Anion-Anion Bonding and the Topology in Ternary Iridium Seleno-Stannides

TL;DR

This study reports the synthesis, structural analysis, and physical properties of three new Ir-Sn-Se compounds, revealing their diverse topologies and potential topological non-triviality under strain.

Contribution

It introduces three novel Ir-Sn-Se compounds with detailed structural characterization and explores their electronic properties, including potential topological features.

Findings

All compounds are insulating and diamagnetic.

Ir2Sn3Se3 may be topologically non-trivial under tensile strain.

Structures include pyrite, skutterudite, and layered -MnO2 types.

Abstract

The synthesis and physical properties of two new and one known Ir-Sn-Se compound are reported. Their crystal structures are elucidated with transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. IrSn0.45Se1.55 is a pyrite phase which consists of tilted corner-sharing IrX6 octahedra with randomly distributed (Sn-Se)4- and (Se-Se)2- dimers. Ir2Sn3Se3 is a trigonally distorted skutterudite that consists of cooperatively tilted corner-sharing IrSn3Se3 octahedra with ordered (Sn-Se)24- tetramers. Ir2SnSe5 is a layered, distorted \b{eta}-MnO2 (pyrolusite) structure consisting of a double IrSe6 octrahedral row, corner-sharing in the a direction and edge-sharing in the b direction. This distorted pyrolusite contains (Se-Se)2- dimers, Se2- anions, and each double row is "capped" with a (Sn-Se)n polymeric chain. Resistivity, specific heat, and magnetization measurements show that all three have insulating and diamagnetic behavior, indicative of low spin 5d6 Ir3+. Electronic structure calculations on Ir2Sn3Se3 show a single, spherical, non-spin-orbit split valence band, and suggest that Ir2Sn3Se3 is topologically non-trivial under tensile strain, due to inversion of Ir-d and Se-p states.