Long-wavelength magnetic excitations in the Fe<Subscript>65</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>35</Subscript> alloy

A theoretical analysis of small-angle neutron scattering is performed for the Fe₆₅Ni₃₅ alloy at a temperature T=0.9T _C =450 K. The results obtained indicate the existence of long-wavelength magnetic excitations that do not correspond to spin waves of the Holstein-Primakoff type. The possible nature of these excitations is discussed.     

The evolution of electronic configuration and magnetic characterization of Fe<Subscript>9</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>1</Subscript>, Fe<Subscript>8</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript> alloy in theoretical calculation

To analyze the origin of the magnetic enhancement of Fe-Ni alloy, the electronicconfigurations and magnetic properties were investigated using density functional theorybased on the first-principle. The supercell (5 × 1 × 1) of Fe,Fe₉Ni₁ and Fe₈Ni₂ were constructed. Thedefect formation energy, band structure, density of states and electron density differencewere calculated. The results showed that Ni doping changed the electronic configuration ofFe atoms, resulting in the enhancement of spin polarization of Fe and the larger Bohrmagnetic moment in Fe-Ni alloys (Fe₉Ni₁). The results showed thatthe charge transfer and the atomic spacing between Fe atoms and the dopant Ni atoms playedan important role in determination of magnetic moment. The value of Fe supercell(5 × 1 × 1), Fe₉Ni₁ and Fe₈Ni₂ were 23.14,23.34 and 22.61μ _B, respectively.     

Electronic and magnetic properties of Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiC

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of Fe₂SiC compound have been studiedusing the framework of an all-electron full-potential linearized augmented-plane wave(FP-LAPW) method within the local density (LSDA) and + U corrected(LSDA + U)approximations. An antiferromagnetic spin ordering of Fe atoms is shown to be the groundstate for this compound. From the electronic band structures and density of states (DOS),Fe₂SiC has ametallic character and from the analysis of the site and momentum projected densities, itis deduced that the bonding is achieved through hybridization of Fe-3d with C-2p states andFe-3d withSi-3pstates. It is also pointed out that the Fe-C bonding is more covalent than Fe-Si. In theFM phase, the spin polarized calculations indicate that the total magnetic moment ofFe₂SiC increasesfrom 0.41 to 4.33μ _B when the Hubbard U parameter for iron isconsidered.     

Electronic structure of Ti-doped Sr<Subscript>4</Subscript>Sc<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> as a possible parent phase for the new FeAs superconductors

First principle FLAPW-GGA calculations have been performed with the purpose to understand the effect of Ti-doping on the electronic properties for the newly discovered tetragonal iron arsenide-oxide Sr₄Sc₂Fe₂As₂O₆ (abbreviated as FeAs42226) as the possible parent phase for the new FeAs superconductors. Our results show that the insertion of Ti into Sc sublattice of this five-component iron arsenide-oxide phase leads to the resolute change of electronic structure of FeAs42226. Namely, the insulating oxygen-containing [Sr₄Sc₂O₆] blocks in Ti-doped FeAs42226 became conducting, and this differs essentially from the known picture for all others FeAs superconductors where the conducting [Fe₂As₂] blocks are alternated with insulating blocks. Moreover in sharp contrast with FeAs-based superconductors with Fe 3d bands near the Fermi level, for Ti-doped FeAs42226 in this region the Ti 3d states are dominated, whereas the Fe 3d states are suppressed.     

Crystallization kinetics of Al<Subscript>86</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>8</Subscript>Ho<Subscript>6</Subscript> amorphous alloy

We investigate the processes of crystallization and determined the structure and thermal properties of Al₈₆Ni₈Ho₆ amorphous alloy in a wide temperature range. A three-stage nature of the crystallization process upon heating to a temperature of 700 K is found. According to data of high-temperature X-ray diffraction analysis, the crystallization of an Al₈₆Ni₈Ho₆ amorphous ribbon is rather complex: aluminum crystallites grow in the amorphous phase to a temperature of 470 K, a Ho₃Ni₅Al₁₉ phase is formed above 563 K, and a HoAl₃ phase appears above 598 K. The phases of Ho₃Ni₅Al₁₉ and HoAl₃ are retained up to a temperature of 723 K. A three-stage kinetic model of the crystallization process with the reaction sequence is proposed based on calculations by multivariate nonlinear regression. The values of the total activation energy for each crystallization stage reach 239, 378, and 247 kJ/mol.     

Superconducting weak bonds at grain boundaries in MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The possibility of preparing bicrystalline Josephson junctions and bolometers based on superconducting MgB₂ on specially prepared bicrystalline MgO substrates is investigated. Microbridges 0.85–6.00 μm in width, intersecting the bicrystalline interface, are formed in epitaxial bicrystalline MgB₂ films grown on these substrates. It is found that annealing of bicrystalline samples in oxygen leads to a systematic decrease in the critical current, an increase in the temperature width of the superconducting transition region, and to an improvement of the current-voltage (IV) characteristic, which becomes close in shape to the IV characteristic of a Josephson junction. The response of such a junction to radiation at a frequency of 110 GHz with an amplitude attaining 0.5 mV is measured.     

Conduction through localized states in a single crystal of the TlGa<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Se<Subscript>2</Subscript> alloy

Layered single crystals of the TlGa_0.5Fe_0.5Se₂ alloy in a dc electric field at temperatures ranging from 128 to 178 K are found to possess variable-range-hopping conduction along natural crystal layers through states localized in the vicinity of the Fermi level. The parameters characterizing the electrical conduction in the TlGa_0.5Fe_0.5Se₂ crystals are estimated as follows: the density of states near the Fermi level N_F = 2.8 × 10¹⁷ eV^?1 cm^?3, the spread in energy of these states ΔE = 0.13 eV, the average hopping length R_av = 233 Å, and the concentration of deep-lying traps N _t = 3.6 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3.     

Nanocrystallization of an amorphous Fe<Subscript>80</Subscript>B<Subscript>20</Subscript> alloy during severe plastic deformation

The structural evolution of an amorphous Fe₈₀B₂₀ alloy subjected to severe plastic deformation at room temperature or at 200°C was studied. Deformation leads to the formation of α-Fe nanocrystals in an amorphous phase. After room-temperature deformation, nanocrystals are localized in shear bands. After deformation at 200°C, the nanocrystal distribution over the alloy is more uniform. Possible causes of the crystallization of the amorphous phase during severe plastic deformation are discussed.     

Multiple magnetic transitions in single crystals of Ce<Subscript>12</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>57.5</Subscript>As<Subscript>41</Subscript> and La<Subscript>12</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>57.5</Subscript>As<Subscript>41</Subscript>

Measurements of magnetic and transport properties were performed on needle-shaped single crystals of Ce₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁ and La₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁. The availability of a complete set of data enabled a side-by-side comparison between these two rare earth compounds. Both compounds exhibited multiple magnetic orders within 2–300 K and metamagnetic transitions at various fields. Ferromagnetic transitions with Curie temperatures of 100 and 125 K were found for Ce₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁ and La₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁, respectively, followed by antiferromagnetic type spin reorientations near Curie temperatures. The magnetic properties underwent complex evolution in the magnetic field for both compounds. An antiferromagnetic phase transition at about 60 K and 0.2 T was observed merely for Ce₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁. The field-induced magnetic phase transition occurred from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic structure. A strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy was evident from magnetization measurements of Ce₁₂Fe_57.5As₄₁. A temperature-field phase diagram was present for these two rare earth systems. In addition, a logarithmic temperature dependence of electrical resistivity was observed in the two compounds within a large temperature range of 150–300 K, which is rarely found in 3D-based compounds. It may be related to Kondo scattering described by independent localized Fe 3d moments interacting with conduction electrons.     

Electronic structure of FeSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The electronic structure of volume and film iron disilicides with crystal structure of the type of α leboit and fluorite was calculated using the linearized augmented plane-wave formalism. Joint and local partial densities of electronic states, x-ray emission spectra in different series of all inequivalent atoms of these phases, and photoelectron spectra for different excitation energies were obtained. γ-FeSi₂ was found to be, unlike α-FeSi₂, an unstable phase in both the volume and film realizations. X-ray L _2,3 emission spectra of silicon in the iron group disilicides NiSi₂, CoSi₂, and FeSi₂ were compared. NiSi₂, CoSi₂, and α-FeSi₂ exhibit transformation of the maximum in the near-Fermi region of the Si L _2,3 spectra as one crosses over from a bulk to a film sample. This transformation is closely connected with phase stability and may serve as a criterion of thermodynamic stability of the iron-group transition-metal disilicides.     

