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X-ray powder diffraction study of the stability of solid solutions in (La1−xGdx)OCla)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Jorma Hölsä ,
Eija Säilynoja ,
Kari Koski ,
Hanna Rahiala  and
Jussi Valkonen
Jorma Hölsä
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FIN- Turku, Finland
Eija Säilynoja
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FIN- Turku, Finland
Kari Koski
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FIN- Turku, Finland
Hanna Rahiala*
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FIN- Turku, Finland
Jussi Valkonen
Affiliation:
University of Jyväskylä, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 35, FIN-20014 Jyväskylä, Finland
*
b) Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Abstract

The formation of the solid solutions in the (La1−xGdx)OCl series was studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) at room temperature in the 2θ region between 6.5 and 120°. The Rietveld profile refinement analyses of the XPD patterns were carried out with the background, unit cell, atomic position, isotropic temperature, and Gaussian profile form parameters refined freely. All (La1−xGdx)OCl samples possessed the tetragonal PbFCl-type structure with P4/nmm as the space group (Z=2). The unit cell parameters a and c evolve smoothly through the series and no clustering of the Gd3+ ions was observed according to Vegard's law. The solid solubility exists throughout the whole series. The valence bond model was used to estimate the relative stabilities of the different (La1−xGdx)OCl solid solutions. The global instability index (GII) which equals to the deviation between the formal valence and the sum of the calculated valence bonds of each atom in the asymmetric unit was used as a tool in the assessment. In the (La1−xGdx)OCl series, GII increases both from the end and the beginning of the series toward the middle indicating diminishing stability. No breakdown of the La–Gd solid solution could be verified experimentally although the GII value for the (La0.4Gd0.6)OCl composition exceeds the limit of 0.2 which should mean the collapse of the structure. However, the diffraction reflections were found somewhat broader in the middle of the series indicating possible local distortion or disorder.

Type
Research Article
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 1996 , pp. 129 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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Footnotes

a)

Presented at EPDIC IV, Chester, July 11–14, 1995.

References

a) Presented at EPDIC IV, Chester, July 11–14, 1995.