New nitrogen and phosphorus compounds are synthesized under high pressure

An international research team led by the University of Bayreuth in Germany published a paper in the recent issue of the European Journal of Chemistry that they synthesized a variety of new nitrogen and phosphorus compounds under high pressure, including new structural units
.
These latest results demonstrate the great potential of high-pressure nitrogen chemistry research and also lead to recyclable materials for everyday life
.

Non-metallic nitrides are compounds formed by covalent bonding of nitrogen and non-metallic elements, and due to their many interesting properties, they are increasingly becoming "sweet potatoes"
in the field of materials research.

In this study, the scientists successfully synthesized two new nitrogen and phosphorus compounds at high pressures of 72 gigapascals and 134 gigapascals, respectively: polymorphic δ-P_3N_5 and PN_2, both of which are ultra-incompressible materials
.

The research team found through synchronous X-ray diffraction analysis density functional theory calculations that the key reason for the extreme strength of these two nitrogen and phosphorus compounds is that their crystal structure consists of a dense network of PN_6 regular octahedrals (in which 1 phosphorus atom is surrounded by 6 nitrogen atoms), which is also the first time that scientists have confirmed PN_6 regular octahedral structure
.

When the pressure drops, the polymorphic δ-P_3N_5 is transformed into another completely new nitrogen-phosphorus compound: at a pressure of 7 gigapascals, the polymorphic α′-P_3N_5 is formed, a new solid material
that remains stable under normal conditions.
The crystal structure of this nitrogen and phosphorus compound is also unusual and consists of a PN4 tetrahedron (in which 1 phosphorus atom is located in the center of
the pyramid-shaped structural unit and each corner is occupied by 1 nitrogen atom).
Compared to the well-known polymorphic α-P_3N_5, α′-P_3N_5 has a higher density and greater application potential in the field of engineering
.

The researchers said that the latest research shows that scientists can develop new nitrogen compounds with interesting properties through high pressure, and they will further explore the potential applications of these new materials, and conduct more research on non-metallic nitrides at high temperatures and pressures to greatly expand their understanding
of nitrogen chemistry.
The latest research is also expected to lead to recyclable materials
for everyday life.