BARC/PUB/2013/0171

 
 

Evidence for the Existence of Oxygen Clustering and Understanding of Structural Disorder in Prussian Blue Analogues Molecular Magnet M1.5[Cr(CN)6)· zH2O (M = Fe and Co): Reverse Monte Carlo Simulation and Neutron Diffraction Study

 
     
 
Author(s)

Bhatt, P.; Thakur, N.; Mukadam, M. D.; Meena, S. S.; Yusuf, S. M.
(SSPD)

Source

Journal of Physical Chemistry-C, 2013. Vol. 117 (6): pp. 2676-2687

ABSTRACT

A detailed structural disorder investigation of Prussian blue analogues M1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O (M = Fe and Co) has been done by carrying out a reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulation on the powder neutron diffraction data. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and dc magnetization measurements have also been employed to investigate the structural and magnetic properties of the compounds. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray and neutron diffraction patterns reveals that both compounds are in a single phase with a face-centered cubic crystal structure (space group Fm3m). The observation of characteristic absorption bands in the range 1900−2200 cm−1 of infrared (IR) spectra, which corresponds to the CN stretching frequency of MII-NΞC-CrIII sequence, confirms the formation of Prussian blue analogues, M1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O. The IR study also infers the presence of cyanide flipping in the Fe1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O compound. The Mössbauer study on the Fe1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O compound confirms the presence of high as well as low spin FeII ions due to isomerization of some CrIII-CΞN-FeII linkages to the CrIII-NΞC-FeII form. The magnetization data show a soft ferromagnetic nature of both compounds with a Curie temperature of ∼17 and ∼22 K for Fe1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O and Co1.5[Cr(CN)6zH2O, respectively. A large amount of structural disorder is present in both compounds, which is manifested in the form of a diffuse scattering in neutron diffraction patterns. The RMC results, obtained after the modeling, simulation, and analysis of the neutron diffraction data, propose that the water molecules and the [Cr(CN)6] vacancies are mainly responsible for the structural disorder.  Moreover, a clustering of the noncoordinated oxygen atoms around the coordinated oxygen atoms is also ascertained by the RMC analysis. The correlation of structural disorder with the water content and [Cr(CN)6] vacancies is also discussed.

 
 
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