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Physical Science Research Frontiers 2017 Research Frontiers 2017

Hydride complex with ninefold H-coordination

Hydrogen, although being the simplest element, On the basis of the above strategy, we examined the exhibits an exceptionally rich chemistry, forming formation of novel transition-metal hydride complexes various types of chemical bonds in materials. The of the 6 element Mo [5]. was selected chemical flexibility is a source of many interesting as a counterion because of its low electronegativity, properties of hydrides, such as storage, fast which is expected to thermodynamically stabilize the ionic conductivity, magnetism, and the metal–insulator complex hydride phases. Our density functional theory transition [1]. In particular, the recent discovery of the (DFT) calculations predicted that tricapped trigonal superconductivity at 203 K in the hydride system prismatic H-coordination (Fig. 1) allows the formation [2] has spurred tremendous research activity toward of strong s-bonds between Mo and H, thus enabling 3− the exploration of hydrogen-rich materials. the formation of the novel hydride complex [MoH9] Complex transition-metal hydrides represent a with ninefold H-coordination in Li5MoH11. Subsequently, class of hydrogen-rich materials, wherein a number the optimized synthesis conditions were effectively of H atoms covalently bind to the transition metals determined by in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray to form a varied set of homoleptic transition-metal diffraction measurements using a cubic-type multianvil hydride complexes with a remarkably rich variety of H press installed at SPring-8 BL14B1. The crystal coordination modes. These complexes are stabilized structure of the synthesized sample was investigated by charge transfer from electropositive counterions, using a combined experimental and ab initio approach. such as alkali and alkaline earth metals, to form Figures 2(a) and 2(b) illustrate the DFT ground- insulating hydrides [1]. In general, the H-coordination state structure of Li5MoH11. The nine H atoms (H1) number increases from right to left along a given period form a tricapped trigonal prism around the Mo atoms of the because of the trend of increasing located at the (0, 0, 0) and (0, 0, 1/2) coordinates of atomic size, which allows more hydrogen binding. At the hexagonal lattice, and two isolated H atoms (H2) the same time, despite research spanning the past are located at the approximate centers of the trigonal several decades, the elements capable of forming prisms formed by the six Mo atoms. The four Li atoms hydride complexes had been thought to be limited to coordinate to the H2 atoms, forming a two-dimensional those in Groups 7–12 [3]. This limitation had precluded network of corner-sharing tetrahedra between the the further discovery of hydride complexes with higher layers of MoH9 units. H-coordination numbers; however, the recent high- Figure 2(c) shows the neutron diffraction (ND) pressure and high-temperature technique overcame profile of a sample obtained by the of a this limitation, and we successfully synthesized the powder mixture of LiD and Mo at 5 GPa and 973 K for novel hydrogen-rich material Mg3CrH8 as the first 48 h (open circles). We performed Rietveld refinement 5− Group 6 hydride complex [CrH7] [4]. The results on the profile (black line in Fig. 2(d)) and obtained the strongly indicate that there is no a priori reason for P6cc structure (No. 184) of Li5MoD11 with nine D atoms the limitation and pave the way for the discovery statistically distributed around the Mo atom, as depicted of hydride complexes with higher H-coordination in Fig. 2(e). The statistical distribution is reasonably comprising unexplored elements to the left of Group 7, well reproduced by first-principles molecular dynamics as illustrated in Fig. 1. (FPMD) calculations at 298 K, wherein the nine H1 atoms significantly rotate around the Mo atoms, generating a spherical shell-like distribution (Fig. 2(f)), as observed by the comparison of the simulated profile obtained from the FPMD trajectory (red line in Fig. 2(e)) Hitherto bo known with the Rietveld refinement fit. From these results, u ndary n we concluded that the novel complex transition-metal Coordination hydride Li5MoH11 containing the first reported ninefold Number 3− H-coordination Group 6 hydride complex [MoH9] was Group successfully synthesized. Period Hydride complex with Qualitatively, the electronic structures of complex 9-fold H coordination Unexplored elements transition-metal hydrides can be viewed as consisting of low-lying H 1s- and high-lying transition-metal (T ) Fig. 1. Strategy for obtaining hydride complexes with high H-coordination. spd-derived states (Fig. 3). The ligand field induced

46 Physical Science Research Frontiers 2017 Research Frontiers 2017

(a) (c) Observed (e)

) Rietveld fit H1 Background MoD9 Mo Difference D1 Li Rwp=0.0636 Li

D2 H2 c c a b a MoH9 Intensity (arb. units b (f)

Rietveld fit (b) (d) Li5MoD11 H2

FPMD b H1

a 0.51.0 1.52.0 2.53.0 3.54.0 4.55.0 5.56.0 d-spacing (Å)

Fig. 2. DFT ground-state structure of (a) Li5MoH11/Li5WH11 and (b) Li6NbH11/Li6TaH11. (c) Experimental ND profile of Li5MoD11 measured at room temperature. The positions of Bragg reflections (tick marks) are shown for Li5MoD11 (top), LiD (second), Mo (third), LiOD (third from bottom), Li2O (second from bottom), and the unknown phase (bottom). (d) Rietveld fit of experimental profile (black line) and simulated profile obtained from FPMD trajectory at 298 K (red line). (e) Crystal structure of Li5MoD11 determined by Rietveld analysis. (f) Time-averaged atomic-density profile obtained from the FPMD trajectory of H atoms at 298 K.

by the H-coordination divides the T spd states into In addition to the above electronic feature, Li5MoH11 nonbonding and antibonding states, and EF normally has a characteristic phonon property such that the falls in the ligand-field gap in order to accommodate ninefold hydride complexes exhibit significant rotational the so-called 18- rule. The most striking point motion even at room temperature, as demonstrated here is that the contribution from the H 1s-derived by our FPMD calculations. This type of motion has states in the valence bands increases with an never been observed in complex transition-metal increasing H-coordination number, reaching EF at hydrides, but has often been discussed in relation ninefold coordination. Such hydrogen-rich materials to the occurrence of fast conduction in alkali are very rare among solid-state hydrides containing metal closo-polyborane salts. Although we observed transition metals and might be of interest in terms of no obvious translational diffusion of Li+ in our high-Tc superconductivity if the band gaps close under FPMD calculations because of the limited simulation compression. time (12 ps) and the unit cell size (136 atoms), the 3− significant rotational motion of [MoH9] ions, as observed in Fig. 2(f), suggests the potential for fast lithium ion conduction even at room temperature. 9-fold 7-fold 6-fold T spd-derived states Shigeyuki Takagi T p T s Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University E T d F H 1s Email: [email protected]

H 1s-derived states References Fig. 3. Strategy for obtaining complex transition- [1] S. Takagi and S. Orimo: Scripta Mater. 109 (2015) 1. metal hydrides with H 1s-derived states reaching the [2] A.P. Drozdov et al.: Nature 525 (2015) 73. Fermi level (EF). The electronic structures roughly [3] K. Yvon: Chimia 52 (1998) 613. comprise low-lying H 1s- and high-lying T spd-derived [4] S. Takagi et al.: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 54 (2015) 5650. states. The contribution from H 1s-derived states to the [5] S. Takagi, Y. Iijima, T. Sato, H. Saitoh, K. Ikeda, valence bands increases with increasing H-coordination T. Otomo, K. Miwa, T. Ikeshoji and S. Orimo: Sci. Rep. 7 number and reaches EF at ninefold H-coordination. (2017) 44253.

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