Binary Boron-Rich Borides of Magnesium: Single-Crystal Investigations and Properties of MgB7 and the New Boride Mg∼5B44

Synthesis, crystal structure and hydrogenation properties of MgxLi3 - xB48 - y (x = 1.11, y = 0.40)

The ternary magnesium/lithium boride, MgxLi3 - xB48 - y (x = 1.11, y = 0.40, idealized formula MgLi2B48), crystallizes as its own structure type in P43212, which is closely related to the structural family comprising α-AlB12, Be0.7Al1.1B22 and tetra-gonal β-boron. The asymmetric unit of title structure contains two statistical mixtures Mg/Li in Wyckoff sites 8b with relative occupancies Mg:Li = 0.495 (9):0.505 (9) and 4a with Mg:Li = 0.097 (8):0.903 (8). The boron atoms occupy 23 8b sites and two 4a sites. One of the latter sites has a partial occupancy factor of 0.61 (2). Both unique Mg/Li atoms adopt a twelvefold coordination environment in the form of truncated tetra-hedra (Laves polyhedra). These polyhedra are connected by triangular faces to four [B12] icosa-hedra. The boron atoms exhibit four kinds of polyhedra, namely penta-gonal pyramid (coordination number CN = 6), distorted tetra-gonal pyramid (CN = 5), bicapped hexa-gon (CN = 8) and gyrobifastigium (CN = 8). At the gas hydrogenation of MgLi2B48 alloy, formation of the eutectic composite hydride LiBH4+Mg(BH4)2 and amorphous boron is observed. In the temperature range 543-623 K, the hydride eutectics decompose, forming MgH2, LiH, MgB4, B and H2.

The discovery of a superhard P-type transparent semiconductor: Al2.69B50

Superhard semiconductors have been long sought after for electronic device applications enduring extreme conditions, such as astronautics, due to their intrinsic toughness, high thermal and chemical stability. Here, we report the superhard p-type semiconductor Al_2.69B₅₀ single crystal with the determined Vickers hardness of ∼40.5 GPa under the load of 0.49 N, which is one of the hardest semiconductor compounds that have been ever found. With the direct band gap of 2.3 eV, Al_2.69B₅₀ exhibits excellent optical transmittance (>90%), covering the visible range from 459 nm to 760 nm and part of the infrared range, and also shows the high intensity of the photon emission in the visible light. Al_2.69B₅₀ is very stable, thermally and chemically, with an ultra-low density of ∼2.52 g cm^-3, allowing for further extension of its applications. Such an assembly of various excellent properties within one material has great implication for high power electronic design and applications.

Pressure effect of the mechanical, electronics and thermodynamic properties of Mg-B compounds A first-principles investigations

First principle calculations were performed to investigate the structural, mechanical, electronic properties, and thermodynamic properties of three binary Mg–B compounds under pressure, by using the first principle method. The results implied that the structural parameters and the mechanical properties of the Mg–B compounds without pressure are well matched with the obtainable theoretically simulated values and experimental data. The obtained pressure–volume and energy–volume revealed that the three Mg–B compounds were mechanically stable, and the volume variation decreases with an increase in the boron content. The shear and volume deformation resistance indicated that the elastic constant C_ij and bulk modulus B increased when the pressure increased up to 40 GPa, and that MgB₇ had the strongest capacity to resist shear and volume deformation at zero pressure, which indicated the highest hardness. Meanwhile, MgB₄ exhibited a ductility transformation behaviour at 30 GPa, and MgB₂ and MgB₇ displayed a brittle nature under all the considered pressure conditions. The anisotropy of the three Mg–B compounds under pressure were arranged as follows: MgB₄ > MgB₂ > MgB₇. Moreover, the total density of states varied slightly and decreased with an increase in the pressure. The Debye temperature Θ_D of the Mg–B compounds gradually increased with an increase in the pressure and the boron content. The temperature and pressure dependence of the heat capacity and the thermal expansion coefficient α were both obtained on the basis of Debye model under increased pressure from 0 to 40 GPa and increased temperatures. This paper brings a convenient understanding of the magnesium–boron alloys.

