Optical,thermal, and structural properties of Nb2O5–TeO2 and WO3–TeO2 glasses

Glass samples from two systems, Nb₂O₅–TeO₂ and WO₃–TeO₂, were prepared at two melt quenching rates and characterized by density, DSC, UV-visible, and Raman spectroscopy. Addition of Nb₂O₅ decreased the density while increase in the WO₃ concentration increased the density. Glasses prepared at higher quenching rates had smaller densities than glasses of the same composition prepared at lower quenching rate although the short-range structure of both glasses were identical, as revealed by Raman spectroscopy. Optical studies found an intense absorption band just below the absorption edge in both the glass series. This band was attributed to electronic transitions of Nb⁵⁺ and W⁶⁺ ions and a lone pair of electrons on Te atoms. Glass transition temperature increased with increase in Nb₂O₅ and WO₃ mol% due to the increase in average bond strength in the glass network. Raman spectroscopy showed that the concentration of TeO₄ units decreased with the increase in Nb₂O₅ and WO₃ concentrations.     

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the structural and electrical properties of Na-doped ZnMgO ?lms

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) is a general approach to improve the crystallinity of thin solid films. In this study, we investigated the effects of RTA on the structural and electrical properties of Na-doped ZnMgO ?lms grown by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the crystallinity of the Na-doped ZnMgO ?lms was improved with RTA at 400-700 °C, and the grain size became larger as the annealing temperature increased. Moreover, room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements demonstrated decent optical quality of the as-deposited and annealed Na-doped ZnMgO ?lms. Hall-effect measurements showed that the hole concentration increased from 4.9 × 10¹⁴ to 6.6 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ to 1.9 × 10¹⁷ to 8.3 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ while the resistivity and the Hall mobility decreased after the RTA treatments. The conduction type of the films converted from p to n when the annealing temperature is higher than 800 °C. Therefore a wide temperature window to obtain reasonable p-type Na-doped ZnMgO films by RTA is achieved. It is important because RTA is generally needed to obtain p-type Ohmic contact in the fabrication processes of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).     

Magnetic and structural properties of Pd–Mn–Sn intermetallics compounds

Magnetic and structural properties of Heusler Pd_0.5Mn_{0.5- x} Sn _x with x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.17, 0.20 and 0.25, have been studied by magnetisation and X-ray diffraction measurements at room and low temperatures. The crystal structure at room temperature is L2₁ cubic phase for x = 0.17, 0.20, 0.25 and B2 cubic phase for x = 0.10. Martensite structure 10M, was observed at room temperature for x = 0.05. X-ray measurements at low temperatures revealed a structural transformation from B2 to 14M for the x = 0.10 case. The lattice parameter of the L2₁ phase decreases linearly with the concentration, x. A ferromagnetic behaviour has been detected for L2₁ compounds, but the ferromagnetic exchange characteristic of each composition is of different strength. This gives rise to different Curie temperatures.     

First-principles calculations of the structural,electronic, optical and thermal properties of the BNxAs1–x alloys

The present paper aims to study the structural, electronic, optical and thermal properties of the boron nitride (BN) and BAs bulk materials as well as the BN_xAs_1–x ternary alloys by employing the full-potential-linearised augmented plane wave method within the density functional theory. The structural properties are determined using the Wu–Cohen generalised gradient approximation that is based on the optimisation of the total energy. For band structure calculations, both the Wu–Cohen generalised gradient approximation and the modified Becke–Johnson of the exchange-correlation energy and potential, respectively, are used. We investigated the effect of composition on the lattice constants, bulk modulus and band gap. Deviations of the lattice constants and the bulk modulus from the Vegard’s law and the linear concentration dependence, respectively, were observed for the alloys where this result allows us to explain some specific behaviours in the electronic properties of the alloys. For the optical properties, the calculated refractive indices and the optical dielectric constants were found to vary nonlinearly with the N composition. Finally, the thermal effect on some of the macroscopic properties was predicted using the quasi-harmonic Debye model in which the lattice vibrations are taken into account.     

