DOE OSTI2020
Zr5Te6 crystallizes in the trigonal P-3m1 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are four inequivalent Zr+2.40+ sites. In the first Zr+2.40+ site, Zr+2.40+ is bonded to six Te2- atoms to form a mixture of face, edge, and corner-sharing ZrTe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 45–51°. There are a spread of Zr–Te bond distances ranging from 2.90–3.04 Å. In the second Zr+2.40+ site, Zr+2.40+ is bonded to six Te2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted face, edge, and corner-sharing ZrTe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 38–52°. There are a spread of Zr–Te bond distances ranging from 2.85–3.06 Å. In the third Zr+2.40+ site, Zr+2.40+ is bonded to six Te2- atoms to form a mixture of edge and corner-sharing ZrTe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 38–52°. There are three shorter (2.93 Å) and three longer (2.98 Å) Zr–Te bond lengths. In the fourth Zr+2.40+ site, Zr+2.40+ is bonded to six equivalent Te2- atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing ZrTe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 45°. All Zr–Te bond lengths are 3.01 Å. There are three inequivalent Te2- sites. In the first Te2- site, Te2- is bonded in a distorted pentagonal planar geometry to five Zr+2.40+ atoms. In the second Te2- site, Te2- is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to five Zr+2.40+ atoms. In the third Te2- site, Te2- is bonded in a 5-coordinate geometry to five Zr+2.40+ atoms.