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At least 523 records · Page 29

High Thermoelectric Performance SnTe–In 2 Te 3 Solid Solutions Enabled by Resonant Levels and Strong Vacancy Phonon Scattering

Herein, we report a significantly improved thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of ~1.1 at ~923 K in p-type SnTe through In 2 Te 3 alloying and iodine doping. We propose that the introduction of indium at Sn sites in SnTe creates resonant levels inside the valence bands, thereby considerably increasing the Seebeck coefficients and power factors in the low-to-middle temperature range. Unlike SnTe–InTe, the SnTe–In 2 Te 3 system displays much lower lattice thermal conductivity. Utilizing a model for point defect scattering, we analyze the origin of the low thermal conductivity in SnTe–In 2 Te 3 and attribute it mainly to the strong vacancy originated phonon scattering between Sn atoms and the vacancies introduced by In 2 Te 3 alloying and partly to the interfacial scattering by In-rich nanoprecipitates present in SnTe matrix. By alloying only In 2 Te 3 with SnTe, a ZT value of ~0.9 at 923 K was achieved. ZT can be further increased to ~1.1 at 923 K through adjusting the charge carriers by iodine doping at Te sites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Cs 1– x Rb x PbCl 3 and Cs 1– x Rb x PbBr 3 Solid Solutions: Understanding Octahedral Tilting in Lead Halide Perovskites

The structures of the lead halide perovskites CsPbCl3 and CsPbBr3 have been determined from X-ray powder diffraction data to be orthorhombic with Pnma space group symmetry. Their structures are distorted from the cubic structure of their hybrid analogs, CH3NH3PbX3 (X = Cl, Br), by tilts of the octahedra (Glazer tilt system a–b+a–). Substitution of the smaller Rb+ for Cs+ increases the octahedral tilting distortion and eventually destabilizes the perovskite structure altogether. To understand this behavior, bond valence parameters appropriate for use in chloride and bromide perovskites have been determined for Cs+, Rb+, and Pb2+. As the tolerance factor decreases, the band gap increases, by 0.15 eV in Cs1–xRbxPbCl3 and 0.20 eV in Cs1–xRbxPbBr3, upon going from x = 0 to x = 0.6. The band gap shows a linear dependence on tolerance factor, particularly for the Cs1–xRbxPbBr3 system. Comparison with the cubic perovskites CH3NH3PbCl3 and CH3NH3PbBr3 shows that the band gaps of the methylammonium perovskites are anomalously large for APbX3 perovskites with a cubic structure. This comparison suggests that the local symmetry of CH3NH3PbCl3 and CH3NH3PbBr3 deviate significantly from the cubic symmetry of the average structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mössbauer Spectral Properties of Yttrium Iron Garnet, Y3Fe5O12, and its Isovalent and Nonisovalent Yttrium-Substituted Solid Solutions

Several high-resolution Mössbauer spectra of yttrium iron garnet, Y3Fe5O12, have been fit as a function of temperature with a new model based on a detailed analysis of the spectral changes that result from a reduction from the cubic Ia–3d space group to the trigonal R–3 space group. These spectral fits, which are all statistically identical, indicate that the magnetic sextet arising from the 16a site in cubic symmetry is subdivided into three sextets arising from the 6f, and the 3d, 3d, and the 1a, 1b, and 2c sites in rhombohedral-axis trigonal symmetry. The 24d site in cubic symmetry is subdivided into four sextets arising from four different 6f sites in R–3 rhombohedral-axis trigonal symmetry, sites that differ only by the angles between the principal axis of the electric field gradient tensor and the magnetic hyperfine field assumed to be parallel with the magnetic easy axis. This analysis, when applied to the potential nuclear waste storage compounds, Y3-xCa0.5xTh0.5xFe5O12 and Y3- xCa0.5xCe0.5xFe5O12, indicates virtually no perturbation of the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties upon substitution of small amounts of calcium(II) and thorium(IV) or cerium(IV) onto the yttrium(III) 24c site as compared with Y3Fe5O12. The observed broadening of the four different 6f sites derived from the 24d site results from the substitution of yttrium(III) by calcium(II) and thorium(IV) or cerium(IV) cations on the next-nearest neighbor 24c site. In contrast, the same analysis, when applied to Y2.8Ce0.2Fe5O12, indicates a local perturbation of the magnetic exchange pathways as a result of the presence of cerium(IV) in the 24c next-nearest neighbor site of the iron(III) 24d site.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Synthesis of Solid-Solution Mn x Zn 1– x O Nanoparticles and their Electrochemical Oxidation of Furfural

Electrochemical valorization of biomass-derived substrates has become a prominent area of research due to its potential to produce value-added products from renewable feedstocks in a more sustainable way. First-row transition metal electrodes are compelling candidates for these conversions due to their stability, abundance, and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we report on the colloidal synthesis of Mn x Zn 1– x O (x = 0.3-0.7) nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activity towards furfural oxidation. We find that the hindrance of a MnO impurity can be achieved by leveraging the oxidation state of the Mn precursor. The Mn x Zn 1– x O composition closely follows the ratio of precursors, with all the nanoparticles having a wurtzite structure as determined by ICP-MS and PXRD, respectively. XANES and XPS revealed the presence of Mn in different oxidation states with the ratio of these varying based on the composition. When comparing the electrocatalytic activity of the monometallic and bimetallic oxides for furfural oxidation, a decrease in current density was observed with increasing Zn content. We find the Mn x Zn 1– x O nanoparticles favor the formation of the 6 e - oxidation product 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone, while both monometallic oxides primarily yield CO 2 and other deeply oxidized products as the majority pathway. Furthermore, these findings can contribute towards the design and synthesis of more active and selective electrocatalyst.

