Study on the superconducting composite material formation in the system Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x/Al-containing phases

Phase evolution in the Bi---Sr---Ca---Cu---Al---O system was studied. Two Al-containing phases BiSr_1.5Ca_0.5Al₂O_z and (Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ (x = 0.4 − 0.45) were determined to be chemically compatible with Bi_2.18Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+x (Bi-2212) at temperatures of the samples processing. The phase equilibria in the title system were investigated above the solidus temperature. The BiSr_1.5Ca_0.5Al₂O_z was found to be in equilibrium only with the melt and the (Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ phase. This latter aluminate equilibrated with Ca,Sr cuprates, CaO, the Cu-free phase, and the liquid. The melting and solidification in Bi-2212, doped with the aluminate, corresponded to the reversible reaction Bi-2212 + BiSr_1.5Ca_0.5Al₂O_z ↔ (Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ + liquid. Two sets of superconducting composite materials with initial compositions Bi-2212 + nBiSr_1.5Ca_0.5Al₂O_z and Bi-2212 + m(Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ were prepared by solidification from the partial melt. The former material was composed mostly of large Bi-2212 lamellas separated by the BiSr_1.5Ca_0.5Al₂O_z phase, which destroyed superconducting links between Bi-2212 grains. The latter material consisted of a Bi-2212 polycrystalline matrix with high concentration of small (ca. 3 μm) grains of (Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ imbedded in Bi-2212 lamellas. The Bi-2212 + m(Sr_1−xCa_x)₃Al₂O₆ materials displayed a trend to enhance flux pinning at T = 60 K with the increase of aluminate phase content.     

The crystal structure of (Pb0.5Cd0.5)Sr2 (Y1−xCax)Cu2O7

The crystal structures of (Pb_0.5Cd_0.5)Sr₂YCu₂O₇, (Pb_0.5Cd_0.5)Sr₂(Y_0.6Ca_0.4)Cu₂O₇ and (Pb_0.5Cd _0.5)Sr₂(Y_0.5Ca_0.5)Cu₂O₇ have been refined by the Rietveld method for the X-ray diffraction data. The refinement results indicate that both Pb and Cd atoms in the (Pb, Cd)O layers and O(3) atoms are displaced from their ideal sites, and that there is a complicated occupation in the (Pb, Cd)O layers, i.e., other cations, such as Sr²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Ca²⁺, can occupy the (Pb, Cd) site for these samples. This may be the reason why the lattice constants do not vary monotanically with the calcium content, and why there exist broad superconducting transitions in the system (Pb_0.5Cd_0.5)Sr₂(Y_1−xCa_x)Cu₂O₇. The refinement results also indicate that, as the calcium content increases, the O(2) atoms move close to the CuO₂ planes and far from the (Pb, Cd)O layers. Thus, the increase of calcium content results in charge transfer from the charge reservoir layer (Pb, Cd)O to the CuO₂ planes. This result is consistent with the bond valence sums of the Cu ions in the CuO₂ planes.     

Rare-earth-mediated magnetism and magneto-optical Kerr effects in nanocrystalline CoFeMn0.9RE0.1O4 thin films

A series of rare-earth (RE)-doped nanocrystalline CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ thin films were prepared on monocrystalline silicon substrate by a sol–gel process, and the influences of the various RE³⁺ ions on the microstructure, magnetism and polar magneto-optical Kerr effects of the as-deposited films were examined. The results revealed that both of the magnetism and Kerr effect of CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ films could be mediated by doping with various RE³⁺ ions. The trend of both M_S and H_C of CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ films is similar to that of Bohr magneton across the series of rare-earth ions. The position of Kerr rotation peaks was red-shifted and their intensities increased, especially when doping with La³⁺, Tb³⁺, Y³⁺ or Yb³⁺ and so on. The enhanced MOKEs in CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ nanocrystalline thin films might promise their applications for magneto-optical recording in the future.     

(1-x)Sr_3Sn_2O_7+xCa_3Mn_2O_7陶瓷合成及其光电性能

为了寻求新的非常规多铁性材料,采用固相合成方法制备具有Ruddlesden-Popper结构的(1-x)Sr_3Sn_2O_7+x Ca_3Mn_2O_7(SSO+CMO)(x=0,0.05,0.10,0.15,0.20)系列陶瓷.通过X射线衍射、紫外可见光谱和磁性测量,发现SSO+CMO陶瓷为单一正交相结构,空间群为A21am.随着掺杂量x的增加,样品的晶胞参数和体积相应地减小;在室温不同频率下,样品的介电常数和介电损耗随着频率增加而减小,且在x=0.1时有弱的铁磁性.     

