화학공학소재연구정보센터
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.57, No.16, 10416-10423, 2018
Insights into Antibonding Induced Energy Density Enhancement and Exotic Electronic Properties for Germanium Nitrides at Modest Pressures
Here, the electronic and bonding features in ground-state structures of germanium nitrides under different components that not accessible at ambient conditions have been systematically studied. The forming essence of weak covalent bonds between the Ge and N atom in high-pressure ionic crystal Fd-3m-Ge3N4 is induced by the binding effect of electronic clouds originated from the Ge_ p orbitals. Hence, it helps us to understand the essence of covalent bond under high pressure, profoundly. As an excellent reducing agent, germanium transfer electrons to the antibonding state of the N-2 dimer in Pa-3-GeN2 phase at 20 GPa, abnormally, weakening the bonding strength considerably than nitrogen gap (N N) at ambient pressure. Furthermore, the common cognition that the atomic distance will be shortened under the high pressures has been broken. Amazingly, with a lower range of synthetic pressure (similar to 15 GPa) and nitrogen contents (28%), its energy density is up to 2.32 kJ.g(-1), with a similar order of magnitude than polymeric LiN5 (nonmolecular compound, 2.72 kJ.g(-1)). It breaks the universal recognition once again that nitrides just containing polymeric nitrogen were regarded as high energy density materials. Hence, antibonding induced energy density enhancement mechanism for low nitrogen content and pressure has been exposed in view of electrons. Both the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) are usually the separated orbitals of N_pi* and N_sigma*, which are the key to stabilization. Besides, the sp(2) hybridizations that exist in N-4 units are responsible for the stability of the R-3c-GeN4 structure and restrict the delocalization of electrons, exhibiting nonmetallic properties.