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At least 307 records · Page 17

Continuum of magnetic excitations in the Kitaev honeycomb iridate D 3 LiIr 2 O 6

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements of powder D 3 ( 7 Li)( 193 Ir) 2 O 6 reveal low energy magnetic excitations with a scattering cross-section that is broad in ∣Q∣ and energy transfer. The magnetic nature of the excitation spectrum is demonstrated by longitudinally polarized neutron scattering. The total magnetic moment of 1.8(4)μ B /Ir inferred from the observed magnetic scattering cross-section is consistent with the effective moment inferred from magnetic susceptibility data and expectations for the J eff = 1/2 single ion state. The rise in the dynamic correlation function $\mathcal{S}(Q,w)$ for ℏω < 5 meV can be described by a simple model assuming nearest-neighbor anisotropic spin exchange, such as that found in the Kitaev model. Exchange disorder associated with the D site likely plays an important role in stabilizing the low T quantum fluctuating state.

Halloran, Thomas [Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, ↗

Competition between charge-density-wave and superconducting orders on eight-leg square Hubbard cylinders

The issue of whether d-wave superconductivity (SC) occurs in the square-lattice Hubbard model with U of order of the bandwidth has been one of the most debated issues to emerge from the study of high temperature SC. Here, we report variational results on eight-leg cylinders with next-nearest-neighbor hopping in the range $-0.5t\le t^{\prime} \le 0.25t$ with U = 8t and 12t and doped hole concentrations δ = 1/12 and 1/8. For $t^{\prime} \le 0$, the ground-state appears to be a charge-density wave (CDW) of one sort or another with SC correlations that are extremely short-ranged. In contrast, in some cases, the local magnetic order has a correlation length greater than half the cylinder width - suggestive that magnetic order might also arise in the 2D limit. For $t^{\prime} \le 0$, our results depend more strongly on boundary conditions (periodic vs antiperiodic), making it still harder to correctly guess whether SC or CDW correlations dominate in the 2D limit. These results were obtained employing matrix-product states with bond dimensions large enough that energy differences as small as 10 −3 t per site can be resolved.

materials science↗

Correlated insulating states at fractional fillings of the WS 2 /WSe 2 moiré lattice

Moiré superlattices of van der Waals materials, such as twisted graphene and transitional metal dichalcogenides, have recently emerged as a fascinating platform to study strongly correlated states in two dimensions (2D), thanks to the strong electron interaction in the moiré minibands. In most systems, the correlated states appear when the moiré lattice is filled by integer number of electrons per moiré unit cell. Recently, correlated states at fractional fillings of 1/3 and 2/3 holes per moiré unit cell has been reported in the WS 2 /WSe 2 heterobilayer, hinting the long range nature of the electron interaction. In this work, employing a scanning microwave impedance microscopy technique that is sensitive to local electrical properties, we observe a series of correlated insulating states at fractional fillings of the moiré minibands on both electron- and hole-doped sides in angle-aligned WS 2 /WSe 2 hetero-bilayers, with certain states persisting at temperatures up to 120 K. Monte Carlo simulations reveal that these insulating states correspond to ordering of electrons in the moiré lattice with a periodicity much larger than the moiré unit cell, indicating a surprisingly strong and long-range interaction beyond the nearest neighbors. Our findings usher in unprecedented opportunities in the study of strongly correlated states in two dimensions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unravelling the mechanism of pressure induced polyamorphic transition in an inorganic molecular glass

The atomic structure of a germanium doped phosphorous selenide glass of composition Ge 2.8 P 57.7 Se 39.5 is determined as a function of pressure from ambient to 24 GPa using Monte-Carlo simulations constrained by high energy x-ray scattering data. The ambient pressure structure consists primarily of P 4 Se 3 molecules and planar edge shared phosphorus rings, reminiscent of those found in red phosphorous as well as a small fraction of locally clustered corner-sharing GeSe 4 tetrahedra. This low-density amorphous phase transforms into a high-density amorphous phase at ~6.3 GPa. The high-pressure phase is characterized by an extended network structure. The polyamorphic transformation between these two phases involves opening of the P 3 ring at the base of the P 4 Se 3 molecules and subsequent reaction with red phosphorus type moieties to produce a cross linked structure. The compression mechanism of the low-density phase involves increased molecular packing, whereas that of the high pressure phase involves an increase in the nearest-neighbor coordination number while the bond angle distributions broaden and shift to smaller angles. The entropy and volume changes associated with this polyamorphic transformation are positive and negative, respectively, and consequently the corresponding Clapeyron slope for this transition would be negative. This result has far reaching implications in our current understanding of the thermodynamics of polyamorphic transitions in glasses and glass-forming liquids.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Partial dynamical symmetry versus quasi dynamical symmetry examination within a quantum chaos analyses of spectral data for even–even nuclei

