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At least 433 records · Page 24

High Thermoelectric Performance in Supersaturated Solid Solutions and Nanostructured n-Type PbTe-GeTe

Sb-doped and GeTe-alloyed n-type thermoelectric materials that show an excellent figure of merit ZT in the intermediate temperature range (400–800 K) are reported. The synergistic effect of favorable changes to the band structure resulting in high Seebeck coefficient and enhanced phonon scattering by point defects and nanoscale precipitates resulting in reduction of thermal conductivity are demonstrated. The samples can be tuned as single-phase solid solution (SS) or two-phase system with nanoscale precipitates (Nano) based on the annealing processes. The GeTe alloying results in band structure modification by widening the bandgap and increasing the density-ofstates effective mass of PbTe, resulting in significantly enhanced Seebeck coefficients. The nanoscale precipitates can improve the power factor in the low temperature range and further reduce the lattice thermal conductivity (κ lat ). Specifically, the Seebeck coefficient of Pb 0.988 Sb 0.012 Te–13%GeTe–Nano approaches -280 μV K -1 at 673 K with a low κ lat of 0.56 W m -1 K -1 at 573 K. Consequently, a peak ZT value of 1.38 is achieved at 623 K. Furthermore, a high average ZT avg value of ≈1.04 is obtained in the temperature range from 300 to 773 K for n-type Pb 0.988 Sb 0.012 Te–13%GeTe–Nano.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thin film combinatorial sputtering of Al-Ce alloys: Investigating the phase separation of as-deposited solid solutions and determining the coefficient of thermal expansion

Al x Ce 100–x thin films with a composition range of ~75.0 < x < 99.5 at% (36.5 < x < 97.5 wt%) were synthesized via combinatorial co-sputtering from an Al and an Al 50 Ce 50 target. The crystal structure, phase fraction, film morphology, electrical resistivity, and temperature-dependent coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) are all correlated to the Al x Ce 100–x composition. The as-deposited films form a metastable solid-solution, and annealing leads to the formation of the thermodynamically stable two-phase system of Al and the α-Al 11 Ce 3 intermetallic. Temperature dependent x-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals that the two phases expand independently of one another, and the thin film Al temperature-dependent CTE is similar to bulk Al. The thin film Al 11 Ce 3 intermetallic phase has a nearly constant CTE of ~1.5 × 10 –5 /°C within the temperature range studied (25–550 °C). To confirm the thin film Al 11 Ce 3 results, bulk stoichiometric Al 11 Ce 3 and +/- 1 wt% Ce samples were prepared and the CTE of each was measured with the same conditions. A Rietveld analysis of the bulk data enabled an estimation of the CTE in each of the 3 orthorhombic lattice parameters, which displayed anisotropic behavior. The thin film and bulk CTE measurements were in very good agreement. Estimations of the temperature dependent CTE of the two-phase alloys are made via the Reuss and Voigt models. Finally, by demonstrating the efficacy of the approach, more complex multi-component rapid materials discovery of low CTE Al-alloys can be pursued via the combinatorial thin film synthesis and XRD measurement.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Tunable Magnetic Exchange between Rare-Earth Metal 5d and Iron 3d States: A Case Study of the Multiple Magnetic Transitions in Gd 6 FeBi 2 and the Solid Solutions Dy 6– x Gd x FeBi 2 (1 ≤ x ≤ 5) with Curie Temperatures in the Range 120–350 K

In this paper, the room-temperature magnet Gd 6 FeBi 2 was comprehensively characterized by means of temperature-dependent single-crystal X-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements, and experimental electron density and electronic structure computations. This work explores the electron-spin effects of Fe on this structure and suggests that Gd6FeBi2 shows structural features and exchange interactions, which are clearly distinguishable from other analogues, including the solid solutions Dy 6–x Gd x FeBi 2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 5). The unique traits of Gd 6 FeBi 2 and its derivatives encompass abnormal variations of lattice parameters with the temperature, as well as the presence of multiple magnetic transitions of complex nature. Based on the comprehensive analyses, it can be suggested that the unique magnetic response in this material is the result from tunable Fe spin states, which are coupled with strong Gd 5d–Fe 3d interactions, which differ from other members of this large, structural family. In the ground state, according to density functional theory calculations, the Fe atom carries two net electrons, whose spins are coupled in an antiparallel fashion to the spins of the Gd electrons. Near the Curie temperature, the Fe net moment is reduced intermittently, coupled with a multiple of magnetic transitions. The magnetic correlations are manifested in unexpected variations of the lattice parameters as a function of temperature, suggesting spin–lattice interactions. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the important role of Gd 5d electrons in tuning Fe 3d-based magnetic contribution, which enables better understanding on the spin coupling in other related compounds and sheds light on the development of new magnetic and spintronic compounds.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

First-principles thermodynamics study of phase stability in inorganic halide perovskite solid solutions

Halide substitution gives rise to a tunable band gap as a function of composition in halide perovskite materials. However, photoinduced phase segregation, observed at room temperature in mixed halide APb(I x Br 1–x ) 3 systems, limits open circuit voltages and decreases photovoltaic device efficiencies. We investigate equilibrium phase stability of orthorhombic P nma γ-phase CsM(X x Y 1–x ) 3 perovskites where M is Pb or Sn, and X and Y are Br, Cl, or I. Finite-temperature phase diagrams are constructed using a cluster expansion effective Hamiltonian parameterized from first-principles density-functional-theory calculations. Solid solution phases for CsM(I x Br 1–x ) 3 andCsM(Br x Cl 1–x ) 3 are predicted to be stable well below room temperature while CsM(I x Cl 1–x ) 3 systems have miscibility gaps that extend above 400 K. The height of the miscibility gap correlates with the difference in volume between end members. Also layered ground states are found on the convex hull at x = 2/3 for CsSnBr 2 Cl, CsPbI 2 Br, and CsPbBrCl 2 . The impact of these ground states on the finite temperature phase diagram is discussed in the context of the experimentally observed photoinduced phase segregation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Low-temperature synthesis of homogeneous solid solutions of scheelite-structured Ca 1-x Sr x WO 4 and Sr 1-x Ba x WO 4 nanocrystals

Here, a series of compositionally complex scheelite-structured nanocrystals of the formula A 1-x A’ x WO 4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba) have been prepared under benign synthesis conditions using the vapor diffusion sol–gel method. Discrete nanocrystals with sub-20 nm mean diameters were obtained after kinetically controlled hydro- lysis and polycondensation at room temperature, followed by composition-dependent thermal aging at or below 60 °C. Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data and Raman spectroscopy verified the synthesis of continuous and phase-pure nanocrystal solid solutions across the entire composition space for A 1-x A’ x WO 4 , where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1. Elemental analysis by X-ray photoelectron and inductively coupled plasma- atomic emission spectroscopies demonstrated excellent agreement between the nominal and experi- mentally determined elemental stoichiometries, while energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy illustrated good spatial elemental homogeneity within these nanocrystals synthesized under benign conditions.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Temperature dependent electronic transport in concentrated solid solutions of the 3 d -transition metals Ni, Fe, Co and Cr from first principles

An approach previously developed for the calculation of transport coefficients via the Mott relations is applied to the calculation of finite temperature transport properties of disordered alloys—electrical resistivity and the electronic part of thermal conductivity. The coherent-potential approximation is used to treat chemical disorder as well as other sources of electron scattering, i.e., temperature induced magnetic moment fluctuations and lattice vibrations via the alloy analogy model. This approach, which treats all forms of disorder on an equal first-principles footing, is applied to the calculation of transport properties of a series of fcc concentrated solid solutions of the 3d -transition metals Ni, Fe, Co, and Cr. For the nonmagnetic alloys Ni 0.8 Cr 0.2 and Ni 0.33 Co 0.33 Cr 0.3 , the combined effects of chemical disorder and electron-lattice vibrations scattering result in a monotonic increase in the resistivity as a function of temperature from an already large, T = 0, residual resistivity. For magnetic Ni 0.5 Co 0.5, Ni 0.5 Fe 0.5 , and Ni 0.33 Fe 0.33 Co 0.33 , the residual resistivity of which is small, additional electron scattering from temperature induced magnetic moment fluctuations results in a further rapid increase of the resistivity as a function of temperature. The electronic part of the thermal conductivity in nonmagnetic Ni 0.8 Cr 0.2 and Ni 0.33 Co 0.33 Cr 0.33 monotonically increases with temperature. This behavior is a result of the competition between a reduction in the conductivity due to electron-lattice vibrations scattering and temperature induced increase in the number of carriers. In the magnetic alloys, electron scattering from magnetic fluctuations leads to an initial rapid decrease in thermal conductivity until this is overcome by an increasing number of carriers at temperatures slightly below the Curie temperature. As a result, similar to the resistivity above T C , the electronic parts of the thermal conductivities are close to each other in all alloys studied.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Quick Screening Approach for Design of Multi-Principle Element Alloy with Solid Solution Phase

Multi-principle element alloys (MPEAs) provide an innovative way to design materials with potential applications in extreme conditions, such as high-dose irradiation in nuclear reactors, high temperatures in aeronautic and aerospace engineering, etc. However, the composition design and optimization of MPEAs are challenging due to the vast options and complexity which make traditional theory and methods insufficient or even invalid. To effectively design MPEAs, a two-parameter approach is developed based on newly proposed enthalpy and entropy-enthalpy competition parameters. This approach can not only be used to classify conventional steels, high-entropy steels (HESs), high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and amorphous alloys, but also to predict the optimal composition of MPEAs with stable solid solution (SS) phases. The optimal compositions of three sets of Fe-Mn-Cr-Co-Ni alloys are quickly screened from millions of options to form HESs or HEAs with stable SS phases. This quick screening approach can also be applied to design other alloys and facilitate the research and development of MPEAs possessing the targeted properties and economic acceptability.

