FEI Tecnai G2 F20

The FEI Titan Tecnai G2 F20 is a versatile transmission electron microscope which is equipped with a Gatan Tridiem 863P post column image filter (GIF) and a high angle energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector. This set up allows for a variety of experiments such as conventional imaging and diffraction, recording of bright- and dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images, or acquiring elemental maps extracted from energy electron loss spectra (EELS) or EDX signals

FEI Titan 80-300 STEM

The FEI Titan 80-300 STEM is a scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a field emission electron gun, a three-condenser lens system, a monochromator unit, and a Cs probe corrector (CEOS), a post-column energy filter system (Gatan Tridiem 865 ER) as well as a Gatan 2k slow scan CCD system. Characterised by a STEM resolution of 80 pm at 300 kV, the instrument was one of the first of a small number of sub-ångström resolution scanning transmission electron microscopes in the world when commissioned in 2006

Hall Effect of the Triclinic Al73Mn27 and T-Al73Mn27–xPdx (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) Complex Metallic Alloys

The Hall coefficient, RH, of the triclinic Al73Mn27 and Taylor-phase Al73Mn27xPdx (x = 0, 2, 4 and 6) complex metallic alloys has been measured from 90 to 400 K. The Hall coefficients of all the samples are positive and they decrease strongly with the increase of temperature, T. For the separation of the normal, R0, and anomalous, RS, Hall coefficient the results for the paramagnetic susceptibility,χ(T), and electrical resistivity, ρ(T), have been used. The well defined linearity of the RH vs. χ(T)·ρ2(T) plots confirms the assumption that in these materials RH is dominated by spin-orbit interaction. The values deduced from the RH vs. χ and RH vs. χ·ρ2 plots in T­AlMnPd phases, fall between –2 × 10–10 m3 C–1 and 0 for R0, and are about 5 × 10–7 m3 C–1 for RS. The values deduced from the RH vs. χ·ρ2 plots in the triclinic Al73Mn27 alloy are about –15 × 10–10 m3 C–1 for R0, and about 1.5 × 10–5 m3 C–1 for RS.</p

The Generalization of the Kinetic Equations and the Spectral Conductivity Function to Anisotropic Systems: Case T-Al_72.5Mn_21.5Fe_6 Complex Metallic Alloy

Electrical conductivity, σ, and thermoelectric power, S, of the monocrystalline T-Al_72.5Mn_21.5Fe_6 complex metallic alloy have been investigated in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. The crystallographic-direction-dependent measurements were performed along the [0 0 1], [0 1 0] and [1 0 0] directions of the orthorhombic unit cell, where the stacking direction is along the [0 1 0] direction. The electrical conductivity exhibits a very small anisotropy, and in all directions shows the non-metallic behaviour with square root, √T, temperature behaviour and finite value in the T = 0 limit. Spectral conductivity function, σS(E), constructed out of measurements, reflects anisotropy of the experimental data and indicate non-analytic square root like singularity at Fermi level. Asymmetry of the spectral conductivity function has been extracted from the thermoelectric power data

The Generalization of the Kinetic Equations and the Spectral Conductivity Function to Anisotropic Systems: Case T-Al72.5Mn21.5Fe6 Complex Metallic Alloy

Electrical conductivity, σ, and thermoelectric power, S, of the monocrystalline T-Al72.5Mn21.5Fe6 complex metallic alloy have been investigated in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. The crystallographic-direction-dependent measurements were performed along the [0 0 1], [0 1 0] and [1 0 0] directions of the orthorhombic unit cell, where the stacking direction is along the [0 1 0] direction. The electrical conductivity exhibits a very small anisotropy, and in all directions shows the non-metallic behaviour with square root, &radic;T, temperature behaviour and finite value in the T = 0 limit. Spectral conductivity function, σS(E), constructed out of measurements, reflects anisotropy of the experimental data and indicate non-analytic square root like singularity at Fermi level. Asymmetry of the spectral conductivity function has been extracted from the thermoelectric power data.</p

The Generalization of the Kinetic Equations and the Spectral Conductivity Function to Anisotropic Systems: Case T-Al_72.5Mn_21.5Fe_6 Complex Metallic Alloy

Electrical conductivity, σ, and thermoelectric power, S, of the monocrystalline T-Al_72.5Mn_21.5Fe_6 complex metallic alloy have been investigated in the temperature range from 2 to 300 K. The crystallographic-direction-dependent measurements were performed along the [0 0 1], [0 1 0] and [1 0 0] directions of the orthorhombic unit cell, where the stacking direction is along the [0 1 0] direction. The electrical conductivity exhibits a very small anisotropy, and in all directions shows the non-metallic behaviour with square root, √T, temperature behaviour and finite value in the T = 0 limit. Spectral conductivity function, σS(E), constructed out of measurements, reflects anisotropy of the experimental data and indicate non-analytic square root like singularity at Fermi level. Asymmetry of the spectral conductivity function has been extracted from the thermoelectric power data

Room temperature demonstration of a sodium superionic conductor with grain conductivity in excess of 0.01 S cm-1 and its primary applications in symmetric battery cells

Partial financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the frame of the BenchBatt project (reference number 03XP0047B) is gratefully acknowledged.The lack of suitable candidate electrolyte materials for practical application limits development of all-solid-state Na-ion batteries. Na3+xZr2Si2+xP1-xO12 were the very first series of NASICONs discovered some 40 years ago; however, separation of bulk conductivity from total conductivity at room temperature is still problematic. It has been suggested that the effective Na-ion conductivity is ~10-4 S cm-1 at room temperature for Na3+xZr2Si2+xP1-xO12 ceramics; however using solution-assisted solid-state reaction for preparation of Na3+xZr2Si2+xP1-xO12, total conductivity of 5 × 10-3 S cm-1 was achieved for Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 at 25 °C, higher than previously reported for polycrystalline Na-ion conductors. Bulk conductivity of 1.5 × 10-2 S cm-1 was revealed by high frequency impedance spectroscopy (up to 3 GHz) and verified by low temperature impedance spectroscopy (down to -100 °C) for Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 at 25 °C, indicating further potential of increasing the related total conductivity. A Na/Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12/Na symmetric cell showed low interface resistance and high cycling stability at room temperature. A full-ceramic cell was fabricated and tested at 28 °C with good cycling performance.PostprintPeer reviewe

Chemical Vapor Deposition of Al13 Fe4 Highly Selective Catalytic Films for the Semi-Hydrogenation of Acetylene

Catalytic properties of coatings containing the Al13Fe4 intermetallic phase are tested in the reaction of semi-hydrogenation of acetylene. The selectivity to ethylene is found as high as 74% close to the reported values for pure,unsupported Al13Fe4. The initial conversion of acetylene to ethylene is 84% and rapidly drops due to the catalytic formation of carbon-based by-products on secondary Al-Fe phases. Coatings are processed through sequential chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of aluminum (5 Torr, 180 °C) and iron(40 Torr, 140 °C) layers, followed by in situ annealing for 60 min at 575 °C.Deposition proceeds at high growth rate, resulting in 15 μm thick films. After annealing, coatings are composed of the Al13Fe4 phase, co-existing with minor secondary Al-Fe intermetallic phases. Overall, it is shown that films containing complex Al-Fe intermetallic phases can be processed by CVD, opening new routes to the engineering of pure, supported Al13Fe4 catalysts on 3D or porous supports

Formation of unexpectedly active Ni–Fe oxygen evolution electrocatalysts by physically mixing Ni and Fe oxyhydroxides

We present an unusual, yet facile, strategy towards formation of physically mixed Ni–Fe(OxHy) oxygen evolution electrocatalysts. We use in situ X-ray absorption and UV-vis spectroscopy, and high-resolution imaging to demonstrate that physical contact between two inferior Ni(OH)2 and Fe(OOH) catalysts self-assemble into atomically intermixed Ni–Fe catalysts with unexpectedly high activity

Atomic Insights into Aluminium-Ion Insertion in Defective Anatase for Batteries

International audienceAluminium batteries constitute a safe and sustainable high‐energy‐density electrochemical energy‐storage solution. Viable Al‐ion batteries require suitable electrode materials that can readily intercalate high‐charge Al3+ ions. Here, we investigate the Al3+ intercalation chemistry of anatase TiO2 and how chemical modifications influence the accommodation of Al3+ ions. We use fluoride‐ and hydroxide‐doping to generate high concentrations of titanium vacancies. The coexistence of these hetero‐anions and titanium vacancies leads to a complex insertion mechanism, attributed to three distinct types of host sites: native interstitial sites, single vacancy sites, and paired vacancy sites. We demonstrate that Al3+ induces a strong local distortion within the modified TiO2 structure, which affects the insertion properties of the neighbouring host sites. Overall, specific structural features induced by the intercalation of highly polarising Al3+ ions should be considered when designing new electrode materials for polyvalent batteries