| 1. |
- Bykov, Maxim, et al.
(author)
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High-pressure synthesis of ultraincompressible hard rhenium nitride pernitride Re-2(N-2)(N)(2) stable at ambient conditions
- 2019
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In: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2041-1723. ; 10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-pressure synthesis in diamond anvil cells can yield unique compounds with advanced properties, but often they are either unrecoverable at ambient conditions or produced in quantity insufficient for properties characterization. Here we report the synthesis of metallic, ultraincompressible (K-0 = 428(10) GPa), and very hard (nanoindentation hardness 36.7(8) GPa) rhenium nitride pernitride Re-2(N-2)(N)(2). Unlike known transition metals pernitrides Re-2(N-2)(N)(2) contains both pernitride N-2(4-) and discrete N3- anions, which explains its exceptional properties. Re-2(N-2)(N)(2) can be obtained via a reaction between rhenium and nitrogen in a diamond anvil cell at pressures from 40 to 90 GPa and is recoverable at ambient conditions. We develop a route to scale up its synthesis through a reaction between rhenium and ammonium azide, NH4N3, in a large-volume press at 33 GPa. Although metallic bonding is typically seen incompatible with intrinsic hardness, Re-2(N-2)(N)(2) turned to be at a threshold for superhard materials.
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| 2. |
- Laniel, Dominique, et al.
(author)
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High Pressure Investigation of the S-N-2 System up to the Megabar Range: Synthesis and Characterization of the SN2 Solid
- 2019
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In: Inorganic Chemistry. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 58:14, s. 9195-9204
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sulfur and nitrogen represent one of the most studied inorganic binary systems at ambient pressure on account of their large wealth of metastable exotic ring-like compounds. Under high pressure conditions, however, their behavior is unknown. Here, sulfur and nitrogen were compressed in a diamond anvil cell up to about 120 GPa and laser-heated at regular pressure intervals in an attempt to stabilize novel sulfur nitrogen compounds. Above 64 GPa, an orthorhombic (space group Pnnm) SN2 compound was synthesized and characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction as well as Raman spectroscopy. It is shown to adopt a CaCl2-type structure hence it is isostructural, isomassic, and isoelectronic to CaCl2-type SiO2 comprised of SN6 octahedra. Complementary theoretical calculations were performed to provide further insight into the physicochemical properties of SN2, notably its equation of state, the bonding type between its constitutive elements, and its electronic density of states. This new solid is shown to be metastable down to about 20 GPa, after which it spontaneously decomposes into S and N-2. This investigation shows that despite the many metastable S N compounds existing at ambient conditions, none of them are formed by pressure.
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