Two types of new quaternary carbide solid solutions, (ZrC)2Al3[Al1-xGex]C3 (x = 0.07) and (ZrC)3Al3[Al1-yGey]C3 (y = 0.04), have been synthesized and characterized using a laboratory X-ray powder diffractometer (XRPD) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). With the former carbide, the layered structure was imaged by TEM and the solubility of Ge in the crystal was confirmed by EDX. The crystal structures of both carbides were refined

more »

... by the Rietveld analysis of the XRPD data. These carbides have been found to form a homologous series with the general formula (ZrC)mAl3[Al1-zGez]C3 (0 ≤ z ≤ 0.07), where m = 2 and 3. The crystal structures can be regarded as intergrowth structures, consisting of the NaCl-type [ZrmCm+1] slabs separated by the Al4C3-type [Al4-zGezC4] layers.