Experimental and theoretical studies of Sn3-δPbδBi2Se6 (δ=0.0-0.7)

New ternary and quaternary chalcogenides, Sn3-delta Pb delta Bi2Se5 (delta=0.0-0.7), were synthesized from pure elements using the solid-state method. Their crystal structures, determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction, belong to the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62). The structure is related to Pb3Bi2S6, which contains NaCl [311] layer units and zigzag arrays of metal atoms along the c-axis. A correlation between the Pb composition and the shifted position of a metal site was observed. Band structure calculations confirmed that the structure is stabilized when the position of the M5 site is farther from the mirror plane. Thermopower and conductivity measurements indicated that all of the compounds are n-type semiconductors with small band gaps. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.