Elastic properties of cubic relaxor ferroelectrics

Comparative analysis of the elastic properties of PbMg_1/3Nb_2/3O₃ (PMN) and PbMg_1/3Ta_2/3O₃ (PMT) crystals has been performed. The temperature dependences of the elastic moduli C ₁₁, C ₁₂, and C ₄₄ are presented. These curves exhibit anomalies near the Burns temperature for both crystals. Additional anomalies are observed in the vicinity of the suppressed ferroelectric transition (T _C ～ 210 K) in PMN. Nontrivial frequency dispersion of the elastic moduli has been revealed for PMN.     

Acoustic properties of the disordered relaxor ferroelectric PbSc1/2Ta1/2O3

The behavior of acoustic phonons in crystals of a relaxor ferroelectric, namely, the lead scandium tantalate PbSc_1/2Ta_1/2O₃ (PST), is studied in the vicinity of the diffuse phase transition. The behavior of longitudinal and transverse acoustic phonons in a PST single crystal is examined using Brillouin scattering. The phonon subsystem is found to behave anomalously in the vicinity of T = 297 K, which can probably be assigned to the existence of a phase transition. Analysis of the results obtained yields the values of the elastic moduli C₁₁, C₁₂, and C₄₄ for the cubic phase of the crystal over a wide temperature range.     

High-temperature heat capacity of YFe3(BO3)4

The molar heat capacity of YFe₃(BO₃)₄ has been measured using differential scanning calorimetry in the temperature range 339–1086 K. It has been found that the dependence C _p = f(T) exhibits an extremum at a temperature of 401 K due to the structural transition.     

Elastic properties of Fe1−xO near the antiferromagnetic phase transition

The elastic constants of Fe_1?xO single crystals have been investigated near the antiferromagnetic phase transition (T_N ～ 198 K) as a function of temperature. The velocity of longitudinal and tranverse ultrasonic waves was measured by the pulse echo overlap method. A strong elastic anomaly occurs for C₄₄ whereas a small step only is observed for C₁₁.     

Effect of γ irradiation on the heat capacity of (CH3)2NH2Al(SO4)2 · 6H2O crystals near the ferroelectric phase transition

The heat capacity of dimethyl ammonium-aluminum sulfate crystals (DMAAS), both nonirradiated and γ-irradiated to fluences of 10⁷, 5×10⁷, and 10⁸ R, has been measured by the adiabatic method near the ferroelectric phase transition (PT) within the 80–300 K temperature range. The C _p =f(T) curve exhibits a λ-shaped anomaly near the phase-transition point T _C =152 K. The PT temperature and the magnitude of the anomaly are shown to decrease with increasing γ-irradiation fluence. It has been established that the ferroelectric PT at T _C =152 K, which lies close to the tricritical point, shifts progressively more under γ irradiation toward the second-order PT, and that the behavior of the anomalous part of the heat capacity in the ferroelectric phase is described by the thermodynamic theory of Landau. The experimental heat-capacity data have been used to calculate the variation of the thermodynamic functions of the DMAAS crystal.     

Observation of a transition from BCS to HTSC-like superconductivity in Ba1 − x KxBiO3 single crystals

The temperature dependences of the upper critical field B _c2(T) and surface impedance Z(T) = R(T) + iX(T) have been measured in Ba_{1 ? x} K_xBiO₃ single crystals with transition temperatures 6 ≤ T _c ≤ 32 K (0.6 > x > 0.4). A transition from the BCS to an unusual type of superconductivity has been revealed: B _c2(T) curves of the crystals with T _c > 20 K have positive curvature (as in some HTSCs), and those of the crystals with T _c < 15 K described by the usual Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) formula. The R(T) and X(T) dependences of the crystals with T _c ≈ 32 K and T _c ≈ 11 K in the temperature range T ? T _c are linear (as in HTSCs) and exponential (BCS), respectively. The experimental results are discussed using the extended saddle point model by Abrikosov.     