The influence of crystalline grain size on the thermal stability of the Er<Subscript>0.45</Subscript>Ho<Subscript>0.55</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript> compound

The phase composition and the temperature dependence of the magnetization of the Er_0.45Ho_0.55Fe₂ compound in coarse-grained, microcrystalline, and submicrocrystalline states are investigated experimentally. It is found that, upon heating under vacuum, the Er_0.45Ho_0.55Fe₂ microcrystalline powder with a crystalline grain size of ∼1 μm undergoes decomposition into pure iron and rare-earth (erbium and holmium) oxides and nitrides at a temperature of 500 K. The changes observed in the phase composition of the microcrystalline powder due to annealing are confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis. Heating of the Er_0.45Ho_0.55Fe₂ submicrocrystalline sample leads to a partial change in the phase composition. The phase composition of a large crystal (∼1 mm in size) remains unchanged upon heating to 1080 K. It is shown that the thermal stability of the Er_0.45Ho_0.55Fe₂ compound depends on the crystalline grain size. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 44, No. 6, 2002, pp. 1060–1063. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Mulyukov, Sharipov, Korznikova.     

Stability of bulk metastable Fe<Subscript>83</Subscript>B<Subscript>17</Subscript> eutectic alloy prepared by hypercooling method

The bulk metastable Fe₈₃B₁₇ eutectic alloy has been successfully prepared using hypercooling solidification. The bulk alloy consists of αFe and metastable Fe₃B phases, without the stable Fe₂B phase. Upon isothermal annealing, decomposition of the metastable Fe₃B phase (prepared by hypercooling) was investigated, as compared to the corresponding behaviour from amorphous Fe-B alloy. PACS 61.82.Bg; 64.60.-i; 64.60.My; 64.70.Kb; 68.60.Dv     

Dependence of the optical properties of Fe<Subscript>78</Subscript>Si<Subscript>10</Subscript>B<Subscript>12</Subscript> amorphous alloy on its structural state

The optical properties of Fe₇₈Si₁₀B₁₂ ferromagnetic alloy in amorphous, crystalline, and intermediate structural states have been investigated by ellipsometry in the spectral range of 0.22–18 μm. It is established that alloy crystallization leads to a significant change in the optical constants and the frequency dependences of the dielectric functions calculated based on these optical constants. The structural reconstruction under heat treatment leads to an increase in the intensity and shift of interband absorption bands. The plasma and relaxation frequencies of conduction electrons are determined; their numerical values also depend on the degree of atomic ordering.     

Phase separation and rapid solidification of liquid Cu<Subscript>60</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>30</Subscript>Co<Subscript>10</Subscript> ternary peritectic alloy

The metastable liquid phase separation and rapid solidification of Cu₆₀Fe₃₀Co₁₀ ternary peritectic alloy were investigated by using the drop tube technique and the differential scanning calorimetry method. It was found that the critical temperature of metastable liquid phase separation in this alloy is 1623.5 K, and the two separated liquid phases solidify as Cu(Fe,Co) and Fe(Cu,Co) solid solutions, respectively. The undercooling and cooling rate of droplets processed in the drop tube increase with the decrease of their diameters. During the drop tube processing, the structural morphologies of undercooled droplets are strongly dependent on the cooling rate. With the increase of the cooling rate, Fe(Cu,Co) spheres are refined greatly and become uniformly dispersed in the Cu-rich matrix. The calculations of Marangoni migration velocity (V _M) and Stokes motion velocity (V _S) of Fe(Cu,Co) droplets indicated that Marangoni migration contributes more to the coarsening and congregation of the minor phase during free fall. At the same undercooling, the V _M/V _S ratio increases drastically as Fe(Cu,Co) droplet size decreases. On the other hand, a larger undercooling tends to increase the V _M/V _S value for Fe(Cu,Co) droplets with the same size. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50121101 and 50395105) and the Scientific and Technological Creative Foundation of Youth in Northwestern Polytechnical University of China (Grant No. W016223)     

