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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures
Published on: October 7, 2013
Lutetium Trigermanide LuGe3: High-Pressure Synthesis, Superconductivity, and Chemical Bonding
Julia-Maria Hübner1, Matej Bobnar1, Lev Akselrud1
1Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe , Nöthnitzer Straße 40 , 01187 Dresden , Germany.
Abstract:
LuGe3 was obtained under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions at pressures between 8(1) and 14(2) GPa and at temperatures in the range from 1100(150) to 1500(150) K. The high-pressure phase is isotypic to DyGe3 and decomposes at ambient pressure and T = 690 K mainly into ( cF8)Ge and LuGe2- x. Chemical bonding analysis of LuGe3 reveals two-center electron-deficient Ge-Ge bonds, multicenter polar Lu-Ge interactions, and lone pairs on germanium. Magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical conductivity measurements indicate transition into a superconducting state below Tc = 3.3(3) K.
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