Transition-metal substitution in PbAlBO4: Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic studies of manganese containing phases

Mullite-type metal borates PbAlBO4 with planar BO3 groups are potential candidates for nonlinear optical properties. We successively substituted aluminum with manganese in the composition PbAl1−xMnxBO4, which would help tuning the crystal chemistry and related physical properties. The end member PbAlBO4 was synthesized by conventional solid state reaction; the other members of the PbAl1−xMnxBO4 series were prepared by glycerin method. The fundamental parameter approach was applied in the Rietveld refinements to describe the X-ray powder diffraction profiles. The cell parameters and interatomic bond distances were studied with respect to the chemical composition x. The MO6 octahedral distortion linearly increased with the averaged MO bond distance, which is correlated with the increasing amount of manganese atoms in the structure. The change of the average crystal size and microstrain were explained in terms of Al/Mn ratio in the solid solution. While the empirical bond-valence sums (BVS) of one oxygen atom, bridging the edge-sharing MO6 octahedron, were found to be under-bonded, the other one was over-bonded. The stereoactivity of the 6s2 lone electron pair of the Pb2+ cation was characterized in terms of the absolute value of eccentricity parameter (|Φi|). Both bond valence parameter (r0i) and BVS of Pb showed a linear correlation with |Φi|. Deconvolution of the absorption feature of the infrared powder spectra between 1000 cm−1 and 1400 cm−1 required four fitted bands, which were assigned to BO stretching vibrations of the trigonal planar BO3 groups. With increasing Al3+ dilution in PbAl1−xMnxBO4 almost all observed modes shifted toward lower wavenumbers confirming the solid solution. The absorptions caused by the vibrations of the heavy atom Pb were observed in the far-IR region.

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► Synthesis of mullite-type PbAl1−xMnxBO4 by solid state and glycerin methods.
► Fundamental parameter approach describes the X-ray powder diffraction profiles.
► Cell parameters anisotropically change with increasing Mn in the structure.
► Bond valence sums of Pb2+ linearly correlates eccentricity parameter.
► FTIR spectra confirm the trigonal planar BO3.