NaCa4Nb5O17: a layered perovskite AnBnO3n+2 compound

Sodium tetracalcium pentaniobium heptadecaoxide, NaCa₄­Nb₅O₁₇, corresponds to the n = 5 term of the homologous A_nB_nO_3n+2 family of structures composed of ABX₃ perovskite layers. The structure consists of perovskite‐type blocks of n = 5 layers of NbO₆ octahedra, separated by an interblock region. Successive blocks along the b axis are displaced by c with respect to each other. The deformation of the NbO₆ octahedra is a minimum at the middle of each block, and increases along the direction of the b axis to a maximum at each end of the block. Ca and Na share the same intrablock sites, coordinated by 12 O atoms, whereas only Ca atoms are found in the interblock cavities, at sites with different coordination geometries.     

Perovskite‐related LaTiO3.41

Crystals of pentalanthanum pentatitanium heptadecaoxide (La₅Ti₅O₁₇ with 0.3% oxy­gen excess, or LaTiO_3.41) have been synthesized by floating‐zone melting, and the structure has been solved using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction intensities. The monoclinic (P2₁/c) structure consists of perovskite‐like slabs of vertex‐sharing TiO₆ octahedra, which are separated by additional oxy­gen layers. The slabs are five octahedra wide. Due to the adjustment of the TiO₆ octahedra to meet the coordination requirements of the La³⁺ cations, a superstructure develops along the a axis.     

A synchrotron X‐ray study of triclinic LiCa2Nb3O10 with perovskite‐type slabs

The triclinic superstructure of a small crystal of LiCa₂Nb₃O₁₀, lithium dicalcium triniobium decaoxide, has been investigated by synchrotron X‐ray diffraction. The unit cell is an almost rectangular parallelepiped, although there is a 0.245° offset from orthogonality for β. The structure essentially belongs to a homologous series of Li[Na_n?3Ca₂Nb_nO_3n+1] with n = 3, where the moiety in square brackets has a perovskite‐type slab structure. The superstructure has a doubled unit‐cell volume with respect to the tetragonal aristotype. The NbO₆ octahedra are rotated about axes parallel to [110] by approximately 10°. Adjacent slabs are connected by Li atoms and are geo­metrically related by 4₂ pseudosymmetry lying parallel to c . There are twice as many sites as Li atoms, providing a variation of population at these Li sites.     

Ba2Ti2Si2O9F2, a new titanium silicate

Dibarium dititanium difluoride dioxide heptaoxidodisilicate, Ba₂Ti₂Si₂O₉F₂, is a new edge‐sharing titanate with a unique titanium silicate framework. All atoms in the structure are in general positions. Titanium oxyfluoride octahedra combine with silicon tetrahedra to form a double stacked chain, which is the base unit of the layered framework. The Ba atoms lie in channels that extend along the a axis.     

Synthesis and characterization of the novel Nb3O5F5 niobium oxyfluoride: the term n=3 of the NbnO2n−1Fn+2 series

The solid-state synthesis of the oxyfluoride Nb₃O₅F₅, its crystal structure determined from X-ray powder diffraction data as well as some physical characterizations, are reported. Nb₃O₅F₅ constitutes the term n=3 of the Nb_nO_2n−1F_n+2 series related to the Dion-Jacobson phases. It crystallizes, at room temperature, in the tetragonal system (space group I4/mmm (no. 139); Z=4; a=3.9135(1) Å, c=24.2111(2) Å, and V=370.80(3) Å³). The crystal structure appears to be an in-between of the three-dimensional network of NbO₂F and the two-dimensional packing of NbOF₃ (term n=1 of the Nb_nO_2n−1F_n+2 series). This layered structure consists of slabs made of three Nb(O,F)₆ corner-linked octahedra in thickness (n=3) shifted one from another by a ()/translation. Oxygen and fluorine atoms are randomly distributed over all the ligand sites.     

