Oriented solids as a colloid suspension in nematic liquid crystal – New tool for IR-spectroscopic and structural elucidation of inorganic compounds and glasses

Possibilities of the linear-polarized infrared (IR-LD) spectroscopy of oriented colloid suspensions in nematic liquid crystals, for structural and local structural elucidation for first time are demonstrated of inorganic compounds and glasses. The advantages of the method for tellurite and borate glasses are shown. The IR-band assignment of the typical local structural units in the glasses are proposed by a comparison with the IR-characteristics of appropriate crystalline analogues as α-TeO2, V2O5, MoO3 · H2O and its high temperature form. The IR-spectroscopic characteristics of BO3, BO4 and boroxol ring are elucidated, using crystalline β-BaB2O4, SrB4O7, H3BO3 and B2O3 as model systems, where the structural moieties have been refined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.