Ferromagnetic HfO2/Si/GaAs interface for spin-polarimetry applications

In this letter, we present electrical and magnetic characteristics of HfO2-based metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs), along with the effect of pseudomorphic Si as a passivating interlayer on GaAs(001) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Ultrathin HfO2 high-k gate dielectric films (3–15 nm) have been grown on Si/GaAs(001) structures through evaporation of a Hf/HfO2 target in NO2 gas. The lowest interface states density Dit at Au/HfO2/Si/GaAs(001) MOS-structures were obtained in the range of (6−13)×101

Constructing g-C3N4/Cd1−xZnxS-Based Heterostructures for Efficient Hydrogen Production under Visible Light

Two types of photocatalysts, 1%Pt/Cd1−x Znx S/g-C3 N4 (x = 0.2–0.3) and Cd1−x Znx S/1% Pt/g-C3 N4 (x = 0.2–0.3), were synthesized by varying the deposition order of platinum, and a solid solution of cadmium and zinc sulfides onto the surface of g-C3 N4. The characterization of photo-catalysts showed that, for 1%Pt/Cd1−x Znx S/g-C3 N4, small platinum particles were deposited onto a solid solution of cadmium and zinc sulfides; in the case of Cd1−x Znx S/1%Pt/g-C3 N4, enlarged platinum clusters were located on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride. Based on the structure of the photocatalysts, we assumed that, in the first case, type II heterojunctions and, in the latter case, S-scheme heterojunctions were realized. The activity of the synthesized samples was tested in hydrogen evolution from triethanolamine (TEOA) basic solution under visible light (λ = 450 nm). A remarkable increase in hydrogen evolution rate compared to single-phase platinized 1%Pt/Cd1−x Znx S photocat-alysts was observed only in the case of ternary photocatalysts with platinum located on the g-C3 N4 surface, Cd1−x Znx S/1%Pt/g-C3 N4. Thus, we proved using kinetic experiments and characterization techniques that, for composite photocatalysts based on Cd1−x Znx S and g-C3 N4, the formation of the S-scheme mechanism is more favorable than that for type II heterojunction. The highest activity, 2.5 mmol H2 g−1 h−1, with an apparent quantum efficiency equal to 6.0% at a wavelength of 450 nm was achieved by sample 20% Cd0.8 Zn0.2 S/1% Pt/g-C3 N4. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding: This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation within the governmental order for Boreskov Institute of Catalysis (project AAAA-A21-121011390009-1) and was also funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 20-33-70086). A.S.V. and I.A.W. thank Minobrnauki research project FEUZ-2020-0059 for financial support

The crystal growth and properties of novel magnetic double molybdate RbFe5_{5}(MoO4_{4})7_{7} with mixed Fe3+^{3+}/Fe2+^{2+}states and 1D negative thermal expansion

Single crystals of new compound RbFe$_5$(MoO$_4$)$_7$ were successfully grown by the flux method, and their crystal structure was determined using the X-ray single-crystal diffraction technique. The XRD analysis showed that the compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/m, with unit cell parameters a = 6.8987(4), b = 21.2912(12) and c = 8.6833(5) Å, β = 102.1896(18)°, V = 1246.66(12) Å$^3$, Z (molecule number in the unit cell) = 2, R-factor (reliability factor) = 0.0166, and T = 293(2) K. Raman spectra were collected on the single crystal to show the local symmetry of MoO$_4$ tetrahedra, after the confirmation of crystal composition using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The polycrystalline samples were synthesized by a solid-state reaction in the Ar atmosphere; the particle size and thermal stability were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. The compound decomposes above 1073 K in an Ar atmosphere with the formation of Fe(III) molybdate. The thermal expansion coefficient along the c direction has the value α = −1.3 ppm K$^{−1}$ over the temperature range of 298–473 K. Magnetic measurements revealed two maxima in the magnetization below 20 K, and paramagnetic behavior above 50 K with the calculated paramagnetic moment of 12.7 μB per formula unit is in good agreement with the presence of $_3$Fe$^{3+}$ and $_2$Fe$^{3+}$ in the high-spin (HS) state. The electronic structure of RbFe5(MoO4)7 is comparatively evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations