Mavlyanovite

Mavlyanovite is a rare manganese-silicon mineral with formula Mn5Si3. It was named after Gani Mavlyanov, an Uzbek geologist who lived from 1910 to 1988. The mineral was first found in lamproite, as a phase that had crystallised from volcanic glass. Associated minerals included manganese siliciphosphide and manganese silicicarbide. Transition metal silicides represent a rich variety of intermetallic compounds with specific crystal and electronic structures owing to the strong interaction between metals and silicon. Recently, transition metal silicides have gained considerable attention from the scientific community because of their unique physicochemical properties such as high thermal stability, excellent electronic conductivity, low electrical resistivity, high strength, good thermodynamic stability, good oxidation, and corrosion resistance. With these favorable properties, transition metal silicides are potential candidates for various nanotechnological applications such as electronics, spintronics, thermoelectrics, and solar energy harvesting.