Using molten‐salt synthetic techniques, NaNbO3(Space group
An effective pathway to design and synthesize UV birefringent crystals via rational assembly of π-conjugated [CO 3 ] 2− and [NO 3 ] − triangles
Planar MO 3 (M = B, C, N) units have frequently been considered important structural components of novel birefringent crystal materials. An efficient approach for constructing new functional crystals is to simultaneously assemble multiple structural motifs together. Two compounds, Na 3 Rb 6 (CO 3 ) 3 (NO 3 ) 2 X·6H 2 O (X = Br and Cl), were synthesized by the integration of three kinds of anionic groups. More interestingly, the [CO 3 ] 2− and [NO 3 ] − groups in Na 3 Rb 6 (CO 3 ) 3 (NO 3 ) 2 X·6H 2 O are all coplanar with the aid of [NaO 7 ] 13− polyhedra, which can enhance the anisotropic polarizability. Na 3 Rb 6 (CO 3 ) 3 (NO 3 ) 2 X·6H 2 O have a large theoretical birefringence of ∼0.165 at 1064 nm and possess a short UV cut-off edge of ∼230 nm. Additionally, the two compounds exhibit good crystal growth habits. These properties illustrate that Na 3 Rb 6 (CO 3 ) 3 (NO 3 ) 2 X·6H 2 O are promising UV birefringent crystals.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2002319
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10434416
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Materials Chemistry C
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2050-7526
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3325 to 3333
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
Abstract Pbcm ; No. 57) was prepared in high purity at a reaction time of 12 hours and a temperature of 900°C. All NaNbO3products were prepared from stoichiometric ratios of Nb2O5and Na2CO3together with the addition of a salt flux introduced at a 10:1 molar ratio of salt to NaNbO3, that is, using the Na2SO4, NaF, NaCl, and NaBr salts. A solid‐state synthesis was performed in the absence of a molten salt to serve as a control. The reaction products were all found to be phase pure through powder X‐ray diffraction, for example, with refined lattice constants ofa = 5.512(5) Å,b = 5.567(3) Å, andc = 15.516(8) Å from the Na2SO4salt reaction. The products were characterized using UV‐Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to have a bandgap size of ~3.5 eV. The particles sizes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and found to be dependent upon the flux type used, from ~<1 μm to >10 μm in length, with overall surface areas that could be varied from 0.66 m2/g (for NaF) to 1.55 m2/g (for NaBr). Cubic‐shaped particle morphologies were observed for the metal halide salts with the set of exposed (100)/(010)/(001) crystal facets, while a truncated octahedral morphology formed in the sodium sulfate salt reaction with predominantly the set of (110)/(101)/(011) crystal facets. The products were found to be photocatalytically active for hydrogen production under UV‐Vis irradiation, with the aid of a 1 wt% Pt surface cocatalyst. The platinized NaNbO3particles were suspended in an aqueous 20% methanol solution and irradiated by UV‐Vis light (λ > 230 nm). After 6 hours of irradiation, the average total hydrogen production varied with the particle morphologies and sizes, with 753 µmol for Na2SO4, 334 µmol for NaF, 290 µmol for NaCl, 81 µmol for NaBr, and 249 µmol for the solid‐state synthesized NaNbO3. These trends show a clear relationship to particle sizes, with smaller particles showing higher photocatalytic activity in the order of NaF > NaCl > NaBr. Furthermore, the particle morphologies obtained from the Na2SO4flux showed even higher photocatalytic activity, though having a relatively similar overall surface area, owing to the higher activity of the (110) crystal facets. The apparent quantum yield (100 mW/cm2,λ = 230 to 350 nm, pH = 7) was measured to be 3.7% for NaNbO3prepared using the NaF flux, but this was doubled to 6.8% when prepared using the Na2SO4flux. Thus, these results demonstrate the powerful utility of flux synthetic techniques to control particle sizes and to expose higher‐activity crystal facets to boost their photocatalytic activities for molecular hydrogen production. -
null (Ed.)A series of new Ce( iv ) based fluorides with two different compositions, Cs 2 MCe 3 F 16 (M = Ni 2+ , Co 2+ , Mn 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) and Na 3 MCe 6 F 30 (M = Al 3+ , Ga 3+ , Fe 3+ , and Cr 3+ ) were synthesized as high quality single crystals via a mild hydrothermal route. The compounds with the composition Cs 2 MCe 3 F 16 (M = Ni 2+ , Co 2+ , Mn 2+ , and Zn 2+ ) crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system with space group P 6 3 / mmc and are isotypic with the uranium analogs, whereas the Na 3 MCe 6 F 30 (M = Al 3+ , Ga 3+ , Fe 3+ , and Cr 3+ ) compounds crystallize in the trigonal space group P 3̄ c 1 and are isotypic with the uranium and thorium analogs Na x MM′ 6 F 30 (M′ = Th, U). The Cs 2 MCe 3 F 16 compounds exhibit a complex 3D crystal structure constructed of edge-sharing cerium trimers, in which all three Ce atoms share a common μ 3 -F unit. The Na 3 MCe 6 F 30 compounds are constructed of edge- and vertex-sharing cerium polyhedra connected to each other to form Ce 6 F 30 6− framework, which can accommodate only relatively smaller trivalent cations (M 3+ = Al 3+ , Ga 3+ , Fe 3+ , and Cr 3+ ) as compared to uranium and thorium analogs. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were carried out on the samples of Cs 2 MCe 3 F 16 (M = Ni 2+ and Co 2+ ), which exhibit paramagnetic behavior.more » « less
-
Desirable phosphors for lighting, scintillation and composite films must have good light absorption properties, high concentration quenching, high quantum efficiency, a narrow color emission, and so forth. In this work, we first show that undoped yttrium hafnate Y 2 Hf 2 O 7 (YHO) nanoparticles (NPs) display dual blue and red bands after excitation using 330 nm light. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, these two emission bands are correlated with the defect states arising in the band-gap region of YHO owing to the presence of neutral and charged oxygen defects. Once doped with Eu 3+ ions (YHOE), the YHO NPs show a bright red emission, a long excited state lifetime and stable color coordinates upon near-UV and X-ray excitation. Concentration quenching is active when Eu 3+ doping reaches 10 mol% with a critical distance of ∼4.43 Å. This phenomenon indicates a high Eu 3+ solubility within the YHO host and the absence of Eu 3+ clusters. More importantly, the optical performance of the YHOE NPs has been further improved by lithium co-doping. The origin of the emission, structural stability, and role of Li + -co-doping are explored both experimentally and theoretically. DFT calculation results demonstrate that Li + -co-doping increases the covalent character of the Eu 3+ –O 2− bonding in the EuO 8 polyhedra. Furthermore, the YHOE NPs have been dispersed into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to make transparent nanocomposite films, which show strong red emission under excitation at 270 and 393 nm. Overall, we demonstrate that the YHO NPs with Eu 3+ and (Eu 3+ /Li + ) doping have a high emission intensity and quantum efficiency under UV and X-ray excitation, which makes them suitable for use as phosphors, scintillators and transparent films for lighting, imaging and detection applications.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract All‐inorganic metal halides such as Cs4PbX6and CsPbX3(X = Cl, Br, and I) are attracting global attention owing to their promise in optoelectronic applications. However, the presence of the toxic heavy metal lead (Pb) in these materials is a major concern. Here, a family of nontoxic high‐efficiency blue‐emitting all‐inorganic halides Rb2CuX3(X = Br and Cl) is reported; the compounds exhibit 1D crystal structures featuring anionic2−ribbons separated by Rb+cations. The measured record high photoluminescence quantum yield values range from 64% to 100% for Rb2CuBr3and Rb2CuCl3, respectively. Furthermore, the measured emission linewidths are quite narrow with full width at half maximum values of 54 and 52 nm for Rb2CuBr3and Rb2CuCl3, respectively. Single crystals of Rb2CuCl3demonstrate an anti‐Stokes photoluminescence signal, shown for the first time for Pb‐free metal halides. The discovery of highly efficient narrow blue emitters based on a nontoxic and inexpensive metal copper paves a way for the consideration of low‐cost and environmentally friendly copper halides for practical applications.
-
null (Ed.)Two new alkali vanadate carbonates with divalent transition metals have been synthesized as large single crystals via a high-temperature (600 °C) hydrothermal technique. Compound I , Rb 2 Mn 3 (VO 4 ) 2 CO 3 , crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system in the space group P 3̄1 c , and compound II , K 2 Co 3 (VO 4 ) 2 CO 3 , crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P 6 3 / m . Both structures contain honeycomb layers and triangular lattices made from edge-sharing MO 6 octahedra and MO 5 trigonal bipyramids, respectively. The honeycomb and triangular layers are connected along the c -axis through tetrahedral [VO 4 ] groups. The MO 5 units are connected with each other by carbonate groups in the ab -plane by forming a triangular magnetic lattice. The difference in space groups between I and II was also investigated with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Single crystal magnetic characterization of I indicates three magnetic transitions at 77 K, 2.3 K, and 1.5 K. The corresponding magnetic structures for each magnetic transition of I were determined using single crystal neutron diffraction. At 77 K the compound orders in the MnO 6 -honeycomb layer in a Néel-type antiferromagnetic orientation while the MnO 5 triangular lattice ordered below 2.3 K in a colinear ‘up–up–down’ fashion, followed by a planar ‘Y’ type magnetic structure. K 2 Co 3 (VO 4 ) 2 CO 3 ( II ) exhibits a canted antiferromagnetic ordering below T N = 8 K. The Curie–Weiss fit (200–350 K) gives a Curie–Weiss temperature of −42 K suggesting a dominant antiferromagnetic coupling in the Co 2+ magnetic sublattices.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1039/d2tc05374h