Statistical analyses of the spectral distributions of rotational bands in 51 deformed prolate even–even nuclei in the 152 ≤ A ≤ 250 mass region $R_{{4_{1}^{ + } /2_{1}^{ + } }} \ge 3.00$ are examined in terms of nearest neighbor spacing distributions. Specifically, the focus is on data for 0 + , 2 + , and 4 + energy levels of the ground, gamma, and beta bands. The chaotic behavior of the gamma band, especially the position of the $2_{\gamma }^{ + }$ band-head compared to other levels and bands, is clear. The levels are analyzed within the framework of two models, namely, a SU(3)-partial dynamical symmetry Hamiltonian and a SU(3) two-coupled quasi-dynamical symmetry Hamiltonian, with results that are further analyzed using random matrix theory. The partial and quasi dynamics both yield outcomes that are in reasonable agreement with the known experimental results. However, due to the degeneracy of the beta and gamma bands within the simplest SU(3) picture, the theory cannot be used to describe the fluctuation properties of excited bands. By changing relative weights of the different terms in the partial and quasi dynamical Hamiltonians, results are obtained that show more GOE-like statistics in the partial dynamical formalism as the strength of the pairing term is increased. Also, in the quasi-dynamical symmetry limit, more correlations are found because of the stronger couplings.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Octahedral oxide glass network in ambient pressure neodymium titanate

Abstract Rare-earth titanates form very fragile liquids that can be made into glasses with useful optical properties. We investigate the atomic structure of 83TiO 2 -17Nd 2 O 3 glass using pair distribution function (PDF) analysis of X-ray and neutron diffraction with double isotope substitutions for both Ti and Nd. Six total structure factors are analyzed (5 neutron + 1 X-ray) to obtain complementary sensitivities to O and Ti/Nd scattering, and an empirical potential structure refinement (EPSR) provides a structural model consistent with the experimental measurements. Glass density is estimated as 4.72(13) g cm −3 , consistent with direct measurements. The EPSR model indicates nearest neighbor interactions for Ti-O at $$\overline{r}_{TiO}$$ r ¯ TiO = 1.984(11) Å with coordination of $$n_{TiO}$$ n TiO = 5.72(6) and for Nd-O at $$\overline{r}_{NdO}$$ r ¯ NdO = 2.598(22) Å with coordination of $$n_{NdO}$$ n NdO = 7.70(26), in reasonable agreement with neutron first order difference functions for Ti and Nd. The titanate glass network comprises a mixture of distorted Ti-O 5 and Ti-O 6 polyhedra connected via 71% corner-sharing and 23% edge-sharing. The O-Ti coordination environments include 15% nonbridging O-Ti 1 , 51% bridging O-Ti 2 , and 32% tricluster O-Ti 3 . This structure is highly unusual for oxide glasses melt-quenched at ambient pressure, as it consists of Ti-O x predominantly in octahedral (with nearly no tetrahedral) coordination.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Stripe correlations in the two-dimensional Hubbard-Holstein model

Several state-of-the-art numerical methods have observed static or fluctuating spin and charge stripes in doped two-dimensional Hubbard models, suggesting that these orders play a significant role in shaping the cuprate phase diagram. Many experiments, however, also indicate that the cuprates have strong electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling, and it is unclear how this interaction influences stripe correlations. We study static and fluctuating stripe orders in the doped single-band Hubbard-Holstein model using zero temperature variational Monte Carlo and finite temperature determinant quantum Monte Carlo. We find that the lattice couples more strongly with the charge component of the stripes, leading to an enhancement or suppression of stripe correlations, depending on model parameters like the next-nearest-neighbor hopping t' or phonon energy Ω. Our results help elucidate how the e-ph interaction can tip the delicate balance between stripe and superconducting correlations in the Hubbard-Holstein model with implications for our understanding of the high-T c cuprates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Amino acid interacting network in the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The relation between amino acid (AA) sequence and biologically active conformation controls the process of polypeptide chains folding into three-dimensional (3d) protein structures. The recent achievements in the resolution achieved in cryo-electron microscopy coupled with improvements in computational methodologies have accelerated the analysis of structures and properties of proteins. However, the detailed interaction between AAs has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we present a de novo method to evaluate inter-amino acid interactions based on the concept of accurately evaluating the amino acid bond pairs (AABP). The results obtained enabled the identification of complex 3d long-range interconnected AA interacting network in proteins. The method is applied to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We show that although nearest-neighbor AAs in the primary sequence have large AABP, other nonlocal AAs make substantial contribution to AABP with significant participation of both covalent and hydrogen bonding. Detailed analysis of AABP in RBD reveals the pivotal role they play in sequence conservation with profound implications on residue mutations and for therapeutic drug design. This approach could be easily applied to many other proteins of biomedical interest in life sciences.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

