The first hafnium germanate with garnet-type of structure: Mild hydrothermal synthesis, crystal structure and new mechanism of hydroxyl inclusion

Abstract

Sodium hafnium germanate, Na3Hf1.7Ge3O10(OH)1.8, with garnet-type of structure was synthesized as a single phase, nanoparticles (100–600 nm) at mild hydrothermal conditions (230 °C) and autogenous pressure. The structure was solved ab initio from powder X-ray diffraction data and subsequently refined [Rexp: 6.10, Rwp: 7.26, Rp: 5.39, GOF: 1.19, RB: 1.50] by the method of Rietveld. The solid crystallizes in cubic space group Ia-3d (230), with a = 12.6819(2) Å, V = 2039.65(1) Å3 and Z = 8. The structure is built up of rare combination of two tetravalent (Ge4+ and Hf4+) and one monovalent (Na+) cation alternating in form corner-sharing GeO4 tetrahedra and HfO6 octahedra whose negative charge is compensated by Na+ residing in dodecahedral coordination. Unlike the typical tetrahedral site disorder in hydrogarnets (hydrogrossular, hibschite, and katoite) we found that the octahedral position of the heavy Hf4+ cation is partly vacant which reveals alternative mechanism of charge unbalance leading to incorporation of hydroxyl group. Furthermore, the synthesized material is the first hafnium germanate with garnet-type of structure and the second known sodium hafnium germanate.