Thermal stability of Bi2O3

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of an α-Bi2O3 sample revealed staged phase transitions in the range 720–800°C (at 720, 780, and 800°C) and the elimination of oxygen to the composition Bi2O2.967 during heating to 895°C in air at 16 K/min. In dynamic vacuum (p = 1.33 Pa) at 780–800°C, Bi2O3 consecutively transforms to a phase with the cubic γ-Bi2O3 structure and tetragonal Bi2O2.3−2.4. In the latter, electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope (ED/TEM) shows a superstructure with the superstructure vector q 110 ≈ 1/9, which indicates an ordered arrangement of oxygen vacancies.