Chai Jing, She Yuheng, Jiao Jinmiao, Li Lili, Ye Ning, Hu Zhanggui, Wu Yicheng, Li Conggang
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Crystal Materials, Institute of Functional Crystal, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials and Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
Dalton Trans. 2024 Feb 6;53(6):2696-2702. doi: 10.1039/d3dt04267g.
Germanate oxides have garnered considerable interest owing to their diverse structural configuration and intriguing properties. Herein, we present a novel niobium germanate crystal, RbNbGeO, extracted through the process of spontaneous crystallization. It showcases a unique three-dimensional (3D) structural framework composed of one-dimensional (1D) twisted [NbO] chains and isolated [GeO] rings, arising from the divergent polymerized manifestations of [NbO] and [GeO] basic building blocks, respectively, marking the first instance of such a topography in germanate materials. Notably, the title compound exhibits exceptional thermal stability up to 1250 °C with a good congruent melting nature. Moreover, it achieves a short ultraviolet edge at 306 nm and a favorable infrared edge cutoff exceeding 6.2 μm, thus indicating a wide transparency window. Additionally, this study elucidates the microscopic birefringence of RbNbGeO and clarifies the intricate relationship between its structure and properties. Our findings suggest that the polymerization of distinct structural motifs within a single compound is an effective strategy for exploring novel inorganic materials.
锗酸盐氧化物因其多样的结构构型和有趣的性质而备受关注。在此，我们展示了一种通过自发结晶过程提取的新型铷铌锗酸盐晶体RbNbGeO。它展现出一种独特的三维（3D）结构框架，由一维（1D）扭曲的[NbO]链和孤立的[GeO]环组成，分别源于[NbO]和[GeO]基本结构单元不同的聚合表现形式，这在锗酸盐材料中是首次出现这种拓扑结构。值得注意的是，该标题化合物在高达1250°C的温度下表现出优异的热稳定性，具有良好的一致熔融性质。此外，它在306nm处实现了短紫外截止边缘，并且在超过6.2μm处具有良好的红外截止边缘，从而表明具有宽透明窗口。此外，本研究阐明了RbNbGeO的微观双折射，并阐明了其结构与性质之间的复杂关系。我们的研究结果表明，在单一化合物中不同结构基序的聚合是探索新型无机材料的有效策略。
