Crystal structure characterization and electronic structure of a rare-earth-containing Zintl phase in the Yb-Al-Sb family: Yb3AlSb3

A rare-earth-containing compound, ytterbium aluminium antimonide, Yb₃AlSb₃ (Ca₃AlAs₃-type structure), has been successfully synthesized within the Yb-Al-Sb system through flux methods. According to the Zintl formalism, this structure is nominally made up of (Yb²⁺)₃[(Al^1-)(1b - Sb^2-)₂(2b - Sb^1-)], where 1b and 2b indicate 1-bonded and 2-bonded, respectively, and Al is treated as part of the covalent anionic network. The crystal structure features infinite corner-sharing AlSb₄ tetrahedra, [AlSb₂Sb_2/2]^6-, with Yb²⁺ cations residing between the tetrahedra to provide charge balance. Herein, the synthetic conditions, the crystal structure determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, and electronic structure calculations are reported.

Silver(I) and Copper(I) Complexation with Decachloro-Closo-Decaborate Anion

A series of complexation reactions of silver(I) and copper(I) in the presence of a polyhedral weakly coordinating [B10Cl10]2− anion has been carried out. The effect of the solvent and the presence of Ph3P on the composition and structure of the reaction product were studied. Eight novel complexes were obtained and characterized by 11B Nuclear magnetic resonance, Infra-Red, and Raman spectroscopies as well as powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The [B10Cl10]2− anion demonstrated weaker coordinating ability towards coinage metals than [B10H10]2− at similar reaction conditions. The [B10Cl10]2− anion remains unreacted in the copper(I) complexation reaction, while in the absence of competing ligands, we obtained the first complexes containing decachloro-closo-decaborate anion directly coordinated by the metal atom. The bonding between metal atoms and the boron cluster anions was studied using the atomic Hirshfeld surfaces. Besides edge and face coordination of the polyhedral anion, this method allowed us to reveal the Ag–Ag bond in crystal of {Ag2(DMF)2[B10Cl10]}n, the presence of which was additionally supported by the Raman spectroscopy data.

The effects of two-dimensional TiSe2 on the thermoelectric, electronic and optical response of Yb14MnSb11/AlSb9Yb11 heterostructures - A theoretical study

Two-dimensional TiSe₂, with Yb₁₄MnSb₁₁ and AlSb₉Yb₁₁ thermoelectric materials, were used to generate heterostructures. The electronic and optical calculations were done using the Materials Studio 2018 modelling software package, employing the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package code and using the generalised gradient approximation with Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functionals. However, the electronic results obtained revealed a reduction in the calculated band gap and an increase in the slope of the density of state at the Femi level, as well as the energy bands of the generated heterostructures was reported. Partial density of states showed that various orbitals were present in the thermoelectric materials. The thermal transport and electronic properties are compared using the Boltzmann transport theory and Mott derived equations, which were expressed in the maximum attainable figure of merit. A variation in the electric potential of the layers is observed. The dielectric function is found to decrease in both thermoelectric layers generated and far more than the Yb₁₄MnSb₁₁-TiSe₂ layer, which was more negative. The reduction in reflectivity of AlSb₉Yb₁₁TiSe₂ layer and elevation of the Yb₁₄MnSb₁₁-TiSe₂ layer is observed. Upon forming heterostructures with TiSe₂, the conductivity reduced in the high frequency, due to the generated complex multicomponent compounds.

Crystal chemistry and magnetic properties of the solid solutions Ca14−xRExMnBi11 (RE = La–Nd, Sm, and Gd–Ho; x ≈ 0.6–0.8)

A rich variety of magnetic phenomena, such as magnetic clustering and metamagnetism, were found for the new substitution series Ca_14−xRE_xMnBi₁₁.