A molecular dynamics study of densification mechanisms in calcium silicate glasses CaSi2O5 and CaSiO3 at pressures of 5 and 10 GPa

Molecular dynamics is used to obtain models of (CaO)(x)(SiO(2))(1-x) glasses, with compositions CaSi(2)O(5) (x=0.33) and CaSiO(3) (x=0.50), at pressures of 5 and 10 GPa. At 5 GPa there are increases in Ca and Si coordinations for x=0.33, whereas for x=0.50 there is distortion of CaO(N) polyhedra but no substantial change in coordination. At 10 GPa the Ca coordination increases by approximately 20% for x=0.33 and by approximately 10% for x=0.50. This increase is due to increased Ca bonds to bridging oxygens (O(b)), since nonbridging oxygens (O(nb)) are already highly bonded to Ca, and the proportion of O(nb) is decreasing due to changes in the silica network. At 10 GPa there are approximately 20% of fivefold and a few percent of sixfold coordinated Si. Since the new Si-O bonds involve the conversion of O(nb) to O(b), there is a corresponding increase in the network connectivity. The x=0.50 glass is more resistant to deformation because there is less possibility to convert O(nb) to O(b) due to lower Si content. The changes in Ca-O, Si-Ca, and Ca-Ca correlations are predicted to produce changes in the x-ray diffraction structure factor S(Q), including a shift of the first sharp diffraction peak to higher Q values.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备(Ca1-xMgx)SiO3陶瓷及其微波介电性能

以硝酸钙、硝酸镁、正硅酸乙酯为先驱体, 利用溶胶-凝胶法合成(Ca1-xMgx)SiO3(x=0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5)陶瓷粉体, 研究了Mg2+取代Ca2+对陶瓷物相组成、烧结特性以及微波介电性能的影响规律. 结果表明, Mg2+在CaSiO3中的最大固溶度不超过0.2；随着Mg2+对Ca2+取代量的增加, 陶瓷在烧结后的主晶相出现从CaSiO3相向CaMgSi2O6相的转变,陶瓷的烧结特性及介电性能出现先增加后下降的趋势；当x=0.3 时, 陶瓷体中CaSiO3相与CaMgSi2O6相共存, 克服了单相CaSiO3或CaMgSi2O6易成片长大的缺点,有效减少了陶瓷中残留的气孔, 提高烧结体致密性. (Ca0.7Mg0.3)SiO3在1320 益烧结后介电常数为6.62, 品质因数为36962 GHz.     

Hydrothermal growth and structural studies of Si(1-x)Ge(x)O2 single crystals

The substitution of germanium in the α-quartz structure is a method investigated to improve the piezoelectric properties and the thermal stability of α-quartz. Growth of α-quartz type Si(1-x)Ge(x)O(2) single crystals was performed using a temperature gradient hydrothermal method under different experimental conditions (pressure, temperature, nature of the solvent, and the nutrient). To avoid the difference of dissolution kinetics between pure SiO(2) and pure GeO(2), single phases Si(1-x)Ge(x)O(2) solid solutions were prepared and used as nutrients. The influence of the nature (cristobalite-type, glass) and the composition of this nutrient were also studied. Single crystals were grown in aqueous NaOH (0.2-1 M) solutions and in pure water. A wide range of pressures (95-280 MPa) and temperatures (315-505 °C) was investigated. Structures of single crystals with x = 0.07, 0.1, and 0.13 were refined, and it was shown that the structural distortion (i.e., θ and δ) increases with the atomic fraction of Ge in an almost linear way. Thus, the piezoelectric properties of Si(1-x)Ge(x)O(2) solid solution should increase with x, and this material could be a good candidate for technological applications requiring a high piezoelectric coupling factor or high thermal stability.     

Spectral analysis of Cu(2+): B(2)O(3)--ZnO--PbO glasses

A new series of heavy metal oxide (PbO) based zinc borate glasses in the chemical composition of (95-x)B(2)O(3)-5ZnO-xPbO (x=10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 mol%) have been prepared to verify their UV filtering performance. Both direct and indirect optical band gaps (E(opt)) have been evaluated for these glasses. For a reference glass of 45B(2)O(3)-5ZnO-50PbO, refractive indices at different wavelengths are measured and found the results satisfactorily correlated with the theoretical data upon the computation of Cauchy's constants of A=1.766029949, B=159531.024 nm(2) and C=-1.078 x 10(10) nm(4). Measurements concerning X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, differential scanning colorimeter (DSC) profiles have been carried out for this glass. The FT-IR profile has revealed that the glass has both BO(3) and BO(4) units. From DSC thermogram, glass transition temperature (T(g)), crystallization temperature (T(c)) and melting temperature (T(m)) have been located and from them, other related parameters of the glass have also been calculated. Visible absorption spectra of 45B(2)O(3)-5ZnO-(50-x)PbO-xCuO (x=0. 1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mol%) have revealed two absorption bands at around 400 nm ((2)B(1g)-->(2)E(g)) and 780 nm ((2)B(1g)-->(2)B(2g)) of Cu(2+) ions, respectively. Emission bands at 422 and 512 nm are found for the 1 mol % CuO doped glass with excitations at 306 and 332 nm.     

Syntheses，Structures and Properties of Some New Composition Perovskite Compounds：Sr_（0．6）Bi_（0．4）FeO_（2．7），Sr_（1－x）Bi_xFeO_（3－y） and Ba_（1．5）Pt_（0．5）Mn_2O_6

Ｓｙｎｔｈｅｓｅｓ，ＳｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｓａｎｄＰｒｏｐｅｒｔｉｅｓｏｆＳｏｍｅ　ＮｅｗＣｏｍｐｏｓｉｔｉｏｎＰｅｒｏｖｓｋｉｔｅＣｏｍｐｏｕｎｄｓ：Ｓｒ_（０．６）Ｂｉ_（０．４）ＦｅＯ_（２．７），Ｓｒ_（１－ｘ）Ｂｉ_ｘＦｅＯ_（３－ｙ）　ａｎｄ　Ｂａ...     

ac susceptibility and ESR studies on vapour phase grown Cd(1-x)Mn(x)Te crystals

Single crystals of Cd(1-x)Mn(x)Te for x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 were grown by a modified vapour phase growth technique. ac magnetic susceptibility studies were carried out in the temperature range 14-300 K. Both the real and the imaginary parts of susceptibility indicated the formation of spin-glass phase at low temperatures. ESR spectra were recorded at room temperature (300 K) at 9.4 GHz for samples of all compositions. The line width (DeltaH) increased with Mn content.     

Solution combustion derived nanocrystalline Zn(2)SiO(4):Mn phosphors: a spectroscopic view

Manganese doped nanocrystalline willemite powder phosphors Zn(2-x)Mn(x)SiO(4) (0.1(6)A(1) ground state. The mechanism involved in the generation of a green emission has been explained in detail. The effect of Mn content on luminescence has also been studied.     

Structural models for yttrium aluminium borate laser glasses: NMR and EPR studies of the system (Y2O3)(0.2)-(Al2O3)x-(B2O3)(0.8-x)

The structure of laser glasses in the system (Y(2)O(3))(0.2){(Al(2)O(3))(x))(B(2)O(3))(0.8-x)} (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 0.40) has been investigated by means of (11)B, (27)Al, and (89)Y solid state NMR as well as electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) of Yb-doped samples. The latter technique has been applied for the first time to an aluminoborate glass system. (11)B magic-angle spinning (MAS)-NMR spectra reveal that, while the majority of the boron atoms are three-coordinated over the entire composition region, the fraction of three-coordinated boron atoms increases significantly with increasing x. Charge balance considerations as well as (11)B NMR lineshape analyses suggest that the dominant borate species are predominantly singly charged metaborate (BO(2/2)O(-)), doubly charged pyroborate (BO(1/2)(O(-))(2)), and (at x = 0.40) triply charged orthoborate groups. As x increases along this series, the average anionic charge per trigonal borate group increases from 1.38 to 2.91. (27)Al MAS-NMR spectra show that the alumina species are present in the coordination states four, five and six, and the fraction of four-coordinated Al increases markedly with increasing x. All of the Al coordination states are in intimate contact with both the three- and the four-coordinate boron species and vice versa, as indicated by (11)B/(27)Al rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) data. These results are consistent with the formation of a homogeneous, non-segregated glass structure. (89)Y solid state NMR spectra show a significant chemical shift trend, reflecting that the second coordination sphere becomes increasingly "aluminate-like" with increasing x. This conclusion is supported by electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) data of Yb-doped glasses, which indicate that both borate and aluminate species participate in the medium range structure of the rare-earth ions, consistent with a random spatial distribution of the glass components.     

Enhanced electronic correlation and thermoelectric response by Cu-doping in Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) single crystals

The structure, anisotropic magnetic, electrical and thermal transport properties for single crystals of Ca(3)Co(4-x)Cu(x)O(9) (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8) have been investigated systematically. The Cu-doping with x = 0.2 at Co-site is sufficient to drive the low-temperature spin-glass state in the Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) system. The value of resistivity along ab-plane decreases monotonously with increasing x in the whole temperature range studied, and around room temperature, the in-plane resistivity of Ca(3)Co(3.2)Cu(0.8)O(9) is about 71% smaller than that of the undoped sample. The temperature region where the Fermi-liquid transport mechanism dominates becomes remarkably narrowed due to the Cu-doping while the electronic correlation in the system is enhanced. With further addition of Cu in the Ca(3)Co(4)O(9) system, the in-plane thermopower (S(ab)) increases slowly and the room-temperature S(ab) for Ca(3)Co(3.2)Cu(0.8)O(9) is about 17% larger than that of the undoped sample. As a result, the power factor along the ab-plane is enhanced by about 3.8 times compared to the undoped sample. The results are suggested to originate from the variations of carrier concentration and electronic correlation in this system via the different Cu-doping states: Cu(3+)/Cu(2+) (Cu(3+) major) into the CoO(2) layer for x ≤ 0.4, while Cu(2+)/Cu(3+) (Cu(2+) major) into the Ca(2)CoO(3) layers for x > 0.4.     

Ce0.5+xZr0.4-xLa0.1O2-Al2O3催化剂催化燃烧柴油车碳烟

采用共沉淀法制备了系列Ce_0.5+xZr_0.4-xLa_0.1O₂-Al₂O₃催化剂, 其中0≤x≤0.4且Ce_0.5+xZr_0.4-xLa_0.1O₂与Al₂O₃的质量比为1:1. 考察了该系列催化剂对柴油车排放碳烟的催化燃烧性能, 并用低温N2吸附-脱附、X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、氢气程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)和氧气程序升温脱附(O₂-TPD)等手段对催化剂进行了表征. 研究结果表明该系列催化剂均形成了具有立方萤石结构的固溶体. 当x=0.2时, Ce³⁺离子在催化剂表面有一定的富集, 此时催化剂具有最大的β氧脱附峰和最好的表面还原性能, 同时具有良好的催化碳烟氧化活性, 碳烟在该催化剂的起燃温度为360 °C, 具有较好的应用前景.     

Influence of disorder-to-order transition on lattice thermal expansion and oxide ion conductivity in (Ca(x)Gd(1-x))(2)(Zr(1-x)M(x))2O7 pyrochlore solid solutions

The effect of simultaneous substitutions of Ca at A site and Nb or Ta at B site in pyrochlore-type solid solutions: (Ca(x)Gd(1-x))(2)(Zr(1-x)M(x))(2)O(7) (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and M = Nb or Ta) were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT NIR Raman spectroscopic techniques and transmission electron microscopy. The solid solutions were prepared by the conventional high-temperature ceramic route. The XRD results and Rietveld analysis revealed that the defect fluorite structure of Gd(2)Zr(2)O(7) progressively changed to a more ordered pyrochlore phase by simultaneous substitutions at A and B sites. Raman spectroscopy reveals the progressive ordering in the anion sublattice with simultaneous doping. High-resolution images and selected-area electron diffraction patterns obtained from TEM confirms the XRD and Raman spectroscopic results. High-temperature XRD studies show that the lattice expansion coefficient in these pyrochlore oxides is of the order of 10(-6) K(-1). Lattice thermal expansion coefficient increases with increase of disorder in pyrochlore oxides, and hence the variation of thermal expansion coefficient with composition is also a good indicator of disordering in pyrochlore-type oxides. The ionic conducting properties of the samples were characterised by impedance spectroscopy, and it was found that Nb-doped compositions show a considerable change in conductivity near the phase boundary of disordered pyrochlore and defect fluorite phases.     

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of CuO@BaO/CaO nanocomposites using precipitation method

In this study, copper oxide doped barium and calcium oxide were prepared by a simple precipitation method. Using the similar synthetic procedure, to alter the molar radio of metal precursor to prepared four different composites viz., CuO@BaO/CaO (0.5:0.4:0.1), CuO@BaO/CaO (0.5:0.3:0.2), CuO@BaO/CaO (0.5:0.2:0.3) and CuO@BaO/CaO (0.5:0.1:0.4). The prepared composites were evaluating the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) analysis. Antibacterial tests were carried out on the composite produced. The results show that the composite materials exhibit high antibacterial activity with CuO@BaO/CaO(0.5:0.3:0.2) exhibiting stronger activity than CuO@BaO/CaO (0.5:0.4:0.1) because barium concentration decreases and calcium concentration increases.     

