Mössbauer effect of119Sn in amorphous superconducting metals

Mössbauer spectra for¹¹⁹Sn in crystalline and disordered Sn, as well as in crystalline and liquid-like amorphous Sn_1-x Cu _x (X=0.10?0.18), have been measured at 2.6 K≦T≦108 K. The Debye-Waller-Factor (DWF) obtained from the spectra is identical for the crystalline and for the disordered phase. The DWF of the amorphous phase is smaller than the DWF of the crystalline phase athigh temperatures, but it shows a stronger temperature dependence than the DWF of the crystalline phase and reaches the latter one at about 4 K. From this low-temperature result we conclude that the differences of the Eliashberg functionα ²(ω)F(ω) and of the superconducting transition temperatureT _c in these two phases cannot be related to changes in the phonon spectrumF(ω), but must result from changes of the interaction parameterα ² (ω). A comparison between DWF,α ² F, and specific heat data is performed. From the values for the isomeric shift of the Mössbauer line we can show that the hybridisation and covalency of the electronic bonds present in the crystalline and in the disordered phases are destroyed in the amorphous phase. Both, the DWF and the isomer shift demonstrate that the electronic properties of crystalline and amorphous Sn(Cu) differ appreciably. The electronic and superconducting properties of amorphous Sn(Cu) are similar to the properties of the high pressure phase of tin.     

New Fe-based amorphous compound powder cores with superior DC-bias properties and low loss characteristics

The Fe–Si–B–P–C metallic glassy alloys exhibit relatively high glass forming ability (GFA) as well as good soft magnetic properties such as ultra-low core loss. In this paper, the metallic glassy alloy (Fe_0.76Si_0.09B_0.10P_0.05)₉₈C₂ has been newly developed. A new Fe-based amorphous compound powder was prepared from FeSiB amorphous powder by crushing the amorphous ribbons as the first magnetic component and FeSiBPC metallic glassy powder by water atomization as the second magnetic component. Subsequently by adding organic and inorganic binders to the compound powder and cold pressing, the new Fe-based amorphous compound powder cores were fabricated. These new Fe-based amorphous compound powder cores combine the superior DC-bias properties and the excellently low core loss. The core loss of 453 kW/m³ at B_m=0.1 T and f=100 kHz was obtained when the mass ratio of FeSiB/FeSiBPC equals 3:2, and meanwhile the DC-bias properties of the new Fe-based amorphous compound powder cores just increased by 10% at H=100 Oe for μ=60 compared to those of the FeSiBPC powder cores. In addition, with the increase in the content of the FeSiPC metallic glassy powder, the core loss tends to decrease.     

Periodic DFT calculation of the pressure-induced phase transition and thermodynamical properties of magnesium silicide polymorphs

The plane-wave pseudo-potential method within the framework of first-principles is used to investigate the structural and elastic properties of Mg₂Si in its low pressure phase (Fm-3m) and intermediate pressure phase (Pnma). The high-pressure lattice constants, the elastic constants, the elastic moduli and the anisotropy factors of the anti-cotunnite Mg₂Si are presented and discussed. The results show that our system is mechanically stable. The reversible phase transition from anti-fluorite to anti-cotunnite structure is successfully reproduced through the quasi-harmonic Debye model. The phase boundary can be described as P=4.06826−6.95×10⁻³T+5.08838×10⁻⁵T²−4.24073×10⁻⁸T³. To complete the fundamental characteristics of these compounds we have analysed the thermodynamic properties such as thermal expansion, bulk modulus, isochoric heat capacity and Debye temperature in a pressure range 0-21 GPa and a temperature range 0-1200 K. The obtained results tend to support the experimental data when available. Therefore, the present results indicate that the combination of first-principles and quasi-harmonic approximations is an efficient scheme to simulate the high-temperature behaviours of semiconductors like Mg₂Si.     

