Cationic networks in the structures of rare earth germanates and borogermanates: Typology of cationic networks in the structures of rare earth compounds

Abstract

The cationic networks in the structure of binary and mixed-anion compounds forming in the Ln2O3-B2O3-GeO2 systems have been studied. The collection of the known cationic networks consisting of two dominating pure forms, anisotropic and isotropic, as well as of the combined anisotropic-isotropic and multivector variety of anisotropic cationic networks, was enlarged by two new types of isotropic cationic networks, namely, combined isotropic-isotropic (in the Nd4GeO8 structure) and imperfect isotropic (in the structure of borogermanates Ln14 (BO6)6 (GeO4)2O(8).