A new chain structure: catena‐poly[4,4′‐(ethane‐1,2‐diyl)dipyridinium bis[[aquadifluoridooxidovanadate]‐μ‐fluorido]]

The title compound, {(C₁₂H₁₂N₂)[V₂F₆O₂(H₂O)₂]}_n, features a novel extended‐chain moiety, [VOF₂F_2/2(H₂O)]_n, comprising trans vertex‐connected VOF₄(H₂O) octahedra. The octahedra themselves show the characteristic distortion due to the off‐centring of the V⁴⁺ ion, such that a short terminal V=O bond and an elongated trans V—OH₂ bond are present. Hydrogen bonding from the water molecules to terminal F atoms in adjacent chains generates associated chain dimers, which are loosely linked into sheets via additional hydrogen bonding involving the organic moieties. Structural relationships with previously described vanadium oxyfluoride species are briefly discussed.     

Dopant substitution and oxygen migration in the complex perovskite oxide Ba3CaNb2O9: A computational study

Atomistic simulation methods have been used to study the defect chemistry of the complex perovskite oxide Ba₃CaNb₂O₉. Calculations were carried out for the hexagonal (P-3m1) phase and the cubic (Fm-3m) phase. The hexagonal structure is predicted to be energetically more stable at room temperature. In both structures the most favourable dopant for Nb⁵⁺ is found to be Ca²⁺ rather than Mg²⁺, in contrast to the generally accepted rule that size similarities govern such processes. The diffusion of oxygen vacancies in the hexagonal and cubic phases occurs within different networks of corner-sharing NbO₆ and CaO₆ octahedra. Irrespective of the arrangement of octahedra, however, migration of oxygen vacancies around NbO₆ octahedra takes place with lower activation energies than around the CaO₆ octahedra.     

Crystal growth of new perovskite and perovskite related iridates: Ba3LiIr2O9, Ba3NaIr2O9, and Ba3.44K1.56Ir2O10

Single crystals of Ba₃LiIr₂O₉, Ba₃NaIr₂O₉, and Ba_3.44K_1.56Ir₂O₁₀ were grown from hydroxide fluxes. Ba₃LiIr₂O₉ and Ba₃NaIr₂O₉ form in the 6H–BaTiO₃ or triple perovskite structure, which is derived from the hexagonal and cubic stacking of [AO₃] layers. The structure contains face-sharing Ir₂O₉ octahedra pairs, which are connected via corner shared LiO₆ (NaO₆) octahedra. Both compounds crystallize in the space group P6₃/mmc, Z=2, with a=5.7804(4) and c=14.302(1) and a=5.866(4) and c=14.596(1) for the Li and Na member, respectively. The structure of Ba_3.44K_1.56Ir₂O₁₀ is derived from the stacking of [AO₃] and mixed [A₂O] layers, and is an n=3 member of the [A_nM_n−1O_3n][A₂O] family of hexagonal perovskite related oxides. The structure of Ba_3.44K_1.56Ir₂O₁₀ consists of (Ba₃Ir₂O₉) slabs separated by [(Ba,K)₂O] layers and is isostructural with Ba₅Ru₂O₁₀. The (Ba₃Ir₂O₉) slabs contain isolated, face-sharing Ir₂O₉ octahedra pairs. The compound crystallizes in the space group P6₃/mmc, Z=2, with a=5.91330(1) Å and c=18.1792(7) Å. The magnetic moments determined from the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility are low for all three oxides, which is thought to be due to a combination of spin–orbit coupling and strong exchange interactions within the iridium octahedra pairs.     

