Chlorine Insertion Promoting Iron Reduction in Ba–Fe Hexagonal Perovskites: Effect on the Structural and Magnetic Properties

Self-flux-grown Ba4Fe4ClO9.5−x crystals exhibiting structures with tunable modulation

The synthesis and X-ray structural study of the new family of compounds Ba₄Fe₄ClO_9.5−x with tunable structural modulation are reported. The framework of the structure has the Ba₂Fe₄O_9.5−x composition, with open hexagonal channels extending along the c-axis. The channels are filled with linear [Ba–Cl–Ba] triplets. The oxygen stoichiometry and the oxidation state of iron both are controlled by the redox conditions during crystal preparation. The modulation of the crystal structure arises from the distribution of the oxygen atoms in the framework and iron coordination polyhedra are a combination of FeO₄-tetrahedra, FeO₅-bipyramids, and FeO₆-octahedra. The structure modulation also originates from the ordered or disordered distribution of the [Ba–Cl–Ba] triplets filling the channels which is also affected by the conditions of the thermal treatment of the crystals. The structure investigation reveals a composition variation from Ba₄Fe₄ClO_9.5 (x = 0), in which Fe exhibits a 3+ oxidation state, to Ba₄Fe₄ClO₈ (x = 1.5) with the framework built exclusively of FeO₄ tetrahedra.

Ba₄Fe₄ClO_9.5−x compounds are built of a Ba₂Fe₄O_9.5−x framework with open hexagonal channels. (Ba–Cl–Ba) trimers located in the channels and the framework O atoms cause incommensurability, which is tuned under different annealing conditions.

On the Impact of the Degree of Fluorination on the ORR Limiting Processes within Iron Based Catalysts: A Model Study on Symmetrical Films of Barium Ferrate

In this study, symmetrical films of BaFeO2.67, BaFeO2.33F0.33 and BaFeO2F were synthesized and the oxygen uptake and conduction was investigated by high temperature impedance spectroscopy under an oxygen atmosphere. The data were analyzed on the basis of an impedance model designed for highly porous mixed ionic electronic conducting (MIEC) electrodes. Variable temperature X-ray diffraction experiments were utilized to estimate the stability window of the oxyfluoride compounds, which yielded a degradation temperature for BaFeO2.33F0.33 of 590 °C and a decomposition temperature for BaFeO2F of 710 °C. The impedance study revealed a significant change of the catalytic behavior in dependency of the fluorine content. BaFeO2.67 revealed a bulk-diffusion limited process, while BaFeO2.33F0.33 appeared to exhibit a fast bulk diffusion and a utilization region δ larger than the electrode thickness L (8 μm). In contrast, BaFeO2F showed very area specific resistances due to the lack of oxygen vacancies. The activation energy for the uptake and conduction process of oxygen was found to be 0.07/0.29 eV (temperature range-dependent), 0.33 eV and 0.67 eV for BaFeO2.67, BaFeO2.33F0.33 and BaFeO2F, respectively.