Synthesis of LaWN ₃ nitride perovskite with polar symmetry

Nitrides join the perovskite club

Perovskite structured materials have a variety of uses as photovoltaics, capacitors, and micromechanical actuators, along with other applications. Oxides, halides, and chalcogenides all have large numbers of perovskite structured materials. Examples of perovskite nitrides are conspicuously absent, but Talley et al . managed to synthesize one (see the Perspective by Hong). Lanthanum tungsten nitride in the perovskite structure turns out to be piezoelectric, which is ideal for a variety of applications. Perovskite structured nitrides are very attractive because they could easily integrate with the large number of nitride-based semiconducting devices already in use. —BG