Crystal structure of a new high-pressure phase, K0.82Mg1.68(Cr2.84Fe0.84Ti2.11Zr0.08)O12, with one-dimensional tunnels

The crystal structure of a new complex Ti-Cr oxide phase, K_0.82Mg_1.68(Cr_2.84Fe_0.84Ti_2.11Zr_0.08)O₁₂, synthesized at 13 GPa and 1400 °C, has been determined with single-crystal X-ray diffraction. It has a hexagonal symmetry with the space group P6₃/m and unit-cell parameters a=9.1763(13) and , , Z=1. The structure is characterized by the hollandite-type double chains of edge-shared M2 octahedra occupied by trivalent and tetravalent cations (Ti+Cr+Fe+Zr); these double chains are linked to one another through shared octahedral apexes to form a framework structure containing two types of tunnels running parallel to the c-axis. One type of tunnels has a hexagonal cross-section and is occupied by large K⁺, whereas the other has a triangular cross-section and is occupied by Mg²⁺. The K⁺ cation is disordered between two crystallographically equivalent (2a) sites in the tunnels and displays a U₃₃ displacement parameter that is significantly greater than U₁₁. The new high-pressure phase reported in this study possesses many structural features similar to those for the hollandite compounds, making it a candidate for the 1-D fast ionic conductors.