First principles investigations of Fe,Co, Ni in model honeycomb carbon networks

The behaviors of ferromagnetic transition metals of the first period: Fe, Co and Ni are examined within density functional theory calculations in two dimensional carbon extended networks using model structure LiC₆. Around geometry optimized structures, the energy-volume equations of states considering non magnetic and spin polarized configurations established ferromagnetic ground states with magnetizations –reduced with respect to the metals’– of 2 μ_B for FeC₆ and 1 μ_B for CoC₆ while no magnetic solution could be identified for NiC₆. In the D_6h point group of the P6/mmm space group l_m decomposition of the d states results with increasing energy into doublet state E_1g with d(x²-y²) and d(xy); singlet state A_1g d(z²) and doublet state E_2g d(xz) and d(yz) lying on E_F and responsible of the onset of magnetic moments. This was mirrored via molecular orbital approach with a construct of Fe embedded between two extended carbon networks thus validating the model structure proposed for TC₆ compounds. The 100% polarization in one spin channel allows proposing potential uses in spintronics applications.     

Elusive Double Perovskite Iodides: Structural,Optical, and Magnetic Properties

Halide double perovskites [A₂M^IM^IIIX₆] are an important class of materials that have garnered substantial interest as non-toxic alternatives to conventional lead iodide perovskites for optoelectronic applications. While numerous studies have examined chloride and bromide double perovskites, reports of iodide double perovskites are rare, and their definitive structural characterization has not been reported. Predictive models have aided us here in the synthesis and characterization of five iodide double perovskites of general formula Cs₂NaLnI₆ (Ln=Ce, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy). The complete crystal structures, structural phase transitions, optical, photoluminescent, and magnetic properties of these compounds are reported.     

A Unique Layered Cu-formate Hydrate of Cu(HCOO) 2·1/3H2O: Structures,Dehydration, and Thermal and Magnetic Properties

Anew layered Cu-formate hydrate of Cu(HCOO)₂·1/3H₂O is unique in its water content and the strongly waved (4,4) Cu-formate layers held by interlayer weak axial Cu-O_formate bonds and O-H_water···O_formate hydrogen bonds. The crystal is in orthorhombic space group Pbcn, with cell parameters at 80 K:a=7.9777(2) Å, b=7.3656(2) Å, c=21.0317(5) Å(1 Å=10⁻¹ nm), and V=1235.83(5) ų. The Cu²⁺ ions are in the environments of a square pyramid and elongated octahedron, in a ratio of 1/2 within the structure. In the layer, Cu²⁺ ions are connected by anti-anti formates via short basal Cu-O bonds. The structure remains unchanged until the dehydration that produces the layered anhydrous β-Cu(HCOO)₂, and the possible transformation mechanism, supported by diffraction evidence, is the reorganization of the Cu-O_formate bonds across the parent layers after dehydration. The two phases exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion behaviors closely relevant to the transverse thermal vibrations of the constituents. Cu(HCOO)₂·1/3H₂O is a 2-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet, and exhibits a global spin-canted antiferromagnetism with the Néel temperature of 32.1 K. This is not only higher than that of the magnetically denser β-Cu(HCOO)₂, but also the highest among the copper formate frameworks.     

