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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Evidence of Long-Range and Short-Range Magnetic Ordering in the Honeycomb Na 3 Mn 2 SbO 6 Oxide

We present a comprehensive study of the synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of the honeycomb oxide Na 3 Mn 2 SbO 6 supported by neutron diffraction, heat capacity, and magnetization measurements. The refinements of the neutron diffraction patterns (150, 50, and 45 K) using the Rietveld method confirm the monoclinic (S. G. C2/m) structure. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities measured at varying fields along with the heat capacity measurements demonstrate the coexistence of long-range ordering (∼42 K) and short-range ordering (∼65 K). The field-dependent isothermal magnetization measurements at 5 K indicate a spin-flop transition around 5 T. Rietveld refinements of the low-temperature (below 45 K) neutron diffraction data further confirm the long-range magnetic ordering. In addition, the temperature variation of the lattice parameters obtained from the neutron powder diffraction analysis exhibited a distinct anomaly near the antiferromagnetic transition temperature. The appearance of the concomitant broadened backgrounds in the neutron powder diffraction data collected at 80, 50, and 45 K supports the short-range ordering. The resultant magnetic structure consists of spins that are aligned antiparallel with the nearest neighbors and also with the spins of the adjacent honeycomb layers. The occurrence of a fully ordered magnetic ground state (Neel antiferromagnetic (AFM)) in Na3Mn 2 SbO 6 consolidates the significance of fabricating new honeycomb oxides.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optical properties of undoped and Mg doped CuCrO{sub 2} powders synthesized by sol-gel route

In this work, CuCrO{sub 2} was synthesized by sol-gel method using citric acid as a gelling agent. The different parameters like ratio of citric acid to metal ions, calcination temperature, and duration were studied. A green colored powder with particle size around 300 nm was formed at the calcination temperature of 800 °C for four hours duration. The increase in temperature has a profound impact on crystallite size and in turn effected the optical properties. Band gap of the obtained CuCrO{sub 2} has varied from 2.3 to 1.7 eV by increasing the temperature from 800 °C to 900 °C. Doping studies were performed by introducing Mg{sup 2+} ion to substitute Cr{sup 3+} in CuCrO{sub 2}. X-ray powder diffraction and SEM studies on 2% Mg doped samples indicated a clear formation of side phases. According to the X-ray powder patterns, the reflections from side phases were increasing with the increase in doping concentrations of Mg from 2 to 5%. The side phases were found to be MgCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel and CuO. The band gap has decreased for doped samples in comparison to undoped one. In this paper, sol-gel synthesis and characterization by Xray powder diffraction, SEM studies and UV-Vis-Diffuse Reflectance spectra are presented.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Synthesis and characterization of brownmillerite SrFeO{sub 2.5} in nanostructured form

Synthesis of bulk polycrystalline and nanocrystalline oxygen-deficient SrFeO{sub 2.5} compounds, with potential applications as oxygen membranes, has been explored by chemical route to optimize an easy and reproducible method for high yield. The structure of the samples was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction followed by structural refinement. Both bulk and nanocrystalline SrFeO{sub 2.5} crystallize in Imma space group. X-ray powder diffraction pattern corresponds to the brownmillerite structure in which the Fe cations exist in an octahedral or tetrahedral configuration in alternate layers along the b axis. Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET) surface area is found to be 0.40m{sup 2}/g and 14 m{sup 2}/g for bulk and nanocrystalline SrFeO{sub 2.5} respectively. The morphology of these materials was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Slater Insulator in Iridate Perovskites with Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling

The perovskite (Pv) SrIrO 3 is an exotic narrow-band metal owing to a confluence of the strengths of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and the electron-electron correlations. It has been proposed that topological and magnetic insulating phases can be achieved by tuning the SOC, Hubbard interactions, and/or lattice symmetry. Here, we report that the substitution of nonmagnetic, isovalent Sn 4+ for Ir 4+ in the SrIr 1-x Sn x O 3 perovskites synthesized under high pressure leads to a metal-insulator transition to an antiferromagnetic phase at TN ≥ 225 K. The continuous change of the cell volume as detected by X-ray diffraction and the l-shape transition of the specific heat on cooling through TN demonstrate that the metal-insulator transition is of second-order. Neutron powder diffraction results indicate that the Sn substitution enlarges an octahedral-site distortion that reduces the SOC relative to the spin-spin exchange interaction and results in the type-G AF spin ordering below TN. Measurement of high-temperature magnetic susceptibility shows the evolution of magnetic coupling in the paramagnetic phase typical of weak itinerant-electron magnetism in the Sn-substituted samples. A reduced structural symmetry in the magnetically ordered phase leads to an electron gap opening at the Brillouin zone boundary below TN in the same way as proposed by Slater.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Asymmetric band flipping for time-of-flight neutron diffraction data

Charge flipping with powder diffraction data is known to produce a result more reliably with high-resolution data, i.e. visible reflections at small d spacings. This data are readily accessible with the neutron time-of-flight technique but the assumption that negative scattering density is nonphysical is no longer valid where elements with negative scattering lengths are present. The concept of band flipping was introduced in the literature, where a negative threshold is used in addition to a positive threshold during the flipping. But, it was not tested with experimental data at the time. Finallly, band flipping has been implemented in TOPAS together with the band modification of low-density elimination and tested with experimental powder and Laue single-crystal neutron data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Infrastructure development for radioactive materials at the NSLS-II

The X-ray Powder Diffraction (XPD) Beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source-II is a multipurpose instrument designed for high-resolution, high-energy X-ray scattering techniques. In this article, the capabilities, opportunities and recent developments in the characterization of radioactive materials at XPD are described. The overarching goal of this work is to provide researchers access to advanced synchrotron techniques suited to the structural characterization of materials for advanced nuclear energy systems. XPD is a new beamline providing high photon flux for X-ray Diffraction, Pair Distribution Function analysis and Small Angle X-ray Scattering. The infrastructure and software described here extend the existing capabilities at XPD to accommodate radioactive materials. Such techniques will contribute crucial information to the characterization and quantification of advanced materials for nuclear energy applications. We describe the automated radioactive sample collection capabilities and recent X-ray Diffraction and Small Angle X-ray Scattering results from neutron irradiated reactor pressure vessel steels and oxide dispersion strengthened steels.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth and characterization of new organic nonlinear optical crystal (R)-2-cyano-N-(1-phenylethyl) acetamide

(R)-2-Cyano-N-(1-phenylethyl) acetamide (RCNPA) single crystals were grown by slow evaporation of the aqueous solution at room temperature (300K) using ethanol. The grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR transmittance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and powder second harmonic generation (SHG)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cluster spin glass correlations and dynamics in Zn 0.5⁢ Mn 0.5⁢ Te

Here, we present a combined magnetometry, muon spin-relaxation (𝜇⁢SR), and neutron-scattering study of the insulating spin glass Zn 0.5 ⁢Mn 0.5 ⁢Te, for which magnetic Mn 2+ and nonmagnetic Zn 2+ ions are randomly distributed on a face-centered cubic lattice. The magnetometry and 𝜇⁢SR results confirm a spin freezing transition around 𝑇 𝑓 ≈ 23 K, with the spin-fluctuation rate decreasing gradually and somewhat inhomogeneously through the sample volume as the temperature decreases toward 𝑇 𝑓 . Characteristic spin-correlation times well above 𝑇 𝑓 are on the order of 10 −10 s, much slower than typically observed in canonical spin glasses but in line with expectations for a cluster spin glass. Using magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF) analysis and reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) modeling of the magnetic diffuse neutron-scattering data, we show that the spin-glass ground state consists of clusters of spins exhibiting short-range-ordered type-III antiferromagnetic correlations with a locally ordered moment of 3.1⁢(1)⁢𝜇 B between nearest-neighbor spins. The type-III correlations decay exponentially as a function of spin separation distance with a correlation length of approximately 5 Å. The diffuse magnetic scattering and corresponding mPDF show no significant changes across 𝑇 𝑓 , indicating that the dynamically fluctuating short-range spin correlations in the paramagnetic state retain the same basic type-III configuration that characterizes the spin-glass state; the only change apparent from the neutron-scattering data is a gradual reduction of the correlation length and locally ordered moment with increasing temperature. Taken together, these results paint a unique and detailed picture of the local magnetic structure and dynamics in Zn 0.5 ⁢Mn 0.5⁢ Te and provide strong evidence that this material is best described as a cluster spin glass. In addition, this work showcases a statistical method for extracting diffuse scattering signals from neutron powder diffraction data, which we developed to facilitate the mPDF and RMC analysis of the neutron data. This method has the potential to be broadly useful for neutron powder diffraction experiments on a variety of materials with short-range atomic or magnetic order.

