Synthesis of Dysprosium Oxychloride (DyOCl)

Dysprosium oxychloride, DyOCl, was synthesized using a simple hydrolysis method with DyCl3·6H2O. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) data was used to determine the crystal structure. The DyOCl compound is isostructural to the matlockite (PbFCl) crystal structure and crystallizes in the tetragonal P4/nmm (#129) space group. The crystal structure contains the alternating cationic layers of (DyO)n and anionic layers of nCl− along the c-axis. The structural data including unit cell, volume, and density of DyOCl were compared to other rare-earth oxychloride data from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) and our previous study on TbOCl. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was performed on DyOCl and peaks observed at 543 and 744 cm−1 were attributed to Dy–O and Dy–Cl. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed irregularly shaped crystals. Hot-stage XRD, thermogravimetry, as well as differential scanning calorimetry coupled to a gas chromatograph and a mass spectrometer (evolved gas analysis) were performed on DyCl3·6H2O to understand the phase transformation to DyOCl (and Dy2O3) as a function of temperature and time at temperature. DyOCl compound with the tetragonal P4/nmm space group is composed of the alternating layers of (DyO)n and nCl− along the c-axis.