This work describes the structural modifications (average structure and local order) due to the substitution of boron for aluminum in gehlenite (Ca2Al2-xBxSiO7). The modifications of the short and medium range in the structure order have been determined using neutron and X-ray powder diffraction and recent advanced high resolution solid-state NMR techniques. The first part of this manuscript provides a full description of the structure of the non substituted mineral (Ca2Al2SiO7). All the 7 aluminum sites are identified and quantified by 27Al MAS, MQMAS and spectral editing NMR experiments performed at 9.4 and 17.6T. The existence of Al-O-Al linkage is demonstrated. The quantification of the Q3(2Al) species by 29Si MAS NMR allows the determination of the enthalpy related to the Al/Si ordering in the system. The Al/B substitution mechanism and the structural evolutions of the Ca2Al2-xBxSiO7 (0 x 2) solid solution, synthesised by crystallisation from glass, have been characterised by Rietveld refinements from Xray and neutron powder diffraction data. These results have been completed by solid-state NMR experiments (11B, 27Al and 29Si). A new calcium borosilicate phase (CaSi1/3B2/3O8/3), observed in the Ca2Al2SiO7-Ca2B2SiO7 phase diagram, has been identified and synthesised. The in situ and ab initio structure determination of this phase has been performed using the charge flipping method by combining powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and solid-state NMR analyses.
