Exploration into the Syntheses of Gallium- and Indiumborates under Extreme Conditions: M5 B12 O25 (OH): Structure, Luminescence, and Surprising Photocatalytic Properties.

Explorative solid-state chemistry led to the discovery of the two new compounds Ga5 B12 O25 (OH) and In5 B12 O25 (OH). Extreme synthetic conditions within the range of 12 GPa and a temperature of 1450 °C realized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus resulted in the formation of an unprecedented tetragonal structure with the exclusive presence of condensed BO4 tetrahedra, forming cuboctahedral cavities. Doping of these cavities with Eu3+ in In5 B12 O25 (OH) yielded in an orange-red luminescence. Photocatalytic tests of In5 B12 O25 (OH) revealed a hydrogen production rate comparable to TiO2 but completely co-catalyst free.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of the Acentric Indium Borate InB6O9(OH)3.

The new acentric indium borate InB6O9(OH)3 was synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus at extreme pressure and temperature conditions of 12.3 GPa and 1500 °C. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction provided the data for the crystal structure solution and refinement. InB6O9(OH)3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Fdd2 ( Z = 8) with the lattice parameters a = 39.011(8), b = 4.4820(9), c = 7.740(2) Å, and V = 1353.3(5) Å3. The structure of InB6O9(OH)3 is basically built of corner-sharing BO4 tetrahedra and isolated InO6 octahedra. The presence of hydroxyl groups was confirmed with vibrational spectroscopic methods (IR and Raman). Furthermore, the second harmonic signal of an InB6O9(OH)3 powder sample yielded more than twice the intensity of quartz.

Structural Redetermination and Photoluminescence Properties of the Niobium Oxyphosphate (NbO)2P4O13.

The structure of (NbO)2P4O13 was solved and refined based on new single-crystal diffraction data revealing considerably more complexity than previously described. (NbO)2P4O13 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1̅ with Z = 6. The lattice parameters determined at room temperature are a = 1066.42(4) pm, b = 1083.09(4) pm, c = 1560.46(5) pm, α = 98.55(1)°, ß = 95.57(1)°, γ = 102.92(1)°, and V = 1.7213(2) nm3. The superstructure contains 64 unique atoms including two disordered semioccupied oxygen positions. An unusual 180° bond angle between two [P4O13]6- groups was refined to form half-occupied, split positions in agreement with previous reports. The IR and Raman spectra reflect the appearance of overlapping bands assignable to specific group vibrations as well as P-O-P linkages present in the [P4O13]6- entities. Investigation of the powdered product concerning its photoluminescence properties revealed an excitability in the UV at 270 nm assigned to O2p-Nb4d charge transfer transitions. A resulting broad-band emission with the maximum in the visible region at 455 nm was determined.

The Indium Borate In19B34O74(OH)11 with T2 Supertetrahedra.

The trigonal indium borate In19B34O74(OH)11 was synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 13 GPa and 1150 °C. The crystal structure could be determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at room temperature. In19B34O74(OH)11 crystallizes in the trigonal space group R3̅ (Z = 3) with the lattice parameters a = 1802.49(6) pm, c = 1340.46(5) pm, and V = 3.7716(3) nm3. The structure of In19B34O74(OH)11 contains alternating B-O T2 supertetrahedra units. The presence of hydroxyl groups was confirmed with vibrational spectroscopic methods such as Raman and IR. Besides H2InB5O10, In19B34O74(OH)11 is now the second known compound in the system In-B-O-H.

New High-Pressure Gallium Borate Ga2B3O7(OH) with Photocatalytic Activity.

The new high-pressure gallium borate Ga2B3O7(OH) was synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 10.5 GPa and 700 °C. For the system Ga-B-O-H, it is only the second known compound next to Ga9B18O33(OH)15·H3B3O6·H3BO3. The crystal structure of Ga2B3O7(OH) was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at room temperature. Ga2B3O7(OH) crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmce (Z = 8) with the lattice parameters a = 1050.7(2) pm, b = 743.6(2) pm, c = 1077.3(2) pm, and V = 0.8417(3) nm(3). Vibrational spectroscopic methods (Raman and IR) were performed to confirm the presence of the hydroxyl group. Furthermore, the band gap of Ga2B3O7(OH) was estimated via quantum-mechanical density functional theory calculations. These results led to the assumption that our gallium borate could be a suitable substance to split water photocatalytically, which was tested experimentally.