DOE OSTI2020
Pr3Pt23Si11 crystallizes in the cubic Fm-3m space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Pr+3.33+ is bonded to eight equivalent Pt2- atoms to form distorted corner-sharing PrPt8 cuboctahedra. All Pr–Pt bond lengths are 3.17 Å. There are four inequivalent Pt2- sites. In the first Pt2- site, Pt2- is bonded in a distorted square co-planar geometry to four equivalent Si+3.27+ atoms. All Pt–Si bond lengths are 2.59 Å. In the second Pt2- site, Pt2- is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to two equivalent Pr+3.33+ and three Si+3.27+ atoms. There are a spread of Pt–Si bond distances ranging from 2.45–2.47 Å. In the third Pt2- site, Pt2- is bonded to four Si+3.27+ atoms to form a mixture of edge and corner-sharing PtSi4 tetrahedra. There are one shorter (2.44 Å) and three longer (2.50 Å) Pt–Si bond lengths. In the fourth Pt2- site, Pt2- is bonded to four Si+3.27+ atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing PtSi4 tetrahedra. All Pt–Si bond lengths are 2.52 Å. There are three inequivalent Si+3.27+ sites. In the first Si+3.27+ site, Si+3.27+ is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to seven Pt2- atoms. In the second Si+3.27+ site, Si+3.27+ is bonded in a body-centered cubic geometry to eight Pt2- atoms. In the third Si+3.27+ site, Si+3.27+ is bonded in a 7-coordinate geometry to seven Pt2- atoms.