X-ray structure refinement of solid solution Ba2.15−xNa0.7+xNb5−xWxO15 and the investigation of the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract Crystal structures of Ba 2.15− x Na 0.7+ x Nb 5− x W x O 15 (BaNaNbW) materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction and refined using the Rietveld method. It is shown that all the samples crystallize in the tungsten tetragonal bronze (TTB) like structure and form a solid solution in the range (0 ⩽  x  ⩽ 1). To study the temperature induced phase transition in these compounds, Raman spectra were collected in situ at room pressure and elevated temperatures, up to 330°. The Raman results show strong evidence that the materials under study go through a phase transition around T e  = 270 °C. The value of the transition temperature depends on the chemical composition and increases with increasing tungsten content in the materials at a linear rate. The observation of this phase transition by Raman technique is in agreement with dielectric spectroscopy anomaly.