NbOsSi and TaOsSi - Two new superconducting ternary osmium silicides

The new equiatomic silicides NbOsSi and TaOsSi as well as ZrOsSi, TIrSi (T = Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta) and TPtSi (T = Nb, Ta) were prepared from the elements by arc-melting. These silicides crystallize with the orthorhombic TiNiSi type structure, space group Pnma. Irregularly shaped crystals of ZrOsSi, NbOsSi, TaOsSi, ZrIrSi and HfIrSi were separated from the annealed samples and investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (a = 640.46(7), b = 404.07(5), c = 743.66(8) pm, wR2 = 0.0285, 390 F values, 20 variables for ZrOsSi; a = 629.78(6), b = 388.72(4), c = 727.48(7) pm, wR2 = 0.0350, 397 F2 values, 20 variables for NbOsSi, a = 626.80(6), b = 389.36(4), c = 726.22(7) pm, wR2 = 0.0501, 385 F values, 20 variables for TaOsSi, a = 653.48(8), b = 395.35(4), c = 739.19(8) pm, wR2 = 0.0427, 413 F values, 20 variables for ZrIrSi and a = 646.34(12), b = 393.57(7), c = 736.8(14) pm, wR2 = 0.0582, 371 F values, 20 variables for HfIrSi). The striking structural motifs in the new osmium compounds are three-dimensional [OsSi] networks (OsSi: 240251 p.m.) in which the osmium atoms have strongly distorted tetrahedral silicon coordination. High-pressure/high-temperature experiments (9.5 GPa/1520 K) on TaOsSi gave no hint for a structural phase transition. Temperature dependent measurements of the magnetic susceptibility and the electrical conductivity of NbOsSi and TaOsSi showed superconductivity below T-C = 3.5 and 5.5 K, respectively.Si-29 solid state MAS NMR investigations of the prepared silicides approved the structural models and showed a correlation between the observed Si-29 resonance shifts and the electronegativity of the involved refractory metal. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.