A Study of the Thermal Hysteresis in AgNO3

The reversible phase transformation of AgNO₃ is studied. Dielectric constant, d.c. resistivity, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and dilatometric measurements show the occurrence of a reversible phase transition II→I at 160°C with heat of transformation H = 0.78 kcal/mol. The thermal hysteresis in this reversible transformation is examined, the magnitude of the temperature hysteresis does not exceed 12°C. An acceptable agreement is observed between the measured values of the transition temperature obtained by three different experimental techniques. The dilatometric analysis shows that this transition is accompanied by thermal shrinkage with relative shrinkage coefficient 8 × 10^?4. Thermal analysis are also used to get thermodynamic and kinetic data of this phase transition. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant and d.c. resistivity for single crystals as well as polycrystalline samples of AgNO₃ have clearly located and confirm the phase transitions II→I→II with a strong support to its thermal hysteresis character. The conduction mechanism is found to be activated by energy 0.12 eV for phase I and 0.36 eV for phase II. The observed thermal behaviour of the various measured parameters is attributed to orientational disorder of the nitrate group leading to an order-disorder phase transition which is reported here for first time in AgNO₃.     

Theory for photoinduced structural phase transitions

A general concept for photoinduced structural phase transitions is developed in terms of the hidden multistability of the ground state and the proliferations of optically excited states. Taking the ionic→neutral (I - N) phase transition in the organic charge transfer crystal, TTF—CA, as a typical example for this type of transition, we, at first, theoretically show an adiabatic path of this transition, which starts from a single charge transfer exciton in the ionic phase, but finally reaches a neutral domain with a macroscopic size. In connection with this I—N transition, the concept of the initial condition sensitivity is also developed so as to clarify experimentally observed nonlinear characteristics of this material. In the next, using a more simplified model for the many-exciton system, we theoretically study the early time quantum dynamics of the exciton proliferation, which finally results in the domain formation of a large number of ex-citons. For this purpose, we derive a stepwise iterative equation to describe the exciton proliferation, and clarify the origin of the initial condition sensitivity.     

Effect of high pressure on polymorphic phase transition and electronic structure of XAs (X=Al,Ga, In)

The structural and electronic properties of XAs (X = Al, Ga, In) under pressure have been investigated using ab-initio pseudo-potential approach within local density approximation in B3→B1→B2 phases. The values of phase transition pressures show reasonably good agreement with the experimental data and better than others. The B1→B2 phase transition in InAs is not seen. The volume collapse computed from equation of state (EOS) is found to be in good agreement with the experimental values. Under ambient conditions, the energy of B3 phase is lowest as compared to other phases, while at high pressures beyond B1→B2 phase transition, the energy of B2 phase is found to be lower than that of B1 phase showing correct stability of the phases. There is relatively smaller enthalpy associated with B3→B1 transition as compared to B3→B2 transition. The electronic structures have also been computed at different pressures. We have also reported the effect of pressure on energy gap and valence band width.     

Structural transition of FeSe under high pressure

The density functional calculations of the energy band structure and density of state for the tetragonal PbO-type phase α-FeSe and hexagonal NiAs-type phase β-FeSe are reported in this paper. The structural phase transition from tetragonal to hexagonal FeSe under high pressure is investigated, it is found that the calculated transition pressure for the α → β phase transformation is 8.5 GPa. Some fluctuations in the transition pressure maybe occurred by different external factors such as temperature and stress condition. There is about 17% volume collapse accompanying the α → β phase transformation.     

Fe基α相合金的冲击相变及其对层裂行为的影响研究

利用正向加载和逆向加载相结合的实验方法,实验研究了从低压到高压三种不同压力范围内Fe基α相合金(Fe-85.03wt%,Mn-7.63wt%,Ni-7.01wt%,Al-0.3wt%)的冲击相变和卸载逆相变历程及对应加载状态的层裂行为特征.给出了Fe基α相合金含冲击相变和卸载逆相变的加卸载Hugoniot线,发现冲击相变阈值、逆相变阈值和冲击加载压力共同决定其冲击加卸载历程,冲击相变强烈影响其层裂行为,导致样品发生了"异常"层裂.利用获得的冲击加卸载历程从应力波相互作用的角度解 关键词： α相合金')" href="#">Fe基α相合金 相变 逆相变 层裂     

Pressure,temperature and light influence on spin transition solids

Abstract

Present paper is an overview of our efforts during the past few years to understand complicated corelations of physical phenomena related to pressure in Fe(I1) solid state spin transition systems. Some principal results concerning p, T, λ-experiments are extracted. In the context of correlation of the crystallographic phase transition with simultaneous HS → LS relaxation and LS → HS photopopulation, we show the latest results: Brillouin and magnetic measurements on the crystal [Fe(pt₆](BF₆)₂.     

Phase Transitions in Isotactic Polybutene-1

The possibilities to influence the 4 major phase transitions of isotactic polybutene – 1 (iPB-1) and their transformation rate are described. The phase transformations result in new polymer structures with new physical and, in some cases, practically important properties. The transformation of phase II to I is spontaneous contrary to the phase transformation of III to I or II, which depends on the temperature (96?°C or higher). For the practically most important phase transition, II → I, there are 3 major transformation types (plus (P), neutral (N) and minus (M)) depending on the phase transition rate.     

Raman study of thaumasite Ca3Si(OH)6(SO4)(CO3)⋅12H2O at high pressure

Thaumasite, Ca₃Si(OH)₆(SO₄)(CO₃)⋅12H₂O, is an extraordinary mineral that possibly plays a special role in the carbonate–sulfate–silicate balance of the Earth's crust. Thaumasite, an undesirable component in concrete, remains a material poorly studied at high pressures in various media except for He medium (M. Ardit et al., Mineral. Mag., 2014). In the present Raman study, thaumasite samples were compressed in alcohol–water and KBr media at high pressures up to ~7 GPa: several phase transformations were identified. In samples compressed in alcohol–water, the wavenumbers of intense Raman bands of S O and С О symmetric stretching vibrations at 991 and 1074 cm⁻¹ proved to exhibit similar dependences on pressure: during a first transition I → II at 4.4 GPa, the wavenumbers of both bands exhibited a downward jump; at a second transition II → III, which occurred at 4.9 GPa, each band split in a doublet; and then, at a third transition III → IV, which was observed at 5.4 GPa, each doublet band transformed in a singlet. In KBr medium, these and other Raman bands of thaumasite showed similar (to those in thaumasite at compression in alcohol–water) dependences on pressure, revealing several phase transitions with slightly shifted transition points, the first transition I → II, however, being not distinguished. Taking into account the similar behaviors in both media, the transitions are assumed to be polymorphic: no noticeable overhydration in thaumasite compressed in water–alcohol occurred. In phase IV, gradual widening and weakening of each band were observed; those changes can be attributed to amorphization of the material. Considerable hysteresis was observed at thaumasite decompression. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase diagram of GaAs

Abstract

Optical measurements in the diamond anvil cell (DAC) as well as thermodynamics, show cubic GaAs I to be unstable at 300 K, at 13 GPa. The thermodynamic phase line from GaAs I to the high pressure (H.P.) form(s) is at 11 ± 2 GPa. Large hyteresis makes the actual I→II transition observable only at 17.5 ± 1 GPa.     

14N NMR in NH4I and NH4Br

¹⁴N magnetic resonance data show that the α → β transition in NH₄I is connected with a discontinuous change in the ¹⁴N chemical shift, Δδ = 20.5 ppm, whereas the order-disorder type β(O_h) → γ(D_4h) transition is accompanied by a small quadropole splitting of the ¹⁴N spectrum. A quadrupole splitting of the ¹⁴N line was as well found in the tetragonal “antiferromagnetically” ordered γ-phase of NH₄Br, but not in the “ferromagnetically” ordered δ(T_d) phase of NH₄Cl.     

