Backbone NxH compounds at high pressures

High-pressure Synthesis of Cobalt Polynitrides: Unveiling Intriguing Crystal Structures and Nitridation Behavior

In this study, we conduct extensive high-pressure experiments to investigate phase stability in the cobalt-nitrogen system. Through a combination of synthesis in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, first-principles calculations, Raman spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, we establish the stability fields of known high-pressure phases, hexagonal NiAs-type CoN, and marcasite-type CoN2 within the pressure range of 50-90 GPa. We synthesize and characterize previously unknown nitrides, Co3N2, Pnma-CoN and two polynitrides, CoN3 and CoN5, within the pressure range of 90-120 GPa. Both polynitrides exhibit novel types of polymeric nitrogen chains and networks. CoN3 feature branched-type nitrogen trimers (N3) and CoN5 show π-bonded nitrogen chain. As the nitrogen content in the cobalt nitride increases, the CoN6 polyhedral frameworks transit from face-sharing (in CoN) to edge-sharing (in CoN2 and CoN3), and finally to isolated (in CoN5). Our study provides insights into the intricate interplay between structure evolution, bonding arrangements, and high-pressure synthesis in polynitrides, expanding the knowledge for the development of advanced energy materials.

Stabilization of hexazine rings in potassium polynitride at high pressure

Polynitrogen molecules are attractive for high-energy-density materials due to energy stored in nitrogen-nitrogen bonds; however, it remains challenging to find energy-efficient synthetic routes and stabilization mechanisms for these compounds. Direct synthesis from molecular dinitrogen requires overcoming large activation barriers and the reaction products are prone to inherent inhomogeneity. Here we report the synthesis of planar N₆^2- hexazine dianions, stabilized in K₂N₆, from potassium azide (KN₃) on laser heating in a diamond anvil cell at pressures above 45 GPa. The resulting K₂N₆, which exhibits a metallic lustre, remains metastable down to 20 GPa. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify this material, through good agreement with the theoretically predicted structural, vibrational and electronic properties for K₂N₆. The N₆^2- rings characterized here are likely to be present in other high-energy-density materials stabilized by pressure. Under 30 GPa, an unusual N₂^0.75--containing compound with the formula K₃(N₂)₄ was formed instead.

Immiscibility in N2-H2O solids up to 140 GPa

Nitrogen and water are very abundant in nature; however, the way they chemically react at extreme pressure-temperature conditions is unknown. Below 6 GPa, they have been reported to form clathrate compounds. Here, we present Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction studies in the H₂O-N₂ system at high pressures up to 140 GPa. We find that clathrates, which form locally in our diamond cell experiments above 0.3 GPa, transform into a fine grained state above 6 GPa, while there is no sign of formation of mixed compounds. We point out size effects in fine grained crystallites, which result in peculiar Raman spectra in the molecular regime, but x-ray diffraction shows no additional phase or deviation from the bulk behavior of familiar solid phases. Moreover, we find no sign of ice doping by nitrogen, even in the regimes of stability of nonmolecular nitrogen.

Transformation of Ammonium Azide at High Pressure and Temperature

The compression of ammonium azide (AA) has been considered to be a promising route for producing high energy-density polynitrogen compounds. So far though, there is no experimental evidence that pure AA can be transformed into polynitrogen materials under high pressure at room temperature. We report here on high pressure (P) and temperature (T) experiments on AA embedded in N2 and on pure AA in the range 0-30 GPa, 300-700 K. The decomposition of AA into N2 and NH3 was observed in liquid N2 around 15 GPa-700 K. For pressures above 20 GPa, our results show that AA in N2 transforms into a new crystalline compound and solid ammonia when heated above 620 K. This compound is stable at room temperature and on decompression down to at least 7.0 GPa. Pure AA also transforms into a new compound at similar P-T conditions, but the product is different. The newly observed phases are studied by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction and compared to nitrogen and hydronitrogen compounds that have been predicted in the literature. While there is no exact match with any of them, similar vibrational features are found between the product that was obtained in AA + N2 with a polymeric compound of N9H formula.

