Electronic properties of single-crystalline Fe4O5

We synthesized single and polycrystals of iron oxide with an unconventional Fe₄O₅ stoichiometry under high-pressure high-temperature (HP-HT) conditions. The crystals of Fe₄O₅ had a CaFe₃O₅-type structure composed of linear chains of iron with octahedral and trigonal-prismatic oxygen coordinations. We investigated the electronic properties of this mixed-valence oxide using several experimental techniques, including measurements of electrical resistivity, the Hall effect, magnetoresistance, and thermoelectric power (Seebeck coefficient), X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES), reflectance and absorption spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Under ambient conditions, the single crystals of Fe₄O₅ demonstrated a semimetal electrical conductivity with nearly equal partial contributions of electrons and holes (σ_n ≈ σ_p), in line with the nominal average oxidation state of iron as Fe^2.5+. This finding suggests that both the octahedral and trigonal-prismatic iron cations contribute to the electrical conductivity of Fe₄O₅via an Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ polaron hopping mechanism. A moderate deterioration of crystal quality shifted the dominant electrical conductivity to n-type and considerably worsened the conductivity. Thus, alike magnetite, Fe₄O₅ with equal numbers of Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions can serve as a prospective model for other mixed-valence transition-metal oxides. In particular, it could help in the understanding of the electronic properties of other recently discovered mixed-valence iron oxides with unconventional stoichiometries, many of which are not recoverable to ambient conditions; it can also help in designing novel more complex mixed-valence iron oxides.

Novel Class of Rhenium Borides Based on Hexagonal Boron Networks Interconnected by Short B2 Dumbbells

Transition metal borides are known due to their attractive mechanical, electronic, refractive, and other properties. A new class of rhenium borides was identified by synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments in laser-heated diamond anvil cells between 26 and 75 GPa. Recoverable to ambient conditions, compounds rhenium triboride (ReB₃) and rhenium tetraboride (ReB₄) consist of close-packed single layers of rhenium atoms alternating with boron networks built from puckered hexagonal layers, which link short bonded (∼1.7 Å) axially oriented B₂ dumbbells. The short and incompressible Re-B and B-B bonds oriented along the hexagonal c-axis contribute to low axial compressibility comparable with the linear compressibility of diamond. Sub-millimeter samples of ReB₃ and ReB₄ were synthesized in a large-volume press at pressures as low as 33 GPa and used for material characterization. Crystals of both compounds are metallic and hard (Vickers hardness, H _V = 34(3) GPa). Geometrical, crystal-chemical, and theoretical analysis considerations suggest that potential ReB _x compounds with x > 4 can be based on the same principle of structural organization as in ReB₃ and ReB₄ and possess similar mechanical and electronic properties.

Giant Room-Temperature Power Factor in p-Type Thermoelectric SnSe under High Pressure

Materials that can efficiently convert heat into electricity are widely utilized in energy conversion technologies. The existing thermoelectrics demonstrate rather limited performance characteristics at room temperature, and hence, alternative materials and approaches are very much in demand. Here, it is experimentally shown that manipulating an applied stress can greatly improve a thermoelectric power factor of layered p-type SnSe single crystals up to ≈180 µW K^-2 cm^-1 at room temperature. This giant enhancement is explained by a synergetic effect of three factors, such as: band-gap narrowing, Lifshitz transition, and strong sample deformation. Under applied pressure above 1 GPa, the SnSe crystals become more ductile, which can be related to changes in the prevailing chemical bonding type inside the layers, from covalent toward metavalent. Thus, the SnSe single crystals transform into a highly unconventional crystalline state in which their layered crystal stacking is largely preserved, while the layers themselves are strongly deformed. This results in a dramatic narrowing in a band gap, from E_g = 0.83 to 0.50 eV (at ambient conditions). Thus, the work demonstrates a novel strategy of improving the performance parameters of chalcogenide thermoelectrics via tuning their chemical bonding type, stimulating a sample deformation and a band-structure reconstruction.

