Electronic Phase Separation in Iron Selenide(Li,Fe)OHFeSe Superconductor System

The phenomenon of phase separation into antiferromagnetic(AFM) and superconducting(SC) or normal-state regions has great implication for the origin of high-temperature(high-T_c) superconductivity. However, the occurrence of an intrinsic antiferromagnetism above the T_c of(Li,Fe)OHFe Se superconductor is questioned. Here we report a systematic study on a series of(Li,Fe)OHFe Se single crystal samples with T_c up to ～41 K. We observe an evident drop in the static magnetization at T_(afm) ～ 125 K, in some of the SC(T_c 38 K, cell parameter c■9.27 ?) and non-SC samples. We verify that this AFM signal is intrinsic to(Li,Fe)OHFe Se. Thus, our observations indicate mesoscopic-to-macroscopic coexistence of an AFM state with the normal(below T_(afm)) or SC(below T_c) state in(Li,Fe)OHFe Se. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation, similar to that in high-T_c cuprates and iron arsenides. However, such an AFM signal can be absent in some other samples of(Li,Fe)OHFe Se, particularly it is never observed in the SC samples of T_c 38 K, owing to a spatial scale of the phase separation too small for the macroscopic magnetic probe. For this case, we propose a microscopic electronic phase separation. The occurrence of two-dimensional AFM spin fluctuations below nearly the same temperature as T_(afm), reported previously for a(Li,Fe)OHFe Se(T_c ～ 42 K) single crystal, suggests that the microscopic static phase separation reaches vanishing point in high T_c(Li,Fe)OHFe Se. A complete phase diagram is thus established. Our study provides key information of the underlying physics for high-T_c superconductivity.     

Effect of Mn substitution on superconductivity in iron selenide(Li,Fe)OHFeSe single crystals

We synthesize a series of Mn substituted(Li, Fe)OHFeSe superconductor single crystals via a modified ion-exchange method, with the Mn concentration z(the atomic ratio of Mn:Se) ranging from 0 to 0.07. The distribution homogeneity of the Mn element incorporated into the lattice of(Li, Fe)OHFeSe is checked by combined measurements of high-angleannular-dark-field(HAADF) imaging and electron energy-loss spectroscopy(EELS). Interestingly, we find that the superconducting transition temperature T_c and unit cell parameter c of the Mn-doped(Li, Fe)OHFeSe samples display similar V-shaped evolutions with the increasing dopant concentration z. We propose that, with increasing doping level, the Mn dopant first occupies the tetrahedral sites in the(Li, Fe)OH layers before starting to substitute the Fe element in the superconducting Fe Se layers, which accounts for the V-shaped change in cell parameter c. The observed positive correlation between the T_c and lattice parameter c, regardless of the Mn doping level z, indicates that a larger interlayer separation, or a weaker interlayer coupling, is essential for the high-T_c superconductivity in(Li, Fe)OHFeSe. This agrees with our previous observations on powder, single crystal, and film samples of(Li, Fe)OHFeSe superconductors.     

Ultrafast electron microscopy in material science

Recent advances in the ultrafast transmission electron microscope(UTEM), with combined spatial and temporal resolutions, have made it possible to directly visualize the atomic, electronic, and magnetic structural dynamics of materials.In this review, we highlight the recent progress of UTEM techniques and their applications to a variety of material systems.It is emphasized that numerous significant ultrafast dynamic issues in material science can be solved by the integration of the pump–probe approach with the well-developed conventional transmission electron microscopy(TEM) techniques. For instance, UTEM diffraction experiments can be performed to investigate photoinduced atomic-scale dynamics, including the chemical reactions, non-equilibrium phase transition/melting, and lattice phonon coupling. UTEM imaging methods are invaluable for studying, in real space, the elementary processes of structural and morphological changes, as well as magnetic-domain evolution in the Lorentz TEM mode, at a high magnification. UTEM electron energy-loss spectroscopic techniques allow the examination of the ultrafast valence states and electronic structure dynamics, while photoinduced near-field electron microscopy extends the capability of the UTEM to the regime of electromagnetic-field imaging with a high real space resolution.     

Controlled growth of large＇scale silver nanowires

Large-scale silver nanowires with controlled aspect ratio were synthesized via reducing silver nitrate with 1, 2- propanediol in the presence of poly （vinyl pyrrolidone） （PVP）. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and x-ray powder diffraction were employed to characterize these silver nanowires. The diameter of the silver nanowires can be readily controlled in the range of 100 to 400 nm by varying the experimental conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results show that there exists no chemical bond between the silver and the nitrogen atoms. The interaction between PVP and silver nanowires is mainly through the oxygen atom in the carbonyl group.     

水热法制备蒲公英状微晶和纳米带状β-SrV2O6及微结构表征

"利用Sr(NO3)2和V2O5作为反应前驱物, 已二酸作为矿化剂,在水热法反应条件下成功制备了微米尺寸蒲公英状及纳米尺寸的纳米带状β-SrV2O6晶微体. 通过粉末X衍射和电子显微镜的研究分析,结果表明所得的反应生成物属于正交晶系,其晶格常数为a=9.694 ?,b=3.687 ?,c=12.570 ? (空间群Pnma). 电子显微结果表明蒲公英状的微晶是揭示许多棒状微晶呈球型放射状构成的图案,而纳米带状的β-SrV2O6则呈现显示良好的挠性. 两者的微晶体生长方向沿h010i晶轴方向. 详细探讨了水     

纳米结构中磁斯格明子的原位电子全息研究

斯格明子(skyrmion)磁序结构与晶体微观结构的关联是新型功能磁材料和器件研发的重要问题.本文利用微纳加工技术制备了形状、尺寸均可控的磁纳米结构,通过电子全息术观察定量地分析了斯格明子磁序结构,确定了材料晶格缺陷和空间受限效应对斯格明子磁结构形成和稳定机制的影响,系统地分析了斯格明子基元的磁功能与材料微结构的关联.文中主要探讨了两个问题:1)斯格明子在磁纳米结构中的空间受限效应.重点研究斯格明子磁序随外磁场和温度变化的演变规律,探索其演变过程的拓扑属性和稳定性;2)晶格缺陷对斯格明子磁结构的影响,重点考察晶界原子结构手性反转对斯格明子磁序的影响.这些研究结果可为研发以磁斯格明子为基元的磁信息存储器及自旋电子学器件提供重要实验基础.