Structure Low Dimensionality and Lone-Pair Stereochemical Activity: the Key to Low Thermal Conductivity in the Pb-Sn-S System.

Recently, metal sulfides have begun to receive attention as potential cost-effective materials for thermoelectric applications beyond optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Herein, based on a comparative analysis of the structural and transport properties of 2D PbSnS2 and 1D PbSnS3, we demonstrate that the intrinsic effects that govern the low lattice thermal conductivity (κL) of these sulfides originate from the combination of the low dimensionality of their crystal structures with the stereochemical activity of the lone-pair electrons of cations. The presence of weak bonds in these materials, responsible for phonon scattering, results in inherently low κL of 1.0 W/m K in 1D PbSnS3 and 0.6 W/m K in 2D PbSnS2 at room temperature. However, the nature of the thermal transport is quite distinct. 1D PbSnS3 exhibits a higher thermal conductivity with a crystalline-like peak at low temperatures, while 2D PbSnS2 demonstrates glassy thermal conductivity in the entire temperature range investigated. First-principles density functional theory calculations reveal that the presence of antibonding states below the Fermi level, especially in PbSnS2, contributes to the very low κL. In addition, the calculated phonon dispersions exhibit very soft acoustic phonon branches that give rise to soft lattices and very low speeds of sounds.

Pushing thermal conductivity to its lower limit in crystals with simple structures.

Materials with low thermal conductivity usually have complex crystal structures. Herein we experimentally find that a simple crystal structure material AgTlI2 (I4/mcm) owns an extremely low thermal conductivity of 0.25 W/mK at room temperature. To understand this anomaly, we perform in-depth theoretical studies based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and anharmonic lattice dynamics. We find that the unique atomic arrangement and weak chemical bonding provide a permissive environment for strong oscillations of Ag atoms, leading to a considerable rattling behaviour and giant lattice anharmonicity. This feature is also verified by the experimental probability density function refinement of single-crystal diffraction. The particularly strong anharmonicity breaks down the conventional phonon gas model, giving rise to non-negligible wavelike phonon behaviours in AgTlI2 at 300 K. Intriguingly, unlike many strongly anharmonic materials where a small propagative thermal conductivity is often accompanied by a large diffusive thermal conductivity, we find an unusual coexistence of ultralow propagative and diffusive thermal conductivities in AgTlI2 based on the thermal transport unified theory. This study underscores the potential of simple crystal structures in achieving low thermal conductivity and encourages further experimental research to enrich the family of materials with ultralow thermal conductivity.

Three-Fold Coordination of Copper in Sulfides: A Blockade for Hole Carrier Delocalization but a Driving Force for Ultralow Thermal Conductivity.

Copper-rich sulfides are very promising for energy conversion applications due to their environmental compatibility, cost effectiveness, and earth abundance. Based on a comparative analysis of the structural and transport properties of Cu3BiS3 with those of tetrahedrite (Cu12Sb4S13) and other Cu-rich sulfides, we highlight the role of the cationic coordination types and networks on the electrical and thermal properties. By precession-assisted 3D electron diffraction analysis, we find very high anisotropic thermal vibration of copper attributed to its 3-fold coordination, with an anisotropic atomic displacement parameter up to 0.09 Å2. Density functional theory calculations reveal that these Cu atoms are weakly bonded and give rise to low-energy Einstein-like vibrational modes that strongly scatter heat-carrying acoustic phonons, leading to ultralow thermal conductivity. Importantly, we demonstrate that the 3-fold coordination of copper in Cu3BiS3 and in other copper-rich sulfides constituted of interconnected CuS3 networks causes a hole blockade. This phenomenon hinders the possibility of optimizing the carrier concentration and electronic properties through mixed valency Cu+/Cu2+, differently from tetrahedrite and most other copper-rich chalcogenides, where the main interconnected Cu-S network is built of CuS4 tetrahedra. The comparison with various copper-rich sulfides demonstrates that seeking for frameworks characterized by the coexistence of tetrahedral and 3-fold coordinated copper is very attractive for the discovery of efficient thermoelectric copper-rich sulfides. Considering that lattice vibrations and carrier concentration are key factors for engineering transport phenomena (electronic, phonon, ionic, etc.) in copper-rich chalcogenides for various types of applications, our findings improve the guidelines for the design of materials enabling sustainable energy solutions with wide-ranging applications.

