Nuclear Spin–Lattice Relaxation of Single Crystal Sr14Cu24O41

Nuclear spin–lattice relaxation rate T ₁ ⁻¹ has been measured for the ladder sites of two single crystals Sr₁₄Cu₂₄O₄₁ (Sr14-A,B) by ⁶³Cu NMR/NQR. The hole localization around 100 K appears as a peak in the T variation of T ₁ ⁻¹(NQR). On the other hand, it is suppressed in the T ₁ ⁻¹ (NMR) data under the magnetic field H ∼ 11 T, and a new peak appears around 20 K. T ₁ ⁻¹(NMR) around the peak is more enlarged for Sr14-B than for Sr14-A. Hence, holes on the ladders of Sr14-B tend to be more localized. This is considered to be an origin for the occurrence of the magnetic order in Sr14-B under H ∼ 11 T.     

Muon/Muonium in an Isotopically Pure 13C Diamond

A preliminary study of the diamagnetic (μ_d) and the paramagnetic (Mu _T ) states in a synthetic ¹³C diamond has been performed using the Transverse Field Muon Spin Rotation method. This system could be used to verify the quantum diffusion behaviour observed before, however, with a more reliable extraction of the hopping rate. The results were obtained in an applied magnetic field of 7.5 mT and at sample temperatures of 10 K, 100 K and 200 K. The prompt fraction, f, of the μ_d state remains constant at 22(5)% in the range 10–200 K; that of the Mu _T state increases from 53(10)% at 10 K to 78(10)% at 200 K. The fractions of the two states add to 100% at 200 K, suggesting non-population of the bond-centred state, Mu_BC, which is often observed in other diamond samples. The μ_d state has a spin relaxation rate of 0.20(5) μs⁻¹, in contrast to the zero value obtained in type II diamond samples. This indicates appreciable interaction of the μ_d state with the ¹³C atoms. The Mu _T state has a large spin relaxation rate ranging from 3.0(5) μs⁻¹ at 10 K to 7.0(5) μs⁻¹ at 200 K, consistent with values obtained in diamond samples with defects. This work is part of ongoing studies of muon/muonium-defect interactions in diamonds. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

PAC study on111Cd in antiferromagnetic CuO

400 keV¹¹¹In⁺ ions were implanted into CuO powder. After annealing at 570 K, more than 50% of the implants were found on substitutional sites in the monoclinic CuO lattice. PAC-spectra taken below the Néel temperatureT _N≈230 K revealed a broadening of the quadrupole spectrum and additional satellite frequencies caused by combined electric and magnetic hyperfine interaction. Assuming that the orientation of the electric field gradient is given by the point charge model and taking the 〈010〉 direction of the supertransferred fieldB _tr in CuO from neutron diffraction, we find a Larmor frequency of ω_L≈40 MHz corresponding toB _tr≈2.7 T at 60 K. Supported in part by BMFT under contract FK213N54930.     

Na and H NMR Microimaging of Intact Plants

²³Na NMR microimaging is described to map, for the first time, the sodium distribution in living plants. As an example, the response of 6-day-old seedlings of Ricinus communis to exposure to sodium chloride concentrations from 5 to 300 mM was observed in vivo using ²³Na as well as ¹H NMR microimaging. Experiments were performed at 11.75 T with a double resonant ²³Na–¹H probehead. The probehead was homebuilt and equipped with a climate chamber. T₁ and T₂ of ²³Na were measured in the cross section of the hypocotyl. Within 85 min ²³Na images with an in-plane resolution of 156 × 156 μm were acquired. With this spatial information, the different types of tissue in the hypocotyl can be discerned. The measurement time appears to be short compared to the time scale of sodium uptake and accumulation in the plant so that the kinetics of salt stress can be followed. In conclusion, ²³Na NMR microimaging promises great potential for physiological studies of the consequences of salt stress on the macroscopic level and thus may become a unique tool for characterizing plants with respect to salt tolerance and salt sensitivity.     

Calculation of 7Li MAS NMR chemical shift in La4/3−yLi3yTi2O6

The chemical shifts of ⁷Li MAS nuclear magnetic resonance spectra in La_4/3−yLi_3yTi₂O₆ (LLTO) showed negative values and decreased with increasing lithium concentration. The chemical shifts were interpreted by Pople’s theory in which the ⁷Li chemical shifts were due to the local paramagnetic currents of the closest oxygen ions. Lattice parameters and coordination of oxygen were obtained by Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data. The gross population and electron excitation energy were calculated by DV-Xα method.     

Metal-insulator transition in electron-doped Ba1−x La x MnO3 compounds

Electron-doped (Ba_1−x La _x )MnO₃ compounds were prepared for x=0−0.5. Measurements of X-ray diffraction (XRD) at room temperature and temperature variation of dc electrical resistivity down to 20 K were carried out. Samples with x=0.2–0.5 exhibit metal-insulator (M-I) transition. The maximum M-I transition temperature (T _c) of 289 K was observed for 30% of La doping (x=0.3). XRD patterns of these samples (x=0.2−0.5) were analyzed using Rietveld refinement. These samples are found to be mostly in single-phase form with orthorhombic symmetry (space group Pbnm). We have found strong correlation between Mn-O-Mn bond angles and T _c of M-I transition. The resistivity data below T _c could be fitted to the expression ρ=ρ ₁+ρ ₂ T ² and this shows that double exchange interaction plays a major role even in Mn⁴⁺-rich compound. Above T _c the resistivity data were fitted to variable range hopping and small polaron models.     

Critical current in silver clad Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting wires

Silver clad wires of highT _c superconductor Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7−x have been fabricated through the powder metallurgy technique. The reacted wires show a midpointT _c of 84K. A critical current density of 26·4 A cm⁻² (77K, 0T) is obtained in these wires. The wires, however, turn complete normal only at a current density of 280 A cm⁻². The reasons for low critical current density obtained in these wires are discussed.     

Lithium superionic conductors Li3InBr6 and LiInBr4 studied by 7Li, 115In NMR

Li₃InBr₆ undergoes a phase transition to a superionic phase at 314 K associated with a steep increase of the conductivity (σ = 4 × 10^− 3 Scm^− 1 at 330 K). This superionic phase is isomorphous with Li₃InCl₆ in which a positional disorder at the In³⁺ site is introduced. A pseudo cubic-close-packing of the bromide ions is formed in this phase. On the other hand, a new superionic phase of LiInBr₄ was found above ca 315 K and its structure was confirmed to be a defect spinel. The dynamic properties of the cations in these two superionic phases were investigated by ⁷Li and ¹¹⁵In NMR spectroscopy.     

Infrared spectra of BeSO4.4H2O and its deuterated analogue in 4000–1200 cm−1 region

IR spectra of BeSO₄.4H₂O and its deuterated analogue at ∼300 K and ∼110 K are reported in the region 4000–1200 cm⁻¹ using thin film and nujol mull techniques. The observed bands have been assigned as the internal modes of the water and the overtones and combinations of various modes using the recently revised assignments of SO₄ ²⁻ and Be(aq)₄ fundamentals in the region 1200–250 cm⁻¹ (Srivastavaet al 1976). The splitting of the internal modes of water has been discussed in the light of the effects of deuteration and cooling and it is shown that all the water molecules in a unit cell are asymmetric but crystallographically equivalent.     

Non-steady-state photo-EMF in nanostructured GaN and polypyrrole within porous matrices

We report an experimental investigation of the non-steady-state photoelectromotive force in nanostructured GaN within porous glass and polypyrrole within chrysotile asbestos. The samples are illuminated by an oscillating interference pattern created by two coherent light beams and the alternating current is detected as a response of the material. Dependences of the signal amplitude versus temporal and spatial frequencies, light intensity, and temperature are studied for two wavelengths λ=442 and 532 nm. The conductivity of the GaN composite is measured: σ=(1.1–1.6)×10⁻¹⁰ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ (λ=442 nm, I ₀=0.045–0.19 W/cm², T=293 K) and σ=(3.5–4.6)×10⁻¹⁰ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ (λ=532 nm, I ₀=2.3 W/cm², T=249–388 K). The diffusion length of photocarriers in polypyrrole nanowires is also estimated: L _D=0.18 μm.     

Dielectric and conduction mechanism studies of PVA-orthophosphoric acid polymer electrolyte

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based proton conducting polymer electrolytes have been prepared by the solution cast technique. The conductivity is observed to increase from 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ as a result of orthophosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) addition. The plot of conductivity vs temperature shows that a phase transition occurred at 343 K in the sample PVA-33 wt% H₃PO₄. The β-relaxation peak is observed at 313 K. The glass transition temperature of PVA-33 wt% H₃PO₄ is 343 K. Orthophosphoric acid seems to play a dual role, i.e., as a proton source and as a plasticizer. The ac conductivity σ _ac = Aω ^s was also calculated in the temperature range from 303 to 353 K. The conduction mechanism was inferred by plotting the graph of s vs T from which the conduction mechanism for sample PVA-17 wt% H₃PO₄ was inferred to occur by way of the overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) model and the conduction mechanism for the sample PVA-33 wt% H₃PO₄ by way of the correlated barrier height (CBH) model.     

Mass-spectrometric analysis of diffusion and solubility of helium in cerium-gadolinium ceramics with a submicrocrystalline structure

Diffusion and solubility of helium in Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_{1.9 − δ} ceramics (δ = 0, 0.015) with a submicrocrystal structure are studied by thermodesorption of helium from preliminarily saturated (in the gas phase) crystals at temperatures of 613 and 673 K in the saturated pressure range 0–21 MPa. It is shown that, in this ceramics (δ = 0), the defect-trap diffusion mechanism operates. The main positions for dissolution are neutral anion vacancies formed as a result of thermal dissociation of impurity-vacancy complexes and saturated up to ∼1 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ at P = 6 MPa and T = 673 K. The dissociation energy of the complex and the energy of helium dissolution in the neutral anion vacancy are estimated at ∼2 eV and below −0.3 eV, respectively.     

The transition width and critical current density measurements on slow-cooled YBa2Cu3O7−x superconductor

It is shown that by adopting a very gradual programmed cooling procedure in oxygen environment one can obtain a sharp transition (ΔT _c⋍1 K) in YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x while retaining the high-T _c value (⋍105 K) of samples prepared by a semi-wet route. This is attributed to a maximum occupancy of oxygen at 0 1/2 0 sites and a near-perfect ordering of vacancies at 1/2 0 0 sites in the orthorhombic unit cell which maximizes the availability of conduction paths in the form of continuous CuO₄ chains. Critical current densities (J _c) of 204 A cm⁻² are obtained for bulk samples at 77 K. It is suggested that the intergrain coupling is weak and thus limits the transportJ _c-values.     

Al and Cu NMR study in UCu5Al

We have studied the microscopic properties of the tetragonal UCu₅Al Kondo compound by ²⁷Al and ^63,65Cu NMR in the paramagnetic state. NMR and susceptibility measurements performed on the powdered sample, but oriented along the applied field, showed χ>χ. Plots of K(T) against χ(T) at temperatures T≥100 K yield the transferred hyperfine fields of +5.9 kOe/μ_B for ²⁷Al nuclei, and +5.3 and −7.0 kOe/μ_B for ⁶⁵Cu nuclei in crystallographically inequivalent Cu(2) and Cu(1) sites, respectively. The Knight shift vs. susceptibility plots for T<100 K exhibit a deviation from the linear behaviour (absolute values of shifts become smaller than expected). We attribute this finding to the crystalline electric field effect in similar way as it was reported for several Ce-based compounds. The random distribution of the Al and Cu(2) atoms in the crystal lattice we consider as a reason of an unusual broadening of the NMR spectra, particularly at low temperatures.     

