Ga7Ge3Te11 single crystals were grown using transport in a temperature gradient. The prepared single crystals have a needle-like appearance, 1 to 40 mu m in diameter and 2 to 20 mm in length.
The Ga7Ge3Te11 single crystals were characterized by both single crystalline and powder X-ray diffraction. The structure consists of one-dimensional molecular strings bonded together through tellurium atoms by a weak bond of the van der Waals type.
A large unit cell volume indicates the complexity of the structure. The room temperature theoretical density is 5.73 g cm(-3).
The compound shows semiconducting properties and possesses peculiar magnetic properties.