Na₂GaS₂Cl: a new sodium-rich chalcohalide with two-dimensional [GaS₂]_∞ layers and wide interlayer space

By introducing halogens to the A/Ga/Q (A = Na, K; Q = S, Se) system, one new chalcohalide namely Na₂GaS₂Cl was successfully obtained. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm (63). Na₂GaS₂Cl has a layered structure consisting of two dimensional [GaS₂]_∞ layers which are stacked in "face to face" and "back to back" arrays and separated by Na⁺ and Cl^- ions. Interestingly, supertetrahedral building units [Ga₄S₁₀] (T2) which are rarely found in metal chalcogenides and metal chalcohalides are formed in this structure. Moreover, the distances of two adjacent layers are around four times larger than the ionic radius of the Na⁺ ion, which is very likely to provide a perfect environment for the storage and migration of Na⁺ ions. In particular, the volume concentration of the Na⁺ cations in this compound is as high as 1.54 × 10²² cm^-3. The UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy measurement reveals that the optical band gap of this title compound is 3.06 eV. The electronic structural calculations on Na₂GaS₂Cl show that the band gap is mainly determined by the [GaS₄] groups and Na-Cl ionic bonding.