Synthesis, crystal structure and electronic structure of the binary phase Rh2Cd5

A new phase in the Rh-Cd binary system - Rh2Cd5 has been identified and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The stoichiometric compound Rh2Cd5 crystallizes with a unit cell containing 14 atoms, in the orthorhombic space group Pbam (55). The crystal structure of Rh2Cd5 can be described as a defect form of the In3Pd5 structure with ordered vacancies, formed of two 2D atomic layers with the stacking sequence: ABAB. The A type layers consist of (3.6.3.6)-Kagome nets of Cd atoms while the B type layers consist of (3(5)) (3(7))- nets of both Cd and Rh atoms. The stability of this line phase is investigated by first principle electronic structure calculations on the model of ordered Rh2Cd5.