An examination of the initial oxidation of a uranium-base alloy (U–14.1 at.% Nb) by O2 and D2O using surface-sensitive techniques

The corrosion resistance of uranium is greatly enhanced by alloying with niobium. In this study the initial stages of corrosion of a specific uranium-base alloy (U–14.1 at.% Nb) by O₂ or D₂O have been examined using the surface specific techniques of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal programmed desorption (TPD), static secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (SSIMS), and sputtered neutrals mass spectroscopy (SNMS). XPS studies of the U–14.1 at.% Nb surface following oxidation using O₂ at 300 K indicate production of a thin oxide overlayer of stoichiometric UO_2.0 intermixed with Nb₂O₅. The same stoichiometry is exhibited for uranium when the oxide is prepared at 500 K with O₂; although, niobium is much less oxidized exhibiting a mixture of NbO and Nb. Contrary to previous XPS literature, SNMS depth profiling studies reveal that oxidation by O₂ is much greater (as judged by oxide layer thickness) than that exhibited by D₂O. An oxide layer thickness of less than 20 Å was created using D₂O as an oxidant at 300 K with exposures >3500 L (oxide layers created from O₂ are significantly greater at much smaller exposures). Formation of a critical density of Nb₂O₅ is suggested to be responsible for the enhanced corrosion resistance by preventing diffusion of O⁻ (O²⁻) or OD⁻/OH⁻ into the oxide/metal interface region. The domains of stability of hydroxyl formation have also been followed using TPD, SSIMS and XPS. Maximal surface hydroxyl concentrations (Θ_rel=0.30) are obtained at a surface temperature of 175 K for these experimental conditions.     

Interprétation de la susceptibilité magnétique de l'oxysulfure de samarium par un modèle de champ cristallin

The paramagnetic susceptibility of polycrystalline samarium oxysulfide has been measured between 3° and 300°K. The data are interpreted with an approximation to the crystal potential of the form

V_c = _JV₂⁰O₂⁰ + β_JV₄⁰O₄⁰ + β_JV₄³O₄³

and correction taking into account exchange is made. The energy levels and crystal fields parameters have been calculated. Fluorescence studies of Gd₂O₂S: Sm³⁺ and Y₂O₂S: Sm³⁺ have confirmed these results.     

Stability,electronic structure,and optical properties of lead-free perovskite monolayer Cs3B2X9(B=Sb,Bi;X=Cl,Br,I)and bilayer vertical heterostructure Cs3B2X9/Cs3B’2X9(B,B’=Sb,Bi;X=Cl,Br,I)

The lead-free perovskites Cs₃B₂X₉(B=Sb,Bi;X=Cl,Br,I)as the popular photoelectric materials have excellent optical properties with lower toxicity.In this study,we systematically investigate the stable monolayer Cs₃B₂X₉and bilayer vertical heterostructure Cs₃B₂X₉/Cs3B02X9(B,B0=Sb,Bi;X=Cl,Br,I)via first-principles simulations.By exploring the electrical structures and band edge positions,we find the band gap reduction and the band type transition in the heterostructure Cs₃B₂X₉/Cs3B02X9 due to the charge transfer between layers.Furthermore,the results of optical properties reveal light absorption from the visible light to UV region,especially monolayer Cs3Sb2I9 and heterostructure Cs3Sb2I9/Cs3Bi2I9,which have absorption peaks in the visible light region,leading to the possibility of photocatalytic water splitting.These results provide insights for more two-dimensional semiconductors applied in the optoelectronic and photocatalytic fields.     

Lithium insertion to ReO3-type metastable phase in the Nb2O5–WO3 system

Lithium insertion to distorted ReO₃-type metastable solid solution Nb_xW_1−xO_3−x/2 (0≤x<0.25) has been studied by chemical and electrochemical methods. In the course of lithium insertion into tetragonal compounds, transition to a cubic phase was found to occur in the region where values of y (in Li_yNb_xW_1−xO_3−x/2) fall between 0.2 and 0.3, and the phase transition was found to depend on the conditions of the reaction. Changes in OCV and lattice parameters in tetragonal region (y<0.2) were discussed from the viewpoint of the ordering of lithium ions. Also, the component diffusion coefficient of lithium in tetragonal compounds Li_0.1Nb_xW_1−xO_3−x/2 (0≤x≤0.23) was found to increase with niobium content when x≤0.10, and to saturate at 4×10⁻⁹ cm²/s.     