Elastic and thermal properties of Zr z Nb1 − z C x N y solid solutions

The temperature and concentration dependences of the elastic moduli and the thermal linear expansion coefficient of Zr _z Nb_{1 ? z} C _x N _y solid solutions containing from 3 to 8 at % of structural vacancies in a nonmetallic sublattice have been found. The temperature dependences of the Debye temperature Θ_D(T) have been calculated using the elastic data and the data on the heat capacity. It has been shown, using carbide NbC_0.97 as an example, that the Θ_D(T) dependences found from the elastic properties and the heat capacity coincide in the temperature range ～220–300 K. By analogy with the niobium carbide, the heat capacity C _p (300) of Zr _z Nb_{1 ? z} C _x N _y solid solutions of various compositions is calculated based on the values of Θ_D(300) determined from the elastic properties.     

Crystallographic and dynamic characteristics of K<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Rb<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>TiOPO<Subscript>4</Subscript> solid solutions in the low-temperature ranges

The unit cell parameters a and c of K_{1 ? x} Rb _x TiOPO₄ (x= 0, 0.3, and 0.5) crystals are investigated using x-ray diffraction in the temperature range 90–320 K. The thermal expansion coefficients along the principal crystallographic axes of the crystals are determined from the obtained temperature dependences of the unit cell parameters. It is found that the parameter a increases with increasing temperature, while the parameter c decreases. For the crystals under investigation, the elastic moduli c ₁₁ and c ₃₃ along the [100] and [001] directions are determined by the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique in the temperature range 100–350 K. It is shown that c ₃₃ > c ₁₁. The anomalies revealed in the temperature dependences of the crystallographic and dynamic characteristics of the samples at a temperature T ≈ 280 K indicate the occurrence of a phase transition. The temperature of the phase transition is found to increase with increasing rubidium content x.     

Ferromagnetic semiconductor Ge1−x−ySnxMnyTe with phase transformation of ferroelectric type

It is expected that joint existence of ferromagnetic properties and ferroelectric structural phase transition in diluted magnetic semiconductors IV-VI leads to new possibilities of these materials. Temperature of ferroelectric transition for such crystals can be tuned by the change of Sn/Ge ratio. Magnetic susceptibility, Hall effect, resistivity and thermoelectric power of Ge_1−x−ySn_xMn_yTe single crystals grown by Bridgeman method (x=0.083-0.115; y=0.025-0.124) were investigated within 4.2-300 K. An existence of FM ordering at T_C∼50 K probably due to indirect exchange interaction between Mn ions via degenerated hole gas was revealed. A divergence of magnetic moment temperature dependences at T?T_C in field-cooled and zero-field-cooled regimes is obliged to magnetic clusters which are responsible for superparamagnetism at T>T_C≈T_f (freezing temperature) and become ferromagnetic at T_C arranging spin glass state at T<T_f≈T_C. Phase transition of ferroelectric type at T≈46 K was revealed. Anomalous Hall effect which allows to determine magnetic moment was observed.     

Ultrasonic Studies of (CH3)2NH2Al(SO4)2 · 6H2O crystals irradiated by γ quanta and electrons

The temperature dependence of the longitudinal-ultrasound velocities in (CH₃)₂NH₂Al(SO₄)₂ · 6H₂O crystals was studied using the echo-pulse technique in the 90–300 K range. The measurements were carried out along mutually perpendicular crystallographic directions X, Y, Z on samples both unirradiated and irradiated to various doses by γ quanta and an electron beam. The ultrasound velocity V in this crystal was shown to be anisotropic, with V _YY >V _XX >V _ZZ . The V _XX =f(T), V _YY =f(T), and V _ZZ =f(T) curves exhibit anomalies in the form of breaks at the ferroelectric phase transition (PT) at T _c1=152 K, as well as in the region of T _c2=218 K. It was established that as the irradiation dose increases, the PT temperature T _c1 decreases and the anomalies in the temperature dependences of the ultrasound velocities are smeared.     

Heat capacity of the Pb<Subscript>5</Subscript>(Ge<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>11</Subscript> ferroelectric system

The temperature dependences of the molar heat capacity at constant pressure, C_p, of Pb₅(Ge_1?xSi_x)₃O₁₁ crystals with x=0, 0.39, and 0.45 in the range 5–300 K, as well as of their permittivity, dielectric losses, and the pyroelectric effect, have been measured. Experimental data on the temperature behavior of the heat capacity are presented in the form of a sum of two Debye and one Einstein terms, C_p(T)=0.405C_D1(Θ_D1=160 K, T)+0.53C_D2(Θ_D2=750 K, T)+0.046C_E(Θ_E=47 K, T). Besides a peak in the region of the ferroelectric Curie point T_c=450 K for crystals with x=0, the temperature dependences of the heat capacity did not reveal any other pronounced anomalies.     

Magnetostructural phase transitions in manganese arsenide single crystals

The effect of an external magnetic field with a strength up to 140 kOe on the phase transitions in manganese arsenide single crystals has been investigated. The existence of unstable magnetic and crystal structures at temperatures above the Curie temperature T _C = 308 K has been established. The displacements of manganese and arsenic atoms during the magnetostructural phase transition and the shift in the temperature of the first-order magnetostructural phase transition in a magnetic field have been determined. It has been shown that the magnetocaloric effect in a magnetic field of 140 kOe near the Curie temperature T _C is equal to ??T ?? 13 K. A model of the superparamagnetic state in MnAs above the temperature T _C has been proposed using the data on the magnetic properties and structural transformation in the region of the first-order magnetostructural phase transition. It has been demonstrated that, at temperatures close to T _C, apart from the contribution to the change in the entropy from the change in the magnetization there is a significant contribution from the transformation of the crystal lattice due to the magnetostructural phase transition.     

Critical behavior of heat capacity in the vicinity of phase transitions in [NH2(CH3)2]5Cd3Cl11

The heat capacity of a [NH₂(CH₃)₂]₅Cd₃Cl₁₁ crystal was studied calorimetrically in the temperature interval 100–300 K. The C _p (T) dependence indicates that, as the temperature is lowered, phase transitions occur at temperatures T ₁ = 176.5 K and T ₂ = 123.5 K. The thermodynamic characteristics of this crystal were determined. It is shown that the transition at T ₂ = 123.5 K is an incommensurate-commensurate phase transformation and that the transition at T ₁ = 176.5 K is a normal-incommensurate phase transition.     

Study of elastic properties of CeO2 by statistical moment method

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the temperature and pressure dependences of the elastic properties of cerium dioxide using the statistical moment method (SMM). The equation of states of bulk CeO₂ is derived from the Helmholtz free energy, and the pressure dependences of the elastic moduli like the bulk modulus, B_T, shear modulus, G, Young’s modulus, E, and elastic constants (C11, C12, and C44) are presented taking into account the anharmonicity effects of the thermal lattice vibrations. In the present study, the influence of temperature and pressure on the elastic moduli and elastic constants of CeO₂ has also been studied, using three different interatomic potentials. We compare the results of the present calculations with those of the previous theoretical calculations as well as with the available experiments.     

Dielectric response of the relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 in the nonergodic state after a DC electric field is turned off

The Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMN) relaxor system is used as an example to analyze the temperature dependences of the low-frequency dielectric permitivity (?′(T)) measured during zero-field heating (ZFH) from T = 10 K to T = 300 K after using different field cooling (FC) conditions. No changes in the temperature dependences of the permittivity have been detected during the transition from a nonergodic relaxor state (NERS) into an ergodic relaxor state (ERS) (at T _f ≈ 216 K). However, the difference Δ?′(T) between the curves corresponding to different field cooling conditions in the same electric field has different shapes and different values below and above T → (T _f + 9 K)^? (for E _dc = 1.52 kV/cm). The reduced permittivities ?′_r(T, f) recorded under different cooling conditions are shown to change their behavior when passing through T = T _f + 9 K. In NERS, these curves diverge: the stronger the field (0 ≤ E _dc ≤ 3 kV/cm), the larger the divergence. In ERS, however, the ?′_r(T, f) curves coincide under different cooling conditions irrespective of the field. The character of the changes in Δ?′(T) and ?′_r (T, f) during the NERS-ERS transition is frequency-independent. The difference in the behavior of the dielectric response during ZFH after cooling in different (ZFC, FC) modes (even in a weak field), for both transition through T _f and cooling down to T = 10 K, indicates different NERSs forming under these conditions. The contribution to ?′(T) from slowly relaxing regions (ω ～ 0.1 mHz), whose polarization is reoriented after the field is turned off, is responsible for the fact that, during the NERS-ERS transition, the ?′_r(T, f) curves coincide at a temperature that is higher than T = T _f.     

