Absence of ferromagnetic order in high quality bulk Co-doped ZnO samples

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Bulk Zn(1-x)Co(x)O samples were synthesized via standard solid-state reaction route with different Co molar concentrations up to 21%. A detailed microstructural analysis was carried out to investigate alternative sources of ferromagnetism, such as secondary phases and nanocrystals embedded in the bulk material. Conjugating different techniques we confirmed the Zn replacement by Co ions in the wurtzite ZnO structure, which retains, however, a high crystalline quality. No segregated secondary phases neither Co-rich nanocrystals were detected. Superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry demonstrates a paramagnetic Curie-Weiss behavior with antiferromagnetic interactions. We discuss the observed room temperature paramagnetism of our samples considering the current models for the magnetic properties of diluted magnetic semiconductors. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3459885]1083FAPEMIGConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPEMIG_BrasilCNPq_BrasilFAPESP_Brasi

Difusão do gadolínio no combustível nuclear UO2 Diffusion of gadolinium in the UO2 nuclear fuel

Coeficientes de difusão do gadolínio foram medidos em volume e em contornos de grão de pastilhas do combustível nuclear UO2. Entre 1505 e 1703 ºC, em atmosfera de hidrogênio, o coeficiente de difusão em volume pode ser descrito pela seguinte equação de Arrhenius: D (cm²/s) = 5,3x10-3 exp (-5,1(eV)/kT). Na mesma faixa de temperaturas e na mesma atmosfera, o coeficiente de difusão do gadolínio em contornos de grão do UO2 pode ser descrito pela expressão: D' delta (cm³ / s) = 1,1x1,0-2 exp (-6,3 (eV) / kT), onde D&acute; é o coeficiente de difusão em contornos de grão e delta é a largura do contorno de grão. Nossos resultados mostram que a difusão em contornos de grão é cerca de quatro ordens de grandeza maior do que a difusão em volume nas mesmas condições experimentais. Para os diferentes isótopos do gadolínio utilizados nas experiências não foi observado efeito isotópico para a difusão do gadolínio no UO2. Não há na literatura dados sobre a difusão do gadolínio no UO2 para comparação com os resultados obtidos neste trabalho.<br>Bulk and grain-boundary diffusion coefficients were measured for gadolinium diffusion in UO2 nuclear fuel pellets. Between 1500 and 1703 ºC, in hydrogen atmosphere, the bulk diffusion coefficient can be described by the following Arrhenius equation: D (cm²/s) = 5,3x10-3 exp (-5,1(eV)/kT) . In the same temperature range and in the same atmosphere, the Gd grain-boundary coefficient in UO2 can be described as follows: D' delta (cm³ / s) = 1,1x1,0-2 exp (-6,3 (eV) / kT), where D&acute; is the grain-boundary diffusion coefficient and delta is the grain-boundary width. Our results show that the grain-boundary diffusion is ca. 4 orders of magnitude greater than the bulk diffusion in the same experimental conditions. Isotopic effect was not observed for the diffusion of the different gadolinium isotopes used in this work. There is no data in the literature about gadolinium diffusion in UO2 to compare to the present results

Artigo revisão: métodos experimentais para o estudo da autodifusão do oxigênio em óxidos metálicos

São revistos os principais métodos experimentais de estudo da difusão do oxigênio em óxidos metálicos. Casos práticos são descritos e ilustrados com resultados obtidos pelo autor em trabalhos anteriores

Reversible ferromagnetic switching in ZnO:(Co,Mn) powders

We report here on the magnetic properties of ZnO:Mn- and ZnO:Co-doped nanoparticles. We have found that the ferromagnetism of ZnO:Mn can be switched on and off by consecutive low-temperature annealings in O2 and N2, respectively, while the opposite phenomenology was observed for ZnO:Co. These results suggest that different defects (presumably n-type for ZnO:Co and p-type for ZnO:Mn) are required to induce a ferromagnetic coupling in each case. We will argue that ferromagnetism is likely to be restricted to a very thin, nanometric layer at the grain surface. These findings reveal and give insight into the dramatic relevance of surface effects to the occurrence of ferromagnetism in ZnO-doped oxides