Diamagnetic impurity effects on the Néel temperature in La2CuO4 and related materials

To investigate why the sensitivity of the Néel temperature T_N of the antiferromagnetic (AF) layered copper perovskites (typically La₂CuO₄) to diamagnetic impurities such as Zn is reportedly much larger than in the AF members of the K₂NiF₄ family, we first treat the effect of a concentration c of impurities on the uncorrelated electronic states in the coherent potential approximation (CPA). Then we consider the Heisenberg hamiltonian as the large correlation limit of the Hubbard hamiltonian for a single band of impurity-modified electronic states. The correlation effects are treated variationally. The model is solved explicity by using a rectangular density of states, and we obtain the c-dependent exchange J, staggered moment S_q, spin wave velocity and transverse susceptibility at zero temperature. We take into consideration several recently proposed formulae for T_N in the clean limit, and include the impurity effects by exploiting the results obtained, in order to test their predictions against the experimental T_N(c) data for La₂Cu_1−cZn_cO₄. Our results suggest that, to explain the difference between the K₂NiF₄ and the La₂ CuO₄ families, one should consider both the sign and the magnitude of the difference I≡ε^B−ε^A between impurity (B) and host (A) ionic potentials. The slowly decreasing trend of T_N(c) in the K₂NiF₄ family is reproduced if I is negative and sizeable, or positive but very small, while the quick decrease typical of the copper perovskites requires a positive and rather large I. For reasonable values of the interaction parameters, among the several models we compare, only the model of Chakravarty, Halperin and Nelson is able to semi-quantitatively reproduce the non-linear behaviour of T_N(c) reported for La₂Cu_1−cZn_cO₄, provided the spin stiffness is assumed to scale with c as appropriate to Fermi liquids.     

Observations of ω0/2 harmonic emission from 0.35μm laser-irradiated plasmas

Observations of ω₀/2 harmonic emission from both spherical and plane targets irradiated by 0.35 μm, 800 ps laser pulses have been obtained with simultaneous high spectral and temporal resolutions of 16 Å and 20 ps respectively. The ω₀/2 harmonic emission spectrum is interpreted as providing a direct measurement of the frequency of the ω₀/2 plasma waves and hence can be used to estimate the electron temperature.     

Synthesis,Spectroscopic Characterization,Thermogravimetric and Biological Activity Evaluation of Te(Ⅳ),Se(Ⅳ),V(Ⅲ),Nb(Ⅴ),Ta(Ⅴ)Complexes With Indole-3-Acetic Acid Plant Hormone Ligand

Te(Ⅳ), Se(Ⅳ), V(Ⅲ), Nb(Ⅴ) and Ta(Ⅴ) complexes of indole-3-acetic acid (IAAH) ligand were synthesized, characterized by elemental analysis and various spectroscopic techniques like, IR, 1H-NMR, X-ray powder diffraction, UV-Visible, thermogravimetry analysis, magnetic measurements, molar conductance and surface morphology using SEM. All the synthesized complexes of IAAH ligand have 1∶2 stoichiometry of the types [Te(IAA)₂(NH₃)₂]·2Cl (Ⅰ), [Se(IAA)₂(NH₃)₂]·2Cl (Ⅱ), [V(IAA)₂(NH₃)(Cl)] (Ⅲ), [Nb(IAA)₂(Cl)₃] (Ⅳ), and [Ta(IAA)₂(Cl)₃] (Ⅴ). Spectral analysis indicates octahedral geometry for the Te(Ⅳ), Se(Ⅳ) and V(Ⅲ) complexes, whereas both Nb(Ⅴ) and Ta(Ⅴ) have a seven-coordination. The bonding sites are the oxygen atoms of carboxylate group for the deprotonated indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ligand. The thermogravimetry analysis studies gave evidence for the presence of other coordinated molecules (Cl or NH₃) in the composition of IAA complexes, which were further supported by IR and micro analytical measurements. The higher molar conductance data of tellurium and selenium (Ⅳ) complexes reveal that these chelates are electrolytes, while low conductivity values for the vanadium(Ⅲ), niobium and tantalum(Ⅴ) chelates indicated a non-electrolytes. To test the antibacterial property of the five complexes in this study, four bacterial strains Klebsiella (G-), Escherichia coli (G-), Staphylococcus aureus (G+) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (G+) were used in the investigation. The effects of the five complexes in the cytotoxicity of Caco-2 and Mcf-7 human cancer cell lines were studied Neutral red uptake assay for the estimation of cell viability/cytotoxicity protocol.     

