Cui Z, Bu K, Zhuang Y, Donnelly ME, Zhang D, Dalladay-Simpson P, Howie RT, Zhang J, Lü X, Hu Q. Phase transition mechanism and bandgap engineering of Sb
2S
3 at gigapascal pressures.
Commun Chem 2021;
4:125. [PMID:
36697645 PMCID:
PMC9814834 DOI:
10.1038/s42004-021-00565-4]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Earth-abundant antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3), or simply antimonite, is a promising material for capturing natural energies like solar power and heat flux. The layered structure, held up by weak van-der Waals forces, induces anisotropic behaviors in carrier transportation and thermal expansion. Here, we used stress as mechanical stimuli to destabilize the layered structure and observed the structural phase transition to a three-dimensional (3D) structure. We combined in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations to study the evolution of structure and bandgap width up to 20.1 GPa. The optical band gap energy of Sb2S3 followed a two-step hierarchical sequence at approximately 4 and 11 GPa. We also revealed that the first step of change is mainly caused by the redistribution of band states near the conduction band maximum. The second transition is controlled by an isostructural phase transition, with collapsed layers and the formation of a higher coordinated bulky structure. The band gap reduced from 1.73 eV at ambient to 0.68 eV at 15 GPa, making it a promising thermoelectric material under high pressure.
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