Staging disorder in graphite intercalation compounds

Abstract

We describe a study performed on two samples quenched close to a staging transition (3–4 for Lithium and 5–6 for Potassium). The 001 diffraction patterns were analyzed by comparing the experimental distributions with theoretical ones, calculated “ab initio”. This general approach which allows to take into account of various statistical models involving more or less short range interactions between the layers and to include the effect of a size limited crystal have yielded a more sophisticated structural description of the compounds through the staging transition.