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[Cd4P2][I3] and [Cd2P][CdCl3]: two Millon's phase phosphides exhibiting wide band gaps and large birefringence
Fupeng Wang1, Guang Peng1, Ning Ye1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Crystal Materials, Institute of Functional Crystal, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China. nye@email.tjut.edu.cn.
None:
Research on infrared birefringent crystals applicable to the 8-12 μm long-wave infrared region remains extremely scarce to date. Herein, two Millon's phase phosphide infrared birefringent crystals, [Cd4P2][I3] and [Cd2P][CdCl3], are reported. Both [Cd4P2][I3] and [Cd2P][CdCl3] exhibit a large birefringence (0.105, 0.139) at 546 nm, good IR transparency (up to 15 μm) and a wide band gap (2.20, 2.72 eV). The P-P covalent bonds in [Cd4P2][I3] effectively enhance the structural anisotropy of this phosphide, which constitutes the intrinsic origin of its large birefringence. The chain-layer interconnected arrangement within [Cd2P][CdCl3] is responsible for the pronounced structural anisotropy of the crystal, a critical structural factor giving rise to its large birefringence. These results demonstrate the great potential of [Cd4P2][I3] and [Cd2P][CdCl3] with the "Millon's phase" structure as birefringent materials for applications in the long-wave infrared region.
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