCu_0.43(3)Te₂ structure comprises eight crystallographically independent sites; that for BaAg_0.77(1)Te₂ comprises four. In these two structures, each of the M (M = Cu, Ag) atoms is connected to four Te atoms to make two-dimensional layers of [M_xTe_4/4]^n- that are separated by layers of Ba atoms and square nets of Te. A Raman spectroscopic study at 298(2) K on a pelletized polycrystalline sample of BaAg_0.8Te₂ shows the presence of Ag-Te (83, 116, and 139 cm^-1) and Ba-Te vibrations (667 and 732 cm^-1). A UV-vis-NIR spectroscopic study on a powdered sample of BaAg_0.8Te₂ shows the semiconducting nature of the compound with a direct band gap of 1.0(2) eV, consistent with its black color. DFT calculations give a pseudo bandgap with a weak value of the DOS at the Fermi level.

Origin of giant negative piezoelectricity in a layered van der Waals ferroelectric

Recent research on piezoelectric materials is predominantly devoted to enhancing the piezoelectric coefficient, but overlooks its sign, largely because almost all of them exhibit positive longitudinal piezoelectricity. The only experimentally known exception is ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) and its copolymers, which condense via weak van der Waals (vdW) interaction and show negative piezoelectricity. Here we report quantitative determination of giant intrinsic negative longitudinal piezoelectricity and electrostriction in another class of vdW solids-two-dimensional (2D) layered ferroelectric CuInP₂S₆. With the help of single crystal x-ray crystallography and density-functional theory calculations, we unravel the atomistic origin of negative piezoelectricity in this system, which arises from the large displacive instability of Cu ions coupled with its reduced lattice dimensionality. Furthermore, the sizable piezoelectric response and negligible substrate clamping effect of the 2D vdW piezoelectric materials warrant their great potential in nanoscale, flexible electromechanical devices.

Unexplored reactivity of (Sn)2− oligomers with transition metals in low-temperature solid-state reactions

We demonstrate here the low temperature topochemical insertion of transition elements (Fe, Ni, and Cu) in precursors containing pre-formed (S_n)²⁻ (n = 2 and 3) oligomers.

A Topochemical Approach to Synthesize Layered Materials Based on the Redox Reactivity of Anionic Chalcogen Dimers

Layered transition metal compounds represent a major playground to explore unconventional electric or magnetic properties. In that framework, topochemical approaches that mostly preserve the topology of layered reactants have been intensively investigated to tune properties and/or design new materials. Topochemical reactions often involve the insertion or deinsertion of a chemical element accompanied by a change of oxidation state of the cations only. Conversely, cases where anions play the role of redox centers are very scarce. Here we show that the insertion of copper into two dimensional precursors containing chalcogen dimers (Q₂ )^2- (Q=S, Se) can produce layered materials with extended (CuQ) sheets. The reality of this topochemical reaction is demonstrated here for different pristine materials, namely La₂ O₂ S₂ , Ba₂ F₂ S₂ , and LaSe₂ . Therefore, this work opens up a new synthetic strategy to design layered transition metal compounds from precursors containing polyanionic redox centers.

Synthesis and Structure of Ta4S9Br8. An Emergent Family of Early Transition Metal Chalcogenide Clusters

Single crystals of Ta4S9Br8 are obtained by heating Ta, S, and Br2 at 400 degrees C in a 4.0:9.0:4.0 molar ratio in a 44% yield. The structure was determined by X-ray analysis and consists of molecular clusters [Ta4(mu4-S)(mu-S2)4Br8]. The tantalum atoms form a square with long Ta...Ta distances (3.30 angstroms), with four S2 ligands bridging the Ta-Ta edges and one capping the square. Each Ta atom has two terminal bromine atoms. The compound is diamagnetic and has only two electrons for metal-metal bonding. IR and Raman spectral studies with the use of 34S allow to identify characteristic vibrations S-S (537 cm(-1)) and Ta4-mu4-S (407 cm(-1)). The compound is soluble in CH3CN, giving a dark-red solution with a characteristic electronic spectrum, which was assigned on the base of DFT calculations. ESI-MS spectra of the solutions show formation of [[Ta4S9Br8]Br]- associates.

Unique [(1)infinityNi(8)Bi(8)S] metallic wires in a novel quasi-1D compound. Synthesis, crystal and electronic structure, and properties of Ni(8)Bi(8)SI

A new quasi-one-dimensional compound Ni(8)Bi(8)SI has been synthesized and its crystal structure determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The structure of Ni(8)Bi(8)SI consists of [(1)infinityNi(8)Bi(8)S] columns separated by iodine atoms. Conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements (down to 4.2 K) show that Ni(8)Bi(8)SI is a one-dimensional metal and exhibits Pauli paramagnetic properties. These observations are in good agreement with the results from electronic structure calculations. An analysis of the chemical bonding employing difference electron charge density maps reveals strong multicenter Ni-Bi bonds and pair Ni-S interactions within the [(1)infinityNi(8)Bi(8)S] columns. Only electrostatic interactions are inferred between the columns and iodine atoms.