Crystal growth of a novel oxygen-deficient layered perovskite: Ba7Li3Ru4O20

Single crystals of both Ba₇Li₃Ru₄O₂₀ and Ba₄NaRu₃O₁₂ were grown from reactive molten hydroxide fluxes. Ba₇Li₃Ru₄O₂₀ is a 7L-layer perovskite-related phase resulting from the stacking of six [AO₃] layers and one oxygen deficient [AO₂] layer, thereby creating LiO₄ tetrahedra in addition to the LiO₆ octahedra and face-sharing Ru₂O₉ bi-octahedra formed from the [AO₃] layers. The compound crystallizes in the space group with a=5.7927(1) Å and c=50.336(2) Å, Z=3. Ba₄NaRu₃O₁₂ crystallizes in the space group P6₃mc with lattice parameters of a=5.8014(2) Å and c=19.2050(9) Å, Z=2. Ba₄NaRu₃O₁₂ is identical to a previously reported neutron refinement structure. The magnetic properties of Ba₇Li₃Ru₄O₂₀ are also reported.     

Layered ruthenium hexagonal perovskites: The new series [Ba2Br2−2x(CO3)x][Ban+1RunO3n+3] with n=2, 3, 4, 5

Single crystals of the title compounds were prepared by solid state reactions from barium carbonate and ruthenium metal using a BaBr₂ flux and investigated by X-ray diffraction method using Mo(Kα) radiation and a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) detector. A structural model for the term n=2, Ba₅Ru₂Br₂O₉ (1) was established in the hexagonal symmetry, space group P6₃/mmc, a=5.8344(2) Å, c=25.637(2) Å, Z=2. Combined refinement and maximum-entropy method (MEM) unambiguously show the presence of CO₃²⁻ ions in the three other compounds (2, 3, 4). Their crystal structures were solved and refined in the trigonal symmetry, space group , a=5.8381(1) Å, c=15.3083(6) Å for the term n=3, Ba₆Ru₃Br_1.54(CO₃)_0.23O₁₂ (2), and space group , a=5.7992(1) Å, c=52.866(2) Å and a=5.7900(1) Å, c=59.819(2) Å for the terms n=4, Ba₇Ru₄Br_1.46(CO₃)_0.27O₁₅ (3), and n=5, Ba₈Ru₅Br_1.64(CO₃)_0.18O₁₈ (4), respectively. The structures are formed by the periodic stacking along [0 0 1] of (n+1) hexagonal close-packed [BaO₃] layers separated by a double layer of composition [Ba₂Br_2−2x(CO₃)_x]. The ruthenium atoms occupy the n octahedral interstices created in the hexagonal perovskite slabs and constitute isolated dimers Ru₂O₉ of face-shared octahedra (FSO) in 1 and isolated trimers Ru₃O₁₂ of FSO in 2. In 3 and 4, the Ru₂O₉ units are connected by corners either directly (3) or through a slab of isolated RuO₆ octahedra (4) to form a bidimensional arrangement of RuO₆ octahedra. These four oxybromocarbonates belong to the family of compounds formulated [Ba₂Br_2−2x(CO₃)_x][Ba_n+1Ru_nO_3n+3] where n represents the thickness of the octahedral string in hexagonal perovskite slabs. These compounds are compared to the oxychloride series.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetic properties of new layered hexagonal perovskite Ba8Ta4Ru8/3Co2/3O24

A new hexagonal perovskite-type oxide Ba₈Ta₄Ru_8/3Co_2/3O₂₄ was synthesized by the solid-state method at 1573 K and characterized by electron diffraction (ED), time-of-flight (TOF) neutron powder diffraction, and magnetic susceptibility. Structure parameters of Ba₈Ta₄Ru_8/3Co_2/3O₂₄ were refined by the Rietveld method from the TOF neutron powder diffraction data on the basis of space group P6₃/mcm and lattice parameters a=10.0075(1) Å and c=18.9248(2) Å as obtained from the ED data (Z=3). The crystal structure of Ba₈Ta₄Ru_8/3Co_2/3O₂₄ consists of 8-layered (cchc)₂ close-packed stacking of BaO₃ layers along the c-axis. Corner-shared octahedra are filled by Ta only and face-shared octahedra are statistically occupied by Ru, Co, and vacancies. Similar compounds Ba₈Ta₄Ru_8/3M_2/3O₂₄ with M=Ni and Zn were also prepared. Magnetic susceptibility measurements showed no magnetic ordering down to 5 K.     

