Phase compatibilities of YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) type structure in quintenary systems Y-Ba-Cu-O-X (impurity)

Electrical transport properties of the oxidic high T(sub c) superconductors are significantly affected by the presence of minor amounts of various elements adventing as impurities, e.g., from the chemical environment during manufacturing. YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) is prone to an extinction of the superconductivity on (partial) substitution of all four elemental components. E.g., Pr (for Y), La (for Ba), Zn (for Cu) or peroxygroup (for O) substituents will alter some of the superconductivity preconditions, like mixed valence state in Cu3O7/O(9-delta) network or structural distortion of the network. Although various pseudoternary chemical equilibrium phase diagrams of the Y(O)-Ba(O)-Cu(O) system now are available, no consensus is generally shown, however, this is partly due to lack of compatible definitions of the equilibrium conditions. Less information is available about the phase compatibilities in the appropriate quaternary phase diagram (including oxygen) and virtually no information exists about any pentenary phase diagrams (including one impurity). Unfortunately, complexity of such systems, stemming both from number of quaternary or pentenary compounds and from visualizing the five-component phase system, limits this presentation to more or less close surroundings of the YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) type phase in appropriate pseudoquaternary or pseudopseudoternary diagrams, involving Y-Ba-Cu and O, O-CO2, alkaline metals, Mg and alkaline earths, and Sc and most of the 3-d and 4-f elements. The systems were investigated by means of x ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and chemical analytical methods on samples prepared by sol-gel technique from citrates. The superconductivity was characterized by measuring the diamagnetic susceptibility by SQUID

Compatibilities of YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) type phase in quintenary systems Y-Ba-Cu-O-X (impurity)

Isothermal phase diagrams at various oxygen pressures were studied by powder diffraction and chemical analytical methods. The components, Y, Ba, Cu, and O (specifically O2, O2-, and O2 sup 2-) are treated, together with C (specifically CO2 and CO2 sup 2-), alkaline metals, Mg, alkaline earths, Sc, 3-d and 4-f elements. Effects of the substitutions at the structural sites of YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) on T sub c are discussed with respect to changes in crystallochemical characteristics of the substituted phase and to the nature of the substituents

Roadmap for Modeling RhPt/Pt(111) Catalytic Surfaces

PtRh alloys are used as versatile multipurpose catalysts for a number of industrial applications, including fertilizer production and ammonia slip catalysts for NOx abatement purposes. For the latter, ammonia is oxidized to nitrogen at intermediate temperatures. To optimize the PtRh-alloyed catalysts and explain the role of Pt and Rh for future intermediate-temperature ammonia oxidation operando studies, we prepared a series of distinct RhPt model surfaces. We explore postannealing and high-temperature deposition as two routes for preparation of surface alloys and compare results with literature examples. Scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide detailed information on surface morphology and composition and demonstrate excellent temperature stability of RhPt/Pt(111) in the temperature range targeted for operando catalytic studies. A detailed roadmap summarizes preparation conditions to achieve a broad variety of surface structures.Catalysis and Surface Chemistr

Energy of dendritic avalanches in thin-film superconductors

A method for calculating stored magnetic energy in a thin superconducting film based on quantitative magneto-optical imaging is developed. Energy and magnetic moment are determined with these calculations for full hysteresis loops in a thin film of the superconductor NbN. Huge losses in energy are observed when dendritic avalanches occur. Magnetic energy, magnetic moment, sheet current and magnetic flux distributions, all extracted from the same calibrated magneto-optical images, are analyzed and discussed. Dissipated energy and the loss in moment when dendritic avalanches occur are related to each other. Calculating these losses for specific spatially-resolved flux avalanches is a great advantage, because of their unpredictable and non-reproducible nature. The relative losses in energy are much higher than the relative losses in moment

Origin of giant photocontraction in obliquely deposited amorphous Ge_xSe_{1-x} thin- films and the intermediate phase

Obliquely deposited amorphous Ge_xSe{1-x} thin-films at several compositions in the 0.15 < x < 0.333 range, and at several obliqueness angles in the 0 < alpha < 80 range at each x were evaporated on Si and glass substrates. Here alpha designates the angle between film normal and direction of vapor transport. Raman scattering, ir reflectance and optical absorption measurements were undertaken to characterize the vibrational density of states and optical band gaps. Edge views of films in SEM confirm the columnar structure of obliquely (alpha = 80) deposited films. Films, mounted in a cold stage flushed with N2 gas, were irradiated to UV radiation from a Hg-Xe arc lamp, an

Hole doping into Co-12s2 copper oxides with s fluorite-structured layers between CuO2 planespiezolaminated composite plate

In this work, the first three members (s ¼ 1, 2, 3) of the Co-12s2 homologous series of multi-layered copper oxides are gradually doped with holes through high-pressure oxygenation (HPO). The phases differ from each other only by thickness of the fluorite-structured layer block, (Ce,Y,Ca)–[O2–(Ce,Y)]s1, between two identical CuO2 planes. High-resolution transmission-electron microscopy (HRTEM) and electron diffraction (ED) analyses together with both synchrotron X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data, reveal that as a consequence of HPO the charge-reservoir CoO4-tetrahedra chains get broken and the lattice symmetry of the Co-12s2 phases changes from orthorhombic to tetragonal. Oxygen contents are analyzed for the samples with wet-chemical and thermogravimetric techniques. The valence state of copper in the CuO2 plane is determined from Cu L-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra to be compared with the values estimated through bond-valence-sum (BVS) calculations from the crystal structure data. The positive charge induced by oxygen loading (or aliovalent CaII-for-YIII substitution in CoSr2YCu2O7+d) is found not to be completely accommodated in the CuO2 planes but be rather effectively trapped at the charge-reservoir Co atoms. Superconductivity appears in the Co-1212 (CoSr2YCu2O7+d) samples with the copper valence of 2.13 or higher, whereas in the Co-1222 (CoSr2(Ce0.25Y0.75)2Cu2O9+d) and Co- 1232 (CoSr2(Ce0.67Y0.33)3Cu2O11+d) samples Cu valence does not increase high enough to induce superconductivity