Cubic phase of single-crystal LaAlO₃perovskite synthesized at 4.5 GPa and 1273 K

Abstract

Single crystals of LaAlO3 (lanthanum aluminium trioxide) have been synthesized at 4.5 GPa and 1273 K, in the presence of an NaCl + KCl flux. The compound crystallizes with the cubic perovskite structure (space group Pm\overline{3}m). The thermal vibration of the O atom is remarkably suppressed in the directions of the Al—O bonds, and this anisotropy ranks among the largest observed in stoichiometric cubic perovskites.