Anisotropy Properties of Mn_2P Single Crystals with Antiferromagnetic Transition

Single crystals of hexagonal structure Mn₂P are synthesized by Sn flux for the first time. Transport and magnetic properties have been performed on the single crystals, which is an antiferromagnet with Neel temperature 103 K.Obvious anisotropy of resistivity is observed below the Neel temperature, which is manifested by metallic behavior with a current along the C-axis and semiconducting behavior with a current along the α-axis. The negative slope of temperature-dependent resistivity ...     

Electronic structure and optical properties of Sn_(2x)Ga_(2(1-x))O_3 compounds

Band structure, density of states, electron density difference, and optical properties of intrinsic β-Ga2O3 and Sn2xGa2(1-x)O3 (x= 3.125%-6.25%) compounds are studied using first-principle calculations based on the density functional theory. The anisotropic optical properties are investigated by means of the complex dielectric function, which are explained by the selection rule of band-to-band transitions. All the calculation results indicate that the conductivity of Sn2xGa2(1-x)O3 is super to β-Ga2O3, and ...     

Intertwisted fibrillar diamond-like carbon films prepared by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

In this paper, the structures, optical and mechanical properties of diamond-like carbon films are studied, which are prepared by a self-fabricated electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition method at room temperature in the ambient gases of mixed acetylene and nitrogen. The morphology and microstructure of the processed film are characterized by the atomic force microscope image, Raman spectra and middle Fourier transform infrared transmittance spectra, which reveal that there is an intertwisted fibrillar diamond-like structure in the film and the film is mainly composed of sp^3 CH, sp^3 C—C, sp^2 C═C, C═N and C_{60}. The film micro-hardness and bulk modulus are measured by a nano-indenter and the refractive constant and deposition rate are also calculated.     

Strong spin frustration and magnetism in kagomé antiferromagnets LnCu3(OH)6Br3(Ln = Nd,Sm, and Eu)

To study the effects of lanthanide ions on the geometrically frustrated antiferromagnets and their magnetic properties,we grew high-quality single crystals of LnCu₃(OH)₆Br₃(Ln=Nd,Sm,and Eu) by hydrothermal method and studied their crystal structures and magnetic properties.The refinements of the crystal structure referred to the powder x-ray diffraction data show that LnCu₃(OH)₆Br₃ adopt a Kapellasite-type layer structure,which is...     

Thermodynamic Stability,Half-Metallic and Optical Properties of Sc2CoSi [001] Film:a DFT Study

The electronic and optical characteristics of the Sc2 CoSi Heusler with L21 structure and also the surface effect on electronic and optical properties, and the ?lms thermodynamic stability of the [001] direction in four cases including:Sc-Sc, Sc-Co, Sc-Si and Co-Si terminations are studied using the ?rst principles calculations(FPLAPW) within the framework of the density functional theory(DFT). The band structure calculations represent the ferromagnetic halfmetallic properties with 100% spin polarization and 0.54 e V indirect gap in spin down for Sc2 CoSi bulk with optimized lattice parameters of 6.25 A?. The total magnetic moment obtained for this compound is-1.0 μB, which is in accordance with Slater-Pauling rule. The half-metallic(HM) behavior by 100% spin polarization at Fermi level is occurred in the Sc-Si termination with a 0.32 eV gap in down spin. The optical responses have been calculated for the bulk and ScSi termination by a red shift in these parameters and the metallic treatments have been increased. According to the thermodynamic phase diagrams, it is shown the Sc-Si and Sc-Sc terminations are more stable than other terminations.     

Extremely strong coupling s-wave superconductivity in the medium-entropy alloy TiHfNbTa

Here we report a TiHfNbTa bulk medium-entropy alloy(MEA) superconductor crystallized in the body-centered cubic structure with the unit cell parameter a=3.35925 ?,which is synthesized by an arc melting method.Superconducting properties of the TiHfNbTa are studied by employing magnetic susceptibility,resistivity,and specific heat measurements.Experimental results show a bulk superconducting transition temperature(T_c) of around 6.75 K.The lower and upper critical fields for TiHfNbTa are...     

