Ab Initio Study of the Electronic and Energy Properties of Diamond Carbon

In this chapter, we present a study on the electronic properties of diamond carbon, using band structure and density of states calculations. The calculations are based on the use of the grid-based projector-augmented wave (GPAW) and atomic simulation environment (ASE) methods. The main results of our work are the optimization of diamond energy (to −17.57 eV) and the calculation of the gap with the PBE (Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof) and the functional hybrid PBE0 hybrid functional, which is about 5.368 eV (the closest value to the value found in the literature). We were also able to reproduce the experimental value of the lattice constant of diamond to within 0.2% for PBE0 and 0.4% for PBE. Our results contribute to the study of the electronic properties of diamond using GPAW and ASE simulation, which is a set of Python modules, designed to facilitate the setup, execution, and analysis of atomic/electronic calculations. This tight integration of ASE and GPAW should be exploited in future research of the electronic properties of diamond, which is one of the most promising materials for the integrated electronic and photonic, radio, optoelectronic, and quantum devices industry. This chapter provides interesting information for the theoretical and experimental communities working in this field

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism in (Ge,Mn) compounds: experiments and modeling

X-ray absorption (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectra at the L$_{2,3}$ edges of Mn in (Ge,Mn) compounds have been measured and are compared to the results of first principles calculation. Early \textit{ab initio} studies show that the Density Functional Theory (DFT) can very well describe the valence band electronic properties but fails to reproduce a characteristic change of sign in the L$_{3}$ XMCD spectrum of Mn in Ge$_3$Mn$_5$, which is observed in experiments. In this work we demonstrate that this disagreement is partially related to an underestimation of the exchange splitting of Mn 2$p$ core states within the local density approximation. It is shown that the change in sign experimentally observed is reproduced if the exchange splitting is accurately calculated within the Hartree-Fock approximation, while the final states can be still described by the DFT. This approach is further used to calculate the XMCD in different (Ge,Mn) compounds. It demonstrates that the agreement between experimental and theoretical spectra can be improved by combining state of the art calculations for the core and valence states respectively.Comment: 8 page

Critical Behavior of La0.8Ca0.2Mn1−xCoxO3 Perovskite (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.3)

The critical properties of La0.8Ca0.2Mn1−xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) compounds were investigated by analysis of the magnetic measurements in the vicinity of their critical temperature. Arrott plots revealed that the paramagnetic PM-ferromagnetic (FM) phase transition for the sample with x = 0 is a first order transition, while it is a second order transition for all doped compounds. The critical exponents β, γ and δ were evaluated using modified Arrott plots (MAP) and the Kouvel-Fisher method (KF). The reliability of the evaluated critical exponents was confirmed by the Widom scaling relation and the universal scaling hypothesis. The values of the critical exponents for the doped compounds were consistent with the 3D-Heisenberg model for magnetic interactions. For x = 0.1, the estimated critical components are found inconsistent with any known universality class. In addition, the local exponent n was determined from the magnetic entropy change and found to be sensitive to the magnetic field in the entire studied temperature range.This work has been supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology and Institute Neel at Grenobl

Transitions dipolaires induites par collisions sur un faisceau de formaldehyde; effet d'un champ electrique

SIGLET 55256 / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Elaboration et étude des propriétés physiques de nouveaux manganites à effet magnétocalorique (la1-xCexMnO3; La0,7(CaSr)0,3Mn1-xFexO3 ; La0,6Ca0,4Mn1-xFexO3.)

