Crystal growth of a novel oxygen-deficient layered perovskite: Ba7Li3Ru4O20

Single crystals of both Ba7Li3Ru4O20 and Ba4NaRu3O12 were grown from reactive molten hydroxide fluxes. Ba7Li3Ru4O20 is a 7L-layer perovskite-related phase resulting from the stacking of six [AO3] layers and one oxygen deficient [AO2] layer, thereby creating LiO4 tetrahedra in addition to the LiO6 octahedra and face-sharing Ru2O9 bi-octahedra formed from the [AO3] layers. The compound crystallizes in the space group <f>R3¯ m</f> with <f>a=5.7927</f>(1) A˚ and <f>c=50.336(2)</f> A˚, <f>Z=3</f>. Ba4NaRu3O12 crystallizes in the space group <f>P63mc</f> with lattice parameters of <f>a=5.8014(2)</f> A˚ and <f>c=19.2050(9)</f> A˚, <f>Z=2</f>. Ba4NaRu3O12 is identical to a previously reported neutron refinement structure. The magnetic properties of Ba7Li3Ru4O20 are also reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]