First-principles calculations for the elastic properties of Ni-base model superalloys: Ni/Ni3Al multilayers

A model system consisting of Ni[001](100)/Ni3Al[001](100) multi-layers are studied using the density functional theory in order to explore the elastic properties of single crystal Ni-based superalloys. Simulation results are consistent with the experimental observation that rafted Ni-base superalloys virtually possess a cubic symmetry. The convergence of the elastic properties with respect to the thickness of the multilayers are tested by a series of multilayers from 2γ′+2γ to 10γ′+10γ atomic layers. The elastic properties are found to vary little with the increase of the multilayer’s thickness. A Ni/Ni3Al multilayer with 10γ′+10γ atomic layers (3.54 nm) can be used to simulate the mechanical properties of Ni-base model superalloys. Our calculated elastic constants, bulk modulus, orientation-dependent shear modulus and Young’s modulus, as well as the Zener anisotropy factor are all compatible with the measured results of Ni-base model superalloys R1 and the advanced commercial superalloys TMS-26, CMSX-4 at a low temperature. The mechanical properties as a function of the γ′ phase volume fraction are calculated by varying the proportion of the γ and γ′ phase in the multilayers. Besides, the mechanical properties of two-phase Ni/Ni3Al multilayer can be well predicted by the Voigt-Reuss-Hill rule of mixtures.     

Effect of H impurity on misfit dislocation in Ni-based single-crystal superalloy： molecular dynamic simulations

The effect of H impurity on the misfit dislocation in Ni-based single-crystal superalloy is investigated using the molecular dynamic simulation.It includes the site preferences of H impurity in single crystals Ni and Ni 3 Al,the interaction between H impurity and the misfit dislocation and the effect of H impurity on the moving misfit dislocation.The calculated energies and simulation results show that the misfit dislocation attracts H impurity which is located at the γ/γˊinterface and Ni₃ Al and H impurity on the glide plane can obstruct the glide of misfit dislocation,which is beneficial to improving the mechanical properties of Ni based superalloys.     

Mechanical Properties of Single-Walled （5,5） Carbon Nanotubes with Vacancy Defects

First-principles simulation is used to investigate the structural and mechanical properties of vacancy defective single-walled （5,5） carbon nanotubes. The relations of the defect concentration, distribution and characteristic of defects to Young＇s modulus of nanotubes are quantitatively studied. It is found that each dangling-bond structure （per supercell） decreases Young＇s modulus of nanotube by 6.1% for symmetrical distribution cases. However the concentrative vacancy structure with saturated atoms has less influence on carbon nanotubes. It is suggested that the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes depend strongly upon the structure and relative position of vacancies in a certain defect concentration.     

Mechanical Properties and Anisotropy in PbWO4 Single Crystal

The mechanical properties of PbWO4 （PWO） crystals grown by the vertical Bridgman method are systematically investigated using the microindentation technique. In the present work, the Vickers microhardness Hν, fracture toughness Kc, yield strength σy and friability index Bi of PbWO4 crystals are measured. The Vickers microhardness Hν on the （100） wafer is about 140 MPa, which means that PWO is a little soft＇＇ scintillator. The anisotropy of mechanical properties is also investigated under a steady load of 0.5 kg. The （100） wafer of the crystal exhibits combined mechanical properties more excellent than those of （111） and （001） wafers, and the values of Kc, σy, and Bi are 0.538 MPa＆#12539;m1/2, 51.11 kg/mm2 and 284.96 νm-1/2, respectively.     

Experiments and analysis of thin tungsten slice and W/Cu brazing for primary collimator scraper in CSNS/RCS

According to the requirements for the beam collimation system of the rapid cycling synchrotron(RCS)of China Spallation Neutron Source(CSNS),the main structure of a scraper of primary collimator is made by W/Cu brazing,in which the thickness of tungsten slice is 0.17 mm.In order to get the best mechanical properties,the brazing temperature is suggested to be controlled under the recrystallization temperature of tungsten,while the recrystallization temperature is affected directly by the thickness of tungsten.Because of little research and application on the brazing of thin tungsten slice of 0.17 mm and copper,tensile tests are done to get the mechanical properties of tungsten slices which experience different brazing temperatures.In keeping the inner relationships between the mechanical properties and temperature,another experiment is done by using SEM to scan the microstructures including the size and distribution of crystals.Finally we determine the recrystallization temperature of tungsten slice of 0.17 mm,and get the best parameters of W/Cu brazing for scrapers of primary collimator in CSNS/RCS.     

