Neutron PDFs and Structural Models for Ordered (Ho2Ti2O7) and Disordered (Ho2Zr2O7) Pyrochlore (IMAGE)

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Neutron PDFs and Structural Models for Ordered (Ho2Ti2O7) and Disordered (Ho2Zr2O7) Pyrochlore

Caption

Defect fluorite materials such as Ho2Zr2O7 have been previously characterized as having a disordered cubic structure when sampled over many unit cell repeats. However, (a) pair distribution functions obtained from neutron total scattering reveals that description is inaccurate at the sub-nanometer level. Instead, (b) the local structure can be accurately modeled with an orthorhombic, weberite-type configuration revealing a complex disordering mechanism in these oxides, operating over different length scales.

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ORNL

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