Influence of the Rare Earth Cation on the Magnetic Properties of Layered 12R-Ba4M4+Mn3O12 (M = Ce, Pr) Perovskites

Material design is increasingly used to realize desired functional properties, and the perovskite structure family is one of the richest and most diverse: perovskites are employed in many applications due to their structural flexibility and compositional diversity. Hexagonal, layered perovskite structures with chains of face-sharing transition metal oxide octahedra have attracted great interest as quantum materials due to their magnetic and electronic properties. Ba4MMn3O12, a member of the "12R" class of hexagonal, layered perovskites, contains trimers of face-sharing MnO6 octahedra that are linked by a corner-sharing, bridging MO6 octahedron. Here, we investigate cluster magnetism in the Mn3O12 trimers and the role of this bridging octahedron on the magnetic properties of two isostructural 12R materials by systematically changing the M4+ cation from nonmagnetic Ce4+ (f0) to magnetic Pr4+ (f1). We synthesized 12R-Ba4MMn3O12 (M= Ce, Pr) with high phase purity and characterized their low-temperature crystal structures and magnetic properties. Using substantially higher purity samples than previously reported, we confirm the frustrated antiferromagnetic ground state of 12R-Ba4PrMn3O12 below TN ≈ 7.75 K and explore the cluster magnetism of its Mn3O12 trimers. Despite being atomically isostructural with 12R-Ba4CeMn3O12, the f1 electron associated with Pr4+ causes much more complex magnetic properties in 12R-Ba4PrMn3O12. In 12R-Ba4PrMn3O12, we observe a sharp, likely antiferromagnetic transition at T2 ≈ 12.15 K and an additional transition at T1 ≈ 200 K, likely in canted antiferromagnetic order. These results suggest that careful variation of composition within the family of hexagonal, layered perovskites can be used to tune material properties using the complex role of the Pr4+ ion in magnetism.

High-Throughput Selection and Experimental Realization of Two New Ce-Based Nitride Perovskites: CeMoN3 and CeWN3

Nitride perovskites have only been experimentally realized in very few cases despite the widespread existence and commercial importance of perovskite materials. From oxide perovskites used in ultrasonics to halide perovskites that have revolutionized the photovoltaics industry, the discovery of new perovskite materials has historically impacted a wide number of fields. Here, we add two new perovskites, CeWN₃ and CeMoN₃, to the list of experimentally realized perovskite nitrides using high-throughput computational screening and subsequent high-throughput thin film growth techniques. Candidate compositions are first down-selected using a tolerance factor and then thermochemical stability. A novel competing fluorite-family phase is identified for both material systems, which we hypothesize is a transient intermediate phase that crystallizes during the evolution from an amorphous material to a stable perovskite. Different processing routes to overcome the competing fluorite phase and obtain phase-pure nitride perovskites are demonstrated for the CeMoN_3-x and CeWN_3-x material systems, which provide a starting point for the development of future nitride perovskites. Additionally, we find that these new perovskite phases have interesting low-temperature magnetic behavior: CeMoN_3-x orders antiferromagnetically below T _N ≈ 8 K with indications of strong magnetic frustration, while CeWN_3-x exhibits no long-range order down to T = 2 K but has strong antiferromagnetic correlations. This work demonstrates the importance and effectiveness of using high-throughput techniques, both computational and experimental: they are integral to optimize the process of realizing two entirely novel nitride perovskites.

Zinc Titanium Nitride Semiconductor toward Durable Photoelectrochemical Applications

Photoelectrochemical fuel generation is a promising route to sustainable liquid fuels produced from water and captured carbon dioxide with sunlight as the energy input. Development of these technologies requires photoelectrode materials that are both photocatalytically active and operationally stable in harsh oxidative and/or reductive electrochemical environments. Such photocatalysts can be discovered based on co-design principles, wherein design for stability is based on the propensity for the photocatalyst to self-passivate under operating conditions and design for photoactivity is based on the ability to integrate the photocatalyst with established semiconductor substrates. Here, we report on the synthesis and characterization of zinc titanium nitride (ZnTiN₂) that follows these design rules by having a wurtzite-derived crystal structure and showing self-passivating surface oxides created by electrochemical polarization. The sputtered ZnTiN₂ thin films have optical absorption onsets below 2 eV and n-type electrical conduction of 3 S/cm. The band gap of this material is reduced from the 3.36 eV theoretical value by cation-site disorder, and the impact of cation antisites on the band structure of ZnTiN₂ is explored using density functional theory. Under electrochemical polarization, the ZnTiN₂ surfaces have TiO₂- or ZnO-like character, consistent with Materials Project Pourbaix calculations predicting the formation of stable solid phases under near-neutral pH. These results show that ZnTiN₂ is a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical liquid fuel generation and demonstrate a new materials design approach to other photoelectrodes with self-passivating native operational surface chemistry.