Effect of acceleration threshold on the phase transition in a cellular automaton traffic flow model

In this paper, we incorporate new parameters into a cellular automaton traffic flow model proposed in our previous paper [Jin et al. 2010 J. Stat. Mech. 2010 P03018]. Through these parameters, we adjust the anticipated velocity and the acceleration threshold separately. It turns out that the flow rate of synchronized flow mainly changes with the anticipated velocity, and the F → S phase transition feature mainly changes with the acceleration threshold. Therefore, we conclude that the acceleration threshold is the major factor affecting the F → S phase transition.     

Calorimetric study of the Paranematic-to-Nematic transition of polydomain side-chain liquid-crystalline elastomers with different mesogen composition

The phase transition behaviour of various nematic side-chain liquid-crystalline elastomers with different mesogen composition has been explored by means of high-resolution ac calorimetry. Polydomain samples of the same crosslinking density and different type of mesogens have been investigated. The results show a strong dependence of the phase transition features upon the composition of the mesogen. The distance from the critical point, reflected in the sharpness of the heat capacity anomalies, increases when adding a shorter-length mesogen. The results provide new insight for the impact of mesogens on the thermodynamic behaviour and, thus, on the thermomechanical response of nematic liquid-crystalline elastomers.     

Pretransitional dielectric properties of nematogenic 4-cyanophenyl-4′-n-heptylbenzoate

This article presents results of the static and dynamic dielectric studies performed for mesogenic 4-cyanophenyl-4′-n-heptylbenzoate in the isotropic (I) and nematic (N) phases. Pretransitional phenomena are observed in the vicinity of I–N phase transition as an anomalous temperature behavior of both the static and the dynamic dielectric properties of the compound. The temperature dependence of the static permittivity is correlated with the entropy change induced by the probing electric field while an anomalous behavior of the dielectric relaxation directly points out for a subdiffusional Brownian rotation of mesogenic molecules in the vicinity of the phase transition.     

Coupling of orientational and translational modes in solid C60 and C70

The orientational phase transitions in solid C₆₀ and C₇₀ are accompanied by quite different anomalies in the crystalline strains. In solid C₆₀ the phase transition Fm3m→Pa3 is primarily an orientational effect (antiferro-rotational), which is driven by the condensation of orientational modes belonging to X₅ ⁺ irreducible representation (irreps) of Fm3m. These modes are the primary order parameters (oops) and their number is equal to the number of irreps of T_2g and T_1g symmetry within the manifolds under consideration. Taking into account irreps up to the manifold 1=12, we have studied the rotation-rotation-translation (RRT) coupling between the oops and the lattice displacements. We have investigated the resulting lattice contraction and the change of the elastic constant c₁₁ at the phase transition. In solid C₇₀ (fcc-phase) we investigate the bilinear coupling of orientational fluctuations of T_2g symmetry to transverse acoustic lattice displacements. This coupling is the driving mechanism for the ferroelastic phase transition Fm3m → R3m. Finally we investigate the transition from the rhombohedral phase to a low temperature monoclinic phase. This transition in antiferro-rotational.     

Crystal → nematic phase transition in the liquid crystalline system 1‐isothiocyanato‐4‐(trans‐4‐propylcyclohexyl) benzene (3CHBT) probed by temperature‐dependent micro‐Raman study and DFT calculations

Raman spectra of 3CHBT in unoriented form were recorded at 14 different temperature measurements in the range 25–55 °C, which covers the crystal → nematic (N) phase transition, and the Raman signatures of the phase transition were identified. The wavenumber shifts and linewidth changes of Raman marker bands with varying temperature were determined. The assignments of important vibrational modes of 3CHBT were also made using the experimentally observed Raman and infrared spectra, calculated wavenumbers, and potential energy distribution. The DFT calculations using the B3LYP method employing 6‐31G functional were performed for geometry optimization and vibrational spectra of monomer and dimer of 3CHBT. The analysis of the vibrational bands, especially the variation of their peak position as a function of temperature in two different spectral regions, 1150–1275 cm⁻¹ and 1950–2300 cm⁻¹, is discussed in detail. Both the linewidth and peak position of the ( C H ) in‐plane bending and ν(NCS) modes, which give Raman signatures of the crystal → N phase transition, are discussed in detail. The molecular dynamics of this transition has also been discussed. We propose the co‐existence of two types of dimers, one in parallel and the other in antiparallel arrangement, while going to the nematic phase. The structure of the nematic phase in bulk has also been proposed in terms of these dimers. The red shift of the ν(NCS) band and blue shift of almost all other ring modes show increased intermolecular interaction between the aromatic rings and decreased intermolecular interaction between two  NCS groups in the nematic phase. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phases of silicon at high pressure

