Structural studies of pyridine-intercalated tantalum disulphide

Abstract

X-ray and electron diffraction measurements show that the intercalation of TaS₂ single crystals with pyridine is accompanied by a stacking change AcA BcB—AcA|AbA. The pyridine molecules in the interlamellar space form a superlattice with a rectangular 2a√3×13a coincidence cell. The proposal that the pyridine molecular planes lie parallel to the TaS₂ layers has been discounted; the alternative perpendicular orientation is consistent with the data. The significance of these findings is discussed.