Crystal growth of inter-lanthanide La Ln′O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) perovskites from hydroxide fluxes

Abstract

In this article, we report the growth of single crystals of the inter-lanthanide series La Ln′O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) using molten hydroxide fluxes. Inter-lanthanide oxides, LnLn′O 3 (where Ln and Ln′ = lanthanides) typically crystallize in the A-, B- or C-Ln 2 O 3 or in the ABO 3 perovskite structure types, depending on the relative sizes of the lanthanide cations involved. The inter-lanthanide oxides, La Ln′O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu), reported herein were determined to crystallize in the orthorhombic ( Pnma) perovskite-type structure. A discussion on the effect of cation radii on the resultant crystal structure for La Ln′O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) and other reported inter-lanthanide oxides is presented herein.