Investigation of structural and some physical properties of Cr substituted polycrystalline Eu<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>1−x</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>x</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) manganites

The polycrystalline samples with nominal composition Eu_0.5Sr_0.5Mn_1?x Cr _x O₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrical resistivity behavior without and with magnetic field. The structural parameters obtained by using Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data showed that all samples crystallize with orthorhombic perovskite type symmetry with Pbnm space group. The scanning electron micrograph images reveal that the increase in Cr substitution hinders grain growth and grain connectivity. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity show the semiconducting nature of these compounds and support the small polaron hoping model and variable range hopping conduction model. The calculated hopping distance and activation energy decreased as rate of Cr content increased whereas density of states at Fermi level increased. A large negative magnetoresistance is also present in the sample at the lowest temperature of measurements.     

Layered silicate-polymer nanocomposite coatings via radiation curing process for flame retardant applications

Polymer-clay nanocomposite (PCN) films were fabricated by uniformly dispersing organically modified montmorillonite clay (Cloisite 20A and 30B) in varying concentrations of 2%, 5%, 10% and 15% (w/w) in an optimized composition of aliphatic urethane acrylate (AUA)–Trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) mixture by ultra-sonication followed by ⁶⁰Co-gamma radiation induced curing. Radiation doses were optimized to obtain non-tacky, homogeneous thin films, which were subsequently characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Gloss of the PCN films decreased, and fracture toughness and hardness of PCN films improved with the incorporation of the clay in the PCN coatings. Limiting Oxygen Indices (LOIs) of the samples were calculated from the thermogravimetric analyses data to ascertain the efficacy of the PCN films as potential flame retardant materials.     

Magnetic and Dielectric Properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis><Subscript>2</Subscript>CuTiO<Subscript>6</Subscript> Compounds (<Emphasis Type="Italic">R</Emphasis>=Y,La, Pr and Nd)

Magnetic and dielectric properties of the double perovskite compounds of the type R ₂CuTiO₆ (RCTO, where R=Y, La, Pr and Nd) has been studied. Y₂CuTiO₆ (YCTO) crystallizes in a hexagonal unit cell, whereas the other three compounds form into orthorhombic structure. All four compounds show paramagnetic behavior down to 5 K. The dielectric studies show moderate dielectric constant (ε′) and very small dielectric loss (tan δ) for YCTO. The orthorhombic members of RCTO compounds exhibit moderate values of ε′ and tan δ. The dielectric properties are presented and discussed here in the light of the influence of structure and rare-earth ions on the physical properties of RCTO compounds.     

Low-field Magnetoresistance,Specific Heat and Magnetocaloric Effect in Sr Substituted Pr<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Ca<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We investigate the effect of ionic size variation on the electrical and thermodynamic properties in a series of Pr_0.7Ca_0.3−x Sr _x MnO₃ (PCSMO) samples. The increase in Sr content results in an increase of the unit cell volume, as a bigger Sr²⁺ ion replaces the smaller Ca²⁺ ions. Resistivity measurements show that the increase in the Sr content also results in the induction of a metal–insulator transition (T _MI), which increases with increasing Sr content. The activation energy (E _a), calculated from the resistivity data, decreases with increasing Sr content confirming the metallic character. The effect of the magnetic field on resistivity and specific heat has also been studied.     

Superconductivity and Magnetism in R 2CaBa2Cu5O z (R=La, Pr, Nd and Eu)

A series of compounds R ₂CaBa₂Cu₅O _z (R=La, Pr, Nd and Eu) have been synthesized by conventional solid state reaction and characterized for their structural, superconducting and magnetic properties. All compounds crystallize with the tetragonal LaBa₂Cu₃O _z type structure, space group P4/mmm. Among the four compounds studied here, R=La, Nd and Eu are superconductors with superconducting transition temperatures (T _c ^R=0) of 72, 40 and 55 K, respectively. On the other hand, neither superconductivity nor magnetic ordering is seen for R=Pr down to 3 K. The effect of the magnetic field on the susceptibility and (magneto) resistance for the superconducting samples has been investigated. The superconductivity of compounds with magnetic rare-earth ions Nd and Eu exhibit a profound influence of the magnetic field, whereas the application of the magnetic field has a limited effect on the La compound. The Pr compound is paramagnetic and does not exhibit magnetic ordering either.     