First study of manganese diffusion in Cr2O3 polycrystals and thin films by SIMS

International audienceChromia layers are formed on many industrial alloys and act as a protective barrier against the corrosion of the materials by limiting the diffusion of oxygen and cations. Most of these alloys contain manganese as an impurity, and manganese oxides are often found at the outer surface of the oxide films. In order to clarify the oxidation mechanism and to check if chromia acts as a barrier, manganese diffusion in chromia was studied in both polycrystals and oxide films formed by oxidation of Ni–30Cr alloy in the temperature range 700–1100C at an oxygen pressure of 104 atm. After deposition of Mn on the chromia surface and a diffusing treatment, the manganese penetration profiles were established by secondary ion mass spectrometry. In all cases, the diffusion profiles showed two domains. For the first domain, using the solution of Fick's law for diffusion from a thick film into a semi-infinite medium, bulk diffusion coefficients were determined. For the second domain, the Le Claire model allowed the grain boundary diffusion parameter (Dgb) to be obtained. Manganese diffusion does not vary significantly according to the nature and microstructure of chromia. The activation energy of grain boundary diffusion is not far from that obtained for bulk diffusion, probably on account of segregation phenomena. Manganese diffusion was compared to cationic self-diffusion and iron diffusion, and related to the protective character of chromia

Oxygen self-diusion in a cordierite glass

Abstract Oxygen self-diusion measurements determined below and above the glass transition temperature in a cordierite glass are reported. The diusion experiments were performed by the solid±gas isotope exchange method using 18 O as a tracer in H 2 ±H 2 18 O and Ar/ 18 O 2 atmospheres. The 18 O diusion pro®les were established by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) after appropriate diusion annealing. The oxygen diusion coecients changed at the glass transition temperature as expected. The atmosphere aected the oxygen diusivity in agreement with other studies. The diusion data were useful for comparisons with diusion controlled process in the same glass. There is a dierence between the activation enthalpies for crystal growth, viscous¯ow, and oxygen self-diusion. Hence, bond-breaking and molecular reorientation required for crystallization and the atomic transport mechanism involved in viscous¯ow are not correlated in any obvious way to oxygen diusion in cordierite glass.

Optical characterization of 316L stainless steel coated with sol-gel titania

In this work 316L stainless steel substrates were coated with sol-gel derived films by means of the dip-coating technique. Titanium isopropoxide and ethanol were used as chemical precursor and solvent, respectively. The dip-coating step was performed using withdrawal speeds of 6 mm/min, 30 mm/min, and 60 mm/min. Next, the samples were heat treated in air for 30 min at 100 °C, 300 °C, and 400 °C. The processed composites were examined by FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopies. We observed that the materials prepared in this work can exhibit a variety of colors depending on the heat treatment temperature, withdrawal speed, and precursor:solvent molar ratio used in their processing. It is an important finding since this behavior could lead to architectural application of these materials. We believe that the changes observed in the UV-vis spectra and the colors of these samples could be related to the variation of the coating thickness as the processing conditions were modified. FTIR tests revealed that the ratio between the intensities of features ascribed to hydroxyl groups and TiO bonds decreased as the heat treatment temperature was increased. On the other hand, the ratio between bands related to TiOTi and TiO bonds decreased when the heating temperature was raised from 100 °C to 300 °C

Evidence of defect-mediated magnetic coupling on hydrogenated Co-doped ZnO

Hydrogenated bulk Zn1-xCoxO samples were synthesized via standard solid-state reaction route with Co molar concentrations up to 15 at.%. Magnetic characterization demonstrates a room temperature ferromagnetic behavior associated to a paramagnetic Curie-Weiss component. Detailed microstructural analysis was carried out to exclude the presence of extrinsic sources of ferromagnetism. The magnetization increases linearly as a function of Co concentration. Hall measurements reveal an insulating character for the whole set of samples. In this context, the defect mediated magnetic coupling between the Co atoms under the scope of the bound magnetic polarons model is used to interpret the observed room temperature ferromagnetism. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved