Synthesis and characterization of a simpler Mn-free, Fe-rich M3-type murataite

We report the first finding of a Mn-free, Fe-rich M3-type murataite by solid-state reaction. While formerly this family of polytypes were classified as titanates, now we have added high iron members, i.e. Fe now plays a defining role in the new M3s with no Mn. XRD patterns and SEM-EDS reveal that the samples in the system of Ca-Ti-Zr-Al-Fe-O and Ca-Mn-Ti-Zr-Al-Fe-O consist of three-fold fluorite-type FCC superstructures, which now only have 5 cations, Ca, Ti, Zr, Al, and Fe; this will necessarily simplify structural investigations of these complex synthetic versions of the murataite-pyrochlore polysomatic series.