Abnormal positive thermal expansion in Mo substituted ZrW2O8

ZrW2O8 displays the unusual property of an isotropic bulk contraction in volume as a function of temperature. We report here on the positive thermal expansion (PTE) property caused by substituting Mo for W sites in ZrW2O8 at room temperature. The room temperature crystal structure of ZrW2−xMoxO8 compounds, which were synthesized using a low temperature route, could be divided into ordered phase with α-ZrW2O8 structure (0≤x≤0.5) and disordered phase with β-ZrW2O8 (0.5