Stabilization and study of SrFe(1-x)Mn(x)O2 oxides with infinite-layer structure

A series of layered oxides of nominal composition SrFe(1-x)Mn(x)O(2) (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) have been prepared by the reduction of three-dimensional perovskites SrFe(1-x)Mn(x)O(3-δ) with CaH(2) under mild temperature conditions of 583 K for 2 days. The samples with x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2 exhibit an infinite-layer crystal structure where all of the apical O atoms have been selectively removed upon reduction. A selected sample (x = 0.2) has been studied by neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Both techniques indicate that Fe and Mn adopt a divalent oxidation state, although Fe(2+) ions are under tensile stress whereas Mn(2+) ions undergo compressive stress in the structure. The unit-cell parameters progressively evolve from a = 3.9932(4) ? and c = 3.4790(4) ? for x = 0 to a = 4.00861(15) ? and c = 3.46769(16) ? for x = 0.2; the cell volume presents an expansion across the series from V = 55.47(1) to 55.722(4) ?(3) for x = 0 and 0.2, respectively, because of the larger effective ionic radius of Mn(2+) versus Fe(2+) in four-fold coordination. Attempts to prepare Mn-rich compositions beyond x = 0.2 were unsuccessful. For SrFe(0.8)Mn(0.2)O(2), the magnetic properties indicate a strong magnetic coupling between Fe(2+) and Mn(2+) magnetic moments, with an antiferromagnetic temperature T(N) above room temperature, between 453 and 523 K, according to temperature-dependent NPD data. The NPD data include Bragg reflections of magnetic origin, accounted for with a propagation vector k = ((1)/(2), (1)/(2), (1)/(2)). A G-type antiferromagnetic structure was modeled with magnetic moments at the Fe/Mn position. The refined ordered magnetic moment at this position is 1.71(3) μ(B)/f.u. at 295 K. This is an extraordinary example where Mn(2+) and Fe(2+) ions are stabilized in a square-planar oxygen coordination within an infinite-layer structure. The layered SrFe(1-x)Mn(x)O(2) oxides are kinetically stable at room temperature, but in air at ~170 °C, they reoxidize and form the perovskites SrFe(1-x)Mn(x)O(3-δ). A cubic phase is obtained upon reoxidation of the layered compound, whereas the starting precursor SrFeO(2.875) (Sr(8)Fe(8)O(23)) was a tetragonal superstructure of perovskite.     

Structural characterization and oxidative dehydrogenation activity of V2O5/Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 catalysts

The thermal stability of a nanosized Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2 solid solution on a silica surface and the dispersion behavior of V2O5 over Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 have been investigated using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, HREM, and BET surface area techniques. Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene was performed as a test reaction to assess the usefulness of the VOx/Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 catalyst. Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 (1:1:2 mol ratio based on oxides) was synthesized through a soft-chemical route from ultrahigh dilute solutions by adopting a deposition coprecipitation technique. A theoretical monolayer equivalent to 10 wt % V2O5 was impregnated over the calcined Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 sample (773 K) by an aqueous wet impregnation technique. The prepared V2O5/Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 sample was subjected to thermal treatments from 773 to 1073 K. The XRD measurements indicate the presence of cubic Ce0.75Zr0.25O2 in the case of Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2, while cubic Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 and tetragonal Ce0.16Zr0.84O2 in the case of V2O5/Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 when calcined at various temperatures. Dispersed vanadium oxide induces more incorporation of zirconium into the ceria lattice, thereby decreasing its lattice size and also accelerating the crystallization of Ce-Zr-O solid solutions at higher calcination temperatures. Further, it interacts selectively with the ceria portion of the composite oxide to form CeVO4. The RS measurements provide good evidence about the dispersed form of vanadium oxide and the CeVO4 compound. The HREM studies show the presence of small Ce-Zr-oxide particles of approximately 5 nm size over the surface of amorphous silica and corroborate with the results obtained from other techniques. The catalytic activity studies reveal the ability of vanadium oxide supported on Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2/SiO2 to efficiently catalyze the ODH of ethylbenzene at normal atmospheric pressure. The remarkable ability of Ce(x)Zr(1-x)O2 to prevent the deactivation of supported vanadium oxide leading to stable activity in the time-on-stream experiments and high selectivity to styrene are other important observations.     

