title: Ca(2+)/vacancies and O2-/F- ordering in new oxyfluoride pyrochlores Li(2x)Ca1.5-x square 0.5-xM2O6F (M = Nb,Ta) for 0 < or = x < or = 0.5.
abstract: New oxyfluorides Li(2x)Ca(1.5-x) square (0.5-x)M2O6F (M = Nb, Ta), belonging to the cubic pyrochlore structural type (Z = 8, a approximately 10.5 angstroms), were synthesized by solid state reaction for 0 < or = x < or = 0.5. XRD data allowed us to determine their structures from single crystals for the two alpha and beta-Ca(1.5) square (0.5)Nb2O6F forms and from powder samples for the others. This characterisation was completed by TEM and solid state 19F NMR experiments. For the Ca(1.5) square (0.5)M2O6F (x = 0) pyrochlore phases, the presence of a double ordering phenomenon is demonstrated, involving on one hand the Ca(2+) ions and the vacancies and on the other hand the oxide and the fluoride anions which are strictly located in the 8b sites of the Fd3m aristotype space group. The Ca(2+) ions/vacancies ordering leads to a reversible phase transition, a (P4(3)32) <--> beta (Fd3m). The 19F NMR study strongly suggests that, in the beta-phases, the fluoride ions are only on average at the centre of the Ca3 square tetrahedron. It shows that slightly different Ca-F distances occuring in alpha-Ca(1.5) square (0.5)Nb2O6F may be related to a more difficult thermal ionic and vacancies diffusion process than in the tantalate compound. This may explain the hysteresis phenomenon presented by the phase transition. A solid solution Li(2x)Ca(1.5-x) square (0.5-x) Ta2O6F (0 < or = x < or = 0.5) was prepared and the order-disorder phase transition observed for Ca(1.5) square (0.5)M2MO6F compounds disappears for all the other compositions where less or no more vacancies exist in the 16d sites. In the LiCaM2O6F compounds, the 19F NMR study allows us to determine the Ca(2+) and Li+ ions distributions around the fluoride ions and shows that the [FLi2Ca2] environment is clearly favoured.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Oxydes et Fluorures (UMR CNRS 6010). francoise.le-berre@univ-lemans.fr
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Le Berre
authors.forename: Marie-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Crosnier-Lopez
authors.forename: Cyrille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galven
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fourquet
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Legein
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Body
authors.forename: Jean-Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Buzaré