Characterization by electrolyte electroreflectance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of amorphous Ni59Nb40Pt1−xSnx alloys and their activation by HF solutions

The influence of chemical etching with HF on the nature of the surface of amorphous Ni₅₉Nb₄₀Pt_1−xSn_x alloys has been studied in situ by electrolyte electroreflectance (EER) and ex situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The EER spectrum of the untreated alloy in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ shows a bipolar band, which disappears after the HF treatment yielding a structureless EER spectrum similar to that of Pt, but reappears after several hours in the 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte. This process of dissolution by HF of an oxide species and its reappearance after a few hours cannot be followed by XPS, since the time interval between sample withdrawal from the electrolyte and actual measurement is of a few hours as well. XPS spectra showed the presence of metallic Nb before and after the HF treatment, and that niobium pentoxide was the main species in the as-quenched alloy, but that after treatment with HF it became a minor component, the main one being NbO. The main effect of the HF treatment is to produce a platinum enrichment of the surface, as unequivocally determined by cyclic voltammetry, XPS and EER. After Ar sputtering for 9 min the XPS spectrum of the untreated alloy showed metallic Nb only, while in the HF-treated alloy the peaks of metallic Nb were swamped by those of NbO and some Nb₂O₅. We interpret this difference as being due to the formation by the HF attack of a porous Nb film which becomes oxidized in the electrolyte and/or during transfer to the spectrometer, and so thick that it is not eliminated by Ar sputtering for 9 min.     

Er~(3+)掺杂Na_5Lu_9F_(32)单晶体的红外光学特性

采用坩埚下降法成功地生长了Er~(3+)离子掺杂的Na_5Lu_9F_(32)(NLF)单晶体。测定了单晶体在400~2 500nm波段的吸收光谱与2.5~25μm红外波段的透过光谱。Na_5Lu_9F_(32)单晶体在400~7 150 nm宽波段范围具有好的光学透过性,在该波段的透过率达到90%。在透过光谱中几乎观察不到2.7μm中红外波段的吸收,说明单晶体中OH~-离子的含量极低。根据测定的吸收光谱,通过Judd-Ofelt理论计算了Er~(3+)在单晶体中的光学强度参数Ω_t(Ω_2=2.08,Ω_4=2.07,Ω_6=0.75),以及相应的辐射跃迁速率、荧光分支比和荧光寿命。根据Futchbauer-Ladenburg公式估算了样品的发射截面大约分别为1.42×10~(-20)cm~2(~4I_(13/2)→~4I_(15/2))和1.66×10~(-20)cm~2(~4I_(11/2)→~4I_(13/2))。在980 nm半导体激光器(LD)激发下,研究了单晶体的近红外1.5μm与中红外2.7μm的发射光谱特性。     

C_9N_4 as excellent dual electrocatalyst: A first principles study

We perform first principles calculations to investigate the catalytic behavior of C_9 N_4 nanosheet for water splitting.For the pristine C_9 N_4,we find that,at different hydrogen coverages,two H atoms adsorbed on the 12-membered ring and one H atom adsorbed on the 9-membered ring show excellent performance of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Tensile strain could improve the catalytic ability of C_9 N_4 and strain can be practically introduced by building C_9 N_4/BiN,and C_9 N_4/GaAs heterojunctions.We demonstrate that the HER performance of heterojunctions is indeed improved compared with that of C_9 N_4 nanosheet.Anchoring transition metal atoms on C_9 N_4 is another strategy to apply strain.It shows that Rh@C_9 N_4 exhibits superior HER property with very low Gibbs free energy change of-30 meV.Under tensile strain within ～2%,Rh@C_9 N_4 could catalyze HER readily.Moreover,the catalyst Rh_9 C_9 N_4 works well for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)with an overpotential of 0.58 V.Our results suggest that Rh@C_9 N_4 is favorable for both HER and OER because of its metallic conductivity,close-zero Gibbs free energy change,and low oneset overpotential.The outstanding performance of C_9 N_4 nanosheet could be attributed to the tunable porous structure and electronic structure compatibility.     

