69,71Ga NMR studies of a superconducting Ga 84 cluster compound

We present ^69,71Ga-NMR experiments on microcrystalline samples of the recently discovered supramolecular compound Ga ₈₄ [ N ( SiMe ₃ ) ₂ ] ₂₀ Li ₆ Br ₂ ( thf ) ₂₀ ^. 2 toluene, which is composed of ligand-coordinated Ga₈₄ metal clusters, packed together in a fully ordered crystalline matrix. The compound is highly conducting and even shows superconductivity below T _c ~ 7.2 K. Our preliminary results between 10-300 K show a metallic-like behavior: the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate T ₁ ^-1 follows the Korringa law ⁶⁹ ( T ₁ T ) ^-1 = 0.36 s ^-1 K ^-1 , but with a relaxation rate approximately three times smaller than in bulk -Ga metal. No quantum-size effects are observed, the Korringa law being followed down to 10 K, whereas the quantum-gaps for individual clusters should amount to ~ 10 ³ K. These results therefore suggest a transport process based on intermolecular charge transfer, similar as in alkali-doped fullerenes and silicon-clathrates.     

Phase transitions in gallium nanodroplets detected by dielectric spectroscopy

Both theoretical and experimental works give evidence that gallium exhibits solid phases labelled , , , besides the stable phase strongly dependent both on the size and the confinement conditions. An experimental technique was used based on capacitance and conductance measurements vs. temperature in the audiofrequency range. This technique is particularly sensitive to the conditions of the investigated particle surface that plays a fundamental role in the melting and more generally in the phase transition processes. In particular the strict relation between the derivative of the capacitance with respect to the temperature, dC/dT, and the entropy of the system is considered. In gallium nanoparticles 20 nm in radius, only the phase is shown to occur. Further the transition to liquid phase was detected. The melting process was found to start about 65 K below the full melting temperature value. In the case of particles 10 nm in radius, where different metastable phases may occur, the capacitance vs. temperature curve was found to display abrupt changes of the slope. The singularities are associated to a well defined transition temperature.     

NMR of Colossal Magnetoresistive Manganites and Expanded Lattice Intermetallics at High Pressure

A survey is given of NMR studies of colossal magnetoresistive manganese perovskites (RE,Ca,Sr,Ba)MnO₃ (RE = rare earth) and the interstitially modified permanent magnet materials, RE₂Fe₁₇A _x (A = N,C,H) at ambient pressure and at applied pressures of up to 10 kbar. The different pressure behavior of the Mn hyperfine field found in the metallic and in the insulating manganite compounds is discussed and related to the micro- and macroscopic properties of these magnetically inhomogeneous materials. In the RE₂Fe₁₇A _x compounds a different pressure behavior of the hyperfine field at the RE sites with different number and type of interstitial atom neighbors is discussed in terms of local compressibility. The influence of the interstitial modification and the applied pressure on the RE hyperfine field and quadrupole splitting is analyzed and the impact of the chemical pressure and covalent effects on these quantities is compared. A comparison of the behavior of the magnetic state of the 4f electron shell with pressure and with interstitial modification is made and the relation to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy is discussed.     

Infrared spectral study of molecular vibrations in amorphous, nanocrystalline and AlO(OH) · αH2O bulk crystals

Amorphous, nanocrystalline, and bulk AlO(OH) · xH₂O crystals have six fundamental modes (FM) of vibration in a nonlinear AlO(OH) molecular structure. Most of them appear in groups of four IR and Raman bands. Their positions and relative intensities differ significantly in three specimens. The nanocrystals (monoclinic structure with z=8 molecules per unit cell) have four OH stretching bands at values enhanced by up to 360 cm⁻¹ at 3120, 3450, 3560 cm⁻¹ in comparison to those in bulk crystals or amorphous specimens. The first two bands are broad, bandwidth Δν_1/2200 to 350 cm⁻¹, while the other two are sharp, Δν_1/290 cm⁻¹. The sharp bands shift to 3525 and 3595 cm⁻¹ after heating the sample at 100°C. They no longer appear after heating at 300 or 500°C for 2 h (the specimen decomposes to Al₂O₃), leaving behind only two bands at 3100 and 3400 cm⁻¹. A Δν_1/2 value of 500 cm⁻¹ appears in the 3400 cm⁻¹ in a delocalized distribution of H atoms. Two bands also occur at 3098 and 3300 cm⁻¹ in bulk crystals (orthorhombic structure with z=4) or at 2990 and 3515 cm⁻¹ in an amorphous sample. More than one bands appear in a FM vibration in occurrence of sample in more than one conformers. The amorphous sample has approximately the same conformer structure as the bulk crystals. An amorphous surface structure exists in nanocrystals with a group of three bands at 1420, 1510 and 1635 cm⁻¹ in an interconnected network structure. It encapsulates the nanocrystals in an amorphous shell. Its volume fraction, 33% estimated from the integrated intensity in three bands, determines 2.2 nm thickness in the shell in spherical shape of nanocrystals in 35 nm diameter.     

