Study of structural and electronic transport properties of Ce-doped LaMnO3

The structural and electronic transport properties of La_1−x Ce _x MnO₃ (x=0.0–1.0) have been studied. All the samples exhibit orthorhombic crystal symmetry and the unit cell volume decreases with Ce doping. They also make a metal-insulator transition (MIT) and transition temperature increases with increase in Ce concentration up to 50% doping. The system La_0.5Ce_0.5MnO₃ also exhibits MIT instead of charge-ordered state as observed in the hole doped systems of the same composition.     

Electrical behavior of high resistivity Ce-doped BiFeO3 multiferroic

Bi_1+xCe_xFeO₃ (Ce–BFO) for x=0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 monophasic ceramic samples were successfully synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction routes. The influences of Ce doping on structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, leakage current and capacitive properties of BiFeO₃ ceramics were investigated intensively. At higher concentrations of x (x=0.1 and 0.15) the samples showed good crystallinity with almost impurity free phases. No structural phase transformation took place after partial doping of Ce ions and all ceramic bulk samples remain in their rhombohedral structure with space group R3c. The dielectric behavior of the samples improved significantly and the ferroelectric hysteresis loops changed their shape from rounded to a strongly nonlinear typical ferroelectric feature mainly originating from the domain switching and became enhanced with increase in doping concentration of cerium (Ce). Experimental results also suggested that partial doping of higher valence, smaller ionic radius Ce ions in BiFeO₃ forces the reduction of oxygen vacancies, resulting in a great suppression of leakage current. It is found that the sharp capacitance peak/discontinuity present in the C–V characteristics of Ce–BFO for different Ce doping concentrations is directly associated with the polarization reversal. Incorporation of excess bismuth in the presence of Ce in BiFeO₃ is expected to compensate Bi loss during high temperature sintering and caused structural distortion which also favors enhancement of ferroelectric properties in Ce-doped BFO.     

Single or both site doped BiFeO3—Which is better candidate for profound electronic device applications?

Magnesium (Mg) and Zirconium (Zr) doped bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃; BFO) such as Bi_1?xMg_xFeO₃ (Mg doped BFO; BMO), BiFe_1?xZr_xO₃ (Zr doped BFO; BZO) and Bi_1?xMg_xFe_1?xZr_xO₃ (both Mg and Zr doped BFO; BMZO) were synthesized by solid-state reaction techniques with dopant concentrations x?=?0 and 0.1, respectively. The distorted rhombohedral structures of doped BFO were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The microstructural analysis revealed that there were uniform dispersions and homogeneous distributions of ceramics in BMZO as compared to BMO, BZO and pure BFO. The presence of both grain and grain boundary in BMZO indicated its good electrical response than others as evidenced from impedance analysis and in agreement with AC conductivity study. The dielectric and ferroelectric measurement signified that BMZO possessed enhanced dielectric constant and high remanent polarization thus could be a better prominent candidate than others to be used in electronic devices.     

Resistive switching effect in thin-film heterojunctions based on electron-doped Nd2 ? xCexCuO4 ? y superconductor

Thin-film heterojunctions Nd_{2 − x} Ce _x CuO_{4 − y} /Ag were obtained. The bipolar effect of resistive switching in these heterostructures was detected and investigated. X-ray diffraction data indicate the presence of a second phase in thin films; along with the basic phase Nd_{2 − x} Ce _x CuO_{4 − y} , it affects the behavior of the interface of investigated heterojunctions and leads to an alteration of the type of conductivity. The threshold frequency of alternating voltage at which the resistive switching effect is observed in heterojunctions was detected.     

UV excitable Y2? x ? y Gd y SiO5:Ce x phosphors for cool white light emission

Cool white light was realized in Y_2−x−y Gd _x SiO₅: Ce _y phosphor under near UV excitation, due to the occupation Ce³⁺ in Y³⁺ 1st and 2nd site, synthesized using solid state carbothermal reduction route. SEM with elemental analysis show the existence of Gd in Y₂SiO₅:Ce enhances the particles size in comparison to Y₂SiO₅:Ce phosphors alone. Gd³⁺ (0.00≤x≤0.75) and Ce³⁺ (0.02≤y≤0.10) concentration was optimized to 0.50 and 0.08 in Y₂SiO₅, respectively. The CIE chromaticity color coordinates (0.24, 0.20) are close to cool white light value which could be useful for the fabrication of cool white LED.     

Morphology and magnetic properties of Fe x Co1−x /Co y Fe3−y O4 nanocomposites prepared by surfactants-assisted-hydrothermal process

Recently, we have demonstrated the successful synthesis of Fe _x Co_1−x /Co _y Fe_3−y O₄ nanocomposites with various alkaline solutions by using surfactants-assisted-hydrothermal (SAH) process. In this article, the synthesis of Fe _x Co_1−x /Co_yFe_3−y O₄ nanocomposites with their sizes varying between 20 nm and 2 μm was reported. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the surfactants, pH, precipitator, and temperature of the system play important roles in the nucleation and growth processes. The magnetic properties tested by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature exhibit ferromagnetic behavior of the nanocomposites. These Fe _x Co_1−x /Co _y Fe_3−y O₄ nanocomposites may have a potential application as magnetic carriers for drug targeting because of their excellent soft-magnetic properties.     

Comparing the physical properties of Pr/Gd and Pr/Ce substitutions in Ru(Gd<Subscript>1.5</Subscript>Ce<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>)Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>10−<Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis></Subscript>

We have compared the electrical and magnetic properties of Ru(Gd_1.5−x Pr _x )Ce_0.5Sr₂Cu₂O_10−δ (Pr/Gd samples) with x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.033, 0.035, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.1 and RuGd_1.5(Ce_0.5−x Pr _x ) Sr₂ Cu₂O_10−δ (Pr/Ce samples) with x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.08, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 prepared by the standard solid-state reaction technique. We obtained the XRD patterns for different samples with various x. The lattice parameters versus x for different substitutions have been obtained from Rietveld analysis. To determine how the magnetic and superconducting properties of these layered cuprate systems can be affected by Pr substitution, the resistivity, and magnetoresistivity, with H _ext varying from 0.0 to 15 kOe, have been measured at various temperatures. Superconducting transition temperature T _c and magnetic transition T _irr , have been obtained through resistivity and ac susceptibility measurements. The T _c suppression due to Pr/Gd and Pr/Ce substitutions show competition between pair breaking by magnetic impurities, hole doping due to different valances of ions, difference in ionic radii, and oxygen stoichiometry. Pr/Gd substitution suppresses superconductivity more rapidly than for Pr/Ce, showing that the effect of hole doping and magnetic impurity pair breaking is stronger than the difference in ionic radii. In Pr/Gd substitution, the small difference between the ionic radii of Pr^3+,4+ and Gd³⁺, and absorption of more oxygen due to the higher valence of Pr with respect to Gd, decreases the mean Ru-Ru distance, and as a result, the magnetic exchange interaction becomes stronger with the increase of x. However, Pr/Ce substitution has the opposite effect. The magnetic parameters such as H _c , obtained through magnetization measurements versus applied magnetic field isotherm at 77 K and room temperatures, become stronger with x in Pr/Gd and weaker with x in Pr/Ce substitution.     

Rapid optical measurement of surface roughness of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> films for nonvolatile memory application

An optical inspection system for rapid surface roughness measurement of BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films is developed. It is found that y = −121.45 x + 212.81 is a trend equation for characterizing the surface roughness of BFO thin films. The incident angle of 60◦ is a good candidate for measuring the surface roughness of BFO thin films. The maximum measurement error rate of the optical inspection system developed is less than 2.6%. The savings in inspection time of the surface roughness of BiFeO₃ thin films is up to 90%.     

非化学计量和掺杂对(Na1/2Bi1/2)0.92Ba0.08TiO3陶瓷电性能的影响

研究了非化学计量和掺杂对无铅压电陶瓷(Na_1/2Bi_1/2)_0.92Ba_0.08TiO₃的压电性能及去极化温度的影响.研究发现A位非化学计量可以提高陶瓷的压电性能;B位掺杂对材料电学性能的影响规律类似于Pb(Ti,Zr)O₃系压电陶瓷的相关规律;由于非化学计量和掺杂会影响到A位离子对B位离子与氧离子形成的BO₆八面体的耦合作用,影响到畴的稳定性,从而影响 关键词： 无铅压电陶瓷 非化学计量 掺杂 电性能     

Advances in single crystal growth and annealing treatment of electron-doped HTSC

High quality electron-doped HTSC single crystals of Pr_2−xCe_xCuO_4+δ and Nd_2−xCe_xCuO_4+δ have been successfully grown by the container-free traveling solvent floating zone technique. The optimally doped Pr_2−xCe_xCuO_4+δ and Nd_2−xCe_xCuO_4+δ crystals have transition temperatures T _c of 25 K and 23.5 K, respectively, with a transition width of less than 1 K. We found a strong dependence of the optimal growth parameters on the Ce content x. We discuss the optimization of the post-growth annealing treatment of the samples, the doping extension of the superconducting dome for both compounds as well as the role of excess oxygen. The absolute oxygen content of the as-grown crystals is determined from thermogravimetric experiments and is found to be ≥ 4.0. This oxygen surplus is nearly completely removed by a post-growth annealing treatment. The reduction process is reversible as demonstrated by magnetization measurements. In as-grown samples the excess oxygen resides on the apical site O(3). This apical oxygen has nearly no doping effect, but rather influences the evolution of superconductivity by inducing additional disorder in the CuO₂ layers. The very high crystal quality of Nd_2−xCe_xCuO_4+δ is particularly manifest in magnetic quantum oscillations observed on several samples at different doping levels. They provide a unique opportunity of studying the Fermi surface and its dependence on the carrier concentration in the bulk of the crystals.     

Fe对CeyFexCo4-xSb12化合物结 构和热电传输性质的影响

用熔融法合成了单相填充式skutterudite化合物Ce_yFe_xCo_4-x Sb₁₂(x=0—3.0,y=0—0.74).对Ce的填充范围,置换Fe原子对化合物的结 构及热电传输特性的影响进行了研究,Ce的填充分数随Fe含量的增加而线性增加,当Fe含量 大约为3时,Ce的填充分数达到0.74.晶格常量a随Fe含量的增加而增加,Ce的填充使晶格常 量进一步增加.当Ce填充分数达到饱和状态时,Ce_y 关键词： 填充式skutterudite化合物 晶体结构 热电传输性质     

Magnetism in electron-doped copper oxides

We report muon spin relaxation/rotation measurements on sintered powder samples of Nd_2−x Ce _x CuO_4−y and a large single crystal of Nd₂CuO_4−y . We find an electronic phase diagram which is quite similar to that of hole-doped superconductors such as La_2−x Sr _x CuO_4−y , although the doping of electrons into the system is less efficient in destroying the static moments on the copper spins. Static magnetic order in Nd₂CuO_4−y appears below about 250 K, and two spin reorientations are seen atT=75 K andT=35 K. Measurements of the magnetic field penetration depth have been unsuccessful due to the rare-earth paramagnetism of these materials.     

Magnetic ordering in Nd2-xCexCuO4-y

The n-type cuprate superconductor and closely related samples of the general form Nd_2−x Ce _x CuO_4−y have been studied with the muon spin relaxation technique. Non-super-conducting samples display antiferromagnetism (AFM) withT _N below 150 K, the value being dependent upon both Ce concentration and oxygen depletion. The results are interpreted in terms of carrier concentration.     

Effect of substitution of Ce on superconducting properties of Bi1.7Pb0.3Sr2Ca2−x Ce x Cu3O10+δ system

We have investigated the superconducting properties of the Bi_1.7 Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca_2−xCe _x Cu₃O_10+δ system with x=0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08 and 0.1 by X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility. The substitution of Ce for Ca has been found to drastically change the superconducting properties of the system. X-ray diffraction studies on these compounds indicate decrease in the c-parameter with increased substitution of Ce at Ca site and volume fraction of high T _c (2 : 2 : 2 : 3) phase decreases and low T _c phase increases. The magnetic susceptibility of this compound shows that the diamagnetic on set superconducting transition temperature (onset) varies from 109 K to 51 K for x=0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08 and 0.1. These results suggest the possible existence of Ce in a tetravalent state rather than a trivalent state in this system; that is, Ca²⁺ → Ce⁴⁺ replacement changes the hole carrier concentration. Hole filling is the cause of lowering T _c of the system.     

Structural and magnetic properties of hydrides R3Fe29−xVxHy (R=Y, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, and Dy)

A systematic investigation of crystallographic and intrinsic magnetic properties of the hydrides R₃Fe_29−xV_xH_y (R=Y, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, and Dy) has been performed in this work. The lattice constants , and c and the unit cell volume of R₃Fe_29−xV_xH_y decrease with increasing rare-earth atomic number from Nd to Dy, except for Ce, reflecting the lanthanide contraction. Hydrogenation results in regular anisotropic expansions along the a-, b-, and c-axes in this series of hydrides. Abnormal crystallographic and magnetic properties of Ce₃Fe_27.5V_1.5H_6.5, like Ce₃Fe_27.5V_1.5, suggest that the Ce ion is non-triply ionized. Hydrogenation leads to the increase in both Curie temperature for all the compounds and in the saturation magnetization at 4.2 K and RT for R₃Fe_29−xV_x with R=Y, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, and Dy, except for Tb. Hydrogenation also leads to a decrease in the anisotropy field at 4.2 K and RT for R₃Fe_29−xV_x with R=Y, Ce, Nd, Gd, Tb, and Dy, except for Sm. The Ce₃Fe_27.5V_1.5 and Gd₃Fe_28.4V_0.6 show the larger storage of hydrogen with y=6.5 and 6.9 in these hydrides.     

Conditions favoring the polar weak ferromagnetic state in BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-type multiferroics

The crystal structure and magnetic properties of Bi_{1 − x} A _x FeO_{3 − x/2} (A = Ca, Sr, Pb, Ba), Bi_{1 − x} A _x (Fe_{1 − x} Ti _x )O₃, and Bi_{1 − x} A _x (Fe_{1 − x/2}Nb _x/2)O₃ solid solutions have been studied. It is shown that the homogeneous polar weak ferromagnetic state occurs in the vicinity of a morphotropic phase boundary in the systems where dopant ions lead to the reduction of the unit cell volume in the polar phase. In the case of A = Ca, the non-polar phase also exhibits weak ferromagnetism and the spontaneous magnetizations in the polar and nonpolar phases differ only slightly.     

Absorption spectra and magneto-optic figures of merit in the Bi x Sm3-x Fe5-y Ga y O12 system

The absorption (α) and Faraday rotation (θ) spectra of 14 garnets belonging to the series Bi _x Sm_3-x Fe_5-y Ga _y O₁₂ (0<x<1.05, 0.8<y<1.15) have been measured between 15 000 cm⁻¹ and 19 000 cm⁻¹. The figure of merit (θ/α) at 17 850 cm⁻¹ (560 nm) increases linearly with increasing bismuth concentration up tox∼0.6 where it begins to increase less rapidly. For operation of magneto-optic display devices at 17 850 cm⁻¹ there is no advantage in using garnets in this series withx>0.8. The Faraday rotation at 17 850 cm⁻¹ increases linearly with bismuth concentration whereas the absorption coefficient increases more rapidly. The presence of Bi³⁺ increases the intensity of all Fe³⁺ pair transitions in the garnet system as a result of the increased superexchange induced by Bi³⁺. This is in keeping with the observation that the intensity of the⁶A_1g (S)→⁴T_1g (G) transition in (RE)₃Fe₅O₁₂ (RE=Er, Y, Dy, Gd, Eu) increases on traversing the above RE series as do the Curie temperatures of these iron garnets.     

