Re-examination of the non-stoichiometry and defect structure of copper(II) oxide or tenorite, Cu sub 1plus/minusz O or CuO sub 1plus/minus epsilon . A short review

• Published in: Solid state ionics 1999-02, Vol.117 (1-2), p.47-55
• Main Authors: Carel, C, Mouallem-Bahout, M, Gaude, J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0167-2738

Four sets of compositional data with a departure z or epsilon from the stoichiometry of tenorite Cu sub 1plus/minusz O or CuO sub 1plus/minus epsilon are re-examined for possible point defects. Correlations z(p sub O2 ) at equilibrium solid - pure di-oxygen - when they can be computed - indicate the presence of either oxygen vacancies or copper interstitials or clusters of them. Some recent data after quenching are in favor of copper interstitials. Few data concerning tenorite prepared by decomposition of a salt, by oxidation of copper and by CVT in sealed tubes have generally been interpreted in the literature as indicating copper deficiency. In those oxides a large departure from the stoichiometry indicates a complex behavior likely due to several point defects possibly ordering at short and/or long range, and including chemical impurities in the case of sealed tube preparation. It is, however, in fact likely that the defect structure of such samples involves the two sub-lattices. Cu sub 3 O sub 2 - or Cu sub 4 O sub 3 -like clusters can even be envisaged. Graphs., 49 ref.