Synthesis and structural characterization of a series of lanthanide stannate pyrochlores Original Research Article

A simple hydrothermal method has been employed to prepare a series of lanthanide stannate pyrochlores Ln2Sn2O7 (Ln=Y, La, Pr–Yb) at a relatively low temperature of less than 200 °C successfully. On the basis of structural characterizations by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, it was found that the positions of bands in vibrational spectra are sensitive to the ionic radius of Ln3+, and the linear relationship can be seen between the frequency of Sn–O stretching mode and the lanthanide ionic radius in IR spectrum, as well as the frequency of O–Sn–O bending mode and the lanthanide ionic radius in Raman spectrum.