Synthesis and structure of CsTi5Te8: Relation to the TlV5S8, TlCr3S5, and similar channel structures

The compound CsTi5Te8 was obtained as a crystalline product by an “U-assisted” reaction of Cs, Ti, U, and Cs2Te3 in a CsCl flux at 1173 K. The structure of CsTi5Te8 contains a three-dimensional network of face-sharing and edge-sharing TiTe6 octahedra that form one-dimensional channels. The Cs+ cations reside in channels that propagate in the [0 1 0] direction. The structure is closely related to several other types of channel structures including those of the minerals of the hollandite and psilomelane families, and those of the TlV5S8 and TlCr3S5 structure types.