Wide range magnetoresistance and high temperature coefficient of resistance in La<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3−x</Subscript>Ag<Subscript>x</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript> system

We report observation of composition and process parameter dependant wide range magnetoresistance and high temperature coefficient of resistance in La_0.7Sr_0.3−xAg_xMnO₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) system. The polycrystalline samples synthesized through solid state reaction method exhibited rhombohedral structure with systematic change in lattice parameters. The samples with x ≤ 0.2 showed metallic behavior below room temperature. A broad metal-insulator transition is observed for x = 0.3, which becomes sharp for the samples sintered at high temperature. The broad transition resulted in magnetoresistance (MR) value around 35% over a wide temperature range whereas the sharp transition results in MR value as high as 85%. The temperature coefficient of resistance value of 11% is seen as a consequence of sharp transition. The magnetic transition was sharp for the samples sintered at high temperature.     

Broadening of the magnetic entropy change in La0.75Ca0.15Sr0.10MnO3

A broad table-like entropy change (ΔS) at room temperature has been observed in the ferromagnetic compound La_0.75Ca_0.15Sr_0.10MnO₃, which is analyzed in the concept of Landau theory and with critical exponent analysis obtained from the magnetization measurements. The change in entropy in La_0.75Ca_0.15Sr_0.10MnO₃ is discussed in the light of magnetoelastic coupling between the magnetization and the lattice distortion. Application aspects of this unusual broad magnetocaloric effect with relative cooling power of 107 J kg⁻¹ in an applied magnetic field of 1.6 T with an operating temperature range of 93 K around the room temperature are also discussed.     

Electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power of LaCo<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ga<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> solid solutions

Increasing the degree of Ga³⁺ substitution for Co³⁺ ions in LaCo_{1 − x} Ga _x O₃ solid solutions (x = 0–1) considerably reduces their electrical conductivity: at T= 850 K, from 190.5 S/cm in LaCoO₃ to 1.32 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm in the x = 0.95 solid solution. The anomaly in the temperature-dependent conductivity of the solid solutions, due to the broad semiconductor-metal transition, decreases with increasing x. For x ≥ 0.8, there is a very weak or no anomaly. The activation energies for conduction in the samples with x = 0.90 and 0.95 are 0.89 and 0.92 eV, respectively. At room temperature, the materials with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 have a negative thermoelectric power. With increasing temperature, it increases, crosses zero between 435 and 530 K, reaches a maximum in the range 500–650 K, and decreases at higher temperatures.     

Luminescence properties of Eu2+-activated Sr5(PO4)2(SiO4) for green-emitting phosphor

A green-emitting phosphor of Eu²⁺-activated Sr₅(PO₄)₂(SiO₄) was synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction. It was characterized by photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, and lifetimes. In Sr₅(PO₄)₂(SiO₄):Eu²⁺, there are at least two distinguishable Eu²⁺ sites, which result in one broad emission situating at about 495 nm and 560 nm. The phosphor can be efficiently excited in the wavelength range of 250–440 nm where the near UV (～ 395 nm) Ga(In)N LED is well matched. The dependence of luminescence intensities on temperature was investigated. With the increasing of temperature, the luminescence of the phosphor shows good thermal stability and stable color chromaticity. The luminescence characteristics indicate that this phosphor has a potential application as a white light emitting diode phosphor.     

Homogeneous Freestanding Luminescent Perovskite Organogel with Superior Water Stability

Metal‐halide perovskites have become appealing materials for optoelectronic devices. While the fast advancing stretchable/wearable devices require stability, flexibility and scalability, current perovskites suffer from ambient‐environmental instability and incompatible mechanical properties. Recently perovskite?polymer composites have shown improved in‐air stability with the protection of polymers. However, their stability remains unsatisfactory in water or high‐humidity environment. These methods also suffer from limited processability with low yield (2D film or beads) and high fabrication cost (high temperature, air/moisture‐free conditions), thereby limiting their device integration and broader applications. Herein, by combining facile photo‐polymerization with room‐temperature in‐situ perovskite reprecipitation at low energy cost, a one‐step scalable method is developed to produce freestanding highly‐stable luminescent organogels, within which CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed. The perovskite‐organogels present a record‐high stability at different pH and temperatures, maintaining their high quantum yields for > 110 days immersing in water. This paradigm is universally applicable to broad choices of polymers, hence casting these emerging luminescent materials to a wide range of mechanical properties tunable from rigid to elastic. With intrinsically ultra‐stretchable photoluminescent organogels, flexible phosphorous layers were demonstrated with > 950% elongation. Rigid perovskite gels, on the other hand, permitted the deployment of 3D‐printing technology to fabricate arbitrary 2D/3D luminescent architectures.     

