| Abstract Scope |
We present a structural analysis of two metal hexaboride solid solutions, Ca<sub><i>x</i>-1</sub>M<sub><i>x</i></sub>B<sub>6</sub> and Sr<sub><i>x</i>-1</sub>M<sub><i>x</i></sub>B<sub>6</sub> (<i>x</i> = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5), where M can be Li, Na, or K, as the experimental concentration, <i>x</i>, is increased. The powders were synthesized by solution combustion synthesis, acid-washed with HCl, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and transmission and scanning electron microscopies (TEM and SEM). XRD proves a high crystallinity of the prepared powders and SEM demonstrates cubic morphologies. For identification of the concentration of dopants, ICP-MS on the dissolved powders was performed, showing a concentration of 1 to 3 at.%. Both SAED and TEM studies show a monocrystalline growth of the cubes in the [100] direction, and a constant lattice parameter. Together, these studies will contribute to the understanding of hexaboride properties tailoring for neutron detection applications. |