Forcing substitution of tantalum by copper in 1T-TaS2: synthesis, structure and electronic properties of 1T-Cu x Ta1-x S2.

We investigated the compound 1T-Cu x Ta1-x S2 with respect to its synthesis, homogeneity range, structure and electronic properties. The average structure of 1T-Cu x Ta1-x S2 resembles that of the high-temperature phase of the layered transition metal dichalcogenide 1T-TaS2 in which tantalum is partially substituted by copper. 1T-Cu x Ta1-x S2 readily decomposes at elevated temperatures and can only be prepared and stabilized by a sufficiently high amount of sulfur excess. XPS and NEXAFS measurements reveal that copper has the oxidation state +I in 1T-Cu x Ta1-x S2, which is supported by quantum chemical calculations. The disorder introduced by copper doping causes an Anderson-type localization of the conduction electrons as manifested by a strong increase of the electrical resistivity and a Curie-type paramagnetism at low temperatures as in other doped systems 1T-M x Ta1-x S2 with higher valent metals. Quantum chemical calculations support this interpretation.

Penta-lanthanum zinc diplumbide, La5Zn1-x Pb2+x (x ≃ 0.6).

The title non-stoichiometric penta-lanthanum zinc diplumbide, La5Zn1-x Pb2+x (x ≃ 0.6), was prepared from the elements in an evacuated silica ampoule. It adopts the Nb5Sn2Si-type structure (space group I4/mcm, Pearson symbol tI32), a ternary ordered superstructure of the W5Si3 type. Among the four independent crystallographic positions, three are fully occupied by La (Wyckoff 16k), La (4b), and Pb (8h) and one is occupied by a statistical mixture [occupancy ratio 0.394 (12):0.606 (12)] of Zn and Pb (4a). The structure is constructed by face-sharing 10-vertex polyhedra around the unmixed Pb sites. These fragments enclose channels of trans-face-sharing tetra-gonal anti-prisms occupied by the disordered Zn and Pb sites.

Facile one-pot fabrication of hollow porous silica nanoparticles.

A method for the fabrication of hollow silica nanospheres, a facile one-pot hydrothermal route, is described. Heating of an aqueous solution of water glass and D-glucose to 180 °C for 24 h affords-as indicated by transmission electron microscopy-a nanospherical composite consisting of a silica shell sheathing a carbonaceous core. Subsequent removal of the carbonaceous interior through oxidation in air produces hollow silica structures. Variation of the concentration of the two jointly dissolved chemicals enables a variation of the thickness of the silica shell. The hollow silica particles were characterized by means of SEM, TEM, XRD, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetrical analysis (TGA), and sorption measurements.

Site preference and ordering induced by Au substitution in the γ-brass related complex Au-Cr-Zn phases.

The crystal chemistry of the ternary Au-Cr-Zn alloy was studied by means of synthesis, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and electron structure calculations. While the compound CrZn(∼17) represents the binary end-point of the homogeneity range, the inclusion of Au proves to be very site specific, and at the limiting composition Au10Cr4Zn89 the structure is completely ordered. The crystallographic site occupancy pattern calculated by the Local Density Approximation (LDA)-Density Functional Theory (DFT) parametrized extended Hückel (eH) Mulliken charge populations in Au10Cr4Zn89 agrees very well with the experimentally found site occupancy pattern.

Dissolution kinetics of nanocrystals.

A simple series of test-tube experiments is all it takes to quantify a largely neglected nano-effect responsible for a dramatic increase-by orders of magnitude-in the surface-area-normalized rate of dissolution of nanocrystals. Though the observed variation in this specific rate as a function of size is unprecedented, the effect may be rationalized in terms of the classic atomistic theory of crystal growth and dissolution.

Self-organization of multifunctional surfaces--the fingerprints of light on a complex system.

Nanocomposite patterns and nanotemplates are generated by a single-step bottom-up concept that introduces laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) as a tool for site-specific reaction control in multicomponent systems. Periodic intensity fluctuations of this photothermal stimulus inflict spatial-selective reorganizations, dewetting scenarios and phase segregations, thus creating regular patterns of anisotropic physicochemical properties that feature attractive optical, electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties.

Multiplicative congruential generators, their lattice structure, its relation to lattice-sublattice transformations and applications in crystallography.

