Na7[Fe2S6], Na2[FeS2] and Na2[FeSe2]: New ‘reduced’ sodium chalcogenido ferrates

Low-Cost, Multifunctional, and Sustainable Sodium Sulfido Ferrate(II)

We introduce Na2[Fe3S4], comprising anionic layers, synthesized by a simple and straightforward solid-state method based on the fusion of binary sulfides of abundant sodium and iron. The structure crystallizes in a trigonal lattice with honeycomb cavities, as well as 25% of statistical iron vacancies in the crystal structure. The compound depicts high dielectric constants from 998 to 1850 at a frequency of 1 kHz depending on the sintering temperature, comparable with benchmark dielectric materials. According to the complex electrochemical impedance results, the compound depicts an electrical conductivity at ambient temperature. Optical investigations reveal a band gap of 1.64 eV, which is in agreement with an electronic band gap of 1.63 eV computed by density functional theory calculations. Magnetometry results reveal an antiferromagnetic behavior with a transition at 120 K. These findings introduce Na2[Fe3S4] as a sustainable multifunctional material with potential for a variety of electronic and magnetic applications.

Iron Sulfide Na2 FeS2 as Positive Electrode Material with High Capacity and Reversibility Derived from Anion-Cation Redox in All-Solid-State Sodium Batteries

It is desirable for secondary batteries to have high capacities and long lifetimes. This paper reports the use of Na₂ FeS₂ with a specific structure consisting of edge-shared and chained FeS₄ as the host structure and as a high-capacity active electrode material. An all-solid-state sodium cell that uses Na₂ FeS₂ exhibits a high capacity of 320 mAh g^-1 , which is close to the theoretical two-electron reaction capacity of 323 mAh g^-1 , and operates reversibly for 300 cycles. The excellent electrochemical properties of all-solid-state sodium cells are derived from the anion-cation redox and rigid host structure during charging/discharging. In addition to the initial one-electron reaction of Na_x FeS₂ (1 ≤ x ≤ 2) activated Fe²⁺ /Fe³⁺ redox as the main redox center, the reversible sulfur redox further contributes to the high capacity. Although the additional sulfur redox affects the irreversible crystallographic changes, stable and reversible redox reactions are observed without capacity fading, owing to the local maintenance of the chained FeS₄ in the host structure. Sodium iron sulfide Na₂ FeS₂ , which combines low-cost elements, is one of the candidates that can meet the high requirements of practical applications.

Large-scale synthesis of mixed valence K3[Fe2S4] with high dielectric and ferrimagnetic characteristics

Large scale, high purity synthesis of K3[Fe2S4] which indicates soft ferrimagnetic, high dielectric and semiconductive characteristics.

Origin of Insulating Ferromagnetism in Iron Oxychalcogenide Ce_{2}O_{2}FeSe_{2}

An insulating ferromagnetic (FM) phase exists in the quasi-one-dimensional iron oxychalcogenide Ce_{2}O_{2}FeSe_{2}, but its origin is unknown. To understand the FM mechanism, here a systematic investigation of this material is provided, analyzing the competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic tendencies and the interplay of hoppings, Coulomb interactions, Hund's coupling, and crystal-field splittings. Our intuitive analysis based on second-order perturbation theory shows that large entanglements between doubly occupied and half filled orbitals play a key role in stabilizing the FM order in Ce_{2}O_{2}FeSe_{2}. In addition, via many-body computational techniques applied to a multiorbital Hubbard model, the phase diagram confirms the proposed FM mechanism.

New sodium-rich mixed Mn/In chalcogenido metallates Na 12 MnIn 2 Q 10 (Q = S, Se)

