Time‐Resolved Phase Transitions of the Nanocrystalline Cubic to Submicron Monoclinic Phase in Mn2O3‐ZrO2

The nanocrystalline cubic phase of zirconia was found to be thermally stabilized by the addition of 3 to 40 mol % manganese. The nanocrystalline cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic phases of zirconia stabilized with manganese (III)oxide (Mn‐Stabilized Zirconia) were prepared by thermal decomposition of carbonate and hydroxide precursors. Both the crystallization and isothermal phase transitions associated with Mn‐SZ were studied using high temperature x‐ray diffraction and x‐ray diffraction of quenched samples. Cubic Mn‐SZ initially crystallized and progressively transformed to tetragonal, and monoclinic structures above 700°C. The nanocrystalline cubic Mn‐SZ containing 25 mol % Mn was found to have the greatest thermal stability, retaining its cubic form at temperatures as high as 800°C for periods up to 25 hours. Higher than 40 mol %, cubic Mn₂O₃ was found to coexist with cubic Mn‐SZ. The crystallite sizes observed for the cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic Mn‐SZ phases ranged from 50 to 137, 130 to 220, and 195 to 450 Å respectively, indicating, for ZrO₂, that particle size was a primary factor in determining its polymorphs. The classical Avrami equation for nucleation and growth was applied to the observed phase transformations.     

Time‐Resolved High and Low Temperature Phase Transitions of the Nanocrystalline Cubic Phase in the Y2O3‐ZrO2 and Fe2O3‐ZrO2 System

The nanocrystalline cubic Phase of zirconia was found to be thermally stabilized by the addition of 2.56 to 17.65 mol % Y₂O₃ (5.0 to 30.0 mol % Y, 95.0 to 70.0 mol % Zr cation content). The cubic phase of yttria stabilized zirconia was prepared by thermal decomposition of the hydroxides at 400°C for 1 hr. 2.56 mol % Y₂O₃‐ZrO₂ was stable up to 800°C in an argon atmosphere. The samples with 4.17 to 17.65 mol % Y₂O₃ were stable to 1200°C and higher. All samples at temperatures between 1450°C to 1700°C were cubic except the sample with 2.56 mol % Y₂O₃ which was tetragonal. The crystallite sizes observed for the cubic phase ranged from 50 to 150 Å at temperatures below 900°C and varied from 600 to 800 nm between 1450°C and 1700°C. Control of furnace atmosphere is the main factor for obtaining the cubic phase of Y‐SZ at higher temperature. Nanocrystalline cubic Fe‐SZ (Iron Stabilized Zirconia) with crystallite sizes from 70 to 137 Å was also prepared at 400°C. It transformed isothermally at temperatures above 800°C to the tetragonal Fe‐SZ and ultimately to the monoclinic phase at 900°C. The addition of up to 30 mol % Fe(III) thermally stabilized the cubic phase above 800°C in argon. Higher mol % resulted in a separation of Fe₂O₃. The nanocrystalline cubic Fe‐SZ containing a minimum 20 mol % Fe (III) was found to have the greatest thermal stability. The particle size was a primary factor in determining cubic or tetragonal formation. The oxidation state of Fe in zirconia remained Fe³⁺. Fe‐SZ lattice parameters and rate of particle growth were observed to decrease with higher iron content. The thermal stability of Fe‐SZ is comparable with that of Ca‐SZ, Mg‐SZ and Mn‐SZ prepared by this method.     

Phase Transformation of Nanosized Zirconia

1 INTRODUCTION Without introduction of any stabilizing reagent, mesoporous zirconia was prepared via solid state re- action-structure directed method, which broke through the traditional preparation route (liquid reaction)[1]. Using this novel method, the samples possess not only mesoporous structure, but also nano-size. Normal size zirconia has three kinds of crys- talline phases: monoclinic phase existing at room tem- perature, tetragonal phase stabilizing between 1170～2370 ℃ and cubi…     

Cubic Phase Formation from New Hexacatenar Metallomesogens Based on Cobalt 3,4,5‐Trialkoxybenzoate

Cobalt complexes of Co(3Cn)₂(MeOH)₄, derived from 3,4,5‐trialkyloxybenzoate ligand (noted as 3Cn) with n = 10, 12, 14 and 16, were synthesized and characterized. The crystal of Co(1C₁₂)₂(MeOH)4 were determined by means of x‐ray single crystal analysis. It crystallizes in the monoclinic P21/c space group with a = 24.3271(19) Å, b = 14.0058(11) Å, c = 6.4612(4) Å, α = γ = 90o, β = 94.368(4)o, and Z = 2. The phase texture and mesogenic properties were detected by polarized optical microscopic and powder x‐ray diffraction technique. It was found that these compounds display the cubic phases. Differential scanning calorimetric data indicated that these compounds were nearly room temperature liquid crystalline and with a very wide mesogenic phase range.     

