Exhibition of structural flexibility of the infinite layer framework of the prototype compound Ca0.85Sr0.15CuO2 prepared under ambient conditions

The infinite layer compound Ca0.85Sr0.15CuO2 has been synthesized by the sol-gel technique using the acetate gel route. The compound is found to be single-phasic as evidenced from the powder X-ray and electron diffraction measurements. EDAX analysis confirms the presence of homogenous stoichiometric phase pertaining to the composition Ca0.85Sr0.15CuO2. High-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) studies reveal interesting defects in the infinite layer frame work of the system. Apart from the usual strain and shear induced defects observed in the lattice, which is common among the perovskite compounds, the main finding is the defect along [0 1 0], occurring due to the intercalation of extra AO layer in the CuO2 plane. Such a defect is accommodated in the lattice by the increase in the interplanar distance (which is basically the c-axis parameter) from 3.2 to 3.4 Å in the defective layer. This implies the formation of square pyramidal oxygen co-ordination of copper at the defect site.