Metallic films forming on the surface of alkali-halide crystals during thermal diffusion of intracrystalline immpurities

It was detected for the first time that films consisting of a transition-metal-based structure form (via thermal diffusion of intracrystalline impurities) on the surface of alkali-halide (LiF, NaF) crystals activated by transition metals Co, Ni, or Mn. The thickness, density, and composition of the films are shown to be different, depending on the heat treatment conditions. The crystals were annealed at temperatures varying from 473 to 1073 K in vacuum and air. The surface structures forming upon annealing in vacuum exhibit magnetic properties. The films were studied by optical, x-ray fluorescence, and electron spectroscopy to reveal the mechanisms of transition-metal film formation during thermal annealing.     

高压密封微波消解-ICP-AES法测定五种蒙药中无机元素

采用HNO3-HClO4消解体系分别对额日敦-乌日勒、德都红花七味丸、通拉嘎-5、乌珠目-7、给旺-9等五种蒙药样品进行高压微波消解制样,利用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱法(ICP-AES)同时测定了镁、铝、钙、铬、锰、铁、钴、镍、铜、锌、砷、硒、锶、钼、银、镉和铅等17种无机元素的含量。通过添加标准回收实验,回收率均在97.25%~106.35%之间,验证了分析数据的可靠性。所有元素测定结果的相对标准偏差均小于3.3%,具有良好的准确度和精密度。实验结果表明,其中常量元素Ca,Mg和Fe,Mn,Zn,Cu的含量较高,测定结果可为开发研制蒙药新制剂、研制蒙药的质量控制标准和提高蒙药药效提供理论依据。     

Mixed conductive electrode materials for sensors and SOFC

Modified active electrode materials based upon rare earth manganites were developed for different solid electrolyte electrochemical cells. The preparation, structure, thermal expansion, the state of oxygen on the surface, the electronic and ionic conductivity of the perovskites Ln_1−xCa(Sr)_xMn_1−y(Co, Ni)_yO_3−δ with various compositions and electrode kinetics on the manganite electrode/solid electrolyte interfaces were investigated. The value of the bulk conductivity was larger than 150 S/cm (at 1100 K) and increased significantly with increasing contents of Ni or Co. The thermal expansion coefficients of rare earth manganites were close to those of ZrO₂ based solid electrolytes. The expansion coefficients of Co or Ni subsituted lanthanum manganites increase with Co or Ni substitution and are over 12•10⁻⁶K⁻¹. The ionic conductivities were determined using encapsulated zirconia microelectrodes based on a Hebb-Wagner analysis of the currentvoltage curves. The relatively high oxide ion conductivity of 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 900...1000 K was found by Ni or Co doped manganites. Studies of the electrode kinetics using complex impedance spectroscopy show that Co and Ni doped manganites have advantages if used as electrodes as compared with these for noble metals. Paper presented at the 1st Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Zakynthos, Greece, 11–18 Sept. 1994     

Paraelastic behavior of potassium cyanide

The low temperature Curie-type paraelastic behavior of low concentration anionic impurities dissolved in simple cubic alkali halide crystals has already been analysed for a number of cases. The CN⁻ radical in particular can substitute the halide ion in any concentration (up to 100% forming pure cyanide crystals), producing room temperature alkali halide-like crystals that above about 85% concentration show low temperature ferroelastic phases of crystallization. This paper presents the experimental evidence of room temperature paraelastic alignment exploring some analogies between elastic and magnetic (or electric) properties in the high concentration impurity range and above the phase transition (Curie) temperature.     

Effect of PVA addition on formation of spray-deposited Sm<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>CoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films on CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> substrates

Nano-crystalline films of Sm_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ (SSC) have been formed on CeO₂ substrates by spraying stoichiometric aqueous solution containing Sm, Sr, and Co ions. Effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) addition as a complexing agent in spray solution on stoichiometry, crystallite size, morphology, and transport properties of film are studied. The results showed that the SSC cathode had maximum crystallite size for 40% PVA addition. Electrical performance of film decreases with decrease in the particle size, while the electronic to ionic predominance transition temperature decreases with decreasing particle size. These films are studied for their potential application as a cathodic material in developing intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells.     

Charged dislocations in ionic crystals

Experiments and theories concerning charged dislocations in alkali halide crystals are reviewed in detail, with particular attention to the way in which the experiments should be interpreted and to the range of applicability of the sweep-up and various forms of thermal-equilibrium models. Possible effects on mechanical properties and internal friction are analysed. The transient and steady-state effects of plastic deformation on ionic conductivity are described and new interpretations involving charged dislocations are proposed. A survey of results on the scattering of light by alkali halide single crystals leads to the conclusion that charged dislocations do not play an important role.

Evidence about charges on surfaces and on dislocations in AgCl and AgBr is reviewed and compared with that for alkali halides. Comparisons are also made with MgO, the CsCl and CaF₂ structures, semiconductors and ice.     

Transition metals in silicon

A review is given on the diffusion, solubility and electrical activity of 3d transition metals in silicon. Transition elements (especially, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) diffuse interstitially and stay in the interstitial site in thermal equilibrium at the diffusion temperature. The parameters of the liquidus curves are identical for the Si:Ti — Si:Ni melts, indicating comparable silicon-metal interaction for all these elements. Only Cr, Mn, and Fe could be identified in undisturbed interstitial sites after quenching, the others precipitated or formed complexes. The 3d elements can be divided into two groups according to the respective enthalpy of formation of the solid solution. The distinction can arise from different charge states of these impurities at the diffusion temperature. For the interstitial 3d atoms remaining after quenching, reliable energy levels are established from the literature and compared with recent calculations.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen dissociation and diffusion on Nb and Ni co-doped Mg(0001): A synergistic effect

The interaction of H₂ with clean, Ni and Nb doped Mg(0001) surface are investigated by first-principles calculations. Individual Ni and Nb atoms within the outermost surface can reduce the dissociation barrier of the hydrogen molecule. They, however, prefers to substitute for the Mg atoms within the second layer, leading to a weaker catalytic effect for the dissociation of H₂, a bottleneck for the hydriding of MgH₂. Interestingly, co-doping of Ni and Nb stabilizes Ni at the first layer, and results in a significant reduction of the dissociation barrier of H₂ on the Mg surface, coupled with an increase of the diffusion barrier of H. Although codoped Ni and Nb shows no remarkable advantage over single Nb here, it implies that the catalytic effect could be optimized by co-doping of “modest” transition metals with balanced barriers for dissociation of H₂ and diffusion of H on Mg surfaces.     

Impurity diffusion in NiO grain boundaries

The diffusion of ¹³⁹Ce and ⁵¹Cr in polycrystalline NiO has been studied in the temperature range 600–1100°C in oxygen at a pressure of 1 atm. These impurities were chosen because of their different effective charges and segregation behaviour and because of their relevance to the oxidation of metals at elevated temperature. The solubility of Ce in the NiO lattice is negligible, but Ce is soluble at NiO grain boundaries and dislocations. Consequently Ce tracer only diffused along these pathways and the resulting profiles were analysed straightforwardly to give grain boundary and dislocation diffusion coefficients. The lattice solubility of Cr, on the other hand, is not negligible and Cr also segregates strongly to NiO grain boundaries. A procedure for analysing penetration profiles of such an impurity has been developed in which parameters describing segregation and grain boundary diffusion are deduced self-consistently. When combined with previous measurements of Ni and Co diffusion it is found that grain boundary coefficients decrease in the order Co, Ni, Cr, Ce as is also found for lattice diffusion (except for Ce, which has negligible lattice solubility).The implication of the results for the distribution of Cr and Ce in NiO films formed by metal oxidation is also discussed.     

Mechanoluminescence response to the plastic flow of coloured alkali halide crystals

The present paper reports the luminescence induced by plastic deformation of coloured alkali halide crystals using pressure steps. When pressure is applied onto a γ-irradiated alkali halide crystal, then initially the mechanoluminescence (ML) intensity increases with time, attains a peak value and later on it decreases with time. The ML of diminished intensity also appears during the release of applied pressure. The intensity I_m corresponding to the peak of ML intensity versus time curve and the total ML intensity I_T increase with increase in value of the applied pressure. The time t_m corresponding to the ML peak slightly decreases with the applied pressure. After t_m, initially the ML intensity decreases at a fast rate and later on it decreases at a slow rate. The decay time of the fast decrease in the ML intensity is equal to the pinning time of dislocations and the decay time for the slow decrease of ML intensity is equal to the diffusion time of holes towards the F-centres. The ML intensity increases with the density of F-centres and it is optimum for a particular temperature of the crystals. The ML spectra of coloured alkali halide crystals are similar to the thermoluminescence and afterglow spectra. The peak ML intensity and the total ML intensity increase drastically with the applied pressure following power law, whereby the pressure dependence of the ML intensity is related to the work-hardening exponent of the crystals. The ML also appears during the release of the applied pressure because of the movement of dislocation segments and movements of dislocation lines blocked under pressed condition. On the basis of the model based on the mechanical interaction between dislocation and F-centres, expressions are derived for the ML intensity, which are able to explain different characteristics of the ML. From the measurements of the plastico ML induced by the application of loads on γ-irradiated alkali halide crystals, the pinning time of dislocations, diffusion time of holes towards F-centres, the energy gap E_a between the bottom of acceptor dislocation band and the energy level of interacting F-centres, and work-hardening exponent of the crystals can be determined. As in the elastic region the strain increases linearly with stress, the ML intensity also increases linearly with stress, however, as in the plastic region, the strain increases drastically with stress and follows power law, the ML intensity also increases drastically with stress and follows power law. Thus, the ML is intimately related to the plastic flow of alkali halide crystals.     

