III–V Clathrate Semiconductors with Outstanding Hole Mobility: Cs₈In₂₇Sb₁₉ and <i>A</i>₈Ga₂₇Sb₁₉ (<i>A</i> = Cs, Rb)

Abstract

Three novel unconventional clathrates with unprecedented III-V semiconducting frameworks have been synthesized: Cs₈In₂₇Sb₁₉, Cs₈Ga₂₇Sb₁₉, and Rb₈Ga₂₇Sb₁₉. These clathrates represent the first examples of tetrel-free clathrates that are completely composed of main group elements. All title compounds crystallize in an ordered superstructure of clathrate-I in the <i>Ia</i>3̅ space group (No. 206; <i>Z</i> = 8). In the clathrate framework, a full ordering of {Ga or In} and Sb is observed by a combination of high-resolution synchrotron single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction techniques. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that all three clathrates are energetically stable with relaxed lattice constants matching the experimental data. Due to the complexity of the crystal structure composed of heavy elements, the reported clathrates exhibit ultralow thermal conductivities of less than 1 W·m^-1·K^-1 at room temperature. All compounds are predicted and experimentally confirmed to be narrow-bandgap p-type semiconductors with high Seebeck thermopower values, up to 250 μV·K^-1 at 300 K for Cs₈In₂₇Sb₁₉. The latter compound shows carrier concentrations and mobilities, 1.42 × 10¹⁵ cm^-3 and 880 cm² ·V^-1·s^-1, which are on par with the values for parent binary InSb, one of the best electronic semiconductors. The high hole carrier mobility is uncommon for complex bulk materials and a highly desirable trait, opening ways to design semiconducting materials based on tunable III-V clathrates.