Magnetic and structural properties of FeX/Tb15 Å multilayers

Magnetic domains in Fe/Tb sputter-deposited multilayer films are studied magneto-optically using a Kerr microscope. These observations together with other experimental measurements (vibrating sample- and torque magnetometry) showed the important role of the iron-layer thickness d_Fe on the magnetic properties of the films. At certain combinations of the layer thicknesses both perpendicular and in-plane anisotropies are present in the film. The structural investigations indicate that a gradual increase of the iron-layer thickness d_Fe leads to a phase transition of iron from amorphous to crystalline at certain thicknesses of the iron layer, which is also reflected in the magnetic behavior of the films. The differences between the magnetic properties of the investigated multilayered Fe/Tb films and those of amorphous FeTb films are discussed as well.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on the structural,thermal and optical properties of Makrofol BL 2–4

Makrofol BL 2–4 is an extrusion film based on Makrolon polycarbonate. It comprises excellent die-cutting performance combined with high light transmission and moderate light scattering properties. It is a class of polymeric solid state nuclear track detectors which has many applications in various radiation detection fields. In the present work, Makrofol samples were irradiated using different gamma doses ranging from 10 to 350 kGy. The structural modifications in the gamma-irradiated Makrofol samples have been studied as a function of dose using different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, intrinsic viscosity, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, refractive index and color difference studies. The gamma irradiation in the dose range 20–200 kGy led to a more compact structure of Makrofol polymer, which resulted in an improvement in its thermal stability with an enhancement in its structural and optical properties.     

First-principles calculations of structural,electronic and thermal properties of Zn1−x Mg x S ternary alloys

Structural, electronic and thermal properties of Zn_1?x Mg _x S ternary alloys are studied by using the full potential-linearized augmented plane wave method (FP-LAPW) within the density functional theory (DFT). The Wu-Cohen generalized gradient approximation (WC-GGA) is used in this approach for the exchangecorrelation potential. Moreover, the modified Becke-Johnson approximation (mBJ) is adopted for band structure calculations. The dependence of the lattice constant, bulk modulus and band gap on the composition x showed that the first exhibits a small deviation from the Vegard’s law, whereas, a marginal deviation of the second from linear concentration dependence (LCD). The bowing of the fundamental gap versus composition predicted by our calculations agrees well with the available theoretical data. The microscopic origins of the gap bowing are explained by using the approach of Zunger and co-workers. Thermal effects on some macroscopic properties of Zn_1?x Mg _x S alloys are also investigated using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered. As, this is the first quantitative theoretical prediction of the thermal properties of Zn_1?x Mg _x S alloys, no other calculated results and furthermore no experimental studies are available for comparison.     

Impact of Pr on structural,superconducting and magnetic properties of Y1−xPrxBaSrCu3O7

We study the structural, superconducting and magnetic properties of the Y_1−xPr_xBaSrCu₃O₇ system with x=0.0, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.75 and 1.0, from X-ray diffraction, AC and DC magnetic susceptibility measurements. X-ray diffraction results reveal that while Pr substitutes isostructurally until x=0.50 in Y_1−xPr_xBaSrCu₃O₇, for x=0.75 and 1.0 few small intensity un-reacted lines are observed in the spectrum. The orthorhombic distortion decreases with an increase in x. Both x=0.75 and 1.0 samples are tetragonal. The c lattice parameter of the substituted samples increases with x, indicating probable substitution of comparatively bigger ionic radii Pr^3+/4+ ion at Y³⁺ in Y_1−xPr_xBaSrCu₃O₇ system. The AC susceptibility results showed that the transition temperature T_c of the Y_1−xPr_xBaSrCu₃O₇ system decreases monotonically with an increase in x. Both x=0.75 and 1.0 samples do not show a superconducting transition down to 4.2 K. The critical concentration of Pr to completely suppress superconductivity in Y_1−xPr_xBaSrCu₃O₇ is higher (0.75) than that reported (0.55) for Y_1−xPr_xBa₂Cu₃O₇. DC magnetic susceptibility measurements done on PrBaSrCu₃O₇ and PrBa₂Cu₃O₇ samples at 0.5 T revealed that while the Pr ordering temperature seems to be 12 K for the former, the same is 17 K for the latter. These results indicate that the ordering temperature of Pr moments in RE_1−xPr_x : 123-type systems, which decides the Pr^4f hybridisation with the Cu–O conduction band has a direct connection to the suppression of superconductivity. The lower T_N of Pr explains the less destructive effect of the same on the superconductivity of the parent undoped system.     

