Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 November 2009
Abstract
It is explained why, despite the strong exothermicity of the reaction generating two Bi4+ ions from one Bi3+ and one Bi5+ ion in the gas phase, solid barium bismuthate (Ba2BivBiIIIO6) contains bismuth in two different oxidation states and has a structure distorted from that of a perfect cubic perovskite by displacements of the oxide ions towards the Biv species. The predicted difference between the energy of this and that of an undistorted undisproportionated cubic perovskite (BaBiO3) containing only Biiv is in good agreement with the activation energy measured for conductivity by thermal hopping. It is also shown why, for x≳O.3, all materials of stoichiometry KxBa1-xBiO3 contain only one type of bismuth (BiIV) in a perovskite structure without the distorting oxide displacements of the undoped material. The distorted disproportionated structure is predicted to be degenerate with the undistorted undisproportionated structure when x = 0.34. A possible connection between this degeneracy and high-temperature superconductivity is discussed.
Observations for explanation
The primary object of this paper is to explain two related experimental observations concerning the structure of the semi-conductor barium bismuthate and the materials that result from its doping with K+ ions. We then comment on possible connections with the high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) exhibited by the latter materials at sufficiently high levels of doping.
The first observation requiring an explanation is that there are two different types of bismuth site in the undoped material of stoichiometric formula BaBiO3[l–7]. This compound thus has the formula Ba2BvBiIIIO6[l–7], where the superscript denotes formal oxidation state.
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