Ionic high-pressure form of elemental boron

Artem R. Oganov (), Jiuhua Chen, Carlo Gatti, Yanzhang Ma, Yanming Ma, Colin W. Glass, Zhenxian Liu, Tony Yu, Oleksandr O. Kurakevych and Vladimir L. Solozhenko
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Artem R. Oganov: Laboratory of Crystallography, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Jiuhua Chen: Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
Carlo Gatti: CNR-ISTM Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy
Yanzhang Ma: Texas University of Technology, 7th Street & Boston Avenue, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA
Yanming Ma: Laboratory of Crystallography, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Colin W. Glass: Laboratory of Crystallography, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
Zhenxian Liu: Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Tony Yu: Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA
Oleksandr O. Kurakevych: LPMTM-CNRS, Université Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, F-93430, France
Vladimir L. Solozhenko: LPMTM-CNRS, Université Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, F-93430, France

Nature, 2009, vol. 457, issue 7231, 863-867

Abstract: A new form of boron Boron is an element of fascinating chemical complexity. This arises from frustration: situated between metals and insulators in the periodic table, boron has only three valence electrons that could in principle favour metallicity, yet they are sufficiently localized to give rise to an insulating state. This delicately balanced electronic structure is easily modified by pressure, temperature and impurities, making it difficult to establish boron's structure and properties. Oganov et al. have now explored the high-pressure behaviour of boron and uncovered a previously unknown ionic phase consisting of negatively charged icosahedral B12 clusters and positively charged B2 pairs. The ionicity of the new phase strongly affects many of its properties, and arises from the different electronic properties of the B12 clusters and B2 pairs and the resultant charge transfer between them.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07736

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