A Tunable Structural Family with Ultralow Thermal Conductivity: Copper-Deficient Cu1-x□xPb1-xBi1+xS3.

Understanding the mechanism that connects heat transport with crystal structures and order/disorder phenomena is crucial to develop materials with ultralow thermal conductivity (κ), for thermoelectric and thermal barrier applications, and requires the study of highly pure materials. We synthesized the n-type sulfide CuPbBi5S9 with an ultralow κ value of 0.6-0.4 W m-1 K-1 in the temperature range 300-700 K. In contrast to prior studies, we show that this synthetic sulfide does not exhibit the ordered gladite mineral structure but instead forms a copper-deficient disordered aikinite structure with partial Pb replacement by Bi, according to the chemical formula Cu1/3□2/3Pb1/3Bi5/3S3. By combining experiments and lattice dynamics calculations, we elucidated that the ultralow κ value of this compound is due to very low energy optical modes associated with Pb and Bi ions and, to a smaller extent, Cu. This vibrational complexity at low energy hints at substantial anharmonic effects that contribute to enhance phonon scattering. Importantly, we show that this aikinite-type sulfide, despite being a poor semiconductor, is a potential matrix for designing novel, efficient n-type thermoelectric compounds with ultralow κ values. A drastic improvement in the carrier concentration and thermoelectric figure of merit have been obtained upon Cl for S and Bi for Pb substitution. The Cu1-x□xPb1-xBi1+xS3 series provides a new, interesting structural prototype for engineering n-type thermoelectric sulfides by controlling disorder and optimizing doping.

Crystal Structure Classification of Copper-Based Sulfides as a Tool for the Design of Inorganic Functional Materials.

Research focusing on the interplay between structural features and transport properties of inorganic materials is of paramount importance for the identification, comprehension, and optimisation of functional materials. In this respect, Earth-abundant copper sulfides have been receiving considerable attention from scientists as the urgency remains to discover and improve the efficiency of sustainable materials for energy applications. This proposed classification of copper sulfides, associated with p- and/or d-block elements, is based on their crystallographic features and an analysis of their transport properties. It provides guidelines to help estimate some properties of new materials (type of main charge carriers, thermal conductivity, transport mechanisms, etc.) from consideration of only their chemical composition and crystal structure. The classification relies primarily on recent studies in the fields of thermoelectricity and photovoltaics as well as on crystal-structure investigations.

Local-Disorder-Induced Low Thermal Conductivity in Degenerate Semiconductor Cu22Sn10S32.

S-based semiconductors are attracting attention as environmentally friendly materials for energy-conversion applications because of their structural complexity and chemical flexibility. Here, we show that the delicate interplay between the chemical composition and cationic order/disorder allows one to stabilize a new sphalerite derivative phase of cubic symmetry in the Cu-Sn-S diagram: Cu22Sn10S32. Interestingly, its crystal structure is characterized by a semiordered cationic distribution, with the Cu-Sn disorder being localized on one crystallographic site in a long-range-ordered matrix. The origin of the partial disorder and its influence on the electronic and thermal transport properties are addressed in detail using a combination of synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, theoretical modeling, and transport property measurements. These measurements evidence that this compound behaves as a pseudogap, degenerate p-type material with very low lattice thermal conductivity (0.5 W m-1 K-1 at 700 K). We show that localized disorder is very effective in lowering κL without compromising the integrity of the conductive framework. Substituting pentavalent Sb for tetravalent Sn is exploited to lower the hole concentration and doubles the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT to 0.55 at 700 K with respect to the pristine compound. The discovery of this semiordered cubic sphalerite derivative Cu22Sn10S32 furthers the understanding of the structure-property relationships in the Cu-Sn-S system and more generally in ternary and quaternary Cu-based systems.

Synergistic Effect of Chemical Substitution and Insertion on the Thermoelectric Performance of Cu26V2Ge6S32 Colusite.

Copper-based sulfides are promising materials for thermoelectric applications, which can convert waste heat into electricity. This study reports the enhanced thermoelectric performance of Cu26V2Ge6S32 colusite via substitution of antimony (Sb) for germanium (Ge) and introduction of copper (Cu) as an interstitial atom. The crystal structure of the solid solutions and Cu-rich compounds were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Both chemical approaches decrease the hole carrier concentration, which leads to a reduction in the electronic thermal conductivity while keeping the thermoelectric power factor at a high value. Furthermore, the interstitial Cu atoms act as phonon scatterers, thereby decreasing the lattice thermal conductivity. The combined effects increase the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT from 0.3 (Cu26V2Ge6S32) to 0.8 (Cu29V2Ge5SbS32) at 673 K.

Copper-Rich Thermoelectric Sulfides: Size-Mismatch Effect and Chemical Disorder in the [TS4 ]Cu6 Complexes of Cu26 T2 Ge6 S32 (T=Cr, Mo, W) Colusites.

Herein, we investigate the Mo and W substitution for Cr in synthetic colusite, Cu26 Cr2 Ge6 S32 . Primarily, we elucidate the origin of extremely low electrical resistivity which does not compromise the Seebeck coefficient and leads to outstanding power factors of 1.94 mW m-1 K-2 at 700 K in Cu26 Cr2 Ge6 S32 . We demonstrate that the abnormally long iono-covalent T-S bonds competing with short metallic Cu-T interactions govern the electronic transport properties of the conductive "Cu26 S32 " framework. We address the key role of the cationic size-mismatch at the core of the mixed tetrahedral-octahedral complex over the transport properties. Two essential effects are identified: 1) only the tetrahedra that are directly bonded to the [TS4 ]Cu6 complex are significantly distorted upon substitution and 2) the major contribution to the disorder is localized at the central position of the mixed tetrahedral-octahedral complex, and is maximized for x=1, i.e. for the highest cationic size-variance, σ2 .

Designing a Thermoelectric Copper-Rich Sulfide from a Natural Mineral: Synthetic Germanite Cu22Fe8Ge4S32.

This study shows that the design of copper-rich sulfides by mimicking natural minerals allows a new germanite-type sulfide Cu22Fe8Ge4S32 with promising thermoelectric properties to be synthesized. The Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses provide evidence that the structure of our synthetic compound differs from that of the natural germanite mineral Cu26Fe4Ge4S32 by its much higher Cu+/Cu2+ ratio and different cationic occupancies. The coupled substitution Cu/Fe in the Cu26-xFe4+xGe4S32 series also appears as a promising approach to optimize the thermoelectric properties. The electrical resistivity, which decreases slightly as the temperature increases, shows that these materials exhibit a semiconducting behavior, but are at the border of a metallic state. The magnitudes of the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient increase with x, which suggests that Fe for Cu substitution decreases the hole concentration. The thermal conductivity decreases as the temperature increases leading to a moderately low value of 1.2 W m-1 K-1 and a maximum ZT value of 0.17 at 575 K.

Introducing Barium in Transition Metal Oxide Frameworks: Impact upon Superconductivity, Magnetism, Multiferroism and Oxygen Diffusion and Storage.

The role of barium in the structural chemistry of some transition metal oxides of the series "Cu, Mn, Fe,Co" is reviewed, based on its size effect and its particular chemical bonding. Its impact upon various properties, superconductivity, magnetism, multiferroism, oxygen storage is emphasized.

Interplay between 3d-3d and 3d-4f interactions at the origin of the magnetic ordering in the Ba2LnFeO5 oxides.