Design of energy band alignment at the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface for Cd-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

The electronic band structure at the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/Cu(In(0.7)Ga(0.3))Se(2) interface was investigated for its potential application in Cd-free Cu(In,Ga)Se(2) thin film solar cells. Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O thin films with various Mg contents were grown by atomic layer deposition on Cu(In(0.7)Ga(0.3))Se(2) absorbers, which were deposited by the co-evaporation of Cu, In, Ga, and Se elemental sources. The electron emissions from the valence band and core levels were measured by a depth profile technique using X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The valence band maximum positions are around 3.17 eV for both Zn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O and Zn(0.8)Mg(0.2)O films, while the valence band maximum value for CIGS is 0.48 eV. As a result, the valence band offset value between the bulk Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O (x = 0.1 and x = 0.2) region and the bulk CIGS region was 2.69 eV. The valence band offset value at the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/CIGS interface was found to be 2.55 eV after considering a small band bending in the interface region. The bandgap energy of Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O films increased from 3.25 to 3.76 eV as the Mg content increased from 0% to 25%. The combination of the valence band offset values and the bandgap energy of Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O films results in the flat (0 eV) and cliff (-0.23 eV) conduction band alignments at the Zn(0.8)Mg(0.2)O/Cu(In(0.7)Ga(0.3))Se(2) and Zn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O/Cu(In(0.7)Ga(0.3))Se(2) interfaces, respectively. The experimental results suggest that the bandgap energy of Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O films is the main factor that determines the conduction band offset at the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/Cu(In(0.7)Ga(0.3))Se(2) interface. Based on these results, we conclude that a Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O film with a relatively high bandgap energy is necessary to create a suitable conduction band offset at the Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O/CIGS interface to obtain a robust heterojunction. Also, ALD Zn(1-x)Mg(x)O films can be considered as a promising alternative buffer material to replace the toxic CdS for environmental safety.     

Photoluminescence and Raman scattering from catalytically grown Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se alloy nanowires

Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se alloy nanowires, with composition x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, and 1, have been successfully synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method assisted with laser ablation. The as-synthesized alloy nanowires, 60-150 nm in diameter and several tens of micrometers in length, complied with a typical vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism. The Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se nanowires are single crystalline revealed from high-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images, selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. Compositions of the alloy nanowires can be adjusted by varying the precursor ratios of the laser ablated target and the CVD deposition temperature. Crystalline structures of the Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se nanowires are hexagonal wurtzite at x = 0, 0.2, and 0.5 with the [0 1 -1 0] growth direction and zinc blende at x = 0.7 and 1 with the [1 -1 1] growth direction. Energy gaps of the Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se nanowires, determined from micro-photoluminescence (PL) measurements, change nonlinearly as a quadratic function of x with a bowing parameter of approximately 0.45 eV. Strong PL from the Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se nanowires can be tuned from red (712 nm) to blue (463 nm) with x varying from 0 to 1 and has demonstrated that the alloy nanowires have potential applications in optical and sensory nanotechnology. Micro-Raman shifts of the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon mode observed in the Zn(x)Cd(1-x)Se nanowires show a one-mode behavior pattern following the prediction of a modified random element isodisplacement (MREI) model.     

Structural study of amorphous tellurium(II) halides TeCl2-xIx (x = 0.5, 0.1): X-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulations

The addition of small amounts of iodine to thermodynamically instable TeCl2 yields amorphous, glassy tellurium(II) halides TeCl2-xIx (0.1 < x < 0.5), which were prepared by rapid quenching of melts with the respective compositions. At ambient temperature, these glassy solids are sufficiently stable to be handled and investigated by analytical methods. High-energy X-ray diffraction and reverse Monte Carlo simulations of two compositions TeCl2-xIx, x = 0.1 and 0.5, show that these glasses are made up of structural fragments that are present in both tellurium tetrahalides and in low-valent tellurium subhalides. In both glasses, the Te-Te bonding shows narrow coordination distribution with a mean total coordination number for the Te atoms of 4.1 +/- 1.3 and a mean Te-Te coordination number of 0.7 +/- 0.7. Accordingly, the mean Cl-Te coordination number is 1.7 +/- 0.8 and the mean I-Te coordination number is 1.6 +/- 0.7. The medium-range order increases with increasing iodine content.     

