264 research outputs found
Subsolidus phase equilibria of the CuO – SrO – ZnO pseudoternary system in air at 900 °C
Received: 15.11.2017. Accepted: 01.12.2017. Published: 10.05.2018.The subsolidus phase equilibria of the CuO – SrO – ZnO system were determined at 900 °C in air. The pseudoternary section does not contain ternary oxide phases but is made of 5 three-phase regions and 2 narrow two-phase regions linked to a Sr14Cu24–xZnxO41–y solid solution. The maximum solubility of Zn in this phase is limited to x ≈ 0.1, but this low doping level results in a significant decrease of the electrical resistivity by about one order of magnitude compared to the undoped compound. The other binary oxide phases SrZnO2, Sr2CuO3, and SrCuO2 do not form solid solutions extending into the ternary system. SrZnO2 was found to decompose upon contact with ambient air
Distinct nature of static and dynamic magnetic stripes in cuprate superconductors
We present detailed neutron scattering studies of the static and dynamic
stripes in an optimally doped high-temperature superconductor,
LaCuO. We find that the dynamic stripes do not disperse towards the
static stripes in the limit of vanishing energy transfer. We conclude that the
dynamic stripes observed in neutron scattering experiments are not the
Goldstone modes associated with the broken symmetry of the simultaneously
observed static stripes, but rather that the signals originate from different
domains in the sample. These domains may be related by structural twinning, or
may be entirely different phases, where the static stripes in one phase are
pinned versions of the dynamic stripes in the other. Our results explain
earlier observations of unusual dispersions in underdoped
LaSrCuO () and LaBaCuO ().
Our findings are relevant for all compounds exhibiting magnetic stripes, and
may thus be a vital part in unveiling the nature of high temperature
superconductivity
Unraveling compacted graphite evolution during solidification of cast iron using in-situ synchrotron X-ray tomography
In spite of many years of research, the physical phenomena leading to the evolution of compacted graphite (CG) during solidification is still not fully understood. In particular, it is unknown how highly branched CG aggregates form and evolve in the semi-solid, and how local microstructural variations at micrometer length scale affect this growth process. We present here the first time-resolved synchrotron tomography combined with a bespoke high-temperature environmental cell that allows direct observation of the evolution of CG and relates this dynamic process to the local surrounding microstructures in a cast iron sample during repeated melting and solidification. Distinct processes are identified for the formation of CG involving the nucleation, growth, development of branches and interconnection of graphite particles, ultimately evolving into highly branched graphite aggregates with large sizes and low sphericities. CG is found to nucleate with a spheroidal or a plate-like shape, developing branches induced by high carbon concentration, e.g. thin melt channels. Additionally, CG grows much faster than spheroidal graphite during subsequent cooling in solid state. The direct visualization of the dynamic solidification process provides unprecedented new insights into formation mechanisms of CG and correlating factors such as local microstructural variations, and guides the development of CG iron solidification models
Reversible melting and equilibrium phase formation of (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+d
The decomposition and the reformation of the (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+d
(?Bi,Pb(2223)?) phase have been investigated in-situ by means of
High-Temperature Neutron Diffraction, both in sintered bulk samples and in
Ag-sheathed monofilamentary tapes. Several decomposition experiments were
performed at various temperatures and under various annealing atmospheres,
under flowing gas as well as in sealed tubes, in order to study the appropriate
conditions for Bi,Pb(2223) formation from the melt. The Bi,Pb(2223) phase was
found to melt incongruently into (Ca,Sr)2CuO3, (Sr,Ca)14Cu24O41 and a
Pb,Bi-rich liquid phase. Phase reformation after melting was successfully
obtained both in bulk samples and Ag-sheathed tapes. The possibility of
crystallising the Bi,Pb(2223) phase from the melt was found to be extremely
sensitive to the temperature and strongly dependent on the Pb losses. The study
of the mass losses due to Pb evaporation was complemented by thermogravimetric
analysis which proved that Pb losses are responsible for moving away from
equilibrium and therefore hinder the reformation of the Bi,Pb(2223) phase from
the melt. Thanks to the full pattern profile refinement, a quantitative phase
analysis was carried out as a function of time and temperature and the role of
the secondary phases was investigated. Lattice distortions and/or transitions
were found to occur at high temperature in Bi,Pb(2223), Bi,Pb(2212),
(Ca,Sr)2CuO3 and (Sr,Ca)14Cu24O41, due to cation diffusion and stoichiometry
changes. The results indicate that it is possible to form the Bi,Pb(2223) phase
from a liquid close to equilibrium conditions, like Bi(2212) and Bi(2201), and
open new unexplored perspectives for high-quality Ag-sheathed Bi,Pb(2223) tape
processing.Comment: 45 pages (including references,figures and captions), 13 figures
Submitted to Supercond. Sci. Techno
Manufacture of Bi-cuprate thin films on MgO single crystal substrates by chemical solution deposition
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films have been deposited on MgO single crystal substrates by spin-coating a solution based on 2-ethylhexanoate precursors dissolved in xylene. Pyrolysis takes place between 200 degrees C and 450 degrees C and is accompanied by the release of 2-ethylhexanoic acid, CO2 and H2O vapour. Highly c-axis oriented Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 as well as Er-or Ho-doped Bi2Sr2(Ca, Ln)Cu2O8 (Ln = Er, Ho) films were obtained after heat treatment at 840 degrees C in air
Flow virometry analysis of envelope glycoprotein conformations on individual HIV virions
HIV-1 envelope proteins (Envs) play a critical role in HIV infection. In a correct trimeric conformation, Env mediates virus–cell binding and fusion. Malfunctioning of this machinery renders virions incapable of infecting cells. Each HIV-1 virion carries 10–14 Envs, and therefore a defective Env may not necessarily render a HIV virion non-infectious, since other Env on the same virion may still be functional. Alternatively, it is possible that on a given virion either all the spikes are defective or all are functional. Here, we investigate Env conformations on individual virions using our new nanotechnology, “flow virometry”, and a panel of antibodies that discriminate between various Env conformations. We found that the majority of HIV-1 virions carry either only trimeric (“functional”) or only defective spikes. The relatively small subfraction of virions that carry both functional and nonfunctional Envs contributes little to HIV infection of human lymphoid tissue ex vivo. The observation that the majority of virions exclusively express either functional or nonfunctional forms of Env has important implications for understanding the role of neutralizing and non-neutralizing antibodies in the immune control of HIV infection as well as for the development of effective prophylactic strategies
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