The sodium-rich sulfido and selenido metallates Na12MnIn2 Q 10 (Q = S/Se) were synthesized in pure phase from melts composed of stoichiometric quantities of the manganese monochalcogenides MnQ, elemental indium and the chalcogens together with either Na2S (Q = S) or elemental sodium (Q = Se) as starting material. The samples were heated up to maximum temperatures of 1000/900 °C under an argon atmosphere; crystallization was achieved by slow cooling rates of 10 K h−1. The two isotypic compounds (monoclinic, space group P21/m, a = 678.26(2)/698.85(10), b = 2202.77(7)/2298.7(3), c = 766.39(3)/800.59(13) pm, β = 90.232(2)/90.147(5)°, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0516/0.0575) crystallize in a new structure type. According to the division of the formula as Na12[InQ 4][MnInQ 6] the salts contain ortho indate anions [InIII Q 4]5− besides hetero-bimetallic dimers [MnIIInIII Q 6]7−, which consist of two edge-sharing [MQ 4] tetrahedra. The seven crystallographically different sodium cations exhibit an either tetrahedral or octahedral coordination by the chalcogen atoms. Thus, the overall structure of the salt is best described by a hexagonal close packing of the sulfide/selenide anions, in which the octahedral voids of every second interlayer section are fully occupied by the (overall 5/f.u.) Na + positions with CN = 6. In the other half of the interlayer sheets, all tetrahedral voids (overall 10/f.u.) are occupied by the seven CN = 4 Na + cations, one In3+ of the ortho anion and the two Mn2+/In3+ cations (which statistically occupy one crystallographic site). This structure relation is also verified by a Bärnighausen group-subgroup tree connecting the h.c.p. (Mg type) aristotype (with its tetrahedral and octahedral voids) by an overall index of 60 with the structure of the two title compounds.

New mixed-valent alkali chain sulfido ferrates A 1+x [FeS2] (A = K, Rb, Cs; x = 0.333–0.787)

Four new mixed-valent chain alkali metal (A) sulfido ferrates of the general structure family A 1 + x Fe x II Fe 1 − x III S 2 ${A}_{1+x}\left[{\text{Fe}}_{x}^{\text{II}}{\text{Fe}}_{1-x}^{\text{III}}{\text{S}}_{2}\right]$ were synthesized in the form of tiny green-metallic needles from nearly stoichiometric melts reacting elemental potassium with natural pyrite (A = K) or previously prepared Rb2S/Cs2S2 with elemental iron and sulfur (A = Rb/Cs). The crystal structures of the compounds were determined by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction: In the (3+1)D modulated structure of K7.15[FeS2]4 (space group Ccce(00σ 3)0s0, a = 1363.87(5), b = 2487.23(13), c = 583.47(3) pm, q = 0,0,0.444, R1 = 0.055/0.148, x = 0.787), a position modulation of the two crystallographically different undulated [ FeS 4 / 2 ] ∞ 1 ${}_{\infty }{}^{1}\left[{\text{FeS}}_{4/2}\right]$ tetrahedra chains and the surrounding K cations is associated with an occupation modulation of one of the three potassium sites. In the case of the new monoclinic rubidium ferrate Rb4[FeS2]3 (x =  1 3 $\frac{1}{3}$ ; space group P21/c, a = 1640.49(12), b = 1191.94(9), c = 743.33(6) pm, β = 94.759(4)°, Z = 4, R1 = 0.1184) the undulation of the tetrahedra chain is commensurate, the repetition unit consists of six tetrahedra. In the second new Rb ferrate, Rb7[FeS2]5 (x = 0.4; monoclinic, space group C2/c, K7[FeS2]5-type; a = 2833.9(2), b = 1197.36(9), c = 744.63(6) pm, β = 103.233(4)°, Z = 4, R1 = 0.1474) and its isotypic mixed Rb/Cs-analog Rb3.6Cs3.4[FeS2]5 (a = 2843.57(5), b = 1226.47(2), c = 759.890(10) pm, β = 103.7170(9)°, R1 = 0.0376) the chain buckling leads to a further increased repetition unit of 10 tetrahedra. For all mixed-valent ferrates, the Fe–S bond lengths continuously increase with the amount (x) of Fe(II). The buckling of the chains is controlled through the local coordination of the S atoms by the variable number of A cations of different sizes.

