8 research outputs found
Тепловой баланс помещения с электрической кабельной системой отопления
Solvothermal
oxidation of metallic gallium in monoethanolamine for 72 h at 240
°C yields a crystalline sample of γ-Ga<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (∼30 nm crystallites). While Rietveld refinement (cubic
spinel structure, <i>Fd</i>3̅<i>m</i>; <i>a</i> = 8.23760(9) Å) reveals that Ga occupies two pairs
of octahedral and tetrahedral sites (ideal spinel and nonspinel),
it provides no information about their local distribution, which cannot
be statistical owing to the short Ga–Ga contacts produced if
neighboring ideal spinel and nonspinel sites are simultaneously occupied.
To create an atomistic model to reconcile this situation, a 6 ×
6 × 6 supercell of the crystal structure is constructed and refined
against neutron total scattering data using a reverse Monte Carlo
(RMC) approach. This accounts well for the local as well as long-range
structure and reveals significant local distortion in the octahedral
sites that resembles the structure of thermodynamically stable β-Ga<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. <sup>71</sup>Ga solid-state NMR results reveal
a octahedral:tetrahedral Ga ratio that is consistent with the model
obtained from RMC. Nanocrystalline samples of γ-Ga<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> are produced by either a short solvothermal reaction
(240 °C for 11 h in diethanolamine; ∼15 nm crystallites)
or by precipitation from an ethanolic solution of gallium nitrate
(∼5 nm crystallites). For these samples, the Bragg scattering
profile is broadened by their smaller crystallite size, consistent
with transmission electron microscopy results, and analysis of the
relative Bragg peak intensities provides evidence that a greater proportion
of tetrahedral versus octahedral sites are filled. In contrast, neutron
total scattering shows the same average Ga–O distance with
decreasing particle size, consistent with <sup>71</sup>Ga solid-state
NMR results that indicate that all samples contain the same overall
proportion of octahedral:tetrahedral Ga. It is postulated that increased
occupation of tetrahedral sites within the smaller crystallites is
balanced by an increased proportion of octahedral surface Ga sites,
owing to termination by bound solvent or hydroxide
Selective Imaging of Discrete Polyoxometalate Ions on Graphene Oxide under Variable Voltage Conditions
Monosubstituted lacunary Keggin [CoSiW<sub>11</sub>O<sub>39</sub>]<sup>6–</sup> ions on graphene oxide
(GO) were used in a
comparative imaging study using aberration corrected transmission
electron microscopy at two different acceleration voltages, 80 and
200 kV. By performing a set of static and dynamical studies, together
with image simulations, we show how the use of lower voltages results
in better stability and resolution of the underlying GO support while
the use of higher voltages permits better resolution of the individual
tungsten atoms and leads to less kinetic motion of the cluster, thus
leading to a more accurate identification of cluster orientation and
better stability under dynamical imaging conditions. Applying different
voltages also influences the visibility of both GO and the lighter
Co at lower or higher voltages, respectively
Electronic Structure Control of Sub-nanometer 1D SnTe <i>via</i> Nanostructuring within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Nanostructuring, <i>e</i>.<i>g</i>., reduction
of dimensionality in materials, offers a viable route toward regulation
of materials electronic and hence functional properties. Here, we
present the extreme case of nanostructuring, exploiting the capillarity
of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for the synthesis of the
smallest possible SnTe nanowires with cross sections as thin as a
single atom column. We demonstrate that by choosing the appropriate
diameter of a template SWCNT, we can manipulate the structure of the
quasi-one-dimensional (1D) SnTe to design electronic behavior. From
first principles, we predict the structural re-formations that SnTe
undergoes in varying encapsulations and confront the prediction with
TEM imagery. To further illustrate the control of physical properties
by nanostructuring, we study the evolution of transport properties
in a homologous series of models of synthesized and isolated SnTe
nanowires varying only in morphology and atomic layer thickness. This
extreme scaling is predicted to significantly enhance thermoelectric
performance of SnTe, offering a prospect for further experimental
studies and future applications
Raman Spectroscopy of Optical Transitions and Vibrational Energies of ∼1 nm HgTe Extreme Nanowires within Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
This paper presents a resonance Raman spectroscopy study of ∼1 nm diameter HgTe nanowires formed inside single walled carbon nanotubes by melt infiltration. Raman spectra have been measured for ensembles of bundled filled tubes, produced using tubes from two separate sources, for excitation photon energies in the ranges 3.39–2.61 and 1.82–1.26 eV for Raman shifts down to ∼25 cm<sup>–1</sup>. We also present HRTEM characterization of the tubes and the results of DFT calculations of the phonon and electronic dispersion relations, and the optical absorption spectrum based upon the observed structure of the HgTe nanowires. All of the evidence supports the hypothesis that the observed Raman features are not attributable to single walled carbon nanotubes, <i>i.e.</i>, peaks due to radial breathing mode phonons, but are due to the HgTe nanowires. The observed additional features are due to four distinct phonons, with energies 47, 51, 94, and 115 cm<sup>–1</sup>, respectively, plus their overtones and combinations. All of these modes have strong photon energy resonances that maximize at around 1.76 eV energy with respect to incident laser
Structures and Magnetism of the Rare-Earth Orthochromite Perovskite Solid Solution La<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sm<sub>1–<i>x</i></sub>CrO<sub>3</sub>
A new mixed rare-earth orthochromite
series, La<sub><i>x</i></sub>Sm<sub>1–<i>x</i></sub>CrO<sub>3</sub>, prepared through single-step hydrothermal
synthesis is reported. Solid solutions (<i>x</i> = 0, 0.25,
0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 0.875, and 1.0) were prepared by the hydrothermal
treatment of amorphous mixed-metal hydroxides at 370 °C for 48
h. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the formation of
highly crystalline particles with dendritic-like morphologies. Rietveld
refinements against high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD)
data show that the distorted perovskite structures are described by
the orthorhombic space group <i>Pnma</i> over the full composition
range. Unit cell volumes and Cr–O–Cr bond angles decrease
monotonically with increasing samarium content, consistent with the
presence of the smaller lanthanide in the structure. Raman spectroscopy
confirms the formation of solid solutions, the degree of their structural
distortion. With the aid of shell-model calculations the complex mixing
of Raman modes below 250 cm<sup>–1</sup> is clarified. Magnetometry
as a function of temperature reveals the onset of low-temperature
antiferromagnetic ordering of Cr<sup>3+</sup> spins with weak ferromagnetic
component at Néel temperatures (<i>T</i><sub>N</sub>) that scale linearly with unit cell volume and structural distortion.
