Effect of crystal disorder on linewidth of the Raman modes in GaS1‐xSex layered mixed crystals

The linewidths of Raman‐active intralayer compressional modes in GaS_1‐xSe_x layered mixed crystals (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) have been measured in the 10‐300 K temperature range to study the anharmonic effect as a function of compositional variation and temperature. It was found that the anharmonicity increases with an increase in substitutional disorder. The cubic (three‐phonon) processes with energy conservation is responsible for the anharmonic contribution to the broadening of the intralayer phonon lines with temperature. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Rotational probe relaxation and scaling in fragile glass formers

The rotational dynamics of a stiff paramagnetic tracer dissolved in supercooled SALOL is investigated via electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The study shows that the molecular rotation follows different dynamical regimes as the temperature is lowered. In particular, on cooling through the critical temperature T_C of the SALOL, the coupling between rotational relaxation and viscosity weakens and enhanced rotational diffusion is observed. In this temperature interval, the relationship between rotational correlation times and viscosity is fairly well described by a power law τ∝η^ξ (Fractional Debye-Stokes-Einstein law). Activated reorientation is observed in the temperature region around the glass transition of the SALOL. The rotational dynamics of the tracer dissolved in SALOL are compared with its rotation in ortotherphenyl (OTP) investigated in previous studies, and a scaling procedure is proposed.     

Hydrogen bonding in aromatic formamides

The solid state structures of two p-substituted aromatic formamides have been determined. p-Nitro formamido benzene (1) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with a = 10.9859(7), b = 10.0576(7), c = 13.0331(9) Å, β = 97.148(1)^∘ and Z = 8. p-formamido anisole (2) crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna2₁ with a = 10.5598(7), b = 7.6553(5), c = 9.2522(6) Å and Z = 4. Both compounds show hydrogen bonding in the solid state, forming infinite chains via N–H⋅ < eqid1 > ⋅O = C bridges. For the anisole formamide (2), the molecules exhibit in a zig-zag arrangement. The nitro compound (1) exhibits a spiral-like wavy line with a fourfold repeating unit, making it the first formamide having a chiral N–H⋅ < eqid2 > ⋅O bridged chain reminiscent of those found for α-helices in proteins. While the individual spirals of 1 are orientated either clockwise or counterclockwise, their orientation towards each other is random.     

The Electro-Optical Properties of Doping Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Liquids in Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystals

In this paper, doping liquid materials to enhance the electro-optical (EO) properties of twisted nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) was presented. Two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) liquids, toluene and 1-methylnaphthalene, were chosen as dopants in order to lower the driving voltage and response time of the NLCs. We find that the main reason of this phenomenon is due to a large amount of reduction in the rotational viscosity of PAH liquids doped NLCs. Without the drawbacks of aggregation that the solid nanoparticles could have, the method of doping liquids provides a more reliable choice for applications in various LC display systems.     

Vibrational states and disorder in continuously compressed model glasses

We present in this paper a numerical study of the vibrational eigenvectors of a two-dimensional amorphous material, previously deeply studied from the point of view of mechanical properties and vibrational eigen-frequencies [7], [8], [9] and [10]. Attention is paid here to the connection between the mechanical properties of this material in term of elastic heterogeneities (EH), and how these inherent heterogeneous structures affect the vibrational eigenvectors and their plane waves decomposition. The systems are analysed for different hydrostatic pressures, and using results from previous studies, a deeper understanding of the boson peak scenario is obtained. The vibrational spectrum of a continuously densified silica glass is also studied, from which it appears that the pulsation associated with the boson peak follows the same pressure dependence trend than that of transverse waves with pulsation associated with the EH characteristic size.     

Temperature dependence of optical absorption in In1‐xGaxAs solid solutions

Absorption spectra near the fundamental absoption edge of n‐type of In_1‐xGa_xAs are studied. The temperature coefficient of the In_1‐xGa_xAs energy gap, dE_g/dT, has been obtained and compared with calculated data. An exponential dependence of the absorption coefficient on photon energy has been found. The slope of the exponential absorption curve is discussed. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Trifluoromethyl group disorder in crystalline 2,8-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4-hydroxymethylquinoline

The title compound crystallized in space groupPna2₁ with lattice constantsa=13.406(1),b=18.799 (4), andc=4.785(1). The molecule is essentially flat with only fluorine atoms, methylene hydrogen atoms, and the hydroxyl hydrogen atom out of the plane of the quinoline ring. Only one of the trifluoromethyl groups of the title compound is disordered following a pattern observed in other crystal structures. Quantum chemical calculations at the AM1 level are consistent with this phenomenon. Although the carbon atom of the fixed trifluoromethyl group is further from the quinoline nitrogen atom than the carbon atom of the disordered trifluoromethyl group, the fluorine atoms of the fixed trifluoromethyl group more closely approach the quinoline nitrogen atom by 0.3 Å if the C(8)–C(10) bond in the crystal structure is freely rotated.National Research Council Associate     

Correlation between the residual resistivity ratio and the power‐law of the normal‐state resistivity in MgB2

MgB₂ polycrystalline superconducting specimens were irradiated with several doses of γ‐rays up to 100 MR. An increase in the normal state resistivity and a broadening of the resistive transition to the superconducting state were observed with increasing γ‐irradiation dose. Although very small changes to the superconducting transition temperature were obtained after γ‐irradiation, different temperature dependence of normal‐state resistivity and different residual resistivity ratios, RRR were obtained for different doses. We have found a correlation between RRR and the power law dependence of resistivity, n as the irradiation dose increases. This correlation may be an indication that the electron‐phonon interaction is important in these samples. These results are attributed to the disorder caused by γ‐rays. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis and characterization of phosphates in the pseudo‐ternary melted systems Cs2O‐P2O5‐MIIO (MII – alkaline earth)

The crystallization of alkali‐earth phosphates in the melts of Cs₂O‐P₂O₅‐M^IIO (M^II – Ca, Sr, Ba) pseudo‐ternary systems have been investigated at various Cs/P molar ratios and at fixed value of M^II/P equal to 0.15. Type of the phosphate which crystallizes in melts depends on the Cs/P initial ratio. Crystallization fields of CsM^IIP₃O₉, M^II₂P₂O₇ and Cs₂M^IIP₂O₇ were briefly investigated and characterized. The new diphosphate Cs₂CaP₂O₇ has been obtained and investigated by the single crystal and powder X‐ray diffraction and FTIR‐ spectroscopy. It crystallizes in C 2/m space group, with the following parameters of the monoclinic cell: a = 10.261(2), b = 5.9316(12), c = 7.2404(14) Å, β = 118.54(3)°. The architecture of [CaP₂O₇]^2‐ anionic sublattice, which is built up from [CaO₆] octahedra and [P₂O₇] bitetrahedra, interlinked via the common oxygen vertices, gives rise to formation of hexagonal tunnels along crystallographic direction b, where caesium atoms are located. One of the most remarkable features of the structure is specific positional disorder of the diphosphate group, which is connected with the existence of two equiprobable half‐occupied sites of the bridging oxygen. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Order and disorder in edge-supported pure amorphous Si and pure amorphous Si on Si(001)

We report results from an investigation into hidden anisotropy in pure fully-dense amorphous silicon. For amorphous silicon in intimate contact with a crystalline Si(001) substrate, one can reasonably expect that the interface with the substrate may impose anisotropy in the form of distorted ordering within the film. Indeed, we found four-fold periodic intensity variations, with bimodal intensity centered along the substrate c-Si < 110> directions, in the X-ray scattering from a-Si on Si(001). These well-defined intensity variations disappeared entirely in X-ray scattering from edge-supported a-Si films, where there was no detectable anisotropy.     

一维固-液型随机失谐声子晶体中波的传播

本文研究了声波在一维固-液型随机失谐声子晶体中的传播,引进局部化因子的概念研究了结构的带隙特性和局部化特征.给出了局部化因子的计算表达式并用传递矩阵法进行了计算,考查了平面波以任意角度入射的情形.结果表明:失谐度对高频区的频带结构有较大的影响,固-液型声子晶体与固-固型声子晶体的频带结构有很大差别.     

Metachromasy Bands of Disk-Like Guests in the Host Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Disodium Chromoglycate-Water

Electronic absorption spectra of Crystal Violet (CV), Malachite Green (MG) and Methylene Blue (MB) have been investigated in the 500–700 nm region using lecithin-water and disodium chromoglycate (DSCG)-water lyotropic liquid crystals as hosts. Metachromasy bands of CV and MG, indicative of associations of guest molecules, are observed even in the mesophase of the DSCG-water system, in spite of the suppression effect of the host which tends to reduce the degree of association of guest molecules with increasing host concentration. This contrasts with the case of a rod-like guest such as MB, where no indication of association of guest molecules is observed in the DSCG lyotropic mesophase. These spectral observations on the guests in the host DSCG lyotropic liquid crystal are explained in terms of some crucial structural parameter of the guests and a lyotropic columnar structure of the host such as that proposed by Attwood et al.