High-resolution spectroscopy of bonding in a novel BeP2N4 compound.
The recently discovered compound BeP2N4 that crystallizes in the phenakite-type structure has potential application as a high strength optoelectronic material. Therefore, it is important to analyze experimentally the electronic structure, which was done in the present work by monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy. The detection of Be is challenging due to its low atomic number and easy removal under electron bombardment. We were able to determine the bonding behavior and coordination of the individual atomic species including Be. This is evident from a good agreement between experimental electron energy-loss near-edge structures of the Be-K-, P-L2,3-, and N-K-edges and density functional theory calculations.
1Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,Butenandtstr. 5-13,81377 Munich,Germany.
Teresa
T
Dennenwaldt
2Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,National Center for Electron Microscopy,Berkeley,CA 94720,USA.
Jim
J
Ciston
2Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,National Center for Electron Microscopy,Berkeley,CA 94720,USA.
Ulrich
U
Dahmen
3Department of Physics and Astronomy,University of Missouri-Kansas City,Kansas City,MO 64110,USA.
Wai-Yim
WY
Ching
1Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,Butenandtstr. 5-13,81377 Munich,Germany.
Florian J
FJ
Pucher
1Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,Butenandtstr. 5-13,81377 Munich,Germany.
Wolfgang
W
Schnick
1Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience,Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,Butenandtstr. 5-13,81377 Munich,Germany.
Christina
C
Scheu