Effect of Indium and Antimony Doping on SnS Photoelectrochemical Solar Cells

Single crystals of pure SnS, indium （In） and antimony （Sb） doped SnS are grown by the direct vapor transport technique. Two doping concentrations of 5 at. % and 15 at. % are employed for both In and Sb dopants. In total, five samples are studied, i.e., pure SnS, 5at.% In-doped SnS, 15at.% In-doped SnS, 5at.% Sb-doped SnS and 15at.% Sb-doped SnS single crystals. The energy dispersive analysis of x-ray （EDAX） and x-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis show that all the five as-grown single crystal samples possess near perfect stoichiometry and orthorhombic structure, respectively. The doping of In and Sb in SnS is established from the EDAX data and from the shift in the peak positions in XRD. Photoeleetroehemical （PEC） solar cells are fabricated by using the as- grown single crystal samples along with iodine/iodide electrolytes. Mott-Schottky plots for different compositions of iodine/iodide electrolytes show that O. 025 M 12 ＋ 1 M Nal＋2 M Na2 S04 ＋0.5 M 1-12 S04 will be the most suitable electrolyte. Study of efficiency （η） and fill factor for different intensities of illuminations at room temperature is carried out for the five samples. The In-doped SnS single crystals show better PEC efficiency than the undoped and Sl〉doped SnS single crystals.     

Effect of Mn doping on mechanical properties and electronic structure of WCoB ternary boride by first-principles calculations

The first-principles calculations are performed to investigate the structural, mechanical property, hardness, and electronic structure of WCoB with 0, 8.33, 16.67, 25, and 33.33 at.% Mn doping content and W_2 CoB_2 with 0, 10, and 20 at.%Mn doping content. The cohesive energy and formation energy indicate that all the structures can retain good structural stability. According to the calculated elastic constants, Mn is responsible for the increase of ductility and Poisson's ratio and the decrease of Young's modulus, shear modulus, and bulk modulus. By using the population analysis and mechanical properties, the hardness is characterized through using the five hardness models and is found to decrease with the Mn doping content increasing. The calculated electronic structure indicates that the formation of a B–Mn covalent bond and a W–Mn metallic bond contribute to the decreasing of the mechanical properties.     

Controllable synthesis of fullerene nano/microcrystals and their structural transformation induced by high pressure

Fullerene molecules are interesting materials because of their unique structures and properties in mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical aspects. Current research is focusing on the construction of well-defined fullerene nano/microcrystals that possess desirable structures and morphologies. Further tuning the intermolecular interaction of the fullerene nano/microcrystals by use of pressure is an efficient way to modify their structures and properties, such as creation of nanoscale polymer structures and new hybrid materials, which expands the potential of such nanoscale materials for di- rect device components. In this paper, we review our recent progress in the construction of fullerene nanostructures and their structural transformation induced by high pressure. Fullerene nano/microcrystals with controllable size, morphology and structure have been synthesized through the self-assembly of fullerene molecules by a solvent-assisted method. By virtue of high pressure, the structures, components, and intermolecular interactions of the assemblied fullerene nano/microcrystals can be finely tuned, thereby modifying the optical and electronic properties of the nanostructures. Several examples on high pressure induced novel structural phase transition in typical fullerene nanocrystals with C60 or C70 cage serving as build- ing blocks are presented, including high pressure induced amorphization of the nanocrystals and their bulk moduli, high pressure and high temperature （HPHT） induced polymerization in C60 nanocrystals, pressure tuned reversible polymeriza- tion in ferrocene-doped C60/C70 single crystal, as well as unique long-range ordered crystal with amorphous nanoclusters serving as building blocks in solvated C60 crystals, which brings new physical insight into the understanding of order and disorder concept and new approaches to the design of superhard carbon materials. The nanosize and morphology effects on the transformations of fullerene nanocrystals have also been discussed. These results provide the foundation for the fabrication of pre-designed and controllable geometries, which is critical in fullerenes and relevant materials for designing nanometer-scale electronic, optical, and other devices.     

Phonon spectrum and related thermodynamic properties of microcrack in bcc-Fe

The phonon spectrum and the related thermodynamic properties of microcracks in bcc-Fe are studied with the recursion method by using the Finnis--Sinclair (F--S) N-body potential. The initial configuration of the microcracks is established from an anisotropic linear elastic solution and relaxed to an equilibrium by molecular dynamics method. It is shown that the local vibrational density of states of the atoms near a crack tip is considerably different from the bulk phonon spectrum, which is closely associated with the local stress field around the crack tip; meanwhile, the local vibrational energies of atoms near the crack tip are higher than those of atoms in a perfect crystal. These results imply that the crack tip zone is in a complex stress state and closely related to the structure evolution of cracks. It is also found that the phonon excitation is a kind of local effect induced by microcracks. In addition, the microcrack system has a higher vibrational entropy, which reflects the character of phonon spectrum related to the stress field induced by cracks.     

