Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Molecular and Ionic Solids

Molecular and Ionic Solids

Crystalline solids are divided into four types: molecular, ionic, metallic, and covalent network based on the type of constituent units and their interparticle interactions.
Molecular Solids
Molecular crystalline solids, such as ice, sucrose (table sugar), and iodine, are solids that are composed of neutral molecules as their constituent units. These molecules are held together by weak intermolecular forces such as London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, or hydrogen bonds, which...

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes

Tetrahedral Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than...

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects

A perfect crystal, in theory, has a uniform structure with the same unit cell and lattice points throughout. However, any deviation from this periodic arrangement is known as an imperfection or defect. These defects can be categorized into three types: point, line, and plane defects.Point defects occur when there is a deviation from the ideal due to missing atoms, displaced atoms, or additional atoms. These imperfections might occur due to imperfect packing during crystallization or because of...

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects

Schottky defects arise when some lattice points in a crystal, such as those in NaCl, remain unoccupied, creating lattice vacancies without disturbing the overall electrical neutrality of the crystal. This defect is common in ionic crystals where the positive and negative ions are similar in size, as seen in sodium chloride and cesium chloride. The presence of Schottky defects enables the crystal to conduct electricity to a small extent through an ionic mechanism. Electric fields cause nearby...

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects

Non-stoichiometric defects refer to a type of defect in the crystal structure of a compound where the ratio of its constituent elements deviates from the ideal stoichiometric ratio. There are two main types of non-stoichiometric defects: metal excess defects and metal deficiency defects.Metal excess defects occur when there is a slight surplus of metal ions than what is required by the stoichiometric ratio of the compound. For example, heating a sodium chloride crystal in sodium vapor results...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Emergent Atomic Ordering in Vacancy-Filling Heusler Alloys.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Alternating atomic-dipole layers and switching dynamics in Al<sub>1-x</sub>Sc<sub>x</sub>N ferroelectrics.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Exceptional Rare-Earth Half-Heusler Thermoelectrics With Sublattice Softening.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026

Same author

Tandem Catalysis Overcomes the Rate-Determining Sulfur Conversion Cascade in Na─S Batteries.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026

Same author

Flapping vibrations contributed to heat insulation in Cs<sub>2</sub>ZnI<sub>4</sub>.

National science review·2026

Same author

Pressure-Induced Superconductivity in the Thermoelectric Semiconductor Mg<sub>3</sub>Sb<sub>2</sub>.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

Tunable Vacancy Order and Emergent Functionalities in Half-Heusler Crystals.

Ziheng Gao¹, Zhongkang Han¹, Yue Zhang²

¹State Key Laboratory of Silicon and Advanced Semiconductor Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|March 28, 2025

Summary

Designing crystalline materials with tunable vacancy order in V_1-δCoSb crystals significantly alters electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties. This tunability offers a promising route for developing advanced materials with tailored functionalities.

Keywords:

ferromagnetism half‐Heusler compounds hydrogen storage thermoelectrics transport properties vacancy short‐range order

More Related Videos

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Published on: June 9, 2023

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment

Published on: July 5, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing

Published on: June 9, 2023

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment

Published on: July 5, 2019

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Solid-State Physics
Crystallography

Background:

Designing materials with emergent functionalities relies on controlling extra chemical order in crystalline lattices.
Achieving tunable extra chemical order in crystalline materials presents a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the tunability of vacancy order in cation-deficient half-Heusler crystals (V_1-δCoSb).
To explore the impact of varying vacancy order on material properties and functionalities.

Main Methods:

Utilized scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to analyze vacancy ordering.
Employed Monte Carlo simulations to model and understand vacancy configurations (long-range order [LRO] and short-range order [SRO]).

Main Results:

Demonstrated the ability to tune vacancy order between LRO and SRO configurations in V_1-δCoSb.
Observed significant changes in electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties, including hydrogen storage capacity, due to altered vacancy order.
Reported a nearly threefold increase in electronic density of state effective mass and the emergence of ferromagnetism when transitioning from LRO to SRO.

Conclusions:

Elucidated the critical relationship between local chemical order and material properties.
Highlighted the potential of engineering extra chemical order for designing crystalline solids with desired functionalities.