Ba3Li2V2O7Cl4, a new vanadate with a channel structure

The tribarium dilithium divanadate tetrachloride Ba₃Li₂V₂O₇Cl₄ is a new vanadate with a channel structure and the first known vanadate containing both Ba and Li atoms. The structure contains four non‐equivalent Ba²⁺ sites (two with m and two with 2/m site symmetry), two Li⁺ sites, two nonmagnetic V⁵⁺ sites, five O²⁻ sites (three with m site symmetry) and four Cl⁻ sites (m site symmetry). One type of Li atom lies in LiO₄ tetrahedra (m site symmetry) and shares corners with VO₄ tetrahedra to form eight‐tetrahedron Li₃V₅O₂₄ rings and six‐tetrahedron Li₂V₄O₁₈ rings; these rings are linked within porous layers parallel to the ab plane and contain Ba²⁺ and Cl⁻ ions. The other Li atoms are located on inversion centres and form isolated chains of face‐sharing LiCl₆ octahedra.     

Monoclinic superstructure of SrMgF4 with perovskite‐type slabs

Crystals of Ce‐doped SrMgF₄, strontium magnesium tetrafluoride, have been found to have a monoclinic P2₁ structure with doubled a and tripled c cell lengths compared with the orthorhombic Cmcm structure previously reported in the literature. The perovskite‐type slabs, composed of corner‐sharing MgF₆ octahedra and Sr atoms, are stacked along the b axis. The six crystallographically independent MgF₆ octahedra are rotated so as to provide long periodicities along a and c . The coordination numbers and bond distances around the six crystallographically independent Sr atoms are slightly different in each case. In the superstructure, the Sr atoms lie on local mirror planes which are thought to originate at the high‐temperature phase transition.     

Relative stabilities of layered perovskite and pyrochlore structures in transition metal oxides containing trivalent bismuth

In order to investigate the factors determining the relative stabilities of layered perovskite and pyrochlore structures of transition metal oxides containing trivalent bismuth, several ternary and quaternary oxides have been investigated. While d⁰ cations stabilize the layered perovskite structure, cations containing partially-filled d orbitals (which suppress ferroelectric distortion of MO₆ octahedra) seem to favor pyrochlore-related structures. Thus, the vanadium analogue of the layered perovskite Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ cannot be prepared; instead the composition consists of a mixture of pyrochlore-type Bi_1.33V₂O₆, Bi₂O₃, and Bi metal. The distortion of Bi_1.33V₂O₆ to orthorhombic symmetry is probably due to an ordering of anion vacancies in the pyrochlore structure. None of the other pyrochlores investigated, Bi₂NbCrO₇, Bi₂NbFeO₇, TlBiM₂O₇ (M = Nb, Ta), shows evidence for cation ordering in the X-Ray diffraction patterns, as indeed established by structure refinement of TlBiNb₂O₇.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Magnetism of the New Oxysulfide Ce3NbO4S3

The orange cerium‐niobium‐oxysulfide Ce₃NbO₄S₃ was synthesized by the solid state reaction of CeO₂, Ce‐metal, Nb₂O₅ and sulfur at 1100 °C. The crystal structure has orthorhombic symmetry (space group Pbam, a = 7.055(1), b = 14.571(3), c = 7.627(2) Å, Z = 4) and contains isolated [Nb₂S₄O₆]¹⁰⁻ ions consisting of two strongly distorted, edge sharing NbO₃SS_2/2 octahedra. Niobium is connected to three oxygen and three sulfur atoms. The cerium atoms are eightfold coordinated by oxygen and sulfur atoms. Certain oxygen and sulfur atoms are not connected to niobium, but exclusively surrounded by cerium. By connecting these cation polyhedra, one recognizes layers of polycations perpendicular to the c‐axis. The magnetic susceptibility shows Curie‐Weiss behavior with an effective magnetic moment μ_eff = 2.63(1) μ_B/Ce in agreement with Ce³⁺. A Weiss‐constant θ_p = –12(1) K indicates weak antiferromagnetic coupling. No magnetic ordering was detected above 2 K.     

