The transition--metal oxide CaCu$_3$Ru$_4$O$_{ 12}$ with perovskite--type structure shows characteristic properties of an intermediate--valence system. The temperature--dependent susceptibility exhibits a broad maximum around $150 - 160$ K. At this temperature, neutron powder diffraction reveals a small but significant volume change whereby the crystal structure is preserved. Moreover, the temperature--dependent resistivity changes its slope. NMR Knight shift measurements of Ru reveal a cross--over from high temperature paramagnetic behavior of localized moments to itinerant band states at low temperatures. Additional density--functional theory calculations can relate the structural anomaly with the $d$--electron number. The different experimental and calculational methods result in a mutually consistent description of CaCu$_3$Ru$_4$O$_{ 12}$ as an intermediate--valent system in the classical sense of having low--energy charge fluctuations.
Categories: cond-mat.str-el cond-mat.mtrl-sci