Magnetic and structural properties of Fe87Pt13–Al2O3 composite thin films synthesized by solid-state reactions

Physics of the Solid State - The structural and magnetic properties of Fe87Pt13 films synthesized by solid-state reactions and Fe87Pt13–Al2O3 composite films fabricated by aluminothermy are...     

Magnetic properties and relaxation dynamics of a frustrated Ni? molecular nanomagnet

The Ni? nanomagnet represents an ideal model system for investigating the effects of geometrical frustration in magnetic interactions. The Ni ions in the magnetic core are arranged on two corner-sharing tetrahedra and interact through antiferromagnetic exchange couplings. We show that the high degree of frustration leads to a magnetic energy spectrum with large degeneracies which result in unusual static and dynamical magnetic properties. In particular, the relaxation dynamics of the magnetization is characterized by several distinct characteristic times. We also discuss the possible interest of Ni? for magnetocaloric refrigeration.     

Effects of pressure on structural,electronic, and mechanical properties of α,β,and γ uranium

The first-principles methods have been employed to calculate the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of the α, β, and γ phases of uranium under pressure up to 100 GPa. The electronic structure has been viewed in forms of density of states and band structure. The mechanical stability of metal U in the α, β, and γ phases have been examined.The independent elastic constants, polycrystalline elastic moduli, as well as Poisson's ratio have been obtained. Upon compression, the elastic constants, elastic moduli, elastic wave velocities, and Debye temperature of α phase are enhanced pronouncedly. The value of B/G illustrates that α and γ phases are brittle in ground state.     

First-principles calculations of structural and thermodynamic properties of β-PbO

We employed ab-initio calculations to investigate the structural and thermodynamic properties of Massicot or orthorhombic phase of PbO named β-PbO using the projector augmented-wave(PAW) method within the generalized gradient approximation(GGA). The temperature and pressure dependence of bulk modulus, heat capacity at constant pressure and constant volume, entropy, thermal expansion coefficient and Grüneisen parameter were discussed. Accuracy of two different models, the Debye and Debye-Grüneisen which are based on the quasi-harmonic approximation(QHA) for producing thermodynamic properties of material were compared. According to calculation results, these two models can be used to designate thermodynamic properties for β-PbO with sensible accuracy over a wide range of temperatures and pressures, and our work on the properties of this structure will be useful for more deeply understanding various properties of this structure.     

Optical and structural properties of Zn1−x Mg x O ceramic materials

This paper reports structural, optical and cathodoluminescence characterizations of sintered Zn_1?x Mg _x O composite materials. The effects of MgO composition on these film properties have been analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirms that all composites are polycrystalline with prominent hexagonal wurtzite structure along two preferred orientations (002) and (101) for the crystallite growth. Above doping content x = 10 %, the formation of the hexagonal ZnMgO alloy phase and the segregation of the cubic MgO phase start. From reflectance and absorption measurements, we determined the band gap energy which tends to increase from 3.287 to 3.827 eV as the doping content increases. This widening of the optical band gap is explained by the Burstein–Moss effect which causes a significant increase of electron concentration (2.89 × 10¹⁸?5.19 × 10²⁰ cm^?3). The luminescent properties of the Zn_1?x Mg _x O pellets are studied by cathodoluminescence (CL) at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures under different electron beam excitations. At room temperature, the CL spectra of the Zn_1?x Mg _x O composites exhibit a dominant broad yellow-green light band at 2.38 eV and two ultraviolet emission peaks at 3.24 and 3.45 eV corresponding to the luminescence of the hexagonal ZnO and ZnMgO structures, respectively. For the doped ZnO samples, it reveals also new red peaks at 1.72 and 1.77 eV assigned to impurities’ emissions. However, the CL spectra recorded at 77 K show the presence of excitonic emission peaks related to recombination of free exciton (X _A), neutral donor-bound excitons (D⁰X) and their phonon replicas. The CL intensity and energy position of the green, red and ultraviolet emission peaks are found to depend strongly on the MgO doping content. The CL intensity of the UV and red emissions is more enhanced than the green light when the MgO content increases. CL imaging analysis shows that the repartition of the emitting centers in Zn_1?x Mg _x O composites is intimately connected to the film composition and surface morphology.     