Structure-mediated transition in the behavior of elastic and inelastic properties of beach tree bio-carbon

Microstructural characteristics and amplitude dependences of the Young modulus E and of internal friction (logarithmic decrement δ) of bio-carbon matrices prepared from beech tree wood at different carbonization temperatures T _carb ranging from 600 to 1600°C have been studied. The dependences E(T _carb) and δ(T _carb) thus obtained revealed two linear regions of increase of the Young modulus and of decrease of the decrement with increasing carbonization temperature, namely, ΔE ～ AΔT _carb and Δδ ～ BΔT _carb, with A ≈ 13.4 MPa/K and B ≈ ?2.2 × 10^?6 K^?1 for T _carb < 1000°C and A ≈ 2.5 MPa/K and B ≈ ?3.0 × 10^?7 K^?1 for T _carb > 1000°C. The transition observed in the behavior of E(T _carb) and δ(T _carb) at T _carb = 900–1000°C can be assigned to a change of sample microstructure, more specifically, a change in the ratio of the fractions of the amorphous matrix and of the nanocrystalline phase. For T _carb < 1000°C, the elastic properties are governed primarily by the amorphous matrix, whereas for T _carb > 1000°C the nanocrystalline phase plays the dominant part. The structurally induced transition in the behavior of the elastic and microplastic characteristics at a temperature close to 1000°C correlates with the variation of the physical properties, such as electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and thermopower, reported in the literature.     

A calorimetric study of the dimerized phase of C60 fullerene

The temperature dependence of the heat capacity at a constant pressure C _p ⁰ = f(T) for the dimerized phase of the C₆₀ fullerene in the temperature range 300–575 K and the thermodynamic characteristics for depolymerization of this phase under normal pressure are investigated using precision differential scanning calorimetry. It is established that thermal depolymerization is a kinetically hindered process. The final products of thermal depolymerization are identified as a partially crystalline monomer face-centered cubic phase of C₆₀ with a degree of crystallinity α = 67 mol %. The results obtained in this study and our previous experimental data on the low-temperature heat capacity are used in the calculations of standard thermodynamic functions for the (C₆₀)₂ crystalline dimer, namely, the heat capacity C _p ⁰ (T), the enthalpy H ⁰(T) ? H ⁰(0), the entropy S ⁰(T), and the Gibbs function G ⁰(T) ? H ⁰(0) in the temperature range from T → 0 to 394 K.     

Processing and properties of some II–IV–V2 amorphous and crystalline semiconductors

Experimental investigations on the preparation, characterization, and properties of several bulk and thin-film ternary alloys based on the chalcopyrite II–IV–V₂ semiconductors are presented. Rapid melt solidification in vacuum-sealed fused-silica tubes resulted in amorphous alloy formation in almost all compositions in the system CdGeAs₂-CdSiAs₂. ZnGeAs₂-CdGeAs₂ alloys showed very limited tendency toward amorphous phase formation. Phase separation, crystallization and electrical properties were studied for amorphous Cd-Ge-Si-As alloys by thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Hall measurements. Rapid crystallization resulted in a reversal of conductivity type (p-to-n or vice versa). Crystallized glassy alloys showed room-temperature mobility of 64 cm²/V s, and a hole concentration of 1020 cm^–3. The p-to-n change in conductivity type upon amorphous-to-crystal transformation suggests that these alloys can be used to fabricate p-n junction devices by surface crystallization of the amorphous phase.     

F-Zentren und Kolloide in der amorphen,hexagonalen und kubischen Phase von LiJ

By simultaneous evaporation of LiI and Li onto a cooled substrate F centers can be produced in the hexagonal (78 K<T _K <200 K) and amorphous (T _K <78 K) phase of one and the same salt. In both modifications there exist two types of centers F and F^*. The F^* center differs from the cubic F center (T _d -symmetry) by a nearby Frenkel defect. In hexagonal films the normal F band peaks at 2.58 eV, whereas the transitions of the F^* center appear at 2.92 and 2.58 eV too. Polarized irradiation at 20 K causes a dichroic behaviour of the F^* centers. Both types of centers can be transformed into one another photochemically. In the amorphous phase all transitions are shifted to lower energies by about 0.1 eV. After the phase change amorphous→hexagonal the absorption bands shift back by the same amount of energy. AboveT _K =230 K the excess metal forms colloids. The absorption bands are due to colloidal centers embedded in the crystalline material (2.25 eV) and films adsorbed to the crystallites (3.1 eV), respectively. By annealing a particle growth can be observed. After electrolytic colouration cubic single crystals of LiI exhibit an absorption band peaking at 2.36 eV. However, it is not yet sure, if this band is allowed to be ascribed to F centers.     

