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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
We have measured the 121Sb NMR spectra, which are highly sensitive to the electric field gradients at the nuclear site, for crystalline Sb2Te3, Ge1Sb2Te4, Ge2Sb2Te4, and Ge2Sb2Te5. Estimates of the coupling constants, which are a measure of the field gradient, based on these spectra compare well with compounds containing Sb sites that are approximately 6-fold coordinated. The coupling constants of amorphous phase counterparts are roughly an order of magnitude larger and compare favorably with compounds where the Sb sites are 3-fold coordinated. We argue that the difference in the coupling constants arises primarily from a change in the local coordination, as opposed to the slight differences in the Sb-Te bond lengths and bond angles. The NMR data agree best with a structural model of amorphous phase based upon the “8-N” rule.