Formation of Vacancies in Si- and Ge-based Clathrates: Role of Electron Localization and Symmetry Breaking

The formation of framework vacancies in Si- and Ge-based type-I clathrates is studied as function of filling the cages with K and Ba atoms using density-functional theory. Our analysis reveals the relevance of structural disorder, geometric relaxation, electronic saturation, as well as vibrational and configurational entropy. In the Si clathrates we find that vacancies are unstable, but very differently, in Ge clathrates up to three vacancies per unit cell can be stabilized. This contrasting behavior is largely driven by the different energy gain on populating the electronic vacancy states, which originates from the different degree of localization of the valence orbitals of Si and Ge. This also actuates a qualitatively different atomic relaxation of the framework.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to a journa

Physical properties of single-crystalline Ba 8 Ni 3.5 Ge 42.1 h 0.4

Clathrates are candidate materials for thermoelectric applications because of a number of unique properties. The clathrate I phases in the Ba-Ni-Ge ternary system allow controlled variation of the charge carrier concentration by adjusting the Ni content. Depending on the Ni content, the physical properties vary from metal-like to insulator-like and show a transition from p-type to n-type conduction. Here we present first results on the characterization of millimeter-sized single crystals grown by the Bridgman technique. Single crystals with a composition of Ba8Ni3.5Ge42.1h0.4 show metallic behavior (dp/dT > 0) albeit with high resistivity at room temperature [p (300 K) = 1 mOhm cm]. The charge carrier concentration at 300 K, as determined from Hall-effect measurements, is 2.3 e-/unit cell. The dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit estimated at 680 K is ZT ~ 0.2. Keywords Clathrates - thermoelectric material - intermetallic compound - nicke

Synthesis of the intermetallic clathrate Na2Ba6Si46 by oxidation of Na2BaSi4 with HCl

A new preparation route to the intermetallic clathrate-I compound Na2Ba6Si46 is introduced, which allows one to make large amounts of product with standard laboratory equipment. The precursor Na2BaSi4 is oxidized with gaseous HCl at 673 K to Na2Ba6Si46, NaCl and BaCl2. Full-profile refinement of the crystal structure from the X-ray powder diffraction data revealed a composition close to Na2Ba6Si46 (Na1.94(1)Ba6.06(1)Si46, space group Pmbar 3n, a=10.281(1) Å). Differential scanning calorimetry showed an exothermic effect at 874 K, indicating that Na2Ba6Si46 is metastable. The product was additionally characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The electronic structure of Na2Ba6Si46 was investigated by a first-principles, all-electron full-potential method, predicting metallic conductivity. Na2Ba6Si46 obtained by oxidation with HCl shows Pauli paramagnetism; no bulk superconductivity was found down to 1.8 K in a magnetic field of 20 Oe

Binary Alkali-Metal Silicon Clathrates by Spark Plasma Sintering: Preparation and Characterization

The binary intermetallic clathrates K8-xSi46 (x = 0.4; 1.2), Rb6.2Si46, Rb11.5Si136 and Cs7.8Si136 were prepared from M4Si4 (M = K, Rb, Cs) precursors by spark-plasma route (SPS) and structurally characterized by Rietveld refinement of PXRD data. The clathrate-II phase Rb11.5Si136 was synthesized for the first time. Partial crystallographic site occupancy of the alkali metals, particularly for the smaller Si20 dodecahedra, was found in all compounds. SPS preparation of Na24Si136 with different SPS current polarities and tooling were performed in order to investigate the role of the electric field on clathrate formation. The electrical and thermal transport properties of K7.6Si46 and K6.8Si46 in the temperature range 4–700 K were investigated. Our findings demonstrate that SPS is a novel tool for the synthesis of intermetallic clathrate phases that are not easily accessible by conventional synthesis techniques

A Borosilicide with Clathrate VIII Structure

The high-pressure phase Na8BxSi46-x(3 < x < 5) is the first representative of a borosilicide crystallizing in the rarely occurring clathrate VIII type structure. Crystals with composition Na8B4Si42(space group I43¯ m; a = 9.7187(2) Å Pearson symbol cI54) were obtained at 5-8 GPa and 1200 K. The clathrate I modification exists for the same composition at lower pressure with a larger cell volume (Pm3¯ n; a = 9. 977(2) Å cP54). Profound structural adaptions allow for a higher density of the clathrate VIII type than clathrate I, opening up the perspective of obtaining clathrate VIII type compounds as high-pressure forms of clathrate I