title: Antimony-121 Mössbauer spectral study of alpha-Zn4Sb3.
abstract: The Mössbauer spectra of alpha-Zn4Sb3, a compound that is best formulated as alpha-Zn13Sb10 or (Zn2+)13(Sb3-)6(Sb24-)2, have been measured between 5 and 120 K. The resulting six spectra have been simultaneously fit with two components in the ratio of 3:2 corresponding to the Sb3- and Sb2- ions identified in this valence semiconductor. The fits yield temperature independent isomer shifts of -8.17(2) and -9.73(2) mm/s and quadrupole interactions of -4.9(2) and 0 mm/s for the Sb3- and Sb2- ions, respectively; the corresponding Mössbauer temperatures are 197(5) and 207(5) K, temperatures that are lower than the Debye temperature of beta-Zn4Sb3. The isomer shifts correspond to electronic configurations between 5s25p6 and 5s1.755p4.01 for the Sb3- ions and between 5s25p5 and 5s1.805p3.38 for the Sb2- ions, configurations that are in good agreement with the expected configurations for this valence semiconductor and with the results of band structure calculations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, B5, University of Liège, B-4000 Sart-Tilman, Belgium.
authors.forename: Raphaël P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: Fernande
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grandjean
authors.forename: Tsi-Chi
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dennis E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: G Jeffrey
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Gary J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Long