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Register a new userDoes the $8-N$ bonding rule break down in As$_2$Se$_3$ glass?
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The local coordination numbers of As$_2$Se$_3$ glass were determined by a combination of anomalous x-ray scattering experiments, reverse Monte Carlo calculations, and {it ab initio} molecular dynamics simulations. The well-known `8-$N$ bonding rule proposed by Mott breaks down around the As atoms, exceeding the rule by 7--26%. An experimental prediction based on mean-field theory agrees with the present experimental and theoretical results. The fourfold coordinated As atoms likely form As-As wrong bond chains rather than ethan-like configurations, which is identified as the origin for the breakdown of the `8-$N$ bonding rule.
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