Pressure-stabilized polymerization of nitrogen in alkaline-earth-metal strontium nitrides

High-pressure technology can help us to obtain excellent materials. We have explored alkaline-earth-metal strontium nitrides under different pressures, theoretically. A variety of stable Sr-N structures were predicted by the structure searching method using CALYPSO code. Six new stoichiometries, SrN, Sr₂N₃, SrN₂, SrN₃, SrN₄, and SrN₅, were predicted. And our calculation proved that all these compounds were stable existing under ambient pressure up to 100 GPa. A rich variety of poly-nitrogen forms appeared in the newly predicted SrN_x compounds, including four nitrogen polymerization forms: ranging from N₂, N₃, N₄, and N₅ molecules, to zig-zag nitrogen chains and extended chains connected by puckered "N₆" rings. Significantly, the 1D extended polymeric chain of puckered "N₆" rings was firstly identified in the P1[combining macron]-SrN₃ structure at 60 GPa. Another N-rich C2/c-SrN₄ was stable only under the relatively high-pressure of 20 GPa, but this phase can be quenched under atmospheric pressure. The N-rich phase SrN₅ maintained structural stability when the pressure reached 50-70 GPa. The delocalization of π electrons from N atoms was the principal cause for its metallicity in SrN₅. In this paper, our calculated results indicated that the energetic poly-nitrides in alkaline-earth-metal nitrides can be obtained by the high-pressure method.

Exotic Hydrogen Bonding in Compressed Ammonia Hydrides

Hydrogen-rich compounds attract significant fundamental and practical interest for their ability to accommodate diverse hydrogen bonding patterns and their promise as superior energy storage materials. Here, we report on an intriguing discovery of exotic hydrogen bonding in compressed ammonia hydrides and identify two novel ionic phases in an unusual stoichiometry NH₇. The first is a hexagonal R3̅ m phase containing NH₃-H⁺-NH₃, H^-, and H₂ structural units stabilized above 25 GPa. The exotic NH₃-H⁺-NH₃ unit comprises two NH₃ molecules bound to a proton donated from a H₂ molecule. Above 60 GPa, the structure transforms to a tetragonal P4₁2₁2 phase comprising NH₄⁺, H^-, and H₂ units. At elevated temperatures, fascinating superionic phases of NH₇ with part-solid and part-liquid structural forms are identified. The present findings advance fundamental knowledge about ammonia hydrides at high pressure with broad implications for studying planetary interiors and superior hydrogen storage materials.

Reactivity of Hydrogen-Helium and Hydrogen-Nitrogen Mixtures at High Pressures

Through a series of Raman spectroscopy studies, we investigate the behavior of hydrogen-helium and hydrogen-nitrogen mixtures at high pressure across a wide range of concentrations. We find that there is no evidence of chemical association or increased miscibility of hydrogen and helium in the solid state up to pressures of 250 GPa at 300 K. In contrast, we observe the formation of concentration-dependent N_{2}-H_{2} van der Waals solids, which react to form N-H bonded compounds above 50 GPa. Through this combined study, we can demonstrate that the recently reported chemical association of H_{2}-He can be attributed to significant N_{2} contamination and subsequent formation of N_{2}-H_{2} compounds.

Fe-N system at high pressure reveals a compound featuring polymeric nitrogen chains

Poly-nitrogen compounds have been considered as potential high energy density materials for a long time due to the large number of energetic N-N or N=N bonds. In most cases high nitrogen content and stability at ambient conditions are mutually exclusive, thereby making the synthesis of such materials challenging. One way to stabilize such compounds is the application of high pressure. Here, through a direct reaction between Fe and N2 in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, we synthesize three ironnitrogen compounds Fe3N2, FeN2 and FeN4. Their crystal structures are revealed by single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Fe3N2, synthesized at 50 GPa, is isostructural to chromium carbide Cr3C2. FeN2 has a marcasite structure type and features covalently bonded dinitrogen units in its crystal structure. FeN4, synthesized at 106 GPa, features polymeric nitrogen chains of [N42-]n units. Based on results of structural studies and theoretical analysis, [N42-]n units in this compound reveal catena-poly[tetraz-1-ene-1,4-diyl] anions.

High Pressure and High Temperature Synthesis of the Iron Pernitride FeN2

The high pressure chemistry of transition metals and nitrogen was recently discovered to be richer than previously thought, due to the synthesis of several transition metal pernitrides. Here, we explore the pressure-temperature domain of iron with an excess of nitrogen up to 91 GPa and 2200 K. Above 72 GPa and 2200 K, the iron pernitride FeN₂ is produced in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. This iron-nitrogen compound is the first with a N/Fe ratio greater than 1. The FeN₂ samples were characterized from the maximum observed pressure down to ambient conditions by powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The crystal structure of FeN₂ is resolved to be a Pnnm marcasite structure, analogously to other transition metal pernitrides. On the basis of the lattice's axial ratios and the recorded N-N vibrational modes of FeN₂, a bond order of 1.5 for the nitrogen dimer is suggested. The bulk modulus of the iron pernitride is determined to be of K₀ = 344(13) GPa, corresponding to an astounding increase of about 208% from pure iron. Upon decompression to ambient conditions, a partial structural phase transition to the theoretically predicted R3̅ m FeN₂ is detected.

