Metastable phases in the Ni<Subscript>75</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>12</Subscript>B<Subscript>13</Subscript> alloy prepared under nonequilibrium conditions

The structure of Ni₇₅Nb₁₂B₁₃ alloys prepared by liquid quenching (LQ) and mechanical alloying (MA) has been studied by x-ray diffraction. The alloy prepared by LQ at a cooling rate of ～10⁶ K/s is shown to be fully amorphous, while MA yields an amorphous-crystalline material in which the predominant phase is an fcc Ni〈Nb,B〉 solid solution. The thermal stability of the alloys and their structural transformations on heating have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The amorphous phase obtained by LQ is shown to crystallize at 490°C. After heating to 720°C, the alloy consists of two equilibrium phases: Ni₂₁Nb₂B₆ (τ) and Ni₅Nb₃B₂ (z). Heating the MA alloy to 720°C leads to the formation of a stable τ-phase, while the Ni-based fcc solid solution remains supersaturated and, hence, metastable. Increasing the milling time leads to the formation of nanocrystalline τ and Ni₃B phases, in addition to the Ni-based fcc solid solution, which corresponds to the equilibrium phase composition of the Ni₇₅Nb₁₂B₁₃ alloy in the Ni-Nb-B phase diagram. The effect of high-energy milling on the phase composition of the alloy is similar to that of heat treatment.     

Effect of Ni Doping at Pd Site in Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>PdS<Subscript>5</Subscript> Superconductor

The superconducting properties of Nb₂PdS₅ superconductor have been investigated with Ni doping at Pd site All the bulk polycrystalline Nb₂Pd_1?xNi_x S ₅ (0 = x ≤ 0.10) samples are crystallized in singlephase monoclinic structure. The electrical resistivity and magnetic measurements of Nb₂Pd_1?xNi_x S ₅ (0 = x ≤ 0.15) were carried out to study the variation of superconducting critical parameters with Ni doping. Superconductivity in Nb₂PdS₅ sample completely disappears for x ≥ 0.15. We observed that the ratio of upper critical field to transition temperature decreases with increasing Ni concentration. Also, the magnetization study of Nb₂Pd_1?xNi_x S ₅ (0 = x ≤ 0.15) samples shows similar superconducting behaviour. In summary, the superconductivity in Nb₂PdS₅ sample is slightly varying with partial doping of Ni at Pd site in Nb₂PdS₅ superconductor.     

High-temperature superelasticity during B2-L1<Subscript>0</Subscript> martensite transformations in Co<Subscript>40</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>33</Subscript>Al<Subscript>27</Subscript> crystals

The temperature interval ΔT _SE of superelasticity in [001]-oriented Co₄₀Ni₃₃Al₂₇ (at. %) single crystals strained by tension and compression has been studied. It is established that ΔT _SE in tension amounts to 220 K, and the reversible B2-L1₀ martensite transformations in loaded samples take place at 590 K. In the samples strained by compression, ΔT _SE decreases to 105 K, and the superelasticity is observed up to 420 K.     

Comparative Magnetic and Structural Properties Study of Micro- and Nanopowders of Nd<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>14</Subscript>B Doped with Ni

Micropowders of melted and heat-treated Nd₁₆(Fe_76?x Ni _x )B₈ alloys system, with x = 0, 10, 20, and 25 (size distribution under 20 μm), were studied and compared with the study of nanopowders obtained, from the previous ones, by surfactant-assisted ball-milling process during 2 h. By XRD, a majority of Nd₂Fe₁₄B hard phase and a minority of α-Fe, Nd_1.1Fe₄B₄ and NdNi₂ phases were detected. The last one increases with Ni content. The crystallite size of the hard phase, in both types of samples, is not affected by the Ni content; however, the grains in micropowders are oblate, with a mean size of 37 nm, while those of the nanopowders are symmetric, with a mean size of 35 nm. Mössbauer spectra were fitted with seven sextets, which correspond to the six ferromagnetic sites of the hard phase and that of the α-Fe, and a doublet corresponding to the paramagnetic Nd_1.1Fe₄B₄ phase. The mean hyperfine magnetic field, for both types of samples, decreases with Ni content. The hysteresis loops of both types of samples show a hard magnetic character, however, the coercive field and the M _r/M _s values for nanopowders are greater than those obtained for micropowders for all the Ni contents. Values of H _c = 2 kOe and M _r/ M _s = 0.54 were obtained for nanopowders with 10 at.% Ni. From the hysteresis loops, which include the initial magnetization curve, Henkel plots for all the samples were obtained. These plots show that for micropowders, the predominant magnetic interaction is of dipolar type, while for nanopowders, the ferromagnetic exchange is the predominant one, which favored the magnetization.     

