Semiconductor-metal phase diagram of Co-doped NiS2

The phase diagram of the semiconductor-metal and antiferromagnetic transitions in 5 at.% Co- and 7 at.% Co-doped NiS₂ is determined from the electrical resistance measurements below room temperature to 77 K at pressures up to 35 kbar. It is indicated that the antiferromagnetic transition occurs in both semiconducting and metallic phases.     

Antiferromagnetic metallic state of NiS2

The neutron diffraction experiment we have made on NiS_1.91 single crystal under increasing pressure (0<P<30 kbar) indicates a constant increase of the Néel temperature of the sample. For high pressures (P>20 kbar) and low temperatures the sample is in an antiferromagnetic metallic state as suggested by theoretical considerations for a Mott-Hubbard insulator. The pressure dependence of the second magnetic transition in NiS₂ (T = 31 K for P = 0) is also reported.     

High pressure effect on the electrical properties of NiS2

A semiconductor-metal transition in the electrical resistance of NiS₂, which has been suggested to be a Mott transition, is observed with decreasing temperature under pressure up to 44 kbar. The transition temperature increases with pressure with a slope of $\text{dT}\text{dP}\text{= 6 ± 1 K/kbar}$. The activation energy in a semiconducting region is found to decrease with increasing pressure and to vanish at about 46 kbar. The critical pressure and temperature are predicted to be 46 ± 2 kbar and 350 ± 20 K.     

Raman scattering of NiS2

Raman scattering measurements of NiS₂ is done and five optical phonon peaks are found. These peaks are assigned to A_g, E_g and 3T_g phonons which are all of the Raman active optical phonons in pyrite-type crystal. The results are compared with those of FeS₂ and MnS₂.     

The electrical resistivity of ThRu2

A simple procedure is given for fitting experimental electrical resistivity data to the parallel resistor model. The procedure is applied to the C-15 compound ThRu₂.     

Anisotropy of the electrical resistivity in PrAl2 and DyAl2

The anisotropy of the spontaneous resistivity is measured in the ferromagnetic range for PrAl₂ and DyAl₂ single crystals. For PrAl₂ we observed a change of sign in the temperature dependence of θ₆ ? θ_⊥ which cannot be obtained from existing quadrupole scattering models.     

Effect of spin polarization on the optical properties of Co-doped TiO2 thin films

A non-linear variation of bandgap energy with Co doping is observed in sputter deposited Co-doped TiO₂ thin films. This peculiar behavior is explained on the basis of mechanical stress in the films together with spin polarization due to s,p-d exchange interaction between the localized Co 3d electrons and delocalized electrons. Quantitative analyses of mechanical stress and grain boundary barrier potential due to spin polarization are performed from the below bandgap absorption tail. Furthermore, anomalous variations in both the refractive indices and extinction coefficients with Co doping are noted and are explained on the basis of ab-initio calculations based on density functional theory.     

Effect of pressure on the electrical resistivity and the thermoelectric power of EuPd2Si2

A continuous valence transition has been found in EuPd₂Si₂ from the measurement of the electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power upto 70 kbar.     

Anisotropic spin fluctuations in CeCoIn5

CeCoIn₅ is an unconventional heavy fermion superconductor with a relatively large transition temperature . NMR measurements of the spin lattice relaxation rate at the In(1) site reveal a significant anisotropy of the fluctuating hyperfine fields, which reverses below 30 K. These results suggest that two-dimensional fluctuations of the Ce 4f moments are relevant for the superconducting pairing.     

Anomalous electrical resistivity in HfTe5

The group IVB transition-metal pentachalcogenide, HfTe₅, exhibits a peak of the electrical resistivity in the vicinity of 76 K.     

Pressure effects on the magnetic transition temperatures of NiS2

Both antiferromagnetic (T_N) and weak ferromagnetic (T_c) transition temperatures of NiS₂ have been measured under pressure up to 18.4 kbar. Values of dT_N/dP=(0.9 ± 0.1) deg/kbar and dT_c/dP=(0.4 ± 0.1) deg/kbar are obtained. The present results allow estimates of the magnetic Grüneisen constant γ_m = - d ln T_N/d ln V of (26±5) and of the entropy change of (1.4±0.5) J/mol·deg at the first order transition temperature T_c.     

Effect of annealing on electrical resistivity of rf-magnetron sputtered nanostructured SnO2 thin films

Tin oxide (SnO₂) thin films were deposited by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on clean corning glass substrates. These films were then annealed for 15 min at various temperatures in the range of 100-500°C. The films were investigated by studying their structural and electrical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggested that the deposited SnO₂ films were formed by nanoparticles with average particle size in the range of 23-28 nm. XRD patterns of annealed films showed the formation of small amount of SnO phase in the matrix of SnO₂. The initial surface RMS roughness measured with atomic force microscopy (AFM) was 25.76 nm which reduces to 17.72 nm with annealing. Electrical resistivity was measured as a function of annealing temperature and found to lie between 1.25 and 1.38 mΩ cm. RMS roughness and resistivity show almost opposite trend with annealing.     

