Structure of Proton-Conducting Alkali Thio-Hydroxogermanates

• Using a combination of neutron diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations, we have investigated the structure of hydrated and dehydrated proton conducting alkali thio-hydroxogermanates of general formula M2GeS2(OH)2·yH2O (M = K, Rb, and Cs). The results show that the structure of hydrated and dry materials are basically the same, which confirms previous indications that the main effect of heating these materials is just a loss of water. We suggest that in the hydrated state the structure of these materials is built of dimers of thio-hydroxogermanate anions, with the water molecules acting as bridges between such dimers. In the dehydrated structure, the thio-hydroxogermanate anions instead form an extended network through the formation of interdimer hydrogen bonds through the −OH groups in the structure. The alkali ions are suggested to act as “space-fillers” in voids formed by the thio-hydroxogermanate anion dimers, in both the hydrated and the dehydrated state.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Fysikalisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Physical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Teoretisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Theoretical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Materialkemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Materials Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

spectra

density

oxide fuel-cells

temperature

infrared-spectroscopy

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)