Oxidation products of the niobium tungsten oxide Nb4W13O47: A high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy study

Nb4W13O47, a member of the solid solution series Nb8−nW9+nO47 (0⩽n⩽50⩽n⩽5), crystallizes in a threefold superstructure of the tetragonal tungsten bronze structure. While the oxidation of this reduced phase at TOX=1200 °C leads to a separation into the thermodynamically stable phases, lower oxidation temperatures result in products that comprise new structural elements and ordering variants. The characterization of the oxidation products obtained at TOX=1000 °C was performed by scanning transmission electron microscopy applying a high-angle annular dark field detector. At the selected imaging conditions (Z contrast), not only the metal positions are revealed by this technique but valuable additional information about the elemental distribution can be obtained simultaneously.

Z contrast image of Nb4W13O47 oxidized at 1000 °C: Bright dots reveal not only the position of the metal atoms but their intensity provides further information about the distribution of Nb and W.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide