ß-Phase Yb5Sb3Hx: Magnetic and Thermoelectric Properties Traversing from an Electride to a Semiconductor.

An electride is a compound that contains a localized electron in an empty crystallographic site. This class of materials has a wide range of applications, including superconductivity, batteries, photonics, and catalysis. Both polymorphs of Yb5Sb3 (the orthorhombic Ca5Sb3F structure type (ß phase) and hexagonal Mn5Si3 structure type (α phase)) are known to be electrides with electrons localized in 0D tetrahedral cavities and 1D octahedral chains, respectively. In the case of the orthorhombic ß phase, an interstitial H can occupy the 0D tetrahedral cavity, accepting the anionic electron that would otherwise occupy the site, providing the formula of Yb5Sb3Hx. DFT computations show that the hexagonal structure is energetically favored without hydrogen and that the orthorhombic structure is more stable with hydrogen. Polycrystalline samples of orthorhombic ß phase Yb5Sb3Hx (x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0) were synthesized, and both PXRD lattice parameters and 1H MAS NMR were used to characterize H composition. Magnetic and electronic transport properties were measured to characterize the transition from the electride (semimetal) to the semiconductor. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate a magnetic moment that can be interpreted as resulting from either the localized antiferromagnetically coupled electride or the presence of a small amount of Yb3+. At lower H content (x = 0.25, 0.50), a low charge carrier mobility consistent with localized electride states is observed. In contrast, at higher H content (x = 0.75, 1.0), a high charge carrier mobility is consistent with free electrons in a semiconductor. All compositions show low thermal conductivity, suggesting a potentially promising thermoelectric material if charge carrier concentration can be fine-tuned. This work provides an understanding of the structure and electronic properties of the electride and semiconductor, Yb5Sb3Hx, and opens the door to the interstitial design of electrides to tune thermoelectric properties.

Experiment and Theory in Concert To Unravel the Remarkable Electronic Properties of Na-Doped Eu11Zn4Sn2As12: A Layered Zintl Phase.

Low-dimensional materials have unique optical, electronic, mechanical, and chemical properties that make them desirable for a wide range of applications. Nano-scaling materials to confine transport in at least one direction is a common method of designing materials with low-dimensional electronic structures. However, bulk materials give rise to low-dimensional electronic structures when bonding is highly anisotropic. Layered Zintl phases are excellent candidates for investigation due to their directional bonding, structural variety, and tunability. However, the complexity of the structure and composition of many layered Zintl phases poses a challenge for producing phase-pure bulk samples to characterize. Eu11Zn4Sn2As12 is a layered Zintl phase of significant complexity that is of interest for its magnetic, electronic, and thermoelectric properties. To prepare phase-pure Eu11-xNaxZn4Sn2As12, a binary EuAs phase was employed as a precursor, along with NaH. Experimental measurements reveal low thermal conductivity and a high Seebeck coefficient, while theoretical electronic structure calculations reveal a transition from a 3D to 2D electronic structure with increasing carrier concentration. Simulated thermoelectric properties also indicate anisotropic transport, and thermoelectric property measurements confirm the nonparabolicity of the relevant bands near the Fermi energy. Thermoelectric efficiency is known to improve as the dimensionality of the electronic structure is decreased, making this a promising material for further optimization and opening the door to further exploitation of layered Zintl phases with low-dimensional electronic structures for thermoelectric applications.

Thermoelectric Properties of Ba2-xEuxZnSb2, a Zintl Phase with One-Dimensional Covalent Chains.

The compound Ba2ZnSb2 has been predicted to be a promising thermoelectric material, potentially achieving zT > 2 at 900 K due to its one-dimensional chains of edge-shared [ZnSb4/2]4- tetrahedra and interspersed Ba cations. However, the high air sensitivity of this material makes it difficult to measure its thermoelectric properties. In this work, isovalent substitution of Eu for Ba was carried out to make Ba2-xEuxZnSb2 in order to improve the stability of the material in air and to allow characterization of thermal and electronic properties of three different compositions (x = 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4). Polycrystalline samples were synthesized using binary precursors via ball milling and annealing, and their thermoelectric properties were measured. Samples showed low thermal conductivity (<0.8 W/m K), a high Seebeck coefficient (350-550 µV/K), and high charge carrier mobility (20-35 cm2/V) from 300 to 500 K, consistent with predictions of high thermoelectric efficiency. Evaluation of the thermoelectric quality factor suggests that a higher zT can be attained if the carrier concentration can be increased via doping.

Deconvoluting the Magnetic Structure of the Commensurately Modulated Quinary Zintl Phase Eu11-xSrxZn4Sn2As12.

The structure, magnetic properties, and 151Eu and 119Sn Mössbauer spectra of the solid-solution Eu11-xSrxZn4Sn2As12 are presented. A new commensurately modulated structure is described for Eu11Zn4Sn2As12 (R3m space group, average structure) that closely resembles the original structural description in the monoclinic C2/c space group with layers of Eu, puckered hexagonal Zn2As3 sheets, and Zn2As6 ethane-like isolated pillars. The solid-solution Eu11-xSrxZn4Sn2As12 (0 < x < 10) is found to crystallize in the commensurately modulated R3 space group, related to the parent phase but lacking the mirror symmetry. Eu11Zn4Sn2As12 orders with a saturation plateau at 1 T for 7 of the 11 Eu2+ cations ferromagnetically coupled (5 K) and shows colossal magnetoresistance at 15 K. The magnetic properties of Eu11Zn4Sn2As12 are investigated at higher fields, and the ferromagnetic saturation of all 11 Eu2+ cations occurs at ∼8 T. The temperature-dependent magnetic properties of the solid solution were investigated, and a nontrivial structure-magnetization correlation is revealed. The temperature-dependent 151Eu and 119Sn Mössbauer spectra confirm that the europium atoms in the structure are all Eu2+ and that the tin is consistent with an oxidation state of less than four in the intermetallic region. The spectral areas of both Eu(II) and Sn increase at the magnetic transition, indicating a magnetoelastic effect upon magnetic ordering.