Synthesis and structure of Ba6Co6ClO16, a new cobalt oxychloride with a layered perovskite-related structure

Well-developed single crystals of the title compound were prepared using a BaCl₂ flux and investigated by X-ray diffraction methods using Mo(Kα) radiation and a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) detector. The crystal structure was solved and refined in the hexagonal symmetry with space group, a=5.6698(2) Å and c=14.4654(5) Å to a final R₁=0.022 for 44 parameters with 1418 individual reflections. The structure of Ba₆Co₆ClO₁₆, which is related to the 6H-perovkite-type structure of BaMnO_2.88, is formed by the periodic stacking along [001] of five [BaO₃] layers separated by a [BaOCl] with a (hhhchc) stacking sequence. The [BaO₃] stacking creates tetranuclear face sharing octahedra units Co₄O₁₅ containing Co(III) connected by dimers of corner-sharing CoO₄ tetrahedra. This new oxychloride belongs to the family of compounds formulated as [BaOCl]M′₂[Ba_n+1M_nO_3n+3] where n represents the thickness of the octahedral string in hexagonal perovskite slabs.     

Structure of ten-layer orthorhombic Ba5Fe5O14 (BaFeO2.8) determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction

The structure of the mixed-valent Ba₅Fe₅O₁₄ (BaFeO_2.8), prepared using a molten KOH-Ba(OH)₂ flux, has been determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction. Ba₅Fe₅O₁₄ forms twinned crystals with the orthorhombic space group Cmcm, a=5.7615(8), b=9.9792(14) and c=24.347(3) Å, Z=4. The structure, which is closely related to the 10H BaFeO_2.65 perovskite, is composed of two oxygen-deficient BaO₂ layers and eight BaO₃ layers with a (hchhc)₂ stacking sequence, where h and c denote hexagonal or cubic layers. A displacement of barium and oxygen atoms in the BaO₂ layers from hexagonal special positions lowers the symmetry from hexagonal to orthorhombic. This combination of stacking and vacancies creates trimers of face-sharing FeO₆ octahedra pillared by dimers of corner-sharing FeO₄ tetrahedra. The Fe⁴⁺ atoms are located in the center of the trimer and in the tetrahedral sites. The magnetism of Ba₅Fe₅O₁₄, investigated using SQUID magnetometry, is characteristic of a strongly coupled antiferromagnet.     

Non-centrosymmetric Ba3Ti3O6(BO3)2

The compound previously reported as Ba₂Ti₂B₂O₉ has been reformulated as Ba₃Ti₃B₂O₁₂, or Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂, a new barium titanium oxoborate. Small single crystals have been recovered from a melt with a composition of BaTiO₃:BaTiB₂O₆ (molar ratio) cooled between 1100°C and 850°C. The crystal structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction: hexagonal system, non-centrosymmetric space group, a=8.7377(11) Å, c=3.9147(8) Å, Z=1, wR(F²)=0.039 for 504 unique reflections. Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂ is isostructural with K₃Ta₃O₆(BO₃)₂. Preliminary measurements of nonlinear optical properties on microcrystalline samples show that the second harmonic generation efficiency of Ba₃Ti₃O₆(BO₃)₂ is equal to 95% of that of LiNbO₃.     

