Pyrochlore

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pyrochlore
metamict
References[2][3][4][5]

Pyrochlore (

Greek πῦρ, fire, and χλωρός, green because it typically turns green on ignition in classic blowpipe analysis.[4]

Mineral

The general formula, A2B2O7 (where A and B are metals), represent a family of phases isostructural to the mineral pyrochlore. Pyrochlores are an important class of materials in diverse technological applications such as luminescence, ionic conductivity, nuclear waste immobilization, high-temperature thermal barrier coatings, automobile exhaust gas control, catalysts, solid oxide fuel cell, ionic/electrical conductors etc.

The mineral is associated with the

metamict
due to radiation damage from included radioactive elements.

Pyrochlore occurs in pegmatites associated with nepheline syenites and other alkalic rocks. It is also found in granite pegmatites and greisens. It is characteristically found in carbonatites. Associated minerals include zircon, aegirine, apatite, perovskite and columbite.[3]

History

It was first described in 1826 for an occurrence in Stavern (Fredriksvärn), Larvik, Vestfold, Norway.[4]

Niobium mining

The three largest producers of niobium ore are mining pyrochlore deposits. The largest deposit in Brazil is the CBMM mine located south of Araxá, Minas Gerais, followed by the deposit of the Catalão mine east of Catalão, Goiás. The third largest deposit of niobium ore is Niobec mine west of Saint-Honoré near Chicoutimi, Quebec.[6]

Pyrochlore ore typically contains greater than 0.05% of naturally occurring radioactive uranium and thorium.[7]

Lueshe in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, has substantial deposits of pyrochlore.[8]

Crystal structure

The more general crystal structure describes materials of the type A2B2O6 and A2B2O7 where the A and B species are generally rare-earth or transition metal species; e.g. Y2Ti2O7.The pyrochlore structure is a super structure derivative of the simple fluorite structure (AO2 = A4O8), where the A and B cations are ordered along the ⟨110⟩ direction. The additional anion vacancy resides in the tetrahedral interstice between adjacent B-site cations. These systems are particularly susceptible to geometrical frustration and novel magnetic effects.

The pyrochlore structure shows varied physical properties spanning electronic

metallic conductors (Bi2Ru2O7−y), mixed ionic and electronic conductors, spin ice systems (Dy2Ti2O7), spin glass systems (Y2Mo2O7), haldane chain systems (Tl2Ru2O7) and superconducting materials (Cd2Re2O7).[9] More disordered structures, such as the bismuth pyrochlores,[10] have also been investigated due to interesting high-frequency dielectric properties.[11]

The crystal structure has been investigated for use in solid electrolytes for lithium iron batteries. It is alleged to provide high conductivity while inhibiting dendrite growth.[12]

See also

References

  1. S2CID 235729616
    .
  2. ^ "Pyrochlor". www.mineralienatlas.de.
  3. ^ a b "pyrochlore at RRuff database" (PDF). rruff.info. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  4. ^ a b c "Pyrochlore Group: Pyrochlore Group mineral information and data". mindat.org. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  5. ^ Barthelmy, Dave. "Pyrochlore Mineral Data". webmineral.com. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  6. ^ Kouptsidis, J.; Peters, F.; Proch, D.; Singer, W. "Niob für TESLA" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  7. S2CID 93478456
    .
  8. ^ "Blood Minerals in the Kivu Provinces". www.globalpolicy.org.
  9. .
  10. ^ Arenas, D. J., et al. "Raman study of phonon modes in bismuth pyrochlores." Physical Review B 82.21 (2010): 214302. | https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.82.214302
  11. ^ Cann, David P., Clive A. Randall, and Thomas R. Shrout. "Investigation of the dielectric properties of bismuth pyrochlores." Solid state communications 100.7 (1996): 529–534. | https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-1098(96)00012-9
  12. ^ Ettlin, Anna (2023-11-07). "What Is The Battery Of The Future Made Of?". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  • Queiroz, A. A. A. E.; Andrade, M. B. (2022). "Prospection of pyrochlore and microlite mineral groups through Raman spectroscopy coupled with artificial neural networks". Journal of Raman Spectroscopy. 53 (11): 1924–1930.
    S2CID 251463725
    .