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Article
Packing of Russian doll clusters to form a nanometer-scale CsCl-type compound in a Cr–Zn–Sn complex metallic alloy
Journal of Materials Chemistry C
  • Weiwei Xie, Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge
  • Robert J. Cava, Princeton University
  • Gordon J. Miller, Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Accepted Manuscript
Publication Date
7-3-2017
DOI
10.1039/C7TC01967J
Abstract

The new complex intermetallic alloy, Cr22Zn72Sn24, with a giant cubic unit cell (space group Fmc, Z = 8, Pearson symbol cF944 with a = 25.083(3) Å) is reported. The structure can be described as a CsCl-type packing of two “Russian Doll” type intermetallic clusters: a 99-atom cluster, Cr@(Cr8Zn6)(Sn)24(Zn)60, composed of a central Cr atom encapsulated by three shells: a distorted rhombic dodecahedron, a snub-cube, and a rhombi-icosidodecahedron; and a 55-atom cluster, Cr@(Zn)12(Zn)30(Zn)12, also composed of a central Cr atom, but now surrounded by three different shells: an icosahedron, an icosidodecahedron, and a larger icosahedron. The two distinct clusters can be considered as “superatoms” that form the resulting nanometer-scale CsCl-type structure. Evaluating the electronic structure of this complex alloy structure yielded an alternative description, involving a 3-d network of vertex-connected, Cr-centered icosahedra and fragments of bcc metals. This description closely parallels the effective chemical bonding interactions, allowing for an understanding of the stability of this CMA. Magnetic and Seebeck coefficient measurements on self-flux grown crystals of Cr22Zn72Sn24 show it to be paramagnetic and metallic, in agreement with the results of electronic structure calculations.

Comments

This is a manuscript of an article published as Xie, Weiwei, Robert J. Cava, and Gordon J. Miller. "Packing of Russian doll clusters to form a nanometer-scale CsCl-type compound in a Cr–Zn–Sn complex metallic alloy." Journal of Materials Chemistry C 5, no. 29 (2017): 7215-7221. doi: 10.1039/C7TC01967J. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Weiwei Xie, Robert J. Cava and Gordon J. Miller. "Packing of Russian doll clusters to form a nanometer-scale CsCl-type compound in a Cr–Zn–Sn complex metallic alloy" Journal of Materials Chemistry C Vol. 5 Iss. 29 (2017) p. 7215 - 7221
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gordon-miller/130/