Syntheses, Structures, and Properties of Non-Centrosymmetric Quaternary Tellurates Bi MTeO6 ( M = Al, Ga)

Beyond π-π Stacking: Understanding Inversion Symmetry Breaking in Crystalline Racemates

The design of noncentrosymmetric (NCS) solid state materials, specifically how to break inversion symmetry between enantiomers, has intrigued chemists, physicists, and materials scientists for many years. Because the chemical complexity of molecular racemic building units is so varied, targeting these materials is poorly understood. Previously, three isostructural racemic compounds with a formula of [Cu(H₂O)(bpy)₂]₂[MF₆]₂·2H₂O (bpy = 2,2'=bipyridine; M = Ti, Zr, Hf) were shown to crystallize in the NCS space group Pna2₁, of polar, achiral crystal class mm2. In this work, we synthesized five new racemic compounds with the formula [Cu(H₂O)(dmbpy)₂]₂[MF₆]₂·xH₂O (dmbpy = 4,4'/5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine; M = Ti, Zr, Hf). Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that the five newly synthesized compounds feature equimolar combinations of Δ- and Λ-Cu(dmbpy)₂(H₂O)²⁺ complexes that are assembled into packing motifs similar to those found in the reported NCS structure but all crystallize in centrosymmetric (CS) space groups. Seven structural descriptors were created to analyze the intermolecular interactions on the assembly of Cu racemates in the CS and NCS structures. The structural analysis reveals that in the CS structures, the inversion center results from parallel heterochiral π-π stacking interactions between adjacent Cu racemates regardless of cation geometries, hydrogen bonding networks, or interlayer architectures, whereas in the NCS structure, nonparallel heterochiral π-π interactions between the adjacent Cu racemates preclude an inversion center. The parallel heterochiral π-π interactions in the CS structures can be rationalized by the restrained geometries of the methyl-substituted ligands. This work demonstrates that the introduction of nonparallel stacking can suppress the formation of an inversion center for an NCS racemate. A conceptual framework and practical approach linking the absence of inversion symmetry in racemates is presented for all NCS crystal classes.

Successive short- and long-range magnetic ordering in rosiaite-type CoGeTeO6 prepared by ion-exchange reaction

The missing member of the rosiaite family, CoGeTeO₆, was synthesized by mild ion-exchange reactions and characterized by magnetization M and specific heat C_p measurements. It exhibits a successive short- and long-range magnetic ordering at T_short-range ≈ 45 K and T_N = 15 K, respectively. Based on these measurements, the magnetic H-T phase diagram was established, showing two antiferromagnetic phases separated by a spin-flop transition. The reason why the pronounced short-range correlation occurs at a temperature nearly three times higher than T_N was found by evaluating the Co-O⋯O-Co exchange interactions using energy-mapping analysis. Although CoGeTeO₆ has a layered structure, its magnetic structure consists of three-dimensional antiferromagnetic lattices made up of rhombic boxes of Co²⁺ ions. The experimental data obtained at high temperatures agree well with the computational results by treating the Co²⁺ ions of CoGeTeO₆ as S = 3/2 ions, but the heat capacity and magnetization data were obtained at low temperatures by treating the Co²⁺ ion as a J_eff = 1/2 ion.

Temperature-driven order-disorder structural transition in the oxygen sub-lattice and the complex superstructure of the high-temperature polymorph of CaSrZn2Ga2O7