Coupling effects between Cr<sup>3+</sup> and Sm<sup>3+</sup> ions
are examined with enhanced susceptibilities below <i>T</i><sub>N</sub> due to polarization of Sm<sup>3+</sup> moments. At low
temperatures the Cr<sup>3+</sup> sublattice is shown to undergo a
second-order spin reorientation observed as a rapid decrease of susceptibility
Confined Crystals of the Smallest Phase-Change Material
The demand for high-density memory
in tandem with limitations imposed
by the minimum feature size of current storage devices has created
a need for new materials that can store information in smaller volumes
than currently possible. Successfully employed in commercial optical
data storage products, phase-change materials, that can reversibly
and rapidly change from an amorphous phase to a crystalline phase
when subject to heating or cooling have been identified for the development
of the next generation electronic memories. There are limitations
to the miniaturization of these devices due to current synthesis and
theoretical considerations that place a lower limit of 2 nm on the
minimum bit size, below which the material does not transform in the
structural phase. We show here that by using carbon nanotubes of less
than 2 nm diameter as templates phase-change nanowires confined to
their smallest conceivable scale are obtained. Contrary to previous
experimental evidence and theoretical expectations, the nanowires
are found to crystallize at this scale and display amorphous-to-crystalline
phase changes, fulfilling an important prerequisite of a memory element.
We show evidence for the smallest phase-change material, extending
thus the size limit to explore phase-change memory devices at extreme
scales
Size-Dependent Structure Relations between Nanotubes and Encapsulated Nanocrystals
The structural organization
of compounds in a confined space of nanometer-scale cavities is of
fundamental importance for understanding the basic principles for
atomic structure design at the nanolevel. Here, we explore size-dependent
structure relations between one-dimensional PbTe nanocrystals and
carbon nanotube containers in the diameter range of 2.0–1.25
nm using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and ab initio
calculations. Upon decrease of the confining volume, one-dimensional
crystals reveal gradual thinning, with the structure being cut from
the bulk in either a <110> or a <100> growth direction
until a certain limit of ∼1.3 nm. This corresponds to the situation
when a stoichiometric (uncharged) crystal does not fit into the cavity
dimensions. As a result of the in-tube charge compensation, one-dimensional
superstructures with nanometer-scale atomic density modulations are
formed by a periodic addition of peripheral extra atoms to the main
motif. Structural changes in the crystallographic configuration of
the composites entail the redistribution of charge density on single-walled
carbon nanotube walls and the possible appearance of the electron
density wave. The variation of the potential attains 0.4 eV, corresponding
to charge density fluctuations of 0.14 e/atom
Scalable Patterning of Encapsulated Black Phosphorus
Atomically thin black
phosphorus (BP) has attracted considerable
interest due to its unique properties, such as an infrared band gap
that depends on the number of layers and excellent electronic transport
characteristics. This material is known to be sensitive to light and
oxygen and degrades in air unless protected with an encapsulation
barrier, limiting its exploitation in electrical devices. We present
a new scalable technique for nanopatterning few layered BP by
direct electron beam exposure of encapsulated crystals, achieving
a spatial resolution down to 6 nm. By encapsulating the BP with single
layer graphene or hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), we show that a focused
electron probe can be used to produce controllable local oxidation
of BP through nanometre size defects created in the encapsulation
layer by the electron impact. We have tested the approach in the scanning
transmission electron microscope (STEM) and using industry standard
electron beam lithography (EBL). Etched regions of the BP are stabilized
by a thin passivation layer and demonstrate typical insulating behavior
as measured at 300 and 4.3 K. This new scalable approach to nanopatterning
of thin air sensitive crystals has the potential to facilitate their
wider use for a variety of sensing and electronics applications