Nonmonotonic Dependence of the Absolute Entropy on Temperature in Supercooled Stillinger-Weber Silicon

Using a recently developed thermodynamic integration method, we compute the precise values of the excess Gibbs free energy (G ^e ) of the high density liquid (HDL) phase with respect to the crystalline phase at different temperatures (T) in the supercooled region of the Stillinger-Weber (SW) silicon (Stillinger and Weber in Phys. Rev. B 31:5262?C5271, 1985). Based on the slope of G ^e with respect to T, we find that the absolute entropy of the HDL phase increases as its enthalpy changes from the equilibrium value at T??1065 K to the value corresponding to a non-equilibrium state at 1060?K. We find that the volume distribution in the equilibrium HDL phases become progressively broader as the temperature is reduced to 1060 K, exhibiting van-der-Waals (VDW) loop in the pressure-volume curves. Our results provides insight into the thermodynamic cause of the transition from the HDL phase to the low density phases in SW silicon, observed in earlier studies near 1060?K at zero pressure.     

First-principle study of phase stability,electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of cadmium sulfide under high pressure

By employing first principle and a quasi-harmonic Debye model, we study the phase stability, phase transition, electronic structure and thermodynamic properties of cadmium sulfide (CdS). The results indicate that CdS is a typical ionic crystal and that the zinc-blende phase in CdS is thermodynamically unstable. Moreover, the heat capacity of the wurtzite and rocksalt phases of CdS decreases with pressure and increases with temperature, obeying the rule of the Debye T³ law at low temperature and the Dulong–Petit limit at high temperature.     

Proton conduction in CsHSO4–mesoporous silica composite electrolytes

Novel proton-conducting composites were prepared by incorporating molten CsHSO₄ (CHS) into two types of mesoporous silica, MCM-41 with a one-dimensional (1-D) hexagonal structure and MCM-48 with a three-dimensional (3-D) cubic structure. Their proton conductivities (σ) were measured to examine effects of the incorporation and the dimensionality of the mesopores on their conductivity. Incorporation of proper amounts of MCMs maintained high proton conductivities as high as ~ 10^? 3 S cm^? 1 at temperatures above the superprotonic phase-transition temperature (T_s: 414 K) of CHS and improved the conductivity by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude at temperatures below T_s. In the case of MCM-41, more than 40 mol% mixing, however, caused steep drops in σ in both temperature ranges. On the other hand, the CHS/MCM-48 composite showed a linear increase in σ below T_s and a gradual decrease in σ above T_s with an increase in the MCM-48 content at least up to 60 mol%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that CHS filled in the MCM mesopores became X-ray crystallographically amorphous and the amount of the amorphous phase increased with an increase in the MCM contents. In the case of the CHS/MCM-48 composites, the activation energy (E_a) for proton conduction below T_s drastically came close to that above T_s by mixing with MCM-48 up to 30 mol%. This indicates that the proton can transport similarly to the conduction mechanism in the superprotonic phase even below T_s. These results suggest that CHS adopts a highly proton-conducting amorphous phase in the mesopores at temperatures below T_s, and that MCM-48 with the 3-D cubic structure is more suitable for formation of high proton-conducting percolation paths.     

Effect of γ irradiation on the heat capacity of (CH3)2NH2Al(SO4)2 · 6H2O crystals near the ferroelectric phase transition

The heat capacity of dimethyl ammonium-aluminum sulfate crystals (DMAAS), both nonirradiated and γ-irradiated to fluences of 10⁷, 5×10⁷, and 10⁸ R, has been measured by the adiabatic method near the ferroelectric phase transition (PT) within the 80–300 K temperature range. The C _p =f(T) curve exhibits a λ-shaped anomaly near the phase-transition point T _C =152 K. The PT temperature and the magnitude of the anomaly are shown to decrease with increasing γ-irradiation fluence. It has been established that the ferroelectric PT at T _C =152 K, which lies close to the tricritical point, shifts progressively more under γ irradiation toward the second-order PT, and that the behavior of the anomalous part of the heat capacity in the ferroelectric phase is described by the thermodynamic theory of Landau. The experimental heat-capacity data have been used to calculate the variation of the thermodynamic functions of the DMAAS crystal.     