Absorption and emission spectra of yttria-stabilized zirconia and magnesium oxide

We have investigated the luminescence and absorption spectra of doped and undoped ZrO₂-Y₂O₃ and MgO crystals at room- and low temperatures. The crystals used are partly doped with the transition metals Ni, Co, Cr and the rare earth Pr. The emission spectra were obtained under laser excitation at different wavelengths. The observed optical emission and absorption bands of the MgO crystals doped with Ni, Co and Cr correspond to transitions between spin-orbit split crystal field levels of the transition metals. Luminescence and absorption bands of undoped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) crystals are due to color centers, absorption bands of the doped YSZ correspond to the well known transitions of the Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Pr³⁺ ions, respectively. The emission spectra of the doped YSZ obtained under various laser excitations can be explained by an energy transfer process between the color center and the doping materials. The influence of annealing on the absorption and emission of Pr³⁺/Pr⁴⁺ is investigated.     

Intercalation of C60 fullerene crystals with alkali and alkaline-earth metals through self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

A method for rapidly intercalating C₆₀ fullerene crystals has been implemented using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. The method has been used to intercalate C₆₀ fullerene crystals with alkali (K, Rb) and alkaline-earth (Ca, Ba) metals. The superconducting transition temperatures of the prepared compounds have been measured. The C₆₀ fullerene crystals intercalated with calcium have been investigated using X-ray diffraction.     

Formation and electronic properties of oxide and sulphide films of Co,Ni and Mo studied by XPS

Dry O₂ oxidation up to 400°C, water immersion at room temperature or H₂S sulphidation at 400°C forms oxide or sulphide films on polycrystalline Co and Ni foils. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of the Co 2p and Ni 2p core levels and valence band (VB) structure changes allow the identification of the chemical state of such films and their electronic properties. They are compared with the films obtained on Mo in similar conditions. Ni appears less reactive than Co during O₂ or water oxidation and is considered as a more noble metal. Dry oxidation mainly induces CoO while water immersion induces formation of CoO(OH). For Ni, phases like Ni₂O₃, Ni(OH)₂ and/or NiO(OH) are the most probable products, respectively. H₂S sulphidation always produces a sulphur-rich Co or Ni phase. The VB response to sulphidation of the three studied metals shows that Co or Ni sulphides are potential electron-donors to MoS₂. Such results are relevant to the synergy observed in hydrotreating catalysis with these sulphides.     

The dependence of the conduction band edge of the alkali earth metal bismuthates on their composition

We present a comparative analysis of the conduction band edge of the alkali earth metal bismuthates containing Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba. The conduction band edges were computed using the method suggested by Butler and Ginley. The calculations reveal that they depend on the bismuthate’s composition and vary over a wide range. We demonstrate that the energy of the conduction band increases in the series Ca?→?Sr?→?Ba. It also increases with an increase of the alkali earth metal content. The performed calculations help to determine the potential alkali earth metal bismuthate photocatalysts. The most promising compositions found in this study include strontium and barium bismuthates in which the number of the alkali earth metal atoms in the cationic sublattice exceeds the number of the bismuth atoms.     

Contributions from the indirect ionic interactions to the elastic constants in the rock-salt structure crystals

Under the harmonic approximation, the contributions from the indirect ionic interactions to the elastic constants are calculated for the alkali halide and silver halide crystals with the rock-salt structure. The coupling constants of the indirect ionic interactions are calculated by the self-consistent field treatment of the local density approximation and the spherical solid model. The calculated values of the coupling constants are large for the silver ion. The indirect ionic interaction significantly affects the elastic constants. It quantitatively explains the deviation from the Cauchy relation in alkali halide crystals. Moreover, it provides a clear account for the large values of the deviation from the Cauchy relation in AgCl and AgBr.     

