Polymeric nitrogen, stabilized by compressing pure molecular nitrogen, has yet to be recovered to ambient conditions, precluding its application as a high-energy density material. Here we suggest a route for synthesis of a tetragonal polymeric nitrogen, denoted t-N, via He-N compounds at high pressures. Using first-principles calculations with structure searching, we predict a class of nitrides with stoichiometry HeN 4 that are energetically stable (relative to a mixture of solid He and N 2 ) above 8.5 GPa. At high pressure, HeN 4 comprises a polymeric channel-like nitrogen framework filled with linearly arranged helium atoms. The nitrogen framework persists to ambient pressure on decompression after removal of helium, forming pure polymeric nitrogen, t-N.T-N is dynamically and mechanically stable at ambient pressure with an estimated energy density of ~11.31 kJ/g, marking it out as a remarkable high-energy density material. This expands the known polymeric forms of nitrogen and indicates a route to its synthesis.
CITATION STYLE
Li, Y., Feng, X., Liu, H., Hao, J., Redfern, S. A. T., Lei, W., … Ma, Y. (2018). Route to high-energy density polymeric nitrogen t-N via He-N compounds. Nature Communications, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03200-4
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