Pressure-induced chemical reactions in the N2(H2)2 compound: from the N2 and H2 species to ammonia and back down into hydrazine

Theory predicts a very rich high pressure chemistry of hydronitrogens with the existence of many N_xH_y compounds. The stability of these phases under pressure is being investigated by the compression of N₂-H₂ mixtures of various compositions. A previous study had disclosed a eutectic-type N₂-H₂ phase diagram with two stoichiometric van der Waals compounds: (N₂)₆(H₂)₇ and N₂(H₂)₂. The structure and pressure induced chemistry of the (N₂)₆(H₂)₇ compound have already been investigated. Here, we determine the structure of the N₂(H₂)₂ compound and characterize using Raman spectroscopy measurements the chemical changes under a pressure cycle up to 60 GPa and back to ambient conditions. A N₂(H₂)₂ single crystal was grown from a 1 : 2 N₂-H₂ mixture and its crystalline structure was solved using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Similar to the (N₂)₆(H₂)₇ solid, N₂(H₂)₂ has a remarkable host-guest structure containing N₂ molecules orientationally disordered with spherical, ellipsoidal and planar shapes. Above 50 GPa, N₂(H₂)₂ was found to undergo a chemical reaction. The reaction products were determined to be of the azane family, with NH₃ as the main constituent, along with molecular nitrogen. Upon pressure decrease, the reaction products are found to react in such a way that below 10 GPa, hydrazine is the sole azane detected. Observed down to the opening of the diamond anvil cell, the formation of metastable hydrazine instead of the energetically favorable ammonia is puzzling and remains to be elucidated. That could change the current view of Jovian planets' atmospheres in which ammonia is assumed the only stable hydronitrogen molecule.

Structural phase transition and bonding properties of high-pressure polymeric CaN3

Two new monoclinic P1̄-CaN₃ and C2/m-CaN₃ are predicted to become energetically stable under low pressure. For the first time, we identify one novel phase featuring charged “N₆” chain in the P1̄-CaN₃ structure.

Modeling of Extended N-H Solids at High Pressures

The formation of nitrogen-hydrogen networked compounds is a promising approach for obtaining high energy density materials. Multiple experimental reports indicate that the synthesis pressure and temperature of high-energy nitrogen networked compounds significantly decrease when adding hydrogen to nitrogen. One- and two-dimensional structures of nitrogen-hydrogen mixtures are reported to form during synthesis and have also been observed with simulations; however, the structures are not thoroughly established or well understood. Here, we present results of calculations of nitrogen-hydrogen mixtures at pressures up to 50 GPa and predict their structural transformations upon applying and releasing pressure using density functional theory and evolutionary algorithms. Improvements in the computational procedure resulted in efficient on-the-fly elimination of slowly converging structures during the geometry optimization process. This enabled the continuation of long evolution simulations of the nitrogen-hydrogen structures with N/H ratios of 3:1, 4:1, and 9:1 at high pressures (10-50 GPa). New stable crystalline structures with high symmetry and covalent bonds are predicted that have (i) infinite chains and (ii) two-dimensional sheets of nitrogen-hydrogens. The structure with N/H ratio of 4:1 is found to be metallic at 50 GPa. Some crystalline phases stabilized by high pressure may exist as metastable structures with high symmetry and high mass density after lowering the pressure from 50 GPa down to 10 GPa. Vibration modes of calculated Raman and IR spectra are in agreement with published experimental data.

Alkaline-earth metal (Mg) polynitrides at high pressure as possible high-energy materials

The P1̄-MgN₃ and P1̄-MgN₄ are predicted to become energetically stable under pressure, suggesting that it may be prepared by high-pressure synthesis. P1̄-MgN₃ and P1̄-MgN₄ are expected to release an enormously large amount of energy (2.83 and 2.01 kJ g⁻¹). The present study encourages experimental exploration of these promising materials in the future.

Nitrogen oxides under pressure: stability, ionization, polymerization, and superconductivity

Nitrogen oxides are textbook class of molecular compounds, with extensive industrial applications. Nitrogen and oxygen are also among the most abundant elements in the universe. We explore the N-O system at 0 K and up to 500 GPa though ab initio evolutionary simulations. Results show that two phase transformations of stable molecular NO₂ occur at 7 and 64 GPa, and followed by decomposition of NO₂ at 91 GPa. All of the NO⁺NO₃⁻ structures are found to be metastable at T = 0 K, so experimentally reported ionic NO⁺NO₃⁻ is either metastable or stabilized by temperature. N₂O₅ becomes stable at 9 GPa, and transforms from P-1 to C2/c structure at 51 GPa. NO becomes thermodynamically stable at 198 GPa. This polymeric phase is superconducting (T_c = 2.0 K) and contains a -N-N- backbone.