Structural, thermal, and electrical properties of (100?x) ZrO2 (x) Bi2O3 compound

Composition (100?x) ZrO₂ (x) Bi₂O₃ (x?=?15, 20, 25) is synthesized by solid-state reaction method to study the effect of Bi₂O₃ doping on ZrO₂. The as-prepared samples are characterized by various methods. The X-ray diffraction pattern of all these samples exhibits three phases, namely, m-ZrO₂, ??_III-Bi₂O₃, and ??-Bi₂O₃. The differential thermal analysis curves do not show any phase transition/decomposition, which clearly indicated the stabilization of ??-Bi₂O₃ phase. The conductivity changes in all the samples are discussed in terms of different phase formations and their volume fractions. The microstructural and energy dispersive analyses indicate the presence of different phases. A maximum conductivity at high temperature (800?°C) was observed for the x?=?25 composition, i.e., ???=?4.21?×?10^?2 S/cm.     

Magnetic properties of CeSb and DySb from μSR

ZFSR experiments on CeSb and DySb reveal fast spin dynamics even in their magnetically ordered states below 16.2 and 9.5 K, respectively. Above these first order transitions both pnictides exhibit strong frequency shifts in TF pointing to some magnetic precursors. The signals below T _N show spontaneous rotating contributions. For CeSb several commensurately modulated antiferromagnetic phases containing paramagnetic sheets are confirmed. For DySb our data favor a CoO type structure in contrast to the MnO structure proposed from neutron diffraction.Part of this work was funded by the German Federal Minister for Research and Technology (BMFT) under contracts No 03-LI3-BRA and 03-KA2-TUM-4.     

Magnetic properties of Yb Mo O and Gd Mo O from rare earth Mössbauer measurements

Using ¹⁷⁰Yb and ¹⁵⁵Gd M?ssbauer measurements down to ∼ 0.03 K, we have examined the semiconducting pyrochlore Yb₂Mo₂O₇ where the Mo intra-sublattice interaction is anti-ferromagnetic and the metallic pyrochlore Gd₂Mo₂O₇ where this interaction is ferromagnetic. Additional information was obtained from susceptibility, magnetisation and ¹⁷²Yb perturbed angular correlation measurements. The microscopic measurements evidence lattice disorder which is important in Yb₂Mo₂O₇ and modest in Gd₂Mo₂O₇. Magnetic irreversibilities occur at 17 K in Yb₂Mo₂O₇ and at 75 K in Gd₂Mo₂O₇ and below these temperatures the rare earths carry magnetic moments which are induced through couplings with the Mo sublattice. In Gd₂Mo₂O₇, we observe the steady state Gd hyperfine populations at 0.027 K are out of thermal equilibrium, indicating that Gd and Mo spin fluctuations persist at very low temperatures. Frustration is thus operative in this essentially isotropic pyrochlore where the dominant Mo intra-sublattice interaction is ferromagnetic. Received 13 January 2003 Published online 4 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: hodges@drecam.saclay.cea.fr     

Magnetic and structural properties of Fe–Co nanowires fabricated by matrix synthesis in the pores of track membranes

