Signatures of fragile-to-strong transition in a binary metallic glass-forming liquid

Classical molecular dynamics investigations of the evolution of the microscopic structure and atomic dynamics are found to provide signatures of fragile-to-strong transition in a Cu-Zr bulk metallic glass forming alloy. Present study reveals that (i) the alloy exhibits a non-monotonic decoupling of the self-diffusion coefficient D and the relaxation time τ as observed in case of supercooled water despite the difference in the intermolecular interactions compared to this system, (ii) the temperature dependence of D and τ suggests a crossover from non-Arrhenius to Arrhenius behavior near mode-coupling transition temperature T(C), and (iii) the alloy exhibits a crossover from Stokes-Einstein ((D ~ (τ/T)(-1)) to fractional Stokes-Einstein (D ∝ (τ/T)(-ζ)) with exponent ζ ≈ 0.6. A weak first-order transition, associated with the fragile-to-strong transition, has also been observed in the undercooled region. These findings are in accordance with the growing idea of fragile-to-strong crossover having larger generality than the traditional classification of the glass-forming liquids as fragile and strong.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies on the rotational and translational motions of ionic liquids composed of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide and bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide anions and their binary systems including lithium salts

Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are stable liquids composed of anions and cations. 1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium (EMIm, EMI) is a popular and important cation that produces thermally stable ILs with various anions. In this study two amide-type anions, bis(trifluoro-methanesulfonyl)amide [N(SO(2)CF(3))(2), TFSA, TFSI, NTf(2), or Tf(2)N] and bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide [(N(SO(2)F)(2), FSA, or FSI] were investigated by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. In addition to EMIm-TFSA and EMIm-FSA, lithium-salt-doped binary systems were prepared (EMIm-TFSA-Li and EMIm-FSA-Li). The spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) were measured by (1)H, (19)F, and (7)Li NMR spectroscopy and the correlation times of (1)H NMR, τ(c)(EMIm) (8 × 10(-10) to 3 × 10(-11) s) for the librational molecular motion of EMIm and those of (7)Li NMR, τ(c)(Li) (5 × 10(-9) to 2 × 10(-10) s) for a lithium jump were evaluated in the temperature range between 253 and 353 K. We found that the bulk viscosity (η) versus τ(c)(EMIm) and cation diffusion coefficient D(EMIm) versus the rate 1/τ(c)(EMIm) have good relationships. Similarly, linear relations were obtained for the η versus τ(c)(Li) and the lithium diffusion coefficient D(Li) versus the rate 1∕τ(c)(Li). The mean one-jump distances of Li were calculated from τ(c)(Li) and D(Li). The experimental values for the diffusion coefficients, ionic conductivity, viscosity, and density in our previous paper were analyzed by the Stokes-Einstein, Nernst-Einstein, and Stokes-Einstein-Debye equations for the neat and binary ILs to clarify the physicochemical properties and mobility of individual ions. The deviations from the classical equations are discussed.     

Medium decoupling of dynamics at temperatures ~100 K above glass-transition temperature: a case study with (acetamide + lithium bromide/nitrate) melts

Time-resolved fluorescence Stokes shift and anisotropy measurements using a solvation probe in [0.78CH(3)CONH(2) + 0.22{f LiBr + (1-f) LiNO(3)}] melts reveal a strong decoupling of medium dynamics from viscosity. Interestingly, this decoupling has been found to occur at temperatures ～50-100 K above the glass transition temperatures of the above melt at various anion concentrations (f(LiBr)). The decoupling is reflected via the following fractional viscosity dependence (η) of the measured average solvation and rotation times (<τ(s)> and <τ(r)>, respectively): <τ(x)> ∝ (η∕T)(p) (x being solvation or rotation), with p covering the range, 0.20 < p < 0.70. Although this is very similar to what is known for deeply supercooled liquids, it is very surprising because of the temperature range at which the above decoupling occurs for these molten mixtures. The kinship to the supercooled liquids is further exhibited via p which is always larger for <τ(r)> than for <τ(s)>, indicating a sort of translation-rotation decoupling. Multiple probes have been used in steady state fluorescence measurements to explore the extent of static heterogeneity. Estimated experimental dynamic Stokes shift for coumarin 153 in these mixtures lies in the range, 1000 < Δν(t)/cm(-1) < 1700, and is in semi-quantitative agreement with predictions from our semi-molecular theory. The participation of the fluctuating density modes at various length-scales to the observed solvation times has also been investigated.     

Dielectric behavior of some small ketones as ideal polar molecules

The dielectric behaviors of some small symmetric ketone molecules, including acetone, 3-pentanone, cyclopentanone, 4-heptanone, and cyclohexanone, were investigated as a function of temperature (T) over a wide frequency range from 50 MHz (3.14 × 10(8) s(-1), in angular frequency) to 3 THz (1.88 × 10(13) s(-1)). The temperature dependencies of the rotational diffusion times (τ(r)) determined using (17)O NMR spin-lattice relaxation time (T(1)) measurements and viscosities of the ketones were also examined. The obtained temperature dependencies of the parameters for the ketones were compared with those of ideal polar molecules, which obey the Stokes-Einstein-Debye (SED) relationship without the formation of intermolecular dimeric associations and without orientational correlations between dipoles (molecular axes), that is, free rotation. Kirkwood correlation factors (g(K)) of only acetone and 3-pentanone were close to unity over a wide temperature range, whereas those of other ketones were obviously less than unity. These results revealed that no correlations exist between the rotational motions of dipoles in acetone and 3-pentanone, as expected in ideal polar molecules. However, other ketones exhibited orientational correlations in their dipoles because of dipole-dipole interactions via antiparallel configurations. Furthermore, because acetone and 3-pentanone satisfied the SED relationship and because their microscopic dielectric relaxation times (τ(μ)), which were calculated from the determined dielectric relaxation times (τ(D)) via the relationship τ(μ) = τ(D)g(K)(-1), were identical to 3τ(r) and were proportional to Vη(k(B)T)(-1) over the wide temperature range examined, where V, k(B), and η represent the effective molecular volume, Boltzmann's constant, and the viscosity of the liquid molecules, respectively, these two ketone molecules behave as ideal polar molecules. In addition, other ketones not significantly larger than acetone and 3-pentanone in molecular size likely form dimeric intermolecular associations with antiparallel cyclic configurations, which demonstrates the g(K) values less than unity.     

磁流变体流变学特性研究

对所研制的矿物油介质和硅油介质磁流变体样品的零场粘度、磁流变性能、示功及速度特性进行了系统的测试和分析,并对其影响因素进行了详细的讨论.研制的磁流变体零场粘度小于0.5 Pa s(γ=81 s-1)且具有良好的粘温特性; 磁流变体的剪切应力接近和超过70 kPa(B=6000 Gs); 在智能减振器的应用试验中获得理想的示功特性曲线.     

Generation of clean iron nanocrystals on an ultra-thin SiO(x) film on Si(001)

Upon exposure to Fe(CO)(5), the formation of pure cubic Fe nanocrystals with dimensions up to ~75 nm is reported on ultra-thin SiO(x) films (thickness ≈ 0.5 nm) on Si(001), which have been prepared in situ under UHV conditions. The active centers for initial decomposition of Fe(CO)(5) resulting in the growth of the Fe clusters are proposed to be SiO sites. After nucleation at these sites, further crystal growth is observed due to autocatalytic dissociation of Fe(CO)(5) at room temperature. The density of the Fe clusters can be increased by irradiating the surface with a focused electron beam (15 keV) prior to gas exposure. The formation of the active SiO sites upon electron irradiation is attributed to oxygen desorption via the Knotek-Feibelman mechanism.     

X-射线衍射法研究稀土顺-1,4-聚丁二烯低温结晶动力学

本文用广角X-射线衍射法(WAXD)研究了稀土催化聚合顺-1,4-聚丁二烯(Ln-PB)低温下分子量和温度对结晶过程的影响.随着分子量的改变,结晶速度在M_η=8×10~5左右有一极小值;在M_η=29×10~5左右有一极大值.最大结晶速度发生在T_(c,max)=-60～-70℃之间.最大平衡结晶度值,在M_η大于10~6以上与分子量无关,而最大平衡结晶度值所对应的温度与M_η呈线性关系.随着温度上升,晶胞参数略有增大.Ln-PB主级结晶属于非均相成核,以原纤状和盘状混合生长.     

Effect of ionic liquid on diffusion in P123 gel: fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

The effect of two room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) on the diffusion of three fluorescent dyes in the gel phase of a triblock copolymer, (PEO)(20)-(PPO)(70)-(PEO)(20) [Pluronic P123; poly ethylene oxide (PEO), poly propylene oxide (PPO)], was studied by using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). We used three dyes, 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM), coumarin 480 (C480), and coumarin 343 (C343). By field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), it was observed that the macroscopic structure of the P123 gel remained unaffected upon addition of RTIL. In the absence of RTIL, the diffusion coefficient (D(t)) of the hydrophobic dye DCM (1 μm(2) s(-1) at the core) is smaller than that of the other two hydrophilic dyes (7 μm(2) s(-1) for C480 and C343). On addition of RTIL, the D(t) values of all of the dyes increase, indicating a decrease in local viscosity (η(eff)). The η(eff) of the core of the RTIL-P123 gel estimated from the D(t) of DCM is lower than that of both the P123 gel (at the core η=90 cP) and RTIL (η=110 cP). It is shown that the RTIL affects the structure of the gel by modifying the size of the micellar aggregates and by penetrating the core.     

Magnetic properties after irradiation of 1:4 complexes consisting of CoX2, X=NCS⁻, Cl⁻, and NCO⁻, and phenylpyridyldiazomethane in dilute frozen solutions: axial ligand effect in heterospin single-molecule magnets

The solutions of 1:4 complexes of Co(X)(2)(D1py)(4), X = Cl(-), and NCO(-) and D1py = phenylpyridyldiazomethane, were photolyzed under cryogenic conditions, and their magnetic properties were investigated by direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) magneto/susceptometries. After irradiation, the resulting cobalt-carbene complexes, Co(X)(2)(C1py)(4), exhibited the behaviors of heterospin single-molecule magnets (SMMs) strongly depending on the axial ligands. In Co(X)(2)(C1py)(4): X = Cl(-) and NCO(-), the effective activation barriers, U(eff), for the reorientation of the magnetic moment and the resonant quantum tunneling time, τ(Q), characteristic to SMM properties were estimated to be 91 and 130 K, and 4 × 10(3) and 2 × 10(5) s, respectively. The τ(Q) of Co(NCS)(2)(C1py)(4) with U(eff) = 89 K was found to be 6 × 10(2) s. In Co(X)(2)(C1py)(4): X = Cl(-) and NCO(-), temperature-dependent hysteresis loops were also observed below the blocking temperature (T(B) = 3.2 and 4.8 K, respectively) and the coercive forces, H(c), of 7.0 and 20 kOe at 1.9 K, respectively, were obtained. In a series of 1:4 complexes of Co(X)(2)(C1py)(4), X = NCS(-), Cl(-), and NCO(-), the axial ligands strongly affected the heterospin SMM properties, and the NCO(-) ion having the large magnitude of the ligand-field splitting in a spectrochemical series, gave the largest U(eff) and H(c) and the longest τ(Q).     

Enhanced translational diffusion of rubrene in sucrose benzoate

The translational diffusion of rubrene in the fragile molecular glass former, sucrose benzoate (SB) (fragility index m approximately 94), has been studied from T(g)+6 K to T(g)+71 K(T(g)=337 K) by using the technique of holographic fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. In the temperature range of the measurements, the translational relaxation functions were observed to decay exponentially, indicating that Fick's law of diffusion governs the translational motion of rubrene in sucrose benzoate. The value of the translational diffusion coefficient D(T) obtained from the 1e time of the translational relaxation function varied from 5.3 x 10(-15) cm2 s(-1) at 343 K to 5.0x10(-9) cm2 s(-1) at 408 K. The temperature dependence of D(T) for diffusion of rubrene in SB is compared with that of the viscosity and the dielectric relaxation time tau(D) of SB. The temperature dependence of D(T) is weaker than that of Teta for T<1.2T(g) but tracks the reciprocal of the dielectric relaxation time 1tau(D) for 1.05T(g)相似文献   

Landau theory description of observed isotropic to anisotropic phase transition in mixed clay gels

A characteristic new cooperative dehydration transition, in 1:1 Laponite-MMT cogel, was observed at T(c) ≈ 60 °C, a temperature at which the storage modulus (G(')) and depolarization ratio (D(p)) showed sharp increase, and the isotropic cogel turned into an anisotropic one. The dehydration dynamics could be described through power-law relations: G(') ～ (T(c)-T)(-γ) and D(p) ～ (T(c)-T)(-β) with γ ≈ β = 0.40 ± 0.05. The x-ray diffraction data revealed that the crystallite size decreased from 17 nm (at 20 °C) to 10 nm (at 80 °C) implying loss of free and inter-planar water. When this cogel was spontaneously cooled below T(c), it exhibited much larger storage modulii values which implied the existence of several metastable states in this system. This phase transition could be modeled through Landau theory, where the depolarization ratio was used as experimental order parameter (ψ). This parameter was found to scale with temperature, as ψ ～ (T(c)-T)(-α), with power-law exponent α = 0.40 ± 0.05; interestingly, we found α ≈ β ≈ γ.     

Studies on the translational and rotational motions of ionic liquids composed of N-methyl-N-propyl-pyrrolidinium (P13) cation and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide and bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide anions and their binary systems including lithium salts

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTIL, IL) are stable liquids composed of anions and cations. N-methyl-N-propyl-pyrrolidinium (P(13), Py(13), PYR(13), or mppy) is an important cation and produces stable ILs with various anions. In this study two amide-type anions, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide [N(SO(2)CF(3))(2), TFSA, TFSI, NTf(2), or Tf(2)N] and bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide [N(SO(2)F)(2), FSA, or FSI], were investigated. In addition to P(13)-TFSA and P(13)-FSA, lithium salt doped samples were prepared (P(13)-TFSA-Li and P(13)-FSA-Li). The individual ion diffusion coefficients (D) and spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) were measured by (1)H, (19)F, and (7)Li NMR. At the same time, the ionic conductivity (σ), viscosity (η), and density (ρ) were measured over a wide temperature range. The van der Waals volumes of P(13), TFSA, FSA, Li(TFSA)(2), and Li(FSA)(3) were estimated by molecular orbital calculations. The experimental values obtained in this study were analyzed by the classical Stokes-Einstein, Nernst-Einstein (NE), and Stokes-Einstein-Debye equations and Walden plots were also made for the neat and binary ILs to clarify physical and mobile properties of individual ions. From the temperature-dependent velocity correlation coefficients for neat P(13)-TFSA and P(13)-FSA, the NE parameter 1-ξ was evaluated. The ionicity (electrochemical molar conductivity divided by the NE conductivity from NMR) and the 1-ξ had exactly the same values. The rotational and translational motions of P(13) and jump of a lithium ion are also discussed.     

Single-molecule magnets: structural characterization, magnetic properties, and (19)F NMR spectroscopy of a Mn(12) family spanning three oxidation levels

The syntheses, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of [Mn(12)O(12)(O(2)CC(6)F(5))(16)(H(2)O)(4)] (2), (NMe(4))[Mn(12)O(12)(O(2)CC(6)F(5))(16)(H(2)O)(4)] (3), and (NMe(4))(2)[Mn(12)O(12)(O(2)CC(6)F(5))(16)(H(2)O)(4)] (4) are reported. Complex 2 displays quasi-reversible redox couples when examined by cyclic voltammetry in CH(2)Cl(2): one-electron reductions are observed at 0.64 and 0.30 V vs ferrocene. The reaction of complex 2 with 1 and 2 equiv of NMe(4)I yields the one- and two-electron reduced analogues, 3 and 4, respectively. Complexes 2.3CH(2)Cl(2), 3.4.5CH(2)Cl(2).(1)/(2)H(2)O, and 4.6C(7)H(8) crystallize in the triclinic P, monoclinic P2/c, and monoclinic C2/c space groups, respectively. The molecular structures are all very similar, consisting of a central [Mn(IV)O(4)] cubane surrounded by a nonplanar alternating ring of eight Mn and eight mu(3)-O(2)(-) ions. Peripheral ligation is provided by 16 bridging C(6)F(5)CO(2)(-) and 4 H(2)O ligands. Bond valence sum calculations establish that the added electrons in 3 and 4 are localized on former Mn(III) ions giving trapped-valence Mn(IV)(4)Mn(III)(7)Mn(II) and Mn(IV)(4)Mn(III)(6)Mn(II)(2) anions, respectively. (19)F NMR spectroscopy in CD(2)Cl(2) shows retention of the solid-state structure upon dissolution and detrapping of the added electrons in 3 and 4 among the outer ring of Mn ions on the (19)F NMR time scale. DC studies on dried microcrystalline samples of 2, 3, and 4.2.5C(7)H(8) restrained in eicosane in the 1.80-10.0 K and 1-70 kG ranges were fit to give S = 10, D = -0.40 cm(-)(1), g = 1.87, D/g = 0.21 cm(-)(1) for 2, S = 19/2, D = -0.34 cm(-)(1), g = 2.04, D/g = 0.17 cm(-)(1) for 3, and S = 10, D = -0.29 cm(-)(1), g = 2.05, D/g = 0.14 cm(-)(1) for 4, where D is the axial zero-field splitting parameter. The clusters exhibit out-of-phase AC susceptibility signals (chi(M)' ') indicative of slow magnetization relaxation in the 6-8 K range for 2, 4-6 K range for 3, and 2-4 K range for 4; the shift to lower temperatures reflects the decreasing magnetic anisotropy upon successive reduction and, hence, the decreasing energy barrier to magnetization relaxation. Relaxation rate vs T data obtained from chi(M)' ' vs AC oscillation frequency studies down to 1.8 K were combined with rate vs T data from DC magnetization decay vs time measurements at lower temperatures to generate an Arrhenius plot from which the effective barrier (U(eff)) to magnetization reversal was obtained; the U(eff) values are 59 K for 2, 49 and 21 K for the slower- and faster-relaxing species of 3, respectively, and 25 K for 4. Hysteresis loops obtained from single-crystal magnetization vs DC field scans are typical of single-molecule magnets with the coercivities increasing with decreasing T and increasing field sweep rate and containing steps caused by the quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM). The step separations gave D/g values of 0.22 cm(-)(1) for 2, 0.15 and 0.042 cm(-)(1) for the slower- and faster-relaxing species of 3, and 0.15 cm(-)(1) for 4.     

