Development of Mg-ion batteries as advanced electrochemical energy storage systems relies on the design and discovery of high-voltage positive electrode (cathode) materials. To date, a variety of sulfide cathodes have been reported (e.g., MgxMo6S8, MgxTi2S4, etc.), but the voltages of these materials are too low to prepare a high energy density Mg cell. Theoretical computations predicted that MgxCr2S4 operating with the high-voltage Cr3+/4+ redox couple would serve as a suitable cathode candidate, but experimental attempts to extract Mg2+ from the lattice have been largely unsuccessful. We show that reversible electrochemical activity within a thiospinel framework (AB2S4) relies on a redox-active transition metal present in the B site; otherwise, anionic redox activity triggers decomposition of the spinel structure. Since Cr and S states are highly coupled in MgCr2S4, the Cr3+/4+ redox couple is inaccessible so that reversible (de)intercalation of Mg2+ cannot occur and charging leads to dissolution of the active material. These findings point to an insufficiency in the screening criteria previously used to identify MgCr2S4 as a promising Mg cathode. Thus, a computable descriptor based on the electronic structure of the discharged material is proposed to predict the prevalence of cation vs anion redox and improve future surveys of potential candidates. It is unlikely that the high-voltage Cr redox couple will be accessible to oxidation in the presence of sulfur within the restrictions of a spinel framework; however, it is possible that a suitable layered MgxCrS2 structure could serve as a reversible high-voltage Mg cathode.

Ternary metal nitrides are a promising class of functional materials, but their variety has been limited by the challenging nature of nitride synthesis. Here, we demonstrate a facile self-combustion synthesis route to novel ternary molybdenum nitrides. The room temperature mixing of NaNH2, MoCl4, and 3d transition metal chlorides, such as MnCl2, FeCl2, and CoCl2, initiates a highly exothermic metathesis reaction, which is thermodynamically driven by the formation of stable NaCl, N2, and NH3 byproducts. The rapid combustion reaction yields ternary rocksalt γ-TMxMo1-xN0.5 nanoparticles (TM = Mn, Fe, Co) in just a few seconds. We calculate from DFT that these disordered ternary molybdenum nitrides are thermodynamically stable under the high-temperatures at which they form but are remnantly metastable when quenched to ambient conditions. Introduction of Mn, Fe, and Co into γ-Mo2N is found to change its magnetic properties and to enhance its oxygen reduction catalytic activities. Our work demonstrates self-combustion synthesis as a simple but powerful route for the realization of novel ternary intermetallic nitrides with emergent functionality.

MgCr2S4 thiospinel is predicted to be a compelling Mg-cathode material, but its preparation via traditional solid-state synthesis methods has proven challenging. Wustrow et al. [Inorg. Chem., 2018, 57, 14] found that the formation of MgCr2S4 from MgS + Cr2S3 binaries requires weeks of annealing at 800 °C with numerous intermediate regrinds. The slow reaction kinetics of MgS + Cr2S3 → MgCr2S4 can be attributed to a miniscule thermodynamic driving force of ΔH = -2 kJ mol-1. Here, we demonstrate that the double ion-exchange metathesis reaction, MgCl2 + 2NaCrS2 → MgCr2S4 + 2NaCl, has a reaction enthalpy of ΔH = -47 kJ mol-1, which is thermodynamically driven by the large exothermicity of NaCl formation. Using this metathesis reaction, we successfully synthesized MgCr2S4 nanoparticles (<200 nm) from MgCl2 and NaCrS2 precursors in a KCl flux at 500 °C in only 30 minutes. NaCl and other metathesis byproducts are then easily washed away by water. We rationalize the selectivity of MgCr2S4 in the metathesis reaction from the topology of the DFT-calculated pseudo-ternary MgCl2-CrCl3-Na2S phase diagram. Our work helps to establish metathesis reactions as a powerful alternative synthesis route to inorganic materials that have otherwise small reaction energies from conventional precursors.

Solid-state synthesis from powder precursors is the primary processing route to advanced multicomponent ceramic materials. Designing reaction conditions and precursors for ceramic synthesis can be a laborious, trial-and-error process, as heterogeneous mixtures of precursors often evolve through a complicated series of reaction intermediates. Here, ab initio thermodynamics is used to model which pair of precursors has the most reactive interface, enabling the understanding and anticipation of which non-equilibrium intermediates form in the early stages of a solid-state reaction. In situ X-ray diffraction and in situ electron microscopy are then used to observe how these initial intermediates influence phase evolution in the synthesis of the classic high-temperature superconductor YBa₂ Cu₃ O_{6+ x}   (YBCO). The model developed herein rationalizes how the replacement of the traditional BaCO₃ precursor with BaO₂ redirects phase evolution through a low-temperature eutectic melt, facilitating the formation of YBCO in 30 min instead of 12+ h. Precursor selection plays an important role in tuning the thermodynamics of interfacial reactions and emerges as an important design parameter in planning kinetically favorable synthesis pathways to complex ceramic materials.