Ion-Exchange Properties of Alkali-Metal Redox-Intercalated Vanadyl Phosphate

Ion exchange of alkali metals in M_xVOPO₄·yH₂O (M=H, Na, K, Rb, Cs) is reported. The role of valence, size, and affinity of the cations in the exchange process is discussed. The interlayer distance in the H_1-xK_xVOPO₄·yH₂O system is discussed in terms of finite layer rigidity theory. Different behavior is observed for K_xNa_1-xVOPO₄·yH₂O dependening on the starting compound used. When potassium in KVOPO₄·H₂O is exchanged for Na⁺, one phase compound is formed. In contrast, K_xNa_1-xVOPO₄·yH₂O formed from NaVOPO₄·H₂O and K⁺ is a multiphase system. Ion exchange does not proceed when exchanging ions differ distinctly from each other in size, e.g., sodium and cesium.     

Neutron diffraction study on protonated and hydrated layered perovskite

A layered perovskite compound with Na⁺, D₃O⁺ ions (H₃O⁺) and D₂O molecules (H₂O) in the interlayer, D_xNa_1−xLaTiO₄·yD₂O, has been prepared by an ion-exchange/intercalation reaction with dilute DCl solution, using an n=1 Ruddlesden-Popper phase, NaLaTiO₄. Its structure has been analyzed in order to clarify the interlayer structure by Rietveld method, using powder neutron diffraction data. The structure analysis revealed that the layered structure changed from the space group P4/nmm-I4/mmm after the ion-exchange/intercalation reaction, and it induced the transformation of perovskite layers from staggered to an eclipsed configuration. The D₂O molecules and D₃O⁺ ions loaded in the interlayer statistically occupied the sites around a body center position of rectangular space surrounded by eight apical O atoms of TiO₆ octahedra in upper and lower layers.     

Low temperature synthesis of bilayer hydrated cesium cobalt oxide

Bilayer hydrated Na_0.35CoO₂·1.3H₂O structure has re-directed superconductivity research in recent years. Here, we develop a low temperature synthesis method to prepare a novel hydrous Cs_0.2CoO₂·0.63H₂O compound in one step. The bilayer-hydrate of Cs_0.2CoO₂·0.63H₂O with a greatest interlayer spacing d=10.0(2) Å among alkali cobalt oxides has been grown in crystal form. Magnetic susceptibility measurement of Cs_0.2CoO₂·0.63H₂O displays a paramagnetic behavior down to 1.9 K. With the assistance of low temperature molten CsOH solvent, crystals of Rb_0.30CoO₂·0.36H₂O and K_0.35CoO₂·0.4H₂O can be grown. The results provide the capability for preparing a novel hydrous structure and the systematic investigation of interlayer coupling effect of alkali ion insertion compounds.     

Effect of ruthenium substitution in layered sodium cobaltate NaxCoO2: Synthesis, structural and physical properties

Solid-state synthesis of Na_0.71Co_1−xRu_xO₂ compositions shows that ruthenium can be substituted for cobalt in the hexagonal Na_0.71CoO₂ phase up to x=0.5. The cell expands continuously with increasing ruthenium content. All mixed Co-Ru phases show a Curie-Weiss behaviour with no evidence of magnetic ordering down to 2 K. Unlike the parent phase Na_0.71CoO₂, ruthenium-substituted phases are all semiconducting. They exhibit high thermoelectric power, with a maximum of 165 μV/K at 300 K for x=0.3. The Curie constant C and Seebeck coefficient S show a non-monotonic evolution as a function of ruthenium content, demonstrating a remarkable interplay between magnetic properties and thermoelectricity. The presence of ruthenium has a detrimental effect on water intercalation and superconductivity in this system. Applying to Ru-substituted phases the oxidative intercalation of water known to lead to superconductivity in the Na_xCoO₂ system yields a 2-water layer hydrate only for x=0.1, and this phase is not superconducting down to 2 K.     

New protonic solid electrolyte with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure obtained through ionic exchange

Proton exchange reactions have been performed on tetragonal tungsten bronze-like NaNbWO₆ by using nitric acid as an exchanging agent. The characterization of the exchange reaction products has been made by means of chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and IR spectroscopy. The exchange reaction takes place topotactically and the following formula is proposed for the obtained phase of variable composition: Na_1−xH_xNbWO₆·yH₂O (0<x?0.46 and 0?y?0.12). Impedance spectroscopy on the present proton exchanged samples indicated that these samples behaved as solid electrolytes under high humidity. As an example, the compound with the composition Na_0.68H_0.32NbWO₆·0.1 H₂O exhibits ionic conductivity of 8×10⁻³ and 1×10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at 70°C and 90°C, respectively.     

