Pressure-induced Na-Au compounds with novel structural units and unique charge transfer

DFT Insights into Noble Gold-Based Compound Li5AuP2: Effect of Pressure on Physical Properties

In this study, the Li₅AuP₂ compound is investigated in detail due to the unique chemical properties of gold that are different from other metals. Pressure is applied to the compound from 0 to 25 GPa to reveal its structural, mechanical, electronic, and dynamical properties using density functional theory (DFT). Within this pressure range, the compound is optimized with a tetragonal crystal structure, making it mechanically and dynamically stable above 18 GPa and resulting in an increment of bulk, shear, and Young's moduli of Li₅AuP₂. Pressure application, furthermore, changes the brittle or ductile nature of the compound. The anisotropic elastic and sound wave velocities are visualized in three dimensions. The thermal properties of the Li₅AuP₂ compound are obtained, including enthalpy, free energy, entropy × T, heat capacity, and Debye temperature. The electronic properties of the Li₅AuP₂ compound are studied using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) functionals. The pressure increment is found to result in higher band gap values. The Mulliken and bond overlap populations are also determined to reveal the chemical nature of this compound. The optical properties, such as dielectric functions, refractive index, and energy loss function of the Li₅AuP₂ compound, are established in detail. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to study this compound in such detail, thus, making the results obtained here beneficial for future studies related to the chemistry of gold.

The high-pressure lithium-palladium and lithium-palladium-hydrogen systems

The lithium-palladium and lithium-palladium-hydrogen systems are investigated at high pressures at and above room temperature. Two novel lithium-palladium compounds are found below [Formula: see text]. An ambient temperature phase is tentatively assigned as [Formula: see text], with [Formula: see text] Å at 8.64 GPa, isostructural with [Formula: see text]. The other phase occurs at high-temperature and is [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] Å at 3.88 GPa and 200 [Formula: see text], similar to [Formula: see text], which is also known at high pressure. The presence of hydrogen in the system results in an [Formula: see text] structure with [Formula: see text] Å at 9.74 GPa. This persists up to [Formula: see text], the highest pressure studied. Below [Formula: see text] an fcc phase with a large unit cell, [Formula: see text] Å at 0.39 GPa, is also observed in the presence of hydrogen. On heating the hydrogen containing system at 4 GPa the [Formula: see text] phases persists to the melting point of lithium. In both systems melting the lithium results in the loss of crystalline diffraction from palladium containing phases. This is attributed to dissolution of the palladium in the molten lithium, and on cooling the palladium remains dispersed.

Au with sp3 Hybridization in Li5AuP2

The achievement of new bonding patterns of atoms in compounds is of great importance, which usually induces interesting physical and chemical properties. Rich oxidation states, diverse bonding types, and unique aurophilic attraction endow gold (Au) as a distinctive element. Here we report that a pressure-induced Li₅AuP₂, identified by a swarm intelligence-based structural prediction, becomes the first example of Au with sp³ hybridization. The most remarkable feature of Li₅AuP₂ is that it contains various frameworks made by AuP₄, AuLi₄, LiP₄, and blende-like Li-P units, exhibiting noncentrosymmetry. The charge transfer from Li to Au makes Au 6p orbitals activate and hybridize with the 6s one. On the other hand, Li donating electrons to P and polar Au-P covalence make the constituent atoms satisfy the octet rule, rendering Li₅AuP₂ with a semiconducting character and a large second-order nonlinear optical response in the near-infrared region. Our work represents a significant step toward extending the understanding of gold chemistry.