三元磁性氮化碳复合光催化剂的制备和表征及其在可见光下去除四环素的应用

g-C3N4作为一种新型有机半导体材料,由于其良好的化学稳定性和可直接利用可见光等优点已经引起了人们的广泛关注,近年来已逐渐将其应用于光催化氧化环境污染物等方面.同时在实际应用中因其光能利用率低、难回收、电子-空穴易复合等缺点也受到了限制.研究发现将四氧化三铁与氮化碳相结合,可以有效提高复合催化剂的光催化活性,而且可回收再利用很大程度上降低成本.采用光催化氧化技术处理实际环境污染物废水时,将光催化剂投入到废水中后,环境及水体的温度往往会对催化剂的催化活性产生一定的影响,导致无法实现最佳的光催化处理效果.制备一种催化活性不受外界温度影响的智能光催化材料是当今面临的一项挑战.我们研究制备了一种具有温度响应的磁性复合光催化剂PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4,其可根据外界温度的不同而表现出不同的光催化活性.温敏型聚合物PNIPAM是一类结构、性能和形态随温度变化而做出响应的功能材料,将光催化材料与温敏型PNIPAM智能高分子材料相结合,实现了智能催化的效果.PNIPAM温敏聚合物在水溶液中存在一个低临界溶解温度,其可以作为开关,通过改变温度实现对光催化过程的控制,达到过程智能化的效果.随着温度的改变,温敏聚合物的溶解状态在临界点附近会发生变化.不同温度对催化速率影响很大,当温度升高到临界值以上,催化反应速率降低很多;当温度降低到临界值以下,催化活性随之升高.这样不仅随时控制反应的进行,还可以通过改变温度控制反应速率.同时,温敏聚合层又相当于一个保护层,可以增强其抗腐蚀能力,提高对内部光催化材料的保护,进而提高其稳定性.众所周知四环素等抗生素类药物生产废水,属于高浓度有机废水,具有一定的毒性,一般较难处理.我们将制备的PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合光催化材料用于四环素废水的处理取得了很好的效果.XRD,FT-IR、Raman等表征手段充分证明了我们所制备的三元复合材料PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4的组成及各个组分的存在.并对PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合光催化剂在不同温度(20和45°C)条件下处理四环素废水进行了系统的研究,从20和45℃的吸附曲线结果可以看出,低温时PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4的吸附性较强,高温时吸附较差.同时PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4低温时具有较高的催化活性,高温时催化活性较低.经过分析可知这种对温度响应的特殊性能与PNIPAM的亲水及疏水性密切相关.另外,通过对PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合材料的VSM测试及5次循环实验测试可以看出,PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4复合材料由于Fe3O4的引入而表现出较好的磁性,且在外加磁铁的作用下很容易实现分离回收.另外,PNIPAM/Fe3O4/g-C3N4在经过5次重复利用后其催化活性几乎没有减退,说明催化剂具有很好的稳定性.另一方面,说明我们的复合光催化剂在工业废水等污染治理方面有一定的潜在应用价值.     

Periodic Néel skyrmion transport

In this work, we have used the MuMax3 software to simulate devices consisting of a ferromagnetic thin film placed over a heavy metal thin film. The devices are two interconnected partial-disks where a Néel domain wall is formed in the disks junction. In our simulations we investigate devices with disk radius $r=50$ nm and different distance d between the disks centers (from $d=12$ nm to $d=2R=100$ nm). By applying strong sinusoidal external magnetic fields, we find a mechanism able to create, annihilate and even manipulate a skyrmion in each side of the device. This mechanism is discussed in terms of interactions between skyrmion and domain wall. The Néel domain wall formed in the center of the device interacts with the Néel skyrmion, leading to a process of transporting a skyrmion from one disk to the other periodically. Our results have relevance for potential applications in spintronics such as logical devices.     

Invar Behavior in Fe-Ni Alloys is Predominantly a Local Moment Effect Arising from the Magnetic Exchange Interactions Between High Moments

I argue that the main models that have been advanced to explain Invar behavior in Fe-Ni alloys (the original, classical, Invar system) can all be shown to be critically deficient, except one: The local moment frustration model of Rancourt and Dang ( Phys. Rev. B , 54 , 12225, 1996). The latter model explains all the measured structural, magnetic, and magnetovolume features of the Fe-Ni alloys with 0-65 apc (atomic percent) Fe, based on the assumptions that these systems are predominantly high-moment in character at the temperatures of interest and that the Fe-Fe pairs have large inter-atomic separation dependencies of their magnetic exchange parameters. The large magnetovolume Fe-Fe couplings are understood (based on ab initio electronic structure calculations) as a precursor effect of the low-moment/high-moment (LM/HM) transition that has recently been observed to occur at larger Fe concentrations, as a continuous transition occurring in the range , 65-75 apc Fe (Lagarec, Ph.D. thesis, 2001).     

