Voids in icosahedral small particles of an electrolytic metal

Results of an experiment aimed at the detection of voids in small icosahedral particles of electrolytic copper are presented. The chosen experimental technique is theoretically justified. The presence of voids revealed in the experiment gives strong evidence that the formation of small particles and microcrystals with pentagonal symmetry is governed by the disclination mechanism.     

Evolution of the morphology of small pentagonal particles and microcrystals during the electrodeposition of silver in a potentiostatic regime

A procedure for obtaining icosahedral and decahedral small particles and microcrystals of silver is presented. The evolution of the morphology during growth is studied in detail. Mechanisms of the relaxation of elastic stress fields in small silver particles and microcrystals with pentagonal symmetry are found experimentally.     

Structure of small metallic particles

This is a short review of some crystallographical anomalies or specific behaviour in thin metallic films. We give information about the structure of microparticles which do not have bulk-like symmetries. Their structure has been investigated by electron diffraction and electron microscopy. It is concluded that for the early stage of growth, the particles have five-fold symmetries and icosahedral structure. The growth mechanism is discussed and evidence for a layer- by-layer growth with respect to the pentagonal symmetry is emphasized. It is suggested that the substrate has much influence on the very early stages of growth of icosahedral particles. Beyond a certain size (about 80 Å), icosahedral particles transform into polytetrahedral particles which growth with the same shape and with a pseudo-pentagonal structure.     

Structural evolution of Co clusters on Cu90Co10 upon annealing

A granular alloy, composed of cobalt embedded in a copper matrix, was studied by using EXAFS and magnetotransport measurements as function of annealing parameters (temperature and annealing time). The results suggest that different annealing routes can reach the same final state. For annealing temperatures up to 450°C, the results indicate the coalescence of cobalt atoms, resulting in magnetic particles with increasing size. On the other hand, the annealing at 500°C shows a rapid formation of cobalt particles and then the re-dissolution of cobalt atoms in the copper matrix.     

Mechanism of the formation of cavities in icosahedral metallic small particles of electrolytic origin

The problems regarding the formation and stability of cavities in icosahedral metallic small particles of electrolytic origin are analyzed theoretically. The results of the model calculations are confirmed by the experimental data.     

Stable quasiperiodic icosahedral states

The discovery of icosahedral quasicrystals five years ago, has challenged the validity of the well-known conjecture that the ground state of a system of particles interacting via short-range forces is always crystalline at absolute zero. We have calculated the classical cohesive energies and pair distribution functions of a large class of monatomic icosahedral structures, interacting via the Lennard-Jones (LJ) and the Square-Well (SW) potentials. For the SW potential, we have found an icosahedral phase, with lower enthalpy than the BCC, FCC and HCP phases. The phase is robust with respect to small changes in the potential, pressure and even structure, and transforms to the BCC phase above a critical pressure. Our results suggest that icosahedral ground states may indeed be possible for a class of potentials with Friedel-like oscillations, whose extremal positions satisfy geometric constraints favoring icosahedral order.     

On the Reasons for the Formation and Stability of Single-Component Microcrystals of Electrolytic Origin with Fullerene-Like Truncated Icosahedral Habit

JETP Letters - The formation of microcrystals with fullerene-like truncated icosahedral habit observed in experiments on the electrodeposition of copper has been explained. The analysis has been...     

Alternative method of the opening of cavities in small icosahedral electrolytic-metal particles

Results of an experiment on the opening of cavities in small icosahedral electrolytic-copper particles by means of an experimental technique alternative to the chemical etching of their surface are presented. This experimental technique is theoretically justified.     

Grain growth and phason-strain field in quasicrystalline Al-Li-Cu

We report on grain growth and related structure change in single phased Al-Li-Cu quasicrystals. The icosahedral phase grains have been investigated using scanning ion microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Regular boundaries between large grains have been observed both before and after high temperature annealing. The electron diffraction study shows that the grain growth is accompanied by a reduction of the phason-strains. The orientation relation between grains sets the 2-fold icosahedral axes parallel, and the coincidence of the planes depends on the phason strain-field. The effect of phason-strain field on these boundaries is discussed. It is proposed that the phason strain elimination can play a role in the grain growth. Received 1 February 1999 and Received in final form 12 May 1999     

Sign reversals of the carriers and the volume change in Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline alloys

New results of dilatometric experiments with rapidly quenched Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline alloys in the course of their thermal annealing are presented. It is established that the icosahedral (I) phases with different types of carriers exhibit different signs of volume changes with ordering. The observed effect is a direct experimental proof of the fact that structural defects in icosahedral quasicrystals are electrically active centers.     

Dry air effects on the copper oxides sensitive layers formation for ethanol vapor detection

The copper oxide films have been deposited by thermal evaporation and annealed under ambient air and dry air respectively, at different temperatures. The structural characteristics of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction. They showed the presences of two hydroxy-carbonate minerals of copper for annealing temperatures below 250 °C. Above this temperature the conductivity measurements during the annealing process, show a transition phase from metallic copper to copper oxides. The copper oxides sensitivity toward ethanol were performed using conductivity measurements at the working temperature of 200 °C. A decrease of conductivity was observed under ethanol vapor, showing the p-type semi-conducting characters of obtained copper oxide films. It was found that the sensing properties of copper oxide toward ethanol depend mainly on the annealing conditions. The best responses were obtained with copper layers annealed under dry air.     

Size effect on the conduction electron spin resonance of small sodium particles in sodium azide NaN3

The conduction electron spin resonance from small (10 to 1000 Å sodium metal particles has been measured as a function of the particle size. The particles were formed inside single crystals of sodium azide by X-irradiating and annealing them at 280°C. The particle sizes were deduced from the optical absorption measurements reported in the previous article. According to the theory of the quantum size effect in small metal particles, very narrow resonances should have been observed. No such resonances were seen. The measured widths were between 7.5 and 20 G and could be analysed in terms of the bulk width plus a temperature independent but size dependent surface term. The reason why no quantum size effect was observed is not understood.     

ZnS:Cu,Eu,Br粉末ACEL的老化

退火的处理方法对ZnS:Cu,Eu,Br粉末ACEL材料的老化性能有明显的改善,但处理时颗粒表面必须包有过剩的铜,否则将破坏发光性能。若用氰化钾洗去表面过剩的铜后,再进行包铜退火处理,发光亮度部分恢复,老化性能改善。我们认为处理后老化性能改善的原因,不是改善了发光中心的条件,可能是改善了Cu2S相的条件,因而抑制了离子的迁移。     

Thermal expansion of nanostructured PbS films and anharmonicity of atomic vibrations

The dependences of the coherent scattering region size and thermal expansion coefficient α of a PbS nanofilm on the annealing temperature in the range of 293–473 K and on the duration of annealing at a constant temperature of 423 K have been measured. It has been found that the thermal expansion coefficient α of the PbS nanofilm is almost twice as much as the coefficient α of coarse-grained lead sulfide. It has been shown that the large difference in the coefficients α is associated with the small size of particles in the film, which leads to an increase in the anharmonicity of atomic vibrations. The contribution from the small size of particles to the thermal expansion coefficient of the PbS nanofilm has been evaluated theoretically.     

Atomic dynamics of the α-(Al,Si)CuFe alloy: A crystalline approximant of a quasicrystal...

The atomic dynamics of the Al_0.550Si_0.070Cu_0.255Fe_0.125 alloy with the structure that approximates the structure of an icosahedral quasicrystal with a similar chemical composition has been investigated using inelastic neutron scattering. The partial vibrational spectra of copper, iron, and aluminum atoms and the total spectrum of thermal vibrations of the compound have been directly reconstructed from the experimental data for the first time. A combined analysis of the results obtained and the data on the atomic dynamics of the i-AlCuFe icosahedral quasicrystal has been performed.     

Molecular dynamics characterization of icosahedral short range order in undercooled copper

The stability of undercooled simple metals is still an intriguing problem for materials science and technology. There is not consensus on the role played by the icosahedral short range order during undercooling. The scenario is even less clear for undercooled metals under external pressure. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations, based on an empirical tight-binding interatomic potential, are performed to explain experimental results recently obtained on liquid and undercooled liquid copper. A common neighbour analysis is used to fully characterize the icosahedral short range order in both undercooled and liquid systems. Moreover, the effect of pressure on icosahedral short range order, is addressed and rationalized. External pressure increases the probability to find atomic bonds with icosahedral symmetry both in the liquid and in the undercooled copper.     

Controlling structure and morphology of CoPt nanoparticles through dynamical or static coalescence effects

The structure and morphology of 1 to 3 nm size CoPt nanoparticles have been investigated in situ and in real time under different conditions: growth at 500 degrees C or at room temperature (RT) followed by annealing at 500 degrees C. The small-angle x-ray scattering measurements show size and temperature dependent growth mode with particle motions on the surface, while wide-angle scattering results, supported by Monte Carlo simulations, allow structure identification. If icosahedra are systematically detected at the first growth stages at RT, annealing at 500 degrees C yields the decahedral structure from the quasistatic coalescence of icosahedral morphology. Meanwhile, growth at 500 degrees C proceeds by a dynamical coalescence mechanism at the early stage, yielding truncated octahedral cubic structures.     

Formation and stability of large B 6 O clusters with icosahedral structure

In this paper, the formation and the stability of large B₆O icosahedral particles was discussed on the basis of elastic deformation theory. Our calculation illustrate the stability of macroscopic Mackay packing B₆O icosahedral particles at high pressure. The transition pressure from rhombohedral structure of B₆O particles to macroscopic B₆O icosahedral ones was calculated to be 6 GPa, which is in good agreement with the experimental data (4.0-5.52 GPa). The maximum diameter of B₆O icosahedral particles at low pressure is estimated to be 200-300 nm. Received 30 November 2000     

Anomalous magnetoresistivity of the superconducting Zr<Subscript>80</Subscript>Pt<Subscript>20</Subscript> system in quasicrystalline and amorphous states

The binary icosahedral Zr₈₀Pt₂₀ system has been synthesized during the crystallization of an initially amorphous alloy fabricated by melt quenching on the surface of a rotating copper wheel. The temperature and field dependences of the electrical resistivity and magnetoresistivity of the icosahedral and amorphous phases are studied and compared in a temperature range of 1.5–300 K and magnetic fields up to 8 T. Superconductivity has been detected for the first time in the icosahedral and amorphous phases of the Zr₈₀Pt₂₀ system. For both phases, the magnetoresistivity is positive and depends anomalously on the magnetic field. The anomalous behavior of magnetoresistivity is satisfactorily described by the theory of weak localization and electron-electron interaction in three-dimensional disordered systems, which takes into account electron scattering by superconducting fluctuations. The absolute values and temperature dependences of the electron-electron interaction constant and the times of inelastic scattering of conduction electrons are estimated for the icosahedral and amorphous phases of this binary system.     

Features of the scattering of protons and relativistic electrons intersecting a thin planar target at a small angle to its surface

The processes of scattering of protons and relativistic electrons incident on a planar target at a small angle to its surface have been simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The spatial and energy distributions of the beams of particles both passed through the target and reflected from it have been calculated. The dependence of the characteristics of beams on the initial energy and direction of injection of particles, as well as on the material and thickness of the target, has been considered. The transmission, reflection, and absorption coefficients for electrons in the target have been calculated. The initial energy in the calculations is varied in the range of 7–100 MeV and the angle between the trajectory of particles and the surface of the target is in the range of 1°–45°. The thickness of the target varies from 0.2 to 3 mm. Aluminum, iron, and copper targets have been considered. It has been shown that the intersection of targets at small angles not only increases the transverse dimensions of a beam, but also changes the direction of its motion. The results of the reported calculations of the scattering of relativistic electrons intersecting a foil at small angles to its surface are in qualitative agreement with experimental data.