The magnetocaloric effect in hydrogen-doped Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>14</Subscript>B and Er<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>14</Subscript>B intermetallic compounds

The nature of the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in compounds R₂Fe₁₄B (R = Nd, Er) and their hydrides in a wide temperature range is investigated. The investigation is carried out on initial samples of a special purity including single-crystalline ones. The highest value of the magnetocaloric effect is established in the Curie-temperature region. The hydrogenation of samples affects the value of the MCE. The model explaining the dependence of the value and sign of the magnetocaloric effect on the hydrogen contents in R₂Fe₁₄B compounds with participation of erbium and neodymium is proposed.     

Electronic properties of strain-disordered Ni<Subscript>2.16</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.84</Subscript>Ga alloy

The effect of ultrarapid quenching from the melt and severe plastic torsional deformation under high pressure on the crystalline structure and the electrical, optical, and magnetic properties of a Ni_2.16Mn_0.84Ga alloy was studied. The electrical properties are discussed in terms of the Mott two-band model. The peculiarities of the magnetic properties are associated with the magnetism of itinerant electrons. The optical properties correlate with the variations in the electronic spectrum upon disordering of the alloy that follow from the results of the available energy-band-structure calculations.     

Cluster formation in LiNi<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The structure of an LiNi_0.4Fe_0.6O₂ cubic solid solution is determined using magnetic measurements and electron diffraction. It is found that this solid solution has a microinhomogeneous structure due to the formation of superparamagnetic clusters. The electron diffraction analysis of LiNi_0.4Fe_0.6O₂ samples has revealed diffuse scattering characteristic of the substitutional short-range order in ordered solid solutions with a B1-type structure. It is shown that the short-range order is associated with the LiNiO₂-type rhombohedral superstructure (space group \(R\bar 3m\)), i.e., with the redistribution of lithium and nickel atoms in the (111)_B1 alternating planes. The short-range order is observed in regions with a nickel content higher than the mean nickel content corresponding to the macroscopic composition.     

Effect of nanocrystallization on the mechanical and magnetic properties of finemet-type alloy (Fe<Subscript>78.5</Subscript>Si<Subscript>13.5</Subscript>B<Subscript>9</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>3</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>1</Subscript>)

The kinetics of primary crystallization and the effect of structural parameters of the precipitating nanocrystalline α-phase Fe-Si on changes in microhardness, coercive force, and saturation magnetization in an amorphous Finemet-type 5BDSR alloy (Fe_78.5Si_13.5B₉Nb₃Cu₁) obtained by melt quenching are studied. It is found that both an increase in bulk density and an increase in the average nanoparticle size contribute to the hardening of the amorphous/nanocrystalline alloy.     

Electronic structure,topological phase transitions and superconductivity in (K,Cs)<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>Se<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We present LDA band structure of novel hole doped high temperature superconductors (T _c ∼ 30 K) K _x Fe₂Se₂ and Cs _x Fe₂Se₂ and compare it with previously studied electronic structure of isostructural FeAs superconductor BaFe₂As₂ (Ba122). We show that stoichiometric KFe₂Se₂ and CsFe₂Se₂ have rather different Fermi surfaces as compared with Ba122. However at about 60% of hole doping Fermi surfaces of novel materials closely resemble those of Ba122. In between these dopings we observe a number of topological Fermi surface transitions near the Γ point in the Brillouin zone. Superconducting transition temperature T _c of new systems is apparently governed by the value of the total density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level.     

Effect of external actions on the magnetic properties and corrosion resistance of Co<Subscript>70.5</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>4</Subscript>Si<Subscript>7</Subscript>B<Subscript>18</Subscript> amorphous alloy

Variations in the magnetic characteristics (specific saturation magnetization and coercive force) of Co–Fe–Cr–Si–B amorphous alloy (AA) are studied after high-pressure torsion (HPT) and heat treatment. The behavior of AA magnetic properties is analyzed with respect to structural transformations caused by external actions. The corrosion resistance of AA upon transitioning from an amorphous to a crystalline state is investigated. The established optimum annealing and HPT conditions yield a satisfactory combination of the magnetic properties and corrosion resistance of the investigated alloy.