Studies of an enneanuclear manganese single-molecule magnet

The reaction of [Mn(3)O(O(2)CMe)(6)(py)(3)] with the tripodal ligand H(3)thme (1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane) affords the enneanuclear complex [Mn(9)O(7)(O(2)CCH(3))(11)(thme)(py)(3)(H(2)O)(2)] 1.1MeCN.1Et(2)O. The metallic skeleton of complex 1 comprises a series of 10 edge-sharing triangles that describes part of an idealized icosahedron. Variable temperature direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility data collected in the 1.8-300 K temperature range and in fields up to 5.5 T were fitted to give a spin ground state of S = (17)/(2) with an axial zero-field splitting parameter D = -0.29 cm(-)(1). Ac susceptibility studies indicate frequency-dependent out-of-phase signals below 4 K and an effective barrier for the relaxation of the magnetization of U(eff) = 27 K. Magnetic measurements of single crystals of 1 at low temperature show time- and temperature-dependent hysteresis loops which contain steps at regular intervals of field. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) studies on complex 1 confirm the S = (17)/(2) ground state and analysis of the INS transitions within the zero-field split ground state leads to determination of the axial anisotropy, D = -0.249 cm(-)(1), and the crystal field parameter, B(4)(0) = 7(4) x 10(-)(6) cm(-)(1). Frequency domain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (FDMRS) determined the same parameters as D = -0.247 cm(-)(1) and B(4)(0) = 4.6 x 10(-)(6) cm(-)(1). DFT calculations are fully consistent with the experimental findings of two Mn(II) and four Mn(III) ions "spin up" and three Mn(IV) ions "spin down" resulting in the S = (17)/(2) spin ground state of the molecule, with D = -0.23 cm(-)(1) and U = 26.2 K.     

Translational diffusion in sucrose benzoate near the glass transition: probe size dependence in the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein equation

The translational diffusion coefficient D(trans) for rubrene, 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene (BPEA), and tetracene in the fragile molecular glass-former sucrose benzoate (SB) (Tg=337 K) was studied as a function of temperature from Tg+3 K to Tg+71 K by use of the holographic fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. The values of D(trans) vary by five to six orders of magnitude in this temperature range. Contrary to the predictions of the Stokes-Einstein equation, the temperature dependence of probe diffusion in SB over the temperature range of the measurements is weaker than that of T/eta, where eta is the shear viscosity. In going from the crossover temperature Tx approximately 1.2Tg to Tg, D(trans)eta/T increases by factors of 2.4+/-0.2 decades for rubrene, 3.4+/-0.2 decades for BPEA, and 3.8+/-0.4 decades for tetracene. The decoupling between probe diffusion in SB and viscosity is characterized by the scaling law D(trans) approximately T/eta(xi), with xi=0.621 for tetracene, 0.654 for BPEA, and 0.722 for rubrene. Data for probe diffusion in SB are combined with data from the literature for probe diffusion in ortho-terphenyl and alphaalphabeta-tris(naphthyl)benzene in a plot of enhancement versus the relative probe size parameter rho(m)=(m(p)m(h))(1/3), where m(p) and m(h) are, respectively, the molecular weights of the probe and host solvent. The plot clearly shows a sharp increase in enhancement of translational diffusion at rho(m) approximately 1. By applying temperature shifts, D(trans) for probe diffusion in SB and the dielectric relaxation time tau(D) can be superimposed on a single master curve based on the Williams-Landel-Ferry equation. This suggests that the dynamics of probe diffusion in SB is described by the scaling relationship D(trans) approximately 1/tau(D)(T+DeltaT), where tau(D)(T+DeltaT) is the temperature-shifted dielectric relaxation time. The results from this study are discussed within the context of dynamic heterogeneity in glass-forming liquids.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of crystal growth and diffusion in a glass-forming liquid

Extensive data on the viscosity, covering 15 orders of magnitude, and crystal growth rate, covering seven orders of magnitude, of liquid diopside (CaO.MgO.2SiO(2)) were collected in a wide range of undercoolings from 1.10T(g) to 0.99T(m) (T(g) is the glass transition temperature and T(m) the melting point). The raw growth rate data were corrected for the increased interfacial temperature produced by the heat released during crystallization. A detailed analysis confirms that growth mediated by screw dislocations reasonably explain the experimental data in these wide ranges of temperatures and growth rates. Effective diffusion coefficients were calculated from crystal growth rates and from viscosity, and were then compared with measured self-diffusion coefficients of silicon and oxygen in diopside melt. The results show that oxygen and silicon control the diffusion dynamics involved in crystal growth and viscous flow. This study not only unveils the transport mechanism in this complex liquid, but also validates the use of viscosity (through the Stokes-Einstein or the Eyring equations) to account for the kinetic term of the crystal growth expression in a wide range of temperatures.     