Ca(2+)/vacancies and O2-/F- ordering in new oxyfluoride pyrochlores Li(2x)Ca1.5-x square 0.5-xM2O6F (M = Nb,Ta) for 0 < or = x < or = 0.5

New oxyfluorides Li(2x)Ca(1.5-x) square (0.5-x)M2O6F (M = Nb, Ta), belonging to the cubic pyrochlore structural type (Z = 8, a approximately 10.5 angstroms), were synthesized by solid state reaction for 0 < or = x < or = 0.5. XRD data allowed us to determine their structures from single crystals for the two alpha and beta-Ca(1.5) square (0.5)Nb2O6F forms and from powder samples for the others. This characterisation was completed by TEM and solid state 19F NMR experiments. For the Ca(1.5) square (0.5)M2O6F (x = 0) pyrochlore phases, the presence of a double ordering phenomenon is demonstrated, involving on one hand the Ca(2+) ions and the vacancies and on the other hand the oxide and the fluoride anions which are strictly located in the 8b sites of the Fd3m aristotype space group. The Ca(2+) ions/vacancies ordering leads to a reversible phase transition, a (P4(3)32) <--> beta (Fd3m). The 19F NMR study strongly suggests that, in the beta-phases, the fluoride ions are only on average at the centre of the Ca3 square tetrahedron. It shows that slightly different Ca-F distances occuring in alpha-Ca(1.5) square (0.5)Nb2O6F may be related to a more difficult thermal ionic and vacancies diffusion process than in the tantalate compound. This may explain the hysteresis phenomenon presented by the phase transition. A solid solution Li(2x)Ca(1.5-x) square (0.5-x) Ta2O6F (0 < or = x < or = 0.5) was prepared and the order-disorder phase transition observed for Ca(1.5) square (0.5)M2MO6F compounds disappears for all the other compositions where less or no more vacancies exist in the 16d sites. In the LiCaM2O6F compounds, the 19F NMR study allows us to determine the Ca(2+) and Li+ ions distributions around the fluoride ions and shows that the [FLi2Ca2] environment is clearly favoured.     

Systematic study of compositional and synthetic control of vacancy and magnetic ordering in oxygen-deficient perovskites Ca2Fe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5+y)and CaSrFe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5+y) (x = 1/2, 2/3, and 1; y = 0-1/2)

Ten compounds belonging to the series of oxygen-deficient perovskite oxides Ca(2)Fe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5) and CaSrFe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5+y), where x = 1/2, 2/3, and 1 and y ≈ 0-0.5, were synthesized and investigated with respect to the ordering of oxygen vacancies on both local and long-range length scales and the effect on crystal structure and magnetic properties. For the set with y ≈ 0 the oxygen vacancies always order in the long-range sense to form the brownmillerite structure containing alternating layers of octahedrally and tetrahedrally coordinated cations. However, there is a change in symmetry from Pnma to Icmm upon substitution of Sr for one Ca for all x, indicating local T(d) chain (vacancy) disorder. In the special case of CaSrFeMnO(5) the neutron diffraction peaks broaden, indicating only short-range structural order on a length scale of ~160 ?. This reveals a systematic progression from Ca(2)FeMnO(5) (Pnma, well-ordered tetrahedral chains) to CaSrFeMnO(5) (Icmm, disordered tetrahedral chains, overall short-range order) to Sr(2)FeMnO(5) (Pm3m, destruction of tetrahedral chains in a long-range sense). Systematic changes occur in the magnetic properties as well. While long-range antiferromagnetic order is preserved, the magnetic transition temperature, T(c), decreases for the same x when Sr substitutes for one Ca. A review of the changes in T(c) for the series Ca(2)Fe(2-x)M(x)O(5), taking into account the tetrahedral/octahedral site preferences for the various M(3+) ions, leads to a partial understanding of the origin of magnetic order in these materials in terms of a layered antiferromagnetic model. While in all cases the preferred magnetic moment direction is (010) at low temperatures, there is a cross over for x = 0.5 to (100) with increasing temperature for both the Ca(2)Fe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5) and the CaSrFe(2-x)Mn(x)O(5) series. For the y > 0 phases, while a brownmillerite ordering of oxygen vacancies is preserved for the Ca(2) phases, a disordered Pm3m cubic perovskite structure is always found when Sr is substituted for one Ca. Long-range magnetic order is also lost, giving way to spin glass or cluster-glass-like behavior below ~50 K. For the x = 0.5 phase, neutron pair distribution function (NPDF) studies show a local structure related to brownmillerite ordering of oxygen vacancies. Neutron diffraction data at 3.8 K show a broad magnetic feature, incommensurate with any multiple of the chemical lattice, and with a correlation length (magnetic domain) of 6.7(4) ?.