We disclose the intrinsic semiconducting properties of one of the largest mixed-valent uranium clusters, [H3 O+ ][UV (UVI O2 )8 (μ3 -O)6 (PhCOO)2 (Py(CH2 O)2 )4 (DMF)4 ] (Ph=phenyl, Py=pyridyl, DMF=N,N-dimethylformamide) (1). Single-crystal X-ray crystallography demonstrates that UV center is stabilized within a tetraoxo core surrounded by eight uranyl(VI) pentagonal bipyramidal centers. The oxidation states of uranium are substantiated by spectroscopic data and magnetic susceptibility measurement. Electronic spectroscopy and theory corroborate that UV species serve as electron donors and thus facilitate 1 being a n-type semiconductor. With the largest effective atomic number among all reported radiation-detection semiconductor materials, charge transport properties and photoconductivity were investigated under X-ray excitation for 1: a large on-off ratio of 500 and considerable charge mobility lifetime product of 2.3×10-4 cm2 V-1 , as well as a high detection sensitivity of 23.4 μC Gyair -1 cm-2 .
Keywords: mixed-valent uranium; radiation detection; semiconductors; uranium clusters.
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