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At least 1,297 records · Page 72

Chemical Bonding Governs Complex Magnetism in MnPt 5 P

Subtle changes in chemical bonds may result in dramatic revolutions in magnetic properties in solid-state materials. MnPt 5 P, a derivative of the rare-earth-free ferromagnetic MnPt 5 As, was discovered and is presented in this work. Specifically, MnPt 5 P was synthesized, and its crystal structure and chemical composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction as well as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Accordingly, MnPt 5 P crystallizes in the layered tetragonal structure with the space group P4/mmm (No. 123), in which the face-shared Mn@Pt 12 polyhedral layers are separated by P layers. In contrast to the ferromagnetism observed in MnPt 5 As, the magnetic properties measurements on MnPt 5 P show antiferromagnetic ordering occurs at ~188 K with a strong magnetic anisotropy in and out of the ab-plane. Moreover, a spin-flop transition appears when a high magnetic field is applied. An A-type antiferromagnetic structure was obtained from the analysis of powder neutron diffraction (PND) patterns collected at 150 and 9 K. Calculated electronic structures imply that hybridization of Mn-3d and Pt-5d orbitals is critical for both the structural stability and observed magnetic properties. Semiempirical molecular orbitals calculations on both MnPt 5 P and MnPt 5 As indicate that the lack of 4p character on the P atoms at the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) in MnPt 5 P may cause the different magnetic behavior in MnPt 5 P compared to MnPt 5 As. The discovery of MnPt 5 P, along with our previously reported MnPt5As, parametrizes the end points of a tunable system to study the chemical bonding which tunes the magnetic ordering from ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism with the strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The preparation and phase diagrams of ( 7 Li 1-x Fe x OD)FeSe and (Li 1-x Fe x OH)FeSe superconductors

We report the phase diagram for the superconducting system ( 7 Li 1-x Fe x OD)FeSe and contrast it with that of (Li 1-x Fe x OH)FeSe both in single crystal and powder forms. Samples were prepared via hydrothermal methods and characterized by laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, high-resolution neutron powder diffraction (NPD), and high intensity NPD. We find a correlation between the tetragonality of the unit cell parameters and the critical temperature, Tc, which is indicative of the effects of charge doping on the lattice and formation of iron vacancies in the FeSe layer. We observe no appreciable isotope effect on the maximum Tc in substituting H by D. The NPD measurements definitively rule out an antiferromagnetic ordering in the non-superconducting (Li 1-x Fe x OD)FeSe samples below 120 K, which has been reported in non-superconducting (Li 1-x Fe x OH)FeSe. A likely explanation for the observed antiferromagnetic transition in (Li 1-x Fe x OH)FeSe samples is the formation of impurities during their preparation such as Fe 3 O 4 and Li x FeO 2 , which express a charge ordering transition known as the Verwey transition near 120 K. The concentration of these oxide impurities is found to be dependent on the concentration of the lithium hydroxide reagent and the use of H 2 O vs. D 2 O as the solvent during synthesis. We also describe the reaction conditions that lead to some of our superconducting samples to exhibit ferromagnetism below T c .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Non-congruence of high-temperature mechanical and structural behaviors of LaCoO 3 based perovskites

Our paper presents the mechanical behavior of LaCoO 3 and La 0.8 Ca 0.2 CoO3 ceramics under four-point bending in which the two cobaltites are subjected to a low stress of ~8 MPa at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1000 °C. Unexpected stiffening is observed in pure LaCoO 3 in the 700–900 °C temperature range, leading to a significant increase in the measured Young’s modulus, whereas La 0.8 Ca 0.2 CoO 3 exhibits softening from 100 °C to 1000 °C, as expected for most materials upon heating. we use neutron diffraction, X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy to study the crystal structure of the two materials in the RT–1000 °C temperature range. Despite a detailed study, there is no conclusive evidence to explain the stiffening behavior observed in pure LaCoO 3 as opposed to the softening behavior in La 0.8 Ca 0.2 CoO 3 at high temperatures (above 500 °C).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Examination of the cerium α-ε phase transition under dynamic loading with x-ray diffraction

