High pressure lattice dynamics, dielectric and thermodynamic properties of SrO

Using density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory we have studied the effects of hydrostatic pressure on lattice dynamics, dielectric and thermodynamic properties of the rocksalt (NaCl) and CsCl phases of SrO. The stability of the NiAs type structure, experimentally confirmed to be stable in BaO, is also investigated. Studying the lattice dynamics of the NaCl and CsCl phases at various pressures, in the range of the phase stability, we have found the lattice dynamical instabilities which govern the phase transitions between NaCl and CsCl phases with increasing and decreasing pressure. By monitoring the behaviour of the found soft modes, we have calculated the transition pressures upon compression and decompression of SrO crystal. Lattice dynamics calculations reveal that the rocksalt and CsCl structures are unstable with respect to the soft transversal acoustic modes at single points of the Brillouin zone, which points to the fact that the transitions are of displacive type. Responses to electric fields and thermodynamic properties at high pressures are also given and discussed. All our results are in a good agreement with experimental data where applicable.     

First-principles study of the high pressure phase transition and lattice dynamics of cerium

We present a first-principles study of the phase transition and lattice dynamics of Ce within the framework of the density functional theory using the GGA+U method. Our calculated results denote that under pressure the transition path is α-Ce (fcc)→α″-Ce (monoclinic, with two atoms per unit cell)→bct-Ce (body centered tetragonal), and the transition pressures are located at 5.36 and 14.37 GPa, respectively. The equation of state in a wide range of pressure is consistent with the experimental data. During the γ-α phase transition, the magnetic moment disappears gradually, which is mainly due to the strong interaction between the 4f and 5d electrons. By calculating the free energies from phonon dispersions including electronic contribution, the obtained γ-α transition temperature at zero pressure is 148 K. From the Blackman diagram of dimensionless elastic constant ratios, we can find that both γ- and α-Ce show negative Cauchy pressure—C₄₄>C₁₂.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Li-Cu mixed spinel ferrites

Li_0.5−x/2Cu_xFe_2.5−x/2O₄ (where x=0.0-1.0) ferrites have been prepared by solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction was used to study the structure of the above investigated ferrites at various sintering temperatures. Samples were sintered at 1000, 1100 and 1200 °C for 3 h in the atmosphere. For the sintering temperature of 1000 °C, Li_0.5−x/2Cu_xFe_2.5−x/2O₄ undergoes cubic to tetragonal transformation for higher Cu content. However, for the sintering temperature of 1100 and 1200 °C, X-ray diffraction patterns are mainly characterized by fcc structure, though presence of tetragonal distortion was found by other temperature dependence of initial permeability curves. The lattice parameter, X-ray density and bulk density were calculated for different compositions. Curie temperature was measured from the temperature dependence of initial permeability curves. Curie temperatures of Li-Cu mixed ferrites were found to decrease with the increase in Cu²⁺ content due to the reduction of A-B interaction. As mentioned earlier, temperature dependence of initial permeability curves was characterized by tetragonal deformation for the samples containing higher at% of Cu. The complex initial permeability has been studied for different samples. The B-H loops were measured at constant frequency, f=1200 Hz, at room temperature (298 K). Coercivity and hysteresis loss were estimated for different Cu contents.     

Experimental study of lattice distortion in ellipsoid-like nano-crystallites of copper

The elastic state of embedded inclusions is of considerable importance to the properties of materials. The non-uniform lattice distortion in the inclusions in which the interfaces are shaped with variable curvature cannot be measured by usual experimental methods. In this paper, the lattice distortions in an ellipsoid-like nano-crystallite of copper were measured by means of the peak finding method in the central part of the HRTEM image. The effects of contrast delocalization are studied by HRTEM image simulations, which show that the measured spacings of peaks in the middle part of the crystallite can be considered approximately equal to the true spacings of columns. With the HRTEM method, our measured results show that the nano-crystallite is expanded in the short axis direction and compressed in the long axis direction. The results calculated with the elasticity theory incorporating interface tension consist with the experimental results of HRTEM.     

磁性薄膜的晶格结构和磁性

采用Monte-Carlo模拟方法对六边形、正方形和三角形晶格结构磁性薄膜的磁学特性及磁畴结构进行了模拟,结果表明,磁性薄膜的磁性特征及其磁相变温度和薄膜结构密切相关并存在临界膜厚,当薄膜厚度大于临界膜厚时薄膜磁性特征稳定.在低温区,不同结构磁性薄膜的磁滞回线均出现台阶现象,结果同相关实验一致.     