Structural order-disorder plays a decisive role in the physical properties of materials, such as magnetism, second-order harmonic generation, and ionic conductivity, and it is thus widely utilized to manipulate the crystal structure and understand structure-property correlations. Herein, we report the structural polymorphism, complex crystal structure and temperature-driven irreversible order-disorder phase transition of the polar oxides (Sr_1-xCa_x)SrZn₂Ga₂O₇. The low-temperature (LT) structure crystallizes in Pna2₁ with partial Zn/Ga ordering. Upon heating, (Sr_1-xCa_x)SrZn₂Ga₂O₇ undergoes an irreversible phase transition from orthorhombic Pna2₁ to hexagonal P6₃. Interestingly, the high-temperature (HT) P6₃ structure possesses an unexpected 3/2-fold superstructure rather than a substructure of the low-temperature (LT) Pna2₁ structure, which is a rare structural phenomenon in solid-state chemistry. This new HT superstructure is the most complex one in this series of oxides with 21 crystallographically independent sites determined accurately by a combination of the maximum entropy method and Rietveld refinement against high-resolution neutron powder diffraction data. In terms of the mechanism, this is a temperature-driven order-to-disorder transition in the oxygen sublattice. A careful structural analysis revealed that the oxygen disordering mainly occurs in the [SrO₃] layers of the HT structure and it can be understood as respective clockwise and anticlockwise rotations of distinct GaO₄-tetrahedra along the c-axis. Alternating current electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis revealed that the oxygen disordering in the HT structure is incapable of giving rise to oxide ionic conductivity but does lead to increased electronic conduction compared to the LT structure. The optical properties of the CaSrZn₂Ga₂O₇ and Sr₂Zn₂Ga₂O₇ representatives are also investigated in-depth via diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and theoretic calculations.

Dielectric, AC Conductivity, and DC Conductivity Behaviours of Sr2CaTeO6 Double Perovskite

Relatively new double perovskite material, Sr₂CaTeO₆, has been prepared through conventional solid-state procedures. Structural, dielectric, and optical characteristics of this exquisite solid-state material were analysed in this study. The single-phase monoclinic P2₁/n structure of this prepared compound was well correlated with the literature review. Good distribution of grain sizes and shapes was observed in the morphological study of this compound. The discussions on its optical and dielectric properties are included in this manuscript. High dielectric real permittivity, low dielectric loss, and good capacitance over a range of temperatures possessed by this compound, as shown in dielectric and electrical modulus studies, indicated good potential values for capacitor applications. The R_o(R_gQ_g)(R_gbQ_gb) circuit fitted well with the impedance and electrical modulus plot of the compound. Its relatively high electrical DC conductivity in grain at high frequencies and its increasing value with the temperature are typical of a semiconductor behaviour. This behaviour might be attributed to the presence of minor oxygen vacancies within its lattice structure and provides a long-range conduction mechanism. A small difference between activation energy and E_a of DC conductivity indicates that the same charge carriers were involved in both grains and the grain boundaries’ long-range conduction. The electrical AC conductivity of this compound was found to contribute to the dielectric loss in grain structure and can be related to Jonscher’s power law. The presence of polarons in this compound was exhibited by non-overlapping small polaron tunnelling (NSPT) and overlapping large polaron tunnelling (OLPT) conduction mechanisms over a range of temperatures. Wide optical band gap and E_opt in the range of 2.6 eV to 3.6 eV were determined by using an indirect and direct allowed mechanism of electrons transitions. These values supported the efficient semiconducting behaviour of the grain in this material and are suitable for applications in the semiconductor industry.

Centrosymmetric Rb[Te2O4(OH)5] and noncentrosymmetric K2[Te3O8(OH)4]: metal tellurates with corner and edge-sharing (Te4O18)12- anion group

New nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals have become urgent need for extending laser wavelengths. By cation substitution between alkali metal (K+, Rb+), anion group arrangement transition were realized, and centrosymmetric Rb[Te2O4(OH)5]...

A3A'3Zn6Te4O24 (A = Na, A' = Rare Earth) Garnets: A-Site Ordered Noncentrosymmetric Structure, Photoluminescence, and Na-Ion Conductivity

A large number of oxides that adopt the centrosymmetric (CS) garnet-type structure (space group Ia3̅d) have been widely studied as promising magnetic and host materials. Hitherto, no noncentrosymmetric (NCS) garnet has been reported yet, and a strategy to NCS garnet design is therefore significant for expanding the application scope. Herein, for the series A₃A'₃Zn₆Te₄O₂₄ (A = Na, A' = La, Eu, Nd, Y, and Lu), we demonstrated that the structural symmetry evolution from CS Ia3̅d (A' = La) to NCS I4₁22 (A' = Eu, Nd, Y, and Lu) could be achieved due to the A-site cationic ordering-driven inversion symmetry breaking. Na₃A'₃Zn₆Te₄O₂₄ (A' = rare earth) are the first garnets that possess NCS structures with A-site cationic ordering. Diffuse reflectance spectra and theoretic calculations demonstrated that all these NCS garnets are indirect semiconductors. Moreover, their potential applications as host materials for red phosphors and Na-ion conductors were also investigated in detail, which firmly confirmed the NCS structure and A-site cationic ordering. Our findings have paved the way to design NCS or even polar garnets that show intriguing functional properties, such as ferroelectricity, multiferroicity, and second harmonic generation.