Zheng, Mingjie↗

Effect of doping and chemical ordering on the optoelectronic properties of complex oxides: Fe 2 O 3 –V 2 O 3 solid solutions and hetero-structures

The electronic and optical properties of a-(Fe1xVx)2O3 at low (x = 0.04) and high (x = 0.5) doping levels are investigated using a combination of periodic and embedded cluster approaches, and time dependent density functional theory. At low V concentrations the onset of the optical absorption is B0.5 eV (i.e., nearly 1.6 eV lower than that in pure a-Fe2O3) and corresponds to the electron transitions from V 3d to Fe 3d* orbitals. At high V concentrations, optical absorption energies and intensities are sensitive to specific arrangements of Fe and V atoms and their spin configuration that determine Fe–V hybridization. The onset of the lowest inter-vanadium absorption band in the case of Fe2O3/V2O3 hetero-structures is as low as B0.3 eV and the corresponding peak is at B0.7 eV. In contrast, in the case of solid solutions this peak has lower intensity and is shifted to higher energy (B1.2 eV). Analysis of the orbital character of electronic excitation suggests that Fe2O3/V2O3 hetero-structures absorb light much more effectively than random alloys, thus promoting efficient photo-induced carrier generation. These predictions can be tested in a-(Fe1xVx)2O3 thin films synthesized with well-controlled spatial distribution of Fe and V species.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Unnamed Pt(Cu 0.67 Sn 0.33 ) from the Bolshoy Khailyk River, Western Sayans, Russia, and a Review of Related Compounds and Solid Solutions

We describe a potentially new species of a platinum cupride–stannide mineral (PCSM) of composition Pt(Cu 0.67 Sn 0.33 ). It occurs in a placer deposit in the River Bolshoy Khailyk, southern Krasnoyarskiy kray, Russia. A synthetic equivalent of PCSM was obtained and characterized. The PCSM occurs as anhedral or subhedral grains up to 15 μm × 30 μm in association with various platinum-group minerals, Rh–Co-rich pentlandite and magnetite, all hosted by a placer grain of Cu–Au–Pt alloy. Synchrotron micro-Laue diffraction studies indicate that the PCSM mineral is tetragonal and belongs to the inferred space-group P4/mmm (#123). Its unit-cell parameters are a = 2.838 (3) Å, c = 3.650 (4) Å, and V = 29.40 (10) Å 3 , and Z = 1. The c:a ratio calculated from the unit-cell parameters is 1.286. These characteristics are in good agreement with those obtained for specimens of synthetic Pt(Cu 0.67 Sn 0.33 ). A review on related minerals and unnamed phases is provided to outline compositional variations and extents of solid solutions in the relevant systems PtNi–PtFe–PtCu, PdCu–PdHg–PdAu, PdHg–PtHg, and AuCu–PtCu. The PCSM-bearing mineralization appears to be related genetically with an ophiolitic source-rock of the Aktovrakskiy complex of the western Sayans. The unnamed phase likely crystallized from microvolumes of a highly fractionated melt rich in Cu and Sn.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Size effect, critical resolved shear stress, stacking fault energy, and solid solution strengthening in the CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) comprise a novel class of scientifically and technologically interesting materials. Among these, equatomic CrMnFeCoNi with the face-centered cubic (FCC) structure is noteworthy because its ductility and strength increase with decreasing temperature while maintaining outstanding fracture toughness at cryogenic temperatures. Here we report for the first time by single crystal micropillar compression that its bulk room temperature critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) is ~33–43MPa, ~10 times higher than that of pure nickel. CRSS depends on pillar size with an inverse power-law scaling exponent of –0.63 independent of orientation. Planar ½<110>{111} dislocations dissociate into Shockley partials whose separations range from ~3.5–4.5nm near the screw orientation to ~5–8nm near the edge, yielding a stacking fault energy of 30±5mJ/m2. Dislocations are smoothly curved without any preferred line orientation indicating no significant anisotropy in mobilities of edge and screw segments. The shear-modulus-normalized CRSS of the HEA is not exceptionally high compared to those of certain concentrated binary FCC solid solutions. Its rough magnitude calculated using the Fleischer/Labusch models corresponds to that of a hypothetical binary with the elastic constants of our HEA, solute concentrations of 20–50 at.%, and atomic size misfit of ~4%.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mitigating Sodium Ordering for Enhanced Solid Solution Behavior in Layered NaNiO 2 Cathodes