Aldehydes↗

Raman Study of the Structural Distortion in the Ni 1–x Co x TiO 3 Solid Solution

In this paper, Raman spectra were collected on Ni 1–x Co x TiO 3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ilmenite samples as a function of the temperature between 4 and 1200 K. An evident symmetry lowering from the prototype R$\bar{3}$symmetry is observed. The distortion was largest for the x = 0.40 and 0.50 samples and significantly diminished for small and large values of x. The distortion was preserved in the whole temperature range and, except for the x = 0.50 sample, did not show significant changes. Notably, between 25 and 69 K, distortion of the x = 0.40 sample is accompanied by ferromagnetic order. The direct cation–cation and O-mediated indirect interactions are discussed as mechanisms behind the distortion and magnetic order. A reversible order–disorder phase transformation, assigned to occur between the ilmenite and corundum phases, took place at 973 K in the x = 0.50 sample. Completion of the transformation took over 1 h. Finally, the role of the overlap of Co/Ni and Ti 3d orbitals through O octahedral faces for charge transfer is discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Zero thermal expansion and semiconducting properties in PbTiO 3 –Bi(Co, Ti)O 3 ferroelectric solid solutions

Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) behavior is rare but important for both fundamental studies and practical applications of functional materials. Up to now, most available ZTE materials are either electrical insulating oxides or conductive metallic compounds. Very few ZTE materials exhibit the semiconductor feature. Here we report a ZTE in semiconducting ferroelectric of 0.6PbTiO 3 -0.4Bi(Co 0.55 Ti 0.45 )O 3-δ . Its unit cell volume exhibits a negligible change over a broad temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C. The ZTE is supposed to be correlated with the spontaneous volume ferroelectronstriction. Intriguingly, the present ZTE material also exhibits the semiconducting characteristic accompanied by negative temperature coefficient of resistance. The mechanism of electric conduction is attributed to the electronic hopping from one ionic (Ti 3+ ) to another (Ti 4+ ). The semiconductor nature has also been confirmed by the noticeable visible-light absorption with the relative lower band-gap (E g ) value of 1.5 eV, while ferroelectric property can be well maintained with large polarization. The first-principles calculations reveal that the drastically narrowed E g is related to the Co-Ti substitution. Finally, the present multifunctional material containing ZTE, semiconducting and ferroelectric properties is suggested to enable new applications such as the substrate for solar conversion devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Isotropic Low Thermal Expansion over a Wide Temperature Range in Ti 1– x Zr x F 3+ x (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) Solid Solutions

TiF 3 exhibits a rhombohedral to ReO 3 -type cubic phase transformation at ~340 K. Here we report that, by introducing ZrF 4 into TiF 3 , the cubic phase is stabilized at least down to 123 K in the Ti 1–x Zr x F 3+x compounds. All compounds exhibit low thermal expansion (LTE) between 123 and 623 K, and a nearly zero thermal expansion (ZTE) was obtained in Ti 0.7 Zr 0.3 F 3.3 (α L = 0.91 ppm/K). The analysis of pair distribution function reveals that the cation-centered octahedra are partially changed to pentagonal bipyramids in Ti 1–x Zr x F 3+x due to the excess fluorines relative to the case of TiF 3 . Therefore, the cooperative rotation of the polyhedra tends to be restricted, and the cubic phase is thus stabilized. The restrained polyhedral rotations compete against the lattice softening caused by the introduction of Zr 4+ , giving rise to the LTE. Lastly, our present strategy is applicable to other rhombohedral metal trifluorides for the design of new isotropic ZTE materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

From the Ternary Phase Ca 14 Zn 1+δ Sb 11 (δ ≈ 0.4) to the Quaternary Solid Solutions Ca 14– x RE x ZnSb 11 (RE = La–Nd, Sm, Gd, x ≈ 0.9). A Tale of Electron Doping via Rare-Earth Metal Substitutions and the Concomitant Structural Transformations

In this work, the ternary compound Ca 14 Zn 1.37(1) Sb 11 and its six rare-earth metal substituted derivatives Ca 14–x RE x ZnSb 11 (RE = La–Nd, Sm, Gd; x ≈ 0.90±0.06) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. All com-pounds formally crystallize in the tetragonal Ca 14 AlSb 11 structure type (space group $I$4 1 $/ acd$, No. 142, $Z$ = 8). The crystal structure of Ca 14 Zn 1.37(1) Sb 11 subtly differs from the structure of the remaining six, as well as from the structure of the archetype, due to the presence of a partially occupied interstitial Zn position. The extra zinc atom is needed in this structure to alleviate the unfavorable number of valence electrons in the imaginary Ca 14 ZnSb 11 . Electron doping, via substitution of RE 3+ ions on Ca 2+ sites is shown as an alternative route to achieve electron balance in these Zn-based analogs of the Ca 14 AlSb 11 structure, which does not require the in-corporation of interstitial atoms. Electrical resistivity measurements done on single-crystalline samples are in agreement with the notion that Ca 14–x RE x ZnSb 11 behave as either bad metals or heavily-doped semi-conductors. Magnetization measurements show Curie-Weiss paramagnetic behavior related to the local-moment magnetism of the RE 3+ ions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