Mechanical anisotropy and electronic properties of X2N2 (XH2 ): first-principles calculations*

The mechanical anisotropy, structural properties, electronic band structures and thermal properties of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are detailed and investigated in this work. The novel silicon nitride phase Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and germanium nitride phase Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) in the Cmc 2₁ structure are proposed in this work. The novel proposed Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are both mechanically and dynamically stable. The electronic band calculation of the HSE06 hybrid functional shows that C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are all wide band gap semiconductor materials, and C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ) and Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) are direct band gap semiconductor materials, while Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) is a quasi-direct band gap semiconductor material, the band gap of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are 5.634 eV, 3.013 eV, and 2.377 eV, respectively. The three-dimensional and plane distributions of Young’s modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) show that these materials have different degrees of mechanical anisotropy. The order of Young’s modulus of Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) in different directions is different from that of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ). When the tensile axis is in a particular direction, the order of the Young’s modulus of Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ): E _[110] <E _[120] <E _[111] <E _[101] <E _[010] =E _[100] <E _[011] <E _[001], and the order of the Young’s modulus of Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ): E _[110] <E _[111] <E _[101] <E _[120] <E _[100] <E _[010] <E _[011] <E _[001] .     

A new layered cuprate superconductor: GaSr2(Y, Ce)2Cu2O9−δ

A new layered cuprate compound with a nominal composition of GaSr₂Y_2−xCe_xCu₂O_9−δ has been prepared. It crystallizes in a tetragonal lattice with cell parameters: a = 3.812 Å, c = 28.16 Å. The structure of the compound belongs to the same family of 1222 phase and is derived from that of GaSr₂LnCu₂O₇ by replacing the single Ln³⁺ layer with a double fluorite (Y, Ce)₂O₂ layer. Like other parent cuprate compounds of superconductors, the as-prepared samples showed antiferromagnetic and semiconducting behavior. After treatment under high oxygen pressure, the samples exhibited bulk superconductivity with transition temperatures between 12–14 K.     

143,145Nd+4f45d6K9/2→(23229.991)o9/2跃迁超精细结构光谱

利用共线快离子束-激光光谱学方法测量了^143,145Nd⁺⁶K_9/2→(23229.991)^o_9/2跃迁的超精细结构光谱,得到了上、下能级的超精细相互作用常数.     

Transition metal anchored on C9N4 as a single-atom catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation: A first-principles study

To alleviate the greenhouse effect and maintain the sustainable development, it is of great significance to find an efficient and low-cost catalyst to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) and generate formic acid (FA). In this work, based on the first-principles calculation, the catalytic performance of a single transition metal (TM) (TM = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, Ir, Pt, Au, or Hg) atom anchored on C₉N₄ monolayer (TM@C₉N₄) for the hydrogenation of CO₂ to FA is calculated. The results show that single TM atom doping in C₉N₄ can form a stable TM@C₉N₄ structure, and Cu@C₉N₄ and Co@C₉N₄ show better catalytic performance in the process of CO₂ hydrogenation to FA (the corresponding maximum energy barriers are 0.41 eV and 0.43 eV, respectively). The partial density of states (PDOS), projected crystal orbital Hamilton population (pCOHP), difference charge density analysis and Bader charge analysis demonstrate that the TM atom plays an important role in the reaction. The strong interaction between the 3d orbitals of the TM atom and the non-bonding orbitals (1π_g) of CO₂ allows the reaction to proceed under mild conditions. In general, our results show that Cu@C₉N₄ and Co@C₉N₄ are a promising single-atom catalyst and can be used as the non-precious metals electrocatalyst for CO₂ hydrogenation to formic acid.     