Abstract The O‐type layered nickel oxides suffer from undesired cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion stemming from Ni 3+ ions and undergo multiple biphasic structural transformations during the insertion/extraction of large Na + ions, posing a significant challenge to stabilize the structural integrity. We present here a systematic investigation of the impact of substituting 5 % divalent (Mg 2+ ) or trivalent (Al 3+ or Co 3+ ) ions for Ni 3+ to alleviate Na + ion ordering and perturb the Jahn–Teller effect to enhance structural stability. We gauge a fundamental understanding of the Mg−O and Na−O or Mg−O−Na bonding interactions, noting that the ionicity of the Mg−O bond deshields the electronic cloud of oxygen from Na + ions. Furthermore, calculations of the Van Vleck distortion modes reveal a relaxation of NiO 6 octahedra from Jahn–Teller distortion and a reduced electron density at the interlayer with Mg 2+ substitution. Long‐range ( operando X‐ray diffraction) and short‐range (magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) structural analyses provide insights into reduced ordering, allowing a stable continuous solid solution. Overall, Mg‐substitution results in a high‐capacity retention of ~96 % even after 100 cycles, showcasing the potential of this strategy for overcoming the structural instabilities and enhancing the performance of sodium‐ion batteries.

Sada, Krishnakanth↗

Mitigating Sodium Ordering for Enhanced Solid Solution Behavior in Layered NaNiO 2 Cathodes

The O-type layered nickel oxides suffer from undesired cooperative Jahn–Teller distortion stemming from Ni 3+ ions and undergo multiple biphasic structural transformations during the insertion/extraction of large Na + ions, posing a significant challenge to stabilize the structural integrity. We present here a systematic investigation of the impact of substituting 5 % divalent (Mg 2+ ) or trivalent (Al 3+ or Co 3+ ) ions for Ni 3+ to alleviate Na + ion ordering and perturb the Jahn–Teller effect to enhance structural stability. Here, we gauge a fundamental understanding of the Mg−O and Na−O or Mg−O−Na bonding interactions, noting that the ionicity of the Mg−O bond deshields the electronic cloud of oxygen from Na + ions. Furthermore, calculations of the Van Vleck distortion modes reveal a relaxation of NiO 6 octahedra from Jahn–Teller distortion and a reduced electron density at the interlayer with Mg 2+ substitution. Long-range (operando X-ray diffraction) and short-range (magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) structural analyses provide insights into reduced ordering, allowing a stable continuous solid solution. Overall, Mg-substitution results in a high-capacity retention of ~96 % even after 100 cycles, showcasing the potential of this strategy for overcoming the structural instabilities and enhancing the performance of sodium-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Investigation of structural and magnetic properties of Pb free multiferroic (BiFeO{sub 3}){sub 1−x}(BaTiO{sub 3}){sub x} solid solutions

A series of multiferroic (BiFeO{sub 3}){sub 1−x}(BaTiO{sub 3}){sub x} [x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3]. ceramics were prepared to study the effect of combine substitution of BaTiO{sub 3} in (BiFeO{sub 3}){sub 1−x}(BaTiO{sub 3}){sub x}. X-ray diffraction studies revealed phase transition from rhombohedral R3c to cubic on substitution of BaTiO{sub 3}. XRD patterns of (BiFeO{sub 3}){sub 1−x}(BaTiO{sub 3}){sub x} BF-BT. has been analyzed and single phase of rhombohedral was found up to 70 mol% of BiFeO{sub 3}. Morphotropic phase boundary was found just above x=0.3, and finally it transformed into a cubic structure. The BF-BT ceramics exhibited symmetric magnetic hysteresis loops, indicating that they are magnetically ordered materials. Calculated values of remnant magnetizations of samples for x=0.1 and 0.2 indicated weak ferromagnetism in the samples.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Shape Effect in Layering of Solid Solutions in Small Volume: Bismuth–Antimony Alloy

The regularities of the effect of the shape of interphase boundaries in small volume systems on the separation of solutions with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) are described by the example of Bi–Sb alloy particles with a core–shell configuration. The change in the shape of interphase boundaries is simulated in general by introducing a parameter corresponding to the degree of deviation of the shape of the boundaries from the spherical one. An analysis of the extrema of the Gibbs function revealed regularities in the effect of the shape of the core and shell phases on phase equilibria, the thermodynamic stability of heterogeneous states, and the phase separation diagram. The deviation of the shape of the interphase boundaries from the spherical shape changes the UCST and the mutual solubility of the components. The deformation of the shell of a core–shell particle increases the thermodynamic stability of the heterogeneous state, which contributes to the separation of the solution. The deformation of the core lowers the thermodynamic stability of the heterogeneous state and expands the range of metastable states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