A new promising scintillator Ba3InB9O18

We report on the synthesis, crystal structure and scintillation property of a new compound Ba₃InB₉O₁₈. This compound crystallizes in space group P6₃/m with unit cell of dimensions a=7.1359(3) Å, c=16.6151(8) Å and V=732.697 Å³ with two Ba₃InB₉O₁₈ molecular formula. Its crystal structure is made up of planar B₃O₆ groups parallel to each other along the 〈0001〉 direction, regular InO₆ octahedra, irregular BaO₆ hexagons and BaO₉ polyhedra to form an analog structure of Ba₃YB₉O₁₈. DTA and TGA curves for Ba₃InB₉O₁₈ show that it is a chemically stable and congruent melting compound. Its X-ray excited luminescence spectra show an intense emission band in the range of 360-500 nm with a maximum at 400 nm. Light yield for Ba₃InB₉O₁₈ is about 75% as large as that for BGO under the same measurement conditions. There may exist a correlation between the scintillation properties and the crystal structural features of Ba₃InB₉O₁₈.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of new uranyl tungstates M2(UO2)(W2O8) (M=Na, K), M2(UO2)2(WO5)O (M=K, Rb), and Na10(UO2)8(W5O20)O8

The solid-state reactions of UO₃ and WO₃ with M₂CO₃ (M=Na, K, Rb) at 650°C for 5 days result, accordingly the starting stoichiometry, in the formation of M₂(UO₂)(W₂O₈) (M=Na (1), K (2)), M₂(UO₂)₂(WO₅)O (M=K (3), Rb (4)), and Na₁₀(UO₂)₈(W₅O₂₀)O₈ (5). The crystal structures of compounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction using Mo(Kα) radiation and a charge-coupled device detector. The crystal structures were solved by direct methods and Fourier difference techniques, and refined by a least-squares method on the basis of F² for all unique reflections. For (1), unit-cell parameters were determined from powder X-ray diffraction data. Crystallographic data: 1, monoclinic, a=12.736(4) Å, b=7.531(3) Å, c=8.493(3) Å, β=93.96(2)°, ρ_cal=6.62(2) g/cm³, ρ_mes=6.64(1) g/cm³, Z=4; 2, orthorhombic, space group Pmcn, a=7.5884(16) Å, b=8.6157(18) Å, c=13.946(3) Å, ρ_cal=6.15(2) g/cm³, ρ_mes=6.22(1) g/cm³, Z=8, R1=0.029 for 80 parameters with 1069 independent reflections; 3, monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, a=8.083(4) Å, b=28.724(5) Å, c=9.012(4) Å, β=102.14(1)°, ρ_cal=5.83(2) g/cm³, ρ_mes=5.90(2) g/cm³, Z=8, R1=0.037 for 171 parameters with 1471 reflections; 4, monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, a=8.234(1) Å, b=28.740(3) Å, c=9.378(1) Å, β=104.59(1)°, ρ_cal=6.13(2) g/cm³,  g/cm³, Z=8, R1=0.037 for 171 parameters with 1452 reflections; 5, monoclinic, space group C2/c, a=24.359(5) Å, b=23.506(5) Å, c=6.8068(14) Å, β=94.85(3)°, ρ_cal=6.42(2) g/cm³,  g/cm³, Z=8, R1=0.036 for 306 parameters with 5190 independent reflections. The crystal structure of 2 contains linear one-dimensional chains formed from edge-sharing UO₇ pentagonal bipyramids connected by two octahedra wide (W₂O₈) ribbons formed from two edge-sharing WO₆ octahedra connected together by corners. This arrangement leads to [UW₂O₁₀]²⁻ corrugated layers parallel to (001). Owing to the unit-cell parameters, compound 1 probably contains similar sheets parallel to (100). Compounds 3 and 4 are isostructural and the structure consists of bi-dimensional networks built from the edge- and corner-sharing UO₇ pentagonal bipyramids. This arrangement creates square sites occupied by W atoms, a fifth oxygen atom completes the coordination of W atoms to form WO₅ distorted square pyramids. The interspaces between the resulting [U₂WO₁₀]²⁻ layers parallel to plane are occupied by K or Rb atoms. The crystal structure of compound 5 is particularly original. It is based upon layers formed from UO₇ pentagonal bipyramids and two edge-shared octahedra units, W₂O₁₀, by the sharing of edges and corners. Two successive layers stacked along the [100] direction are pillared by WO₄ tetrahedra resulting in sheets of double layers. The sheets are separated by Na⁺ ions. The other Na⁺ ions occupy the rectangular tunnels created within the sheets. In fact complex anions W₅O₂₀¹⁰⁻ are built by the sharing of the four corners of a WO₄ tetrahedron with two W₂O₁₀ dimmers, so, the formula of compound 5 can be written Na₁₀(UO₂)₈(W₅O₂₀)O₈.     

