GROWTH AND PROPERTIES OF LI-DEFICIENT LITHIUM VANADIUM DIOXIDE SINGLE-CRYSTALS

Large, high quality LiVO2 single crystals were first grown by a LiBO2-Li2O flux method. The obtained crystals are black hexagonal plates having the formula Li1-xVO2 (x almost-equal-to 0.2) with a size reached to 15 x 15 x 0.1 mm3. Single crystal X-ray studies revealed that the crystals have a rhombohedral cell with the pseudo-hexagonal lattice constants a0 = 2.839(2)angstrom and c0 = 14.83(1)angstrom with an additional superstructure which gives a new trigonal cell constants a0' = 4.29 angstrom almost-equal-to square-root 3a0 and c0 = 29.66 angstrom almost-equal-to 2c0. The superstructure is presumably explained by clustering of V ions in the (001) plane. A marked anisotropy in electrical resistivities was observed whereas no anisotropy was observed in magnetic susceptibilities.