Dehydroxylation and the Crystalline Phases in Sol-Gel Zirconia

The formation and evolution with temperature of the crystalline phases in sol-gel ZrO₂ was analyzed by using X-ray powder diffraction, refinement of the crystalline structures, ESR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The precursor phase of crystalline zirconia was amorphous Zr(OH)₄ with the same local order as the tetragonal crystalline phase. This amorphous phase dehydroxylated with temperature, generating nanocrystalline tetragonal zirconia, and producing point defects that stabilized the tetragonal structure, generated a paramagetic ESR signal with g values like the free electron, and had a light absorption band at 310 nm. When the sample was annealed at higher temperatures, it continued dehydroxilating, and the point defects disappeared, causing the transformation of the nanocrystalline tetragonal phase into nanocrystalline monoclinic zirconia. The two crystalline nanophases coexisted since the beginning of crystallization.     

纳米氧化锆的物相与尺寸效应

用溶胶凝胶法制得ＺｒＯ２粉体。通过控制晶体尺寸得到了室温下稳定的立方相、四方相和单斜相。用Ｘ射线衍射（ＸＲＤ）、透射电镜（ＴＥＭ）、激光拉曼谱（ＬＲＳ）、电子顺磁共振（ＥＳＲ）等技术研究了晶体结构和晶粒尺寸的相互关系。试验表明：单斜相、四方相、立方相ＺｒＯ２的比表面能依次递减。因而，当晶粒尺寸减小至纳米级时，四方相和立方相都可变为室温下的稳态或亚稳态。     

Crystal Structure of the Ordered Double Perovskite,Sr2NiTeO6

The crystal structure of the ordered double perovskite Sr₂MnTeO₆ has been refined at ambient temperature from high resolution neutron and X‐ray powder diffraction data in the monoclinic space group I 1 2/m 1 with a = 5.6166(1) Å, b = 5.5807(1) Å, c = 7.8797(1) Å and β = 90.048(2)°. The structure is the result of out‐of‐phase (–) rotations of virtually undistorted NiO₆ and TeO₆ octahedra in the (0 – –) sense about two of the axes of the ideal cubic perovskite. Electron diffraction measurements have been used to confirm the proposed space group and structure.     

Phase Transition of a Structure II Cubic Clathrate Hydrate to a Tetragonal Form

The crystal structure and phase transition of cubic structure II (sII) binary clathrate hydrates of methane (CH₄) and propanol are reported from powder X‐ray diffraction measurements. The deformation of host water cages at the cubic–tetragonal phase transition of 2‐propanol+CH₄ hydrate, but not 1‐propanol+CH₄ hydrate, was observed below about 110 K. It is shown that the deformation of the host water cages of 2‐propanol+CH₄ hydrate can be explained by the restriction of the motion of 2‐propanol within the 5¹²6⁴ host water cages. This result provides a low‐temperature structure due to a temperature‐induced symmetry‐lowering transition of clathrate hydrate. This is the first example of a cubic structure of the common clathrate hydrate families at a fixed composition.     

Investigations of nanocrystalline ceramics and powders by TEM, AFM and plasticity measurements

Nanocrystalline zirconia powders prepared by laser evaporation were analyzed by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A very high volume fraction of tetragonal particles was found, although the majority of particles is significantly larger than the equilibrium size of the tetragonal → monoclinic transformation. Nanopowder of yttria stabilized (2.4 mol% Y₂O₃) zirconia was used to prepare nanocrystalline ceramics by pressureless sintering at T = 1400?°C. At T ≥ 1200?°C the samples show superplastic behavior with an activation energy of 585 kJ mol^–1 and a stress exponent of about 1.8.     

Cs2[PdCl4] — neue Ergebnisse zu einer „altbekannten”︁ Verbindung

Hochtemperatur‐Cs₂[PdCl₄] — New Results on a “wellknown” Compound Two modifications of Cs₂[PdCl₄] have been characterized by X‐ray powder and single crystal diffraction, respectively. The crystal structures are described and the group‐subgroup‐relations between these structures are discussed. In addition to the tetragonal (P4/mmm (No. 123), a = 7.4158(8) Å, c = 4.6792(6) Å) and the orthorhombic (Cmcm (No. 63), a = 10.529(1) Å, b = 10.310(1) Å, c = 9.460(1) Å) modification DSC investigations and high‐temperature X‐ray diffraction experiments with synchrotron radiation show the existence of another modification or of yet unknown decomposition products. The phase transformation from the orthorhombic to the tetragonal polymorph is completely finished at 100 °C. The second effect is detected at 319 °C.     

Pressure‐Dependent Polymorphism and Band‐Gap Tuning of Methylammonium Lead Iodide Perovskite

We report the pressure‐induced crystallographic transitions and optical behavior of MAPbI₃ (MA=methylammonium) using in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and laser‐excited photoluminescence spectroscopy, supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the hybrid functional B3PW91 with spin‐orbit coupling. The tetragonal polymorph determined at ambient pressure transforms to a ReO₃‐type cubic phase at 0.3 GPa. Upon continuous compression to 2.7 GPa this cubic polymorph converts into a putative orthorhombic structure. Beyond 4.7 GPa it separates into crystalline and amorphous fractions. During decompression, this phase‐mixed material undergoes distinct restoration pathways depending on the peak pressure. In situ pressure photoluminescence investigation suggests a reduction in band gap with increasing pressure up to ≈0.3 GPa and then an increase in band gap up to a pressure of 2.7 GPa, in excellent agreement with our DFT calculation prediction.     

Crystal Structure of the High Pressure Phase(II) in CuGeO3

Crystal structures of the ambient pressure and temperature phase (phase I) and high pressure phase (phase II) in CuGeO₃ were studied by means of the high pressure single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction method in a diamond anvil cell using high power X‐ray generator and imaging plate detector. The pressure dependence of the atomic displacements in the phase I was investigated under the hydrostatic pressure of 0.1 MPa and 2.9 and 3.9 GPa. The lattice is particularly compressive in the b direction. In phase I the rippled layers are formed by the corner‐shared chains of GeO₄ tetrahedra and edge‐linked planar CuO₄. Major effects of pressure, directly related to the shortening of the b‐axis, consist of an enhanced folding of the rippled layers towards the b‐direction and of a shortening of the weak Cu–O bond. The crystal structure of phase II is monoclinic, a = 4.935(57), b = 6.754(14), c = 6.208(11) Å, β = 92.67(3)°, space group; P2₁/c. The transition from phase I to II involves a corrugated arrangement of the both cation with some oxygens around the c‐axis. Ge ion at the transition point of 6.4 GPa changes its coordination number from four‐fold to five‐fold, and Cu ion occupies a position of seven‐fold site. The structure of phase II is explained as a slab structure having unique edge‐ and corner‐sharing arrangements of GeO₅ and CuO₇ polyhedra. The average Ge–O and Cu–O distances in phase II is 1.92 and 2.17 Å, respectively, at 6.5 GPa.     

Synthesis and Stability of Lanthanum Superhydrides

Recent theoretical calculations predict that megabar pressure stabilizes very hydrogen‐rich simple compounds having new clathrate‐like structures and remarkable electronic properties including room‐temperature superconductivity. X‐ray diffraction and optical studies demonstrate that superhydrides of lanthanum can be synthesized with La atoms in an fcc lattice at 170 GPa upon heating to about 1000 K. The results match the predicted cubic metallic phase of LaH₁₀ having cages of thirty‐two hydrogen atoms surrounding each La atom. Upon decompression, the fcc‐based structure undergoes a rhombohedral distortion of the La sublattice. The superhydride phases consist of an atomic hydrogen sublattice with H?H distances of about 1.1 Å, which are close to predictions for solid atomic metallic hydrogen at these pressures. With stability below 200 GPa, the superhydride is thus the closest analogue to solid atomic metallic hydrogen yet to be synthesized and characterized.     

Phase behavior of a thermotropic cubic mesogen 4'-n-hexadecyloxy-3'-nitro- biphenyl-4-carboxylic acid under pressure

The phase behavior of an optically isotropic cubic mesogen 4'-n-hexadecyloxy-3'-nitrobiphenyl-4-carboxylic acid (ANBC-16) was investigated under hydrostatic pressures up to 200 MPa using a high-pressure DTA, a polarizing optical microscope equipped with a high-pressure hot-stage and a wide-angle X-ray diffractometer equipped with a high-pressure vessel. In the T vs. P phase diagram constructed in the heating mode, a triple point exists at 54±1 MPa and 205±1°C for the SmC, cubic, and SmA phases. A new mesophase, denoted here as X, appears in place of the cubic phase under pressures above about 60 MPa, while the X phase appears on cooling in the whole pressure region studied. Thus the X phase is a monotropic (metastable) phase between the SmA and Cub phases in the low pressure region, while being an enantiotropic phase between the SmA and SmC phases in the high pressure range. The X phase exhibits broken-fan or sand-like textures under pressure and a spot-like diffraction pattern, indicating the birefringent feature and no layered structure. It is suggested that the X phase is tetragonal or hexagonal columnar phase. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phase evolution of sol-gel CaO-ZrO2 using sulfuric acid as hydrolysis catalyst