Okra-Like Fe7 S8 /C@ZnS/N-C@C with Core-Double-Shelled Structures as Robust and High-Rate Sodium Anode

Core-multishelled structures with controlled chemical composition have attracted great interest due to their fascinating electrochemical performance. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF)-on-MOF self-templated strategy is used to fabricate okra-like bimetal sulfide (Fe₇ S₈ /C@ZnS/N-C@C) with core-double-shelled structure, in which Fe₇ S₈ /C is distributed in the cores, and ZnS is embedded in one of the layers. The MOF-on-MOF precursor with an MIL-53 core, a ZIF-8 shell, and a resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) layer (MIL-53@ZIF-8@RF) is prepared through a layer-by-layer assembly method. After calcination with sulfur powder, the resultant structure has a hierarchical carbon matrix, abundant internal interface, and tiered active material distribution. It provides fast sodium-ion reaction kinetics, a superior pseudocapacitance contribution, good resistance of volume changes, and stepwise sodiation/desodiation reaction mechanism. As an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, the electrochemical performance of Fe₇ S₈ /C@ZnS/N-C@C is superior to that of Fe₇ S₈ /C@ZnS/N-C, Fe₇ S₈ /C, or ZnS/N-C. It delivers a high and stable capacity of 364.7 mAh g^-1 at current density of 5.0 A g^-1 with 10 000 cycles, and registers only 0.00135% capacity decay per cycle. This MOF-on-MOF self-templated strategy may provide a method to construct core-multishelled structures with controlled component distributions for the energy conversion and storage.

The new sodium tellurido manganates(II) Na2Mn2Te3, Na2Mn3Te4, Na2 AMnTe3 (A=K, Rb), and NaCsMnTe2

A series of new sodium and mixed Na/A (A = K, Rb, Cs) tellurido manganates have been synthesized from melts of the pure elements (or MnTe) at maximum temperatures of 600–1000°C. The monoclinic crystal structures of the two pure sodium salts Na2Mn2Te3 (space group C2/c, a = 1653.68(2), b = 1482.57(2), c = 773.620(10) pm, β = 117.52°, Z = 8, R1 = 0.0225) and Na2Mn3Te4 (space group C2/m, a = 1701.99(3), b = 438.741(8), c = 691.226(12) pm, β = 90.3171(8)°, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0270) are both based on a hexagonal close packed Te2− arrangement. Na2Mn2Te3 is isotypic with Na2Mn2S3 and Na2Mn2Se3 and contains layers of [MnTe4] tetrahedra, which are connected via common edges to form tetramers [Mn4Te6]. These tetramers are further connected via μ 3-Te atoms. Na2Mn3Te4 crystallizes in a new structure type, recently also reported for the selenido salt Na2Mn3Se4. Mn(2) forms ribbons of vertex-sharing dinuclear units ∞ 1 [ Te 2 / 2 MnTe 2 MnTe 2 / 2 ] $_\infty ^1[{\rm{T}}{{\rm{e}}_{2/2}}{\rm{MnT}}{{\rm{e}}_2}{\rm{MnT}}{{\rm{e}}_{2/2}}]$ running along the short b axis of the monoclinic cell. The Te atoms of these ribbons are also the ligands of edge-sharing [Mn(1)Te6] chains of octahedra. Similar to Na2Mn2Te3, the Na+ cations are octahedrally coordinated and the cations occupy tetrahedral (Mn2+) and octahedral (Na+, Mn2+) voids in the close Te2− packing. The isotypic K/Rb salts Na2 AMnTe3 crystallize in a new structure type (orthorhombic, space group Pmc21, a = 1069.70(4)/1064.34(2), b = 1350.24(5)/1350.47(3), c = 1238.82(4)/1236.94(3) pm, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0445/0.0210). In contrast to the simple formula indicating a Mn(III) compound, the complex structure contains one layer consisting of undulated chains of edge-sharing tetrahedra ∞ 1 [ Mn II Te 4 / 2 ] $_\infty ^1[{\rm{M}}{{\rm{n}}^{{\rm{II}}}}{\rm{T}}{{\rm{e}}_{4/2}}]$ separated by free ditelluride dumbbells [Te2]2− and a second layer containing a complex chain of edge- and vertex-sharing [MnIITe4] tetrahedra, in which Mn(II) is coordinated to μ 1- and μ 2-Te2− ligands and an η 1-ditellurido ligand. The cesium salt NaCsMnTe2 (orthorhombic, space group Cccm, a = 694.21(2), b = 1536.57(4), c = 664.47(2) pm, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0131) likewise forms a new structure type, which is an ordered superstructure of ThCr2Si2. Linear chains ∞ 1 [ MnTe 4 / 2 ] $_\infty ^1[{\rm{MnT}}{{\rm{e}}_{4/2}}]$ of edge-sharing tetrahedra are connected with similar chains ∞ 1 [ NaTe 4 / 2 ] $_\infty ^1[{\rm{NaT}}{{\rm{e}}_{4/2}}]$ to form [NaMnTe2] layers. The larger alkali cations Cs+ between the layers exhibit a cubic (CN = 8) coordination.

High-Performance Flexible Freestanding Anode with Hierarchical 3D Carbon-Networks/Fe7 S8 /Graphene for Applicable Sodium-Ion Batteries

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have gained tremendous interest for grid scale energy storage system and power energy batteries. However, the current researches of anode for SIBs still face the critical issues of low areal capacity, limited cycle life, and low initial coulombic efficiency for practical application perspective. To solve this issue, a kind of hierarchical 3D carbon-networks/Fe₇ S₈ /graphene (CFG) is designed and synthesized as freestanding anode, which is constructed with Fe₇ S₈ microparticles well-welded on 3D-crosslinked carbon-networks and embedded in highly conductive graphene film, via a facile and scalable synthetic method. The as-prepared freestanding electrode CFG represents high areal capacity (2.12 mAh cm^-2 at 0.25 mA cm^-2 ) and excellent cycle stability of 5000 cycles (0.0095% capacity decay per cycle). The assembled all-flexible sodium-ion battery delivers remarkable performance (high areal capacity of 1.42 mAh cm^-2 at 0.3 mA cm^-2 and superior energy density of 144 Wh kg^-1 ), which are very close to the requirement of practical application. This work not only enlightens the material design and electrode engineering, but also provides a new kind of freestanding high energy density anode with great potential application prospective for SIBs.

Alkali chalcogenido ortho manganates(II) A 6MnQ 4 (A=Rb, Cs; Q=S, Se, Te)

The six isotypic alkali ortho chalcogenido manganates A 6[MnII Q 4] (A=Rb, Cs; Q=S, Se, Te) were synthesized – in most cases in pure phase – from stoichiometric mixtures of the manganese monochalcogenides MnQ, the elemental chalcogens and Rb2S/Cs2S2 (sulfido salts) or the pure alkali elements (selenido and tellurido salts) as alkali sources at maximum temperatures between 650 and 800°C. Their hexagonal crystal structures were refined by means of X-ray single crystal data (space group P63 mc, Na6ZnO4-type structure, Z=2; A/Q: Rb/S: a=1019.34(2), c=792.560(10) pm, R1=0.0166; Rb/Se: a=1055.74(2), c=821.14(2) pm, R1=0.0275; Rb/Te: a=1126.68(2), c=860.54(2) pm, R1=0.0152; Cs/S: a=1056.68(2), c=831.22(2) pm, R1=0.0168; Cs/Se: a=1096.04(3), c=858.13(2) pm, R1=0.0194; and Cs/Te: a=1167.72(3), c=896.95(2) pm, R1=0.0140). The chiral structures contain isolated C 3 symmetric, but very close to ideal tetrahedral, ortho manganate(II) anions [MnII Q 4]6− with Mn–Q distances of 248.7–250.7 (Q=S), 260.7–263.0 (Q=Se) and 280.0–282.4 pm (Q=Te). The chalcogenide ions form a hexagonal closed packing with slightly puckered 36 nets, in which the A(2) cations occupy 3/4 of the octahedral interstices, whereas Mn takes 1/8 and A(1) 3/8 of the tetrahedral voids. Magnetic measurements on the three Cs compounds showed Curie-Weiss behavior down to a temperature of 1.9 K, with magnetic moments significantly reduced with respect to the expected spin-only value of a d 5 ion. The electronic band structures of the four salts (Na/Rb)6Mn(S/Te)4, which were calculated within the GGA+U approach, allow a comparison of the chemical bonding characteristics and the magnetic properties within the alkali cation and the chalcogenido ligand series.