Zihao Zhang, Jun Kano, Shu Morita, Hiromu Shimokawa, Minoru Osada
Abstract
Hydrated layered oxides are widely encountered, yet the presence of disordered interlayer water often complicates crystal structure determination from laboratory X-ray diffraction. Here, we report the crystal structure of the Dion–Jacobson-type layered perovskite-related material HCa2Nb3O10·1.5H2O, solved from synchrotron X-ray diffraction data by combining direct methods in reciprocal space, Le Bail whole-pattern fitting, and Rietveld refinement. The hydrate crystallizes in a tetragonal structure with space group P42212 (a = 7.7070(5) Å, c = 32.4870(3) Å). Incorporation of partially occupied interlayer water-oxygen sites on the (110) plane at z = 0 and 1/2 successfully reproduces the low-angle 00l reflections while preserving the Ca2Nb3O10 framework. The resulting crystallographic model explicitly resolves the arrangement of interlayer water molecules and provides a robust structural foundation for band-structure calculations as well as for the rational design of hydration-controlled intercalation, exfoliation, and composite materials based on layered perovskite-related materials.