A new family of oxides in which 3d-3d and 3d-4f interactions are of comparable strength has been synthesized and characterized both from structural and physical viewpoints. These compounds of formulation Ba2LnFeO5 (Ln = Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb) are isotypic to the perovskite derivative Ba2YFeO5. They exhibit an original structure consisting of isolated FeO4 tetrahedra linked via LnO6 (or YO6) octahedra. Magnetic and calorimetric measurements show that all these compounds exhibit a unique, antiferromagnetic transition involving both the 3d and 4f ions. The antiferromagnetic properties of the Ln = Y phase (non-magnetic Y(3+)) and of the Ln = Eu (non-magnetic ground state multiplet of Eu(3+)) are ascribed to super-super exchange Fe-O-O-Fe interactions, leading to the lowest T(N) (5.5 K for Y and 4.6 K for Eu). The introduction of a magnetic lanthanide, i.e. Ln = Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, in the octahedral sites, leads to larger T(N) values (up to 9.8 K for Ln = Yb). It is found that several mechanisms must be taken into account to explain the complex evolution of the magnetic properties along the Ba2LnFeO5 series. In particular, the super-exchange Ln-O-Fe, as well as the on-site Ln(3+) magnetocrystalline anisotropy, are suggested to play crucial roles. This Ba2LnFeO5 series offers a rare opportunity to investigate experimentally a situation where the 3d-3d and 3d-4f interactions co-operate on an equal footing to trigger a unique long-range magnetic ordering in insulating oxides.

Electrochemical synthesis of a lithium-rich rock-salt-type oxide Li5W2O7 with reversible deintercalation properties.

Starting from the ribbon structure Li2W2O7, the lithium-rich phase Li5W2O7 with an ordered rock-salt-type structure has been synthesized, through a topotactic irreversible reaction, using both electrochemistry and soft chemistry. In contrast to Li2W2O7, the lithium-rich oxide Li5W2O7 shows reversible deintercalation properties of two lithium molecules per formula unit: a stable reversible capacity of 110 mAh/g at 1.70 V is maintained after 10 cycles. The exploration of the lithium mobility in this system shows that Li2W2O7 is a cationic conductor with σ = 4.10(-4) S/cm at 400 °C and Ea = 0.5 eV.

Impact of crystal chemistry upon the physics of strongly correlated electrons in oxides.

Transition-metal oxides have been widely studied for understanding the physics of strongly electron-correlated systems. The crucial role of crystal chemistry for the discovery of three families: the high T(c) superconducting cuprates, the colossal magnetoresistance manganates, the thermoelectric, and multiferroic cobaltates, is explored.

The dehydration of SrTeO3(H2O)--a topotactic reaction for preparation of the new metastable strontium oxotellurate(IV) phase ε-SrTeO3.

Microcrystalline single-phase strontium oxotellurate(IV) monohydrate, SrTeO(3)(H(2)O), was obtained by microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis under alkaline conditions at 180 °C for 30 min. A temperature of 220 °C and longer reaction times led to single crystal growth of this material. The crystal structure of SrTeO(3)(H(2)O) was determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data: P2(1)/c, Z = 4, a = 7.7669(5), b = 7.1739(4), c = 8.3311(5) Å, ß = 107.210(1)°, V = 443.42(5) Å(3), 1403 structure factors, 63 parameters, R[F(2)>2σ(F(2))] = 0.0208, wR(F(2) all) = 0.0516, S = 1.031. SrTeO(3)(H(2)O) is isotypic with the homologous BaTeO(3)(H(2)O) and is characterised by a layered assembly parallel to (100) of edge-sharing [SrO(6)(H(2)O)] polyhedra capped on each side of the layer by trigonal-prismatic [TeO(3)] units. The cohesion of the structure is accomplished by moderate O-H···O hydrogen bonding interactions between donor water molecules and acceptor O atoms of adjacent layers. In a topochemical reaction, SrTeO(3)(H(2)O) condensates above 150 °C to the metastable phase ε-SrTeO(3) and transforms upon further heating to δ-SrTeO(3). The crystal structure of ε-SrTeO(3), the fifth known polymorph of this composition, was determined from combined electron microscopy and laboratory X-ray powder diffraction studies: P2(1)/c, Z = 4, a = 6.7759(1), b = 7.2188(1), c = 8.6773(2) Å, ß = 126.4980(7)°, V = 341.20(18) Å(3), R(Fobs) = 0.0166, R(Bobs) = 0.0318, Rwp = 0.0733, Goof = 1.38. The structure of ε-SrTeO(3) shows the same basic set-up as SrTeO(3)(H(2)O), but the layered arrangement of the hydrous phase transforms into a framework structure after elimination of water. The structural studies of SrTeO(3)(H(2)O) and ε-SrTeO(3) are complemented by thermal analysis and vibrational spectroscopic measurements.