Recent examination of the cerium Hugoniot with pyrometry and x-ray diffraction (XRD) has revealed a narrow solid-liquid two-phase region. It has been suggested that nonequilibrium melting may be occurring along the Ce Hugoniot, with either melt kinetics or a sluggish α-ε transition impeding the transition. In particular, the kinetics of the α-ε is unknown and the location of the phase boundary is in dispute. Static measurements suggest a nearly vertical phase boundary that intersects the Hugoniot at 6–7 GPa. This lies in direct conflict with dynamic measurements along the Hugoniot observing α-Ce through incipient melt. This work presents dynamic experiments using XRD to examine the behavior of the α-ε phase transition. The results show that the α-ε phase transition occurs through a tetragonal distortion, with the transition beginning at temperatures below the solid Hugoniot. Following the initial deviation from an ideal fcc structure, the c/a ratio is found to gradually increase with no steady value observed in the ε phase within the range of these experiments (below 17 GPa). Multiple diffraction patterns captured during the peak stress state show no significant change in c/a ratio prior to uniaxial release, upon which Ce reverts to an fcc structure. Furthermore, the results indicate that the α-ε transition occurs rapidly, both on loading and release. An examination of the c/a ratio with increasing temperatures suggests 11.5 GPa as a lower bound for the location of the α-ε-liquid triple point.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Chemical disorder determines the deviation of the Slater–Pauling rule for Fe 2 MnSi-based Heusler alloys: evidences from neutron diffraction and density functional theory

Fe 2 MnSi fails to follow the Slater–Pauling rule. This phenomenon is thought to originate from either: (i) an antiferromagnetic arrangement of Mn ions at low temperature and/or (ii) chemical disorder. An important insight on this issue could be achieved by considering Fe 2 MnSi 1-x Ga x compounds, thoroughly studied here by means of magnetization, neutron diffraction and density functional calculations (DFT). Our results indicate that chemical disorder (and not the antiferromagnetic arrangement) is responsible for the deviation of the Slater–Pauling rule on Fe 2 MnSi-based Heusler alloys. Furthermore, evidences suggest that Ga substitution into Si site favors the Fe/Mn disorder, further enhancing the observed deviation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Structure and properties of the Sr 2 In 1-x Sn x SbO 6 double perovskite

A series of n -type oxide double perovskite semiconductors, Sr 2 In 1-x Sn x SbO 6 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) has been synthesized; Sn 4+ partially substitutes for In 3+ . 121 Sb and 119 Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy are employed to investigate the B-site cation ordering because this issue cannot be resolved by conventional diffraction techniques alone. Rigid ordering between In 3+ /Sn 4+ and Sb 5+ sites is revealed by the spectroscopic method, and hence in combination with the structural parameters extracted from the XRD structural refinements, the crystallographic structure of this series of compounds is depicted. Furthermore, the temperature dependent magnetic susceptibilities, band gaps, and carrier type are characterized, and the calculated band structure is presented.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Single-pulse x-ray diffraction using polycapillary optics for in situ dynamic diffraction

Diagnostic use of single-pulse x-ray diffraction (XRD) at pulsed power facilities can be challenging due to factors such as the high flux and brightness requirements for diffraction and the geometric constraints of experimental platforms. By necessity, the x-ray source is usually positioned very close, within a few inches of the sample. On dynamic compression platforms, this puts the x-ray source in the debris field. We coupled x-ray polycapillary optics to a single-shot needle-and-washer x-ray diode source using a laser-based alignment scheme to obtain high-quality x-ray diffraction using a single 16 ns x-ray pulse with the source >1 m from the sample. Additionally, the system was tested on a Mo sample in reflection geometry using 17 keV x-rays from a Mo anode. We also identified an anode conditioning effect that increased the x-ray intensity by 180%. Quantitative measurements of the x-ray focal spot produced by the polycapillary yielded a total x-ray flux on the sample of 3.3 ± 0.5 × 10 7 molybdenum Kα photons.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

A High Energy X-ray Diffraction Study of Amorphous Indomethacin

Amorphous pharmaceuticals often possess a wide range of molecular conformations and bonding arrangements. The x-ray pair distribution function (PDF) method is a powerful technique for the characterization of variations in both intra-molecular and inter-molecular packing arrangements. Here, the x-ray PDF of amorphous Indomethacin is shown to be particularly sensitive to the preferred orientations of the chlorobenzyl ring found in isomers in the crystalline state. In some cases, the chlorobenzyl ring has no preferred torsional angle in the amorphous form, while in others evidence of distinct isomer orientations are observed. Amorphous samples with no preferred torsion angles of the chlorobenzyl ring are found to favor enhanced inter-molecular hydrogen bonding, and this is reflected in the intensity of the first sharp diffraction peak. These significant variations in structure rule out amorphous Indomethacin as a possible standard for x-ray PDF measurements. At high humidity, time resolved PDF's for >40 h reveal water molecules forming hydrogen bonds with Indomethacin molecules. Finally, a simple linear hydrogen bond model indicates that water molecules in the wet amorphous form have similar hydrogen bond strengths to those found between Indomethacin dimers or chains in the dry amorphous form.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Diamond formation in double-shocked epoxy to 150 GPa

