Synthesis, magnetic and electrical transport properties of the Bi2InNbO7 compound

Polycrystalline bismuth indium niobate, Bi2InNbO7, was synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction data revealed that the Bi2InNbO7 compound has a pyrochlore-type crystal structure, belonging to the cubic system with space group Fd3m, and lattice parameter a=1.07793(2) nm. The electrical transport shows semiconducting behavior with an activation energy of 2.62(5) eV. The magnetic susceptibility of the Bi2InNbO7 compound possesses Curie–Weiss behavior with an effective magnetic moment μeff=0.88(4)μB. A comparison of the structure as well as the magnetic properties of Bi2InNbO7 with that of the related compound Bi5In2Nb3O18−x is presented.