Issue 42, 2023

Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3): hypervalent Te in a new structure type with low thermal conductivity

Abstract

Heavier pnictogen (Sb, Bi) containing chalcogenides are well known for their complex structures and semiconducting properties for numerous applications, particularly thermoelectric materials. Here, we report the syntheses of single crystals and polycrystalline phases of a new complex quaternary polytelluride, Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3), via a high-temperature reaction of elements. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study showed that it crystallizes in an unprecedented structure type with monoclinic symmetry (space group: P21/c). The crystal structure of Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3) consists of one-dimensional 1[Si4Sb8Te32(Te3)]28− stripes, which are separated by the Ba2+ cations. Its complex structure features linear polytelluride units of Te34− having intermediate Te⋯Te interactions. A polycrystalline Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3) sample shows a direct narrow bandgap of 0.8(2) eV, which indicates its semiconducting nature. The electrical resistivity of a sintered pellet of the polycrystalline sample exponentially decreases from ∼39.3 Ωcm to ∼0.57 Ωcm on heating it from 323 K to 773 K, confirming the sample's semiconducting nature. The sign of Seebeck coefficient values is positive in the 323 K to 773 K range confirming the p-type nature of the sintered sample. Interestingly, the sample attains an extremely low thermal conductivity of ∼0.32 Wm−1K−1 at 773 K, which could be attributed to the lattice anharmonicity caused by the lone pair effect of Sb3+ species in its complex pseudo-one-dimensional crystal structure. The electronic band structure of the title phase and the strength of chemical bonding of pertinent atomic pairs have been evaluated theoretically using the DFT method.

Graphical abstract: Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3): hypervalent Te in a new structure type with low thermal conductivity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 maig 2023
Accepted
14 juny 2023
First published
14 juny 2023

Dalton Trans., 2023,52, 15426-15439

Ba14Si4Sb8Te32(Te3): hypervalent Te in a new structure type with low thermal conductivity

S. Jana, S. Yadav, Swati, M. K. Niranjan and J. Prakash, Dalton Trans., 2023, 52, 15426 DOI: 10.1039/D3DT01532G

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