Magnetic Field Dependence of Laser Light Scattering through CBOOA in Nematic Phase

In the nematic phase of homeotropically aligned liquid crystals which have the smectic A phase at lower temperature, interference rings have been observed above some threshold magnetic field H_c which nearly coincides with the ocurrence of Freedericksz transition, only for the light polarized parallel to the direction of magnetic field. This interference ring disappears with increasing magnetic field above second threshold H_s . The origin of these interference rings is explained tentatively by a periodic deformation of bulk directors.

The bend elastic constant of CBOOA estimated from the measurements of the interference ring as a function of temperature, diverges with the critical exponent (0.5 ± 0.02) near the smectic A-nematic transition temperature and agrees well with a recent suggestion of McMillan based on the mean field theory.     

Magnetovolume effects and effect of pressure on the temperature dependence of sublattice magnetization in Ho(Co<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> compounds

The temperature dependence of the magnetic moments of cobalt and holmium ions in the temperature range of 5–300 K at pressures of P = 0 and 5 kbar was determined based on neutron diffraction data on Ho(Co_0.9Ga_0.1)₂ intermetallide. The temperature dependence of the lattice parameter was established, and the spontaneous bulk magnetostriction was determined. These quantities were calculated using the exchange striction model of a ferrimagnet, and good agreement with the experiment was obtained. The parameters of the exchange interaction between pairs of atoms of this compound and the magnetoelastic coupling constant were estimated. An original interpretation of the nature of the first-order magnetic phase transition in HoCo₂ is proposed.     

Elliptic NdCrO3 microplate by a simple one‐step hydrothermal synthesis route and its characterization and magnetic properties

Elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates were synthesized by a simple and facile one‐step hydrothermal method of processing temperature 280 °C for 3 days. The products prepared in this paper have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The magnetic properties of the final sample are also studied. The XRD pattern indicates the pure orthorhombic phase for NdCrO₃ particles, the XPS, XRF and FTIR results further demonstrate the composition and purity of the final product. A possible growth mechanism for elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates is proposed. Through the investigation of magnetic properties, it can be generally concluded that the orthorhombic elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates exhibit typical behaviors of magnetic transition, spin reorientation transition and magnetic exchange bias. The Néel temperature is 218 K and the spin reorientation transition temperature is 46 K. The hysteresis loop under 5 K shows that the value of exchange bias field (H_ex) is 12 Oe and the shift of remanent magnetization (ΔM) is 0.008 emu/g, respectively.     

Anomalous Up-and-Down Variation of Positron Lifetime Near Tc in High-temperature Superconductors

The temperature dependence of the positron lifetimes in the polycrystalline high T_c superconducting Y Ba Cu O and Bi Sr Ca Cu O and the non-superconducting Y Ba Cu O have been investigated by using the position lifetime technique. It is found from the experiments that there is an evident temperature dependence for the two kinds of superconducting samples but no temperature dependence for non-superconducting sample. It is important that the anomalous up-and-down variation of positron lifetime near T_c has been observed in the measured superconducting samples. We suggest that this strange temperature dependence of the positron lifetimes near T_C may result from some changes induced by the phase transition.     

Role of the poly-dispersity and the dipolar interaction in magnetic nanoparticle systems: Monte Carlo study

In this paper, roles of the poly-dispersity and the dipolar interaction in frozen ferrofluid are studied by Monte Carlo method. A sample containing the uniaxial anisotropy and the random orientation is used to investigate. The temperature dependence of the coercivity is calculated to consider the magnetic phase transition under the influence of the dipolar interaction. We show that in the poly-dispersity and interacting sample, the temperature dependence of coercive field does not follow the classical expression, H_C/H_A = 0.48[1 − (T/T_B)^½]. We find that the transition temperature, which separates the anti-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states of strongly interacting sample, is not unique and it strongly depends on the variation of concentration. We also discuss about the concentration dependence of the coercivity at the different size distributions. At the finite temperature, the curve expresses a cusp which is due to the competition between the blocking and super-paramagnetic state at the low concentration. Therefore, we can see that the poly-dispersity also contributes to the complexity of magnetic phase of frozen ferrofluids.     

Magnetic properties of disordered oxides with iron and manganese ions

Magnetic properties of disordered oxides involving oxide glasses have been investigated. Spin glass-like transition is observed for Fe₂O₃–TeO₂ and MnO–TeO₂ glasses in temperature dependence of dc susceptibility, although magnetic transition does not take place for MnO–TeO₂ glasses with low concentration of manganese ion above 2 K at least. The mechanism of magnetic transition observed for Fe₂O₃–TeO₂ glasses is discussed on the basis of dc susceptibility obtained under conditions of field cooling and zero field cooling, magnetic field dependence of magnetization at low temperatures, and frequency dependence of spin-freezing temperature derived from temperature dependence of ac susceptibility. Magnetic properties of disordered ZnFe₂O₄ thin film prepared by a radio frequency sputtering method have been also studied. The disordered ZnFe₂O₄ thin film exhibits ferrimagnetic behavior with high magnetization even at room temperature. At the same time, the thin film shows spin-freezing at around 320 K. Temperature dependence of nonlinear susceptibility leads to a conclusion that this transition is explainable in terms of superparamagnetism with magnetic interaction among clusters.     

Magnetic, magnetocaloric, and lattice properties of the La(Fe x Si1 − x )13 ferromagnets

The magnetic and lattice properties of a sample of La(Fe_0.86Si_0.14)₁₃ ferromagnet have been measured. The influence that neutron irradiation has on the physical properties of this ferromagnet is studied. It is shown that the irradiation of this sample by a fluence of 3 × 10¹⁹ n/cm² increases the lattice constant a and the Curie temperature (T _C ) as the volume magnetostriction decreases. A model of ferromagnet is proposed which satisfactorily describes the dependence a(T) of the initial and irradiated samples and their magnetic properties. The temperature dependence of the change in entropy when switching the magnetic field on and off is calculated. It is established that the change in both the magnetic and lattice parts of the total entropy at the magnetic phase transition must be taken into account for La(Fe _x Si_{1 ? x} )₁₃ compounds.     

Growth,composition, ferroelectric and magnetic properties of new multiferroic Pb3.3Mn4.8Ni1.1Ti0.56O15.3 single crystals

Multiferroic single crystals in the novel system Pb‐Mn‐Ni‐Ti‐O have been grown by the high temperature solution growth method. At room temperature the crystals are indexed in the hexagonal space group P6₃cm. The dielectric and magnetic properties along with the temperature dependence of the c‐lattice parameter have been studied in the temperature range 2 K ‐ 500 К. The magnetic measurements reveal a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition around 48 K. The dielectric permittivity exhibits a maximum at 430 K, indicating ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition. The temperature dependent Raman and XRD measurements around 430 K reveal an anomaly and abrupt change of the lattice parameter along the z‐axis respectively, thus confirming the ferroelectric‐to‐paraelectric phase transition.     

Structural phase transition in crystals of the molecular conductor α′-(BDH-TTP)<Subscript>6</Subscript>[Hg(SCN)<Subscript>3</Subscript>][Hg(SCN)<Subscript>4</Subscript>]

Single crystals of the organic conductor α′-(BDH-TTP)₆[Hg(SCN)₃][Hg(SCN)₄] are studied by low-temperature X-ray diffraction at 100–300 K. It is shown that, in the temperature range 250–200 K, the compound undergoes a phase transition, which is accompanied by the appearance of superstructure reflections and a rapid increase in their intensity due to the partial anion and cation ordering. The superstructure is observed down to a temperature of 100 K, at which the set of diffraction data is collected. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistance exhibits a minimum in the range of the structural transition temperature. Under a pressure of up to 10 kbar, the general behavior of the dependence remains unchanged and only the minimum is shifted toward the low-temperature range. The phase transition is completely reversible.     

Dielectric constant,loss factor and ac conductivity of Ni2+‐doped K2ZnCl4 crystals in the ferroelectric‐commensurate,incommensurate and normal phases

The dielectric constant (ϵ), dielectric loss (tanδ) and ac conductivity (σ_ac) of virgin and thermally cycled undoped and Ni²⁺‐doped K₂ZnCl₄ (KZC) crystals in the ferroelectric‐commensurate (FC), incommensurate (IC) and normal phases (N) have been studied. Anomalous behaviour at the two‐phase transition points was observed while measuring ϵ along the polar a‐axis for the undoped sample. With increasing Ni²⁺concentration a systematic shift of the phase transition temperature towards lower values and a continuous inhibition of the peak height were detected. ϵ changed linearly with lnf up to f =10⁵ Hz. tanδ along the a‐axis declared the phase transitions by peak changes. After Ni²⁺‐doping this behaviour was preserved at the FC‐IC phase transition point while the IC‐N phase transition was manifested by a change in the slope of the straight line representing the tanδ‐T dependence. The ac conductivity changed lineally with frequency according to a relation of the form σ_ac = σ_o f ^β where 0>β>1.9. σ_ac increased monotonically with increasing temperature and doping concentration in the low‐temperature phases tending to merge in one straight‐line with high activation energy that might be due to superionic dc conduction in the high temperature N‐phase. Doping with Ni²⁺ pinned stripples, decreased the soliton‐soliton interaction, weakened discommensuration effects, shortened the IC‐phase and strongly affected the ‘chaotic' behaviour at the T_C‐IC. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Dielectric Anomaly Near the Transition from the Smectic A* to Smectic C* Phase and Visco-Elastic Properties of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

A pyro-electric technique is developed which allows the measurement of the dielectric response near the A*-C* phase transition in ferroelectric liquid crystals. The temperature dependence of the elastic modulus K _θ(T) corresponding to the molecular tilt in smectic layers is calculated from the experimental data. Direct pyro-electric measurements of the relaxation time for the spontaneous polarization P _s and the data on K _θ(T) allow us to calculate the temperature behaviour of the twist-viscosity γ₁(T) for the smectic C* phase. The curves γ₁(T) are compared for the smectic C* and the nematic phase of the same compound and the dependence of the twist viscosity on the molecular tilt angle in the C* phase is investigated. The results of the dielectic measurements are discussed in terms of the mean-field approximation.     

Thermoelastische und elastische Eigenschaften des tetragonalen Quecksilberdijodids

All elastic constants c_ij and thermoelastic constants T_ij = d log c_ij/dT (T temperature) of tetragonal HgI₂ have been measured by ultrasonic methods on single crystals which had been grown from the vapour phase by the method of dynamical gradient reversal. HgI₂ exhibits strong anisotropic elastic properties which are qualitatively explained by structural details. The temperature dependence of the elastic constants is smaller than expected. Only the very small shear constant c₆₆ is strongly decreasing with increasing temperature. This behaviour might be seen in connection with the known phase transition at about 126°C.     

Optical absorption spectra and related parameters of ammonium zinc chloride crystal in the antiferroelectric and commensurate phases

Optical absorption along the three crystallographic axes of (NH₄)₂ZnCl₄ single crystals is reported over a temperature range from 276 K to 350 K. Our results clearly confirm the antiferroelectric to commensurate phase transition at 319 K. Analysis reveals that at the absorption edge the type of transition is the indirect allowed one. The indirect band gaps at various temperatures are determined and their temperature dependence is estimated in the antiferroelectric and commensurate phases. Optical parameters related to the temperature dependence of the energy gap are evaluated. The single‐effective oscillator model was used to describe the imaginary part of the dielectric constant, which facilitate calculation of the dipole moment parameters. The steepness parameter is given, its value is used to estimate the temperature dependence of the indirect energy gap and the result is compared with that calculated graphically. In the region of the absorption edge, the absorption coefficient obeys Urbach's rule. Urbach characteristic parameters are determined and their temperature dependence is investigated. Correlation between different parameters is considered. Most of the results confirm the optical isotropic nature of AZC crystals. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of structural ordering on ion transport in BiO<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>F<Subscript>2.0</Subscript> bismuth oxyfluoride

The influence of structural defect ordering on ionic conductivity (σ) in the cubic (fluorite) modification of BiO_0.5F_2.0 oxyfluoride has been investigated. Upon cooling, the disordered fluorite BiO_0.5F_2.0 phase undergoes a reversible transition to an ordered form. This transition manifests itself as a jump in the temperature dependence σ(T) near 583 ± 6 K. The ordering of structural defects deteriorates the characteristics of ion transport in BiO_0.5F_2.0. At 500 K, the σ value for the ordered phase is 1 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm, whereas an extrapolation to this temperature for the disordered phase gives σ = 4 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm.     

