Crystal structure and negative thermal expansion of solid solution Lu₂W_3-xMo_xO₁₂

A new series of solid solutions Lu₂W_3-xMo_xO₁₂ (0.5≤x≤2.5) were successfully synthesized by the solid-state method. Their crystal structure and negative thermal expansion properties were studied using high-temperature X-ray powder diffraction and the Rietveld method. All samples of rare-earth tungstates and molybdates are found to crystallize in the same orthorhombic structure with space group Pnca and show the negative thermal expansion phenomena related to transverse vibration of bridging oxygen atoms in the structure. Thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) of Lu₂W_3-xMo_xO₁₂ are determined as -20.0×10^-6 K^-1 for x=0.5 and -16.1×10^-6 K^-1 for x=2.5 but -18.6×10^-6 and -16.9×10^-6 K^-1 for unsubstituted Lu₂W₃O₁₂ and Lu₂Mo₃O₁₂ in the identical temperature range of 200 to 800℃. High-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and bond length analysis suggest that the difference between W-O and Mo-O bond is responsible for the change of TECs after the element substitution in this series of solid solutions.