Synthesis, crystal and electronic structure of BaLi2Cd2Ge2

A new quaternary germanide has been synthesized and structurally characterized. BaLi2Cd2Ge2 adopts the rhombohedral CaCu4P2 structure type (Pearson code hR7; space group R 3 ‾ m $R‾{3}m$ , Z = 3) with unit cell parameters a = 4.5929(6) and c = 26.119(5) Å. Structure refinements from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data demonstrate that the layered crystal structure can be regarded as an ordered quaternary variant of the ternary archetype; structural parallels to layered pnictides and binary germanides can also be drawn. The layered crystal structure is characterized by the absence of direct Ge–Ge and Cd–Cd homoatomic bonds, which suggests that BaLi2Cd2Ge2 should be classified as a Zintl phase, according to the formulation (Ba2+)(Li+)2(Cd2+)2(Ge4−)2. Electronic structure calculations show that the Fermi level crosses a distinct peak in the DOS, although the presence of an electronic band gap or a dip in the electronic density of states at the Fermi level is expected based on the electron partitioning.

The Zintl phases AIn2As2 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba): new topological insulators and thermoelectric material candidates

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in topological insulators (TIs), being electronic materials, which are insulating in their bulk but with the gapless exotic metallic state on their surface. The surface states observed in such materials behave as a perfect conductor thereby making them more suited for several cutting-edge technological applications such as spintronic devices. Here, we report the synthesis and structural characterization of the Zintl phases AIn2As2 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba), which could become a new class of TIs. Crystal structure elucidation by single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that CaIn2As2 and SrIn2As2 are isostructural and crystallize in the EuIn2P2 structure type (space group P63/mmc, no. 194, Z = 2) with unit cell parameters a = 4.1482(6) Å, c = 17.726(4) Å; and a = 4.2222(6) Å, c = 18.110(3) Å, respectively. Their hexagonal structure is made up of alternating [In2As2]2- layers separated by slabs of A2+ cations. BaIn2As2 on the other hand crystallizes in the monoclinic EuGa2P2 structure type (space group P2/m, no. 10, Z = 4) with unit cell parameters a = 10.2746(11) Å, b = 4.3005(5) Å, c = 13.3317(14) Å and β = 95.569(2)°. This structure is also layered, and it is made up of different type of polyanionic [In2As2]2- units and Ba2+ cations. The valence electron count for all three compounds adheres to the Zintl-Klemm formalism, and all elements achieve closed-shell electronic configurations. Bulk electronic structure calculations indicate the opening of a bandgap Eg ∼ 0.03 eV (CaIn2As2 and Sr2In2As2), and Eg ∼0.21 eV (BaIn2As2) in the absence of strain and spin-orbit coupling (SOC). These results argue in favor of the realization of a nontrivial topological insulator state under the influence of tensile strain and SOC. Preliminary transport properties on BaIn2As2 are suggestive of a degenerate p-type semiconductor-a behavior which is sought after in thermoelectric (TE) materials. Since both TIs and excellent TE materials are known to favor the same material properties such as narrow bandgap, heavy elements, and strong SOC, these three Zintl phases are also projected as candidates TE materials.

High-pressure synthesis and crystal structure of SrGa4As4

Strontium tetra-gallate(II,III) tetra-arsenide, SrGa4As4, was synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 8 GPa and 1573 K. The com-pound crystallizes in a new structure type (P3221, Z = 3) as a three-dimensional (3D) framework of corner-sharing SrAs8 quadratic anti-prisms with strontium situated on a twofold rotation axis (Wyckoff position 3b). This arrangement is surrounded by a 3D framework which can be described as alternately stacked layers of either condensed GaIIIAs4 tetra-hedra or honeycomb-like layers built up from distorted ethane-like GaII 2As6 units com-prising Ga-Ga bonds.