High‐Performance CsPb1−xSnxBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dots for Light‐Emitting Diodes

All inorganic CsPbBr₃ perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are potential emitters for electroluminescent displays. We have developed a facile hot‐injection method to partially replace the toxic Pb²⁺ with highly stable Sn⁴⁺. Meanwhile, the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield of CsPb_1−x Sn_x Br₃ increased from 45 % to 83 % with Sn^IV substitution. The transient absorption (TA) exciton dynamics in undoped CsPbBr₃ and CsPb_0.67Sn_0.33Br₃ QDs at various excitation fluences were determined by femtosecond transient absorption, time‐resolved photoluminescence, and single‐dot spectroscopy, providing clear evidence for the suppression of trion generation by Sn doping. These highly luminescent CsPb_0.67Sn_0.33Br₃ QDs emit at 517 nm. A device based on these QDs exhibited a luminance of 12 500 cd m⁻², a current efficiency of 11.63 cd A⁻¹, an external quantum efficiency of 4.13 %, a power efficiency of 6.76 lm w⁻¹, and a low turn‐on voltage of 3.6 V, which are the best values among reported tin‐based perovskite quantum‐dot LEDs.     

Nickel vanadium tellurium oxide,NiV2Te2O10

Single crystals of nickel(II) divanadium(V) ditellurium(IV) decaoxide, NiV₂Te₂O₁₀, were synthesized via a transport reaction in sealed evacuated silica tubes. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic system (space group P). The Ni atoms are positioned in the 1c position on the inversion centre, while the V and Te atoms are in general positions 2i. The crystal structure is layered, the building units within a (010) layer being distorted VO₆ octahedra and NiO₆ octahedra. The metal–oxide layers are connected by distorted TeO₄E square pyramids (E being the 5s² lone electron pair of Te^IV) to form the framework. The structure contains corner‐sharing NiO₆ octahedra, corner‐ and edge‐sharing TeO₄E square pyramids, and corner‐ and edge‐sharing VO₆ octahedra. NiV₂Te₂O₁₀ is the first oxide containing all of the cations Ni^II, V^V and Te^IV.     

Bis­[benzidinium(1–)] pentamolybdate

The title compound, {(C₁₂H₁₃N₂)₂[Mo₅O₁₆]}_n, was synthesized under hydro­thermal conditions. The structure contains a two‐dimensional layer, constructed from [(Mo₄O₁₄)_n]⁴ⁿ⁻ chains linked through MoO₆ octahedra, which lie across twofold axes. The [(Mo₄O₁₄)_n]⁴ⁿ⁻ chain consists of [Mo₄O₁₄]⁴⁻ clusters connected to one another by sharing their MoO₅ square‐pyramidal and MoO₆ octahedral vertices in an anti disposition. The layers are linked by the cation, to which they are connected via N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.     

First Observation of an Inverse Ruddlesden‐Popper Series: (A3n+1ONn−1)Bin+1 with A = Sr,Ba and n = 1, 3

Single crystals ((Ba_0.78(1)Sr_0.22)₄O)Bi₂ and ((Ba_0.62(1)Sr_0.38)₁₀N₂O)Bi₄ were successfully prepared from melt beads of Ba, Sr, and Bi in nitrogen atmosphere with oxygen impurities. The phases can be prepared in single phase from the appropriate mixtures of alkaline‐earth metal, bismuth, and bismuth oxide upon heating in pure nitrogen atmosphere. ((Ba_0.78(1)Sr_0.22)₄O)Bi₂ crystallizes in the K₂NiF₄ structure type (space group I4/mmm, No. 139, a = 522.34(5) pm, c = 1844.0(2) pm, Z = 2, R_gt(F) = 0.039) with layers of vertex‐sharing octahedra ((Ba,Sr)_4/2Ba₂O). ((Ba_0.62(1)Sr_0.38)₁₀N₂O)Bi₄ crystallizes as an isotype of Sr₄Ti₃O₁₀ (space group I4/mmm, No. 139, a = 531.3(1) pm, c = 3983.2(4) pm, Z = 2, R_gt(F) = 0.050) containing slabs of three layers of vertex‐sharing octahedra further connected via corners. These compounds are interpreted in terms of members of an inverse Ruddlesden‐Popper series with the general formula n (A₃ON_n?1)Bi · ABi or (A_3n+1ON_n?1)Bi_n+1, respectively, with n = 1, 3. Partial order of the alkaline‐earth metal ions is analyzed.     