Superconducting transition temperature and the thickness of CoO2 planes of NaxCoO2·yH2O

The superconductivity of Na_xCoO₂·yH₂O appears in two regions of ν_Q divided by a narrow nonsuperconducting phase in the T_c–ν_Q phase diagram, where T_c and ν_Q are the superconducting transition temperature and ⁵⁹Co-nuclear quadrupole frequency, respectively. It suggests that the existence/nonexistence of the superconductivity depends on the local structure around Co sites or on the thickness of the CoO₂ planes, through the change of the crystal field. We have carried out specific heat measurements on several samples with different ν_Q values distributing over both the superconducting ν_Q regions, and found that the electronic specific heat coefficient γ does not change significantly with ν_Q. It suggests that a topological change of the Fermi surface which has been proposed as a possible origin of the existence of the two superconducting regions, does not take place with the change of the local structure around Co sites or thickness of the CoO₂ planes. We have also carried out neutron inelastic measurements on aligned crystals of Na_xCoO₂·yD₂O, and found that ferromagnetic fluctuations with two-dimensional character observed in the high temperature region lose their intensities with decreasing T and becomes inappreciable below 25 K. It indicates that the hole-pockets near the K points in the reciprocal space do not exist in these crystals. Combining these results, we can exclude, in the entire region of ν_Q, the existence of the hole-pockets, on which arguments of the possible triplet superconductivity are based. The present results are consistent with the singlet pairing which we showed in previous papers.     

Vanadyl phosphate dihydrate,a solid acid: the role of water in VOPO4·2H2O and its sodium derivatives Na x (VIV x VV 1−x O)PO4·(2−x)H2O

Sodium-containing intercalates having as general formula Na _x VOPOP₄·(2–x)H₂O (0.25x<0.50) have been obtained and characterized. Orthorhombic phases, which essentially maintain the structure of the layered oxide hydrate VOPO₄·2H₂O result. Intercalated sodium ions act as pillars. The presence of H₃O⁺ ions in the parent VOPO₄·2H₂O and also in some reduced phases, is detected. The understanding of the structural role of the water molecules is advanced and the topotactic dehydration/rehydration processes are studied. The formation of a new metastable VOPO₄·H₂O phase is established.     

Magnetic and thermoelectric properties of layered LixNayCoO2

The magnetic, thermoelectric, and structural properties of Li_xNa_yCoO₂, prepared by intercalation and deintercalation chemistry from the thermodynamically stable phase Li_0.41Na_0.31CoO₂, which has an alternating Li/Na sequence along the c-axis, are reported. For the high Li-Na content phases Li_0.41Na_0.31CoO₂ and Li_0.40Na_0.43CoO₂, a sudden increase in susceptibility is seen below 50 K, whereas for Li_0.21Na_0.14CoO₂ an antiferromagnetic-like transition is seen at 10 K, in spite of a change from dominantly antiferromagnetic to dominantly ferromagnetic interactions with decreasing alkali content. The Curie constant decreases linearly with decreasing alkali content, at the same time the temperature-independent contribution to the susceptibility increases, indicating that as the Co becomes more oxidized the electronic states become more delocalized. Consistent with this observation, the low alkali containing phases have metallic-like resistivities. The 300 K thermopowers fall between 30 μV/K (x+y=0.31) and 150 μV/K (x+y=0.83).     

Superionic Conduction in Co‐Vacant P2‐NaxCoO2 Created by Hydrogen Reductive Elimination

The layered P2‐Na_xMO₂ (M: transition metal) system has been widely recognized as electronic or mixed conductor. Here, we demonstrate that Co vacancies in P2‐Na_xCoO₂ created by hydrogen reductive elimination lead to an ionic conductivity of 0.045 S cm^?1 at 25 °C. Using in situ synchrotron X‐ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, the composition of the superionic conduction phase is evaluated to be Na_0.61(H₃O)_0.18Co_0.93O₂. Electromotive force measurements as well as molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the ion conducting species is proton rather than hydroxide ion. The fact that the Co‐stoichiometric compound Na_x(H₃O)_yCoO₂ does not exhibit any significant ionic conductivity proves that Co vacancies are essential for the occurrence of superionic conductivity.     

