This comprehensive
work showcases two novel, rock-salt-type minerals
in the form of amphoteric cerium–tungstate double perovskite
and ilmenite powders created via a high-temperature solid-state reaction
in inert gases. The presented studies have fundamental meaning and
will mainly focus on a detailed synthesis description of undoped structures,
researching their possible polymorphism in various conditions and
hinting at some nontrivial physicochemical properties like charge
transfer for upcoming optical studies after eventual doping with selectively
chosen rare-earth ions. The formerly mentioned, targeted A
2
BB′X
6
group of compounds contains mainly divalent
alkali cations in the form of
XII
A = Ba
2+
, Ca
2+
sharing, here, oxygen-arranged clusters (
II
X
= O
2–
) with purposely selected central ions from
f-block
VI
B = Ce
4/3+
and d-block
VI
B′ = W
4/5/6+
since together they often possess
some exotic properties that could be tuned and implemented into futuristic
equipment like sensors or energy converters. Techniques like powder
XRD, XPS, XAS, EPR, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopies alongside DSC and
TG were involved with an intent to thoroughly describe any possible
changes within these materials. Mainly, to have a full prospect of
any desirable or undesirable phenomena before diving into more complicated
subjects like: energy or charge transfer in low temperatures; to reveal
whether or not the huge angular tilting generates large enough dislocations
within the material’s unit cell to change its initial properties;
or if temperature and pressure stimuli are responsible for any phase
transitions and eventual, irreversible decomposition.