magnetism↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of dielectric relaxation, Jahn-Teller distortion, and magnetic ordering in Y substituted Pr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}MnO{sub 3} (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4)

We report structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties of the perovskite compound Pr{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}MnO{sub 3} (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) studied using dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, neutron powder diffraction, and dielectric techniques. These compounds crystallize in orthorhombic space group (Pnma) in the temperature range 5–300 K. The Mn-O-Mn bond angle decreases with the Y substitution along with an increase in the Jahn-Teller distortion. The Jahn-Teller distortion for Pr{sub 0.9}Y{sub 0.1}MnO{sub 3} shows an anomalous change near 50 K, below which it falls sharply. Neutron powder diffraction patterns of all reported compositions at low temperature constitute additional magnetic Bragg peaks that suggest magnetic ordering. Magnetic reflections were indexed in the nuclear lattice with the propagation vector k = (0, 0, 0). Rietveld refinement of powder patterns conform to A type antiferromagnetic ordering where moments are aligned ferromagnetically in a–c plane and coupled nearly antiferromagnetically along b-axis resulting in a net ferromagnetic component along the b-direction. The antiferromagnetic transition temperature was deduced from dc magnetization and ac susceptibility data. The transition temperature decreases by nearly 22 K (from 81 K to 59 K) as yttrium content (x) increases from 0.1 to 0.4. Measurements reveal strong frequency dispersion in dielectric constant and dielectric loss. Activation energy and relaxation time are estimated from the Arrhenius plot. It is further shown that relaxation behaviour is altered with yttrium doping concentration.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, neutron diffraction, optical absorption and ab-initio calculation of magnetic process in orthorhombic YFe x Cr (1-x) O 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds

YFe x Cr (1-x) O 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds prepared by autocombustion were studied with X-ray and neutron powder diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy and ab-initio electronic structure calculations to try to understand the interplay of magnetic order and structural parameters as a function of doping in this multiferroic material. All samples exhibit the orthorhombic nuclear structure (space group symmetry Pnma) and the cell parameters vary continuously as a function of doping. In the neutron powder diffraction patterns it was observed that in addition to the Pnma nuclear structure peaks reflections are seen in all samples which arise from magnetic order. These peaks can be indexed using the nuclear unit cell indicating an ordering vector of k = (0,0,0). Using representational analysis and Rietveld refinements the magnetic structure was determined to be Pn’ma’ and the mean magnetic moment per transition metal atom was observed to decrease continuously from Fe to Cr. For compounds with x > 0.25 a weak ferromagnetic contribution is also present which is due to a small canting of the moments out of the basal plane. The Mössbauer spectra corroborate the NPD results with all samples showing single magnetic sextets at 4.2 K. The energy gap and the main direct interband transition of the endmember samples were obtained by optical absorption measurements. These optical data were analyzed with the help of DFT band structure calculation using the GGA-PBE + U approximation.

Salazar-Rodriquez, Roberto↗
DOE OSTI2016

Synthesis, crystal growth, structural and magnetic characterization of NH{sub 4}MCl{sub 2}(HCOO), M=(Fe, Co, Ni)

An ambient-pressure solution route and an improved solvothermal synthetic method have been developed to produce polycrystalline powders and large single crystals of NH{sub 4}MCl{sub 2}(HCOO) (M=Fe, Co, Ni). The magnetic structure of the 1D linear chain compound NH{sub 4}FeCl{sub 2}(HCOO) has been determined by low-temperature neutron powder diffraction, revealing ferromagnetic intra-chain interactions and antiferromagnetic inter-chain interactions. The newly-reported Co and Ni analogs are isostructural with NH{sub 4}FeCl{sub 2}(HCOO), but there are significant differences in the magnetic properties of each compound; the Ni analog behaves similarly to the Fe compound but with stronger magnetic coupling, exhibiting antiferromagnetic ordering (T{sub N}=8.5 K) and a broad metamagnetic transition between 2 and 5 T, while the Co analog does not order magnetically above 2 K, despite strong antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interactions. - Graphical abstract: Large single crystals of NH{sub 4}MCl{sub 2}(HCOO) (M=Fe, Co, Ni), which adopt a 1D zig-zag chain structure, can be grown via a solvothermal method. Neutron diffraction experiments revealed that the magnetic structure of the iron compound exhibits ferromagnetic intra-chain coupling and antiferromagnetic inter-chain coupling. - Highlights: • Large crystals of NH{sub 4}MCl{sub 2}(HCOO) (M=Fe, Co, Ni) have been grown solvothermally. • The magnetic structure of M=Fe was solved by low-temperature neutron diffraction. • NH{sub 4}FeCl{sub 2}(HCOO) exhibits FM intra-chain and AFM inter-chain interactions. • NH{sub 4}CoCl{sub 2}(HCOO) exhibits no 3D magnetic ordering above 2 K. • NH{sub 4}NiCl{sub 2}(HCOO) exhibits AFM ordering (T{sub N}=8.5 K) and FM intra-chain interactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Anisotropic lattice thermal expansion of PbFeBO{sub 4}: A study by X-ray and neutron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Highlights: • Mullite-type PbFeBO{sub 4} shows uni-axial negative coefficient of thermal expansion. • Anisotropic thermal expansion of the metric parameters was modeled using modified Grüneisen approximation. • The model includes harmonic, quasi-harmonic and intrinsic anharmonic contributions to the internal energy. • DFT calculation, temperature- and pressure-dependent Raman spectra help understand the phonon decay and associated anharmonicity. - Abstract: The lattice thermal expansion of mullite-type PbFeBO{sub 4} is presented in this study. The thermal expansion coefficients of the metric parameters were obtained from composite data collected from temperature-dependent neutron and X-ray powder diffraction between 10 K and 700 K. The volume thermal expansion was modeled using extended Grüneisen first-order approximation to the zero-pressure equation of state. The additive frame of the model includes harmonic, quasi-harmonic and intrinsic anharmonic potentials to describe the change of the internal energy as a function of temperature. The unit-cell volume at zero-pressure and 0 K was optimized during the DFT simulations. Harmonic frequencies of the optical Raman modes at the Γ-point of the Brillouin zone at 0 K were also calculated by DFT, which help to assign and crosscheck the experimental frequencies. The low-temperature Raman spectra showed significant anomaly in the antiferromagnetic regions, leading to softening or hardening of some phonons. Selected modes were analyzed using a modified Klemens model. The shift of the frequencies and the broadening of the line-widths helped to understand the anharmonic vibrational behaviors of the PbO{sub 4}, FeO{sub 6} and BO{sub 3} polyhedra as a function of temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Structural Propensities in Cs2MBiX6 (M=Na, Ag; X=Cl, Br) Bismuth Halide Double Perovskites

