Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026
06:44
From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
69.6K
Incipient Metals: Functional Materials with a Unique Bonding Mechanism.
Matthias Wuttig1,2, Volker L Deringer3, Xavier Gonze4
1Institute of Physics IA, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|October 16, 2018
Summary
Phase-change materials exhibit a novel bonding mechanism, termed "metavalent," distinct from traditional covalent or metallic bonds. This discovery offers new pathways for designing advanced functional materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Solid-State Chemistry
Background:
- Traditional solid-state material classifications (covalent, ionic, metallic) do not fully encompass all bonding behaviors.
- Phase-change materials (PCMs) used in data storage present a challenge to existing bonding models, with proposed
- resonant bonding
- lacking a clear definition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and define the unique bonding mechanism observed in phase-change materials and related solids.
- To differentiate this mechanism from established bonding types and resonant bonding in π-orbital systems.
- To propose a new terminology for these materials and their bonding nature.
Main Methods:
- Utilized first-principles calculations to analyze vibrational, optical, and polarizability properties.
- Examined a diverse dataset of 58 materials exhibiting this unique bonding.
- Derived a characteristic fingerprint based on five physical property components.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that the bonding in PCMs is fundamentally different from resonant bonding in π-systems.
- Identified a unique bonding mechanism situated between covalent and metallic bonding.
- Established that this
- metavalent
- bonding is not a simple superposition but yields anomalous physical properties.
Conclusions:
- Introduced the term
- incipient metals
- for these materials and
- metavalent
- bonding for their nature.
- Developed a characteristic fingerprint for metavalent bonding rooted in physical properties.
- Anticipate acceleration in the discovery and design of functional materials for applications like nonvolatile memories, thermoelectrics, and photonics.
More Related Videos
10:23Synthesis and Functionalization of 3D Nano-graphene Materials: Graphene Aerogels and Graphene Macro Assemblies
Published on: November 5, 2015
14.5K
11:04Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Techniques for Determining the Structure and Mechanisms of Metal Ion Recognition and Redox Activity of Metal Binding Oligopeptides
Published on: September 7, 2019
9.8K
Related Concept Videos
02:32Bonding in Metals
52.4K
Metallic bonds are formed between two metal atoms. A simplified model to describe metallic bonding has been developed by Paul Drüde called the “Electron Sea Model”.
52.4K
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
24.3K
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
24.3K
01:58Mechanical Protein Functions
5.6K
Proteins perform many mechanical functions in a cell. These proteins can be classified into two general categories- proteins that generate mechanical forces and proteins that are subjected to mechanical forces. Proteins providing mechanical support to the structure of the cell, such as keratin, are subjected to mechanical force, whereas proteins involved in cell movement and transport of molecules across cell membranes, such as an ion pump, are examples of generating mechanical force.
5.6K
01:18Other Unique Bacteria
440
Magnetic bacteria exhibit a directed movement called magnetotaxis, driven by structures called magnetosomes. These magnetosomes consist of chains of magnetic particles made of either magnetite (Fe₃O₄) or greigite (Fe₃S₄) and are organized in a linear conformation by a protein scaffold within invaginations of the cell membrane. The bacteria align along the north–south magnetic field lines, much like a compass needle. They are typically microaerophilic or anaerobic...
440
02:37Metallic Solids
20.6K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
20.6K
02:37Types of Chemical Bonds
94.3K
Chemical bonding theories were pioneered by American chemist Gilbert N. Lewis. He developed a model called the Lewis model to explain the type and formation of different bonds. Chemical bonding is central to chemistry; it explains how atoms or ions bond together to form molecules. It explains why some bonds are strong and others are weak, or why one carbon bonds with two oxygens and not three; why water is H2O and not H4O.
94.3K