An analysis of certain types of multiplicative congruential generators--otherwise known for their application to the sequential generation of pseudo-random numbers--reveals their relation to the coordinate description of lattice points in two-dimensional primitive sublattices. Taking the index of the lattice-sublattice transformation as the modulus of the multiplicative congruential generator, there are special choices for its multiplier which induce a symmetry-preserving permutation of lattice-point coordinates. From an analysis of similar sublattices with hexagonal and square symmetry it is conjectured that the cycle structure of the permutation has its crystallographic counterpart in the description of crystallographic orbits. Some applications of multiplicative congruential generators in structural chemistry and biology are discussed.

Large, larger, largest--a family of cluster-based tantalum copper aluminides with giant unit cells. I. Structure solution and refinement.

This is the first of two parts, where we report the structure determination of a novel family of cluster-based intermetallic phases of unprecedented complexity: cF444-Al(63.6)Ta(36.4) (AT-19), a = 19.1663 (1) A, V = 7040 A3, cF(5928-x)-Al(56.6)Cu(3.9)Ta(39.5), x = 20 (ACT-45), a = 45.376 (1) A, V = 93,428 A(3) and cF(23,256-x)-Al(55.4)Cu(5.4)Ta(39.1), x = 122 (ACT-71), a = 71.490 (4) A, V = 365,372 A3. The space group is F43m in all three cases. These cluster-based structures are closely related to the class of Frank-Kasper phases. It is remarkable that all three structures show the same average structure that resembles the cubic Laves phase.

Large, larger, largest--a family of cluster-based tantalum copper aluminides with giant unit cells. II. The cluster structure.

This is the second of two papers, where we discuss the cluster structures of a novel family of cluster-based intermetallic phases of unprecedented complexity: cF444-Al(63.6)Ta(36.4) (AT-19), a = 19.1663 (1) A, V = 7040 A3, cF(5928-x)-Al(56.6)Cu(3.9)Ta(39.5), x = 20 (ACT-45), a = 45.376 (1) A, V = 93,428 A3 and cF(23,256-x)-Al(55.4)Cu(5.4)Ta(39.1), x = 122 (ACT-71), a = 71.490 (4) A, V = 365,372 A3. The space group is F43m in all three cases. The structures can be described as packings of clusters such as fullerenes, dodecahedra, pentagonal bifrusta and Friauf polyhedra. A characteristic feature of the two larger structures are nets of hexagonal bipyramidal Ta clusters (h.b.p.). The extremely short distance of 2.536-2.562 A between their apical Ta atoms indicates unusually strong bonding. The large h.b.p. nets are sandwiched between slabs of Friauf polyhedra resembling the structure of the mu phase.

The valence problem of Pd4Br4Te3.

Pd(4)Br(4)Te(3) was prepared from Pd, Te, and PdBr(2) at 700 K. Its structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to be triclinic, P$\bar 1$, Pearson symbol aP22; a=842.5(2), b=845.0(3), c=864.8(3) pm; alpha=82.55(3), beta=73.36(2), gamma=88.80(2) degrees ; Z=2. The Br and Te atoms are arranged according to the motif of cubic closest-packed spheres in which every 15th position is vacant; the Pd atoms occupy 8/15 of the octahedral voids. The symmetry relations with the packing of spheres are derived. Prominent structural units are hollow cuboctahedral [(PdBrTe)(6)] units, the Pd atoms are positioned near the centers of the square faces of the Br(6)Te(6) cuboctahedra; the cuboctahedra and double-octahedral Pd(2)Br(4)Te(6) units are connected to strands by sharing triangular Te(3) faces. The strands are condensed by common Br atoms into layered assemblies. Conspicuously close Te--Te contacts in the Te(3) triangles indicate attractive Te--Te interactions. The valence puzzle is resolved by the formula Pd(+II)(4)Br(-I)(4)Te(-4/3)(3). Positive Te--Te Mulliken orbital populations and the Pd--K, Br--K, and Te--L(III) XANES spectra of Pd(4)Br(4)Te(3) referenced to the spectra of PdBr(2), K(2)PdBr(6), PdTe, and PdTe(2) are in accord with attractive Te--Te interactions. The measured semiconducting and diamagnetic properties are compatible with the derived picture of chemical bonding in Pd(4)Br(4)Te(3).

