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Intriguing Structural Transition Inducing Variable Birefringences in ABa2MS4Cl (A = Rb, Cs; M = Ge, Sn)
1Key Laboratory of Functional Materials and Devices for Special Environments and Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Materials and Devices , Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 40-1 South Beijing Road , Urumqi 830011 , China.
Inorganic Chemistry
|August 25, 2018
Summary
New quinary thiohalides (A = Rb, Cs; M = Ge, Sn) exhibit a structural phase transition. This transition significantly alters their optical properties, specifically birefringence, due to the (MS4)4- groups.
Area of Science:
- Solid-state chemistry
- Materials science
- Crystallography
Background:
- Quinary thiohalides are an emerging class of materials with potential optical applications.
- Understanding structure-property relationships is crucial for designing new functional materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel quinary thiohalides of the formula ABa2MS4Cl.
- To investigate the structural transition and its impact on optical properties, particularly birefringence.
Main Methods:
- Successful synthesis of ABa2MS4Cl compounds (A = Rb, Cs; M = Ge, Sn).
- Crystallographic analysis to determine structural phases (P21/c and I4/mcm).
- Optical measurements to quantify birefringence changes.
Main Results:
- A structural transition from the P21/c (α phase) to the I4/mcm (β phase) was observed.
- Birefringence increased significantly from 0.041 in the α phase to 0.094 in the β phase.
- Real-space atom-cutting method indicated (MS4)4- groups are key to anisotropy changes during the transition.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized quinary thiohalides exhibit a reversible structural transition impacting their optical anisotropy.
- (MS4)4- anionic groups play a critical role in the observed anisotropy changes.
- These findings contribute to the development of new optical materials based on thiohalide structures.
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