X-ray diffraction studies are reported on silicon at pressures up to 250 kbar (25 GPa). A transition to the β-Sn structure (II) initiates at 112 ± 2 kbar and two phases (I + II) coexist to 125 ± 2 kbar. At 132 ± 2 kbar a new phase (V) initiates, and the transition is complete at 164 ± 5 kbar. This phase persists to 250 kbar. Its structure is tentatively assigned as primitive hexagonal with c/a = 0.941 ± 0.002 at 250 kbar. On release of pressure, the sequence is V → (V + II) (145 - 110 kbar) → II → (II + III) (108 - 85 kbar) → III, the last phase persisting to room pressure.     

Crystalline thiophene—I: Phase diagram and structures of two orientationally disordered crystalline phases. crystallographic evidence for a metastable low temperature phase

The first order phase diagram of thiophene has been determined from 217.5 to 298 K up to 4̃00 MPa. It shows that a high pressure phase which melts at room temperature is in fact Waddington et al.'s atmospheric pressure phase II and discloses a ～R ln2 entropy increment at the II→I phase transition. The structures of phases I and II have accordingly been investigated taking this relationship into account. For phase I, the best result is obtained for space group Cmca with 20 equiprobable molecular orientations. This leads us to assume that phase II is better described by space group Pnma with 10 molecular orientations. Finally, a metastable phase I′ can easily be obtained by cooling phase I at atmospheric pressure. Its unit cell is derived from that of I by multiplying parameter b by 2 and parameter c by 20: this can be considered as an a posteriori justification of the multiple-of-five number of molecular orientations in phases I and II.     

Boundary effects in chiral polymer hexatics

Boundary effects in liquid-crystalline phases can be large due to long-ranged orientational correlations. We show that the chiral-hexatic phase can be locked into an apparent three-dimensional N+6 phase via such effects. Simple numerical estimates suggest that the recently discovered "polymer hexatic" may actually be this locked phase.     

Phase transitions and electrical conduction in thermal energy storage compound (n-C12H25NH3)2CdCl4

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) are performed for the compound (n-C₁₂H₂₅NH₃)₂CdCl₄. The ac conductivity σ_(ω,T), and the complex dielectric permittivity ?*_(ω,T) are measured as a function of temperature (100 K < T < 375 K) and at some selected frequencies (3 → 100 kHz). Two structural phase transitions are detected at T = (330 ± 1) K and T = (343 ± 1) K as minor and major transitions, respectively. The analysis of the measured electrical parameters reveals that the frequency-dependent conductivity obeys the power law, and the quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) model is the main conduction mechanism in the low-temperature phase (LTP; phase III). The role of hydrogen bond N–H…Cl as a trigger force for phase transitions has been discussed. While the LTP is of the order–disorder type, the high-temperature phase (HTP) or phase I seems to be conformational and represents the main transition.     

High pressure equation of state of rubidium

The pressure-volume relation of rubidium metal is studied by high-pressure x-ray diffraction up to 110 kbar at room temperature. In addition, pressure scans of the near-infrared reflectivity are recorded up to 250 kbar. Rubidium undergoes a bcc to fcc structural transition (Rb I → Rb II) at 70 ± 2 kbar. Other phase transitions occur at 128 ± 3, 160 ± 5 and 190 ± 5 kbar on the ruby pressure scale. The pressure-volume relation and the near-infrared reflectivity provide evidence for a pressure-induced 5s → 4d electronic transition similar to the well-known 6s → 5d transition in cesium metal.