Freezing of the Lattice in the Kagome Lattice Heisenberg Antiferromagnet Zn-Barlowite ZnCu_{3}(OD)_{6}FBr

We use ^{79}Br nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) to demonstrate that ultraslow lattice dynamics set in below the temperature scale set by the Cu-Cu superexchange interaction J (≃160  K) in the kagome lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet Zn-barlowite. The lattice completely freezes below 50 K, and ^{79}Br NQR line shapes become twice broader due to increased lattice distortions. Moreover, the frozen lattice exhibits an oscillatory component in the transverse spin echo decay, a typical signature of pairing of nuclear spins by indirect nuclear spin-spin interaction. This indicates that some Br sites form structural dimers via a pair of kagome Cu sites prior to the gradual emergence of spin singlets below ∼30  K. Our findings underscore the significant roles played by subtle structural distortions in determining the nature of the disordered magnetic ground state of the kagome lattice.

Alloying a single and a double perovskite: a Cu+/2+ mixed-valence layered halide perovskite with strong optical absorption

Introducing heterovalent cations at the octahedral sites of halide perovskites can substantially change their optoelectronic properties. Yet, in most cases, only small amounts of such metals can be incorporated as impurities into the three-dimensional lattice. Here, we exploit the greater structural flexibility of the two-dimensional (2D) perovskite framework to place three distinct stoichiometric cations in the octahedral sites. The new layered perovskites AI 4[CuII(CuIInIII)0.5Cl8] (1, A = organic cation) may be derived from a CuI-InIII double perovskite by replacing half of the octahedral metal sites with Cu2+. Electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirm the presence of Cu2+ in 1. Crystallographic studies demonstrate that 1 represents an averaging of the CuI-InIII double perovskite and CuII single perovskite structures. However, whereas the highly insulating CuI-InIII and CuII perovskites are colorless and yellow, respectively, 1 is black, with substantially higher electronic conductivity than that of either endmember. We trace these emergent properties in 1 to intervalence charge transfer between the mixed-valence Cu centers. We further propose a tiling model to describe how the Cu+, Cu2+, and In3+ coordination spheres can pack most favorably into a 2D perovskite lattice, which explains the unusual 1 : 2 : 1 ratio of these cations found in 1. Magnetic susceptibility data of 1 further corroborate this packing model. The emergence of enhanced visible light absorption and electronic conductivity in 1 demonstrates the importance of devising strategies for increasing the compositional complexity of halide perovskites.

Zero-obliquity twin lattice quasi-symmetry threefold twinning in 1-{(R)-1-[(3-oxo-2-isoindolinoyl)methyl]-2-propenyl}-5-methyl-2,3-indolinedione

Threefold twinning in 1-{(R)-1-[(3-oxo-2-isoindolinoyl)methyl]-2-propenyl}-5-methyl-2,3-indolinedione, C₂₁H₁₆N₂O₄, has been reported recently [Trost et al. (2020). Org. Lett. 22, 2584-2589] but the twin characterization was not published. This twinning presents several interesting features. The crystal structure is monoclinic, but its lattice is metrically strongly pseudo-orthorhombic and underpins a strongly pseudo-hexagonal sublattice. Several possible twin laws are compatible with these metric specializations, among which the one found experimentally corresponds to a trichromatic point group. Twinning is by reticular pseudo-merohedry with twin index 2 and zero obliquity but a non-zero twin misfit. The twin lattice coincides with the pseudo-hexagonal sublattice of the individual domain, which justifies the adoption of the unconventional setting B2₁ of the space group.

Ruthenium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation of Isatins

A new ruthenium-based catalytic system for branched-selective asymmetric allylic alkylation is disclosed and applied to the synthesis of chiral isatin derivatives. The catalyst, which is generated in situ from commercially available CpRu(MeCN)₃PF₆ and a BINOL-derived phosphoramidite, is both highly active (TON up to 180) and insensitive to air and moisture. Additionally, the N-alkylated isatins accessible using this methodology are versatile building blocks that are readily transformed into chiral analogs of achiral drug molecules.