High-temperature ordering-phase separation transition in the Fe<Subscript>50</Subscript>Co<Subscript>50</Subscript> alloy

High-temperature (above 1200°C) B2 ordering has been detected in the Fe₅₀Co₅₀ alloy by selected area electron diffraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data indicate that the transition from phase separation to ordering is accompanied by changes in both the d-electron valence band spectrum (ordering increases 3d-electron localization at the Fe atoms) and the 3s core level spectrum (phase separation increases the exchange interaction between the electron spins of the partially filled 3d shell and ionized 3s shell of the Fe and Co atoms). We conclude that an ordering-phase separation transition occurs not only at 730°C but also at a temperature slightly above 1200°C.     

Effect of Bi and Sr doping on morphological and magnetic properties of LaCo<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanosized perovskites

Nanopowders of La _1?x Bi _x Co_0.6Fe_0.4O₃ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) and La _1?2x Bi _x Sr _x Co_0.6Fe_0.4O₃ (x = 0.1) multinary perovskites were synthesized by citrate sol–gel autocombustion method. Crystalline phase and the lattice parameters were obtained from X-ray diffraction pattern. The XRD result shows that all compounds have rhombhohedral crystal structure with \(\bar {\mathbf {R}\mathbf {3}}\)c space group and Bi (x = 0.2) have the presence of secondary peaks. Crystallite size, dislocation density, specific area and strain were calculated from XRD. The elemental composition and micrographs of grain were obtained from EDAX (energy dispersive X-ray analysis) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy), with an average grain size below 400 nm. Surface morphological studies using XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) were used to find out the chemical states and surface proportion of oxygen present in samples. Finally, using the vibrating sample magnetometer the room temperature magnetic behaviour of compounds was studied and it was observed that the ferromagnetic behaviour of LaCo_0.6Fe_0.4O₃ was reduced by Bi and Sr doping.     

High Field Magnetization Investigation and Mean Field Theory in Amorphous Co<Subscript>75</Subscript>Er<Subscript>17</Subscript>B<Subscript>8</Subscript> Ribbons

Amorphous Co₇₅Er₁₇B₈ ribbons were prepared by the melt spinning technique, and their magnetic properties were studied. Mean field theory was used to describe the temperature dependence of magnetization. High-field magnetization studies performed in magnetic fields up to 15 T have revealed a magnetic behavior typical of a non-collinear magnetic structure of Er and Co sublattices. The simulated magnetization curves show the existence of two critical fields at H _cri1 =?9.5 T and H _cri2 =?94.2 T, corresponding to collinear ferrimagnet, and collinear field-forced ferromagnetic behaviors. The high value of H _cri2 highlights the strong antiferromagnetic interaction between Er and Co sublattices. From the non-collinear regime, the inter-subnetwork molecular field coefficients of the ferrimagnetic alloy were accurately evaluated. In addition, it is shown that the region of canted moments can be satisfactorily described by a phase diagram in the H-T plane.     

Effect of Ni<Superscript>2+</Superscript> substitution on crystal structure and microwave dielectric properties for MgZrNb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript> ceramics

Monoclinic structured Mg_1?xNi_xZrNb₂O₈ (0?≤?x?≤?0.12) ceramics were synthesized for the first time through traditional solid-state reaction process and pure phase were obtained in all range. Rietveld refinement was used to analyze the crystal structure. With the increase of Ni²⁺ substitution amount, ε _r decreased, Q?×?f rose first then fell, τ _f shifted for the positive direction. Bond ionicity, lattice energy and bond energy were separately calculated to investigate the correlations with microwave dielectric properties. Typically, ceramics samples with the composition of Mg_0.92Ni_0.08ZrNb₂O₈ sintered at 1280 °C for 4 h exhibited the optimum microwave dielectric properties: ε _r ?=?24.58, Q?×?f?=?74534.1 GHz, τ _f ?=???49.11 ppm/°C, which could be a promising material for application.     

Synthesis and crystal structure CoNi<Subscript>2</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A new metal orthoborate compound, cobalt dinickel orthoborate, CoNi₂(BO₃)₂ has been successfully synthesized for the first time. The title compound was synthesized by thermally-induced solid-state chemical reaction at 900°C between the initial reagents of Co(NO₃)₂ · 6H₂O, Ni(NO₃)₂ · 6H₂O and H₃BO₃ which were mixed with the mol ratio of 1: 2: 2 respectively. The obtained product was structurally characterized by X-ray powder diffraction technique. It has been found that the CoNi₂(BO₃)₂ crystallizes in the kotoite type and isostructural with the compounds having the chemical formula M₃(BO₃)₂ where M—Mg, Co and Ni. The synthesized compound belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system with the refined unit cell parameters of a = 5.419(9) Å, b = 8.352(0) Å, c = 4.478(8) Å and Z = 2. The space group was determined as Pnmn. Further characterizations by FTIR, elemental analysis and thermal analysis were also performed.     

Influence of isovalent and heterovalent substitution for Bi<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Fe<Superscript>3+</Superscript> on the properties of Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript>-based solid solutions

Bi_2–хLa_хFe₄O₉ and Bi₂Fe_4–2xTi_xCo_xO₉ ferrites have been prepared by solid-state reactions at a temperature of 1073 K. X-ray diffraction data indicate that, in the Bi_2–хLa_хFe₄O₉ system, the limiting degree of La³⁺ substitution for Bi³⁺ ions in Bi₂Fe₄O₉ does not exceed 0.05 and that the limiting degree of substitution in the Bi₂Fe_4–2xTi_xCo_xO₉ system lies in the range 0.05 < x < 0.1. The specific magnetization and specific magnetic susceptibility of the samples have been measured at temperatures from 5 to 300 K in a magnetic field of 0.86 T. The field dependences of magnetization obtained for the Bi_2–хLa_хFe₄O₉ and Bi₂Fe_4–2xTi_xCo_xO₉ ferrites at temperatures of 300 and 5 K demonstrate that partial isovalent substitution of La³⁺ for Bi³⁺ ions in Bi₂Fe₄O₉ and heterovalent substitution of Ti⁴⁺ and Co²⁺ ions for two Fe³⁺ ions leads to partial breakdown of the antiferromagnetic state and nucleation of a ferromagnetic state.     

Solid-state synthesis,characterization, and properties of Ni<Subscript>4</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript>-based solid solutions

In this paper, we report the solid-state synthesis, characterization, and physicochemical properties of Ni_4–x Zn _x Nb₂O₉ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0) zinc-containing nickel niobates and Ni₄Nb_2–x Ta _x O₉ (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0) solid solutions. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction. We determined the particle size composition of the synthesized powders, assessed their chemical stability in acid media, obtained IR spectra of the solid solutions, and measured their electrical conductivity as a function of temperature. Some of the solid solutions were used to fabricate and characterize nickel-selective electrodes, which were successfully tested in ion-selective measurements.     

Vortex Structure and Anisotropic Superconducting Gaps in Ba[Fe(Ni)]<Subscript>2</Subscript>As<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We studied nearly optimally Ni-substituted BaFe_2?x Ni _x As₂ (BFNA) single crystals with T _C ≈ 18.5 K. In irreversible magnetization measurements, we determined the field dependence of the critical current density and discuss the nature of observed strong bulk pinning. Using intrinsic multiple Andreev reflections effect (IMARE) spectroscopy, we directly determine two distinct superconducting gaps and resolve their moderate anisotropy in the momentum space. The BCS-ratio for the large gap 2Δ _L /k _B T _C > 4.1 evidences for a strong coupling in the Δ _L -bands.     

Synthesis of nanostructured Pt<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ni/C and Pt<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Co/C catalysts and their activity in the reaction of oxygen electroreduction

Nanostructured Pt _x Ni/C and Pt _x Co/C catalysts (1 ≤ x ≤ 3) containing from 27 to 40 wt % of metal with the average size of metal (alloy) particles from 2.6 to 4.7 nm are obtained using the methods of liquid-phase synthesis. Addition of a doping component is found to yield a decrease in the average nanoparticle sizes and an improved activity of materials in oxygen electroreduction reactions. The obtained catalysts are characterized by high specific activity as compared to commercial Pt/C materials. The stability of electrocatalysts to selective dissolution of the doping component is evaluated.     

Growth and magnetic properties of spin coated Co<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>1.7</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> ultrathin films on silicon (100), (110) and (111) substrates

This paper reports growth of Co_0.6Zn_0.4Mn_0.3Fe_1.7O₄ (CZFMO) ultrathin films (thickness: 23–30 nm) by spin coating technique on silicon (100), (110) and (111) substrates. The deposited films were annealed at 700 °C for 1 h in the oxygen environment. All the films were found to be polycrystalline in nature. The CZFMO films were found to have minimal residual stress (13–50 MPa), which could be an encouraging feature for novel microwave miniaturized device applications. Room temperature magnetic measurements demonstrated completely saturated hysteresis loop with the highest squareness ratio (M _R /M _S )?~?60% for the film grown on Si (110) substrate. On the other hand CZFMO films on Si (100) and Si (111) substrates showed unsaturated hysteresis loops with M _R /M _S ~ 10 and 5%, respectively. The reason for the better magnetic properties of the ultrathin CZFMO film on Si (110) substrate seems to be its better crystalline quality and larger grain size compared to those of other films.     

Low temperature sintering and dielectric properties of Ba<Subscript>3</Subscript>(VO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript> microwave ceramics using Co<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> additives

The Ba₃(VO₄)₂–x wt% Co₂O₃ (x?=?0.5–5) ceramics were prepared by the solid state reaction method in order to reduce the sintering temperature. The effects of the Co₂O₃ additions on the phase composition, microstructures, sintering characteristics and microwave dielectric properties of Ba₃(VO₄)₂ ceramics are investigated by an X-ray diffractometer, a scanning electron microscope and a network analyzer. As a result, the Q?×?f value of 54,000 GH, the ε _r of 14.6 and the τ_f value of +58.5 ppm/°C were obtained in the sample of the Ba₃(VO₄)₂–3 wt% Co₂O₃ ceramic sintered at the temperature of 925 °C, which is capable to co-fire with electrode metal of high conductivity such as Ag (961 °C). Moreover, the Q?×?f values of the sample with Co₂O₃ higher than that of 3 wt% additions decreased because of the formation of Ba₂V₂O₇ phase.     

Critical Behavior of La<Subscript>0.67</Subscript>Ba<Subscript>0.33</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>0.95</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Manganite

The critical behavior of perovskite manganite La_0.67Ba_0.33Mn_0.95Fe_0.05O₃ at the ferromagnetic–paramagnetic has been analyzed. The results show that the sample exhibited the second-order magnetic phase transition. The estimated critical exponents derived from the magnetic data using various such as modified d’Arrott plot Kouvel–Fisher method and critical magnetization M(T _C, H). The critical exponents values for the La_0.67Ba_0.33Mn_0.95Fe_0.05O₃ are close to those expected from the mean field model β = 0.504 ± 0.01 with T _C = 275661 ± 0.447 (from the temperature dependence of the spontaneous magnetization below T _C ), γ = 1.013 ± 0.017 with T _C = 276132 ± 0.452 (from the temperature dependence of the inverse initial susceptibility above T _C ), and δ = 3.0403 ± 0.0003. Moreover, the critical exponents also obey the single scaling equation of M(H, ε) = |ε| ^β f _±(H/|ε| ^β+γ ).     

Enhanced magnetoelectric coupling in La-modified Bi<Subscript>5</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>15</Subscript> multiferroic ceramics

Multiferroic properties of La-modified four-layered perovskite Bi_5?x La _x Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ceramics were investigated, by analyzing the magnetodielectric effect, magneto-polarization response and magnetoelectric conversion. X-ray diffraction indicated the formation of pure Aurivillius ceramics, and Raman spectroscopy revealed the Bi ions displacement and the crystal structure variation. The enhancement of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties was observed in Bi_5?x La _x Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ after La modification. The evidence for enhanced ME coupling was determined by magnetic field-induced marked variations in the dielectric constant and polarization. A maximum ME coefficient of 1.15 mV/cm·Oe was achieved in Bi_4.25La_0.75Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ ceramic, which provides the possible promise for novel magnetoelectric device application.     

Effect of Co substitution on magnetic and magnetocaloric properties in multiferroic hexagonal YMnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Polycrystalline YMn_1?x Co _x O₃ with x ranging from 0 to 0.1 was synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The magnetic and magnetocaloric properties were investigated by superconducting quantum interference design magnetometer. With the increasing of Co-doping, the YMn_1?x Co _x O₃ shows complex magnetic properties, including the existence of ferromagnetic component and spin glass state. The Curie temperature and maximum magnetic entropy change are also strongly dependent on Co content. Those results were ascribed to the complex mixed valence characteristics of Mn ions originated from the Co-doping.     

Effects of Ni co-doping concentrations on dielectric and magnetic properties of (Co,Ni) co-doped SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoparticles

In this work, the dielectric and magnetic properties of (Co, Ni) co-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles were studied using ac impedance spectroscopy and magnetic properties measurement system or quantum design superconducting quantum interference device. Results showed that dielectric constant (ε _r ), dielectric loss (ε″), and ac electrical conductivity (σ _AC ) are strongly frequency dependent. A decrease in frequency was accompanied with an increase in ε _r and ε″ values, whereas, a decrease in the dielectric constant was observed with the increase of Ni co-doping concentration. It was found that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss values decrease, whilst AC electrical conductivity increases with increase in co-doping concentration. Magnetization measurements revealed that the Ni co-doped SnO₂ samples exhibits room temperature ferromagnetism. The results illustrate that (Co, Ni) co-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles have an excellent dielectric, magnetic properties, and high electrical conductivity than those of co-doped samples reported previously, indicating that these (Co, Ni) co-doped SnO₂ materials can be suitable for the purpose of high frequency device and spintronic applications.     

Magnetic and ferroelectric properties of SmBi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>15</Subscript> compounds prepared with different synthesis methods

The SmBi₄Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ compounds were prepared by the insertion of the SmFe_0.5Co_0.5O₃ into the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ host and the conventional solid state reaction method, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the conventional solid state reaction method favors the formation of a single phase four-layer Aurivillius phase of SmBi₄Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ more easily than that prepared by the insertion method. Magnetic and ferroelectric measurements demonstrate that the samples prepared by both methods exhibit coexistence of strong ferromagnetic and weak ferroelectric behaviors at room temperature. Compared with the Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅, the ferromagnetism of the SmBi₄Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ was dramatically enhanced by the partial substitution of Co for Fe and Sm for Bi. The SmBi₄Fe_0.5Co_0.5Ti₃O₁₅ samples exhibit large magnetic responses (2M _r ?~?643 memu/g and coercive fields 2H _c ?~?344 Oe) at room temperature.