catena‐Poly[copper(II)‐di‐μ‐acetylacetonato‐copper(II)‐bis(μ‐4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazonato)] and (acetylacetonato)(4‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazonato)copper(II)

In the two title copper(II) complexes, [CuL(C₅H₇O₂)]_n, (I), and [CuL′(C₅H₇O₂)], (II), respectively, where HL is 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazone, C₁₄H₁₂N₃O₃, and HL′ is 4‐methoxybenzaldehyde picoloylhydrazone, C₁₄H₁₂N₃O₂, the Cu^II ions display a highly Jahn–Teller‐distorted octahedral and a square‐planar coordination geometry, respectively. In complex (I), two neighbouring Cu^II atoms are bridged by L⁻ and acetylacetonate, alternately, giving rise to a one‐dimensional chain of CuN₂O₄ octahedra interconnected by these two ligands along the a axis. In addition, the hydroxy H atom of the vanillin group connects to the carboxyl O atom of the adjacent chain via an O—H...O hydrogen bond, giving rise to a three‐dimensional supramolecular assembly. Complex (II) displays a discrete structure.     

Layer structure: The oxides A3Ti5MO14

Five new oxides, K₃Ti₅MO₁₄, Rb₃Ti₅MO₁₄ (M = Ta, Nb), and Tl₃Ti₅NbO₁₄, have been synthesized. The structure of these oxides consists of octahedral layers similar to those observed for Na₂Ti₃O₇ and held together by monovalent ions; the sheets consist of blocks of 2 × 3 edge-sharing octahedra, which are then joined to each other by the corners of the octahedra. The relative disposition of the layers is similar to that observed for Tl₂Ti₄O₉. These oxides can be considered as the member n = 3 of a series of closely related structures with formula A_nB_2nO_4n+2, where n indicates the number of octahedra which determines the width of the blocks of 2 × n octahedra.     

Bronzes with a tunnel structure KxP4O8(WO3)2m: The tenth member of the series—KP8W40O136

The crystal structure of KP₈W₄₀O₁₃₆, the tenth member of the series K_xP₄O₈(WO₃)_2m, has been resolved by three-dimensional single-crystal X-ray analysis. The space group is $\text{P2}{}_1\text{c}$ and the cell parameters are a = 19.589(3) Å, b = 7.5362(4) Å, c = 16.970(3) Å and β = 91.864(14)°. The framework is built up from ReO₃-type slabs connected through pyrophosphate groups. The structure is compared to those of the other members of the series: although the ReO₃-type slabs show a different type of tilting of the WO₆ octahedra, the dispersion of WO distances is always higher for the octahedra linked to one or two P₂O₇ groups and decreases in proportion as W is farther from these groups. The perovskite cages of the slabs are described and compared to those encountered in the structures of WO₃ and of the bronzes A_xWO₃.     

Fluorite-related phases Ln3MO7, Ln = rare earth,Y or Sc,M = Nb,Sb, or Ta: II. Structure determination

The crystal structures of the orthorhombic fluorite-related compounds La₃NbO₇ (Cmcm), Y₃TaO₇, and Y₂GdSbO₇, (C222₁) have been determined from X-ray powder diffraction intensities and single-crystal electron diffraction data. The structures are basically similar. One third of the Ln cations are 8-coordinated, and lie in [001] rows which alternate with parallel rows of corner-linked MO₆ coordination octahedra within slabs parallel to (100). The remaining Ln cations lie in between these slabs in seven-fold coordination. This interslab cation arrangement distinguishes the structure from the closely related pyrochlore (A₂B₂O₇) and weberite (Na₂MgAlF₇) structures. The compounds YGdScSbO₇ and Nd₂ScNbO₇, also examined, have the pyrochlore structure, with Sc and Sb, or Sc and Nb distributed on the octahedral B sites.