TANI2.05TE3, A NOVEL TELLURIDE WITH STUFFED TAFE1+XTE3 STRUCTURE

The novel metal-rich layer compound TaNi2.05Te3 was synthesized from t he elements. Its structure contains TaNi2Te3 layers which are intercon nected by Ni atoms on partially occupied tetragonal-pyramidal sites lo cated between the layers. The title compound and the related telluride TaFe1.14Te3 form a pair of compounds differing only in the occupation or nonoccupation of one 3d-material atom site. Therefore, the structu re of TaNi2.05Te3, which is stabilized by interstial Ni atoms, can be regarded as a ''stuffed'' TaFe1.14Te3 type. Pairs of compounds with a similar structural relationship seem to be of general importance in ea rly transition-metal chalcogenide chemistry. The existence of TaNi2.05 Te3 was recently proposed based on the results of extended Huckel band -structure calculations. TaNi2.05Te3 is a metallic conductor according to the results of four-probe resistivity measurements.