A previously unreported low-temperature phase transition in the bismuth halide double perovskite Cs2AgBiCl6 is reported, thereby establishing trends in the structural ground state across Cs2NaBiCl6, Cs2AgBiCl6, and Cs2AgBiBr6. Using the combined toolkit of variable-temperature synchrotron X-ray and neutron powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and density-functional theory–based electronic structure modeling, we demonstrate a cubic Fm¯3m → tetragonal I4/m transition upon cooling with distinct onset temperatures. Neutron powder diffraction refinements permit the unambiguously assignment of the low-temperature phase of Cs2NaBiCl6 to I4/m, correcting prior reports of an I4/mmm ground state. Cs2AgBiCl6 is also found to transforms to a structure crystallizing in the I4/m space group at low temperatures. Temperaturedependent Raman data and density-functional theory-based modeling capture the softening and freezing of out-of-phase octahedral-tilt modes and quantify relative instabilities. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at room temperature completes the characterization and helps underpin the subtle differences in covalency across the compounds. Trends in the phase transition temperature Ts and tilt magnitudes emerge from coupled effects of halide identity, M(I)–site bonding character, and a mismatch between interatomic distances. These results establish the structure– dynamics–bonding framework for tuning tilt-driven instabilities in halide double perovskites.

Tian, Haowen↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pressure/temperature fluid cell apparatus for the neutron powder diffractometer instrument: Probing atomic structure in situ

This contribution describes a new local structure compatible gas/liquid cell apparatus for probing disordered materials at high pressures and variable temperatures in the Neutron Powder Diffraction instrument at the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center, Los Alamos National Laboratory. The new sample environment offers choices for sample canister thickness and canister material type. Finite element modeling is utilized to establish maximum allowable working pressures of 414 MPa at 15 K and 121 MPa at 600 K. High quality atomic pair distribution function data extraction and modeling have been demonstrated for a calibration standard (Si powder) and for supercritical and subcritical CO 2 measurements. As a result, the new sample environment was designed to specifically target experimental studies of the local atomic structures involved in geologic CO 2 sequestration, but will be equally applicable to a wide variety of energy applications, including sorption of fluids on nano/meso-porous solids, clathrate hydrate formation, catalysis, carbon capture, and H 2 and natural gas uptake/storage.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structural and thermodynamic properties of Fe{sub 1.12}Te with multiple phase transitions

The parent compound of iron chalcogenide superconductors, Fe{sub 1+y}Te, with a range of excess Fe concentrations exhibits intriguing structural and magnetic properties. Here, the interplay of magnetic and structural properties of Fe{sub 1.12}Te single crystals have been probed by low-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. Thermodynamic measurements reveal two distinct phase transitions, considered unique to samples possessing excess Fe content in the range of 0.11≤y≤0.13. On cooling, an antiferromagnetic transition, T{sub N}≈57 K is observed. A closer examination of powder diffraction data suggests that the transition at T{sub N} is not purely magnetic, but accompanied by the commencement of a structural phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic symmetry. This is followed by a second prominent first-order structural transition at T{sub S} with T{sub S}<T{sub N}, where an onset of monoclinic distortion is observed. The results point to a strong magneto-structural coupling in this material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutron diffraction studies of the Na-ion battery electrode materials NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}

The new compounds NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} were synthesized by sol-gel method and their crystal structures were determined by using neutron powder diffraction data. These compounds were characterized by galvanometric cycling and cyclic voltammetry. NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} crystallize with a stuffed α-CrPO{sub 4}-type structure. The structure consists of a 3D-framework made of octahedra and tetrahedra that are sharing corners and/or edges generating channels along [100] and [010], in which the sodium atoms are located. Of significance, in the structures of NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} a statistical disorder Ni{sup 2+}/Cr{sup 3+} was observed on both the 8g and 4a atomic positions, whereas in NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} the statistical disorder Co{sup 2+}/Cr{sup 3+} was only observed on the 8g atomic position. When tested as negative electrode materials, NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} delivered specific capacities of 352, 385, and 368 mA h g{sup −1}, respectively, which attests to the electrochemical activity of sodium in these compounds. - Highlights: • NaCoCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, NaNiCr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}, and Na{sub 2}Ni{sub 2}Cr(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} were synthesized by sol-gel method. • The crystal structures were determined by using neutron powder diffraction data. • The three compounds crystallize with a stuffed α-CrPO{sub 4}-type structure. • The three compounds were tested as anodes in sodium-ion batteries. • Relatively high specific capacities were obtained for these compounds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