Copper crystal structures, lattice parameters

Metal oxide nanocomposites were synthesized by electrical discharge method using a combination of aluminum and copper electrodes submerged into water. The crystal structure, lattice parameters and grain size of the nanopowders were determined by XRD using Cu K radiation (Fig. 3b). The XRD pattern exhibited the presence of cubic copper with a lattice constant of 0.3615 nm, as well as aluminum and copper oxide and hydroxide phases. The positions of all peaks were in agreement with the JCPDS standards. 

Consider Figure 6.2, which illustrates the crystal structure of elemental copper. If the lattice parameters are known, so is the volume of its unit cell. Furthermore, if we know the total number of atoms located in this or any other unit cell, it is easy to calculate the gravimetric density of a material by dividing the mass of all atoms located in one unit cell by its volume. 

A ternary compound of cerium with copper and antimony of the stoichiometric ratio 3 3 4 was identified and studied by means of X-ray analysis by Skolozdra et al. (1993). Ce3Cu3Sb4 compound was found to have the Y3Au3Sb4 type with the lattice parameters of a = 0.9721 (X-ray powder diffraction). For experimental details, see the Y-Cu-Sb system. At variance with this data, Patil et al. (1996) reported a tetragonal distortion of the cubic crystal structure Y3Cu3Sb4 for the Ce3Cu3Sb4 alloy which was prepared by arc melting the constituent ele-... 

In all our measurements we used crystals of copper metaborate prepared in the Institute of Physics SB RAS [5], The crystalline structure of CuB204 is tetragonal with space group I42d (d ) and has lattice parameters... 

Another contribution to variations of intrinsic activity is the different number of defects and amount of disorder in the metallic Cu phase. This disorder can manifest itself in the form of lattice strain detectable, for example, by line profile analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks [73], 63Cu nuclear magnetic resonance lines [74], or as an increased disorder parameter (Debye-Waller factor) derived from extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy [75], Strained copper has been shown theoretically [76] and experimentally [77] to have different adsorptive properties compared to unstrained surfaces. Strain (i.e. local variation in the lattice parameter) is known to shift the center of the d-band and alter the interactions of metal surface and absorbate [78]. The origin of strain and defects in Cu/ZnO is probably related to the crystallization of kinetically trapped nonideal Cu in close interfacial contact to the oxide during catalyst activation at mild conditions. A correlation of the concentration of planar defects in the Cu particles with the catalytic activity in methanol synthesis was observed in a series of industrial Cu/Zn0/Al203 catalysts by Kasatkin et al. [57]. Planar defects like stacking faults and twin boundaries can also be observed by HRTEM and are marked with arrows in Figure 5.3.8C [58],... 

Most pure metals adopt one of three crystal structures, Al, copper structure, (cubic close-packed), A2, tungsten structure, (body-centred cubic) or A3, magnesium structure, (hexagonal close-packed), (Chapter 1). If it is assumed that the structures of metals are made up of touching spherical atoms, (the model described in the previous section), it is quite easy, knowing the structure type and the size of the unit cell, to work out their radii, which are called metallic radii. The relationships between the lattice parameters, a, for cubic crystals, a, c, for hexagonal crystals, and the radius of the component atoms, r, for the three common metallic structures, are given below. 

If without additives, a carrier such as A3 consists of a mixture of 8-, 0-, and a-aluminas between 900° and 1000°C. The presence of the metal oxides, introduced by impregnation, effectively maintains a cubic type structure at a calcining temperature of 900°-1000°C. With alumina, these oxides form spinel-structured compounds which are more or less well crystallized. Because of the insertion of alumina, the lattice parameter of these compounds is expanded with respect to that of the stoichiometric spinel. The properties of the carrier are thus maintained up to a temperature which depends on the considered mixed oxide. At this temperature—about 1000 °C with magnesium aluminate and 900°C with zinc and copper aluminates—the stoichiometric spinel recrystallizes while a-alumina is rejected (6). The carrier then suddenly loses its mechanical and structural properties. None of the mentioned additives could improve the stability of the Cl carrier above 1000°C. 

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