Fin des années 1980, la découverte de l'effet magnétorésistif géant, qui se caractérise par une variation importante de la résistance électrique d'un matériau lorsqu'on le soumet à un champ magnétique, a eu un impact très important tant au niveau des études fondamentales qu'en vue d'applications industrielles telles que la réduction de la taille des disques durs des ordinateurs (Prix Nobel d'A. Fert en 2007). L'engouement ainsi suscité a permis de mettre en évidence cet effet, au début des années 1990, dans les couches minces d'oxyde de type pérovskite ABO3 et plus particulièrement dans les manganites de terres rares (Ln1-xAx)MnO3. Le but de ce travail s'inscrit dans ce cadre et concerne l'élaboration et l'étude des propriétés physiques (structurales, magnétiques, de transport et magnétocaloriques) de nouveaux manganites qui pourraient avoir des applications dans un domaine connexe qui est la réfrigération magnétique. En effet, cette dernière décennie, a vu les découvertes de nouveaux composés présentant des effets magnétocaloriques géants qui ont conduit aux premiers essais de laboratoire de la réfrigération magnétique. Celle-ci semble être l'une des alternatives très sérieuses pour le remplacement des systèmes de réfrigération classique basés sur la compression-détente des gaz. Cette nouvelle technique, comparée aux techniques traditionnelles, présente plusieurs avantages, elle est plus efficace sur le plan énergétique, plus compacte et surtout moins nuisible à l'environnement. La première partie de ce travail porte sur l'élaboration et la caractérisation des composés de formule La1-xCexMnO3. Nous avons étudié l'effet du recuit sur les propriétés morphologique, structurale, magnétique et magnétocalorique de ces composés. L'application du modèle de Landau, en bon accord avec les résultats expérimentaux de la mesure l'entropie magnétique SM, a montré que la nature de transition de phase dépend aussi de la température de recuit. La composition x=0.4 de ce composé présente la valeur la plus élevée du facteur de mérite RCP, ce qui en fait un bon candidat pour les applications à la réfrigération magnétique. Dans une deuxième partie une étude des propriétés morphologique, structurale, magnétique et magnétocalorique des manganites de formule La0,7Ca0,15Sr0,15Mn1-xFexO3 a été réalisée. Le fer n'influe pas sur les propriétés structurales mais entraîne une diminution de la température de Curie TC. Afin d'approfondir ces études, nous avons proposé un matériau composite basé sur deux composés La0,7Ca0,15Sr0,15Mn1-xFexO3 (x = 0,025 et 0,75). La variation d'entropie du composite reste approximativement constante entre 260 et 300 K. En conséquence, ce matériau composite peut être un très bon candidat pour la réfrigération magnétique au voisinage de l'ambiante. Dans une dernière partie, nous avons étudié l'effet du double échange, de la méthode de préparation, le rayons du site A et la nature magnétique du dopant au site B sur les propriétés magnétocaloriques en caractérisant la famille des composés La0,6A0,4Mn1-xFexO3 (A= Ca, Sr et 0<=x<=0,2) par diffraction des rayons X et par mesures magnétiques. D'une part, l'entropie magnétique maximale augmente avec le rayon du site A et est peu affecté par le rayon du site B et d'autre part, la méthode de préparation solide-solide est à privilégier puisqu'elle permet d'obtenir les plus grandes valeurs d'entropie magnétique maximale.Since the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance effect (end of 1980s), which is characterized by a large change in the electrical resistance of a material under the effect of a magnetic field, a major impact has been motivated both on fundamental and practical aspects (Nobel Prize of A. Fert in 2007). The intensive research activities in this field have leaded in the end of 1990 to point out the giant magnetoresitance in thin films of perovskite family, in particular the manganites (Ln1-xAx)MnO3. The aim of this work concern the study of the structural, magnetic, electrical and magnetocaloric properties of new manganites based materials in view of their application in the magnetic cooling. It is worth noting that in recent years, a giant magnetocaloric effect has been reported in several materials leading to the implementation of new efficient magnetic cooling systems. This technology is considered actually as the most alternative to replace the classical systems based on the compression-relaxation process. Compared with conventional refrigeration, magnetic cooling presents relevant advantages such as a decrease of energy consumption (high efficiency) and reduction of the acoustic and environmental pollution (elimination of the standard coolants: CFC, HCFC). The first part of this work concerns the elaboration as well as the characterization of the compound with La1-xCexMnO3 formula. We have studied the role of the annealing on the morphological, structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of these materials. Using the Landau theory, we have calculated the magnetic entropy change SM, which is found in good agreement with the measurements, and we have shown that the nature of the magnetic transition depends also on the annealing temperature. The compound with the composition x = 0.4, presents a large value of the figure of merit RCP, which make this material a good candidate for magnetic cooling application. In the second part, a detailed study of the morphological, structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the compounds with La0,7Ca0,15Sr0,15Mn1-xFexO3 formula has been performed. The iron Fe don't affect the structural properties, but induces a decrease of the Curie temperature. Based on the La0,7Ca0,15Sr0,15Mn1-xFexO3 (x = 0, 025 et 0,075) compositions, a composite material was proposed. The entropy change of the composite remains approximately constant in the temperature range between 260 and 300 K. Consequently, the proposed composite can be a good refrigerant for room temperature applications, in particular the magnetic cooling systems that use AMR or Ericsson thermodynamic cycles. In the last part, we have investigated the effect of the double exchange, preparation method and, ionic radius in A site and the magnetic nature on the doping in B site on the physical properties of La0,6A0,4Mn1-xFexO3 (A= Ca, Sr et 0<=x<=0,2) by using X-rays diffraction and magnetic measurements. The results demonstrate that the maximum entropy change increases with the ray of A site while it is slightly affected by the B site ray. On the other hand, it seems that the solid-solid preparation technique allows to obtain compounds with high magnetocaloric performances.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Impact of Annealing Temperature on the Physical Properties of the Lanthanum Deficiency Manganites