Verwey-Type Charge Ordering and Site-Selective Mott Transition in Fe4O5 under Pressure

The metal–insulator transition driven by electronic correlations is one of the most fundamental concepts in condensed matter. In mixed-valence compounds, this transition is often accompanied by charge ordering (CO), resulting in the emergence of complex phases and unusual behaviors. The famous example is the archetypal mixed-valence mineral magnetite, Fe₃O₄, exhibiting a complex charge-ordering below the Verwey transition, whose nature has been a subject of long-time debates. In our study, using high-resolution X-ray diffraction supplemented by resistance measurements and DFT+DMFT calculations, the electronic, magnetic, and structural properties of recently synthesized mixed-valence Fe₄O₅ are investigated under pressure to ∼100 GPa. Our calculations, consistent with experiment, reveal that at ambient conditions Fe₄O₅ is a narrow-gap insulator characterized by the original Verwey-type CO. Under pressure Fe₄O₅ undergoes a series of electronic and magnetic-state transitions with an unusual compressional behavior above ∼50 GPa. A site-dependent collapse of local magnetic moments is followed by the site-selective insulator-to-metal transition at ∼84 GPa, occurring at the octahedral Fe sites. This phase transition is accompanied by a 2+ to 3+ valence change of the prismatic Fe ions and collapse of CO. We provide a microscopic explanation of the complex charge ordering in Fe₄O₅ which “unifies” it with the behavior of two archetypal examples of charge- or bond-ordered materials, magnetite and rare-earth nickelates (RNiO₃). We find that at low temperatures the Verwey-type CO competes with the “trimeron”/“dimeron” charge ordered states, allowing for pressure/temperature tuning of charge ordering. Summing up the available data, we present the pressure–temperature phase diagram of Fe₄O₅.

Structural Diversity of Magnetite and Products of Its Decomposition at Extreme Conditions

Magnetite, Fe₃O₄, is the oldest known magnetic mineral and archetypal mixed-valence oxide. Despite its recognized role in deep Earth processes, the behavior of magnetite at extreme high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) conditions remains insufficiently studied. Here, we report on single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments up to ∼80 GPa and 5000 K in diamond anvil cells, which reveal two previously unknown Fe₃O₄ polymorphs, γ-Fe₃O₄ with the orthorhombic Yb₃S₄-type structure and δ-Fe₃O₄ with the modified Th₃P₄-type structure. The latter has never been predicted for iron compounds. The decomposition of Fe₃O₄ at HPHT conditions was found to result in the formation of exotic phases, Fe₅O₇ and Fe₂₅O₃₂, with complex structures. Crystal-chemical analysis of iron oxides suggests the high-spin to low-spin crossover in octahedrally coordinated Fe³⁺ in the pressure interval between 43 and 51 GPa. Our experiments demonstrate that HPHT conditions promote the formation of ferric-rich Fe-O compounds, thus arguing for the possible involvement of magnetite in the deep oxygen cycle.

Synthesis of Ilmenite-type ε-Mn2O3 and Its Properties

In contrast to the corundum-type A₂X₃ structure, which has only one crystallographic site available for trivalent cations (e.g., in hematite), the closely related ABX₃ ilmenite-type structure comprises two different octahedrally coordinated positions that are usually filled with differently charged ions (e.g., in Fe²⁺Ti⁴⁺O₃ ilmenite). Here, we report a synthesis of the first binary ilmenite-type compound fabricated from a simple transition-metal oxide (Mn₂O₃) at high-pressure high-temperature (HP-HT) conditions. We experimentally established that, at normal conditions, the ilmenite-type Mn²⁺Mn⁴⁺O₃ (ε-Mn₂O₃) is an n-type semiconductor with an indirect narrow band gap of E_g = 0.55 eV. Comparative investigations of the electronic properties of ε-Mn₂O₃ and previously discovered quadruple perovskite ζ-Mn₂O₃ phase were performed using X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal an antiferromagnetic ordering in ε-Mn₂O₃ below 210 K. The synthesis of ε-Mn₂O₃ indicates that HP-HT conditions can induce a charge disproportionation in simple transition-metal oxides A₂O₃, and potentially various mixed-valence polymorphs of these oxides, for example, with ilmenite-type, LiNbO₃-type, perovskite-type, and other structures, could be stabilized at HP-HT conditions.

