The Use of Superlattice Reactants in The Synthesis of Ternary CU‐NB‐SE Compounds

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe low temperature interdiffusion of superlattice reactants of the binary systems niobium‐selenium and copper‐selenium and the ternary copper‐niobium‐selenium were explored to synthesize amorphous reaction intermediates. Controlled crystallization of this intermediate, which depends upon nucleation energetics rather than the thermodynamic stability of the final product, was used as we attempted to prepare ternary niobium cluster compounds. We present data demonstrating the ability to prepare amorphous ternary intermediates without the formation of crystalline binary compounds as reaction intermediates. Crystallization of the amorphous intermediate resulted in the formation of known ternary compounds directly, also without the formation of binary compounds.