Negative Thermal Expansion in Fluoroapatite Pb5(VO4)3F Enhanced by the Steric Effect of Pb2.

Negative thermal expansion (NTE) is an unusual thermophysical phenomenon and has gained attention as a way of controlling thermal expansion. Here, we report a substantial NTE in fluoroapatite Pb5(VO4)3F in a limited temperature range. The dilatometric study revealed volume shrinkage below 150 K, giving a linear thermal expansion coefficient of αL = -44 ppm/K in the temperature range from 140 to 120 K upon heating. The NTE behavior is associated with a structural transition from the hexagonal (P63/m) phase to the monoclinic (P21/b) phase. Such a structural transition has been found in other apatite-type compounds, but the magnitude of the volume change in Pb5(VO4)3F is remarkable. Our structural analysis revealed that the structural transition is classified as an antiferroelectric-to-paraelectric transition and the volume change during the transition is enhanced by the steric effect of 6s2 lone-pair electrons of Pb2+.