The surface chemical properties of undoped tetragonal ZrO and the gas-phase dependence of the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation are studied using a tetragonal ZrO polymorph synthesized via a sol-gel method from an alkoxide precursor. The obtained phase-pure tetragonal ZrO is defective and strongly hydroxylated with pronounced Lewis acidic and Brønsted basic surface sites. Combined in situ FT-infrared and electrochemical impedance measurements reveal effective blocking of coordinatively unsaturated sites by both CO and CO, as well as low conductivity. The transformation into monoclinic ZrO is suppressed up to temperatures of ∼723 K independent of the gas phase composition, in contrast to at higher temperatures. In inert atmospheres, the persisting structural defectivity leads to a high stability of tetragonal ZrO, even after a heating-cooling cycle up to 1273 K. Treatments in CO and H increase the amount of monoclinic ZrO upon cooling (>85 wt%) and the associated formation of either Zr-surface-(oxy-)carbide or dissolved hydrogen. The transformation is strongly affected by the sintering/pressing history of the sample, due to significant agglomeration of small crystals on the surface of sintered pellets. Two factors dominate the properties of tetragonal ZrO: defect chemistry and hydroxylation degree. In particular, moist conditions promote the phase transformation, although at significantly higher temperatures as previously reported for doped tetragonal ZrO.
The strontium borogermanate Sr(3-x/2)B(2-x)Ge(4+x)O14 (x = 0.32) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction of SrO, GeO2, and H3BO3 in a NaF/KF flux system using platinum crucibles. The structure determination revealed that Sr(3-x/2)B(2-x)Ge(4+x)O14 (x = 0.32) crystallizes in the trigonal space group P321 (No. 150) with the parameters a = 800.7(2) and c = 488.8(2) pm, with R1 = 0.0281, wR2 = 0.0671 (all data), and Z = 1. The crystal structure of Sr(3-x/2)B(2-x)Ge(4+x)O14 (x = 0.32) consists of distorted SrO8 cubes, GeO6 octahedra, GeO4 tetrahedra, and BO4 tetrahedra. In addition to the structural investigations, Raman and IR spectroscopic investigations were carried out.
A new
iridium boride, β-Ir4B5, was
synthesized under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 10.5
GPa and 1500 °C in a multianvil press with a Walker-type module.
The new modification β-Ir4B5 crystallizes
in a new structure type in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (no. 62) with the lattice parameters a = 10.772(2)
Å, b = 2.844(1) Å, and c = 6.052(2) Å with R1 = 0.0286, wR2 = 0.0642 (all data), and Z = 2. The structure
was determined by single-crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction
on samples enriched in 11B. The compound is built up by
an alternating stacking of boron and iridium layers with the sequence
ABA′B′. Additionally, microcalorimetry, hardness, and
compressibility measurements of the binary iridium borides α-Ir4B5, β-Ir4B5, Ir5B4, hexagonal Ir4B3–x and orthorhombic Ir4B3–x were carried out and theoretical investigations
based on density function theory (DFT) were employed to complement
a comprehensive evaluation of structure–property relations.
The incorporation of boron into the structures does not enhance the
compressibility but leads to a significant reduction of the bulk moduli
and elastic constants in comparison to elemental iridium.
The new ternary transition metal borides Mn3‐xIr5B2+x (0≤x≤0.5) and Mn2IrB2 were synthesized from the elements under high temperature and high‐pressure/high‐temperature conditions. Both phases can be synthesized as powder samples in a radio‐frequency furnace in argon atmosphere. High‐pressure/high‐temperature conditions were used to grow single‐crystals. The phases represent the first ternary compounds within the system Mn–Ir–B. Mn3−xIr5B2+x (0≤x≤0.5) crystallizes in the Ti3Co5B2 structure type (P4/mbm; no. 127) with parameters a=9.332(1), c=2.896(2) Å, and Z=2. Mn2IrB2 crystallizes in the β‐Cr2IrB2 crystal structure type (Cmcm; no. 63) with parameters a=3.135(3), b=9.859(5), c=13.220(3) Å, and Z=8. The compositions of both compounds were confirmed by EDX measurements and the compressibility was determined experimentally for Mn3−xIr5B2+x and by DFT calculations for Mn2IrB2.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.