Structural and proton conductivity study of BaZr1-xRExO3-δ(RE = Dy,Sm) ceramics for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell electrolyte

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Proton-conducting BaZr1-xRExO3-δ (RE = Dy, Sm) (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20) ceramics were synthesized via a conventional mixed...     

The role of CDW gap on the magnetic phase transition in CMR materials

We propose a model to study the magnetic phase transition in the Colossal-Magneto-Resistance (CMR) material of general type R_1−x A _x MnO₃ (R = La, Sm, Nd; A = Ca, Sr, Ba). The model Hamiltonian consists of a Charge Density Wave (CDW) gap in the e _g -band and the strong magnetic field due to the spin ordering in the localized t _g core electrons. The Hamiltonian is solved by using Zubarev’s Green’s function technique to calculate CDW gap (Δ) and magnetization (M ^d ) in t _2g band. Both of them are solved self-consistently. Their combined effect on the temperature dependent magnetization (M ^c ) due to the e _g band electrons is investigated. Both the magnitude and the transition temperature of (M ^c ) are strongly influenced by both Δ and M ^d . Hence the hopping of the band electrons are strongly controlled by these two long range interactions. The results are discussed by varying the model parameters of the manganite system.      

The influence of band Jahn-Teller effect and magnetic order on the magneto-resistance in manganite systems

A model calculation is presented in order to study the magneto-resistivity through the interplay between magnetic and structural transitions for the manganite systems. The model consists of an orbitally doubly degenerate conduction band and a periodic array of local moments of the t_2g electrons. The band electrons interact with the local t_2g electrons via the s-f hybridization. The phonons interact with the band electrons through static and dynamic band Jahn-Teller (J-T) interaction. The model Hamiltonian including the above terms is solved for the single particle Green's functions and the imaginary part of the self-energy gives the electron relaxation time. Thus the magneto-resistivity (MR) is calculated from the Drude formula. The MR effect is explained near the magnetic and structural transition temperatures.     

Superconducting gap anomaly in heavy fermion systems

The heavy fermion system (HFS) is described by the periodic Anderson model (PAM), treating the Coulomb correlation between the f-electrons in the meanfield Hartree-Fock approximation. Superconductivity is introduced by a BCS-type pairing term among the conduction electrons. Within this approximation the equation for the superconducting gap is derived, which depends on the effective position of the energy level of the f-electrons relative to the Fermi level. The latter in turn depends on the occupation probability n ^f of the f-electrons. The gap equation is solved self-consistently with the equation for n ^f; and their temperature dependences are studied for different positions of the bare f-electron energy level, with respect to the Fermi level. The dependence of the superconducting gap on the hybridization leads to a re-entrant behaviour with increasing strength. The induced pairing between the f-electrons and the pairing of mixed conduction and f-electrons due to hybridization are also determined. The temperature dependence of the hybridization parameter, which characterizes the number of electrons with mixed character and represents the number of heavy electrons is studied. This number is shown to be small. The quasi-particle density of states (DOS) shows the existence of a pseudo-gap due to superconductivity and the signature of a hybridization gap at the Fermi level. For the choice of the model parameters, the DOS shows that the HFS is a metal and undergoes a transition to the gap-less superconducting state.      

Synthesis and Photochemical Properties of Luminescent Eu(III) Complexes with Macrocyclic and Macropolycyclic Ligands Incorporating 3,3′-Biisoquinoline-2,2-dioxide Units

Three novel ligands incorporating two, or three 3,3-biisoquinoline-2,2-dioxide units have been synthesized using modified standard methods of cyclization. These ligands formed photoactive mononuclear complexes with a Eu(III) cation. The ligand with two photoactive units displayed a better quantum yield for the Eu(III) emission (0.064) upon UV excitation than the other two complexes incorporating three units, whose luminescence quantum yields have been estimated to be below 0.01. The luminescence of the Eu(III) complex with two sensitizing units was not stable in aqueous solution, whereas with the two other complexes, their luminescence in solution remained for a couple of days.     

CuMoO4 Bimetallic Nanoparticles,An Efficient Catalyst for Room Temperature C−S Cross-Coupling of Thiols and Haloarenes

Cu^II catalyst is less efficient at room temperature for C−S cross-coupling. C−S cross-coupling by Cu^II catalyst at room temperature is not reported; however, doping of copper with molybdenum metal has been realized here to be more efficient for C−S cross-coupling in comparison to general Cu^II catalyst. The doped catalyst CuMoO₄ nanoparticle is found to be more efficient than copper. The catalyst works under mild conditions without any ligand at room temperature and is recyclable and effective for a wide range of thiols and haloarenes (ArI, ArBr, ArF) from milligram to gram scale. The copper-based bimetallic catalyst is developed and recognized for C−S cross-coupling of haloarenes with alkyl and aryl thiols.     

Copper ferrite nanoparticle-mediated N-arylation of heterocycles: a ligand-free reaction

The synergistic effects of iron and copper in copper ferrite nanoparticles for the N-arylation of heterocycles with aryl halides were demonstrated. The magnetic nature of the catalyst facilitates its removal from the reaction medium for further use. Negligible leaching of Cu and Fe in consecutive cycles makes the catalyst economical and environmentally benign for C-N cross-coupling reactions.     

Temperature‐dependent Raman scattering studies of polycrystalline BiFeO3 bulk ceramics

This work reports the temperature‐dependent Raman scattering study of mutiferroic BiFeO₃ (BFO) bulk ceramics in a wide temperature range of 93–843 K. The polycrystalline samples are sintered at four different temperatures and characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and optical microscopy. The microstructure shows remarkable changes in terms of grain size and domain pattern as the sintering temperature increases. The DSC curves show prominent exothermic peaks at 645 K, the antiferromagnetic–paramagnetic phase transition temperature. The Raman spectra of all the four specimens reveal strong anomalies in the vicinity of the Neel temperature, which can be attributed to the multiferroic nature of BFO. The Raman scattering studies also reveal considerable spectral changes at a temperature range of 140–200 K in all the specimens, which can be inferred to a further spin–reorientation transition exhibited in BFO at a cryogenic temperature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of external magnetic field on superconducting and spin density wave gaps of high-Tc superconductors

A theoretical model is addressed here to study the interplay of the superconductivity (SC) and the spin density wave (SDW) long range orders in underdoped region in the vicinity of on-set of superconductivity in presence of an external magnetic field. The order parameters are calculated by using Zubarev’s technique of Green’s functions and determined numerically self-consistently. The gap parameters are found to be strongly coupled to each other through their coupling constants. The interplay displays BCS type two gaps in the quasi-particle density of states (DOS) which resemble the tunneling conductance of STM experiments. The gap edges in the DOS appear at ±(z+z₁)$\pm (z+z_1)$ and ±(z-z₁)$\pm (z-z_1)$. The applied magnetic field further induces Zeeman splitting which is explained on the basis of spin-filter effect of tunneling experiment.