17O NMR studies of local structure and phase evolution for materials in the Y 2Ti 2O 7–ZrTiO 4 binary system

Abstract

17O MAS NMR and XRD studies of precursor-derived Y 1.6Zr 0.4Ti 2O 7.2 and Y 1.2Zr 0.8Ti 2O 7.4 have been performed to investigate the development of local and long-range order in these materials as they evolve from a metastable amorphous state upon heating. Zirconium titanate (ZrTiO 4) was also investigated to help interpret the 17O NMR spectra of the ternary compositions. Consistent with earlier studies, crystallization was observed at 800 °C to form a fluorite structure and a small amount of rutile; weak broad reflections were also observed which were ascribed to the presence of small pyrochlore-like ordered domains or particles within the fluorite phase. As the temperature was increased further, the sizes of these domains grew along with the concentration of rutile. At the highest temperature studied (1300 °C), the reflections of the thermodynamic phases, pyrochlore and zirconium titanate (ZrTiO 4), dominated the XRD pattern. The 17O NMR spectra revealed a series of different peaks that were assigned to different 3- and 4-coordinate O local environments. The data were consistent with the formation of a metastable phase Y 2− x Zr x Ti 2− y Zr y O 7+ x with pyrochlore-like ordering but with Zr substitution on both cation sites of the pyrochlore structure. At low temperatures, doping on the A (Y 3+) sites predominates (i.e., x> y), consistent with the fact that the pyrochlore develops out of a more disordered fluorite-like, phase. As the temperature is raised, the Zr doping on the A site decreases and the metastable phase at this temperature can now be written as Y 2− x ′Zr x ′Ti 2− y ′Zr y ′O 7+ x ′ (i.e., x′< y′); TiO 2 is also observed, consistent with this suggestion. At high temperatures, doping on the B site decreases and the resonances due to the stoichiometric pyrochlore yttrium titanate (Y 2Ti 2O 7) dominate the NMR spectra. Weaker 17O NMR resonances due zirconium titanate (ZrTiO 4) are also observed.