Porous zinc(Ⅱ)-organic framework with potential open metal sites:Synthesis,structure and property

Reaction of Zn(NO3)2.6H2O with 5-(isonicotinamido) isophthalic acid(H2INAIP) in N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF) affords a new three-dimensional(3D) coordination polymer {[Zn(INAIP)(DMF)].0.5DMF.4H2O}n(1).The X-ray crystallographic structural analysis reveals that complex 1 is a 3D porous framework containing a potential open metal site inside the pores.Topology analysis confirms that complex 1 is a two-fold interpenetrated(10,3)-b net with both metal ion and ligand acting as 3-connecting nodes.The thermal stabil...     

3D analysis of the lattice defects in the gyroid network structure of a block copolymer/homopolymer blend – The line-like defects in the gyroid network structure

The line-shaped defects formed in the gyroid bicontinuous microdomain structures in the solution-casting process of a blend of polystyrene-block-polyisoprene (SI) diblock copolymer and homopolystyrene (HS) were investigated using 3D electron tomography. The inclusion-type lattice defects composed of segregated HS formed during the morphological transition from the preexisted sponge phase to the stable gyroid phase induced by the phase separation between SI and HS. The gyroid grains grew by consuming the sponge phase and expelling excess HS as well as by impinging each other. Consequently, some expelled HS was trapped as the line-like inclusions in the gyroid grains. Structural rearrangement occurred so that low energy planes of the gyroid phase are facing the HS inclusions while the gyroid structure became continuous across/around the inclusions.     

Peak spreading in linear gradient elution chromatography with a thin monolithic disk

The peak spreading of DNAs of various sizes [12-mer, 20-mer, 50-mer and 95-mer poly(T)] in linear gradient elution (LGE) chromatography with a thin monolithic disk was investigated by using our method developed for determining HETP in LGE. Electrostatic interaction-based chromatography mode (ion-exchange chromatography, IEC) was used. Polymer-based monolithic disks of two different sizes (12 mm diameter, 3mm thickness and 0.34 mL; 5.2 mm diameter, 4.95 mm thickness and 0.105 mL) having anion-exchange groups were employed. For comparison, a 15-μm porous bead IEC column (Resource Q, 6.4mm diameter, 30 mm height and 0.97 mL) was also used. The peak width did not change with the flow velocity for the monolithic disks where as it became wider with increasing velocity. For the monolithic disks the peak width normalized with the column bed volume was well-correlated with the distribution coefficient at the peak position K(R). HETP values were constant (ca. 0.003-0.005 cm) when K(R)>5. Much higher HETP values which are flow-rate dependent were obtained for the porous bead chromatography. It is possible to obtain 50-100 plates for the 3mm monolithic disk. This results in very sharp elution peaks (standard deviation/bed volume=0.15) even for stepwise elution chromatography, where the peak width is similar to that for LGE of a very steep gradient slope.     

Pressure-induced phase transitions in multiferroic RbFe(MoO4)2—Raman scattering study

High pressure Raman scattering experiments were performed on RbFe(MoO₄)₂. These experiments revealed that two phase transitions take place in RbFe(MoO₄)₂ at very low pressures, i.e. between ambient pressure and 0.2 GPa and between 0.4 and 0.7 GPa. Raman results showed that at the first phase transition the room temperature P3?m1 phase transforms into the P3? phase, which is also observed at ambient pressure below 190 K. The second pressure-induced phase transition occurs into a low symmetry phase of unknown symmetry. The performed lattice dynamics calculations for the P3?m1 phase and ab initio calculation of the structural changes under hydrostatic pressure helped us to get better insights into the mechanism of the observed phase transitions.     

Study of antimony (III) binding to soil humic acid from an antimony smelting site

Soil samples were collected from an antimony smelting site in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, at four locations characterized by different land usage, including two cultivated sites: one formerly cultivated and one uncultivated. Surface soils from all four sites were heavily polluted by toxic metals including antimony (Sb), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), and their concentrations were 410-3330 mg·kg⁻¹, 410-3690 mg·kg⁻¹ and 200-460 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively. In the uncultivated area metal levels were 1.4-6.2 times higher as compared to the formerly and currently agriculture land. Lower levels at the cultivated sites may have resulted from an accumulation of airborne particles by vegetation and lower contents in the surface soil. However, the elevated mercury (Hg) content may reflect both natural and anthropogenic origins in this smelting site. Soil-derived humic acid (HA) from the smelting site reacted directly with Sb (III) aqueous solutions with concentrations of 12, 71 and 143 mg·g⁻¹. The maximum Sb (III) binding to the soil-derived HA was 253 μmol·g⁻¹ (added concentration of 71 mg·g⁻¹) and showed more binding (up to 50%) at lower Sb content.