Crystal structure and microdomain texture in RuSr2HoCu2O8

A detailed structural and microstructural study by powder X-ray diffraction, HREM and electron diffraction of the title compound has clearly shown it to have an interesting three-dimensional microdomain texture in which the orientation of the real unit cell, i.e. approximate toa(p)root2 x a(p)root2 x 3 a(p), (where a(p) is the basic perovskite type parameter), alternates in each domain in one of the three space directions. In spite of such a relatively complicated texture, in which some stoichiometric defects seem to be present, the domains appear to join in rather straight boundaries. All the samples are magnetically ordered below 150 K.