In situ synchrotron pair distribution function analysis to monitor synthetic pathways under electromagnetic excitation

Electromagnetic (EM) fields, specifically microwave radiation (MWR), can significantly influence the synthesis of ceramic oxide materials and promote rapid, low-temperature growth. However, the mechanisms by which EM fields affect the phase formation process are not well understood. A major limitation to increasing this understanding has been the lack of information regarding dynamic changes in local atomic structure during MWR exposure compared to conventional hydrothermal synthesis routes. Here, we utilize in situ synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) analysis to monitor MWR-assisted SnO 2 nanoparticle synthesis. A clear impact of the EM field is demonstrated, with MWR inducing changes in nearest neighbor distances and peaks in oxygen atomic displacement that do not occur during synthesis without MWR exposure. The observed local structural disorder serves as a precursor to rapid rutile SnO 2 nanoparticle crystallization, suggesting that EM field-assisted growth is mediated by changes to the oxygen sublattice. These findings further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying MWR-assisted synthesis and represent a step towards utilizing EM fields to engineer tailored atomic structures for a broad range of applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Computational modeling predicts the stability of both Pd + and Pd2 + ion-exchanged into H-CHA

Passive NO x adsorbers (PNA) using Pd/zeolites have emerged as a promising solution for the reduction of cold-start emissions from vehicle exhaust. However, the nature of the active sites and the mechanisms underlying NO x adsorption in Pd/zeolites remain a subject of ongoing investigation. In this study, we employ quantum chemical simulations to investigate the structure of Pd species in cation-exchange sites at isolated Al and Al pairs in the 6-ring and 8-ring of the CHA framework before the introduction of NO x . Our calculations show that the speciation of Pd in these exchange sites strongly depends on the precise Al arrangement within the framework, as well as the operating conditions. Ionically dispersed Pd is found to be the most favorable species over a wide range of oxidizing and reducing conditions. Small oligomers of PdO and metallic Pd do not appear to be competitive at either isolated Al or Al pairs. Notably, our calculations show that ion exchange sites other than next–next–nearest neighbor Al pairs in the 6-ring will be preferentially occupied by Pd + instead of Pd 2+ . The stability of Pd + in the zeolite environment is an interesting contrast with its rareness in molecular Pd compounds. Nonetheless, a detailed analysis of the electronic structure shows that predicted Pd oxidation states are consistent with chemical intuition for all complexes investigated in this study. We also discuss the potential ambiguity in Pd characterization provided by typical experimental techniques such as XANES, EXAFS and UV-Vis, and highlight the need for additional EPR spectroscopy studies to further elucidate the initial Pd speciation in zeolites for PNA applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Bonding similarities and differences between Y–Sb–Te and Sc–Sb–Te phase-change memory materials

The scandium (Sc) – alloyed Sb 2 Te 3 phase-change alloy has recently been found to enable ultrafast crystal nucleation due to the formation of Sc-stabilized octahedral motifs in the amorphous phase, rendering cache-type phase-change memory feasible. When yttrium (Y) is added, however, non-octahedral bonding patterns form in the amorphous Sb 2 Te 3 -based network even though Y has a valence electron configuration similar to that of Sc and also forms perfect octahedral bonding environments with tellurium in the YTe crystal. Here we elucidate the origin of this difference between Sc and Y, by carrying out thorough ab initio simulations and orbital-based bonding analyses on amorphous Y–Sb–Te and Sc–Sb–Te compounds. We also demonstrate how the smooth overlap of atomic positions (SOAP) similarity kernel can be used to quantify the structural similarity of local motifs in the amorphous phase with respect to various crystalline yttrium and scandium tellurides, both in the nearest-neighbor shell and beyond. We discover that the bonding contrast of Y- and Sc-centered structural motifs in amorphous Sb 2 Te 3 stems from their parent crystals at high Te concentrations. The larger atomic radius of Y and the weaker charge transfer when bonded with Te is found to allow more Te neighbors and cause a more open bonding environment, leading to higher coordination numbers and non-octahedral environments. We discuss the implications of the different local environments for practical applications in memory devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Differentiation and classification of bacterial endotoxins based on surface enhanced Raman scattering and advanced machine learning

