Ellipsometry study of interband transitions in TlGaS2xSe2(1−x) mixed crystals (0≤x≤1)

In this paper, the spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements on TlGaS_2xSe_2(1?x) mixed crystals (0≤x≤1) were carried out on the layer-plane (001) surfaces with light polarization E⊥c^? in the 1.2–6.2 eV spectral range at room temperature. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, refractive index and extinction coefficient were calculated from ellipsometric data using the ambient-substrate optical model. The critical point energies in the above-band gap energy range have been obtained from the second derivative spectra of the dielectric function. Particularly for TlGaSe₂ crystals, the determined critical point energies were assigned tentatively to interband transitions using the available electronic energy band structure. The effect of the isomorphic anion substitution (sulfur for selenium) on critical point energies in TlGaS_2xSe_2(1?x) mixed crystals was established.     

Synthesis and native defectivity of Zn1−x V x O (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) photocatalysts

Nanodisperse solid solutions Zn_1?x V _x O (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) with high numbers of defects in an oxygen sublattice are synthesized via the precursor technique. ESR analysis reveals that V _O ⁺ oxygen vacancies are the main defects of the oxygen sublattice in the Zn_1?x V _x O structure. The Zn_1?x V _x O (0 < x ≤ 0.15) solid solutions exhibit high photocatalytic activity during hydroquinone oxidation in water upon irradiation with UV and visible light.     

Phase stratification in the Nd1 − x BaxCoO3 − δ (0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.54) system

Slowly cooled Nd_{1 ? x} Ba_xCoO_{3 ? δ} samples were two-phase in the concentration interval 0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.46. One of the phases had O-orthorhombic lattice distortions (Pbnm) characteristic of ferromagnetic samples with x ≤ 0.3, and the other phase had tetragonal distortions (P4/mmm) characteristic of samples with x ≥ 0.46. Tetragonal distortions were caused by ordering of Nd³⁺ and Ba²⁺ ions. Samples with ordered neodymium and barium ions (Nd_{1 ? y} Ba_{1 + y} Co₂O_{6 ? γ} at ?0.08 ≤ y ≤ 0.08) experienced metal-dielectric and orientation magnetic phase transitions.     

Structural deformations in metastable cubic compounds Ni(1 − x)Zn x O (0.60 ≤ x ≤ 0.99)

X-ray diffraction has been used for studying the fine crystal structure of metastable cubic oxide compounds Ni_{(1 ? x)}Zn _x O (0.60 ≤ x ≤ 0.99) obtained from the initial hexagonal phase by quenching of the samples at a high temperature and under external hydrostatic pressure. It has been found that the diffraction patterns of these compounds include a system of diffuse superstructure maxima, whose number and intensity essentially depend on the composition. The origin of this superstructure has been discussed.     

Structural and some electrophysical properties of the solid solutions Si1 − x Sn x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04)

Films of the solid solutions Si_{1 ? x} Sn _x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) on Si substrates have been grown by liquid phase epitaxy. The structural features of the films have been investigated using X-ray diffraction. The temperature behavior of current-voltage characteristics and the spectral dependence of the photocurrent for the heterostructures p-Si-n-Si_{1 ? x} Sn _x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) have been analyzed. The grown epitaxial films of the solid solutions Si_{1 ? x} Sn _x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) have a perfect single-crystal structure with a (111) orientation and a subgrain size of 60 nm. In the epitaxial films at the Si-SiO₂ interfaces between silicon subgrains and SiO₂ nanocrystals, where there are many sites with a high potential, the Sn ions with a high probability substitute for the Si ions and encourage the formation of Sn nanocrystals with different orientations and, as follows from the analysis of the X-ray diffraction patterns, with different sizes: 8 nm (for the (101) orientation) and 12 nm (for the (200) orientation). The current-voltage characteristics of the heterostructures p-Si-n-Si_{1 ? x} Sn _x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) are described by the exponential law J = J ₀exp(qV/ckT) at low voltages (V < 0.2 V) and the square law J = (9qμ _p τ _p μ _n N _d /8d ³)V ² at high voltages (V > 1 V). These results have been explained by the drift mechanism of charge carrier transport in the electrical resistance relaxation mode.     

Composition-tuned refractive index and oscillator parameters in TlGaxIn1−xS2 layered mixed crystals (0≤x≤1)

The optical properties of TlGa_xIn_1?xS₂ mixed crystals have been studied through transmission and reflection measurements in the wavelength range 400–1100 nm. These measurements allowed determination of the spectral dependence of the refractive index for all compositions of the mixed crystals studied. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the Wemple–DiDomenico single-effective-oscillator model. The compositional dependences of the refractive index dispersion parameters (oscillator energy, dispersion energy and zero-frequency refractive index) were revealed.     

Fine structure and magnetism of bulk Zn1 − x Cr x Se single-crystal cubic compounds (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.045)

The character of structural and magnetic features of the cubic lattice of bulk Zn_{1 ? x} Cr _x Se crystals (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.045) has been investigated using thermal neutron diffraction and magnetic measurements. It has been found that the diffraction scans of doped crystals contain effects of nuclear diffuse scattering caused by local static atomic displacements in the face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice. Results of magnetic measurements of doped crystals indicate the presence of weak antiferromagnetic correlations, which are a consequence of structural features of these compounds.     

