DOE OSTI2020
Na3La is beta Cu3Ti-like structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6_3/mmc space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are three inequivalent Na sites. In the first Na site, Na is bonded to eight Na and four equivalent La atoms to form distorted NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, corners with fourteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, edges with six equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, edges with twelve NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, faces with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, and faces with sixteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra. There are six shorter (3.62 Å) and two longer (3.92 Å) Na–Na bond lengths. There are two shorter (3.72 Å) and two longer (3.77 Å) Na–La bond lengths. In the second Na site, Na is bonded to eight equivalent Na and four equivalent La atoms to form distorted NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, corners with fourteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, edges with six equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, edges with twelve equivalent NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, faces with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, and faces with sixteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra. There are two shorter (3.72 Å) and two longer (3.77 Å) Na–La bond lengths. In the third Na site, Na is bonded to eight equivalent Na and four equivalent La atoms to form distorted NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra that share corners with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, corners with fourteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, edges with six equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, edges with twelve equivalent NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, faces with four equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, and faces with sixteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra. There are two shorter (3.72 Å) and two longer (3.77 Å) Na–La bond lengths. La is bonded to twelve Na atoms to form LaNa12 cuboctahedra that share corners with six equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, corners with twelve NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, edges with eighteen NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra, faces with eight equivalent LaNa12 cuboctahedra, and faces with twelve NaNa8La4 cuboctahedra.