Pd(0.213)Cd(0.787) and Pd(0.235)Cd(0.765) structures: their long c axis and composite crystals, chemical twinning, and atomic site preferences.

We present single-crystal studies of Pd(0.213)Cd(0.787) and Pd(0.235)Cd(0.765), synchrotron powder studies of Pd(1-x)Cd(x), 0.755> or =x> or =0.800, and LDA-DFT and extended Hückel (eH) calculations on these or related phases. The two single-crystal structures have a, b, and c axis lengths of 9.9013(7), 14.0033(10), 37.063(24) and 9.9251(3), 14.0212(7), 60.181(3) A, respectively and they crystallize in the space groups Ccme and F2mm, respectively (solved as (3+1)-dimensional crystals their most convenient superspace group is Xmmm(00gamma)s00). The structures have two different structural components each with their own separate axis parameters. Powder data shows that the ratio of these separate axes (S/L) varies from 1.615 to 1.64, values near the golden mean (1.618). For Pd(0.213)Cd(0.787), different Pd and Cd site occupancies lead to variation in the R factor from 2.6-3.6 %. The site occupancy pattern with the lowest R factor (among the 26 820 variants studied) is the exact site occupancy pattern predicted by LDA-DFT parameterized eH Mulliken charge populations. The phases can be understood through a chemical twinning principle found in gamma-brass, the parent structure for the above phases (a relation with the MgCu(2) Laves phase is also noted). This twinning principle can be used to account for Cd and Pd site preferences. At the same time there is a clean separation among the Cd and Pd atoms for the two separate chain types at height b=0 and 1/2. These results indicate that Cd:Pd stoichiometry plays a role in phase stability.

Synthesis, crystal structure and some physical properties of RuZn3.

The crystal structure, phase relations and some physical properties of the binary zinc-rich phase RuZn3 are reported. The title compound is accessible via high-temperature reaction from the elements in the appropriate substance amount ratio. Its crystal structure was determined from a Rietveld profile fit to an X-ray diffractogram of pristine RuZn3 and confirmed by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. The title compound adopts a tetragonal Al3Zr-type structure corresponding to an A2B2 anti-phase domain structure of the cubic AuCu3-type: a=376.82(3) pm, c=1554.78(13) pm, I4/mmm, Z=4, R(F)(all data)=0.0197, 153 unique reflections, 12 variables. The structure is discussed in the light of the Hume-Rothery concept. RuZn3 melts at 1373(2) K, is a moderate metallic conductor (rho(293 K)=6.2 mOmega cm) and exhibits basically temperature-independent paramagnetic properties. It coexists with Ru1-xZnx and RuZn6.

Ferrimagnetic nanogranular Co3O4 through solvothermal decomposition of colloidally dispersed monolayers of alpha-cobalt hydroxide.

Co3O4 nanoparticles of 35 nm with a cauliflower-like morphology were obtained when a monolayer colloidal dispersion of dodecyl sulfate intercalated alpha-cobalt hydroxide in butanol was subjected to solvothermal hydrolytic decomposition. The nanogranular particles exhibit weakly ferromagnetic properties in contrast with both bulk and dispersed nanoparticulate Co3O4.

Structure-composition relations for the partly disordered Hume-Rothery phase Ir7+7deltaZn97-11delta (0.31< or =delta< or =0.58).

The crystal structure, its variation within the homogeneity range and some physical properties of the new zinc-rich, partly disordered phase Ir7+7deltaZn97-11delta (0.31< or =delta< or =0.58) are reported. The structures of three phases with distinct composition were determined by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction. Ir7+7deltaZn97-11delta exhibits a significant homogeneity range, adopts a complex gamma-brass related cubic structure (cF403-406), is stable up to 1201(2) K, and transforms sluggishly below 1048(4) K into a phase with 394 atoms in the monoclinic primitive unit cell. It is a diamagnetic, moderate metallic conductor. Six distinguishable clusters consisting of 22-29 atoms comprise the structure. The clusters are situated about the 16 high symmetry points of the cubic F lattice. The structure can be subdivided into two partial structures, one with constant composition IrZn5 and 192 atoms per unit cell and a second being significantly richer in zinc with variable composition and 211-214 atoms per unit cell. The meandering triply periodic minimal surface of two interpenetrating diamond-like nets separates the compositionally variable from its complementary invariant part. The phase width is coupled with substitutional and positional disorder. A comprehensive analysis of composition-dependent site occupancy factors reveals a linear correlation between the various types of disorder which can be conclusively interpreted in terms of an incoherent intergrowth of distinctive partial structures in variable proportions on a length scale comparable to the size of the approximately 2 nm large unit cell. On the basis of the structural findings we derive the structure chemically meaningful formula Ir7+7delta)Zn97-11delta which quantitatively accounts for the interrelation between substitutional and positional disorder and provides a measure for the homogeneity range in structural terms.