Study of the elastic stiffness constants of thiourea by Brillouin scattering

All the elastic stiffness constants of thiourea have been measured at room temperature. The value of C₆₆(0.7 × 10¹⁰dynes/cm²) is very low. The C₁₁ and C₃₃ constants exhibit discontinuities at 169 and 202 K. The longitudinal acoustic phonons propagating in the c direction are very strongly damped in the vicinity of 202 K.     

Magnetic alignment of MnBi crystals and magnetic properties of MnBi–Bi composites

Below Curie temperature T_C, MnBi crystals are aligned along c-axis in a Bi matrix under a fabrication field H_f of 0.5 T. Above T_C, this alignment is also accomplished by quenching under a high H_f of 10 T. Such a method has a prominent feature that MnBi crystals grow preferentially and congregate along the H_f direction. Magnetic testing shows a pronounced anisotropy in magnetization in directions normal and parallel to H_f, resulting from the alignment. In the case of the alignment below T_C, H_f increases the transition temperature of spin-reorientation and the change in magnetization.     

Ultrasound studies of single crystal thulium in an applied magnetic field

The paper reports the first measurements of the single crystal elastic constants of the heavy rare earth metal thulium as a function of temperature and magnetic field. The constants were obtained from ultrasonic velocity measurements over a temperature range of 4.2–296 K and in applied magnetic fields of up to 5 T. The elastic constants; C₁₁, C₃₃, C₄₄ and C₆₆=(C₁₁–C₁₂)/2 were determined from the ultrasonic velocities. Anomalies in the elastic constants were observed at 58 K from the c-axis propagated shear wave measurements and at 55 K from the c-axis propagated longitudinal wave measurements. Significant softening of the elastic constants C₃₃ and C₄₄ was observed close to T_N. Application of a magnetic field (>2 T) along the c-axis direction induced further softening of the material. Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) were also employed in addition to conventional piezoelectric quartz transducers. A marked increase in the EMATs acoustic coupling efficiency (generation and detection efficiency) occurred close to T_N.     

Specific heat of KTiOPO4 within the 80–300 K range

The specific heat of the KTiOPO₄ crystal has been measured with a vacuum adiabatic calorimeter within the 80–300 K range. A peak-shaped anomaly in the specific heat indicating a phase transition has been revealed in the C _p (T) curve at T≅279 K. Numerical integration of smoothened experimental C _p (T) curves yielded the thermodynamic functions of KTiOPO₄, namely, the entropy, enthalpy, and reduced Gibbs energy. The entropy and enthalpy of the observed transition have been determined. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 497–498 (March 1999)     

Effect of γ irradiation on the structural and thermal properties of [N(C2H5)4]2ZnBr4 in the vicinity of a first-order phase transition

The unit cell parameters a and c of nonirradiated [N(C₂H₅)₄]₂ZnBr₄ crystals in the temperature region 90–300 K and of samples irradiated with γ rays to doses of 10⁶ and 5 × 10⁶ R in the 270-to 300-K interval were measured using x-ray diffraction. The data obtained were used to derive the thermal expansion coefficients α_a and α_c. It is shown that the parameter a increases and the parameter c decreases with increasing temperature. In the vicinity of the phase transition (PT) at T = 285 K, the temperature dependences of a(T) and c(T) reveal anomalies in the form of jumps and the α_a(T) and α_c(T) curves have a maximum and a minimum, respectively. The heat capacity of nonirradiated and irradiated [N(C₂H₅)₄]₂ZnBr₄ samples was measured by adiabatic calorimetry. A maximum was found in the C _p(T) curve at T = 285 K. Both x-ray diffraction and heat capacity measurements showed that the PT temperature decreased after γ irradiation.