Hydrogen Stabilized RhPdH 2D Bimetallene Nanosheets for Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution.

The design of catalysts with high activity and robust stability for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a great challenge. Here, we report an efficient catalyst of two-dimensional bimetallene hydrides, in which H atoms stabilize the rhodium palladium bimetallene. The system exists because of the introduction of H that is in situ chemically released from the formaldehyde solution during the synthesis. This provides a highly stable catalyst based on an unstable combination of metal elements. Density functional theory calculations show the H is confined by electronic interactions and the Miedema rule of reverse stability of the RhPd alloy. The obtained catalyst exhibits outstanding alkaline HER catalytic performance with a low overpotential of 40 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and remarkable stability for over 10 h at 100 mA cm-2. The experimental results show that the confined H improve the activity, while the ultrathin sheet-like morphology yields stability. Our work provides guidance for synthesizing high-activity catalysts by confining heteroatoms into the crystal lattice of bimetallene and also a very novel mechanism for the growth of bimetallene made of highly immiscible components.

Second Harmonic Generation Susceptibilities from Symmetry Adapted Wannier Functions.

Elucidating the orbital level origin of second harmonic generation (SHG) in materials and identifying the local contributions is a long-standing challenge. We report a first principles approach for the SHG where the contributions from individual orbitals or atoms can be evaluated via symmetry adapted Wannier functions without semiempirical parameters. We apply this method to the common SHG materials KBe_{2}BO_{3}F_{2}, KCaCO_{3}F, and ß-BaB_{2}O_{4}, and show that the orbitals on noncentrosymmetric sublattices are responsible for SHG effect and the energies of these orbitals control the magnitude.

Lone pair effects on ternary infrared nonlinear optical materials.

First-principles studies of the crystal structures, electronic structures and optical properties of noncentrosymmetrical (NCS) K3AsS4, Li3AsS3, Pb9As4S15 and Ag3AsS3 have been performed by means of density functional theory. Via a theoretical method to compute the intensity of the lone pair stereochemical activity of an As-S group, the correlated mechanism among the crystal structures, the stereo-chemical activity of lone pairs on As and the second harmonic generation (SHG) response has been clarified. The results prove that the SHG response is not only attributed to the lone pair stereochemical activity of the As-S group but also related to the direction of the forming layers in the crystal structure arrangement. Besides, the quantitative method for the stereo-chemical activity of lone pairs is universal, which is valid for other lone pair systems like those containing Pb2+, Bi3+, Sn2+, etc. The findings facilitate the exploration of materials that may exhibit a relatively large second order NLO reaction and can be used in infrared applications.

Module-Guided Design Scheme for Deep-Ultraviolet Nonlinear Optical Materials.

Design of functional materials with targeted properties is a challenge because of the diversity of their potential structures. The functional performances of materials are mainly determined by the chemistry and electronic structure of modules consisting of local atomic groups with special arrangements. Tetrahedral modules are excellent modules for designing deep-ultraviolet/ultraviolet (UV) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials, but they are rarely favored due to their unpredictable optical anisotropy and second harmonic generation (SHG) response. In this work, we have developed a module-guided ab initio approach for evaluating the optical anisotropy of tetrahedral modules. The application of this method indicates that the tetrahedral modules with a specific arrangement will enhance the optical anisotropy of materials. With the functional modules consisting of tetrahedral modules and rare-earth cations, new high-performance rare-earth phosphates were assembled. These materials are promising deep-UV NLO materials because of their appropriate birefringences, large band gaps, moderate SHG responses, and easy to obtain large size crystals.

A Fluorooxosilicophosphate with an Unprecedented SiO2 F4 Species.

The large number and structural beauty of silicates are largely due to the variety of connection mode of SiO4 tetrahedra. SiO6 and SiF6 octahedra are also known and give rise for structural versatility of inorganic silicates. However, to date, the crystal structure of inorganic fluorooxosilicates with oxofluoride SiOx F4-x or SiOx F6-x species are unknown. Now, fluorine was successfully introduced into the silicophosphates, and the first fluorooxosilicophosphate K4 Si3 P2 O7 F12 with an unprecedented SiO2 F4 species was synthesized. The existence of Si-F bonds was verified by comprehensively experimental and theoretical work. Using ab initio and bond valence calculations, the oxofluoride SiOx F6-x species is shown to be stable when oxygen atoms connect to other atoms with strong covalent interactions. This work will contribute to the structural diversity of silicate chemistry by the exploration of the new fluorooxosilicates.

