Researcher Stanislav Filatov, a professor at St Petersburg University, has been studying the mineralogy of scoria cones and lava flows of fumaroles in Kamchatka. They were formed after two major eruptions of Tolbachik Volcano, making this area rich in mineral diversity. In an exciting discovery, the research team at St Petersburg University has discovered a new mineral known as, petrovite, Na10CaCu2(SO4)8. Petrovite occurs as blue globular aggregates of tabular crystals with gaseous inclusions.
“The copper atom in the crystal structure of petrovite has an unusual and very rare coordination of seven oxygen atoms. Such coordination is characteristic of only a couple of compounds, as well as of saranchinaite, which was discovered by our colleagues from St Petersburg University - the research team of Professor Oleg Siidra,” said the project manager, Professor Stanislav Filatov.
The mineral is composed of oxygen atoms, sodium sulphur and copper, forming a porous framework. The voids are connected via channels enabling the movement of small sodium atoms. This unique property leads the research team to believe that the structural type of petrovite is promising for ionic conductivity and can be used as a cathode material for sodium ion batteries.
“At present, the biggest problem for this use is the small amount of a transition metal - copper - in the crystal structure of the mineral. It might be solved by synthesizing a compound with the same structure as petrovite in the laboratory,” commented Stanislav Filatov.
Image credit: SPbU