We present measurements of diamond formation in doubly shocked Stycast 1266 epoxy (comprising C, H, Cl, N, and O) using in situ x-ray diffraction. Epoxy samples were reshocked against a LiF window to pressures between 80 and 148 GPa in experiments at the Omega Laser Facility. Furthermore, the pressure and temperature conditions were diagnosed in situ using velocimetry and optical pyrometry, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns of the compressed epoxy are consistent with cubic diamond (Fd3¯m), indicating that diamond can precipitate not only from twice-shocked CH polystyrene [Kraus et al. Nat. Astron. 1, 606 (2017)] at these conditions but also from twice-shocked CH polymers with the addition of oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine. These results, in combination with previous works on CH, CH 2 , CH 4 , and methane hydrate, support that diamond often, but not always, forms from CH-based compounds at extreme pressures and temperatures, indicating that the chemical composition, thermodynamic compression path, and kinetics play an important role.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High Pressure Brillouin Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction of Cerium Dioxide

Simultaneous high-pressure Brillouin spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction of cerium dioxide powders are presented at room temperature to a pressure of 45 GPa. Micro- and nanocrystalline powders are studied and the density, acoustic velocities and elastic moduli determined. In contrast to recent reports of anomalous compressibility and strength in nanocrystalline cerium dioxide, the acoustic velocities are found to be insensitive to grain size and enhanced strength is not observed in nanocrystalline CeO 2 . Discrepancies in the bulk moduli derived from Brillouin and powder X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the properties of CeO 2 are sensitive to the hydrostaticity of its environment. Our Brillouin data give the shear modulus, G 0 = 63 (3) GPa, and adiabatic bulk modulus, K S0 = 142 (9) GPa, which is considerably lower than the isothermal bulk modulus, K T0 ~ 230 GPa, determined by high-pressure X-ray diffraction experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NMR study of Ni 50+x ⁢Ti 50-x strain glasses

Here, we studied Ni 50+x ⁢Ti 50-x with compositions up to x = 2, performing 47 Ti and 49 Ti nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements from 4 to 400 K. For large x in this system, a strain glass appears in which frozen ferroelastic nanodomains replace the displacive martensite structural transition. Here, we demonstrate that NMR can provide an extremely effective probe of the strain-glass freezing process, with large changes in NMR line shape due to the effects of random strains which become motionally narrowed at high temperatures. At the same time with high-resolution x-ray diffraction we confirm the lack of structural changes in x ≥ 1.2 samples, while we show that there is little change in the electronic behavior across the strain-glass freezing temperature. NMR spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 ) measurements provide a further measure of the dynamics of the freezing process, and indicate a predominantly thermally activated behavior both above and below the strain-glass freezing temperature. We show that the strain-glass results are consistent with a very small density of critically divergent domains undergoing a Vogel-Fulcher-type freezing process, coexisting with domains exhibiting faster dynamics and stronger pinning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Crystal structure solution and high-temperature thermal expansion in NaZr 2 (PO 4 ) 3 -type materials

The NaZr 2 P 3 O 12 family of materials have shown low and tailorable thermal expansion properties. In this study, SrZr 4 P 6 O 24 (SrO·4ZrO 2 ·3P 2 O 5 ), CaZr 4 P 6 O 24 (CaO·4ZrO 2 ·3P 2 O 5 ), MgZr 4 P 6 O 24 (MgO·4ZrO 2 ·3P 2 O 5 ), NaTi 2 P 3 O 12 [½(Na 2 O·4TiO 2 ·3P 2 O 5 )], NaZr 2 P 3 O 12 [½(Na 2 O·4ZrO 2 ·3P 2 O 5 )], and related solid solutions were synthesized using the organic–inorganic steric entrapment method. The samples were characterized by in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction from 25 to 1500°C at the Advanced Photon Source and National Synchrotron Light Source II. The average linear thermal expansion of SrZr 4 P 6 O 24 and CaZr 4 P 6 O 24 was between −1 × 10 −6 per °C and 6 × 10 −6 per °C from 25 to 1500°C. The crystal structures of the high-temperature polymorphs of CaZr 4 P 6 O 24 and SrZr 4 P 6 O 24 with R 3 c symmetry were solved by Fourier difference mapping and Rietveld refinement. This polymorph is present above ∼1250°C. This work measured thermal expansion coefficients to 1500°C for all samples and investigated the differences in thermal expansion mechanisms between polymorphs and between compositions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Anharmonicity-induced first-order isostructural phase transition of zirconium under pressure