A3Sr2P7O21 (A = Rb, Cs): Two Polyphosphates Based on Different Types of P-O Chains and Ring Structures.

Two polyphosphates containing two types of polymerization of the [PO4] groups, Rb3Sr2P7O21 and Cs3Sr2P7O21, were grown through a spontaneous nucleation method. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data were collected in order to determine their structures. Interestingly, Rb3Sr2P7O21 is the first example of two kinds of [PO3]∞ linear chains coexisting in one phosphate structure. However, in the structure of Cs3Sr2P7O21, the isolated [P4O12] ring and the 1D [PO3]∞ chain can be observed, which is also rare in phosphates. After careful structural analysis, the alkali-metal cations have an effect on the polymerization of the [PO4] groups and make Rb3Sr2P7O21 and Cs3Sr2P7O21 crystallize in different space groups. What is more, IR spectra, UV-vis-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy data, and first-principles theoretical calculations were adopted to determine the optical properties and the structure-properties relationship of the compounds.

Linear-to-λ-Shape P-O-P Bond Transmutation in Polyphosphates with Infinite (PO3)∞ Chain.

A new metal polyphosphate, α-CsBa2(PO3)5, exhibiting the first example of a linear P-O-P bond angle in a one-dimensional (PO3)∞ chain has been reported. Interestingly, α → ß phase transition occurs in CsBa2(PO3)5 along with the P-O-P bonds varying from linear to λ-shape, suggesting that α-CsBa2(PO3)5 with unfavorable linear P-O-P bonds is more stable at ambient temperature.

A New Deep-Ultraviolet Transparent Orthophosphate LiCs2PO4 with Large Second Harmonic Generation Response.

LiCs2PO4, a new deep-ultraviolet (UV) transparent material, was synthesized by the flux method. The material contains unusual edge-sharing LiO4-PO4 tetrahedra. It exhibits a very short absorption edge of λ = 174 nm and generates the largest powder second harmonic generation (SHG) response for deep-UV phosphates that do not contain additional anionic groups, i.e., 2.6 times that of KH2PO4 (KDP). First-principles electronic structure analyses confirm the experimental results and suggest that the strong SHG response may originate from the aligned nonbonding O-2p orbitals. The discovery and characterization of LiCs2PO4 provide a new insight into the structure-property relationships of phosphate-based nonlinear optical materials with large SHG responses and short absorption edges.

"XA6" octahedra influencing the arrangement of anionic groups and optical properties in inverse-perovskite [B6O10]XA3 (X = Cl, Br; A = alkali metal).

Exploring the effect of microscopic units, which set up the perovsikte framework, is of importance for material design. In this study, a series of borate halides with inverse-perovskite structures [B6O10]XA3 (X = Cl, Br; A = alkali metal) have been studied. It was revealed that the distortion and volume of XA6 octahedra influence the arrangement of anionic groups, which leads to the flexibility of the perovskite-related framework and differences in optical properties. Under the structural control scheme, the structure of Rb3B6O10Cl was predicted. The stability of the predicted structure was confirmed by an ab initio density functional theory-based method. The calculation shows Rb3B6O10Cl has a short UV cutoff edge of less than 200 nm, a moderate birefringence and a large second harmonic generation response.

Li3AlSiO5: the first aluminosilicate as a potential deep-ultraviolet nonlinear optical crystal with the quaternary diamond-like structure.

Deep-ultraviolet (deep-UV) nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals play a crucial role in modern laser frequency conversion technology. Traditionally, the exploration of deep-UV NLO crystals is mainly focused on borates, while, the use of phosphates recently opened up a novel and promising non-boron pathway for designing new deep-UV NLO crystals. Extending this pathway to aluminosilicates led to the discovery of Li3AlSiO5, the first NLO crystal in this system. It crystallizes in the polar space group Pna21 (no. 33) with a quaternary diamond-like structure composed of LiO4, AlO4 and SiO4 tetrahedral groups. The compound exhibits a deep-UV cut-off edge below 190 nm and is phase matchable with moderate powder second harmonic generation (SHG) intensity (0.8KH2PO4). The band gap calculated using PBE0 is 7.29 eV, indicating that the cut-off edge of the Li3AlSiO5 crystal can be down to 170 nm. In addition, the compound is nonhygroscopic and thermally stable up to ∼1472 K. These results suggest that Li3AlSiO5 is a potential deep-UV NLO crystal. First-principles studies were performed to elucidate the structure-property relationship of Li3AlSiO5.

