Multiple-step preparation and physicochemical characterization of crystalline alpha-germanium hydrogenphosphate

摘要

The reaction between germanium oxide and phosphoric acid has previously been described and led to impure germanium hydrogenphosphate samples with low crystallinity. A new multiple-step route involving the same reaction under refluxing and soft hydrothermal conditions is described for the preparation of pure and crystalline alpha-GeP. The physicochemical characterization of the samples allows accompaniment of the reaction evolution as well as determining short- and long-range structural organization. The phase purity of the alpha-GeP sample was confirmed by applying Rietveld's profile analysis, which also determined the cell parameters of its crystals. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.