Book: Perovskites and other Framework Structure crystalline materials

2D-perovskites, Aurivillius, Ruddlesden-Popper, Dion-Jacobson phases, tungsten bronzes, clays, and others

Abstract

Perovskites are among the most famous materials due to their exceptional properties : they
present nearly all existing types of ferroic and multiferroic properties (ferroelectric,
ferromagnetic, antiferroelectric, antiferromagnetic, magnetoelectric, etc), they may be
insulators, (super)conductors, or semiconductors, are used in numerous devices, they present
hundreds of variants and different crystalline phases, and recently appeared as probably the
most promising materials for photovoltaics. With a crystal structure characterized by octahedra
that share their corners, these materials belong to the wider category of « Framework Structure
(FWS) materials » the structure of which is based on units (octahedra, tetrahedra, ...) that
share some of their corners with their neighbours. This particular feature of FWS materials
confers to them unique properties.
This review volume is constituted of 26 chapters on different aspects, and is divided in two
parts, « Fundamental aspects and general properties », and « Elaborated materials and
applied properties ». Its main purpose is to attempt to identify the properties common to all
members of the vast family of FWS materials, and understand their differences. Besides
perovskites, derived compounds as 2D perovskites, Dion-Jacobson, Ruddlesden-Popper,
Aurivillius, tungsten-bronzes, and others, predominantly oxides, are presented, and their
preparation and/or properties as single crystals, ceramics, thin films, multilayers, nanomaterials,
nanofibers, nanorods, etc, are discussed. We focus on new trends and important recent
developments by leaving somewhat aside more classical aspects which can be easily found in
older textbooks or review articles.
Among most recent applications, this volume focuses on applications related with interactions
with other molecules, on photovoltaics, and on memories, with a special attention to perovskite
solar cells that have certainly attracted the most attention of researchers in recent years,
opening extremely promising routes in photovoltaics.
In conclusion, this book presents a collection of texts elucidating various aspects of the
phenomena related to the structural instabilities and singular properties of framework crystals ;
it proposes a reasonable balance between experimental and theoretical results, and between
fundamental aspects and applied properties.
This volume can be approached on several levels (each chapter initially assumes that the reader
is not a specialist in the subject, and is presented in a pedagogical way) : it is accessible to
master or doctoral students, as well as to researchers who want to enter the subject, or have
informations on recent developments, who will find excellent detailed introductions up to hot
subjects. It may also be used by undergraduate students who should approach given subjects. The volume contains 800 pages written by about 70 authors from different countries, it has an indexn and is completed by numerous figures to illustrate the text.