International audienceThe lanthanum deficiency manganites La0.8-x□xCa0.2MnO3 (x = 0, 0.1 and 0.2), where □ is a lanthanum vacancy, were prepared using the classic ceramic methods with different thermal treatments (1373 K and 973 K). The structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of these compounds were studied as a function of annealing temperature. It was noted that the annealing temperature did not affect the crystal structure of our samples (orthorhombic structure with Pnma space group). Nevertheless, a change in the variation of the unit cell volume V, the average bond length dMn–O, and the average bond angles θMn–O–Mn were observed. Magnetization versus temperature study has shown that all samples exhibited a magnetic transition from ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase with increasing temperature. However, it can be clearly seen that the annealing at 973 K induced an increase of the magnetization. In addition, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) as well as the relative cooling power (RCP) were estimated. As an important result, the values of MCE and RCP in our Lanthanum-deficiency manganites are reported to be near to those found in gadolinium, considered as magnetocaloric reference material

Effects of Transition-Metal V-Doping on the Structural, Magnetic and Transport Properties in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 Manganite Oxide

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Critical behavior of Pr

The critical behavior and magnetic properties of Pr0.65Sr0.35MnO3 (symbolized here by PSMO) were studied using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). The thermal bath algorithm and Ising model in which exchange interactions via the third nearest neighbor were used to calculate the magnetic and magneto-caloric properties. The effects of temperature (T) and external magnetic field (h) on the magnetic behavior of PSMO were examined. The results show that the Curie temperature (TC) is close to the experimental value. The magnetic entropy shows a maximum value around the TC that increases linearly with the increase of the external field. The critical behavior of the PSMO compound was studied by analyzing the magnetization isotherms and by exploiting Arrott plots. The obtained values of the critical exponents are β = 0.336, γ = 1.121, and δ = 4.335. These values are very close to those reported for the 3D-Ising model. The variation of maximum magnetic entropy ( ΔSmmax Δ S m max ) and relative cooling power (RCP) around the Curie temperature were calculated; the obtained values of ΔSmmax Δ S m max and those of RCP ranging from 3.612 and 92.7 for 1T to 6.191 and 209.9 for 5T, respectively. These results are sufficiently interesting to consider the PSMO compound as a promising candidate for magnetic refrigeration

An ab initio investigation of the electronic and magnetic properties of graphite and nickel-doped graphite

In this paper, the KKR (Korringa, Kohn, and Rostoker) is presented with coherent potential approximation methods which is used to investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of allotropic graphite forms of carbon and nickel-doped graphite. The density of states (DOS), band structure, total energy, and the magnetic moments of atoms are computed. The crystallographic structure optimization is carried out by evaluating the total energy as a function of unit lattice parameters. The DOS analysis reveals a partially metallic behavior of the compound. The magnetism vs the Ni-doping content in C1−xNix is also investigated by computing moments induced on atoms; the sensitivity of the magnetism to Ni-doping is also analyzed