Anomalous electrical behavior in ferromagnetic La1−xBaxCoO3−δ materials (0<x≤0.50)

We prepared in this work La_1−xBa_xCoO_3−δ (0<x≤0.50) compounds using the nitrate decomposition method, and focus in the study of the transport properties of the ferromagnetic compounds (x>0.15, T_c≈200 K) in the temperature range 77 K≤T≤300 K. We find that while for x<0.20 these materials show semiconducting behavior, their electrical conduction being dominated by small-polaron holes, for x>0.20 they show metallic behavior for T>100 K, with a transition to semiconducting behavior being observed for T ≤ 100 K. For x=0.20, small changes in the oxygen stoichiometry of the samples - due to slight variations in the thermal treatments - greatly affect the transport properties of the materials that can show either two metal-insulator transitions as the temperature increases or a semiconducting behavior. Very interestingly all these ferromagnetic samples are very sensitive to the polarity of the applied electrical current, and display peculiar “diodic” behaviors. All these observations are explained on the basis of an inhomogeneous electronic structure in the Ba-doped cobalt perovskites. Paper presented at the 6th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Cetraro, Calabria, Italy, Sept. 12–19, 1999.     

Magnetotransmission of unpolarized infrared radiation in Hg1 − x Cd x Cr2Se4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) single crystals studied using the voigt geometry

The features characterizing the behavior of magnetotransmission in Hg_{1 ? x} Cd _x Cr₂Se₄ single crystals are studied using natural light in the infrared spectral range. The relation between the changes in the magneto-optical properties and in the electron band structure is found. It is shown that the most significant changes in the magnetotransmission spectrum and the band structure occur within the 0.1 < x < 0.25 range.     

High temperature thermoelectric properties of Ca1−xBixMn1−yV yO3−δ (0≤x=y≤0.08)

CaMnO_3?δ with complex additives Bi₂O₃–V ₂O₅ were prepared by the solid-state reaction. The crystal structures of the Ca_1?xBi_xMn_1?yV _yO_3?δ (0≤x=y≤0.08) solid solutions were determined by means of the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) using Rietan 2000 program and the high temperature thermoelectric properties were also investigated. Perovskite-type Ca_1?xBi_xMn_1?yV _yO_3?δ solid solutions are n-type semiconductors. The lattice parameters increase with increasing dopant level. The high temperature thermoelectric properties are improved due to Bi₂O₃–V ₂O₅ simultaneous doping. A maximum ZT value reaches to 0.21 for electron-doped Ca_0.96Bi_0.04Mn_0.96V _0.04O_3?δ at 1050 K, which is about twice as high as that of CaMnO_3?δ. The thermal shock resistance at temperatures between 20 and 450 ^°C is also highly improved.     

Thermal-expansion and magnetostriction anomalies in phase transitions in La1−x SrxMnO3

A study is reported on phase transitions in the La_1?x Sr_xMnO₃ system, both spontaneous and induced by a pulsed magnetic field of up to 250 kOe, accompanied by anomalies in magnetoelastic properties. The temperatures of the polaron (charge) and magnetic ordering, as well as those of structural transitions, are observed to be in good agreement with the results obtained by other methods. Jumps in the field dependence of longitudinal and transverse magnetostriction associated with field-induced orbital ordering have been found. A strong temperature dependence of the corresponding threshold fields is observed.     

Transport properties of the single-crystal La2−xBaxCuO4 (0≤x≤0.11)

We report on the temperature dependence of the in-plane electrical resistivity ρ_ab and the in-plane Hall coefficient R_H in various magnetic fields of the single-crystal La_2−xBa_xCuO₄ with x=0.083 and 0.11. In x=0.11, which is close to x=1/8, where the superconductivity is strongly suppressed, a clear jump in ρ_ab and a drop in R_H have been observed at T_d2∼53 K, where the structural phase transition between the orthorhombic mid-temperature and tetragonal low-temperature phases occurs. Moreover, a sign reversal of R_H has been observed below ∼25 K and the magnitude of the sign reversal increases with increasing magnetic field. In x=0.083, on the other hand, there is neither jump in ρ_ab nor drop in R_H at T_d2, and also no sign reversal in R_H at low temperatures even in magnetic fields up to 9 T. In conclusion, there is no doubt that a static stripe order of holes and spins, observed in La_1.6−xNd_0.4Sr_xCuO₄ with x∼1/8, is formed below T_d2 also in La_2−xBa_xCuO₄ with x∼1/8. The R_H in the stripe-ordered state has a negative value, which is consistent with the recent theory by Prelovšek et al.     

