Crystal Growth of Two New Niobates, La₂KNbO₆ and Nd₂KNbO₆: Structural, Dielectric, Photophysical, and Photocatalytic Properties

Author(s)

Irina P. Roof, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Sangmoon Park, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Tom Vogt, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Vitaly Rassolov, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Mark D. Smith, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
Shobit Omar, University of Florida
Juan Nino, University of Florida
Hans-Conrad zur Loye, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow

Document Type

Paper

Subject Area(s)

Chemistry

Abstract

Single crystals of La₂KNbO₆ and Nd₂KNbO₆, space group C2/m, a = 12.746(2) Å, b = 5.7906(1) Å, c = 8.8719(2) Å, β = 105.965(1)° and a = 12.545(3) Å, b = 5.6985(1) Å, c = 8.7196(2) Å, β = 105.803(1)°, respectively, were grown out of a reactive hydroxide melt. The two niobates crystallize in a new structure type in which niobium is located in a rare 5-coordinate, square pyramidal coordination environment. La₂KNbO₆ exhibits room-temperature photoluminescence with bright blue emission upon excitation at 260 nm. Semiempirical PM6 calculations were performed to better understand the origin of the photoluminescence. The dielectric properties of La₂KNbO₆ were measured from −150 to 200 °C at four different frequencies. Finally, to assess the photocatalytic properties of La₂KNbO₆, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue by La₂KNbO₆ was determined.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1021/cm703479k

Publication Info

Published in Chemistry of Materials, Volume 20, Issue 10, 2008, pages 3327-3335.

Rights

© Chemistry of Materials 2008, American Chemical Society.

APA Citation

Roof, I., Park, S., Vogt, T., Rassolov, V., Smith, M., Omar, S., Nino, J., & zur Loye, H.-C. (2008). Crystal Growth of Two New Niobates, La2KNbO6 and Nd2KNbO6: Structural, Dielectric, Photophysical, and Photocatalytic Properties. Chemistry of Materials, 20(10), 3327–3335. https://doi.org/10.1021/cm703479k