Improved temperature coefficient of resistance and transport properties of Nd0.7Sr0.3−xAxMnO3 (A = Ag,Na, K: x = 0 & 0.1) manganites

We have investigated the structural, magneto-resistive, electrical, and thermal transport properties of monovalent substituted polycrystalline Nd_0.7Sr_0.3?xA_xMnO₃ (x?=?0, 0.1 and A?=?Na, Ag, K) compounds. The Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction patterns reveals that all samples crystallize in orthorhombic structure with Pnma space group. The scanning electron microscopy micrographs evidenced that the grains acquire uniform morphology, nearly spherical, and unequal grains in all the studied samples. The decrease in metal-insulator transition temperature on the monovalent substitution is a result of reduced double-exchange interactions. Further, above the metal-insulator transition, electrical transport properties are analyzed through variable range hopping and small polaron hopping models. The substitution of monovalent cations enhanced the experimental parameters like hopping distance and activation energy, while the density of state at the Fermi level decreased significantly. On the monovalent doping, the samples showed very high magnetoresistance (MR%), and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR%) makes them prospective candidates for advanced uncooled infrared bolometers. The thermoelectric power (S) demonstrates a positive to a negative crossover, and the value of S increased in doped samples. At the higher temperatures, the small polaron is responsible for the conduction process.

     

Room-temperature H2S gas sensing at ppb level by single crystal In2O3 whiskers

In₂O₃ whiskers and bipyramidal nano-crystals were prepared by a carbothermal method. These were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. These were studied for application to sensing of H₂S gas. The single crystal whiskers were found to be sensitive to as low as 200 ppb of H₂S gas at room temperature and showed saturation in response at 10 ppm. On the other hand, the films made of bipyramids were less sensitive to H₂S gas and the response was found to be a nearly linear function of concentration in a concentration range of 10–80 ppm.     

Fabrication of dense (Th,U)O2 pellets through microspheres impregnation technique

ThO₂ microspheres were prepared by internal gelation process using a pre-boiled hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), urea solution. The microspheres were characterized with respect to tap density, specific surface area and pore size distribution. An indigenously designed and fabricated apparatus was used for the impregnation of uranium in thoria microspheres. The loading of uranium was found to vary with the concentration of uranyl nitrate solution, operational vacuum and the time of impregnation. These process conditions were optimized to obtain soft (Th,U)O₂ microspheres containing 3-4 mol% of uranium, which are readily amenable for pelletization. The green pellets could be sintered to ∼96% of T.D. by heating in air up to 1350 °C for a period of 2-4 h. The polished surface of the fractured pellets showed a smooth surface without any berry structure. The shrinkage behaviour of the pellets was also studied in air using a dilatometer. The SEM studies of the pellets indicated a uniform microstructure with average grain size of 1 μm. The elemental scanning by the EDX method showed the uniform distribution of uranium in the microspheres and pellets.     

Preparation and Characterization of HgO and AgO Added La2CaBa2Cu5O z Superconductors

We have prepared a series of La₂CaBa₂Cu₅O _z (La2125) compounds by the standard solid-state reaction method. The oxygen stoichiometry in this R-123 type compound has been homogenized by two different methods. The first method is heating the sample in flowing oxygen at 500 °C for 6 hours and then slowly cooling to room temperature. The second method is to provide internal oxygen while sintering the sample by adding HgO or AgO. The addition of HgO or AgO in preparing oxide superconductors is advantageous when preparing them in bulk quantities, as HgO or AgO provide internal oxygen which is a much essential ingredient of the structure of oxide superconductors. Such a method of synthesis eliminates the need of additional oxygen annealing, thus enabling the synthesis in huge quantities at once. The composites referred to as La2125+xHgO and La2125+xAgO respectively, have been characterized by XRD, SEM, resistivity and magnetic measurements for their structural and superconducting properties. We compare the properties of oxygen-annealed and HgO/AgO added compounds and discuss the results in the light of applicability of such method in synthesizing bulk quantities of high-T _c oxide superconductors.