Wh. Mccarroll et al., SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF SR1-XLAXMO5O8 0-LESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO-X-LESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO-1) - A NEW CLASS OF OXIDES WITH METALLIC PROPERTIES, Journal of solid state chemistry (Print), 138(1), 1998, pp. 7-17
Single crystal and oriented polycrystal specimens of the solid solutio
n between SrMo5O8 and LaMo5O8 have been prepared by fused salt electro
lysis. The La/Sr ratios of the solid solution members formed are highl
y sensitive to the melt composition. Both end members of this series a
re semiconducting at room temperature, with the La compound displaying
complex low-temperature behavior. On the other hand the solid solutio
ns become metallic over the range 300-20 K when a few atom % of either
La or Sr are present. Detailed structural investigations by single cr
ystal X-ray and powder neutron diffraction at ambient and low temperat
ures failed to reveal any changes in the Mo-Mo or Mo-O network that wo
uld account for the observed anomalies in the electronic properties. T
he composition-controlled semiconductor-to-metal transition can be exp
lained on the basis of a simple qualitative band model. (C) 1998 Acade
mic Press.