Novel perovskite-related barium tungstate Ba11W4O23

Ba₁₁W₄O₂₃ was synthesized at 1300 °C, followed by quenching with liquid nitrogen. The crystal structure, which was known to be cryolite-related but has remained unclear, was initially determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction for the isostructural Ru-substituted compound Ba₁₁(W_3.1Ru_0.9)O_22.5, which was discovered during exploratory synthesis in the Ba-Ru-O system. The structure of Ba₁₁W₄O₂₃ was refined by a combined powder X-ray and neutron Rietveld method (Fd-3m, a=17.1823(1) Å, Z=8, R_p=3.09%, R_wp=4.25%, χ²=2.8, 23 °C). The structure is an example of A-site vacancy-ordered 4×4×4 superstructure of a simple perovskite ABO₃, and it may be written as (Ba_1.75□_0.25)BaWO_5.75□_0.25, emphasizing vacancies on both metal and anion sites. The local structure of one of two asymmetric tungsten ions is the WO₆ octahedron, typical of perovskite. The other tungsten, however, is surrounded by oxygen and anionic vacancies statistically distributed over three divided sites to form 18 partially occupied oxygen atoms (∼30% on average), represented as WO_18/3. The A-site cation-vacancies are ordered at the 8a (, , ) site in between adjoining WO_18/3 polyhedra which form 1-D arrangements along [110] and equivalent directions. In situ high-temperature XRD data have shown that the quenched Ba₁₁W₄O₂₃ at room temperature is isostructural to the high-temperature phase at 1100 °C.     

Synthesis, structures, and phase transitions of barium bismuth iridium oxide perovskites Ba2BiIrO6 and Ba3BiIr2O9

The Ba-Bi-Ir-O system is found to contain two distinct perovskite-type phases: a rock-salt ordered double perovskite Ba₂BiIrO₆; and a 6H-type hexagonal perovskite Ba₃BiIr₂O₉. Ba₂BiIrO₆ undergoes a series of symmetry-lowering phase transitions on cooling , all of which are second order except the rhombohedral→monoclinic one, which is first order. The monoclinic phase is only observed in a 2-phase rhombohedral+monoclinic regime. The transition and 2-phase region lie very close to 300 K, making the room-temperature X-ray diffraction patterns extremely complex and potentially explaining why Ba₂BiIrO₆ had not previously been identified and reported. A solid solution Ba₂Bi_1+xIr_1−xO₆, analogous to Ba₂Bi_1+xRu_1−xO₆, 0≤x≤2/3, was not observed. The 6H-type phase Ba₃BiIr₂O₉ undergoes a clean second-order phase transition P6₃/mmc→C2/c at 750 K, unlike 6H-type Ba₃LaIr₂O₉, the P6₃/mmc structure of which is highly strained below ∼750 K but fails to distort coherently to the monoclinic phase.     

Structural and physical properties of 1:2 B-site-ordered perovskite Ba3CaIr2O9

The high-pressure phase of iridium-based compound Ba₃CaIr₂O₉ was synthesized using high-pressure sintering. Being different from the distorted hexagonal BaTiO₃ structure of the ambient Ba₃CaIr₂O₉, the high-pressure phase crystals into the 1:2 B-site-ordered perovskite structure with the space group P-3m1 (Z=1). Through fitting the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) data with Rietveld analysis, in which the obtained R_p, R_wp, and R_exp factors are 7.49%, 11.4%, and 4.82%, respectively, the lattice parameters are a=5.8296(1) Å and c=7.1659(2) Å. The atomic coordinates and the main interatomic distances and bond angles were also obtained. The relationship of electrical resistivity versus temperature shows that the high-pressure phase of Ba₃CaIr₂O₉ is a semiconductor in the temperature range of 5-300 K. The measurement of temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility indicates that it is paramagnetic.     

Contrasting oxide crystal chemistry of Nb and Ta:: The structures of the hexagonal bronzes BaTa2O6 and Ba0.93Nb2.03O6

The high-temperature hexagonal forms of BaTa₂O₆ and Ba_0.93Nb_2.03O₆ have P6/mmm symmetry with unit-cell parameters a=21.116(1) Å, c=3.9157(2) Å and a=21.0174(3) Å, c=3.9732(1) Å, respectively. Single crystal X-ray structure refinements for both phases are generally consistent with a previously proposed model, except for displacements of some Ba atoms from high-symmetry positions. The structures are based on a framework of corner- and edge-connected Nb/Ta-centred octahedra, with barium atoms occupying sites in four different types of [0 0 1] channels with hexagonal, triangular, rectangular and pentagonal cross-sections. The refinements showed that the non-stoichiometry in the niobate phase is due to barium atom vacancies in the pentagonal channels and to extra niobium atoms occupying interstitial sites with tri-capped trigonal prismatic coordination. The origin of the non-stoichiometry is attributed to minimisation of non-bonded Ba-Ba repulsions. The hexagonal structure is related to the structures of the low-temperature forms of BaNb₂O₆ and BaTa₂O₆, through a 30° rotation of the hexagonal rings of octahedra centred at the origin.     

Magnetic properties of quadruple perovskites Ba4LnRu3O12 (Ln=La, Nd, Sm-Gd, Dy-Lu)

Quadruple perovskites Ba₄LnRu₃O₁₂ (Ln=La, Nd, Sm-Gd, Dy-Lu) were prepared and their magnetic properties were investigated. They adopt the 12L-perovskite-type structure consisting of Ru₃O₁₂ trimers and LnO₆ octahedra. All of these compounds show an antiferromagnetic transition at 2.5-30 K. For Ba₄NdRu₃O₁₂, ferrimagnetic ordering has been observed at 11.5 K. The observed magnetic transition is due to the magnetic behavior of the Ru^4.33+₃O₁₂ trimer with S=. Magnetic properties of Ba₄LnRu₃O₁₂ were compared with those of triple perovskites Ba₃LnRu₂O₉ and double perovskites Ba₂LnRuO₆.     

Composition- and temperature-dependent phase transitions in 1:3 ordered perovskites Ba4−xSrxNaSb3O12

A series of 25 members of the 1:3 ordered perovskite family of the type Ba_4−xSr_xNaSb₃O₁₂ has been synthesized and their structures determined using synchrotron X-ray and neutron powder diffraction techniques. At room temperature the sample Ba₄NaSb₃O₁₂ has a cubic structure in space group with a=8.2821(1) Å, where the Na and Sb cations are ordered in the octahedral sites but there is no tilting of the (Na/Sb)O₆ octahedra. As the average size of the A-site cation decreases, through the progressive replacement of Ba by Sr, tilting of the octahedra is introduced firstly lowering the symmetry to tetragonal in P4/mnc then to orthorhombic in Cmca and ultimately a monoclinic structure in P2₁/n as seen for Sr₄NaSb₃O₁₂ with a=8.0960(2) Å, b=8.0926(2) Å, c=8.1003(1) Å and β=90.016(2)°. The powder neutron diffraction studies show that the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases in Cmca and P4/mnc co-exist at room temperature for samples with x between 1.5 and 2.     

