Zur Darstellung und Kristallstruktur von β-NbO2 / Synthesis and Crystal Structure of β-NbO2
By using chemical transport reactions with various transporting agents (HgCl2, NbCl5, Nb3O7Cl) a slightly substoiehiometric NbO2-phase, β-NbO2, was obtained from samples with O/Nb ∼ 1.5 (source; T > 1373 K) and with deposition temperatures > 1273 K (sink). The rango of composition of β-NbO2 was found to exist from NbO1.990 to NbO1.998.The structure of the tetragonal, column-shaped black crystals was determined by X-ray diffraction. It crystallizes tetragonally in the space group I41 with lattice constants a = 9.693(3) Å, c = 5.985(1) Å and Z = 10 formula units.The crystal structure of β-NbO2 is shown to be a deformed rutile type. As in α-NbO2 the Nb-atoms are grouped in pairs. However, both oxides are different with respect to their long-range order.