Complex disorder in beta-NH(4)Fe(2)(PO(4))(2): deciphering from a five-dimensional formalism.

A new mixed-valent iron ammonium phosphate, beta-NH(4)Fe(2)(PO(4))(2), has been synthesized. The diffuse scattering observed on the diffraction patterns implies complex disorder phenomena and prevents a direct structure resolution. The latter can be solved by generating an artificially ordered orthorhombic structure, using a five-dimensional approach and performing partial integration of the diffuse streaks. In the artificially ordered structure, hexagonal tunnels, delimited by FeO(6) octahedra, perpendicular to the directions [011] and [01(over)1] can then be seen; they are filled either by [FeP(2)O(10)](infinity) zigzag ribbons or by NH(4)(+) cations. It is shown that the disordering originates from the shifting of adjacent (100) tunnel slices of the structure with respect to each other along [011], allowing the formation of either new commensurate (superstructure) or incommensurate modulations, or even complete disorder along a. The close relationships with the ordered monoclinic form alpha-NH(4)Fe(2)(PO(4))(2) are also explained by this description.

RbGa3(P3O10)2: a new gallium phosphate isotypic with RbAl3(P3O10)2.

Rubidium trigallium bis(triphosphate), RbGa3(P3O10)2 has been synthesized by solid-state reaction and studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at room temperature. This compound is the first anhydrous gallium phosphate containing both GaO4 tetrahedra (Ga1) and GaO6 octahedra (Ga2 and Ga3). The three independent Ga atoms are located on sites with imposed symmetry 2 (Wickoff positions 4a for Ga1 and 4b for Ga2 and Ga3). The GaO4 and GaO6 polyhedra are connected through the apices to triphosphate groups and form a three-dimensional host lattice. This framework presents intersecting tunnels running along the [001] and <110> directions, where the Rb2+ cations are located on sites with imposed symmetry 2 (Wickoff position 4a). The structure also exhibits remarkable features, such as infinite helical columns created by the junction of GaO4 and PO4 tetrahedra.

Copper hydroxydiphosphate with a one-dimensional arrangement of copper polyhedra: Cu3[P2O6OH]2.

A new copper hydroxydiphosphate Cu3(P2O6OH)2 was synthesized, by soft chemistry. The crystal structure was solved ab initio from X-ray powder diffraction data in the triclinic space group P. The structure is built up from [Cu3O10]infinity zigzag chains linked by P2O6(OH) groups to form a tridimensional framework. The [Cu3O10]infinity chains consist of edge-sharing polyhedra. The structure contains two sorts of copper polyhedra: one CuO6 octahedron and two CuO5 pyramids. Magnetization measurements confirm the presence of divalent copper and suggest antiferromagnetic interactions at low temperature.

The route to fullernoid oxides.

Tetrahedral oxides, like silicates and aluminates, have attracted great interest due to their potential for numerous applications in various fields ranging from catalysis, ion exchange and molecular sieves, to thermo- and photoluminescence. In spite of their tetrahedral character, no effort has been made to date for establishing structural relationships between these tetrahedral oxides with different forms of carbon, for example, fullerenes. Here, we report for the first time an oxide that exhibits a three-dimensional framework of AlO4 tetrahedra forming huge 'Al84' spheres, similar to those of the D2d isomer of the C84 fullerenes. These Al84 spheres, displayed in a face-centred-cubic lattice, are easily identified by high-resolution electron microscopy. We also show that this Sr33Bi24+delta Al48O141+3 delta/2 aluminate exhibits an onion-skin-like subnanostructure of its Bi/Sr/O species located inside the Al84 spheres. The role of the original pseudo-spheric anion [Bi16O52-n empty square box n]-with n vacancies (empty square box)-in the stabilization of such a structure is discussed. This structure seems to be promising for the generation of a large family of fullerene-type (fullerenoid) oxides with various properties.