Ta97Te60: a crystalline approximant of a tantalum telluride quasicrystal with twelvefold rotational symmetry.

The crystal structure of a rational approximant of an unprecedented dodecagonal quasicrystal is reported. The atomic arrangement of the tantalum-rich telluride Ta(97)Te(60) has been determined from 30 458 symmetrically independent X-ray intensities of a crystal twinned by metric merohedry: a=2767.2(2), b=2767.2(2), c=2061.3(2) pm, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), Pearson symbol oP628, 1415 variables, R(F)=0.059. A dodecagonal-shaped, vaulted Ta(151)Te(74) cluster with maximum symmetry 6mm can be seen as a characteristic motif of the structure. Each cluster measures about 2.5 nm across and consists of nineteen concentrically condensed hexagonal antiprismatic Ta(13) clusters which are capped with Te atoms. The Ta(151)Te(74) clusters can cover the plane distinctly in different ways, thereby forming a series of phases which are closely related both structurally and compositionally. In Ta(97)Te(60) the buckled clusters decorate the vertices of a square tiling at a 2 nm length scale to result in corrugated (infinity)(2)[Te(30)Ta(41)Ta(15)Ta(41)Te(30)] each about 1 nm thick. The lamellae are stacked along the c axis, corresponding to the direction of the pseudo-twelvefold axis of symmetry. Symmetry arguments are proposed that the twinning of the structure may be associated with a fine-tuning of weak interlayer Te-Te interactions which are reflected in a minimization of the deviation from the mean distance and a doubling of the stacking vector c.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Zr(2)Te. Distinctions in Bonding to Isotypic Sc(2)Te and the Relationship to the Structures of Congeneric Hf(2)Te and Zr(2)Se.

Zr(2)Te is accessible by high-temperature synthesis. The structure of the zirconium-rich telluride was determined by means of powder X-ray diffraction to be orthorhombic, Pnma (No. 62), Z = 12, Pearson symbol oP36, a = 1995.0(2) pm, b = 382.36(2) pm, c = 1065.63(9) pm. Pairwise interpenetrating columns of trans-face-shared, centered Zr(9) cuboids, reminiscent of the bcc high-temperature form of zirconium can be recognized as the topologically characteristic structural feature. Tellurium atoms capping the remaining square faces complete the motif of a [Zr(8)Te(4)] double string running parallel [010]. The tellurium atoms are 7-, 8- and 9-fold coordinated by zirconium. The coordination figures represent mono-, bi- and tricapped distorted trigonal prisms, with zirconium atoms capping the square faces of the prisms. Extended Hückel calculations revealed distinctions in bonding in Zr(2)Te and the isotypic Sc(2)Te. According to Mulliken overlap populations, the heteronuclear interactions are similar in both tellurides. However, the lower valence electron concentration available for M-M bonding in Sc(2)Te is reflected in a considerable restriction of the attractive homonuclear interactions to one-dimensional metal cores, whereas in Zr(2)Te M-M bonding regions extend in space. The structure of Zr(2)Te is contrasted with two other types of bcc fragment structures adopted by the congeneric Hf(2)Te and Zr(2)Se. We show that the structural diversity observed for various dimetal chalcogenides is controlled by an intimate interplay of electronic and geometric factors.

A Dodecagonal Quasicrystalline Chalcogenide.

Diffractograms with twelvefold rotational symmetry (depicted on the right) were obtained from the first quasicrystalline chalcogenide Ta1.6 Te. This compound was prepared on a preparative scale by the reduction of TaTe2 with tantalum below 1870 K. This tantalum-rich telluride, which is the first stable dodecagonal phase, has enabled an in-depth investigation of this unusual state of ordering.