A structural study of the Aurivillius phases by X-ray powder diffraction

Abstract

New layered bismuth oxides Bi2(BiCaNa)m−1NbmO3m+3(m=2-4) with the Aurivillius type phase were successfully synthesized. The structures of the compounds have been studied by X-ray powder diffraction and refined by the Rietveld method. Bi2.25Ca0.5Na0.25Nb2O9(m=2) has an orthorhombic crystal structure with lattice constants a=5.4478(1) Å;b=5.4770(2) Å;c=24.883(8) Å, space group A21am (No. 36). Bi2CaNaNb3O12 and Bi2.25Ca0.5Na1.25Nb3O12(m=3) are orthorhombic with Fmmm(No. 69) space group and the unit-cell parameters a=5.4473(7) Å, b=5.4770(3) Å, c=32.722(6) Å and a=5.4574(7) Å, b=5.4884 (3) Å, c=32.711(6) Å, respectively. The structure of Bi2CaNa2Nb4O15(m=4) was found to be orthorhombic with parameters a=5.4584(8) Å, b=5.4833(3) Å, c=40.534(1) Å and was refined in the space group A21am (No. 36).