Low-temperature magnetic properties and susceptibility of amorphous Nd4Fe58.1Cr19.4B18.5 alloys

Low-temperature magnetic properties and the susceptibility of the amorphous Nd₄Fe_58.1Cr_19.4B_18.5 alloy were studied. The temperature dependence of magnetization exhibits T^3/2 behavior up to T/T_c=0.57. Spin-wave stiffness coefficient D=47 meV A² is much smaller than that of amorphous Fe₈₀B₂₀ alloys. The temperature dependence of the susceptibility χ₀ obeys Curie–Weiss law at T>1.5T_c. A larger effective magnetic moment per magnetic atom was obtained. The influence of Cr on low-temperature magnetic properties and the susceptibility was discussed.     

Phase transitions in the atomic, electronic, and magnetic subsystems of LaSrMnO films versus the synthesis temperature

The evolution of the cluster structure in amorphous LaSrMnO films as synthesis temperature T _s increases from 20 to 300°C is considered. Two order-disorder phase transitions with different scale parameters are observed. One of them, the aggregation of disordered atoms into small (～20 Å) amorphous clusters at T _s = 100°C, shows up as a sharp increase in the intensity of diffuse X-ray scattering (diffuse halo 1) with a simultaneous suppression of incoherent (background) scattering. At T _s > 150°C, disordering dominates (I _incoh = I _max) until the next stage of ordering sets in at T _s = 250?300°C. At this stage, the crystalline phase forms from large (>100 Å) crystalline clusters. This amorphous-crystalline phase transition is characterized by the appearance of Debye lines and a reduction of the halo intensity. The structural phase transition to long-range order is accompanied by a decrease in the LaSrMnO resistivity from 10¹⁰ to 10 Ω cm and a change from the tunneling mechanism of conductivity involving metallic clusters (which is typical of granulated systems) to the hopping mechanism with a hop variable length following the Mott law ρ ～ exp(T ^?1/4). In the magnetic subsystem, the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition occurs.     

Spin-glass behavior and magnetocaloric effect in melt-spun TbCuAl alloys

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effects of amorphous and crystalline TbCuAl ribbons are investigated by measuring their ac susceptibilities including a nonlinear term and dc magnetizations. The in-phase third harmonic ac susceptibility is found to be negative. It can be well fitted by the expression at high temperatures, indicating a spin-glass behavior in amorphous TbCuAl alloy. ΔT_f(ω)/[T_f(ω)Δlog₁₀ω], a possible distinguishing criterion to judge the presence of a spin-glass behavior is ∼0.011. The frequency-dependent data can be well fitted by the conventional critical slowing down law and the spin-glass transition temperature is obtained to be 20.1 K. The maximum of magnetic entropy change reaches 4.5 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for a field change of 0-50 000 Oe, while the crystalline TbCuAl compound experiences a simple ferromagnetic-to-paramagnetic phase transition. The peak value of magnetic entropy change is obtained at the Curie temperature and reaches 14.4 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for the same field change, which is much larger than that of amorphous TbCuAl alloy.     

Physical properties of hot,dense matter: The general case

The thermodynamic properties of hot, dense matter are examined in the density range 10^?5 fm^?3 ? n ? 0.35 fm^?3 and the temperature range 0 ? T ? 21 MeV, for fixed lepton fractions Y_? = 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2 and for matter in β-equilibrium with no neutrinos. Three phases of the matter are considered: the nuclei phase is assumed to consist of Wigner-Seitz cells with central nuclei surrounded by a nucleon vapor containing also α-particles; in the bubbles phase the cell contains a central spherical bubble of nucleon vapor surrounded by dense nuclear matter; the third phase is that of uniform nuclear matter. All are immersed in a sea of leptons (electrons and neutrinos) and photons. The nuclei and bubbles are described by a compressible liquid drop model which is self-consistent in the sense that all of the constituent properties — bulk, surface, Coulomb energies and other minor contributions — are calculated from the same nuclear effective hamiltonian, in this case the Skyrme 1' interaction. The temperature dependence of all of these energies is included, for bulk and surface energies by direct calculation, for the Coulomb energy by combining in a plausible way the usual electrostatic energy and the numerical results pertaining to a hot Coulomb plasma. Lattice contributions to the Coulomb energy are an essential ingredient, and lattice modifications to the nuclear translational energy are included. A term is constructed to allow also for the reduced density of excited states of light nuclei. All of these modifications incorporate necessary physical effects which modify significantly the matter properties in some regions.     