Several compositions in the CaO-ZrO₂ system were synthesized from zirconium n-butoxide and calcium methoxide, by the sol-gel method. Hydrolysis and gelation occurred at pH 3, using H₂SO₄ as hydrolysis catalyst. Fresh gels were annealed in air at 100 to 900°C, in 100°C steps every 20 h, for a total annealing time of 140 h. Analysis by X-ray diffraction showed the formation of hydrated calcium sulfate together with amorphous zirconia up to 400°C. At the ZrO₂ rich-end, tetragonal and monoclinic zirconia solid solutions were stabilized in the presence of Ca ions. When 20 and 30 wt% of CaO were added, cubic zirconia and CaZrO₃ solid solutions were observed above 700°C. At the CaO rich-end, the coexistence of calcium carbonate polymorphs as vaterite and calcite were observed. Anhydrite was present across the entire range of compositions studied from 300 to 900°C.     

PCVD法制备ZrO~2和YSZ薄膜

以金属β-二酮类有机螯合物Zr(DPM)~4和Y(DPM)~3为挥发性源物质, 采用微波等离子体化学气相淀积法于较低的温度下(420～560℃)成功地在多孔α-Al~2O~3陶瓷,非晶玻璃等衬底上制备出致密的ZrO~2和YSZ薄膜材料.XRD分析结果表明,纯ZrO~2薄膜中除了单斜相外还存在着亚稳态的四方相.当掺入的Y~2O~3 摩尔百分含量大于或等于7%时,ZrO~2完全被稳定成立方相.SEM观察表明, 在等离子体内的不同区域中生成的薄膜形貌有所不同.XPS检测了YSZ薄膜中Zr3d~5~/~2和Zr3d~3~/~2 的电子结合能,发现较ZrO~2的标准值低0.7eV.由TEM观察和由XRD衍射峰半宽度计算, 所制备的ZrO~2和YSZ薄膜中微晶粒径在10nm左右     

Structural stability and electrochemical properties of Gd-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel

Cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic Gd-doped zirconia nanoparticles with nominal composition Gd_xZr_1?xO₂ in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2, were prepared by annealing dried gels of Gd-containing zirconia at temperatures over the range between 450 and 1,300 °C. The synthesized zirconia-based nanoparticles with increased gadolinium load were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy. The stabilization of the crystalline forms of Gd-doped ZrO₂ solid solutions depends on the amount of Gd dopant and the annealing temperature. For low Gd loads in Gd_xZr_1?xO₂ being x < 0.05, the tetragonal form is the single phase up to 1,100 °C, whereas the monoclinic is the crystalline form detected up to 1,300 °C. Within the range of compositions 0.05 ≤ x < 0.1, is the tetragonal the only stabilized zirconia crystalline structure over the whole range of temperature up to 1,300 °C. For higher Gd-contents, in the range 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.2, is the cubic zirconia form the only stable phase for the whole range of annealing temperatures. Solid-state electrochemistry of the gadolinium-doped zirconia performed by the voltammetry of microparticles approach allowed distinguishing different electrochemical answers of Gd cation associated with slightly different local coordination surrounding of cations. Enantioselective electrocatalytic effect of monoclinic Gd-doped ZrO₂ on the oxidation of l-(+)-tartaric acid and d-(?)-tartaric was also studied.     

Lattice vibrations in cubic, tetragonal, and monoclinic phases of ZrO2

First principles calculations of the phonon dispersion relations and the phonon density of states for three zero-pressure zirconia phases are presented. The phonon dispersion relations of the tetragonal and monoclinic phases do not exhibit the imaginary frequencies, contrary to the cubic phase for which the imaginary soft mode is seen. For tetragonal and monoclinic phases the free energies versus temperature are calculated in harmonic approximation. They cross at 1560 K indicating the phase transition.     

Phase behavior and polymerization of lyotropic phases. II. A series of polymerizable amphiphiles with systematically varied critical packing parameters

A group of polymerizable amphiphiles, with their critical packing parameters systematically varied, were studied with respect to the phase behavior and immobilization of their lyotropic liquid‐crystalline phase structures. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering and polarized light microscopy were used to study their liquid‐crystalline phases before and after photopolymerization. The liquid crystallinity of the amphiphiles depended on the contents of both oil and water in the ternary systems. Through photopolymerization, hexagonal phases could generally be immobilized, with the structural order reduced to various degrees. However, the cubic phases evolved with polymerization into another structural pattern, which was possibly related to the lamellar structure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5887–5897, 2006     

Preparation of ZnSe Nanoparticles via Low‐Temperature Solid Phase Process

ZnSe nanoparticles were prepared from ZnCl₂, Se and KBH₄ in the presence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) through a room temperature solid phase process. The products were characterized with x‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and energy dispersive analysis of x‐ray (EDAX). The results show that the cubic zincblende phase ZnSe nanoparticles can be obtained using this simple method. The size of nanoparticles was evaluated to be from 8 to 30 nm.