Phase separation in manganites induced by orbital-ordering strains

Doped manganite perovskites AMnO(3) exhibit a rich variety of electronic properties, resulting from the interplay of charge (Mn(3+)/Mn(4+)), spin (Mn magnetic moment) and orbital (Mn(3+) Jahn-Teller distortion) degrees of freedom. Magnetisation measurements and ESR spectra have been used to study a series of eight AMnO(3) perovskites, in which the A cation sites are occupied by a distribution of 70% trivalent lanthanide and 30% divalent Ca, Sr or Ba ions. These all have a mean A cation radius of 1.20 Angstrom but different values of the cation size variance sigma(2). A change from orbital disorder to order (cooperative Jahn-Teller distortions) was previously found in the insulating regime at sigma(2) = approximately 0.005 Angstrom(2). This work has shown that co-existence of the orbitally ordered and disordered phases is found in sigma(2)= 0.0016-0.0040 Angstrom(2) samples, with a difference of 40 K between their Curie temperatures. This is ascribed to competition between orbital ordering and microstructural lattice strains. At larger sigma(2) > 0.005 Angstrom(2), the orbital ordering strains are dominant and only this phase is observed. This intermediate temperature phase segregation is one of many strain-driven separation phenomena in manganites.     

High pressure synthesis of late rare earth RFeAs(O,F) superconductors; R = Tb and Dy

New TbFeAs(O,F) and DyFeAs(O,F) superconductors with critical temperatures T(c) = 46 and 45 K and very high critical fields, >/=100 T, have been prepared at 1100-1150 degrees C and 10-12 GPa, demonstrating that high pressure may be used to synthesise late rare earth derivatives of the recently reported RFeAs(O,F) (R = La-Nd, Sm, Gd) high temperature superconductors.     

Chemical tuning of positive and negative magnetoresistances, and superconductivity in 1222-type ruthenocuprates

A remarkable variety of conducting states has been found in RuSr2(R2-xCex)Cu2O10-delta ruthenocuprates by tuning the properties of the magnetic CuO2 and RuO2 layers through small changes in the chemistry of the (R,Ce)2O2-delta slab. Both the R3+ cation size and the charge transfer determined by the R/Ce ratio and the oxygen deficiency delta are important controlling parameters that tune ground-state properties from positive magnetoresistive to negative magnetoresistive to superconducting.     

Subextensive entropies and open order in perovskite oxynitrides

Unusual subextensive configurational entropies that vary with particle size and tend to zero per atom in macroscopic samples are predicted for AMO(3-z)N(z) oxynitrides with perovskite type crystal structures. These materials are crystallographically disordered on the atomic scale, but local anion order produces chains of M-N-M bonds that undergo a 90° turn at each M cation, giving rise to subextensive entropies in materials such as SrTaO(2)N, LaNbON(2), and EuWO(1.5)N(1.5). A general Pauling ice-rules formula is used to calculate the extensive molar entropies for other cases such as SrMoO(2.5)N(0.5) and BaTaO(2)N. The subextensive oxynitrides are usefully classified as showing an "open order", related to the correlated order of displacements in ferroelectric perovskites such as BaTiO(3). This raises the possibility that further open-ordered oxynitride or molecular structures may be accessible, and other states such as spins and charges may also show novel open orders.     

CrystalGrower: a generic computer program for Monte Carlo modelling of crystal growth

A Monte Carlo crystal growth simulation tool, CrystalGrower, is described which is able to simultaneously model both the crystal habit and nanoscopic surface topography of any crystal structure under conditions of variable supersaturation or at equilibrium. This tool has been developed in order to permit the rapid simulation of crystal surface maps generated by scanning probe microscopies in combination with overall crystal habit. As the simulation is based upon a coarse graining at the nanoscopic level features such as crystal rounding at low supersaturation or undersaturation conditions are also faithfully reproduced. CrystalGrower permits the incorporation of screw dislocations with arbitrary Burgers vectors and also the investigation of internal point defects in crystals. The effect of growth modifiers can be addressed by selective poisoning of specific growth sites. The tool is designed for those interested in understanding and controlling the outcome of crystal growth through a deeper comprehension of the key controlling experimental parameters.

Generic in silico methodology – CrystalGrower – for simulating crystal habit and nanoscopic surface topology to determine crystallisation free energies.     

Synthesis and characterization of three novel cation-containing (NH4+/C3H7NH3+/NH3+C2H4NH3+) aluminum diphosphonates

Three new aluminum diphosphonates (C(3)H(7)NH(3))[AlF[(HO)O(2)PC(2)H(4)PO(3)]] (1) (orthorhombic, Pnma, a = 8.2048(1) A, b = 6.90056(6) A, c = 19.6598(4) A, Z = 4), (H(3)NC(2)H(4)NH(3))[Al(OH)(O(3)PC(2)H(4)PO(3))] (2) (monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 11.142(3) A, b = 7.008(2) A, c = 12.903(5) A, beta = 96.24(7) degrees, Z = 4), and (NH(4))(2)[AlF(O(3)PCH(2)PO(3))] (3) (orthorhombic, Cmcm, a = 16.592(2) A, b = 7.5106(9) A, c = 7.0021(9) A, Z = 4) have been synthesized by solvothermal methods in the presence of linear organic ammonium cations (for 1 and 2) and ammonium cations (for 3) and their structures determined using powder, microcrystal, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, respectively. All three materials contain a similar one-dimensional chain motif which is related to that found in the mineral Tancoite. This chain motif consists of corner-sharing octahedra (AlO(4)F(2) for 1 and 3 and AlO(6) for 2) linked together through the bridging CPO(3) tetrahedra of the diphosphonate groups. These chains are unusual in that each diphosphonate moiety acts as a bisbidentate ligand that is coordinated to the same two metal centers through both of the O(3)PC- groups of the diphosphonate ligand. The arrangement of the Tancoite-like chains and charge compensation cations in the structures of compounds 1-3 is seen to be dependent upon the nature of the diphosphonic acid and organoammonium/ammonium cations. Careful selection of these two components may provide a method to design future materials in this system.