Issue 2, 2023

Si5-pentagonal rings and Y-shaped Si4 building blocks in Li32Si18 system: similarities with the crystalline Zintl phase Li12Si7

Abstract

Potential energy surface screening combined with density functional computations reveal that the Li32Si18 lowest energy structure consists of Si4 Y-shaped and Si5-pentagonal moieties, as observed in the crystalline Zintl-phase Li12Si7. The Li32Si18 system can be interpreted as an assembly of Li10Si4 (Si4-Y) and Li6Si5 (Si5-pentagonal) clusters, showing a clear growth pattern towards a material assembled from clusters. Chemical bonding analysis shows that the silicon atoms are strongly connected by covalent bonds, with a significant electron transfer from the lithium resulting in primarily electrostatic Li–Si interactions. This study establishes a structural relationship between Li–Si compounds at sub-nano, nano, and macro scales, which, together with the abundant literature on Zintl-phases of lithium silicides, may open new routes for materials design.

Graphical abstract: Si5-pentagonal rings and Y-shaped Si4 building blocks in Li32Si18 system: similarities with the crystalline Zintl phase Li12Si7

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Jul 2022
Accepted
06 Oct 2022
First published
07 Oct 2022

Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2023,8, 207-216

Si5-pentagonal rings and Y-shaped Si4 building blocks in Li32Si18 system: similarities with the crystalline Zintl phase Li12Si7

O. Yañez, D. Inostroza, L. Leyva-Parra, J. Solar-Encinas, J. C. Cruz, J. Garza, A. Vásquez-Espinal, R. Pino-Rios, W. Orellana and W. Tiznado, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2023, 8, 207 DOI: 10.1039/D2ME00152G

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