A new material has been developed for advanced technologies in electronics.

The results are published in the journal Materials. Telluride compounds possess immense potential due to their thermoelectric properties. However, obtaining them in the form of pure powder poses significant challenges. In particular, the absence of impurities in the substances used is especially crucial.

“The study of four-component tellurides opens new avenues for the creation of materials with unique properties, with potential applications in various fields including electronics, optics, and energy. Our research introduces a new class of semiconductor and thermoelectric materials. The optimization of the conditions for synthesizing layered quaternary tellurides has allowed us to reduce synthesis time and increase the purity of the resulting product. The scientific groundwork established can be utilized for technological developments in creating optical, thermoelectric, and semiconductor modules based on heterometallic tellurides,” reported Anna Ruseikina, a professor in the Department of Organic and Environmental Chemistry at Tyumen State University.

During the experiments, the scientists synthesized a series of single crystals by adding cesium iodide as a flux. Due to the rapid oxidizability of rare earth metals by components of the air (oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor) at room temperature, the starting components were weighed in an inert atmosphere using a glove box. A layer of amorphous carbon, obtained by pyrolysis of acetylene, was previously applied to the inner walls of quartz ampoules. As a result, patterns of changes in structural parameters and the degree of distortion of the coordination polyhedra depending on the ionic radius of the rare earth metal were established.

The research was conducted with the support of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.