Strain field due to transition metal impurities in Ni and Pd

The strain field due to body centered substitutional transition metal impurities in Ni and Pd metals are investigated. The calculations are carried out in the discrete lattice model of the metal using Kanzaki lattice static method. The effective ion-ion interaction potential due to Wills and Harrison is used to evaluate dynamical matrix and the impurity-induced forces. The results for atomic displacements due to 3d, 4d and 5d impurities (Fe, Co, Cu, Nb, Mo, Pd, Pt and Au) in Ni and (Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Nb, Mo, Pt and Au) impurities in Pd are given up to 25 NN’s of impurity and these are compared with the available experimental data. The maximum displacements of 4.6% and 3.8% of 1NN distance are found for NiNb and PdNb alloys respectively, while the minimum displacements of 0.63% and 0.23% of 1NN distance are found for NiFe and PdFe alloys respectively. Except for Cu, the atomic displacements are found to be proportional to the core radii and d state radius. The relaxation energies for 3d impurities are found less than those for 4d and 5d impurities in Ni and Pd metals. Therefore, 3d impurities may easily be solvable in these metals.     

On the origin of atomistic mechanism of rapid diffusion in alkali halide nanoclusters

To elucidate the atomistic diffusion mechanism responsible for the rapid diffusion in alkali halide nano particles, called Spontaneous Mixing, we execute molecular dynamics simulations with empirical models for KCl-KBr, NaCl-NaBr, RbCl-RbBr and KBr-KI. We successfully reproduce essential features of the rapid diffusion phenomenon. It is numerically confirmed that the rate of the diffusion clearly depends on the size and temperature of the clusters, which is consistent with experiments. A quite conspicuous feature is that the surface melting and collective motions of ions are inhibited in alkali halide clusters. This result indicates that the Surface Peeling Mechanism, which is responsible for the spontaneous alloying of binary metals, does not play a dominant role for the spontaneous mixing in alkali halide nanoclusters. Detailed analysis of atomic motion inside the clusters reveals that the Vacancy Mechanism is the most important mechanism for the rapid diffusion in alkali halide clusters. This is also confirmed by evaluation of the vacancy formation energy: the formation energy notably decreases with the cluster size, which makes vacancy formation easier and diffusion more rapid in small alkali halide clusters.     

Messung charakteristischer Energieverluste von Elektronen an leichtoxydierbaren Metallen im Ultrahochvakuum

Energy losses of 34 keV electrons penetrating thin foils of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ca, Sr, Ba, Mg, and Al are measured. The metals are evaporated and investigated in UHV (~10^-9 Lorr) with an apparatus constructed especially for this purpose. For all the alkali metals free electrons like behaviour is found with a surface and a volume plasma loss. Ca and Sr show more complicated structures. For most of the volume losses half width, dispersion and cut-off is measured. Surface losses are investigated for oxide-free surfaces with respect to angular distribution, dispersion and total excitation probability, and also the displacement due to oxidation is measured. A narrow loss line from the excitation of a surface wave at the Al/Mg interface is found at 12.8 eV in good agreement with the theoretically predicted value.     

EPR diagnostics of laser materials based on ZnSe crystals doped with transition elements

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra observed in laser materials based on zinc selenide (ZnSe) crystals doped with transition elements have been analyzed and identified. It has been shown that, in addition to working impurities (Cr²⁺, Co²⁺, or Fe²⁺), the diffusion layer exhibits EPR spectra of accompanying impurities due to the diffusion of transition elements (chromium, cobalt, or iron) used in the preparation of active materials for quantum electronics (lasers, switches) operating in the mid-infrared range. EPR diagnostics of these impurities can be used in the development of appropriate regimes for minimizing concentrations of accompanying impurities that adversely affect the performance characteristics of laser materials. It has been found that, during the diffusion of transition metals, ions of the accompanying impurity Mn²⁺, which is characterized by extremely informative EPR spectra, are embedded in the crystal lattice. It has been proposed to use these ions as ideal markers to control, on the electronic level, the crystal structure of the active diffusion layer.     

Effect of post-deformation ageing on the recrystallization of KCl-SrCl2 crystals

Room-temperature recrystallization of KCl single crystals, both pure and doped with 0.02 and 0.06 wt % Sr, deformed preliminarily at 250°C is studied. It is found that annealing of the original single crystals at 650°C results in the precipitation of the SrCl₂ phase from the solid solution. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the deformed crystals undergo ageing at room temperature, which is accompanied by a change in the phase composition. In the first place, particles of the KSr₂Cl₅ phase are formed instead of the phase SrCl₂ observed in the original and deformed crystals. These particles, which are located at the boundaries of growing recrystallized grains (twins of the original single crystal) occupying not more than 8% of the volume, impede the motion of grain boundaries and hamper further recrystallization. Second, it is shown that post-deformation ageing occurring in the remaining 92% of the deformed crystal region that has not undergone recrystallization lends stability to the strain-hardened state of alkali halide crystals over a period of at least two years at room temperature.