Low temperature preparation and characterization of CdTiO3 nanoplates

An alternative low cost method was proposed for the low temperature (600 °C) preparation of CdTiO₃ nanoplates, using low-melting-point Cd(NO₃)₂ · 4H₂O and high-reactive-activity TiO₂ nanocrystals as the reactants. The structure, composition, specific surface area, thermal stability and optical properties of the as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, UV–vis absorption and room temperature photoluminescence spectra. The as-synthesized CdTiO₃ nanoplates were thermally stable at temperatures ≤ 900 °C, and their phase changed from ilmenite to perovskite when heated in air at 1000 °C for 2 h. Besides, they exhibited a strong and broad visible light emission in the range of about 470–750 nm upon laser excitation at 325 nm, enabling their use as a luminescent material.     

Superlow elastic stability of NaCl-H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O ice at 100–215 K

A superlow elastic stability of low-saline NaCl-H₂O ice in a broad range of low temperatures (100–215 K) has been observed under the conditions of strong uniaxial compression. The level of elastic stability of the saline ice (containing a low mass fraction of NaCl within p = 0.0001–0.01) was 15–30 times smaller than in pure freshwater ice. This phenomenon can be used for the controlled production of steam, hydrogen, and oxygen using explosive fragmentation and in other low-temperature processes involving ice.     

Films and crystalline powder of PbI2 intercalated with ammonia and pyridine

Thin films and crystalline powder of PbI₂ intercalated with ammonia or pyridine have been studied by optical absorption, Raman scattering, photoluminescence, FTIR spectroscopy and thermo-gravimetric analysis. Ammonia intercalated PbI₂ shows an increased optical band gap, of about 0.6 eV, with an intense broad emission band peaking at about 2.3 eV as signature in the photoluminescence spectrum. The intercalation of PbI₂ with ammonia is noticed in the Raman spectrum by the appearance of new lines situated in low frequency range. The D_3d coordination geometry of Pb²⁺ in the PbI₂ crystal is reduced by compression to orthorhombic one, the distribution of the electronic states in valence band is also changed. Thus, the top of the valence band undergo a deformation inducing a weakness of the interaction between the lead and iodine ions within a layer. Also the PbI₂ intercalated with pyridine is featured by optical and vibration properties different that of pure crystalline powder. Finally, the intercalation of PbI₂ with different molecules changes the basic semiconducting properties of the crystal. Thermal analyses and infrared absorption spectra have been used to study the desorption of guests species from PbI₂ in order to evaluate the stability range and morphological changes with temperature.     

High-performance bismuth-telluride compounds with highly stable thermoelectric figure of merit

The p-type (Bi_0.25Sb_0.75)₂Te₃ ingot doped with 8 wt% excess Te alone and the n-type Bi₂ (Te_0.94Se_0.06)₃ ingot codoped with 0.068 wt% I and 0.017 wt% Te were grown by the Bridgman method and annealed at 673 K for 5 h in a hydrogen stream. The electrical resistivity ρ, Seebeck coefficient α and thermal conductivity κ before and after annealing were measured at 298 K, so that the annealing degraded significantly ZT of the p-type specimen but enhanced remarkably that of the n-type one. The temperature dependences of ρ, α and κ of the as-grown p-type and annealed n-type specimens with higher ZT were investigated in the temperature range from 200 to 360 K. As a result, ZT values of the as-grown p-type and annealed n-type specimens have a broad peak and reached great values of 1.19 and 1.13 at approximately 320 K, respectively. The present materials were thus found to be far superior to any other bismuth-telluride compound in the thermal stability of energy conversion efficiency in addition to the high performance.     

Dielectric properties,thermal expansion and heat capacity of (1 − x)Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3–xBaTiO3 single crystals (x = 0, 0.02, 0.025, 0.0325 and 0.05)

High-quality and large-size lead-free (1 − x)Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃–xBaTiO₃ single crystals (x = 0, 0.025, 0.0325 and 0.05) were grown using Czochralski method. The obtained samples were of pure perovskite structure with rhombohedral symmetry at room temperature. Thermal expansion, heat capacity, ferroelectric and dielectric properties were measured in a wide temperature range. The broad anomalies observed in thermal expansion and heat capacity were corresponded to structural, ferroelectric and dielectric anomalies, related to temperature features of polar regions and formation of a long-range order ferroelectric phase. The Burns temperature was found to increase with increasing BaTiO₃ content. At low-frequency (100 Hz–100 kHz) the samples showed diffuse phase transitions. The obtained results were discussed in terms of local electric and strain fields caused by a difference in ionic radii between (Na,Bi) and Ba ions.     

The effect of CuO doping on the microstructures and dielectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics

(1 − x) BaTiO₃/xCuO ceramic pellets with x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8% respectively were prepared by the traditional solid-state reaction method. The effect of CuO doping on the microstructure and dielectric properties of BaTiO₃ ceramics has been investigated. SEM and XRD results at room temperature show that the grain size grows with the increase of CuO content under the same sintering conditions and the crystal structure undergoes the mixed phases (pseudocubic/tetragonal) to tetragonal phase transition with the growth of grain size. Regular shape grains with average grain size ~2 μm are detectable in the specimens as CuO dopant content adds up to 0.8% and the crystal structure has completely changed into tetragonal phase. The permittivity increases markedly for CuO dopant content x = 0.2 ~ 0.4% and the dielectric loss decreases significantly after being doped by CuO and down to a minimum value for x = 0.8%. In addition, the permittivity and dielectric loss display a good stability in a broad frequency range comparing that of pure BaTiO₃ ceramics.     

Diffuse phase transformations in neodymium-doped BaTiO3 ceramics

Phase transitions in BaTiO₃ doped with neodymium have been studied using temperature-capacitance measurements, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The coexistence of a para-electric cubic phase with the ferroelectric tetragonal and orthorhombic phases is noticed within the temperature range corresponding to the stability region of the latter phases in undoped BaTiO₃. The broad maximum in the effective dielectric constant shifts to lower temperature with increase in neodymium content. The heat of transformation measured at the Curie point tends to zero above 3.5at%Nd and the phase transition gradually approaches the second order. These are characteristics of a diffuse phase transformation. Using the quantitative results from the above studies, a T-x topological diagram is constructed for the BaTiO₃-xNd system wherex < 5.5at%. The phase contents vary with processing parameters as well as grain size, and the very existence of more than one phase in a given area of the T-x diagram indicates the metastable thermodynamic equilibrium prevailing in BaTiO₃-Nd ceramics. The inhomogeneous distribution of lattice defects may be the major cause for such a behaviour.     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of ZnNb2O6 nanocrystals for solar cell

The phase formation, morphology and luminescent properties of ZnNb₂O₆ nanocrystals by the sol-gel method were investigated at a lower temperature than that of the traditional solid-state reaction method. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and absorption spectra. The activation energy of ZnNb₂O₆ grain growth is obtained about 18.4 kJ/mol. The diameters of the nanocrystals are in the range of 20-40 nm. The PL spectra excited at 276 nm have a broad and strong blue emission band maximum at 450 nm, corresponding to the self-activated luminescence of the niobate octahedra group [NbO₆]⁷⁻. The optical absorption spectrum of the sample at a calcination temperature of 800 °C has a band gap energy of 3.68 eV.     

Dielectric relaxation in complex perovskite oxide In(Ni1/2Zr1/2)O3

The dielectric study of indium nickel zirconate, In(Ni_1/2Zr_1/2)O₃ (INZ) synthesized by solid state reaction technique is performed in a frequency range from 500 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 303 to 493 K. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the compound is monoclinic. A relaxation is observed in the entire temperature range as a gradual decrease in ?′(ω) and as a broad peak in ?″(ω) in the frequency dependent real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant, respectively. The frequency dependent electrical data are analyzed in the framework of conductivity and electric modulus formalisms. The frequencies corresponding to the maxima of the imaginary electric modulus at various temperatures are found to obey an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 0.66 eV. The Cole-Cole model is used to study the dielectric relaxation of INZ. The scaling behaviour of imaginary part of electric modulus suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra follow the universal power law.     

Phase Composition, Electrical Conductivity, and Stability of ZrO2–Sc2O3–Cr2O3 Solid Electrolytes

The phase composition, electrical conductivity, and structural and electrical stability of ZrO₂–Sc₂O₃–Cr₂O₃ solid electrolytes prepared by solid-state reactions involving three-step firing at 1350, 1850 (vacuum), and 1300°C were studied for compositions along two lines: x(0.91ZrO₂ + 0.09Sc₂O₃)–yCr₂O₃ (I) andx(0.89ZrO₂ + 0.11Sc₂O₃)–yCr₂O₃ (II), x + y = 1, y = 0–0.04. The results indicate that the ternary solid solutions withy= 0.01–0.02 retain a cubic structure in a broad temperature range, down to room temperature. This increases the low-temperature (<600°C) conductivity of the solid electrolytes, especially in system II. In both systems, Cr₂O₃ solubility is about 3 mol %. Stability tests at 900°C for 200 h reduce the conductivity of the solid electrolytes, particularly at the lower Sc₂O₃ content and in the presence of Cr₂O₃. The reduction in conductivity is due to the decomposition of the high-temperature tetragonal phase and the formation of a tetragonal phase with a low stabilizer content.     

Optical and structural properties of sol-gel prepared MgZnO alloy thin films

Mg_xZn_1−xO (x = 0-0.5) alloy thin films were prepared by a sol-gel dip-coating method. Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O and Mg_0.5Zn_0.5O films prepared were annealed in the range of 400-900 °C to investigate their thermal stability and temperature-dependent optical properties. The Mg_0.1Zn_0.9O films were thermally stable in the investigated annealing temperature range and exhibited the maximum ultraviolet emission at 800 °C. The segregation of MgO occurred in the Mg_0.5Zn_0.5O films, and the near-band-edge ultraviolet emission of this alloy was enhanced with increasing annealing temperature. The Mg saturation content in the sol-gel prepared MgZnO alloys was found to be about 0.23 where the band gap extended to 3.48 eV.     

Dielectric properties of solution-grown-undoped and acrylic-acid-doped ethyl cellulose

Dielectric capacities and losses were measured, in the temperature (50–170°C) and frequency (01–100 kHz range), for undoped and acrylic acid (AA) doped ethyl cellulose (EC) films (thickness about 20 μm) with progressive increase in the concentration of dopant in the polymer matrix. The variation of capacity with temperature is attributed to thermal expansion in the lower temperature region to the orientation of dipolar molecules in the neighbourhood of glass transition temperature (T _g) and random thermal motion of molecules aboveT _g. The dielectric losses exhibit a broad peak. Doping with AA is found to affect the magnitude and position of the peak. AA is found to have a two-fold action. Firstly, it enhances the chain mobility and secondly, it increases the dielectric loss by forming charge transfer complexes.     

Quantized Vortices and Diamagnetic Precursor to the Meissner State in High-T c Superconductors

We report the magnetic imaging for underdoped and optimally-dopedLa_2–x Sr _x CuO₄ (LSCO) thin films on single substrates and nearly optimallydoped YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x (YBCO) thin films on tricrystal substrates in the temperature range both below and above T _c using scanning SQUID microscopy. Below T _c, clear integer- and half-integer quantized vortices were observable. Above T _c, however, the inhomogeneous diamagnetic domains appeared. The local diamagnetic domains that led to the Meissner state were found in the broad temperature range for underdoped samples and in the narrow limited temperature range for optimally-doped samples. The results provide evidence that local diamagnetic domains are closely related to the pseudogap state. The continuous connection of the domain state above T _c with the state of a half-integer vortex at the tricritical point in the YBCO film below T _c also indicates that the diamagnetic domains are also closely related to the occurrence of d_x ^{2-y 2}-wave superconductivity.     

Self-organized formation and optical study of GaN micropyramids

In this paper, we report the formation of GaN micropyramids via a self-organized process by ammoniating Ga₂O₃ powders at high temperature. The obtained GaN micropyramids are typically in wurtzite hexagonal structure, exhibiting six-fold symmetrical morphology and single crystalline characteristic. Cathodoluminescence (CL) studies demonstrated that a weak near-band-edge emission centered at ∼385 nm and a broad yellow-band in the range of 500-800 nm were observed in the GaN micropyramids, and the related light emission mechanism was discussed based on the microstructure analysis.     

Non-stoichiometric NiZn ferrite by sol-gel processing

Non-stoichiometric Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe_2−xO_4−3/2x ferrites over a wide range of x = 0∼0.8 are synthesized by a sol-gel processing. Phase evolution, crystal structure and crystallite size of spinel ferrites are dependent on annealing temperature and the amount of Fe deficiency. The crystallite size of spinel increases with annealing temperature and grows faster in stoichiometric ferrites than that of non-stoichiometric. Fe deficiency results in the partial reduction of spinel ferrite to zincite ZnO. XRD indicates that the crystallization temperature of ZnO is increased to about 700 °C. Zincite reduces the number of ferrite crystallites and disfavors the growth of spinel ferrites. The lattice parameters decrease with Fe deficiency and are insensitive to the variation in composition in the samples annealed at lower temperature due to the segregation of ZnO and lattice expansion in the ultrafine crystallites.