Thermodynamic properties of the clathrate-type silver-oxide Ag6O8AgHF2

We report normal-state and superconducting properties of the clathrate-type silver-oxide Ag₆O₈AgHF₂. We present electrical resistivity, DC- and AC-susceptibility and specific-heat measurements of single crystalline Ag₆O₈AgHF₂. In the normal state, Ag₆O₈AgHF₂ exhibits metallic conductivity and a phase transition near 110 K, possibly a structural phase transition as observed in the related compound Ag₆O₈AgNO₃. The onset of superconductivity of our samples is observed around 1.2–1.5 K, and the H–T phase diagram is determined for the first time. The upper critical field H_c2(0) is estimated to be about 2000–2200 Oe and the coherence length ξ_GL(0) to be 40 nm.     

On the origin of 1.5 μm luminescence in porous silicon coated with sol–gel derived erbium-doped Fe2O3 films

Sol–gel derived Fe₂O₃ films containing about 10 wt% of Er₂O₃ were deposited on porous silicon by dipping or by a spin-on technique followed by thermal processing at 1073 K for 15 min. The samples were characterized by means of PL, SEM and X-ray diffraction analyses. They exhibit strong room-temperature luminescence at 1.5 μm related to erbium in the sol–gel derived host. The luminescence intensity increases by a factor of 1000 when the samples are cooled from 300 to 4.2 K. After complete removal of the erbium-doped film by etching and partial etching the porous silicon, the erbium-related luminescence disappears. Following this, luminescence at 1.5 μm originating from optically active dislocations (“D-lines”) in porous silicon was detected. The influence of the conditions of synthesis on luminescence at 1.5 μm is discussed.     

Doping effects in the Sr14Cu24O41-type structure: a Raman scattering study

Polarized micro-Raman spectra of different compounds belonging to the Sr₁₄Cu₂₄O₄₁-type structure were studied. In the spectra with parallel polarization along the plane crystal axes of the insulating samples Sr₉R₅Cu₂₄O₄₁ (R = La, Y) a broad peak near 3000 cm⁻¹, similar to the well-known two-magnon peak in the layered cuprates, was observed. In addition to the Raman lines characteristic for this structure, we observed only in the spectra with parallel to the chains numerous lines between 100 and 1200 cm⁻¹, probably originating from Raman-forbidden infrared-active only LO phonons and their combinations. In the spectra of the conducting compounds Sr_14−xCa_xCu₂₄O₄₁ (x = 0,7) these features were very weak or disappeared. We interpret these results as Raman evidence for hole doping of the Cu₂O₃ “spin-ladder” planes and for a redistribution of holes between chains and planes through Ca substitution in the case of the rare-earth-free samples.     

Synthesis and optical characterization of c-axis oriented GaN thin films on amorphous quartz glass via sol–gel process

c-Axis oriented GaN nanocrystalline thin films were fabricated by nitridation of three different thin films of -GaO(OH), -Ga₂O₃ or β-Ga₂O₃ obtained by sol–gel technique on amorphous quartz glass substrates. All these GaN thin films showed near band edge emission at 390 nm and yellow luminescence at 570 nm. The crystalline nature and c-axis orientation as well as luminescence properties of the GaN thin films increased by several times by using a buffer layer of GaN on the substrate.     

Preparation of LiMn2O4 thin films by a sol–gel method

LiMn₂O₄ thin films were prepared by a sol–gel method using spin-coating and annealing processes. Anhydrous Mn(CH₃COCHCOCH₃)₃ (manganese acetylacetonate) and LiCH₃COCHCO–CH₃ (lithium acetylacetonate) were chosen as source materials. The film electrochemical properties depended on the drying temperature even when subjected to the same annealing conditions. The discharge capacity of annealed film increased as the drying temperature was increased. However, the rate of capacity fading during cycling increased as the drying temperature was increased.     

Phase composition-dependent physical and mechanical properties of YbxZr1−xO2−x/2 solid solutions

The paper represents a detailed insight into the correlation between changes of the phase composition of crystalline Yb_xZr_1−xO_2−x/2 solid solutions and their structural, electrical, mechanical and optical properties. Particularly, the effect of the crystal growth conditions and stabilizer amount in the range of 1.5–13.8 mol% of Yb₂O₃ are studied in terms of Rietveld analysis of powder X-ray diffraction data, electrical conductivity measured by impedance spectroscopy, absorption coefficient and refractive index measurements, Vickers microhardness (classical technique) as well as the plastic microhardness and effective elastic modulus (DSI—depth-sensing indentation technique). Potential applications of the investigated systems are discussed in view of the results obtained.     