Effect of Addition of MTES on the Structure of Siloxane-PPG Nanocomposites

Hybrid transparent and flexible siloxane-polypropyleneglycol (PPG) materials with covalent bonds between the inorganic (siloxane) and organic (polymeric) phases were prepared by sol-gel process. In order to improve the quality of the mechanical properties of these materials, different amounts of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) were added to the initial sol. The effect of MTES addition on the structure of the composites was studied by Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) and ²⁹Si Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (²⁹Si NMR). In absence of MTES, SAXS spectra exhibit a peak that is assigned to spatial correlation due to short range order between the siloxane clusters embedded in the polymeric phase. The experimental results indicate that, for low MTES concentrations ([MTES]/[O] 0.8, O: ether-type oxygen of PPG), the silicon species resulting from hydrolysis and condensation of MTES fill the open spaces between polymeric chains, interacting with the ether-type oxygens. For larger MTES content ([MTES]/[O] 0.8), the number of free ether-type oxygen sites avalaible for reaction with such silicon species is not large enough. Consequently, a fraction of silicon species resulting from MTES addition graft to siloxane clusters formed by hydrolysis and condensation of the hybrid precursor. For all MTES concentrations the condensation degree of the siloxane phase, determined from ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy, is high (>69%), as expected under neutral pH synthesis conditions.     

A new class of flexible energetic salts, part 6: the structures of the hydrazinium and hydroxylammonium salts of dinitramide

The crystal structures of two amine base salts, the hydrazinium, 1, and the hydroxylammonium, 2, of dinitramide have been determined. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P 2₁/c with cell dimensions a = 8.312(3), b = 5.654(1), c = 10.659(3) Å, = 93.73(3)°, while 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pcab (nonstandard setting of Pbca) with cell dimensions a = 6.439(2), b = 12.470(4), c = 30.816(14) Å. The structures of 1 and 2 contain protonated amine cations and dinitramide anions linked by hydrogen bonding. In addition, in 2 there are both neutral and zwitterionic hydroxylamine moieties involved in the hydrogen bonding scheme. Thus in 2 the complete formula unit is (NH₃ ⁺OH)₂[N₃O₄ ^–]₂ · (NH₂OH) middot; (NH₃ ⁺O^–), and in this structure the hydroxylamine exists in its three possible forms: protonated, neutral, and zwitterionic. In both structures the conformations adopted by the dinitramine anions can be related to the types of hydrogen bonds it forms with the surrounding amine cations.     

Stress State of Multilayer Structural Elements Subjected to Static Loading and Optimization of Laminated Beams and Bars

The results of FEM investigation of the triaxial stress state in multilayer structural elements subjected to axial and bending loads are presented. The distribution regularities of the stiffness and stresses or strains depending on the geometric and mechanical characteristics of layers and their position in the cross section of beams and bars are examined. The optimization of these elements is carried out using the dependences of the Bareisis—Paulauskas method and the Optim-98 computer program created by the present authors. As the optimization criteria, the strength, stiffness, mass, and cost of the structural elements are considered.     

Construction of phase cycles of minimum cycle length: MakeCycle

A magnetic resonance imaging method is presented for imaging of heterogeneous broad linewidth materials. This method allows for distortionless relaxation weighted imaging by obtaining multiple phase encoded k-space data points with each RF excitation pulse train. The use of this method, turbo spin echo single-point imaging-(turboSPI), leads to decreased imaging times compared to traditional constant-time imaging techniques, as well as the ability to introduce spin-spin relaxation contrast through the use of longer effective echo times. Imaging times in turboSPI are further decreased through the use of low flip angle steady-state excitation. Two-dimensional images of paramagnetic doped agarose phantoms were obtained, demonstrating the contrast and resolution characteristics of the sequence, and a method for both amplitude and phase deconvolution was demonstrated for use in high-resolution turboSPI imaging. Three-dimensional images of a partially water-saturated porous volcanic aggregate (T(2L) approximately 200 ms, Deltanu(1/2) approximately 2500 Hz) contained in a hardened white Portland cement matrix (T(2L) approximately 0.5 ms, Deltanu(1/2) approximately 2500 Hz) and a water-saturated quartz sand (T(2) approximately 300 ms, T(2)(*) approximately 800 microseconds) are shown.     

Mesoscopic and macroscopic dipole clusters: Structure and phase transitions

A two dimensional (2D) classical system of dipole particles confined by a quadratic potential is studied. This system can be used as a model for rare electrons in semiconductor structures near a metal electrode, indirect excitons in coupled quantum dots etc. For clusters of N ≤ 80 particles ground state configurations and appropriate eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors for the normal modes are found. Monte-Carlo and molecular dynamic methods are used to study the order-disorder transition (the “melting” of clusters). In mesoscopic clusters (N < 37) there is a hierarchy of transitions: at lower temperatures an intershell orientational disordering of pairs of shells takes place; at higher temperatures the intershell diffusion sets in and the shell structure disappears. In “macroscopic” clusters (N > 37) an orientational “melting” of only the outer shell is possible. The most stable clusters (having both maximal lowest nonzero eigenfrequencies and maximal temperatures of total melting) are those of completed crystal shells which are concentric groups of nodes of 2D hexagonal lattice with a number of nodes placed in the center of them. The picture of disordering in clusters is compared with that in an infinite 2D dipole system. The study of the radial diffusion constant, the structure factor, the local minima distribution and other quantities shows that the melting temperature is a nonmonotonic function of the number of particles in the system. The dynamical equilibrium between “solid-like” and “orientationally disordered” forms of clusters is considered.     

左右手系材料界面处全反射行为的特性

基于电磁场理论，推导了左右手系材料界面处发生全反射时的物理特性，分析了相位变化情况.提出利用左右手系材料构成周期性结构，观测全反射时介质中隐失波干涉的实验设想，并从理论上计算了干涉条纹的分布. 关键词： 左手材料 负折射率 全反射 隐失波