First 14-Layer Twinned Hexagonal Perovskite Ba 14 Mn 1.75 Ta 10.5 O 42 : Atomic-Scale Imaging of Cation Ordering

International audienceFormation of hexagonal perovskite with mixed cubic and hexagonal stacking of AO3 layers becomes more and more difficult when the number of layers in the stacking repeating unit increases. So far, the highest number of layers reported for twinned hexagonal perovskite is 12, with alternative 5 consecutive cubic layers and one hexagonal layer in the (ccccch)2 sequence. Here, we present the unexpected formation of a 14-layer twinned hexagonal perovskite with a stacking sequence (cccccch)2 for the BaO3 layers on the Ba14Mn1.75Ta10.5O42 (Ba8MnTa6O24) composition, the first example of twinned hexagonal perovskite with a periodicity exceeding 12-layers. The B-cation and vacancy distributions are characterized by multiple efficient and complementary techniques including neutron and synchrotron powder diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy-high angle annular dark field (STEM-HAADF) imaging, and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping. Atomic-resolution STEM-HAADF imaging and EELS/EDS elemental mapping enables direct observation of high-spin d5 Mn2+ cation ordering in the d0 Ta5+ host, thus demonstrating the great potential of this technique for probing cation ordering and performing structure determination. Moreover, atomic mapping allows for the observation of local defect structure variants, which can be a powerful tool for future new material design. The large high-spin Mn2+ cation and Ta-vacancy pair formation in face-sharing octahedral sites play key roles on both the stabilization of this 14-layer twinned hexagonal perovskite structure and the Mn2+ ordering in the central corner-sharing octahedral (CSO) positions within the five-consecutive CSO layers. Compared with the 8-layer twinned Ba8ZnTa6O24 material, the low quality factor in microwave frequency and enhanced ultraviolet and visible light absorption of Ba14Mn1.75Ta10.5O42 as well as the photocatalytic activity on water splitting are discussed in terms of the presence of high-spin Mn2+ cations in the structure