Influence Of Yb3+ Ion Incorporation In The Structure Of Yttrium Divanadate (V) On The Properties Of A New Ceramic Solid Solution Y8-Yybyv2o17

New substitutional, limited solid solution of the formula Y8-yYbyV2O17 where 0 < y <= 2.0 was synthesized by the high-temperature reaction in the air from mixtures of alpha-Y8V2O17 with Yb8V2O17. The new Y8-yYbyV2O17 were characterized by powder XRD, DTA-TGA, IR, UV-vis-DRS and SEM methods. The structure, thermal stability, unit cell volume, band gap energies as well as the position of the IR absorption bands in the spectrum of Y8-yYbyV2O17 were determined. The solid solution was established to have the same structure as beta-Y8V2O17 and it was found that with increasing concentration of Yb3+ ions in its crystal lattice the volume of its unit cell decreases along with its energy gap decreasing to 2.4 eV (for y = 2.0), while the IR absorption bands are shifted towards higher wavenumbers. The morphologies of the high temperature polymorph of Y8V2O17 and solid solution were analyzed.