The crystal structure of skutterudite-related phase IrGe1.5Se1.5 has been refined by the Rietveld method from laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data. Refined crystallographic data for IrGe1.5Se1.5 are a=12.0890(2) Å, c=14.8796(3) Å, V=1883.23(6) Å3, space group R3 (No. 148), Z=24, and Dc=8.87 g/cm3. Its crystal structure can be derived from the ideal skutterudite structure (CoAs3), where Se and Ge atoms are ordered in layers perpendicular to the [111] direction of the original skutterudite cell. Weak distortions of the anion and cation sublattices were also observed.
A polycrystalline sample of Ca4ZrGe3O12 was synthesized using the nitrate–citrate method and heated at 850–1100 °C. Structural refinement based on X-ray powder diffraction data showed that the crystal structure is of the garnet type with a cubic unit-cell parameter [a = 12.71299(3) Å] and the space group Ia$\bar 3$d. The structural formula is presented as Ca3[CaZr]octa[Ge]tetraO12.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure Refinement of Sb2Se3-xSx Solid Solutions by Rietveld Analysis of X-Ray Powder Diffraction Data