We have performed a detailed x-ray diffraction structural study of Zr under pressure and unambiguously identify the existence of a first-order isostructural bcc-to-bcc phase transition near 58 GPa. First-principles quantum molecular dynamics calculations support the existence of this phase transition, in excellent agreement with experimental results, triggered by anharmonic effects. Lastly, our results highlight the potential ubiquity of anharmonically driven isostructural transitions within the periodic table under pressure and call for follow-up experimental and theoretical studies.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

N i 2 M o 3 O 8 : Complex antiferromagnetic order on a honeycomb lattice

Theoretical studies have predicted the existence of topological magnons in honeycomb compounds with stripy or zigzag antiferromagnetic (AFM) order. Here we report the discovery of AFM order in the layered and noncentrosymmetric honeycomb nickelate Ni 2 Mo 3 O 8 through a combination of magnetization, specific heat, x-ray and neutron diffraction, and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements. The AFM order is complex, with a mixture of stripy and zigzag character on an integer spin noncentrosymmetric honeycomb lattice (P6 3 mc). Further, each of the two sublattices of the bipartite honeycomb lattice is comprised of a different crystal field environment, i.e., octahedral and tetrahedral Ni 2+ , respectively, enabling independent substitution on each. Replacement of Ni by Mg on the octahedral site suppresses the long-range magnetic order and results in a weakly ferromagnetic state. Conversely, substitution of Fe for Ni enhances the strength of the AFM exchange and increases the ordering temperature. Furthermore, Ni 2 Mo 3 O 8 provides a platform on which to explore the rich physics of S = 1 on the honeycomb lattice in the presence of competing magnetic interactions with a noncentrosymmetric, formally piezopolar, crystal structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Atomic structure and melting of Ni and Fe 36 Ni up to 400 GPa

Iron, nickel and its alloys are critically important materials for industrial and technological applications due to their unique magnetic properties, strength, and thermal expansion. In this study, lasers were used to compress and heat Fe 36 Ni alloy (36 wt% Ni) and pure nickel up to the melting temperature using a combination of shock and ramp compression. The structure was measured using nanosecond in-situ x-ray diffraction, and simultaneous velocimetry was used to measure the pressure up to 454 GPa. A mixed face-centered-cubic (fcc) solid–liquid phase in Fe 36 Ni at 311 GPa provides experimental evidence that, compared to pure iron, the incorporation of nickel expands the stability field of the fcc phase to the melting curve. At lower temperatures, a mixed fcc and hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) phase is observed in ramp-compressed Fe 36 Ni at 278 GPa. At the higher compressions, a structure inconsistent with fcc, hcp, and body-centered cubic (bcc) is observed. In the case of pure Ni, the fcc phase is stable under ramp compression up to 402 GPa.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Measurement of Body-Centered-Cubic Aluminum at 475 GPa [Observation of Body-Centered-Cubic Aluminum at 475 GPa]

Nanosecond in situ x-ray diffraction and simultaneous velocimetry measurements were used to determine the crystal structure and pressure, respectively, of ramp compressed aluminum at stress states between 111 and 475 GPa. The solid-solid Al phase transformations, fcc-hcp and hcp-bcc, are observed at 216 ± 9 GPa and 321 ± 12 GPa, respectively, with the bcc phase persisting to 475 GPa. Here, this is the first in situ observation of the high-pressure bcc phase of Al. High-pressure texture of the hcp and bcc phases suggests close-packed or nearly close-packed lattice planes remain parallel through both transformations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Pressure-induced charge-transfer and structural transition in hexagonal multiferroic HoMnO 3

The structural properties of the hexagonal multiferroic ℎ-HoMnO 3 under high pressure have been explored using synchrotron x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy in diamond anvil cells. The structure was found to undergo a pressure-induced phase transition at ~24 GPa to a rhombohedrally distorted superstructure, which is isostructural to the oxygen-loaded h-RMnO 3+δ (R = Y,Dy,Ho,Er; δ ≈ 0.28) phases found in the same systems. The driving force behind the phase transition is the highly compressible ab plane which facilitates a gradual charge disproportionation of Mn(III) with pressure. We speculate this stabilizes the spin-liquid phase due to ferromagnetic coupling between neighboring Mn(II)/Mn(IV) and Mn(III). In addition, we demonstrate that the structural behavior is highly susceptible to nonhydrostatic conditions and the choice of pressure medium should be carefully made.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