STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL STUDIES OF MIXED COPPER RUTHENIUM OXIDES AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS OF ZINC AND ANTIMONY

The preparation and characterization of a number of mixed metal oxides of ruthenium and copper are described, the compounds being chosen to demonstrate the changes that occur on moving from the 3-D perovskite structure to the 2-D K2NiF4 structure via the intermediate Ruddlesden-Popper structure. Full structure refinements by neutron powder diffraction are reported for SrLaCuRuO6, SrLaCuSbO6, Sr3NdCuRuO8, Sr3LaCuRuO8, Sr3.5La0.5CuRuO8-δ, Sr3LaZnRuO8, Sr2LaCuRuO7-δ, and Sr2.15La0.85 CuRuO7-δ. There is no evidence for the presence of Cu3+ in any of these samples. The electrical conductivities of these phases, and also those of Sr1.2La0.8CuRuO6-δ and Sr2LaZnRuO7, have been measured as a function of temperature. All these materials are semiconductors, but none shows long range magnetic order at 1.5 K. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.