Infrared spectra of BeSO4.4H2O and its deuterated analogue at 110K in 1200–250 cm−1 region

IR absorption spectra of BeSO₄.4H₂O and its deuterated analogue are reported in the region 1200–250 cm⁻¹ at 110 K. The half-widths and relative integrated intensities of the bands are also reported. The study largely confirms the assignments for thev ₃ andv ₄ modes of SO ₄ ²⁻ ion and thev ₃ mode of Be(aq) ₄ ²⁺ , complex as made by Diemet al. The assignments of the other modes of SO ₄ ²⁻ and Be(aq) ₄ ²⁺ , and the librational modes of water are given a more solid footing as result of the present investigation.     

The study of lithium fast ion conductors of Li3xLa0.67−xScyTi1−2yNbyO3 system

Perovskite-type lithium fast ion conductors of Li_3xLa_0.67−xSc_yTi_1−2yNb_yO₃ system were prepared by solid state reaction. X-Ray powder diffraction shows that perovskite solid solution form in the ranges of x=0.10, y≤0.10. AC impedance measurements indicate that the bulk conductivities and the total conductivities are of the order of 10⁻⁴ S·cm⁻¹ and 10⁻⁵ S·cm⁻¹ at 25 °C respectively. The compositions have low bulk activation energies of about 17 kJ/mol in the temperature ranges of 298 – 523 K and total activation energies of about 37 kJ/mol in the temperature ranges of 298 – 523 K.     

Thermo-optic coefficients of monoclinic KLu(WO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The three thermo-optic coefficients of the biaxial laser host KLu(WO₄)₂ are measured at 633 nm by a deflection method. Their values at 300 K amount to ∂ n _g /∂ T=−7.4×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹; ∂ n _m /∂ T=−1.6×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ and ∂ n _p /∂ T=−10.8×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. Nearly athermal propagation directions are found for polarizations along the N _m and N _p dielectric axes.     

Infrared absorption spectra of pure and doped YAl<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystals

Several weak absorption bands have been observed in the optical absorption spectra of pure and rare-earth-doped YAl₃(BO₃)₄ single crystals in the 3350– 3650 cm⁻¹ wave number region. Two of them, peaking at about 3377 cm⁻¹ and 3580 cm⁻¹ in the 8 K spectra, appear in most of the samples. They are tentatively attributed to the stretching mode of OH⁻ ions incorporated in the crystal during the growth. An additional absorption band at about 5250 cm⁻¹ at 8 K has also been detected in almost all samples. The temperature and polarization dependences of these bands, and their possible origin, are discussed.     

XRD, conductivity and FTIR studies on LiI-Li2WO4-Li3PO4 prepared by low temperature sintering

Different amounts of Li₃PO₄ were mixed to a fixed ratio of LiI:Li₂WO₄, ground and pelletised before subjected to sintering at 70°C for 7 days. XRD shows that the product formed after sintering process is most likely Li₆P₄W₈O₃₂ due to peaks present at 10.6°, 22.4°, 24.0°, 24.4, 26.2°, 32.4° and 34.0°. Conductivity studies show that the sample with 25 wt.% Li₃PO₄ exhibits the highest room temperature conductivity of 3.42×10⁻³ Scm⁻¹. Conductivity is expected to occur through channel-like structures which could have formed due to corner or edge sharing of polyhedra. FTIR studies have shown the existence of WO₄ tetrahedra and WO₆ octahedral at 850 cm⁻¹ and 952 cm⁻¹, and phosphate tetrahedral at 564 cm⁻¹, 700 cm⁻¹, 890 cm⁻¹ and 1030 cm⁻¹.     

The temperature and light intensity dependence of photorefraction in LiNbO3

In the paper the dependence of the photorefraction (PhR) in LiNbO₃ and LiNbO₃−Fe (0.1 wt%, 0.3wt%) crystals on light intensity (within 10¹⁶–10²³ quanta·cm⁻²·s⁻¹ at wavelengths 496.5 nm and 600 nm) and temperature (in the region 100–500 K) is studied. For all the crystals the limiting values of PhR are similar and atT=293 K Δn _sat ^lim ≈3·10⁻³. In LiNbO₃ the temperature dependence of PhR in the range 100–500 K requires to take into account at least two trapping centres.