Polarization properties of elliptical core non-hexagonal symmetry polymer photonic crystal fibre

In this paper, polarization properties and propagation characteristics of polymer photonic crystal fibres with elliptical core and non-hexagonal symmetry structure are investigated by using the full vectorial plane wave method. The results show that the birefringence of the fibre is induced by asymmetries of both the cladding and the core. Moreover, by adjusting the non-symmetrical ratio factor of cladding $\eta$ from 0.4 to 1 in step 0.1, we find the optimized design parameters of the fibre with high birefringence and limited polarization mode dispersion, operating in a single mode regime at an appropriate wavelength range. The range of wavelength approaches the visible and near-infrared which is consistent with the communication windows of polymer optical fibres.     

Structural,elastic, electronic,and thermodynamic properties of MgAgSb investigated by density functional theory

The structural, elastic, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of thermoelectric material Mg Ag Sb in γ, β, α phases are studied with first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The optimized lattice constants accord well with the experimental data. According to the calculated total energy of the three phases, the phase transition order is determined from α to γ phase with cooling, which is in agreement with the experimental result. The physical properties such as elastic constants, bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and anisotropy factor are also discussed and analyzed, which indicates that the three structures are mechanically stable and each has a ductile feature. The Debye temperature is deduced from the elastic properties. The total density of states(TDOS) and partial density of states(PDOS) of the three phases are investigated. The TDOS results show that the γ phase is most stable with a pseudogap near the Fermi level, and the PDOS analysis indicates that the conduction band of the three phases is composed mostly of Mg-3s,Ag-4d, and Sb-5p. In addition, the changes of the free energy, entropy, specific heat, thermal expansion of γ-MgAgSb with temperature are obtained successfully. The obtained results above are important parameters for further experimental and theoretical tuning of doped MgAgSb as a thermoelectric material at high temperature.     

All-electron study of ultra-incompressible superhard material ReB2: structural and electronic properties

This paper investigates the structural and electronic properties of rhenium diboride by first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. The obtained results show that the calculated equilibrium structural parameters of ReB2 are in excellent agreement with experimental values. The calculated bulk modulus is 361 GPa in comparison with that of the experiment. The compressibility of ReB2 is lower than that of well-known OsB2. The anisotropy of the bulk modulus is confirmed by c/a ratio as a function of pressure curve and the bulk modulus along different axes along with the electron density distribution. The high bulk modulus is attributed to the strong covalent bond between Re-d and B-p orbitals and the wider pseudogap near the Fermi level, which could be deduced from both electron charge density distribution and density of states. The band structure and density of states of ReB2 exhibit that this material presents metallic behavior. The good metallicity and ultra-incompressibility of ReB2 might suggest its potential application as pressure-proof conductors.     

Rapid Thermal Annealing Effects on Structural and Optical Properties of Self-Assembled InAs／GaAs Quantum Dots Capped by InAIAs／InGaAs Layers

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the optical and structural properties of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots capped by the InAlAs/InGaAs combination layers are studied by photoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy. The photoluminescence measurement shows that the photoluminescence peak of the sample after 850℃ rapid thermal annealing is blue shifted with 370meV and the excitation peak intensity increases by a factor of about 2.7 after the rapid thermal annealing, which indicates that the InAs quantum dots have experienced an abnormal transformation during the annealing. The transmission electron microscopy shows that the quantum dots disappear and a new InAlGaAs single quantum well structure forms after the rapid thermal annealing treatment. The transformation mechanism is discussed. These abnormal optical properties are attributed to the structural transformation of these quantum dots into a single quantum well.     

Structure and Spectrum of Binary Classic Systems Confined in a Parabolic Trap

The static and dynamic properties of the two-dimensional classic system of two-species interacting charged particles in a parabolic trap are studied. The ground state energy and configuration for different kinds of binary systems are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation and Newton optimization. The spectrum and normal modes vectors can be gained by diagonalizing the dynamical matrix of the system. It is found that the total particle number, particle number and mass-to-charge ratio of each species are decisive factors for the system structure and spectrum. The three intrinsic normal modes of single species Coulomb clusters are inherent, concluded from our numerical simulations and analytical results.