Sn$_{3}$P$_{4}$ Structure: A16B3_hR19_166_2c2h_ac-001

Picture of Structure; Click for Big Picture
Prototype P$_{4}$Sn$_{3}$
AFLOW prototype label A16B3_hR19_166_2c2h_ac-001
ICSD 159922
CCDC 1676344
Pearson symbol hR19
Space group number 166
Space group symbol $R\overline{3}m$
AFLOW prototype command aflow --proto=A16B3_hR19_166_2c2h_ac-001
--params=$a, \allowbreak c/a, \allowbreak x_{2}, \allowbreak x_{3}, \allowbreak x_{4}, \allowbreak x_{5}, \allowbreak z_{5}, \allowbreak x_{6}, \allowbreak z_{6}$

  • The Sn-P phase diagram has three known phases (Zavrazhnova, 2018):
  • While the tin sites are fully occupied, the phosphorous sites of Sn$_{3}$P$_{4}$ are highly disordered:
    • The P I (2c) site is 24% occupied.
    • The P II (2c) site is 22.2% occupied.
    • The P III (6h) site is 26.1% occupied.
    • The P IV (6h) site is 25.6% occupied.
  • These partial occupations give the observed stoichiometry.
  • Hexagonal settings of this structure can be obtained with the option --hex.

\[ \begin{array}{ccc} \mathbf{a_{1}}&=&\frac{1}{2}a \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}\\\mathbf{a_{2}}&=&\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}a \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}\\\mathbf{a_{3}}&=&- \frac{1}{2}a \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \,\mathbf{\hat{z}} \end{array}\]

Basis vectors

Lattice coordinates Cartesian coordinates Wyckoff position Atom type
$\mathbf{B_{1}}$ = $0$ = $0$ (1a) Sn I
$\mathbf{B_{2}}$ = $x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $c x_{2} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) P I
$\mathbf{B_{3}}$ = $- x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{2} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- c x_{2} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) P I
$\mathbf{B_{4}}$ = $x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $c x_{3} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) P II
$\mathbf{B_{5}}$ = $- x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{3} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- c x_{3} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) P II
$\mathbf{B_{6}}$ = $x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $c x_{4} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) Sn II
$\mathbf{B_{7}}$ = $- x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{4} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- c x_{4} \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (2c) Sn II
$\mathbf{B_{8}}$ = $x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}+\frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{9}}$ = $z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}+\frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{10}}$ = $x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{11}}$ = $- z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{12}}$ = $- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{13}}$ = $- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- z_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{5} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}a \left(x_{5} - z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{5} + z_{5}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P III
$\mathbf{B_{14}}$ = $x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}+\frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV
$\mathbf{B_{15}}$ = $z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}+\frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV
$\mathbf{B_{16}}$ = $x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}+z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}+x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}+\frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV
$\mathbf{B_{17}}$ = $- z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV
$\mathbf{B_{18}}$ = $- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $- \frac{1}{2}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{x}}- \frac{\sqrt{3}}{6}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV
$\mathbf{B_{19}}$ = $- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{1}- z_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{2}- x_{6} \, \mathbf{a}_{3}$ = $\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}a \left(x_{6} - z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{y}}- \frac{1}{3}c \left(2 x_{6} + z_{6}\right) \,\mathbf{\hat{z}}$ (6h) P IV

References

  • J. V. Zaikina, K. A. Kovnir, A. N. Sobolev, I. A. Presniakov, V. G. Kytin, V. A. Kulbachinskii, A. V. Olenev, O. I. Lebedev, G. V. Tendeloo, E. V. Dikarev, and A. V. Shevelkov, Highly Disordered Crystal Structure and Thermoelectric Properties of Sn$_{3}$P$_{4}$, Chemistry of Materials 20, 2476–2483 (2008), doi:10.1021/cm702655g.
  • A. Y. Zavrazhnova, V. Semenova, E. Y. Proskurina, and T. P. Sushkova, Phase diagram of the Sn-P system, J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 134, 475–481 (2018), doi:10.1007/s10973-018-7123-0.

First cited in

  • N. Anderson, M. J. Mehl, H. Eckert, S. Divilov, X. Campilongo, S. Curtarolo, The AFLOW Library of Crystallographic Prototypes: Part 5. Submitted to Computational Materials Science (2026).

Geometry files


Prototype Generator

aflow --proto=A16B3_hR19_166_2c2h_ac --params=$a,c/a,x_{2},x_{3},x_{4},x_{5},z_{5},x_{6},z_{6}$

Species:

Running:

Output: