A new furnace for high-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction measurements

Abstract

We have designed and fabricated a new furnace for high-resolution synchrotron powder-diffraction measurements at high temperatures up to 1600°C. Here we report that the present furnace is very powerful to study the crystal structure and the charge density distribution of ceramic materials at high temperatures up to 1600°C. This paper reports the following experimental results. (1) The present high-resolution technique enables to split the I4/mcm 004 and 220 peaks. (2) The intermediate Cmcm phase does not exist. (3) The covalency at Ti-O bonding for I4/mcm phase is smaller than that for Pbnm form. (4) I4/mcm structure has isotropic charge density distribution comparing with Pbnm structure.