AbstractThe atomic structure of Cs0.44[Nb2.54W2.46O14] closely resembles the structure of the most active catalyst for the synthesis of acrylic acid, the M1 phase of
${\rm Mo}_{{{\rm 10}}} {\rm V}_{{\rm 2}}^{{{\rm 4{\plus}}}} {\rm Nb}_{2} {\rm TeO}_{{{\rm 42}{\minus}x}} $
. Consistently with observations made for the latter compound, the high-angle electron scattering signal recorded by scanning transmission electron microscopy shows a significant intensity variation, which repeats periodically with the projected crystallographic unit cell. The occupation factors for the individual mixed Nb/W atomic columns are extracted from the observed intensity variations. For this purpose, experimental images and simulated images are compared on an identical intensity scale, which enables a quantification of the cation distribution. According to our analysis specific sites possess low tungsten concentrations of 25%, whereas other sites have tungsten concentrations above 70%. These findings allow us to refine the existing structure model of the target compound, which has until now described a uniform distribution of the niobium and tungsten atoms in the unit cell, showing that the similarity between Cs0.44[Nb2.54W2.46O14] and the related catalytic compounds also extends to the level of the cation segregation.
Revealing Unit Cell Level Distortions in Random Oxide Solid Solutions by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and the Projected Pair Distribution Function