Ovchinnikov Alexander, Bobev Svilen
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Delaware , Newark , Delaware 19716 , United States.
Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry , Stockholm University , Svante Arrhenius väg 16 C , 10691 Stockholm , Sweden.
Inorg Chem. 2019 Jun 17;58(12):7895-7904. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b00588. Epub 2019 May 29.
Three new quaternary germanides with the composition AELiInGe ( AE = Sr, Ba, Eu) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The layered crystal structure of these phases features homoatomic In-In bonding, but there are no direct Ge-Ge bonds. Such a crystallographic arrangement can be regarded as an ordered quaternary derivative of the CaCuP structure (trigonal syngony, Pearson code hR7). Comprehensive analysis of the structural genealogy suggests relationships with the structures of other layered pnictides and chalcogenides, which are discussed. Partitioning of the available valence electrons and the assignment of the formal charges indicate that the composition of the new germanides is charge-balanced. First-principles calculations and electrical transport measurements indicate poor metallic behavior, resulting from significant hybridization of the electronic states.
