Sillénite or sillenite is a mineral with the

chemical formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

Bi₁₂SiO₂₀. It is named after the Swedish chemist Lars Gunnar Sillén, who mostly studied bismuth-oxygen compounds. It is found in Australia, Europe, China, Japan, Mexico and Mozambique, typically in association with

bismutite Bismutite or bismuthite is a bismuth carbonate mineral with formula Bi2(CO3)O2 ( bismuth subcarbonate). Bismutite occurs as an oxidation product of other bismuth minerals such as bismuthinite and native bismuth in hydrothermal veins and pegmatite ...

. Sillenites refer to a class of bismuth compounds with a structure similar to Bi₁₂SiO₂₀, whose parent structure is γ-Bi₂O₃, a meta-stable form of bismuth oxide. The cubic crystal sillenite structure is shared by several synthetic materials including

bismuth titanate Bismuth titanate or bismuth titanium oxide is a solid inorganic compound of bismuth, titanium and oxygen with the chemical formula of Bi12TiO20, Bi 4Ti3O12 or Bi2Ti2O7. Synthesis Bismuth titanate ceramics can be produced by heating a mixture of ...

and

bismuth germanate Bismuth germanium oxide or bismuth germanate is an inorganic chemical compound of bismuth, germanium and oxygen. Most commonly the term refers to the compound with chemical formula (BGO), with the cubic evlitine crystal structure, used as a scin ...

. These compounds have been extensively investigated for their non-linear optical properties. Additional stoichiometries, and modified structures, are also found in Bi₂₅GaO₃₉, Bi₂₅FeO₃₉, and Bi₂₅InO₃₉. These compounds have gathered recent interest due to their photocatalytic properties. Recently, sillenites have also gathered interest as heavy metal glass ceramics. They are considered promising materials for laser technology as they combine strong nonlinear properties, relative ease of manufacturing, and low production cost.Valant, Matjaz, and Danilo Suvorov. "Processing and dielectric properties of sillenite compounds Bi12MO20− δ (M= Si, Ge, Ti, Pb, Mn, B1/2P1/2)." Journal of the American Ceramic Society 84.12 (2001): 2900-2904.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb01112.x

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sillenite Oxide minerals Bismuth minerals Cubic minerals Minerals in space group 197 Minerals described in 1943