Total neutron scattering investigation of the structure of a cobalt gallium oxide spinel prepared by solvothermal oxidation of gallium metal.

A new solvothermal synthesis route to mixed-metal gallium oxides with the spinel structure has been developed for ternary oxides of ideal composition Ga(3-x)M(x)O(4-y) (M=Co, Zn, Ni). The structure of the novel cobalt gallate produced in this manner, Ga(1.767(8))Co(0.973(8))O(3.752(8)), has been determined from total neutron scattering to be a partially defective spinel with mixed-valent cobalt (approximately 25% Co(3+) and 75% Co(2+)) and with vacancies on approximately 6% of oxygen sites. Pair distribution function (PDF) analysis reveals significant local deviations from the average cubic structure, which are attributed to the conflicting coordination preferences of the Co(2+) (potential Jahn-Teller distortion) and Ga(3+) (Ga off-centring). Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modelling supports this conclusion since different metal-oxygen bond-distance distributions are found for the two cations in the refined configuration. An investigation of magnetic properties shows evidence of short-range magnetic order and spin-glass-like behaviour, consistent with the structural disorder of the material.