Nanoscale Structure in AgSbTe<inf>2</inf> Determined by Diffuse Elastic Neutron Scattering

Diffuse elastic neutron scattering measurements have confirmed that AgSbTe2 has a hierarchical structure, with defects on length scales from nanometers to microns. While scattering from this mesoscale structure is consistent with previously proposed structures in which Ag and Sb order on a NaCl lattice, more diffuse scattering from nanoscale structures suggests a structural rearrangement in which hexagonal layers form a combination of (ABC), (ABA), and (AAB) polytypes. Consequently, the AgCrSe2 structure is the best-fitting model for the local atomic arrangements.