Sodium ion ordering and vacancy cluster formation in NaxCoO2 (x=0.71 and 0.84) single crystals by synchrotron X-Ray diffraction

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Sep 19;101(12):127404. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.127404. Epub 2008 Sep 19.

Abstract

In the rich phase diagram of NaxCoO2, x=0.71 enjoys special stability and is called the Curie-Weiss metal due to its anomalous properties. Similarly, x=0.84 prepared from high temperature melt is a special end point beyond which the system phase separates. Using synchrotron x-ray diffraction on single crystals, we discovered sqrt[12]a and sqrt[13]a superlattice structures which we interpret as the ordering of Na (vacancy) clusters. These results lead to a picture of coexisting local moments and itinerant carriers and form the first step towards understanding the many anomalous properties of cobaltates.