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Title: Formation, stability and crystal structure of mullite-type Al{sub 6−x}B{sub x}O{sub 9}

Journal Article · · Journal of Solid State Chemistry
 [1];  [2]; ; ;  [3];  [4];  [1];  [2];
  1. Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom)
  2. Institut für Anorganische Chemie und Kristallographie, FB02, Leobener Straße/NW2, Universität Bremen, D-28359 Bremen (Germany)
  3. Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, D-85748 Garching (Germany)
  4. Kristallographie, FB05, Klagenfurter Straße/GEO, Universität Bremen, D-28359 Bremen (Germany)

Mullite-type Al{sub 6−x}B{sub x}O{sub 9} compounds were studied by means of powder diffraction and spectroscopic methods. The backbones of this structure are chains of edge-connected AlO{sub 6} octahedra crosslinked by AlO- and BO-polyhedra. Rietveld refinements show that the a and b lattice parameters can be well resolved, thus representing an orthorhombic metric. A continuous decrease of the lattice parameters most pronounced in c-direction indicates a solid solution for Al{sub 6−x}B{sub x}O{sub 9} with 1.09≤x≤2. A preference of boron in 3-fold coordination is confirmed by {sup 11}B MAS NMR spectroscopy and Fourier calculations based on neutron diffraction data collected at 4 K. Distance Least Squares modeling was performed to simulate a local geometry avoiding long B-O distances linking two octahedral chains by planar BO{sub 3} groups yielding split positions for the oxygen atoms and a strong distortion in the octahedral chains. The lattice thermal expansion was calculated using the Grüneisen first-order equation of state Debye-Einstein-Anharmonicity model. - Graphical abstract: Local distortion induced by boron linking the octahedral chains. - Highlights: • Decreasing lattice parameters indicate a solid solution for Al{sub 6−x}B{sub x}O{sub 9} (1.09≤x≤2). • B-atoms induce a local distortion of neighboring AlO{sub 6} octahedra. • A preference of boron in BO{sub 3} coordination is confirmed by {sup 11}B MAS NMR spectroscopy. • An optimized structural model for Al{sub 6−x}B{sub x}O{sub 9} is presented.

OSTI ID:
22658092
Journal Information:
Journal of Solid State Chemistry, Vol. 243; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2016 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0022-4596
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English