Bacterial endotoxin, a major component of the Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane leaflet, is a lipopolysaccharide shed from bacteria during their growth and infection and can be utilized as a biomarker for bacterial detection. Here, the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of eleven bacterial endotoxins with an average detection amount of 8.75 pg per measurement have been obtained based on silver nanorod array substrates, and the characteristic SERS peaks have been identified. With appropriate spectral pre-processing procedures, different classical machine learning algorithms, including support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, etc., and a modified deep learning algorithm, RamanNet, have been applied to differentiate and classify these endotoxins. It has been found that most conventional machine learning algorithms can attain a differentiation accuracy of >99%, while RamanNet can achieve 100% accuracy. Such an approach has the potential for precise classification of endotoxins and could be used for rapid medical diagnoses and therapeutic decisions for pathogenic infections.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

NaCo 2 (SeO 3 ) 2 (OH): competing magnetic ground states of a new sawtooth structure with 3d 7 Co 2+ ions

While certain magnetic sublattices have long been known theoretically to give rise to emergent physics via competing magnetic interactions and quantum effects, finding such configurations in real materials is often deeply challenging. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a new such material, NaCo 2 (SeO 3 ) 2 (OH) which crystallizes with a highly frustrated sublattice of sawtooth Co 2+ chains. Single crystals of NaCo 2 (SeO 3 ) 2 (OH) were synthesized using a low-temperature hydrothermal method. X-ray single crystal structure analysis reveals that the material crystallizes in orthorhombic space group of Pnma (no. 62). Its crystal structure exhibits one-dimensional chains of corner-sharing isosceles triangles that are made of two crystallographically distinct 3d 7 Co 2+ sites (Co(1) and Co(2)). The chains run along the b-axis and are interconnected via [SeO 3 ] groups to form a three-dimensional structure mediating super-exchange interactions. The temperature dependent magnetization data show a ferromagnetic-like (FM) transition at 11 K (T 1 ) followed by an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at about 6 K (T 2 ). Neutron-powder diffraction measurements reveal that at T 1 = 11 K only the Co(2) site orders magnetically, forming ferromagnetic zigzag chains along the b-axis. Below T 2 = 6 K, both Co(1) and Co(2) sites order in a nearly orthogonal configuration, with Co(1) moments lying inside the plane of the sawtooth chain while Co(2) moments cant out of the plane. The canting of the magnetic moments leads to a net ferromagnetic component along b-axis, parallel to the chain direction. The ordered moments are fully compensated in the ac-plane. Inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal crystal field excitations that are consistent with the presence of a spin–orbital entangled pseudo-spin state J eff = 1/2 for the Co 2+ ions. Low-energy spin-wave excitations are observed below the second magnetic transition. The analysis of powder excitation spectrum suggests complex exchange interactions that go beyond a Heisenberg Hamiltonian model with nearest neighbor couplings. Our results demonstrate the richness of the magnetic properties of sawtooth-type structures and encourage the study of similar structures with different oxyanion groups.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ab initio study of short-range ordering in vanadium-based disordered rocksalt structures

Disordered rocksalt Li-excess (DRX) compounds are attractive new cathode materials for Li-ion batteries as they contain resource-abundant metals and do not require the use of cobalt or nickel. Understanding the delithiation process and cation short-range ordering (SRO) in DRX compounds is essential to improve these promising cathode materials. Herein, we use first-principles calculations along with the cluster-expansion approach to model the disorder in DRX Li 2-x VO 3 , 0 < x < 1. We discuss the SRO of Li in tetrahedral and octahedral sites, and the order in which Li delithiates and V oxidizes with respect to local environments. We reveal that the number of nearest-neighbor V dictates the order of delithiation from octahedral sites and that V is oxidized in a manner that minimizes the electrostatic interactions among V. In conclusion, our results provide valuable insight for tailoring the performance of V-based DRX cathode materials in general by controlling the SRO features that reduce energy density.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Decoding substrate specificity determining factors in glycosyltransferase-B enzymes – insights from machine learning models

