Configuration and dynamics of hydride ions in the nitride-hydride catalyst Ca
CrN
H
Fine, L.*; Lav
n, R.*; Wei, Z.*; 津森 竜也*; 陰山 洋*; 梶本 亮一
; Jimen
z-Ruiz, M.*; Koza, M. M.*; Karlsson, M.*
Fine, L.*; Lav
n, R.*; Wei, Z.*; Tsumori, Tatsuya*; Kageyama, Hiroshi*; Kajimoto, Ryoichi; Jimen
z-Ruiz, M.*; Koza, M. M.*; Karlsson, M.*
We report results on the configuration and vibrational dynamics of hydride-ions (H
) in the novel nitridehydride catalyst Ca
CrN
H, by means of variable temperature inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments, harmonic phonon calculations, and machine-learning molecular dynamics (MLMD) calculations. The combined analyses of experimental and theoretical data show that the vibrational dynamics of H
are manifested as a broad, asymmetric vibrational band between 80 and 130 meV. Crucially, these modes are polarized along the crystallographic
axis, and their dispersive character reveals significant interactions between neighbouring H
in the material. We find that most H
are surrounded by two other H
and that the H
sites of the studied sample have an occupancy of at least 95%. We argue that this high H
occupancy may be related to the material's high efficiency as a catalyst for ammonia synthesis.