New layered polyanion in α-CsB5O8 high-temperature modification

Abstract

Crystal structure of high-temperature polymorphic modification, α-CsB5O8, was determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The phase crystallizes in space group P21/c with a=7.122(2), b=9.640(3), c=11.411(3) Å, β=116.64(2)°and V=700.3(3) Å3, Z=4. It contains new zigzag layer polyanions built up from rigid [B5O8]− pentaborate groups that consist of four triangles and a tetrahedron condensed to a double ring via common tetrahedron. The cesium cations are located in large cavities of the layers and they are coordinated by nine oxygen atoms with distances from 3.037 to 3.429 Å. Five of the oxygen atoms are placed in the same layer as cesium atom; other four ones are distributed between two adjacent layers. Under heating this structure demonstrates a highly anisotropic thermal expansion (α11=27, α22=61, α33=−8×10−6 K−1); the thermal expansion in the direction perpendicular to the layer is the intermediate one.