PbBi2Nb2O9的晶体结构

PbBi₂Nb₂O₉晶体属正交晶系,空间群为D_2h²³-Fmmm。晶胞参数为a=5.4806(7)?,b=5.4791(7)?,c=25.416(3)?,α=β=γ=90.0(0)°,V=763.2(2)?³。单位晶胞内化学式数z=4,D_obs=7.91g/cm³,D_x=8.26g/cm³ 关键词：     

THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ISOSPIN VIOLATING HADRONIC TRANSITIONS Ψ'→Ψ(11P1)+π° AND T"→T(11P1)+π°

The isospin violating processes Ψ'→Ψ(1¹P₁)+π° and T"→T(1¹P₁)+π° are investigated in the framework of the multipole expansion in quantum chromodynamics. Using the rate of Ψ'→Ψ+π° as an input to determine the isospin violating vertex, we obtain the following branching ratios for the processes BR(Ψ'→Ψ(1¹P₁)+π°)～10^-6-10^-5, BR(T"→T(1¹P₁)+π°)～10^-5-10^-3 for M₁1_p1=1/9(5M₁3_p2+3M₁3_p1+M₁3_p0). These are too small to be detected in the present experiments.     

A new family of magnetoelectric materials: A2M4O9(A = Ta, Nb; M = Mn, Co)

The existence of the magnetoelectric (ME) effect in the transition metal niobates and tantalates A₂M₄O₉(A = Ta, Nb; M = Mn, Co) has been confirmed by the observation of the electrically induced magnetic moment in these materials. Both parallel and prependicular ME susceptibilities were measured as a function of temperature in powder specimens. The transition temperatures were found to be 110 ±1 (Nb₂Mn₄O₉), 103 ±1 (Ta₂Mn₄O₉), 27.0 ±0.5 (Nb₂Co₄O₉), and 20.6 ±0.5°K (Ta₂Co₄O₉) from the ME measurements.     

Study on υμ, υγ, Decays and CP Non-Invariance at Early Epoch of the Universe

We study the υ_μ and υ_γ decays in the early epoch of the universe. If m_υγ > 2m_e, there would be a CP asymmetry between υ_γ→e⁺+e^-+υ_e and υ_γ→e⁺+ e^-+ υ_e. The resultant CP non-invariance is a function of temperature and density and can reach l0^-7 for a reasonable temperature range, but it is noticed that if m_υγ > 2υ_μ～200 MeV, the CP non-invariance can be much larger.     

POWDER NEUTRON DIFFRACTION STUDIES OF THE CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC AND MAGNETIC STRUCTURE OF Ho2Fe9Ga8 and Ho2Fe9Ga6AI2

The crystallographic and magnetic structures of Ho₂Fe₉Ga₈ and Ho₂Fe₉Ga₆AI₂ were studied by powder neutron diffraction at room temperature. The atom fractional occupancies of Ga and Al and the magnetic moments of Ho and Fe were obtained by using Rietveld analysis program. The magnetic structures of the two samples show an easy-axis anisotropy, with the Fe magnetic moment being ferrimagneticlly coupled to those of Ho.     

Structural and lithium intercalation studies of Mn(0.5−x)CaxTi2(PO4)3 phases (0≤x≤0.50)

Materials from the Mn_(0.5−x)Ca_xTi₂(PO₄)₃ (0≤x≤0.50) solid solution were obtained by solid-state reaction in air at 1000 °C. Selected compositions were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and electrochemical lithium intercalation. The structure of all samples determined by Rietveld analysis is of the Nasicon type with the R space group. Mn²⁺/Ca²⁺ ions occupy only the M1 sites in the Ti₂(PO₄)₃ framework. The divalent cations are ordered in one of two M1 sites, except for the Mn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ phase, where a small departure from the ideal order is observed by XRD and ³¹P MAS NMR. The electrochemical behaviour of Mn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ and Mn_(0.5−x)Ca_xTi₂(PO₄)₃ phases was characterised in Li cells. Two Li ions can be inserted without altering the Ti₂(PO₄)₃ framework. In the 0≤y≤2 range, the OCV curves of Li//Li_yMn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ cells show two main potential plateaus at 2.90 and 2.50–2.30 V. Comparison between the OCV curves of Li//Li_(1+y)Ti₂(PO₄)₃ and Li//Li_yMn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ shows that the intercalation occurs first in the unoccupied M1 site of Mn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ at 2.90 V and then, for compositions y>0.50, at the M2 site (2.50–2.30 V voltage range). The effect of calcium substitution in Mn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃ on the lithium intercalation is also discussed from a structural and kinetic viewpoint. In all systems, the lithium intercalation is associated with a redistribution of the divalent cation over all M1 sites. In the case of Mn_0.50Ti₂(PO₄)₃, the stability of Mn²⁺ either in an octahedral or tetrahedral environment facilitates cationic migration.