The pinning of the charge density wave to irradiation-induced defects Satellite reflection dark-field micrographs of 1T-TaS2

At room temperature, the structures of TaTe4 and NbTe4 are modulated by the presence of a charge-density wave which in the former compound is commensurate with the parent lattice and in the latter incommensurate. In addition, a series of incommensurate mixed crystals ( Tal-xNbx )Te4 (0 ≤ x ≤) exist in which the modulation wavevector increases as a function of x. In this paper, we report the occurrence of a systematic variation in the period of the charge-density wave upon substitution of the transition metal elements Ti, Zr or V for either Nb or Ta. Electron diffraction experiments reveal that, in TaTe4, substitutions of Group 4 elements Ti and Zr result in an incommensurate modulation with a decrease in the modulation wavevector q. In NbTe4, substitutions of Ti or Zr also reduce q, in this case towards the commensurate value, and, at sufficiently high concentrations, a commensurate phase is stabilized at room temperature. Vanadium substitutions in NbTe4 result in a slight increase in q. Satellite dark-field images reveal the presence of defects in the modulation structures of the doped crystals. The above results are discussed in terms of the factors which determine the charge-density wave periodicity in the NbTe4-TaTe4 system.

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Incommensurate modulated phases of the NbxTa1-xTe4 charge density wave system

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100120692 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 58-59

Author(s):

S. Ritchie ◽

J. C. Bennett ◽

A. Prodan ◽

F.W. Boswell ◽

J.M. Corbett

Keyword(s):

Charge Density ◽

Charge Density Wave ◽

Direct Evidence ◽

Density Wave ◽

Wave System ◽

Modulated Phases ◽

Metal Atoms ◽

Incommensurate Modulation ◽

End Members ◽

Modulation Wave Vector

A continuous sequence of compounds having composition NbxTa1-xTe4; 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 have been studied by electron diffraction and microscopy. Previous studies have shown that the end members of the series, TaTε4 and NbTε4 possess a quasi-one-dimensional character and exhibit charge density wave (CDW) distortions. In these compounds, the subcell structure is tetragonal with axes (a × a × c) and consists of the metal atoms (Nb or Ta) centered within an extended antiprismatic cage of Te atoms. At room temperature, TaTε4 has a commensurate modulation structure with a 2a × 2a × 3c unit cell. In NbTε4, an incommensurate modulation with × ∼ 16c axes is observed. Preliminary studies of the mixed compounds NbxTα1-xTε4 showed a discontinuous jump of the modulation wave vector commensurate to incommensurate when the Nb dopant concentration x, exceeded x ≃ 0.3, In this paper, the nature of the compositional dependence of is studied in greater detail and evidence is presented for a stepwise variation of . This constitutes the first direct evidence for a Devil's staircase in CDW materials.

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