Electron-poor SrAuxIn4−x (0.5⩽x⩽1.2) and SrAuxSn4−x (1.3⩽x⩽2.2) phases with the BaAl4-type structure
作者:Andriy V. Tkachuk、Arthur Mar
DOI:10.1016/j.jssc.2007.06.004
日期:2007.8
Solid solutions SrAuxIn4-x (0.5 <= x <= 1.2) and SrAuxSn4-x (1.3 <= x <= 2.2) have been prepared at 700 degrees C and their structures characterized by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. They adopt the tetragonal BaAl4-type structure (space group I4/mmm, Z=2; SrAu1.1(1)In2.9(1), a=4.5841(2) angstrom, c= 12.3725(5) angstrom; SrAu1.4(1)Sn2.6(1), a=4.6447(7) angstrom, c= 11.403(2) angstrom), with An atoms preferentially substituting into the apical over basal sites within the anionic network. The phase width inherent in these solid solutions implies that the BaAl4-type structure can be stabilized over a range of valence electron counts (vec), 13.0-11.6 for SrAuxIn4-x and 14.1-11.4 for SrAuxSn4-x. They represent new examples of electron-poor BaAl4-type compounds, which generally have a vec of 14. Band structure calculations confirm that substitution of Au, with its smaller size and fewer number of valence electrons, for In or Sri atoms enables the BaAl4-type structure to be stabilized in the parent binaries SrIn4 and SrSn4, which adopt different structure types. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.