Relation of AIIBIII2XVI4 Compounds to Other Materials, Their Properties and Applications (Instead of Introduction)

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of AIIB2IIIX4VI compounds as a class of materials in a wide family of ternary compounds. The origin and the place of these materials in the hierarchy of ternary compounds are presented. The technological methods for the growth of these compounds are analyzed and the procedures for obtaining larger crystals for practical applications are evidenced. The crystal structure and the energy band structure are discussed in terms of the production of spinel, layered, or tetragonal structure according to the number of octahedral and tetrahedral cationic sites.