A recent study sheds light on the chemical bonding in antimony, potentially influencing material science significantly. Researchers from Leipzig University, RWTH Aachen, and DESY in Hamburg combined experimental measurements with theoretical calculations, leading to breakthroughs in understanding phase-change materials. These findings, published in the journal Advanced Materials, could enhance applications in data storage and thermoelectrics.
The investigation focused on analyzing the nature and strength of chemical bonds in antimony. "The bond strength directly depends on the distance between atoms," explains Prof. Dr. Claudia S. Schnohr from Leipzig University. The comparison with other materials, such as metals and semiconductors, indicates that this distance dependence is characteristic of chemical bonding.
Notably, researchers identified a fluid transition between classical covalent bonds and electron-rich multicenter bonds. Covalent bonds are typically found in semiconductors like germanium. "Our results demonstrate that antimony in its stable phase exhibits characteristics of both bond types," states co-author Prof. Dr. Oliver Oeckler from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Crystallography at Leipzig University. This discovery has significant implications for understanding phase-change materials used in data storage and thermoelectrics.
Antimony serves as a model system for phase-change materials due to its similar structure to germanium telluride while consisting of only one type of atom. Prof. Schnohr elaborates, "These properties facilitate analysis and comparison with other materials to better understand their bonding characteristics."
The insights gained could lead to targeted optimization of material properties. "By experimentally or theoretically determining force constants, we can design new materials in the future," Schnohr adds. This could be particularly beneficial for applications in electronic storage media and thermoelectrics.