Dielectric properties of BiFeO3 ceramics obtained from mechanochemically synthesized nanopowders

Dielectric behaviour of BiFeO3 ceramics,obtained by hot-pressing of nanopowders produced by mechanochemical synthesis from Bi2O3 and Fe2O3 oxides (weight ratio 2:1), was studied in the temperature range 125–575 K. The ceramics was found to exhibit step-like dielectric response ε*(T) with high permittivity values, similar to the behaviour of materials with giant dielectric permittivity. Three overlapping relaxation processes contribute to the dielectric response: i) relaxation in the lowtemperature range (220–420 K), characterized by activation energy of 0.4 eV, ii) relaxation in the temperature range 320–520 K with activation energy of 1.0 eV and iii) broad dielectric anomaly in the vicinity of 420 K, which disappears after 1 h annealing at 775 K. The lowtemperature relaxation is ascribed to the carrier hopping process between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. The presence of mixed valence of the Fe ions was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Dielectric relaxation in the middle-temperature range is considered as a result of grain boundary effect and internal barrier layers related to Bi25FeO40 phase as verified by X-ray diffraction. The high-temperature dielectric anomaly we relate to short-range hopping of ordered oxygen vacancies

Dielectric properties of BiFeO3 ceramics obtained from mechanochemically synthesized nanopowders

Dielectric behaviour of BiFeO3 ceramics,obtained by hot-pressing of nanopowders produced by mechanochemical synthesis from Bi2O3 and Fe2O3 oxides (weight ratio 2:1), was studied in the temperature range 125–575 K. The ceramics was found to exhibit step-like dielectric response ε*(T) with high permittivity values, similar to the behaviour of materials with giant dielectric permittivity. Three overlapping relaxation processes contribute to the dielectric response: i) relaxation in the lowtemperature range (220–420 K), characterized by activation energy of 0.4 eV, ii) relaxation in the temperature range 320–520 K with activation energy of 1.0 eV and iii) broad dielectric anomaly in the vicinity of 420 K, which disappears after 1 h annealing at 775 K. The lowtemperature relaxation is ascribed to the carrier hopping process between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. The presence of mixed valence of the Fe ions was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Dielectric relaxation in the middle-temperature range is considered as a result of grain boundary effect and internal barrier layers related to Bi25FeO40 phase as verified by X-ray diffraction. The high-temperature dielectric anomaly we relate to short-range hopping of ordered oxygen vacancies

High-pressure phase transition and properties of spinel ZnMn2O4

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, and a single-crystal x-ray structure determination at normal pressure have shown that Jahn-Teller active manganese ions in ZnMn2O4 are present in one valence state (III) on the octahedral sites of the spinel structure. The high-pressure behavior of ZnMn2O4 was investigated up to 52 GPa using the energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction technique and synchrotron radiation. The structural first-order phase transition from the body-centered to primitive-tetragonal cell takes place at Pc=23GPa. The high-pressure phase is metastable down to normal pressure. The c/a ratio reduces from 1.62 to 1.10 above Pc and remains nearly pressure independent in the high-pressure phase. The transition is attributed to the changes in electron configuration of the Mn3+ ions. According to the crystal field theory, the eg electron of octahedrally coordinated Mn3+ is either in the d2z orbital or in the dx2−y2. In the first configuration the MnO6octahedron will be elongated and this is the case at normal pressure, while the second configuration gives the flattened octahedron. In the high-pressure phase some proportion of the eg electrons of the Mn3+ ions is moved to the dx2−y2 level, which is revealed as an abrupt fall of observed magnitude of the distortion of the bulk crystal above Pc

Influence of carbon on spin reorientation processes in Er_{2-x}R_{x}Fe_{14}C (R = Gd, Pr) - Mössbauer and magnetometric studies

The $Er_{2-x}R_{x}Fe_{14}C$ (R=Gd, Pr) polycrystalline compounds have been synthesized and investigated with $\text{}^{57}Fe$ Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The spin reorientation phenomena were studied extensively by narrow step temperature scanning in the neighborhood of the spin reorientation temperature. Obtained Mössbauer spectra were analyzed using a procedure of simultaneous fitting and the transmission integral approach. Consistent description of Mössbauer spectra were obtained, temperature and composition dependencies of hyperfine interaction parameters and subspectra contributions were derived from fits and the transition temperatures were determined for all the compounds studied. Initial magnetization versus temperature measurements (in zero and non-zero external field) for $Er_{2-x}Gd_{x}Fe_{14}C$ compounds allowed to establish the temperature regions of reorientation, change of magnetization value during the transition process. The results obtained with different methods were analyzed and the spin arrangement diagrams were constructed. Data obtained for $Er_{2-x}Gd_{x}Fe_{14}C$ were compared with those for $Er_{2-x}Gd_{x}Fe_{14}B$ series

Amylomaltase of Pyrobaculum aerophilum IM2 produces thermoreversible starch gels

Amylomaltases are 4-α-glucanotransferases (EC 2.4.1.25) of glycoside hydrolase family 77 that transfer α-1,4-linked glucans to another acceptor, which can be the 4-OH group of an α-1,4-linked glucan or glucose. The amylomaltase-encoding gene (PAE1209) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum IM2 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the gene product (PyAMase) was characterized. PyAMase displays optimal activity at pH 6.7 and 95°C and is the most thermostable amylomaltase described to date. The thermostability of PyAMase was reduced in the presence of 2 mM dithiothreitol, which agreed with the identification of two possible cysteine disulfide bridges in a three-dimensional model of PyAMase. The kinetics for the disproportionation of malto-oligosaccharides, inhibition by acarbose, and binding mode of the substrates in the active site were determined. Acting on gelatinized food-grade potato starch, PyAMase produced a thermoreversible starch product with gelatin-like properties. This thermoreversible gel has potential applications in the food industry. This is the first report on an archaeal amylomaltase

A Deeper Insight into (Lu,Y)AG:Pr Scintillator Crystals

Interior of Czochralski-grown (Lu,Y)AG:Pr crystals has been examined by means of several techniques, such as X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Additionally, their luminescence has been monitored at various combinations of a double-beam (X-ray/IR) excitation

Examination of the local structure in composite and low dimensional semiconductor by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

X-ray absorption methods have been successfully used to obtain quantitative information about local atomic composition of two different materials. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure analysis and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy allowed us to determine seven chemical compounds and their concentrations in c-BN composite. Use of Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure in combination with Transmission Electron Microscopy enabled us to determine the composition and size of buried Ge quantum dots. It was found that the quantum dots consisted out of pure Ge core covered by 1-2 monolayers of a layer rich in Si

Mass Size Distribution and Chemical Composition of the Surface Layer of Summer and Winter Airborne Particles in Zabrze, Poland

Mass size distributions of ambient aerosol were measured in Zabrze, a heavily industrialized city of Poland, during a summer and a winter season. The chemical analyses of the surface layer of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 in this area were also performed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results suggested that the influence of an atmospheric aerosol on the health condition of Zabrze residents can be distinctly stronger in winter than in summer because of both: higher concentration level of particulate matter (PM) and higher contribution of fine particles in winter season compared to summer. In Zabrze in June (summer) PM10 and PM2.5 reached about 20 and 14 μg/m3, respectively, while in December (winter) 57 and 51 μg/m3, respectively. The XPS analysis showed that elemental carbon is the major surface component of studied airborne particles representing about 78%–80% (atomic mass) of all detected elements