An X-ray absorption spectroscopic study on mixed conductive La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O(3-δ) cathodes. I. Electrical conductivity and electronic structure

The electrical conduction mechanism of mixed conductive perovskite oxides, La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-δ), for cathode materials of solid oxide fuel cells has been investigated from electronic structural changes during oxygen vacancy formation. La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-δ) was annealed under various oxygen partial pressures p(O(2))s at 1073 K and quenched. Iodometric titration indicated that the oxygen nonstoichiometry of La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-δ) depended on the annealing p(O(2)), with more oxygen vacancies introduced at lower than at higher p(O(2))s. X-Ray absorption spectroscopic measurements were performed at the O K-, Co L-, Fe L-, Co K-, and Fe K-edges. The valence states of the Co and Fe ions were investigated by the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) at the Co and Fe L(III)-edges. While the Fe average valence was almost constant, the valence of the Co ions decreased with oxygen vacancy introduction. The O K-edge XANES spectra indicated that electrons were injected into the Co 3d/O 2p hybridization state with oxygen vacancy introduction. Both absorption edges at the Co and Fe K-edge XANES shifted towards lower energies with oxygen vacancy introduction. The shift at the Co K-edge resulted from the decrease in the Co average valence and that at the Fe K-edge appeared to be caused by changes in the coordination environment around the Fe ions. The total conductivity of La(0.6)Sr(0.4)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-δ) decreased with decreasing p(O(2)), due to a decreasing hole concentration.     

The Electronic Structures of (PH4)3C60 and (ClO4)3C60

Abstract

We have studied theoretically the electronic structures of a hypothetical donor-type material, (PH₄)₃C₆₀, and a hypothetical acceptor-type material, (ClO₄)₃C₆₀ from first principles by using a full-potential linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals method based on the density-functional theory within the local-density approximation. It is found that the charge transfer from the PH₄ molecules to the C₆₀ molecules is perfect while the charge transfer from the ClO₄ molecules to the C₆₀ molecules is not perfect. We compare the latter result with the electronic structures of two typical acceptor-type organic conductors, (TMTSF)₂ClO₄ and (TMTSF)₂PF₆, and discuss the differences.     

SEM and TEM Observation of Carbon Nano-Fibers Prepared by Hot Filament Assisted Sputtering

Abstract

Carbon films were prepared by hot filament assisted sputtering. Pure argon was used as the sputtering gas. The substrate temperature was 600 °C and the filament temperature was about 2000 °C. Sample was inhomogeneous. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that some part of films consisted of carbon nano fibers (not hollow but solid). Amorphous and polycrystalline phases were also detected by these measurements. No tube structure was observed by high resolution TEM. The diameter of the fiber was 10–30 nm.     

REXS contribution to electronic ordering investigation in solids

Resonant Elastic X-Ray Scattering (REXS) has played a fundamental role in understanding electronic properties and in revealing hidden order, local symmetries and exotic states realized in correlated solids. This article reports on some of the relevant scientific contributions and technical advances over the last 20 years, by providing a list of related publications produced by various groups all around the world. The given perspective is that of a group of young scientists involved at various times in the investigation of the beauty of electronic ordering by the REXS technique.     

Observation of b-->dgamma and determination of /Vtd/Vts/

We report the observation of the flavor-changing neutral current process b-->dgamma using a sample of 386 x 106 B meson pairs accumulated by the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e- collider. We measure branching fractions for the exclusive modes B--->rho-gamma, B0rho0gamma, and B0omegagamma. Assuming that these three modes are related by isospin, we find B(B-->(rho,gamma)gamma)=[Formula: See Text] with a significance of 5.1sigma. This result is used to determine the ratio of Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements /Vtd/Vts/ to be [Formula: See Text].     

Effective long-time phase dynamics of limit-cycle oscillators driven by weak colored noise

An effective white-noise Langevin equation is derived that describes long-time phase dynamics of a limit-cycle oscillator driven by weak stationary colored noise. Effective drift and diffusion coefficients are given in terms of the phase sensitivity of the oscillator and the correlation function of the noise, and are explicitly calculated for oscillators with sinusoidal phase sensitivity functions driven by two typical colored Gaussian processes. The results are verified by numerical simulations using several types of stochastic or chaotic noise. The drift and diffusion coefficients of oscillators driven by chaotic noise exhibit anomalous dependence on the oscillator frequency, reflecting the peculiar power spectrum of the chaotic noise.     

Phase synchronization between collective rhythms of globally coupled oscillator groups: noisy identical case

We theoretically investigate the collective phase synchronization between interacting groups of globally coupled noisy identical phase oscillators exhibiting macroscopic rhythms. Using the phase reduction method, we derive coupled collective phase equations describing the macroscopic rhythms of the groups from microscopic Langevin phase equations of the individual oscillators via nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations. For sinusoidal microscopic coupling, we determine the type of the collective phase coupling function, i.e., whether the groups exhibit in-phase or antiphase synchronization. We show that the macroscopic rhythms can exhibit effective antiphase synchronization even if the microscopic phase coupling between the groups is in-phase, and vice versa. Moreover, near the onset of collective oscillations, we analytically obtain the collective phase coupling function using center-manifold and phase reductions of the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations.     

Beta-decay study of Tz = - 2 proton-rich nucleus 24Si

$ \beta$ -decay spectroscopy on a T _z = - 2 proton-rich nucleus ²⁴Si was performed. The decay scheme of ²⁴Si was reconstructed by the $ \beta$ -delayed $ \gamma$ -ray and proton measurements. Two $ \beta$ branches to the bound 1₁ ⁺ and 1₂ ⁺ states in ²⁴Al were observed for the first time. The observation of the allowed transition firmly established the spin-parity assignment for the 1₂ ⁺ states. The branching ratios to the 1₁ ⁺ and 1₂ ⁺ states were determined to be 31(4)% and 23.9(15)%, respectively. The branching ratios to three unbound states in ²⁴Al including a new level at 6.735MeV were also determined for the first time. The level structure of ²⁴Al was compared with its mirror nucleus ²⁴Na . The Thomas-Ehrman shift on the 1₂ ⁺ state indicates s -wave dominance in the state as well as a characteristic behavior of the weakly bound s -wave proton in ²⁴Al .