Active performance of tetrahedral groups to SHG response: theoretical interpretations of Ge/Si-containing borate crystals.

As potential candidates for deep-UV nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals, borosilicates and borogermanates, which contain NLO-active groups such as B-O, Si-O and Ge-O, have fascinated many scientists. The crystal structures, electronic structures and optical properties of seven borates in different B/R (R = Si, Ge) ratios have been studied using DFT methods. Through the SHG-density, we find that besides the recognized contribution of the π-conjugation configuration of BO3 to second harmonic generation (SHG), the tetrahedra have a non-negligible influence. This is because the non-bonding p orbitals of the bridging oxygen in the tetrahedra are observably closer to the Fermi level than those in BO3, which is observed in the PDOS of Rb4Ge3B6O17 and RbGeB3O7. This conclusion would be very meaningful in the understanding of the relationship between the crystal structure and nonlinear optical properties.

Two New Crystals in Li(m)Cs(n)B(m+n)O2(m+n) (m + n = 5, 7; m > n) Series: Noncentrosymmetric Li5Cs2B7O14 and Centrosymmetric Li4CsB5O10.

With the introduction of an alkali metal into the B-O framework, two new alkali metal borate crystals, Li5Cs2B7O14 and Li4CsB5O10, have been obtained for the first time. Both compounds obey a general formula of Li(m)Cs(n)B(m+n)O2(m+n) (m + n = 5, 7; m > n). The two crystals have different three-dimensional (3D) framework structures composed by LiOn (n = 4, 5), CsO10, BO3, and BO4 units. Li5Cs2B7O14 crystallizes into the polar and noncentrosymmetric space group Ama2, while Li4CsB5O10 belongs to the nonpolar and centrosymmetric space group P21/c. Detailed structure comparison analysis indicates that the different arrangements of the anionic groups in Li(m)Cs(7-m)B7O14 (m = 4, 5) and Li(m)Cs(5-m)B5O10 (m = 3, 4) may arise from the cation size effects, bond-valence requirements, and differences of coordination environment. In addition, in order to get better understandings of electronic structures and linear optical properties, we also carried out first-principle theoretical studies.

Intrinsic nanostructure induced ultralow thermal conductivity yields enhanced thermoelectric performance in Zintl phase Eu2ZnSb2.

The Zintl thermoelectric phase Eu2ZnSb2 has a remarkable combination of high mobility and low thermal conductivity that leads to good thermoelectric performance. The key feature of this compound is a crystal structure that has a Zn-site with a 50% occupancy. Here we use comparison of experimental thermal conductivity measurements and first principles thermal conductivity calculations to characterize the thermal conductivity reduction. We find that partial ordering, characterized by local order, but Zn-site disorder on longer scales, leads to an intrinsic nanostructuring induced reduction in thermal conductivity, while retaining electron mobility. This provides a direction for identifying Zintl compounds with ultralow lattice thermal conductivity and good electrical conductivity.

Adjustable optical nonlinearity in d10 cations containing chalcogenides via dp hybridization interaction.

The introduction of d10-metal cations is of importance in the design of infrared nonlinear optical materials. The role of d10-metal cations on the band gap and the second-harmonic generation (SHG) effect as well as the structure-property relationship were investigated in the Li2MGeS4 (M = Cd, Hg) and AB2S4 (A = Cd, Hg; B = Al, Ga) systems by using the first-principles calculations. The results show that the decreased band gap is related to a higher valence band maximum (VBM) caused by the larger dp repulsion from the Hg-5d orbitals and a downshift in the conduction band minimum (CBM) due to the lower energy of the Hg-6s orbitals. In addition, the relatively enhanced SHG response can be attributed to the decreased charge-transfer energy and the enhanced hybridization between the S-3p orbitals and the Hg-5d orbitals.

Advantageous Units in Antimony Sulfides: Exploration and Design of Infrared Nonlinear Optical Materials.

