Lithium Intercalation into β-Rhombohedral Boron: LiB∼10or Li30B309?

Boranes: The Boron Subhydride B104.67H3 with a Distorted β-Boron Crystal Structure

A single crystal of the boron subhydride B_104.67(4)H₃ was serendipitously obtained while attempting to synthesize β-boron. An accurate crystal structure analysis revealed a distorted β-boron framework with the noncentrosymmetric space group R3m. We have found one interstitial site occupied by boron. The site related by inversion remains empty. The distortions of the framework result in ideal environments for the interstitial boron atom, and for the three hydrogen atoms at bridging positions between icosahedral B₁₂ groups, they result in ideal B-H distances of 1.33 Å. B_104.67(4)H₃ is a borane with the lowest amount of hydrogen recorded to date, and it is the first compound with a noncentrosymmetrically distorted β-boron framework.

Metallic alloys at the edge of complexity: structural aspects, chemical bonding and physical properties

Complex metallic alloys belong to the vast family of intermetallic compounds and are hallmarked by extremely large unit cells and, in many cases, extensive crystallographic disorder. Early studies of complex intermetallics were focusing on the elucidation of their crystal structures and classification of the underlying building principles. More recently, ab initio computational analysis and detailed examination of the physical properties have become feasible and opened new perspectives for these materials. The present review paper provides a summary of the literature data on the reported compositions with exceptional structural complexity and their properties, and highlights the factors leading to the emergence of their crystal structures and the methods of characterization and systematization of these compounds.

Phase equilibria and crystal structure relationships in the ternary Li–B–C system

Phase equilibria in the Li–B–C ternary system have been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and differential scanning calorimetry.