| Record |
| Author |
Leinders, G.; Baldinozzi, G.; Ritter, C.; Saniz, R.; Arts, I.; Lamoen, D.; Verwerft, M. |
| Title |
Charge Localization and Magnetic Correlations in the Refined Structure of U3O7 |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year  |
2021 |
Publication |
Inorganic Chemistry |
Abbreviated Journal |
Inorg Chem |
| Volume |
60 |
Issue |
14 |
Pages |
10550-10564 |
| Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
| Abstract |
Atomic arrangements in the mixed-valence oxide U3O7 are refined from high-resolution neutron scattering data. The crystallographic model describes a long-range structural order in a U60O140 primitive cell (space group P42/n) containing distorted cuboctahedral oxygen clusters. By combining experimental data and electronic structure calculations accounting for spin–orbit interactions, we provide robust evidence of an interplay between charge localization and the magnetic moments carried by the uranium atoms. The calculations predict U3O7 to be a semiconducting solid with a band gap of close to 0.32 eV, and a more pronounced charge-transfer insulator behavior as compared to the well-known Mott insulator UO2. Most uranium ions (56 out of 60) occur in 9-fold and 10-fold coordinated environments, surrounding the oxygen clusters, and have a tetravalent (24 out of 60) or pentavalent (32 out of 60) state. The remaining uranium ions (4 out of 60) are not contiguous to the oxygen cuboctahedra and have a very compact, 8-fold coordinated environment with two short (2 × 1.93(3) Å) “oxo-type” bonds. The higher Hirshfeld charge and the diamagnetic character point to a hexavalent state for these four uranium ions. Hence, the valence state distribution corresponds to 24/60 × U(IV) + 32/60 U(V) + 4/60 U(VI). The tetravalent and pentavalent uranium ions are predicted to carry noncollinear magnetic moments (with amplitudes of 1.6 and 0.8 μB, respectively), resulting in canted ferromagnetic order in characteristic layers within the overall fluorite-related structure. |
| Address |
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| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
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Wos |
000675430900049 |
Publication Date |
2021-07-19 |
| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0020-1669 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
| Impact Factor |
4.857 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
| Notes |
Financial support for this research was partly provided by the Energy Transition Fund of the Belgian FPS Economy (Project SF-CORMOD – Spent Fuel CORrosion MODeling). This work was performed in part using HPC resources from GENCI-IDRIS (Grants 2020-101450 and 2020-101601), and in part by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center) and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp (CalcUA), both funded by the FWO-Vlaanderen and the Flemish Government-department EWI. GL thanks E. Suard and C. Schreinemachers for assistance during the neutron scattering experiments at the ILL. GB acknowledges V. Petříček for suggestions on using JANA2006. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 4.857 |
| Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179907 |
Serial |
6801 |
| Permanent link to this record |