Liquid crystalline phase transition studies in N(p-n-butoxybenzylidene) p-n decylaniline, 40.10

The synthesis, characterization and the temperature dependence of density and ultrasonic velocity of N(p-n-Butoxybenzylidene) p-n-decylaniline, 40.10 are presented. The compound exhibits as trivariant liquid crystalline mesomorphism Viz., NAB the Isotropic – Nematic, and Smectic A – Smectic B phase transitions are found to be first order. However, the interesting Nematic Smectic A (NA) transition shows a second order nature. The NA transition results are discussed in the light of the available data on other nO.m compounds. The computed molecular parameters: adiabatic compressibility (β_ad) molar sound velocity (R_n) and molar compressibility (A_w) are presented.     

Crystal growth,dielectric and FIR reflectivity studies on PZN(0.91)‐PT(0.09) single crystals

Crystal growth of PZN‐PT single crystals using slow cooling flux technique with PbO flux is reported in this communication. Optimum growth conditions to maximize the amount of perovskite are also suggested. The grown crystals are characterized by dielectric and FIR spectroscopy. Temperature dependence of ε′ very close to the transition temperature shows a first order phase transition. Diffused phase transition and strong frequency dependence of ε′ around transition temperature are also observed. The real part of ε′ was found to obey the relation ε′ – ε_∞ = χ′(T‐T_o)². Dispersion in the ferroelectric phase is suggested to originate from ordering of domains. Competition in the B‐site occupancy by Zn, Nb and Ti ions is suggested to be the origin for the additional modes in the FIR reflectivity at room temperature. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Grain boundary faceting-roughening in Zn

The change in the grain-boundary (GB) shape with an increase in temperature near the GB faceting-roughening phase transition has been studied. The GB facet length decreases with an increase in temperature to complete facet disappearance. The facet orientation is determined by the constrained coincidence site lattice (CCSL). Facets are located along close-packed CCSL planes. Above the roughening temperature T _R, the tangents to the faceted and rough GB portions at the point of emergence of the first-order ridge are located along the close-packed CCSL planes (as facets below T _R). The faceting-roughening phase transition is reversible. The presence of temperature hysteresis is indicative of first-order phase transition.     

Concentration Magnetic Phase Transitions in the (La1−xCaxMnO3 System

Comprehensive investigations into crystal structures, electrical and magnetic properties of the (La_1−xCa_x)MnO₃ (x = 0 ÷ 0.6) solid solutions are performed. Two concentration magnetic phase transitions are found: antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic with x = 0.14 and ferromagnetic (T_c = 150 K) - ferromagnetic (T_c = 260 K) at f = 0.2. It is shown that the first of them is due to the crystal structure O′ O orthorhombic transition, the second - to the increase of ferromagnetic interaction at the expense of additional interaction through conduction electrons. A diagram of the magnetic states for (La_1−xCa_x)MnO₃ at x = 0 / 0.6 is given.     

On the Phase Transition Behaviour of Binary Systems: Various Non-Nematic Solutes in Nematic Solvent (EBBA)

Phase transition behaviour of the systems of EBBA with methyl alcohol (MeOH), 1.2-dibromo-ethylene (DBE), o-xylene, m-xylene, and p-xylene has been studied. The phase diagrams for each system have been determined by the polarizing microscope. The slopes, β_n and B_i, of the nematic and the isotropic phase boundary lines in each system have been qualitatively described by the molecular field treatment proposed by Humphries. The order parameters for both cis-and trans-DBE in EBBA have been obtained from analyses of ¹H-NMR spectra. In the nematic phase, they decrease with increase in temperature. In the nematic/isotropic coexisting phase (N/I phase), the order parameter for CIS-DBE is almost independent of temperature. The proton spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁) in the MeOH/EBBA system have been measured by a pulse NM R technique. Little temperature dependence of T¹ has been found in the N/1 phase region.c     

On temperature dependence of Debye-Waller factor in V3Si in the temperature range from 8 to 293 K

The temperature dependence of the Debye-Waller factors of vanadium and silicon in V₃Si and that of the X-ray Debye temperature are obtained from the integral intensities of X-ray reflection measured at 11 temperatures ranging from 8 K to 293 K. It shown that the breaks on these curves are observed at T_br = 21.7 K. This fact allows to assume that the phase transition in this compound is accompanied by the rapid change of the atomic vibration frequencies.