First-principles calculation of 11B solid-state NMR parameters of boron-rich compounds II: the orthorhombic phases MgB7 and MgB12C2 and the boron modification γ-B28

Based on the work on referencing 11B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for molecular icosahedral boranes and the subsequent transfer to the rhombohedral boron-rich borides of the α-rB12 type, we show that the magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of boron-rich borides with four or five symmetry-independent boron atoms can also be calculated. The calculations are performed on the level of density functional theory (DFT) using the gauge-including projector-augmented wave (GIPAW) approach. As model compounds o-MgB12C2 and MgB7 are used, for which the experimental spectra could be calculated in excellent agreement with a deviation of 1 to 2 ppm. Based on the calculations, the different B atoms can be assigned to the respective signals, taking into account the quadrupolar coupling constants Cq from computation of the electric field gradient (EFG) with its main axis Vzz. It is shown that due to the specific geometric conditions of icosahedra, the magnitudes of Vzz for the boron atoms involved in exohedral B-B bonds to neighbouring icosahedra depend only on the valence electron density of the bond critical point and the distance. This also applies to the bonds to the interstitial B2 unit in MgB7, but not to bonds to the heteroatom of the C2 dumbbell in o-MgB12C2. Both results are in line with our previous observations for the rhombohedral species (α-rB12; B12X2 with X = P, As, O). Finally, the spectrum of γ-B28 was calculated, whose structure also contains B12 icosahedra and interstitial B2 dumbbells. Here, a very similar bonding situation is found for the icosahedron, but the calculations show that the situation for the B2 unit is clearly different. In general, the only parameter that needs to be varied to fit calculated and measured spectra is the linewidth, as this cannot be calculated. For the cases of o-MgB12C2 and MgB7 signal areas are related to corresponding site multiplicities. A prerequisite for the successful application of the chosen method seems to be the presence of a semiconductor with a sufficiently large band gap, which is the case for the compounds investigated.

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.

Acid-Responsive H2 -Releasing 2D MgB2 Nanosheet for Therapeutic Synergy and Side Effect Attenuation of Gastric Cancer Chemotherapy

The hydrogen molecule is recognized as a high potential to attenuate toxic side effects of chemotherapy and also enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy, and the development of a novel hydrogen-generating prodrug for facile, safe, and efficient hydrogen delivery is vitally important for combined hydrogenochemotherapy but is still challenging. Here, targeting gastric cancer, a 2D magnesium boride nanosheet (MBN) is synthesized as a new type of acid-responsive hydrogen-releasing prodrug by an ultrasound-assisted chemical etching route, which is used to realize hydrogenochemotherapy by combination of facile oral administration of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-encapsulating MBN (MBN@PVP) pills with routine intravenous injection of doxorubicin (DOX). The MBN@PVP pill has high stability in normal tissues/blood environments as well as high gastric acid-responsiveness with sustained release behavior, which matches well with its metabolism rate in the stomach in great favor of continuous and long-term hydrogen administration. Hydrogenochemotherapy with DOX+MBN@PVP has remarkably prolonged the survival time of gastric tumor-bearing mice by reducing the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. The mechanism for therapeutic synergy and side effect attenuation of hydrogenochemotherapy is discovered to be derived from the selectivity of hydrogen molecules in inhibiting aerobic respiration of gastric cells but activating aerobic respiration of normal cells including marrow mesenchymal stem cells and cardiac, hepatic, and splenic cells.

Rediscovering the Crystal Chemistry of Borides

For decades, borides have been primarily studied as crystallographic oddities. With such a wide variety of structures (a quick survey of the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database counts 1253 entries for binary boron compounds!), it is surprising that the applications of borides have been quite limited despite a great deal of fundamental research. If anything, the rich crystal chemistry found in borides could well provide the right tool for almost any application. The interplay between metals and the boron results in even more varied material's properties, many of which can be tuned via chemistry. Thus, the aim of this review is to reintroduce to the scientific community the developments in boride crystal chemistry over the past 60 years. We tie structures to material properties, and furthermore, elaborate on convenient synthetic routes toward preparing borides.

Novel magnesium borides and their superconductivity

With the motivation of searching for new superconductors in the Mg–B system, we performed ab initio evolutionary searches for all the stable compounds in this binary system in the pressure range of 0–200 GPa.

Redetermination of Mg(2)B(25) based on single-crystal X-ray data

The crystal structure of Mg₂B₂₅, dimagnesium penta­eicosa­boride, was reexamined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The structural model previously reported on the basis of powder X-ray diffraction data [Giunchi et al. (2006 ▶). Solid State Sci.8, 1202–1208] has been confirmed, although a much higher precision refinement was achieved, leading to much smaller standard uncertainties on bond lengths and refined occupancy factors. Moreover, all atoms were refined with anisotropic displacement parameters. Mg₂B₂₅ crystallizes in the β-boron structure type and is isostructural with other rhombohedral compounds of the boron-rich metal boride family. Magnesium atoms are found in inter­stitial sites on special positions (two with site symmetry .m, one with .2 and one with 3m), all with partial occupancies.