Superstructure of a phosphor material Ba3MgSi2O8 determined by neutron diffraction data

Ba₃MgSi₂O₈, a phosphor host examined for use in white-light devices and plant-growth lamps, was synthesized at 1225 °C in air. Its crystal structure has been determined and refined by a combined powder X-ray and neutron Rietveld method (, Z=3, a=9.72411(3) Å, c=7.27647(3) Å, V=595.870(5) Å³; R_p/R_wp=3.79%/5.03%, χ²=4.20). Superstructure reflections, observed only in the neutron diffraction data, provided the means to establish the true unit cell and a chemically reasonable structure. The structure contains three crystallographically distinct Ba atoms—Ba1 resides in a distorted octahedral site with S₆ () symmetry, Ba2 in a nine-coordinate site with C₃ (3) symmetry, and Ba3 in a ten-coordinate site with C₁ (1) symmetry. The Mg atoms occupy distorted octahedral sites, and the Si atom occupies a distorted tetrahedral site.     

Synthesis, band structure, and optical properties of Ba2ZnV2O8

A novel compound Ba₂ZnV₂O₈ has been synthesized in high temperature solution reaction and its crystal structure has been characterized by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. It crystallizes in monoclinic system and belongs to space group P2₁/c with a=7.9050(16), b=16.149(3), , β=90.49(3). It builds up from 1-D branchy chains of [ZnV₂O₈⁴⁻]_∞, and the Ba²⁺ cations are located in the space among these chains. The IR spectrum, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection integral spectrum and fluorescent spectra of this compound have been investigated. The calculated results of energy band structure by the density functional theory method show that the solid-state compound of Ba₂ZnV₂O₈ is an insulator with direct band gap of 3.48 eV. The calculated total and partial density of states indicate that the top valence bands are contributions from the mixings of O-2p, V-3d, and Zn-3d states and low conduction bands mostly originate from unoccupied antibonding states between the V-3d and O-2p states. The V-O bonds are mostly covalence characters and Zn-O bonds are mostly ionic interactions, and the ionic interaction strength is stronger between the Ba-O than between the Zn-O. The refractive index of n_x, n_y, and n_z is estimated to be 1.7453, 1.7469, and 1.7126, respectively, at wavelength of 1060 nm for Ba₂ZnV₂O₈ crystal.     

The local structure and composition of Ba4Nb2O9-based oxycarbonates

X-ray powder-diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction (ED), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetry (TG) and mass spectroscopy (MS) were performed to investigate the composition and the crystal structure of tetra-barium di-niobate (V) Ba₄Nb₂O₉. The TG, MS and IR studies revealed that the compound is a hydrated oxycarbonate. Assuming that the carbonate stoichiometrically replaces oxygen, the composition of the low-temperature α-modification, obtained by slow cooling from 1100 °C, corresponds to Ba₄Nb₂O_8.8(CO₃)_0.2·0.1H₂O, while the quenched high-temperature γ-modification has the Ba₄Nb₂O_8.42(CO₃)_0.58·0.38H₂O composition. The α-phase has a composite incommensurately modulated structure consisting of two mutually interacting [Ba]_∞ and the [(Nb,□)O₃]_∞ subsystems. The composite modulated crystal structure of the α-phase can be described with the lattice parameters a=10.2688(1) Å, c=2.82426(8) Å, q=0.66774(2)c* and a superspace group Rm(00γ)0s. The HRTEM analysis demonstrates the nanoscale twinning of the trigonal domains parallel to the {1 0 0} crystallographic planes. The twinning introduces a one-dimensional disorder into the [(Nb,□)O₃]_∞ subsystem, which results in an average P2c crystal structure of the α-phase. Possible places for the carbonate group in the structure are discussed using a comparison with other hexagonal perovskite-based oxycarbonates.