Substrate specificity is an essential characteristic of any enzyme's function and an understanding of the factors that determine this specificity is crucial for enzyme engineering. Unlike the structure of an enzyme which is directly impacted by its sequence, substrate specificity as an enzyme attribute involves a rather indirect relationship with sequence as it also depends on structural aspects that dictate substrate accessibility and active site dynamics. In this study, we explore the performance of classifier-based machine learning models trained on curated sequence and structural data for a class of glycosyltransferases (GTs), namely GT-Bs, to understand their substrate specificity determining factors. GTs enable the transfer of sugar moieties to other biomolecules such as oligosaccharides or proteins and are found in all kingdoms of life. In plants, GTs participate in the biosynthesis of plant cell wall biopolymers (e.g.: hemicelluloses and pectins) and are an integral part of the enzymatic machinery that enables the storage of carbon and energy as plant biomass. To elucidate the substrate specificity of uncharacterized GT-Bs, we constructed multi-label machine learning models (Support Vector Classifier, K-Nearest Neighbors, Gaussian Naïve-Bayes, Random Forest) that incorporate both sequence and structural features. These models achieve good predictive accuracies on test datasets. However, despite our use of structural information, we highlight that there is further scope for improvement in training these models to draw interpretable relationships between sequence, structure and substrate specificity determining motifs in GT-Bs.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Elucidating the local structure of Li 1+ x Al x Ti 2– x (PO 4 ) 3 and Li 3 Al x Ti 2– x (PO 4 ) 3 ( x = 0, 0.3) via total scattering

Li 1+x Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 (LATP) and Li 3 Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 (x = 0, 0.3) are promising candidates in all-solid-state batteries due to their high room temperature conductivity of 10 –3 S cm –1 and air- and moisture-stability. They also exhibit unusual thermal expansion properties, with Li 1+x Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 showing near-zero thermal expansion along the a axis while Li 3 Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 exhibits polynomial positive thermal expansion along the a axis and polynomial negative thermal expansion along the c axis. A crucial component to understanding these properties is understanding the local structure. Total scattering is a powerful analytical technique as it provides information on the long-range, average structure as well as the local structure. Here, we report the first X-ray and neutron total scattering experiments performed on Li 1+x Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 and Li 3 Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 (x = 0, 0.3). We show that the PO 4 and TiO 6 polyhedra experience very little expansion of the P/Ti–O bonds up to 800 °C, nor is there much expansion when the Li content increases significantly. The minor thermal expansion of the nearest-neighbor bonds of the polyhedra is revealed to be the reason behind the unusual thermal expansion properties, causing the near-zero thermal expansion along a in Li 1+x Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 and moving as whole units in Li 3 Al x Ti 2–x (PO 4 ) 3 . The structural robustness of the framework is also the reason for the increased conductivity as Li content increases, as the framework remains undistorted as Li content increases, permitting Li-ion mobility as the number of charge carriers increases. Finally, this suggests that phosphate-based framework materials beyond LATP would also be a good material space to explore for new Li-ion (and other ion-) conducting materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

On the origin of cooperativity effects in the formation of self-assembled molecular networks at the liquid/solid interface

In this work we investigate the behaviour of molecules at the nanoscale using scanning tunnelling microscopy in order to explore the origin of the cooperativity in the formation of self-assembled molecular networks (SAMNs) at the liquid/solid interface. By studying concentration dependence of alkoxylated dimethylbenzene, a molecular analogue to 5-alkoxylated isophthalic derivatives, but without hydrogen bonding moieties, we show that the cooperativity effect can be experimentally evaluated even for low-interacting systems and that the cooperativity in SAMN formation is its fundamental trait. We conclude that cooperativity must be a local effect and use the nearest-neighbor Ising model to reproduce the coverage vs. concentration curves. The Ising model offers a direct link between statistical thermodynamics and experimental parameters, making it a valuable tool for assessing the thermodynamics of SAMN formation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Effects of Al concentration on the structure and conductivity of lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide

Cubic Li 7-3x Al x La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO) is a promising, next-generation solid electrolyte due to its stability with Li-metal and high bulk conductivity (~1 mS cm -1 ). However, the source of the high conductivity is not completely understood. In this work, we address this key knowledge gap through the integration of elemental analysis, neutron diffraction sensitive to Li and O atoms, and impedance spectroscopy to understand the structure–property correlations for LLZO. We show the metal–oxygen framework structure remains constant with variation in Al substitution, resulting in a constant activation energy of ~0.35 eV and little effect on the bulk conductivity. Instead, Li concentration, Al blocking and trapping of mobile defects, and Li–Li nearest neighbor interactions largely control the Al substituted LLZO bulk conductivity, resulting in decreases from 0.73 to 0.22 mS cm -1 as the Al concentration increases from 0.17 to 0.32 mol. These results differ from those of Ta substituted LLZO, where the framework structure and Li–Li site distances play large roles in controlling the conductivity. The increased understanding of the controlling factors of conductivity allows for greater ability to tailor the design of and substitution into the LLZO structure for improved conductivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