纳米纤维状Sr3Al2O5Cl2:Eu2+,Tm3+的白色长余辉性能

采用高温固相法在800℃下制备出系列白色长余辉荧光粉Sr₃Al₂O₅Cl₂：Eu²⁺,Tm³⁺,并研究了它们的结构、形貌及发光性能。样品Sr_2.91Al₂O₅Cl₂：0.04Eu²⁺,0.05 Tm³⁺具有单一晶相和纳米纤维结构。该样品在紫外光激发下表现出两个很强的宽带发射（分别位于~448 nm和~590 nm）。它的余辉寿命大约是20 min。利用此种荧光粉所制作出的白光LED器件表现出很强的白光发射。     

Structure and optical properties of sol–gel derived Gd2O3 waveguide films

Pure and rare earth doped gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) waveguide films were prepared by a simple sol–gel process and dip-coating method. Gd₂O₃ was successfully synthesized by hydrolysis of gadolinium acetate. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were used to study the thermal chemistry properties of dried gel. Structure of Gd₂O₃ films annealed at different temperature ranging from 400 to 750 °C were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that Gd₂O₃ starts crystallizing at about 400 °C and the crystallite size increases with annealing temperature. Oriented growth of (4 0 0) face of Gd₂O₃ has been observed when the films were deposited on (1 0 0) Si substrate and annealed at 750 °C. The laser beam (λ=632.8 nm) was coupled into the film by a prism coupler and propagation loss of the film measured by scattering-detection method is about 2 dB/cm. Luminescence properties of europium ions doped films were measured and are discussed.     

镧掺杂BaSnO3薄膜的电学和光学特性

利用射频磁控溅射法在(LaAlO₃)_0.3(SrAl_0.5Ta_0.5O₃)_0.7 (001)单晶基底上生长了镧掺杂BaSnO₃外延薄膜. 通过Hall效应和热电势测量证实了镧掺杂BaSnO₃薄膜具有n型简并半导体特征, 并且基于载流子浓度和Seebeck系数计算出电子的有效质量为0.31m₀ (m₀为自由电子质量). 镧掺杂BaSnO₃薄膜在可见波段具有良好的透明性(透过率大于73%). 基于介电模型对薄膜的透过率曲线进行拟合, 从拟合结果中不仅得到了薄膜的厚度为781.2 nm, 能带宽度为3.43 eV、 带尾宽度为0.27 eV和复光学介电常数随波长的变化规律, 而且也强力地支持了基于电学参数计算电子有效质量的正确性.     

实验优化设计Sr_2MgSi_2O_7:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)的合成及长余辉特性

为了得到最长有效余辉时间的Sr_2MgSi_2O_7:Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)荧光粉,应用二次通用旋转组合设计对实验进行全程优化,建立了稀土离子掺杂浓度Eu~(2+),Dy~(3+)和有效余辉时间的二元二次回归方程模型,应用遗传算法计算得到有效余辉时间的理论最大值.采用高温固相法合成了最优掺杂浓度Sr_2MgSi_2O_7:0.5mol%Eu~(2+),1.0mol%Dy~(3+)的荧光粉,在370nm激发下观察到了465nm的特征发射,这归因于Eu~(2+)的4f65d1—4f7跃迁.测量了最优荧光粉的热释发光特性,计算得到了陷阱深度为0.688eV,讨论了长余辉发光的特性.     

Niobium based tetragonal tungsten bronzes as potential anodes for solid oxide fuel cells: synthesis and electrical characterisation

