The innovation engine for new materials

Kai Rochlus

Kai Rochlus

University: 

Saarland University

Major: 

Materials Science

Mentor(s): 

Brian Barraza

Faculty Sponsor(s): 

Ram Seshadri

Faculty Sponsor's Department: 

Materials

Project Title: 

Synthesis, Characterization, and Property Determination of the Novel Bismuth Cyanamide (Bi2(NCN)3)

Project Description: 

Metal cyanamides have attracted interest in the past few years considering their promising electronic and magnetic properties. Bismuth cyanamide (Bi2(NCN)3) is a novel compound in this class of materials and is assumed to have similar properties to lead cyanamide due to the isoelectronicity of Bi3+ and Pb2+. For this study, Bi2(NCN)3 was synthesized through a single-displacement reaction by stirring a suspension of bismuth nitrate (Bi(NO3)· 5 H2O) and cyanamide (H2NCN) in water with the use of ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) as a base. The chemical purity of the resulting orange powder was evaluated using x-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Optical and electronic properties were determined via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and time resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC), respectively. All properties were compared to lead cyanamide. This study has shown that bismuth cyanamide indeed displays similar properties to lead cyanamide and therefore may be a possible replacement in future applications.