Thermodynamic and dilatometric properties of the dimerized phase of a C<Subscript>60</Subscript> fullerene

This paper reports on the results of complex investigations into the structural, thermodynamic, and dilatometric properties of the C₆₀ dimerized phase prepared under compression of a C₆₀ fullerite at a pressure up to 8 GPa and a temperature of 290 K. It is demonstrated that the dimerized phase has a face-centered cubic structure with a lattice parameter a=14.02±0.05 Å. The dimeric structure of the studied sample is confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis. According to the dilatometric data, the volume jump observed in the vicinity of the orientational transition for the dimerized phase is estimated to be approximately 30 times less than that for the C₆₀ fullerite. The temperature dependence of the heat capacity of the (C₆₀)₂ crystalline dimer is examined using precision adiabatic vacuum calorimetry under normal pressure in the temperature range from T → 0 K to 340 K. The results obtained are used in the calculations of thermodynamic functions, namely, the heat capacity C _p ⁰ (T), the enthalpy H⁰(T)-H⁰(0), the entropy S⁰(T), and the Gibbs function G⁰(T)-H⁰(0). The fractal dimension D is determined as a function of the heat capacity. The standard entropy of the formation of the (C₆₀)₂ crystalline dimer from a simple compound (graphite) at T=298.15 K and normal pressure is calculated.     

Superconductivity of vapour quenched beryllium and beryllium-based alloys

The properties of Be films, quench-condensed upon a³He cooled substrate, have been investigated by resistance and tunneling measurements. The superconducting transition temperature,T _c , of Be films increased with thickness and a thick film limit of 9.95 K could be estimated. Alloying with Al or Pb decreasedT _c. The ratios between energy gaps andT _c 's indicated that Be is a weak coupling superconductor, and no phonon induced structure could be traced in tunneling curves neither in pure Be nor in the Be based alloys. Resistance change during annealing as well as superconducting data indicated that the vapour quenched Be films were amorphous as deposited.     

Temperature dependences of the ion-electron emission of glassy carbons under 30-keV argon ion irradiation

The temperature dependences (?200°C < T ≤ 350°C) of the ion-induced electron emission yield γ and the structures of modified surface layers have been studied experimentally for SU-850, SU-1000, SU-1300, SU-2000, and SU-2500 glassy carbons under high-dose 30-keV Ar⁺ and N ₂ ⁺ ion irradiation. Glassy carbons manufactured using a relatively high heat-treatment temperature T _ht exhibit a stepwise increase in the electron yield at certain annealing temperatures T _a. The same behavior is observed for graphitized carbon materials. For low-temperature glassy carbons, the electron yield exhibits a monotonic increase with increasing irradiation temperature. The observed differences are related to the occurrence of different structural types of fullerene-like nanoparticles in the low-and high-temperature glassy carbons.     

High temperature spontaneous ferromagnetism and other magnetic phenomena in liquid 3He and 3He4He dilute mixtures

Equilibrium ferromagnetic ordering in liquid ³He at temperatures T ? 0.3 K due to long-wavelength spin fluctuations is predicted. The magnetocaloric effect and other thermodynamic properties of ³He↑ are discussed. The properties of ³He↑⁴He solutions are considered in the case of a restricted geometry.     

Nanocrystallization process and ferromagnetic properties of amorphous (Fe0.99Mo0.01)78Si9B13 ribbons

The nanocrystallization process of soft ferromagnetic (Fe_0.99Mo_0.01)₇₈Si₉B₁₃ ribbons has been studied in detail. Microstructural and ferromagnetic properties are examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and magnetization measurements. The Curie and crystallization temperatures are determined to be T_C=665 K and T_x=750 K, respectively. The T_x value is in well agreement with DSC measurement results. XRD patterns had shown two metastable phases (Fe₂₃B₆, Fe₃B) which were formed under in situ nanocrystallization process. These metastable phases embedded in the amorphous matrix have a significant effect on magnetic ordering. The ultimate nanocrystalline (NC) phases of α-Fe(Mo, Si) and Fe₂B at optimum annealing temperature had been observed respectively. It is notable that the magnetization of the amorphous phase decreases more rapidly with increasing temperature than those of NC ferromagnetism, which suggest the presence of the distribution of exchange interaction in the amorphous phase or high metalloid contents.