Crystal structures of the triple perovskites Ba2K2Te2O9and Ba2KNaTe2O9, and redetermination of the double perovskite Ba2CaTeO6

Abstract

Single crystals of Ba2K2Te2O9(dibarium dipotassium nonaoxidoditellurate), (I), Ba2KNaTe2O9(dibarium potassium sodium nonaoxidoditellurate), (II), and Ba2CaTeO6(dibarium calcium hexaoxidotellurate), (III), were obtained from KNO3/KI or KNO3/NaNO3flux syntheses in platinum crucibles for (I) and (II), or porcelain crucibles for (III). (I) and (II) are isotypic and are members of triple perovskites with general formulaA2[12co]A′[12co]B2[6o]B′[6o]O9. They crystallize in the 6H-BaTiO3structure family in space-group typeP63/mmc, with theA,A′,BandB′ sites being occupied by K, Ba, Te and a second Ba in (I), and in (II) by mixed-occupied (Ba/K), Ba, Te and Na sites, respectively. (III) adopts theA2[12co]B′[6o]B′′[6o]O6double perovskite structure in space-group typeFm-3m, with Ba, Ca and Te located on theA,B′ andB′′sites, respectively. The current refinement of (III) is based on single-crystal X-ray data. It confirms the previous refinement from X-ray powder diffraction data [Fuet al.(2008).J. Solid State Chem.181, 2523–2529], but with higher precision.