Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.55, No.23, 12477-12481, 2016
Hybridization Gap in the Semiconducting Compound SrIr4In2Ge4
Large single crystals of SrIr4In2Ge4 were synthesized using the In flux method. This compound is a hybridization gap semiconductor with an experimental optical band gap of E-g = 0.25(3) eV. It crystallizes in the tetragonal EuIr4In2Ge4 structure type with space group I (4) over bar 2m and unit cell parameters a = 6.9004(5) angstrom and c = 8.7120(9) angstrom. The electronic structure is very similar to both EuIr4In2Ge4 and the parent structure Ca3Ir4Ge4, suggesting that these compounds comprise a new family of hybridization gap materials that exhibit indirect gap, semi-conducting behavior at a valence electron count of 60 per formula unit, similar to the Heusler alloys.