Author(s)

Aoi Goto, Yoshio Ohta, Mikito Kitayama

Department of Life, Environment and Materials Science, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan.

Due to its electron configuration (Xe) 4 f¹⁴ 6 s², Ytterbium (Yb) could form divalent oxide, YbO. In this study, the solid-state synthesis of metastable YbO was investigated by the oxidation of Yb metal at normal pressure using two experimental conditions: 1) heat treatment of Yb metal under Ar gas atmosphere with metal carbonate as an oxygen source; and 2) heat treatment of Yb metal under the continuous gas flow condition using various gas atmospheres. Products were identified using the powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. It was found that almost single phase YbO was obtained in the experimental condition 1) using the molar ratio of Ca-CO₃/Yb = 0.4. Thermodynamic calculations suggested that the YbO formation be controlled not by thermodynamics but by kinetics, and further that the evaporation of Yb metal in the BN crucible played a key role for the formation of the meta-stable YbO.

Metastable Ytterbium (II) Oxide, Lanthanide, Solid-State Synthesis

Goto, A. , Ohta, Y. and Kitayama, M. (2018) Solid-State Synthesis of Metastable Ytterbium (II) Oxide. Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, 6, 85-99. doi: 10.4236/msce.2018.63007.