PVDF fluorination of La4Co3O10: Synthesis, structure and physical properties of La4Co3O10F2

Topochemical fluorination of oxides recently gained interest as it opens the way to substantial structural modifications and drastic changes in physical properties. We present a study of La 4 Co 3 O 10 F 2 , synthesized via low-temperature topochemical methods using polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). Using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, we find the compound to crystallize in a monoclinic cell ( A 2/ a , with a = 5.32969(9) Å, b = 5.37555(1) Å, c = 30.5958(6) Å and β = 90.994(1) °), where the fluoride anions occupy the rock-salt layer's interstitial sites, inducing a tilting of the CoO 6 octahedra. The physical properties of this novel compound are compared with those of the parent compound La 4 Co 3 O 10 , evidencing changes in resistivity and magnetism, highlighting the possibility of tuning magnetic interactions and electronic correlations through PVDF fluorination.