“…[7-9, 14, 17, 18] Indeed, the actual location of the interstitial site in the apatite systems has attracted significant controversy. [5,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] These apatite materials have the general formula, A 10Àx (Si/Ge) 6 O 26+y (A = rare earth/alkaline earth), and their structures may be considered as composed of an A 4Àx (Si/ GeO 4 ) 6 framework, with the remaining A 6 O 2 units occupying the channels within this framework. The oxide-ion excess (y) has been reported to be either between the oxygen sites at the center of the channels, or associated with the framework.…”