The exploration of infrared (IR) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials remains attractive because of the urgent requirements in the laser field. Meanwhile, the deepened cognition of structure-property relationships is necessary to help guide the exploration of IR NLO materials. So far, the family of antimony sulfides is an important system with a lot of attention, and a series of antimony sulfides are reported. However, it is urgent to reveal how different Sb-S units, like SbS3, SbS4, and more complex combinations, affect apparent properties. Here, taking ternary metal antimony sulfides as examples, the sources of some essential optical properties, such as second harmonic generation (SHG) and birefringence, are systematically analyzed through first-principles calculations, and the mechanisms of the performances with various magnitudes are also presented to clarify the structure-property relationships. The results indicate that the SbS4 unit among antimony sulfides is an advantageous NLO-active unit, which can balance the contradiction between the band gap and SHG response. Introduction of transition metals in the Sb-S anionic frameworks can tune the magnitude of birefringence. Besides, the substitution of a cation from a transition metal to an alkali metal can notably enlarge the band gap and maintain a large SHG response. These design strategies are beneficial to explore potential IR NLO materials with Sb-S units.

Enhancing optical anisotropy of crystals by optimizing bonding electron distribution in anionic groups.

The response electron distribution anisotropy (REDA) approximation was proposed to analyze the relationship between optical anisotropy and distribution of bonding electrons in compounds. Further, the optical anisotropy of tetrahedral chromophore compounds with common small birefringence can be enhanced and excellent nonlinear optical properties can be obtained by optimizing the distribution.

ScMO(BO3) (M = Ca and Cd): new Sc-based oxyborates featuring interesting edge-sharing sandwich-like chains and UV cut-off edges.

Two new isostructural rare-earth oxyborates ScMO(BO3) (M = Ca and Cd) with a three-dimensional (3D) cationic framework and parallel arranged [BO3] triangles have been synthesized by the flux method. In the 3D cationic framework, an interesting sandwich-like basic building unit (BBU) is constructed by two [Ca(1)O4]6- chains and two [Sc(1)O4]5- chains. ScMO(BO3) melt incongruently, which shows that title compounds can be grown by the flux method. The UV cut-off edges for ScCaO(BO3) and ScCdO(BO3) are 230 and 249 nm, respectively. In addition, the first-principles calculations are performed to gain further insights into the relationship between the microscopic electronic structures and associated optical properties.

Three new phosphates with isolated P2O7 units: noncentrosymmetric Cs2Ba3(P2O7)2 and centrosymmetric Cs2BaP2O7 and LiCsBaP2O7.

Three new phosphates, a noncentrosymmetric (NCS) Cs2Ba3(P2O7)2 and centrosymmetric (CS) Cs2BaP2O7 and LiCsBaP2O7, have been synthesized from high-temperature solutions for the first time. Analysis of the structures determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that although the three compounds contained isolated P2O7 units, they yielded different three-dimensional (3D) networks: Cs2Ba3(P2O7)2 crystallized in the NCS Orthorhombic space group P212121, Cs2BaP2O7 in the CS monoclinic space group P21/n, and LiCsBaP2O7, having an identical stoichiometry with Cs2BaP2O7, crystallized in monoclinic space group, P21/c. Structural comparisons suggested the differences between their 3D frameworks to be due to differences between the sizes and coordination environments of the cations. Characterizations including thermal and optical analyses showed Cs2Ba3(P2O7)2 and Cs2BaP2O7 to melt congruently, and Cs2Ba3(P2O7)2 to exhibit a wide transparent region with a cut-off edge below 176 nm. The NLO properties and electronic structures of these compounds were investigated using first-principles calcualtions.

LiRb2LaB2O6: a new rare-earth borate with a MOF-5-like topological structure and a short UV cut-off edge.

A new rare-earth borate LiRb2LaB2O6 (LB-1) has been synthesized using a high-temperature solution method. Interestingly, it shares its topological structure with the famous porous material MOF-5, which is formed from Zn4O(BDC)3 (BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate). The nodes [OZn4] and organic linkers [BDC] of MOF-5 are carefully substituted with La3+ rare-earth cations and the inorganic linkers [BO3] and [LiO4], respectively, in order to construct a pure inorganic open framework. LB-1 exhibits good thermal and water stability. Moreover, it possesses a short cut-off edge (<190 nm) and moderate birefringence (exp. 0.040@589.5 nm, cal. 0.038@589.5 nm). Further insights into the cut-off edge were given by first-principles calculations. The factors that influence the birefringence of LB-1 were discussed in view of the spatial arrangement of the [BO3] anionic groups.