A Model for In-Plane Structure of High-Stage Alkali-Metal Graphite Intercalation Compounds

We propose a unified picture for the intercalant-layer ordered structure of the high-stage alkali-metal graphite intercalation compounds; the in-plane structure is described in terms of a (\(√7×√7\))R19.11° superlattice which is modulated by honeycomb-like domains (discommensuration structure). In this model, the domain size and the rotation angle of the domain structure relative to the graphite lattice are uniquely determined by the magnitude of the fundamental reciprocal lattice vector of the intercalant layer.