Site-Specific Structure at Multiple Length Scales in Kagome Quantum Spin Liquid Candidates

Realizing a quantum spin liquid (QSL) ground state in a real material is a leading issue in condensed matter physics research. In this pursuit, it is crucial to fully characterize the structure and influence of defects, as these can significantly affect the fragile QSL physics. Here, we perform a variety of cutting-edge synchrotron X-ray scattering and spectroscopy techniques, and we advance new methodologies for site-specific diffraction and L-edge Zn absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results along with our first-principles calculations address outstanding questions about the local and long-range structures of the two leading kagome QSL candidates, Zn-substituted barlowite (Cu₃Zn _x Cu_1-x (OH)₆FBr) and herbertsmithite (Cu₃Zn(OH)₆Cl₂). On all length scales probed, there is no evidence that Zn substitutes onto the kagome layers, thereby preserving the QSL physics of the kagome lattice. Our calculations show that antisite disorder is not energetically favorable and is even less favorable in Zn-barlowite compared to herbertsmithite. Site-specific X-ray diffraction measurements of Zn-barlowite reveal that Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ selectively occupy distinct interlayer sites, in contrast to herbertsmithite. Using the first measured Zn L-edge inelastic X-ray absorption spectra combined with calculations, we discover a systematic correlation between the loss of inversion symmetry from pseudo-octahedral (herbertsmithite) to trigonal prismatic coordination (Zn-barlowite) with the emergence of a new peak. Overall, our measurements suggest that Zn-barlowite has structural advantages over herbertsmithite that make its magnetic properties closer to an ideal QSL candidate: its kagome layers are highly resistant to nonmagnetic defects while the interlayers can accommodate a higher amount of Zn substitution.

Materializing rival ground states in the barlowite family of kagome magnets: quantum spin liquid, spin ordered, and valence bond crystal states

The spin- 1 2 kagome antiferromagnet is considered an ideal host for a quantum spin liquid (QSL) ground state. We find that when the bonds of the kagome lattice are modulated with a periodic pattern, new quantum ground states emerge. Newly synthesized crystalline barlowite (Cu₄(OH)₆FBr) and Zn-substituted barlowite demonstrate the delicate interplay between singlet states and spin order on the spin- 1 2 kagome lattice. Comprehensive structural measurements demonstrate that our new variant of barlowite maintains hexagonal symmetry at low temperatures with an arrangement of distorted and undistorted kagome triangles, for which numerical simulations predict a pinwheel valence bond crystal (VBC) state instead of a QSL. The presence of interlayer spins eventually leads to an interesting pinwheel q = 0 magnetic order. Partially Zn-substituted barlowite (Cu_3.44Zn_0.56(OH)₆FBr) has an ideal kagome lattice and shows QSL behavior, indicating a surprising robustness of the QSL against interlayer impurities. The magnetic susceptibility is similar to that of herbertsmithite, even though the Cu²⁺ impurities are above the percolation threshold for the interlayer lattice and they couple more strongly to the nearest kagome moment. This system is a unique playground displaying QSL, VBC, and spin order, furthering our understanding of these highly competitive quantum states.

Chemical Approaches to Addressing the Instability and Toxicity of Lead-Halide Perovskite Absorbers

The impressive rise in efficiencies of solar cells employing the three-dimensional (3D) lead-iodide perovskite absorbers APbI₃ (A = monovalent cation) has generated intense excitement. Although these perovskites have remarkable properties as solar-cell absorbers, their potential commercialization now requires a greater focus on the materials' inherent shortcomings and environmental impact. This creates a challenge and an opportunity for synthetic chemists to address these issues through the design of new materials. Synthetic chemistry offers powerful tools for manipulating the magnificent flexibility of the perovskite lattice to expand the number of functional analogues to APbI₃. To highlight improvements that should be targeted in new materials, here we discuss the intrinsic instability and toxicity of 3D lead-halide perovskites. We consider possible sources of these instabilities and propose methods to overcome them through synthetic design. We also discuss new materials developed for realizing the exceptional photophysical properties of lead-halide perovskites in more environmentally benign materials. In this Forum Article, we provide a brief overview of the field with a focus on our group's contributions to identifying and addressing problems inherent to 3D lead-halide perovskites.