Structural and electronic properties of InNxP1-x alloy in full range (0 ≤ x ≤1)

We have performed first-principles method to investigate structural and electronic properties of InN_xP_1?x ternary semiconductor alloy in full range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) using density functional theory. We have used modified Becke–Johnson potential to obtain accurate band gap results. From the electronic band structure calculation we have found that InN_xP_1?x become metal between 47 and 80% of nitrogen concentration. Additional to our band gap calculations, we have also used the band anticrossing model. The band anticrossing model supplies a simple, analytical expression to calculate the physical properties, such as the electronic and optical properties, of III-N_xV_1?x alloys. The knowledge of the electron density of states is required to understand and clarify some properties of materials such as the band structures, bonding character and dielectric function. In order to have a deeper understanding of these properties of the studied materials, the total and partial density of states has been calculated. Finally, we have calculated the total bowing parameter b of studied alloys, together with three contributions b_VD, b_CE, and b_SR due to volume deformation, different atomic electron negativities and structural relaxation, respectively.     

Hyperfine fields and magnetic anisotropy in Fe1000−x Gd x thin films and Fe80−x GdxB20(0≤x≤24) thin films and ribbons

The Mössbauer measurements performed on Fe_100–x Gd _x thin films and on Fe_80–x Gd _x B₂₀ both as thin films and ribbons show a dependence of the spins orientation and H_hyp versus temperature, Gd content and preparation conditions. Increasing the Gd content, the initial low anisotropy disappears and H_hyp decreases. A sharp increase of the anisotopy with temperature in ribbons with low Gd concentration is evidenced.     

High-temperature thermoelectric characteristics of B-site substituted Yb0.1Ca0.9Mn1−x Nb x O3 system (0≤x≤0.1)

The thermoelectric performance of Yb_0.1Ca_0.9MnO₃ doped with Nb⁵⁺ at B-site is investigated in this paper. It is found that there is a phase transition from O-type to O*-type orthorhombic structure with increasing of Nb doping content, which indicates that the structure distortion becomes more seriously. Since the electron–phonon interaction can be enhanced by the structure distortion, the small polaron formation is promoted in Yb_0.1Ca_0.9Mn_1?x Nb _x O₃ with increasing Nb content. In the whole measured temperature range, the electrical conductivity can be fitted very well by the adiabatic small polaron hopping model. The activated energy E _α is ascending with increasing Nb content. The temperature dependence of Seebeck coefficient S of Yb_0.1Ca_0.9Mn_1?x Nb _x O₃ shows that the S is basically inversive to the charge carrier concentration. S(T) can be fitted well by the Cutler and Mott model, which indicates that the density of state around the Fermi level is strongly affected by Nb-doping at B-site. It is contrary to those of CaMnO₃ and RE_0.1Ca_0.9MnO₃, when Nb content x>0.05, the |S| and σ show a same tendency of the temperature dependence.     

Pre-exponential factor for non-isothermal crystallization of glassy Se85− x Te15Sb x (0 ≤ x ≤ 10) alloys

We report observations of the Meyer–Neldel rule for the non-isothermal crystallization of glassy Se_{85? x} Te₁₅Sb _x (x =?0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) alloys. We found a strong co-relation between the pre-exponential factor K ₀ of the rate constant K(T) for crystallization and the activation energy of crystallization E _c. This indicates the presence of a compensation effect for the non-isothermal crystallization process in this glassy system. The composition dependence of the crystallization temperature T _c and the activation energy for crystallization E _c is discussed.     

Composition-related structural,thermal and mechanical properties of Ba1−xSrxTiO3 ceramics (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4)

The Ba_1?xSr_xTiO₃ (BST) ceramics were prepared by conventional ceramic method. The crystalline structure and morphology were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Experimental results show that increase of sintering temperature leads to an uncontrolled precipitating of the phase with a lower content of Ti. The dielectric constant and specific heat as a function of composition and temperature were investigated. The increasing concentration of Sr ions leads to a shift of the Curie point below room temperature. To determine the elastic constants (the Young's modulus E, the shear modulus G and the Poisson's ratio v) of BST, a method of measurement of the longitudinal (ν_L) and transverse (ν_T) ultrasonic wave velocities for this type of material was developed. The structural, dielectric and mechanical properties of BST ceramics were discussed in terms of microstructure and chemical composition     

Zn1−x Mg x O (0≤x≤0.05) nanowalls grown on catalyst-free sapphire substrates by high-pressure PLD and their photoluminescence properties

We report the growth of Zn_1?x Mg _x O (x=0, 0.02, 0.05 at.%) nanowalls on sapphire substrates without any metal catalysts by a high-pressure pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The influences of the experimental parameters like growth pressure, temperature, and target-substrate distance on the growth of Zn_1?x Mg _x O nanowalls were systemically studied and the growth mechanism was discussed. It was found that large area and uniform Zn_1?x Mg _x O nanowalls with c-orientation can be grown on sapphire substrates when the growth temperature and pressure were 950 °C and 400 Torr at a target-substrate distance of 2 cm. A thin layer assisted vapor-solid (VS) process was proposed for Zn_1?x Mg _x O nanowalls growth. The photoluminescence spectrum shows the bandgap of Zn_1?x Mg _x O nanowall was effectively expanded together with defect-related levels formation in a forbidden gap, which also induced enhancement of visible emission.