Magnetism in Mixed Valence, Defect, Cubic Perovskites: BaIn1-x Fe x O2.5+δ, x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75. Local and Average Structures.

The series BaIn1-x Fe x O2.5+δ, x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75, has been prepared under air-fired and argon-fired conditions and studied using X-ray diffraction, d.c. and a.c. susceptibility, Mössbauer spectroscopy, neutron diffraction, X-ray near edge absorption spectroscopy (XANES), and X-ray pair distribution (PDF) methods. While Ba2In2O5 (BaInO2.5) crystallizes in an ordered brownmillerite structure, Ibm2, and Ba2Fe2O5 (BaFeO2.5) crystallizes in a complex monoclinic structure, P21/c, showing seven Fe3+ sites with tetrahedral, square planar, and octahedral environments, all phases studied here crystallize in the cubic perovskite structure, Pm3̅m, with long-range disorder on the small cation and oxygen sites. 57Fe Mössbauer studies indicate a mixed valency, Fe4+/Fe3+, for both the air-fired and argon-fired samples. The increased Fe3+ content for the argon-fired samples is reflected in increased cubic cell constants and in the increased Mössbauer fraction. It appears that the Pm3̅m phases are only metastable when fired in argon. From a slightly modified percolation theory for a primitive cubic lattice (taking into account the presence of random O atom vacancies), long-range spin order is permitted for the x = 0.50 and 0.75 phases. Instead, the d.c. susceptibility shows only zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) divergences at ∼6 K [5 K] for x = 0.50 and at ∼22 K [21 K] for x = 0.75, with values for the argon-fired samples in [ ]. Neutron diffraction data for the air-fired samples confirm the absence of long-range magnetic order at any studied temperature. For the air-fired x = 0.50, a.c. susceptibility data show a frequency-dependent χ'(max) and spin glass behavior, while for x = 0.75, χ'(max) is invariant with frequency, ruling out either a spin glass or a superparamagnetic ground state. These behaviors are discussed in terms of competing Fe3+-Fe3+ antiferromagnetic exchange and ferromagnetic Fe3+-Fe4+ exchange. The PDF and 57Fe Mössbauer data indicate a local structure at short interatomic distances, which deviates strongly from the average Pm3̅m model. Fe Mössbauer, PDF, and XANES data show a systematic dependence on x and indicate that the Fe3+ sites are largely fourfold-coordinated and Fe4+ sites are fivefold- or sixfold-coordinated.

Structural investigation of the negative thermal expansion in yttrium and rare earth molybdates.

The Sc(2)(WO(4))(3)-type phase (Pbcn) of Y(2)(MoO(4))(3), Er(2)(MoO(4))(3) and Lu(2)(MoO(4))(3) has been prepared by the conventional solid-state synthesis with preheated oxides and the negative thermal expansion (NTE) has been investigated along with an exhaustive structural study, after water loss. Their crystal structures have been refined using the neutron and x-ray powder diffraction data of dehydrated samples from 150 to 400 K. The multi-pattern Rietveld method, using atomic displacements with respect to a known structure as parameters to refine, has been applied to facilitate the interpretation of the NTE behavior. Polyhedral distortions, transverse vibrations of A· · ·O-Mo (A = Y and rare earths) binding oxygen atoms, non-bonded distances A· · ·Mo and atomic displacements from the high temperature structure, have been evaluated as a function of the temperature and the ionic radii.

Powder neutron diffraction of Tl2BeF4 at six temperatures from room temperature to 1.5 K.

The structure of thallium fluoroberyllate, Tl2BeF4, has been analysed by the Rietveld method on neutron diffraction patterns collected at 1.5, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 K, with the aim of detecting low-temperature instabilities. Atomic parameters based on the isomorphic beta-K2SO4 crystal in the paraelectric phase were used as the starting model at room temperature; no evidence for any phase transition has been detected at lower temperature. The structure was determined in the orthorhombic space group Pnma. All the atoms (except one F atom) occupy sites with m symmetry. We have compared the structure with those of other compounds of the beta-K2SO4 family, at room temperature, in order to gain insight into their observed instabilities. The irregular coordination of the cations may indicate stereochemical activity of the TlI lone pair but does not indicate a possible structural instability.