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance of spin-9/2 nuclei 115 In and 209 Bi in functional inorganic complex oxides

Indium and bismuth are technologically important elements, in particular as oxides for optoelectronic applications. ¹¹⁵ In and ²⁰⁹ Bi are both I = 9/2 nuclei with high natural abundances and moderately high frequencies but large nuclear electric quadrupole moments. Leveraging the quadrupolar interaction as a measure of local symmetry and polyhedral distortions for these nuclei could provide powerful insights on a range of applied materials. However, the absence of reported nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters on these nuclei, particularly in oxides, hinders their use by the broader materials community. In this contribution, solid-state ¹¹⁵ In and ²⁰⁹ Bi NMR of three recently discovered quaternary bismuth or indium oxides are reported, supported by density functional theory calculations, numerical simulations, diffraction and additional multinuclear (²⁷ Al, ^69,71 Ga, and ¹²¹ Sb) solid-state NMR measurements. The compounds LiIn₂ SbO₆ , BiAlTeO₆ , and BiGaTeO₆ are measured without special equipment at 9.4 T, demonstrating that wideline techniques such as the QCPMG pulse sequence and frequency-stepped acquisition can enable straightforward extraction of quadrupolar tensor information in I = 9/2 ¹¹⁵ In and ²⁰⁹ Bi even in sites with large quadrupolar coupling constants. Relationships are described between the NMR observables and local site symmetry. These are amongst the first reports of the NMR parameters of ¹¹⁵ In, ¹²¹ Sb, and ²⁰⁹ Bi in oxides.

Understanding the structural, optical, and dielectric characteristics of SrLaLiTe1-xMnxO6 perovskites

In electronic applications, good dielectric permittivity material has huge potential in the capacitive energy storage devices. Herein, in the present work the dielectric study of SrLaLiTe_1-xMn_xO₆ (x = 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.10) double perovskites has been studied and discussed. These compounds were prepared through solid-state reaction method. All of the prepared compounds were confirmed to crystallized in monoclinic structure of P2₁/n space symmetry with better crystallization when dopant concentrations increased until x = 0.08. The formation of Li-O-Te/Mn bonds in octahedral structures in all compounds were confirmed in this study. The existence of peaks at specific wavenumbers indicated vibrations of B-site cations' bonds. When dopant amounts were increased from x = 0.02 to x = 0.08, there was an increasing trend of grains sizes formation in the compounds. The discussions on effects of grain sizes towards dielectric properties were included in this paper. Other important results and discussions comprised of the significant effects of dopant on the optical band gap (E_opt) and absorption frequencies of the compounds. The decreasing trend of E_opt towards semiconductor range indicated the compounds' promising potentials for optoelectronic device application.

Sr(M,Te)2O6 (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni): A Magnetically Dilute Family of Honeycomb Tellurates

We report the synthesis and characterization of five new honeycomb tellurates with the PbSb₂O₆ structure type. These materials, SrM_2/3Te_4/3O₆ (M = Cr, Mn, Fe) and SrM_1/2Te_3/2O₆ (M = Co, Ni), are prepared by conventional solid state synthesis. Rietveld refinements of powder X-ray and neutron diffraction data reveal that these materials crystallize in the P3̅1 m space group, in which M and Te are octahedrally coordinated and randomly distributed over the honeycomb sublattice. In three of these materials (M = Cr, Mn, Fe), the transition metal takes a 3+ oxidation state, and hence, charge neutrality necessitates that the honeycomb sublattice is 66% occupied by nonmagnetic Te. In the remaining two of these materials (M = Co, Ni), the transition metal takes a 2+ oxidation state, requiring that 75% of the honeycomb lattice is occupied by nonmagnetic Te. Thus, the honeycomb sublattice is highly diluted, as only 33% or 25% of the sites are occupied by a magnetic ion. These occupation values fall well-below the percolation threshold for the honeycomb lattice, p _c = 70%. Accordingly, magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal no magnetic order or spin freezing down to 1.8 K.