Abstract: YCuO2 delafossite crystallizes into two stacking variants; hexagonal 2H or rhombohedral 3R, depending on the preparation conditions. The structure of the fully oxygenated material YCuO2.50 has been determined as orthorhombic (a(O) = 6.1961 Angstrom; b(O) = 11.2158 Angstrom; c(O) = 7.1505 Angstrom; space group Pnma). The structure is based on the hexagonal 2H structure (a(O) = a(H)root3; b(O) = c(H); c(O) = 2a(H)). Upon incomplete oxidation, a different YCuOZ phase with ideal composition YCuO2.33 and lattice parameters a(H root)3, a(H)root3, c(H) is also formed. Diffraction patterns are often very complex because of the presence of planar defects and intergrowth of both phases. Under electron beam irradiation, oxygen is released from the structure and one phase gradually transforms into the other. (C) 2001 Academic Press.

Abstract: The double phosphate Ca9In(PO4)(7) was obtained by solid-state reaction and was studied by room and high-temperature Xray powder diffraction, electron diffraction, high-resolution electron microscopy, second-harmonic generation (SHG) technique, differential scanning calorimetry, dielectric and conductivity measurements. The beta-Ca9In(PO4)(7) room-temperature phase is related to the mineral whitlockite and is similar to beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2). It has space group R (3) over barc, with unit cell parameters: a = 10.4008(1) Angstrom, c = 37.272(1) Angstrom, Z = 6. The structure was refined by the Rietveld method (R-wp = 4.69, R-I = 1.81). A reversible first-order beta <----> beta' phase transition of the ferroelectric type with T-c = 902 K is revealed by SHG, differential scanning calorimetry and dielectric measurements. The centrosymmetric beta'-Ca9In(PO4)(7) (973 K) has space group R (3) over barc, a = 10.4611(2) Angstrom, c = 37.874 (1) Angstrom (R-wp = 4.27, R-I = 4.11). Compared to the low-temperature beta-Ca9In(PO4)(7) structure, beta'-Ca9In(PO4)(7) can be described as an orientational disordering of the P1O(4) tetrahedra together with a calcium disordering on the M3 site. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

Abstract: ''1201'' Tl-based substituted cuprates of the type (Tl1-xMx) Sr2CuO5 have been synthesized for M = Nb, Ta, or W. These materials do not superconduct due to a statistical distribution of some of the M for Cu. The remarkable feature of these materials is the ordering observed between Tl and M in the (Tl1-xMx-epsilon)O plane. The type of ordering depends on the composition and shows remarkable similarities with the ordering in Ni-Mo or other so-called 1 1/2 0 type fcc-based alloys or with the ordering in rocksalt oxides TiOx. The short-range order, for M = W, can be readily interpreted in terms of a mixing of nano-clusters with two different compositions. These observations of two-dimensional ordering confirm recent ideas about ordering in three-dimensional fcc-based alloys.

Abstract: The structure and defect structure of Bi2-xPbxSr3.5Cu2 (CO3)O8-delta compounds with 0 less-than-or-equal-to x less-than-or-equal-to 0.75 are carefully investigated by electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy. All compounds have an orthorhombic structure with a almost-equal-to b almost-equal-to 5.4 angstrom and c almost-equal-to 39.5 angstrom. The length of the b-axis decreases monotonically with increasing x. The space group for the basic structure is Abm2. The structure can be considered as an intergrowth of Bi2Sr2CuO6 lamellae with Sr2CuO2 (CO3) lamellae along the c-axis. CO3 groups behave as bridges connecting the CuO6 octahedra. In the x = 0 compound the carbon atoms are shifted away from their symmetry positions; the orientational ordering of the CO3 groups (or the carbon shift) in successive CO planes alternates along +b and -b. Typical Bi-type and Pb-type modulations are found along the b-axis up to a Pb content x = 0.5. Electron beam irradiation destroys the ordering of the CO3 groups and alters the modulated structure. (C) 1994 Academic press, inc.

Abstract: The ternary oxides Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 and Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 were synthesized and their crystal structures and defects were studied by means of X-ray powder diffraction, electron diffraction, and high resolution electron microscopy. The crystal structure of Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 is based on the 8H (cchc)(2) close-packed stacking (a 10.0314 Angstrom, c = 18.869 Angstrom, SG P6(3)/mcm, Z = 3) and that of Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 and on the 10H (cchcc)(2) close-packed stacking (a = 5.7981 Angstrom, c = 23.755 Angstrom, SG P6(3)/mmc, Z = 1) of BaO3 layers. The structural refinements gave the following values for the R factors for Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 (Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30) R(I) = 0.041 (0.039), R(P) = 0.108 (0.118), and R(wP) = 0.094 (0.099). The main feature of both structures is the presence of two types of face-sharing octahedra (FSO) with different occupancies by Ta atoms, Ti atoms, and vacancies, which results in the formation of a superstructure. It was shown that in the Ba8Ta4Ti3O24 structure these pairs of FSO occur in an ordered fashion and in the Ba10Ta7.04Ti1.2O30 structure in a disordered fashion. The existence of the wide range of solid solutions was shown to be also a consequence of the presence of one of the two types of face-sharing octahedra. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc,