Nitride tuning of transition metal perovskites

Transition metal perovskite oxynitrides are emergent materials for applications as visible light-active photocatalysts for water splitting and CO2 reduction and as thermoelectric, dielectric, and magnetic materials. They have been reported for early transition metals Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W in the B sites and alkaline earth or rare earth metals in the A sites. Nitrogen is less electronegative and more polarizable than oxygen, and nitride is more charged than oxide. As a consequence, the introduction of nitride in an oxidic perovskite has important effects on the covalency of bonds, the energy of electronic levels, and the valence states of the cations. This work discusses fundamental and recent developments of perovskite oxynitrides of transition metals of groups 4, 5, and 6 as photocatalytic and electronic materials, focusing on the important aspects of synthetic methodologies, crystal structures, and anion ordering, in connection with the observed physical and chemical properties. Some examples of compounds with late transition metals and complex structures such as layered and double perovskites are also discussed. (C) 2020 Author(s).