Structural Stability and Properties of Marokite-Type γ-Mn3O4

We synthesized single crystals of marokite (CaMn₂O₄)-type orthorhombic manganese (II,III) oxide, γ-Mn₃O₄, in a multianvil apparatus at pressures of 10-24 GPa. The magnetic, electronic, and optical properties of the crystals were investigated at ambient pressure. It was found that γ-Mn₃O₄ is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap E_g of 0.96 eV and two antiferromagnetic transitions (T_N) at ∼200 and ∼55 K. The phase stability of the γ-Mn₃O₄ crystals was examined in the pressure range of 0-60 GPa using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. A bulk modulus of γ-Mn₃O₄ was determined to be B₀ = 235.3(2) GPa with B' = 2.6(6). The γ-Mn₃O₄ phase persisted over the whole pressure range studied and did not transform or decompose upon laser heating of the sample to ∼3500 K at 60 GPa. This result seems surprising, given the high-pressure structural diversity of iron oxides with similar stoichiometries. With an increase in pressure, the degree of distortion of MnO₆ polyhedra decreased. Furthermore, there are signs indicating a limited charge transfer between the Mn³⁺ ions in the octahedra and the Mn²⁺ ions in the trigonal prisms. Our results demonstrate that the high-pressure behavior of the structural, electronic, and chemical properties of manganese oxides strongly differs from that of iron oxides with similar stoichiometries.

A Room-Temperature Verwey-type Transition in Iron Oxide, Fe5 O6

Functional oxides whose physicochemical properties may be reversibly changed at standard conditions are potential candidates for the use in next‐generation nanoelectronic devices. To date, vanadium dioxide (VO₂) is the only known simple transition‐metal oxide that demonstrates a near‐room‐temperature metal–insulator transition that may be used in such appliances. In this work, we synthesized and investigated the crystals of a novel mixed‐valent iron oxide with an unconventional Fe₅O₆ stoichiometry. Near 275 K, Fe₅O₆ undergoes a Verwey‐type charge‐ordering transition that is concurrent with a dimerization in the iron chains and a following formation of new Fe−Fe chemical bonds. This unique feature highlights Fe₅O₆ as a promising candidate for the use in innovative applications. We established that the minimal Fe−Fe distance in the octahedral chains is a key parameter that determines the type and temperature of charge ordering. This model provides new insights into charge‐ordering phenomena in transition‐metal oxides in general.

Controlling the thermoelectric power of silicon–germanium alloys in different crystalline phases by applying high pressure

Si–Ge crystals are promising materials for use in various stress-controlled electronic junctions for next-generation nanoelectronic devices.

Spin-induced multiferroicity in the binary perovskite manganite Mn2O3

The ABO₃ perovskite oxides exhibit a wide range of interesting physical phenomena remaining in the focus of extensive scientific investigations and various industrial applications. In order to form a perovskite structure, the cations occupying the A and B positions in the lattice, as a rule, should be different. Nevertheless, the unique binary perovskite manganite Mn₂O₃ containing the same element in both A and B positions can be synthesized under high-pressure high-temperature conditions. Here, we show that this material exhibits magnetically driven ferroelectricity and a pronounced magnetoelectric effect at low temperatures. Neutron powder diffraction revealed two intricate antiferromagnetic structures below 100 K, driven by a strong interplay between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom. The peculiar multiferroicity in the Mn₂O₃ perovskite is ascribed to a combined effect involving several mechanisms. Our work demonstrates the potential of binary perovskite oxides for creating materials with highly promising electric and magnetic properties.

Multiferroic binary oxides with the perovskite structure have been very rare. Here, Cong et al. report magnetically-driven ferroelectricity and a large magnetoelectric effect in a binary perovskite compound Mn₂O₃ at low temperatures.

Structural and Magnetic Transitions in CaCo3V4O12 Perovskite at Extreme Conditions

We investigated the structural, vibrational, magnetic, and electronic properties of the recently synthesized CaCo₃V₄O₁₂ double perovskite with the high-spin (HS) Co²⁺ ions in a square-planar oxygen coordination at extreme conditions of high pressures and low temperatures. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies up to 60 GPa showed a conservation of its cubic crystal structure but indicated a crossover near 30 GPa. Above 30 GPa, we observed both an abnormally high "compressibility" of the Co-O bonds in the square-planar oxygen coordination and a huge anisotropic displacement of HS-Co²⁺ ions in the direction perpendicular to the oxygen planes. Although this effect is reminiscent of a continuous HS → LS transformation of the Co²⁺ ions, it did not result in the anticipated shrinkage of the cell volume because of a certain "stiffing" of the bonds of the Ca and V cations. We verified that the oxidation states of all the cations did not change across this crossover, and hence, no charge-transfer effects were involved. Consequently, we proposed that CaCo₃V₄O₁₂ could undergo a phase transition at which the large HS-Co²⁺ ions were pushed out of the oxygen planes because of lattice compression. The antiferromagnetic transition in CaCo₃V₄O₁₂ at 100 K was investigated by neutron powder diffraction at ambient pressure. We established that the magnetic moments of the Co²⁺ ions were aligned along one of the cubic axes, and the magnetic structure had a 2-fold periodicity along this axis, compared to the crystallographic one.

