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

Nature Communications Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications

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.

Authors with CRIS profile

Benoit Merle Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften) Patrick Feldner Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften)

Additional Organisation(s)

Graduiertenkolleg 1896/2 In situ Mikroskopie mit Elektronen, Röntgenstrahlen und Rastersonden Interdisziplinäres Zentrum, Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM) Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Allgemeine Werkstoffeigenschaften)

Related research project(s)

Mechanische Eigenschaften und Bruchverhalten von dünnen Schichten (GRK1896-B3) In-situ Characterization of Nanomaterials with Electrons, X-rays/Neutrons and Scanning Probes (GRK 1896) April 1, 2018 - Sept. 30, 2022

Involved external institutions

Universität Bayreuth DE Germany (DE) University of Chicago US United States (USA) (US) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY DE Germany (DE) Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) DE Germany (DE) European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) FR France (FR) Linköpings universitet / Linköping University SE Sweden (SE) National University of Science and Technology "MISIS" RU Russian Federation (RU)

How to cite

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://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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