Characterization and thermal stability of cobalt-modified 1-D nanostructured trititanates

One-dimensional (1-D) nanostructured sodium trititanates were obtained via alkali hydrothermal method and modified with cobalt via ion exchange at different Co concentrations. The resulting cobalt-modified trititanate nanostructures (Co-TTNS) were characterized by TGA, XRD, TEM/SAED, DRS-UV-Vis and N₂ adsorption techniques. Their general chemical formula was estimated as Na_xCo_y/2H_2−x−yTi₃O₇·nH₂O and they maintained the same nanostructured and multilayered nature of the sodium precursor, with the growth direction of nanowires and nanotubes along [010]. As a consequence of the Co²⁺ incorporation replacing sodium between trititanate layers, two new diffraction lines became prominent and the interlayer distance was reduced with respect to that of the precursor sodium trititanate. Surface area was slightly increased with cobalt intake whereas pore size distribution was hardly affected. Besides, Co²⁺ incorporation in trititanate crystal structure also resulted in enhanced visible light photon absorption as indicated by a strong band-gap narrowing. Morphological and structural thermal transformations of Co-TTNS started nearly 400 °C in air and the final products after calcination at 800 °C were found to be composed of TiO₂-rutile, CoTiO₃ and a bronze-like phase with general formula Na_2xTi_1−xCo_xO₂.     

Selectivity for Cs and Sr in Nb-substituted titanosilicate with sitinakite topology

The 25% niobium substituted crystalline titanosilicate with the composition Na_1.5Nb_0.5Ti_1.5O₃SiO₄·2H₂O (Nb-TS) was synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. Its selectivity for radioactive ¹³⁷Cs and ⁸⁹Sr was compared with the TS, Na₂Ti₂O₃SiO₄·2H₂O, having sitinakite topology. The Nb-TS shows significantly higher uptake value for ¹³⁷Cs but lower for ⁸⁹Sr than the TS. To investigate the origin of selectivity, the ion exchanged Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ forms with the composition, Cs_xNaH_yNb_0.5Ti_1.5O₃SiO₄·zH₂O (x=0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, x+y=0.5 and z=1-2) and Sr_0.2Na_0.6H_0.5Nb_0.5Ti_1.5O₃SiO₄·H₂O, respectively, were structurally characterized from the X-ray powder diffraction data using the Rietveld refinement technique. Simultaneously the kinetics of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁸⁹Sr uptake was investigated for the Nb^V free and doped samples. While the Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ exchanged form of Nb-TS and the Cs⁺ exchanged form of TS retain the symmetry of the parent compound, the Sr²⁺ exchanged form of TS undergoes a symmetry change. The differences in the uptake of Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ result from the different coordination environments of cesium and strontium in the eight-ring channel, that result from various hydration sites in the tunnel. The origin of selectivity appears to arise from the higher coordination number of cesium or strontium. Other effects due to Nb^V substitution are reflected in the increase of both, the a- and c-dimensions and thus the unit cell volume, and the population of water vs. Na⁺ in the channel to charge-balance the Nb⁵⁺↔Ti⁴⁺ substitution.     

Molecular–Continuum Model for Calculating Chemical Hydration Enthalpy of the Cyanide Ion

Structures of hydrate complexes (H₂O) _x CN^–(H₂O) _y , where x + y = 1–5 are optimized by the density functional method in the B3LYP version. It is shown that the nearest hydration sphere of the cyanide ion comprises four water molecules directly linked to the ion by hydrogen bonds. The chemical enthalpy of the hydration of the cyanide ion is calculated in the reactive-field continuum models (PCM and SCIPCM) and in other nonelectrostatic interactions. The calculation takes into account the electrostatic interaction between the hydrate complex and the solvent's dielectric surrounding. Calculation results are in good agreement with experiment.     

Relationship between interlayer hydration and photocatalytic water splitting of A′1−xNaxCa2Ta3O10·nH2O (A′=K and Li)

Partial replacement of alkaline metals in anhydrous KCa₂Ta₃O₁₀ and LiCa₂Ta₃O₁₀ was studied to control interlayer hydration and photocatalytic activity for water splitting under UV irradiation. A′_1−xNa_xCa₂Ta₃O₁₀·nH₂O (A′=K and Li) samples were synthesized by ion exchange of CsCa₂Ta₃O₁₀ in mixed molten nitrates at 400 °C. In K_1−xNa_xCa₂Ta₃O₁₀·nH₂O, two phases with the orthorhombic (C222) and tetragonal (I4/mmm) structures were formed at x?0.7 and x?0.5, respectively. Upon replacement by Na⁺ having a larger enthalpy of hydration (ΔH_h⁰), the interlayer hydration occurred at x?0.3 and the hydration number (n) was increased monotonically with an increase of x. Li_1−xNa_xCa₂Ta₃O₁₀·nH₂O showed a similar hydration behavior, but the phase was changed from I4/mmm (x<0.5, n∼0) via P4/mmm (x∼0.5, n∼1) to I4/mmm (x∼1.0, n∼2). The photocatalytic activities of these systems after loading 0.5 wt% Ni were quite different each other. K_1−xNa_xCa₂Ta₃O₁₀·nH₂O exhibited the activity increasing in consistent with n, whereas Li_1−xNa_xCa₂Ta₃O₁₀·nH₂O exhibited the activity maximum at x=0.77, where the rates of H₂/O₂ evolution were nearly doubled compared with those for end-member compositions (x=0 and 1).     