Tuning the electronic and vibrational properties of Sn2P2Se6and Pb2P2S6crystals and their metallization under high pressure

Ferroelectric Sn₂P₂Se₆and paraelectric Pb₂P₂S₆demonstrate the remarkable responses of their electronic band structures to applied high pressures.

Thermal expansion of monogermanides of 3d-metals

Temperature dependent powder and single-crystal synchrotron diffraction, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility and small-angle neutron scattering experiments have revealed an anomalous response of MnGe. The anomaly becomes smeared out with decreasing Mn content in Mn1-x Co x Ge and Mn1-x Fe x Ge solid solutions. Mn spin state instability is discussed as a possible candidate for the observed effects.

Charge-ordering transition in iron oxide Fe4O5 involving competing dimer and trimer formation

Phase transitions that occur in materials, driven, for instance, by changes in temperature or pressure, can dramatically change the materials' properties. Discovering new types of transitions and understanding their mechanisms is important not only from a fundamental perspective, but also for practical applications. Here we investigate a recently discovered Fe4O5 that adopts an orthorhombic CaFe3O5-type crystal structure that features linear chains of Fe ions. On cooling below ∼150 K, Fe4O5 undergoes an unusual charge-ordering transition that involves competing dimeric and trimeric ordering within the chains of Fe ions. This transition is concurrent with a significant increase in electrical resistivity. Magnetic-susceptibility measurements and neutron diffraction establish the formation of a collinear antiferromagnetic order above room temperature and a spin canting at 85 K that gives rise to spontaneous magnetization. We discuss possible mechanisms of this transition and compare it with the trimeronic charge ordering observed in magnetite below the Verwey transition temperature.

Structural complexity of simple Fe2O3 at high pressures and temperatures

Although chemically very simple, Fe2O3 is known to undergo a series of enigmatic structural, electronic and magnetic transformations at high pressures and high temperatures. So far, these transformations have neither been correctly described nor understood because of the lack of structural data. Here we report a systematic investigation of the behaviour of Fe2O3 at pressures over 100 GPa and temperatures above 2,500 K employing single crystal X-ray diffraction and synchrotron Mössbauer source spectroscopy. Crystal chemical analysis of structures presented here and known Fe(II, III) oxides shows their fundamental relationships and that they can be described by the homologous series nFeO·mFe2O3. Decomposition of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 observed at pressures above 60 GPa and temperatures of 2,000 K leads to crystallization of unusual Fe5O7 and Fe25O32 phases with release of oxygen. Our findings suggest that mixed-valence iron oxides may play a significant role in oxygen cycling between earth reservoirs.

A hard oxide semiconductor with a direct and narrow bandgap and switchable p-n electrical conduction

An oxide semiconductor (perovskite-type Mn2 O3 ) is reported which has a narrow and direct bandgap of 0.45 eV and a high Vickers hardness of 15 GPa. All the known materials with similar electronic band structures (e.g., InSb, PbTe, PbSe, PbS, and InAs) play crucial roles in the semiconductor industry. The perovskite-type Mn2 O3 described is much stronger than the above semiconductors and may find useful applications in different semiconductor devices, e.g., in IR detectors.

Crystal structure and thermal expansion of Mn(1-x)Fe(x)Ge

A series of temperature-dependent single-crystal and powder diffraction experiments has been carried out using synchrotron radiation in order to characterize the monogermanides of Mn, Fe and their solid solutions. The MnGe single crystal is found to be enantiopure and we report the absolute structure determination. The thermal expansion, parametrized with the Debye model, is discussed from the temperature-dependent powder diffraction measurements for Mn(1-x)Fe(x)Ge (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, 0.9). Whereas the unit-cell dimension and the Debye temperature follow a linear trend as a function of composition, the thermal expansion coefficient deviates from linear dependence with increasing Mn content. No structural phase transformations have been observed for any composition in the temperature range 80-500 K for both single-crystal and powder diffraction, indicating that the phase transition previously observed with neutron powder diffraction most probably has a magnetic origin.

