Electrochemical reduction of Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O8 superconductor single crystals

Single crystals and polycrystalline pellets of the high-temperature cuprate superconductor Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O₈ were doped at room temperature by electrochemical reduction at > 95% Coulombic efficiency using lithium dopant ions in propylene carbonate electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry and potential step measurements on single crystals suggest an unusual reduction mechanism, with a diffusion coefficient for Li⁺ in the c-axis direction of bulk superconductor of ca. 3 × 10⁻¹¹ cm²s⁻¹. Sintered pellets of polycrystalline powder could be doped more rapidly, with an apparent diffusion coefficient of 7 × 10⁻⁸ cm²s⁻¹. X-ray susceptibility analysis show extensive disordering occurs on heavy Li doping, with a first-order transition from a crystalline/superconducting to an amorphous/non-superconducting phase. Single, crystals of Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O₈ exhibited a color change on reduction from metallic gray to golden bronze. The reduced material was highly air-sensitive, forming a hydroxide surface film on exposure to ambient atmosphere.     

Traceability issues in measurement

This paper reviews the current state of play of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement created by the International Committee for Weights and Measures in 1999. The aim of the MRA is to provide a framework within which National Metrology Institutes can demonstrate the equivalence of their realisations of the units and quantities of the SI system to which accredited laboratories are traceable. The article offers some views on the need for traceable measurements, their relevance to technical barriers to trade, and the use that is being made of the MRA framework by national and international bodies.     

Europium-151 Mössbauer spectroscopic and XANES investigation of europium-exchanged Y-zeolite

Eu³⁺ in ca. 10 wt% europium-exchanged Y-zeolite is partially reduced by treatment in hydrogen at 600°C to Eu²⁺. The reduction of Eu³⁺ is more readily achieved in Y-zeolite than in europium(III) oxide. The discrepancy in the extent of reduction as revealed by¹⁵¹Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XANES) is associated with any difference in the recoil free fractions of Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ which may exist at 298 K and the enhanced sensitivity of the XANES to changes in the europium oxidation state.     

Sulfur adsorption on Fe(1 1 0): a DFT study

The adsorption of atomic S on the Fe(1 1 0) surface is examined using density functional theory (DFT). Three different adsorption sites are considered, including the atop, hollow and bridge sites and the S is adsorbed at a quarter monolayer coverage in a p(2 × 2) arrangement. The hollow site is found to be the most stable, followed by the bridge and atop sites. At all three sites, S adsorption results in relatively minor surface reconstruction, with the most significant being that for the hollow site, with lateral displacements of 0.09 Å. Comparisons between S-adsorbed and pure Fe surfaces revealed reductions in the magnetic moments of surface-layer Fe atoms in the vicinity of the S. At the hollow site, the presence of S causes an increase in the surface Fe d-orbital density of states between 4 and 5 eV. However, S adsorption has no significant effect on the structure and magnetic properties of the lower substrate layers.     

3,4‐[2,2‐Bis(methoxyethoxymethoxymethyl)propylenedithio]‐3′,4′‐(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene: a spiro‐substituted BEDT–TTF analogue

The crystal structure of the title compound [systematic name: 2‐(1,3‐dithiolo[4,5‐b][1,4]dithiin‐2‐ylidene)‐6,6‐bis(methoxyethoxymethoxymethyl)‐1,3‐dithiolo[4,5‐b][1,4]dithiepine], C₂₁H₃₀O₆S₈, a spiro‐substituted BEDT–TTF analogue [BEDT–TTF is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene], has a strongly bent heterocyclic framework. The seven‐membered ring adopts a pseudo‐chair conformation with notably widened ring bond angles, especially at the methylene C atoms [119.49 (11) and 117.60 (11)°]. The axial side chain adopts an extended conformation, but the equatorial side chain curls back on itself and the O atom nearest the ring system is involved in three short contacts to H atoms (2.45–2.53 Å). The molecules pack in centrosymmetrically related pairs, which are isolated from each other by columns of the polyether side chains. This study emphasizes the ease of distortion of the neutral bis(propylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene ring structure, and how the need to accommodate side chains can easily override the tendency of these donor systems to form stacks in the crystalline state.     