Syntheses,crystal structures and properties of tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylato bridged copper(II) coordination polymers with alkali metals

Four tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylato bridged copper(II) coordination polymers with alkali metals, Na₂[Cu(H₂O)(THFTC)]·5H₂O 1, K₂[Cu₃(H₂O)₂(THFTC)₂]·9H₂O 2, Rb₂[Cu₃(H₂O)₂(THFTC)₂]·6H₂O 3 and Cs₂[Cu₃(H₂O)₂(THFTC)₂]·6H₂O 4 (H₄THFTC = tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid) were prepared from reactions of Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O, tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid and alkali hydroxide or carbonate at pH 5.0–6.0 under ambient conditions. Compound 1 features 2D (3³·4³·5⁴) topological layers generated from six-coordinated Cu²⁺ cations interlinked by (THFTC)⁴⁻ anions, and the resulting layers are ecliptically stacked along [1 0 0] direction to form lozenge-shaped and octagonal channels filled with Na⁺ ions and lattice H₂O molecules. In 2–4, both penta- and hexa-coordinated copper(II) ions are bridged by tetracarboxylate anions to form negatively charged 2D layers formulated as ²_∞[Cu(H₂O)₂L_3/2]²⁻ with the corresponding alkali metal cations (K⁺, Rb⁺ or Cs⁺ ions) and hydrogen bonded lattice H₂O molecules sandwiched between them. Additionally, the results about i.r. spectroscopic, thermal characterizations and magnetic properties are presented.     

Synthesis and characterization of one- to three-dimensional compounds composed of paradodecatungstate-B cluster and transition metals as linkers

Three new extended frameworks built from paratungstate and transition metals have been synthesized and characterized. In the compound Na₈[{Cd (H₂O)₂}(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]·32H₂O (1), two neighboring paratungstate-B ions [H₂W₁₂O₄₂]¹⁰⁻ are linked by [Cd(H₂O)₂]²⁺ units, leading to the formation of infinite one-dimensional (1D) anion chain [{Cd(H₂O)₂}(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]_n⁸ⁿ⁻. The anion [{Co(H₂O)₃}{Co(H₂O)₄}(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]_n⁶ⁿ⁻ of the compound Na₆[{Co(H₂O)₃}{Co(H₂O)₄}(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]·29H₂O (2) shows a layer-like (2D) structure in which paratungstate-B units are linked by CoO₆ octahedra, while the anion [{Co(H₂O)₃}₃(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]_n⁴ⁿ⁻ of the compound (H₃O⁺)₃[{Na(H₂O)₄}{Co(H₂O)₄}₃(H₂W₁₂O₄₂)]·24.5H₂O (3) is a three-dimensional (3D) anionic polymer that consists of paratungstate-B units linked by CoO₆ octahedra. Compound 3 can reversibly adsorb and desorb water molecules leading to the color reversibly change from pink to violet. The preliminary magnetic measurement and electrochemical properties of compounds are performed. The crystal structure of unexpected product Na₄[NiW₆O₂₄H₆]·13H₂O (4) is described here for the rare report of crystal structure information on the Anderson-type polyoxotungstate which has nickel as a heteroatom.     

Zur Kenntnis des Natriumthioferrates(III)

The mixed valency compound Na₃Fe₂S₄, which is also formed in iron-sodium polysulfide melts, is oxidized and hydrated to NaFeS₂·H₂O (x ≈ 2) on air. It is shown by TGA that this hydrate loses the water reversibly between 80–140 °C. A crystal structure model for the water free phase NaFeS₂ is proposed (space group I 222,a=6.25 Å,b=10.83 Å,c=5.40 Å). The formation of NaFeS₂·xH₂O from Na₃Fe₂S₄ and the reversible phase transformation between NaFeS₂·xH₂O and NaFeS₂ are topotactic. Na⁺ ions in NaFeS₂·xH₂O are easily exchanged against K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Tl⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺. The high chemical reactivity of the sodium thioferrates is discussed and their crystal structures are compared with the other alkali metal thioferrate structures.     