Fe_1-x Co _x nanowires are obtained by electrochemical deposition into the pores of track-etched membranes. The characteristics of the growth process that allow controlling the length and aspect ratio of the nanowires are established. The elemental composition and magnetic properties of the nanowires depend on the diameter of the track-etched pores, which varies from 30 to 200 nm, and the electrochemical potential U (650–850 mV), which determines the nanowire growth rate. According to the results of elemental analysis and the Mössbauer spectroscopy data, the Co content in Fe_1-x Co _x lies in the range of x=0.20?0.25. It is found that the orientation of the magnetic moment of Fe–Co nanoparticles in the wires depends both on the track pore size d and on the nanowire growth rate. Thus, the magnetic moments in nanowires grown in 50-nm-diameter pores are oriented within 0°–40° with respect to the nanowire axis. The magnetic properties of the nanowires are explained in the framework of a theoretical model describing the magnetic dynamics of nanocomposites, which was extended to include the relaxation of the magnetization vector and to take into account interaction between the particles. The key physical parameters important for the technological applications of the nanowires are determined, their dependence on the nanowire growth conditions is traced, and the possibility of controlling them is established.     

Electrical,magnetic, and thermal properties of UCu5− x Pt x

We report measurements of the structural and electronic properties of UCu_{5??? x} Pt _x , a Pt-based analogue of the nFL system UCu_{5??? x} Pd _x , in the concentration range 0≤?x?≤?5. Forx?≤?2.5 and x?≥?4.5, the UCu_{5??? x} Pt _x system crystallizes in the AuBe₅ structure, but is mixed phase in the range 2.5?<?x?<?4.5. We observe a rapid suppression of long range antiferromagnetic order for small concentrations of Pt. The electrical resistivity, DC magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat of UCu_{5??? x} Pt _x in the concentration range 0.75?≤?x?≤?1 have temperature dependencies at low temperature (T?≤?10?K) consistent with the non-Fermi liquid behaviour found in UCu_{5??? x} Pd _x . Above x?=?1, there is a transition from non-Fermi liquid behaviour to Fermi liquid behaviour with no observation of any spin glass behaviour.     

Rapid thermal annealing effects on the structural and optical properties of Na–N codoped ZnO films

Polycrystalline ZnO thin films codoped with Na and N were obtained by chemical bath deposition. The structural characteristic and the optical properties of the rapid thermal annealed ZnO:(Na,N) films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectrum and room-temperature photoluminescence. After RTA treatment, the XRD spectra showed a continuous decrease of the full- width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the (0 0 2) diffraction peak of the ZnO:(Na,N) film. The Raman spectra revealed that the intensity of the mode around 582 cm⁻¹ increased with the increase of the RTA temperature. The PL spectra showed different trends in the UV luminescence of ZnO:(Na,N) films after RTA treatments.     

Effect of γ-irradiation on structural,morphological and luminescence properties of cerium-doped Y3Al5O12 nano-material

ABSTRACT

Cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG: Ce³⁺) nanopowder phosphors have been elaborated by sol–gel process and annealed at 900°C for 2?h. The prepared phosphors were exposed to gamma radiation, using ⁶⁰Co source, at different doses ranging from 5 to 100?kGy. The influence of γ-irradiation on the structural, morphological and luminescence properties of YAG: Ce³⁺ phosphors were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, ?eld emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and photoluminescence measurements. The XRD analysis confirmed the presence of single cubic phase for all samples of YAG: Ce³⁺ nanophosphors independent of γ-rays dose. FESEM micrograph results revealed that the particles present flate-like shapes and high density of dislocation for sample irradiated at 100?kGy of γ-ray. The YAG: Ce³⁺ nanophosphors showed broad green–yellow emission band in the range of 450–700?nm with maximum intensity at 538?nm assigned to the 5d → 4f transitions of Ce³⁺ ion. The emission intensity of YAG: Ce³⁺ phosphors vary with the γ-ray irradiation and reach the maximum for sample irradiated to a dose of 25?kGy. The variation of luminescence intensity is related to the crystallite size and Ce⁴⁺ ions content in YAG host nanomaterial.