Structures and syntheses of layered and framework amine-bearing uranyl phosphate and uranyl arsenates

Two hydrated uranyl arsenates and a uranyl phosphate were synthesized by hydrothermal methods in the presence of amine structure-directing agents and their structures determined: (N₂C₆H₁₄)[(UO₂)(AsO₄)]₂(H₂O)₃, DabcoUAs, {NH(C₂H₅)₃}[(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)(AsO₃OH)], TriethUAs, and (N₂C₄H₁₂)(UO₂)[(UO₂)(PO₄)]₄(H₂O)₂, PiperUP. Intensity data were collected at room temperature using MoKα X-radiation and a CCD-based area detector. The crystal structures were refined by full-matrix least-squares techniques on the basis of F² to agreement indices (DabcoUAs, TriethUAs, PiperUP) wR₂=5.6%, 8.3%, 7.2% for all data, and R₁=2.9%, 3.3%, 4.0%, calculated for 1777, 5822, 9119 unique observed reflections (|F_o|?4σ_F), respectively. DabcoUAs is monoclinic, space group C2/m, Z=2, a=18.581(1), b=7.1897(4), c=7.1909(4) Å, β=102.886(1)°, V=936.43(9) Å³, D_calc=3.50 g/cm³. TriethUAs is monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, Z=4, a=9.6359(4), b=18.4678(7), c=10.0708(4) Å, β=92.282(1)°, V=1790.7(1) Å³, D_calc=3.41 g/cm³. PiperUP is monoclinic, space group Pn, Z=2, a=9.3278(4), b=15.5529(7), c=9.6474(5) Å, β=93.266(1)°, V=1397.3(1) Å³, D_calc=4.41 g/cm³. The structure of DabcoUAs contains the autunite-type sheet formed by the sharing of vertices between uranyl square bipyramids and arsenate tetrahedra. The triethylenediammonium cations are located in the interlayer along with two H₂O groups and are disordered. Both TriethUAs and PiperUP contain sheets formed of uranyl pentagonal bipyramids and tetrahedra (arsenate and phosphate, respectively) with the uranophane sheet-anion topology. In TriethUAs, triethlyammonium cations are located in the interlayer. In PiperUP, the sheets are connected by a uranyl pentagonal bipyramid that shares corners with phosphate tetrahedra of adjacent sheets, resulting in a framework with piperazinium cations and H₂O groups in the cavities of the structure.     

Nonlinear dynamics of charged particles interacting with combined ac-dc electromagnetic fields

A nonlinear Lorenz model describing interactions between charged particles and combined ac-dc electromagnetic fields is studied for various combinations of frequencies, field strengths and relative angle (θ) between the ac and dc magnetic fields. Strong directional effects on the magnitude and location of resonant particle motion are observed when θ is varied and the regular resonance windows in the aligned field (θ = 0) and linear version of the model studied previously by Durney etaal., break up to form irregular and less well pronounced regions of large and small particle displacements when nonlinearities are taken into account. The length of time takne to achieve resonant behaviour also becomes larger and more variable when nonlinearities are present. The possible relevance of these effects to interactions between electromagnetic fields and biological media is briefly discussed.     

Use of dynamic trees in a network simplex algorithm for the maximum flow problem

Goldfarb and Hao (1990) have proposed a pivot rule for the primal network simplex algorithm that will solve a maximum flow problem on ann-vertex,m-arc network in at mostnm pivots and O(n ² m) time. In this paper we describe how to extend the dynamic tree data structure of Sleator and Tarjan (1983, 1985) to reduce the running time of this algorithm to O(nm logn). This bound is less than a logarithmic factor larger than those of the fastest known algorithms for the problem. Our extension of dynamic trees is interesting in its own right and may well have additional applications.Research partially supported by a Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, Grant No. CCR-8858097, an IBM Faculty Development Award, and AT&T Bell Laboratories.Research partially supported by the Office of Naval Research, Contract No. N00014-87-K-0467.Research partially supported by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. DCR-8605961, and the Office of Naval Research, Contract No. N00014-87-K-0467.