Charge compensation and oxidation in NaxCoO2−δ and LixCoO2−δ studied by XANES

A comparative study on the oxidation and charge compensation in the A_xCoO_2−δ systems, A=Na (x=0.75, 0.47, 0.36, 0.12) and Li (x=1, 0.49, 0.05), using X-ray absorption spectroscopy at O 1s and Co 2p edges is reported. Both the O 1s and Co 2p XANES results show that upon removal of alkali metal from A_xCoO_2−δ the valence of cobalt increases more in Li_xCoO_2−δ than in Na_xCoO_2−δ. In addition, the data of O 1s XANES indicate that charge compensation by oxygen is more pronounced in Na_xCoO_2−δ than in Li_xCoO_2−δ.     

A fast route to obtain manganese spinel nanoparticles by reduction of K-birnessite

The K-birnessite (K_xMnO₂·yH₂O) reduction reaction has been tested in order to obtain manganese spinel nanoparticles. The addition of 0.25 weight percent of hydrazine hydrate, the reducing agent, during 24 hours is efficient to transform the birnessite powder in a hausmanite Mn₃O₄ powder. Well crystallised square shape nanoparticles are obtained. Different birnessite precursors have been tested and the reaction kinetics is strongly correlated to the crystallinity and granulometry of the precursor. The effects of aging time and hydrazine hydrate amount have been studied. Well crystallised Mn₃O₄ is obtained in one hour. The presence of feitknechtite (MnO(OH)) and amorphous nanorods has been detected as an intermediate phase during birnessite conversion into hausmanite. The conversion mechanism is discussed.     

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities of porous olive-shaped sulfur-doped BiVO4-supported cobalt oxides

Porous S-doped bismuth vanadate with an olive-like morphology and its supported cobalt oxide (y wt% CoO_x/BiVO_4−δS_0.08, y = 0.1, 0.8, and 1.6) photocatalysts were fabricated using the dodecylamine-assisted alcohol-hydrothermal and incipient wetness impregnation methods, respectively. It is shown that the y wt% CoO_x/BiVO_4−δS_0.08 photocatalysts were single-phase with a monoclinic scheetlite structure, a porous olive-like morphology, a surface area of 8.8–9.2 m²/g, and a bandgap energy of 2.38–2.41 eV. There was the co-presence of surface Bi⁵⁺, Bi³⁺, V⁵⁺, V³⁺, Co³⁺, and Co²⁺ species in y wt% CoO_x/BiVO_4−δS_0.08. The 0.8 wt% CoO_x/BiVO_4−δS_0.08 sample performed the best for methylene blue degradation under visible-light illumination. The photocatalytic mechanism was also discussed. We believe that the sulfur and CoO_x co-doping, higher oxygen adspecies concentration, and lower bandgap energy were responsible for the excellent visible-light-driven catalytic activity of 0.8 wt% CoO_x/BiVO_4−δS_0.08.     

Conservation of [(C2H4NH3)3N]2·(ZrF7)2·H2O layers during the topotactic dehydration of [(C2H4NH3)3N]2·(ZrF7)2·9H2O

Tren amine cations [(C₂H₄NH₃)₃N]³⁺ and zirconate or tantalate anions adopt a ternary symmetry in two hydrates, [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·9H₂O and [H₃tren]₆·(ZrF₇)₂·(TaOF₆)₄·3H₂O, which crystallise in R32 space group with a_H = 8.871 (2) Å, c_H = 38.16 (1) Å and a_H = 8.758 (2) Å, c_H = 30.112 (9) Å, respectively. Similar [H₃tren]₂·(MX₇)₂·H₂O (M = Zr, Ta; X = F, O) sheets are found in both structures; they are separated by a water layer (O_w(2)-O_w(3)) in [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·9H₂O. Dehydration of [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·9H₂O starts at room temperature and ends at 90 °C to give [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·H₂O. [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·H₂O layers remain probably unchanged during this dehydration and the existence of one intermediate [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·3H₂O hydrate is assumed. O_w(1) molecules are tightly hydrogen bonded with -NH₃⁺ groups and decomposition of [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₇)₂·H₂O occurs from 210 °C to 500 °C to give successively [H₃tren]₂·(ZrF₆)·(Zr₂F₁₂) (285 °C), an intermediate unknown phase (320 °C) and ZrF₄.