Single crystal synthesis and magnetism of the BaLn2O4 family (Ln = lanthanide)

The series of compounds in the BaLn₂O₄ family (Ln = La–Lu, Y) has been synthesized for the first time in single crystalline form, using a molten metal flux. The series crystallizes in the CaV₂O₄ structure type with primitive orthorhombic symmetry (space group Pnma, #62), and a complete structural study of atomic positions, bonds, angles, and distortions across the lanthanide series is presented. With the exception of the Y, La, Eu, and Lu members, magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed between 2 K and 300 K. BaCe₂O₄ and BaYb₂O₄ display large crystal fields effects and suppression of magnetic ordering. All compounds show signs of magnetic frustration due to the trigonal arrangements of the trivalent lanthanide cations in the structure.     

Electronic structure and peculiar bonding properties of NdNiMg5 from first principles

The newly found ternary compound NdNiMg₅ has been studied within DFT based methodologies. Results of cohesive energy, charge transfers, elastic constants and electron localized function mapping as well as electronic structure and bonding properties have been compared with those of isostructural binary NdNi. The calculation results have shown that Mg substructures interlayering NdNi – like slabs exhibit different magnitudes of charge transfers all within range of metallic behavior and the different Mg substructures selectively bind with Nd and Ni substructures. As a consequence an enhanced cohesion with respect to binary intermetallic NdNi is identified. The whole set of elastic constants and their combinations in orthorhombic symmetry confirm the mechanical stability of NdNiMg₅ with larger compressibility and less ductility (more brittleness) with respect substructures to NdNi. While in an intermetallic compound such as NdNi the bonding is ensured mainly by Nd–Ni interaction, in NdNiMg₅ Nd–Ni, Nd–Mg, Ni–Mg as well as Mg–Mg participate to the bonding and the extra electrons brought by Mg are found within bonding states thus illustrating furthermore the enhanced cohesion of the ternary versus the binary systems.     

Signatures of spin-glass freezing in Co/CoO nanospheres and nanodiscs

We present a study of the magnetic properties of Co nanoparticles having a combination of both spherical and disk shapes. The hcp Co nanospheres with an average diameter of 11 nm and nanodiscs of dimensions ∼2.5×15 nm² were prepared by thermal decomposition of di-cobalt octacarbonyl in the presence of an amine surfactant. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were oxidized to grow an antiferromagnetic layer. High resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of a ferromagnet/antiferromagnet (Co/CoO) interface with a 2.2-nm thick CoO shell on the spherical nanoparticles and 0.5 nm thick on nanodiscs. We report the temperature and field dependent DC magnetization, frequency, field, and temperature dependent AC susceptibility, and the radio frequency transverse susceptibility. A low temperature paramagnetic behavior was observed in the DC magnetization at high fields and is assigned to defects in the CoO shell that are not coupled to the antiferromagnetic lattice. Our results support the existence of a low temperature frozen, disordered magnetic state, characterized by a strong exchange coupling between the structurally disordered, spin-glass CoO shell and Co core.     

Synthesis,structure, spectral and magnetic properties of 4-methoxy- and 3-methylsalicylatocopper(II) complexes with 2-pyridylmethanol

The synthesis and characterization of [Cu(4-MeOsal)₂(2-pyme)₂] (1) and [Cu(3-Mesal)₂(2-pyme)₂] (2) (where 4-MeOsal?=?4-methoxysalicylate, 3-Mesal?=?3-methylsalicylate and 2-pyme?=?2-pyridylmethanol) are reported. The composition and stereochemistry as well as the mode of coordination have been determined by elemental analysis, IR, electronic and EPR spectra as well as magnetization measurements over the temperature range 1.8–300?K. The crystal structures of Cu(4-MeOsal)₂(2-pyme)₂ and Cu(3-Mesal)₂(2-pyme)₂ have been determined.