Influence of thermal treatment in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres on the composition and properties of solid solutions based on bismuth vanadate: (Bi,La)4(V,Me)2O11?y (Me = Ga, Zr, Cu)

Ceramic solid solutions (Bi_{1 − y} La _y )₄(V_{1 − x} Me _x )₂O_{11 − z} (x, y < 0.2: Me = Zr, Ga, Fe, Cu) were prepared by solid-state reaction. It was shown that the annealing (973 K, reducing atmosphere H₂/Ar (20/80)) of the samples whose compositions belong to the stability domains of α, β, and γ′ polymorphs increases their electronic conductivity by six orders of magnitude. The samples with low concentrations of dopant cations exhibited good compositional stability and a reversible change in their structure parameters. At the same time, the solid solutions with a high concentration of lanthanum cations and/or copper cations (y, x ∼ 0.1) underwent partial decomposition.     

Effect of substitution of Zr on the magnetic properties of R2Co17 (R = Ce and Sm)

The ternary systems Ce₂Co_17?xZr_x and Sm₂Co_17?xZr_x have been studied to ascertain the effect of Zr substitution on the magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction experiments show that single phase materials can be obtained only in the range of x ≤ 1 and that Zr stabilizes the hexagonal Th₂Ni₁₇ structure. The unit cell volume is found to increase by substitution of Zr. The Curie temperature T_c decreases monotonically with increasing x at an approximate rate of 100 and 90 deg/atom for the Ce and Sm systems, respectively. The saturation magnetic moments also decrease monotonically with increasing x for both the systems. The rate of decrease is larger than that expected as a simple dilution. The anisotropy fields H_A are significantly increased by Zr substitutions for both the systems, reaching 70 and 200 kOe at 77 K in the cases of Ce₂Co₁₆Zr₁ and Sm₂Co₁₆Zr₁, respectively. Among all the substituents studied until now, Zr seems to be the most effective for permanent magnet applications. Crystallographic and magnetic characteristics indicate that Zr replaces Co when the ternaries are formed.     

ZrN, ZrxAlyN and ZrxGayN thin films – novel materials for hard coatings grown using pulsed laser deposition

High-quality thin films of ZrN, Zr_xAl_yN and Zr_xGa_yN have been grown by pulsed reactive crossed-beam laser ablation using Zr, Zr-Al and Zr-Ga ablation targets, respectively, and a N₂ gas pulse. The films were characterized for their chemical, crystallographic and tribological properties. All the films had very low impurity levels and a cubic rock salt crystal structure over the entire investigated temperature range between room temperature and 600 °C. High-quality epitaxial films could be grown on Si (001) at 400 °C, though the crystallinity was disrupted at 525 °C by Si diffusion into the film bulk and the formation of ZrSi₂ crystallites. Films grown on stainless steel were polycrystalline. The ratios of the metals in the alloy targets were in general not equal to those in the films: the Al content in the Zr_xAl_yN films was lower than the target value, which we attribute to differential scattering in the ablation plume. The Ga content in the Zr_xGa_yN films fell with increasing substrate temperature, indicative of re-evaporation of Ga from the substrate surface. Those Zr_xGa_yN films with the highest Ga content, grown at the lowest temperatures, were particularly nitrogen-deficient, which we attribute to the low reactivity of Ga with N₂. The Zr_xAl_yN films had an exceptionally low coefficient of friction (0.20) versus steel and the greatest nanohardness of 28 GPa. Received: 9 November 2000 / Accepted: 14 November 2000 / Published online: 28 February 2001