In this paper we report studies on a range of niobate based tungsten bronzes, with a view to analysing their potential as anode materials in SOFCs. Six systems were studied, (Sr_1−xBa_x)_0.6Ti_0.2Nb_0.8O₃, Sr_0.6−xLa_xTi_0.2+xNb_0.8−xO₃, (Sr_0.4−xBa_x)Na_0.2NbO₃, (Ba_1−xCa_x)_0.6Ti_0.2Nb_0.8O₃, Ba_0.5−xA_xNbO₃ (A=Ca, Sr), and Ba_0.3NbO_2.8, and the electrical conductivities were examined over a range of oxygen partial pressures (10⁻²⁰–1 bar). All the systems showed good conductivity in low oxygen partial pressures, with values as high as 8 S cm⁻¹ at 930°C (P(O₂)=10⁻²⁰ bar). As the oxygen partial pressure was raised the conductivity dropped showing in most cases an approximate [P(O₂)]^−1/4 dependence and good re-oxidation kinetics. Of all the samples studied the (Sr_1−xBa_x)_0.6Ti_0.2Nb_0.8O₃ and (Ba_1−xCa_x)_0.6Ti_0.2Nb_0.8O₃ systems appear most promising for potential use as anode materials in SOFCs.     

Studies of ionic conductivity and structural phase transitions of Na3H(SO4)2 crystal

The complex electrical impedance of Na₃H(SO₄)₂ along the b_m-axis has been measured from 25°C to 316°C in the frequency range 4 kHz–40 MHz. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity shows remarkable changes in the temperature range 160°C–260°C. The sample crystal becomes a fast ionic conductor above 260°C. The conduction mechanisms of proton and sodium ions in the different phases are analyzed in detail with respect to the structural features of the sample crystal.     

Magnetic anisotropic properties in Fe3O4 and CoFe2O4 ferrite epitaxy thin films

Epitaxial thin films of Fe₃O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ on MgO (0 0 1) substrates were grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low temperature growth process. Magnetization and hysteresis loop of both films were measured to investigate magnetic anisotropic properties at various temperatures. Anomalous magnetic properties are found to be correlated with crystalline, shape, and stress anisotropies. The Fe₃O₄ film below Verwey structural transition has a change in crystal structure, thus causing many anomalous magnetic properties. Crystalline anisotropy and anomalous magnetic properties are affected substantially by Co ions. The saturation magnetization of Co–ferrite film becomes much lower than that of Fe₃O₄ film, being very different from the bulks. It indicates that the low temperature growth process could not provide enough energy to have the lowest energy state.     

The influence of different fabrication processes on characteristics of excess Bi2O3-doped 0.95 (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–0.05 BaTiO3 ceramics

In this study, we will develop the influences of the excess x wt% (x=0, 1, 2, and 3) Bi₂O₃-doped and the different fabricating process on the sintering and dielectric characteristics of 0.95 (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃–0.05 BaTiO₃ ferroelectric ceramics with the aid of SEM and X-ray diffraction patterns, and dielectric–temperature curves. The 0.95 (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃–0.05 BaTiO₃+x wt% Bi₂O₃ ceramics are fabricated by two different processes. The first process is that (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃ composition is calcined at 850 °C and BaTiO₃ composition is calcined at 1100 °C, then the calcined (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃ and BaTiO₃ powders are mixed in according to 0.95 (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃–0.05 BaTiO₃+x wt% Bi₂O₃ compositions. The second process is that the raw materials are mixed in accordance to the 0.95 (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃–0.05 BaTiO₃+x wt% Bi₂O₃ compositions and then calcining at 900 °C. The sintering process is carried out in air for 2 h from 1120 to 1240 °C. After sintering, the effects of process parameters on the dielectric characteristics will be developed by the dielectric–temperature curves. Dielectric–temperature properties are also investigated at the temperatures of 30–350 °C and at the frequencies of 10 kHz–1 MHz.     

Substrate dependent growth studies of MgB2 films by electrocrystallization

The comparative study of MgB₂ film growth on Al₂O₃ and glass substrate by electrocrystallization technique is discussed. The precursor magnesium films were deposited by vacuum evaporation method. These magnesium films were then used as electrode for the growth of MgB₂ films by electrocrystallization. The structural, morphological and superconducting properties of the electrocrystallized MgB₂ films on Al₂O₃ substrate were examined by using XRD, SEM and electrical resistivity measurement techniques and compared with that of MgB₂ films grown on glass substrate. The films deposited on Al₂O₃ substrates showed enhanced crystallinity and relatively higher T_c value compared to films deposited on glass substrates.     

Electric-pulse-induced local conducting area and joule heating effect in VO2/Al2O3 films

We investigated the effect of an electric-pulse on the insulator–metal phase transition of VO₂/Al₂O₃ films using synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy. By monitoring the time-resolved optical response, we could demonstrate that local conducting areas are formed under the influence of the electric-pulse, and the Joule heat generated from the local current flow drives a consecutive thermal phase transition in the adjacent sample area.