Anomalous compression and new high-pressure phases of vanadium sesquioxide, V2O3

We report results of a powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) study of vanadium sesquioxide, V2O3, under pressurization in a neon pressure-transmitting medium up to 57 GPa. We have established a bulk modulus value for corundum-type V2O3 of B0 = 150 GPa at B' = 4. This bulk modulus value is the lowest among those known for the corundum-type-structured oxides, e.g. Al2O3, α-Fe2O3, Cr2O3, Ti2O3, and α-Ga2O3. We have proposed that this might be related to the difference in the electronic band structures: at room temperature V2O3 is metallic, but the above corundum-structured sesquioxides are semiconducting or insulating. Around ∼21-27 and ∼50 GPa we registered changes in the XRD patterns that might be addressed to phase transitions. These transitions were sluggish upon room-temperature compression, and hence we additionally facilitated them by the laser heating of one sample. We have refined the XRD patterns of only the first high-pressure phase in an orthorhombic lattice of a Rh2O3(II)-type. Our findings significantly extend the knowledge of the P-T phase diagram of V2O3 and advance the understanding of its properties. We speculate that the elastic properties of V2O3 can be closely linked to its electronic band structure and, consequently, we propose that slightly doped V2O3 (e.g. with Cr) could be a potential candidate for systems in which the bulk modulus value may be remarkably switched by moderate pressure or temperature.

Structural stability of a golden semiconducting orthorhombic polymorph of Ti2O3 under high pressures and high temperatures

An orthorhombic polymorph of titanium oxide (Ti(2)O(3)) has been synthesized at high pressure-high temperature (HP-HT) conditions. It has been refined in the Pnma space group and the Th(2)S(3) structural type with the unit cell parameters as follows: a = 7.8248(6) Å, b = 2.8507(4) Å, c = 8.0967(3) Å, V = 180.61(1) Å(3) and Z = 4. The samples of Pnma-Ti(2)O(3) were of a golden colour, in contrast to the conventional black corundum-structured Ti(2)O(3). The structural stability of this polymorph has been examined by simultaneous Raman and x-ray diffraction studies under high pressure over 70 GPa and high temperature over 2200 K. No phase transformations or chemical reactions have been established. The electrical resistivity of Th(2)S(3)-structured Ti(2)O(3) samples showed a semiconducting behaviour and, at ambient conditions, was equal to 0.20-0.46 Ω cm. Conventional near-infrared absorption spectroscopy established the absence of energy gaps above 0.25 eV.

Crystal lattice and band structure of the intermediate high-pressure phase of PbSe

In the present paper the results of fitting synchrotron diffraction data are obtained for the intermediate high-pressure phase (9.5 GPa) of the lead selenide based compound Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Se (x = 0.125)-an optoelectronic as well as a thermoelectric material-for two types of lattice symmetries Pnma (space group #62) and Cmcm (space group #63). Both lattice parameters and positions of atoms for the above mentioned structures have been used in calculations of the electron structure of high-pressure phases. The main difference between the electronic properties for Cmcm and Pnma structures established in electronic structure calculations is that in the first one the PbSe compound was found to be a metal, while in the second a small semiconductor gap (E(G) = 0.12 eV) was obtained. Moreover, the forces in the Cmcm structure are an order of magnitude larger than those calculated for the Pnma lattice. In the optimized, Pnma structure within a generalized gradient approximation (GGA), the band gap increases up to E(G) = 0.27 eV. The result coincides with the data on thermoelectric power and electrical resistance data pointing to a semiconductor gap of ∼0.2 eV at ∼9.5 GPa. Thus, the Pmna type of lattice seems to be a preferable version for the intermediate phase compared with the Cmcm one.

Is the Verwey transition in Fe(3)O(4) magnetite driven by a Peierls distortion?

In this viewpoint article we analyse recent crucial structural, optical and transport experiments on Fe(3)O(4) magnetite across the Verwey transition at T(V)∼120-125 K. We find that all the relevant experimental data are consistent with a model of a Peierls distortion in the cubic spinel lattice, and likewise, some of them evidence against the original and still distributed hypothesis of the long range charge ordering origin of the Verwey transition. An estimated Peierls transition temperature (T(P)) is comparable with T(V). The Peierls model provides new insight into the electronic properties of magnetite. Application of the Peierls model to some other systems is briefly discussed also.