Effect of pressure on the electrical resistivity of bulk Ge20Te80 glass

An irreversible pressure induced semiconductor-to-metal transition in bulk Ge₂₀Te₈₀ glass is observed at about 5 GPa pressure. The high pressure phase has a face centered cubic structure with a lattice constant 6.42 A° as deduced by X-ray diffraction studies on the pressure quenched samples. The temperature and pressure dependence of the electrical resistivity confirms the observed transition to be a semiconductor-to-metal transition. The temperature dependence of thermo electric power is also reported.     

Pb掺杂对Cd_2Ru_2O_7反常金属态的调控

具有烧绿石结构的Cd_2Ru_2O_7在形成长程反铁磁序的同时进入反常的金属态.采用高压高温方法制备了一系列Pb掺杂的Cd_(2-x)Pb_xRu_2O_7(0≤x≤2)多晶样品,并系统研究了其晶体结构和电阻率、磁化率、热电势等物理性质.尽管Pb_2Ru_2O_7是泡利顺磁金属,但少量Pb~(2+)掺杂的样品Cd1.8Pb0.2Ru2O7却呈现出明显的金属-绝缘体转变,与施加静水压和少量Ca~(2+)掺杂的效果类似.通过与类似的烧绿石Ru~(5+)氧化物进行对比,提出Cd_2Ru_2O_7中的Ru~(5+)-4d~3电子态恰好处于巡游到局域过渡的区域,少量Pb~(2+)掺杂造成的晶格无序增强了电子的局域性,使得形成反铁磁序的同时伴随出现了金属-绝缘体转变.这表明具有烧绿石结构的Ru~(5+)氧化物是研究巡游-局域电子转变的理想材料体系.     

First-principles study of the pressure-induced phase transition in CaTiO3

An investigation into the phase stabilities of CaTiO₃ under high pressure was conducted using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. We have identified three candidate structures of CaTiO₃, Pbnm, Pm3m and Cmcm, respectively. Our results demonstrate that a phase transition from orthorhombic (Pbnm) to cubic (Pm3m) is impossible for CaTiO₃ under high pressure at ambient temperature, and further predict that Pbnm-CaTiO₃ will transform to post-perovskite phase (Cmcm) at enough temperature and pressure.     

Effect of substrate temperature on structure and electrical resistivity of laser-ablated IrO2 thin films

IrO₂ thin films were prepared on Si(1 0 0) substrates by laser ablation. The effect of substrate temperature (T_sub) on the structure (crystal orientation and surface morphology) and property (electrical resistivity) of the laser-ablated IrO₂ thin films was investigated. Well crystallized and single-phase IrO₂ thin films were obtained at T_sub = 573-773 K in an oxygen partial pressure of 20 Pa. The preferred orientation of the laser-ablated IrO₂ thin films changed from (2 0 0) to (1 1 0) and (1 0 1) depending on T_sub. With the increasing of T_sub, both the surface roughness and crystallite size increased. The room-temperature electrical resistivity of IrO₂ thin films decreased with increasing T_sub, showing a low value of (42 ± 6) × 10⁻⁸ Ω m at T_sub = 773 K.     

High pressure effects on the electrical resistivity behavior of the Kondo lattice, YbPd2Si2

We report the influence of external high-pressure (P up to 8 GPa) on the temperature (T) dependence of electrical resistivity (ρ) of a Yb-based Kondo lattice, YbPd₂Si₂, which does not undergo magnetic ordering under ambient pressure condition. There are qualitative changes in the ρ(T) behavior due to the application of external pressure. While ρ is found to vary quadratically below 15 K (down to 45 mK) characteristic of Fermi-liquids, a drop is observed below 0.5 K for P=1 GPa, signaling the onset of magnetic ordering of Yb ions with the application of P. The T at which this fall occurs goes through a peak as a function of P (8 K for P=2 GPa and about 5 K at high pressures), mimicking Doniach's magnetic phase diagram. We infer that this compound is one of the very few Yb-based stoichiometric materials, in which one can traverse from valence fluctuation to magnetic ordering by the application of external pressure.     

Oscillations in the electrical resistivity of TiO2 induced by solid/gas interactions

We report the discovery of an oscillatory variation in the resistivity of rutile exposed to a nonequilibrium mixture of CO and O₂ at elevated temperatures. Our data suggest that the electrical oscillations result from a corresponding modulation in the degree of reduction of the TiO₂ material; the latter is caused by a chemical oscillation in the catalytic oxidation of CO and in the concentration of adsorbed CO and oxygen species on the solid surface.     

Behaviour of electrical resistivity and elastic constants at the phase transition in Ge0.08Sn0.92Te

Electrical resistivity and ultrasonic wave velocity measurements made through the phase transition in Ge_0.08Sn_0.92Te crystals provide further evidence that the acoustic anomaly is due to interaction between the softening optic phonon mode and the acoustic modes at the zone centre.