Temperature-dependent exchange interaction in molecular magnets Cu(hfac)2L(R) studied by EPR: methodology and interpretations

Exchange-coupled spin triads nitroxide-copper(II)-nitroxide are the key building blocks of molecular magnets Cu(hfac)(2)L(R). These compounds exhibit thermally induced structural rearrangements and spin transitions, where the exchange interaction between spins of copper(II) ion and nitroxide radicals changes typically by 1 order of magnitude. We have shown previously that electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is sensitive to the observed magnetic anomalies and provides information on both inter- and intracluster exchange interactions. The value of intracluster exchange interaction is temperature-dependent (J(T)), that can be accessed by monitoring the effective g-factor of the spin triad as a function of temperature (g(eff)(T)). This paper describes approaches for studying the g(eff)(T) and J(T) dependences and establishes correlations between them. The experimentally obtained g(eff)(T) dependences are interpreted using three different models for the mechanism of structural rearrangements on the molecular level leading to different meanings of the J(T) function. The contributions from these mechanisms and their manifestations in X-ray, magnetic susceptibility and EPR data are discussed.     

Quantum-admixture model of high-spin <--> low-spin transition for ferrous complex molecules

A quantum-admixture model for the d(6) configuration ferrous complex molecules with the high-spin <--> low-spin transition has been established by using the unified crystal-field-coupling (UCFC) scheme. A general study has been made on the spin transition of octahedrally coordinated d(6) complexes, and a special application has been given to an Fe(II) compound Fe(II)(TRIM)(2)(PhCO(2))(ClO(4)). The results show the following: (i) The quantum picture of the spin transition of a d(6) system, such as Fe(II), is much more complex than a simple transition between the pure (5)T(2g) and (1)A(1g) states as usually understood. In practice, owing to spin-orbit coupling, spin is no longer a good quantum number and there is no longer a pure (5)T(2g) or (1)A(1g) state. Each of them splits into substates and each substate is a linear combination of various multiplets. The high-spin --> low-spin transition of an octahedrally coordinated d(6) ion is practically the crossover of the two lowest substates of (5)T(2g) at the critical point. (ii) At the spin-transition critical point the magnetic moment mu(eff) approximately 5.22 mu(B), which is obviously different from the simple average of the mu(eff) values of high-spin and low-spin states but near the saturation value. (iii) The calculation of the effective molecular magnetic moment mu(eff) for an octahedrally coordinated Fe(II) ion shows that the mu(eff)-T curve is in good agreement with Lemercier et al.'s experiment and both the low-spin value mu(eff) = 0.51 mu(B) and the high-spin value mu(eff) = 5.4 mu(B) are comparable with the experimental values 0.76 mu(B) and 5.4 mu(B), respectively. (iv) The T dependence of the crystal field parameter Dq in the spin-transition region is approximately linear.     

Graphene nucleation on transition metal surface: structure transformation and role of the metal step edge

The nucleation of graphene on a transition metal surface, either on a terrace or near a step edge, is systematically explored using density functional theory calculations and applying the two-dimensional (2D) crystal nucleation theory. Careful optimization of the supported carbon clusters, C(N) (with size N ranging from 1 to 24), on the Ni(111) surface indicates a ground state structure transformation from a one-dimensional C chain to a 2D sp(2) C network at N ≈ 10-12. Furthermore, the crucial parameters controlling graphene growth on the metal surface, nucleation barrier, nucleus size, and nucleation rate on a terrace or near a step edge are calculated. In agreement with numerous experimental observations, our analysis shows that graphene nucleation near a metal step edge is superior to that on a terrace. On the basis of our analysis, we propose the use of graphene seeds to synthesize high-quality graphene in large area.