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Title: Refinement of the structures of the layer silicates MCuSi[sub 4]O[sub 10] (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) by Rietveld analysis of neutron powder diffraction data

Journal Article · · Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (United States)

The MCuSi[sub 4]O[sub 10] (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) compounds possess the gillespite (BaFeSi[sub 4]O[sub 10]) structure, which is tetragonal, P4/ncc, Z = 4. Data sets of 2365 step intensities were recorded for the tital compounds with [lambda] = 1.400 [Angstrom] at T = 295 K. For M = Ca, a = 7.3017 (3) [Angstrom], c = 15.1303 (6) [Angstrom], V[sub cell] = 806.66 (9) [Angstrom][sup 3], R[sub exp] = 0.0453, R[sub wp] = 0.0515, for 487 reflections. For M = Sr, a = 7.3707 (2) [Angstrom], c = 15.5904 (6) [Angstrom], V[sub cell] = 846.9 (1) [Angstrom][sup 3], R[sub exp] = 0.0433, R[sub wp] = 0.0489, for 521 reflections. For M = Ba, a = 7.4409 (3) [Angstrom], c = 16.1367 (8) [Angstrom], V[sub cell] = 893.4 (1) [Angstrom][sup 3], R[sub exp] = 0.0466, R[sub wp] = 0.0522, for 546 reflections. The gillespite structure contains an unbranched single silicate layer, which can be viewed as a tesselation of corner-linked Si[sub 4]O[sub 10] rings. The Cu in MCuSi[sub 4]O[sub 10] is in square-planar coordination with the nonbridging oxygens of the corrugations of the silicate layer. The alkaline-earth atom, in distorted cubic coordination, joins together adjacent [CuSi[sub 4]O[sub 10]][sup 2[minus]] slabs. Increasing the size of the alkaline-earth atom increases the cell dimensions anisotropically (i.e., [Delta]c > [Delta]a) due to the inflexibility of the silicate anion. Room-pressure experiments show no evidence for oxygen intercalation or polytypism. The lattice mismatch between the [CuSi[sub 4]O[sub 10]][sup 2[minus]] slabs of the gillespite structure type and the square-planar CuO[sub 2] layers of the superconducting cuprates is small, which suggests possible applications of these materials as exotic thin-film substrates for the high [Tc] cuprates or other novel structures having cuprate and silicate layers. 20 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.

DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
6135130
Journal Information:
Journal of Solid State Chemistry; (United States), Vol. 103:1; ISSN 0022-4596
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English