High-pressure synthesis of ultraincompressible hard rhenium nitride pernitride Re2(N2)(N)2 stable at ambient conditions

Bykov M, Chariton S, Fei H, Fedotenko T, Aprilis G, Ponomareva AV, Tasnádi F, Abrikosov IA, Merle B, Feldner P, Vogel S, Schnick W, Prakapenka VB, Greenberg E, Hanfland M, Pakhomova A, Liermann HP, Katsura T, Dubrovinskaia N, Dubrovinsky L (2019)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Book Volume: 10

Article Number: 2994

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10995-3

Abstract

High-pressure synthesis in diamond anvil cells can yield unique compounds with advanced properties, but often they are either unrecoverable at ambient conditions or produced in quantity insufficient for properties characterization. Here we report the synthesis of metallic, ultraincompressible (K0 = 428(10) GPa), and very hard (nanoindentation hardness 36.7(8) GPa) rhenium nitride pernitride Re2(N2)(N)2. Unlike known transition metals pernitrides Re2(N2)(N)2 contains both pernitride N24− and discrete N3− anions, which explains its exceptional properties. Re2(N2)(N)2 can be obtained via a reaction between rhenium and nitrogen in a diamond anvil cell at pressures from 40 to 90 GPa and is recoverable at ambient conditions. We develop a route to scale up its synthesis through a reaction between rhenium and ammonium azide, NH4N3, in a large-volume press at 33 GPa. Although metallic bonding is typically seen incompatible with intrinsic hardness, Re2(N2)(N)2 turned to be at a threshold for superhard materials.

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APA:

Bykov, M., Chariton, S., Fei, H., Fedotenko, T., Aprilis, G., Ponomareva, A.V.,... Dubrovinsky, L. (2019). High-pressure synthesis of ultraincompressible hard rhenium nitride pernitride Re2(N2)(N)2 stable at ambient conditions. Nature Communications, 10(1). https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10995-3

MLA:

Bykov, Maxim, et al. "High-pressure synthesis of ultraincompressible hard rhenium nitride pernitride Re2(N2)(N)2 stable at ambient conditions." Nature Communications 10.1 (2019).

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