Resonant X-ray Diffraction Research Articles

Picometer polar atomic displacements in strontium titanate determined by resonant X-ray diffraction

Physical properties of crystalline materials often manifest themselves as atomic displacements either away from symmetry positions or driven by external fields. Especially the origin of multiferroic or magnetoelectric effects may be hard to ascertain as the related displacements can reach the detection limit. Here we present a resonant X-ray crystal structure analysis technique that shows enhanced sensitivity to minute atomic displacements. It is applied to a recently found crystalline modification of strontium titanate that forms in single crystals under electric field due to oxygen vacancy migration. The phase has demonstrated unexpected properties, including piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity, which can only exist in non-centrosymmetric crystals. Apart from that, the atomic structure has remained elusive and could not be obtained by standard methods. Using resonant X-ray diffraction, we determine atomic displacements with sub-picometer precision and show that the modified structure of strontium titanate corresponds to that of well-known ferroelectrics such as lead titanate.

Simulation of Surface Resonant X-ray Diffraction.

We present an ab initio numerical tool to simulate surface resonant X-ray diffraction experiments. The crystal truncation rods and the spectra around a given X-ray absorption edge are calculated at any position of the reciprocal space. Density functional theory is used to determine the resonant scattering factor of an atom within its local environment and to calculate the diffraction peak intensities for surfaces covered with a thin film or with one or several adsorbed layers. Besides the sample geometry, the collected data also depend on several parameters, such as beam polarization and incidence and exit angles. In order to account for these factors, a numerical diffractometer mimicking the experimental operation modes has been created. Finally two case studies are presented in order to compare our simulations with experimental spectra: (i) a magnetite thin film deposited on a silver substrate and (ii) an electrochemical interface consisting of bromine atoms adsorbed on copper.

4-Methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ⁶,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic Acid. Peculiarities of Preparation, Structure, and Biological Properties.

In order to determine the regularities of the structure–analgesic activity relationship, the peculiarities of obtaining, the spatial structure, and biological properties of 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid and some of its derivatives have been studied. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, it has been proven that varying the reaction conditions using alkaline hydrolysis of methyl 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylate makes it possible to successfully synthesize a monohydrate of the target acid, its sodium salt, or 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine. The derivatographic study of the thermal stability of 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid monohydrate has been carried out; based on this study, the optimal conditions completely eliminating the possibility of unwanted decomposition have been proposed for obtaining its anhydrous form. It has been shown that 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine is easily formed during the decarboxylation of not only 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid, but also its sodium salt, which is capable of losing СО2 both in rather soft conditions of boiling in an aqueous solution, and in more rigid conditions of dry heating. The NMR spectra of the compounds synthesized are given; their spatial structure is discussed. To study the biological properties of 4-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1H-2λ6,1-benzothiazine-3-carboxylic acid and its sodium salt, the experimental model of inflammation caused by subplantar introduction of the carrageenan solution in one of the hind limbs of white rats was used. The anti-inflammatory activity and analgesic effect were assessed by the degree of edema reduction and the ability to affect the pain response compared to the animals of control groups. According to the results of the tests performed, it has been found that after intraperitoneal injection, the substances synthesized demonstrate a moderate anti-inflammatory action and simultaneously increase the pain threshold of the experimental animals very effectively, exceeding Lornoxicam and Diclofenac in a similar dose by their analgesic activity.

Revealing long- and short-range structural modifications within phosphorus-treated HZSM-5 zeolites by atom probe tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance and powder X-ray diffraction.

The average and the local structure of phosphorus-treated HZSM-5 zeolites were investigated by means of atom probe tomography, powder X-ray diffraction (at ambient and cryogenic temperatures) and 1H, 29Si, 27Al, and 31P magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Phosphatation to yield a product with P/Al ≤ 1 followed by thermal treatment leads to breaking of the Si-OH-Al bridging groups, and subsequent partial dealumination of the zeolite framework, as shown by the contraction of the orthorhombic unit-cell volume and by the loss of tetrahedral framework Al, as observed in the 27Al Multiple Quantum (MQ) MAS NMR spectrum. Most of the framework Al is present in an electronic environment distorted by the presence of phosphorus and appears not to be involved in classic Si-OH-Al Brønsted acid sites. The 31P MAS NMR signals indicate that phosphorus interacts with the zeolitic framework to locally form silico-aluminophosphate (SAPO) domains and the presence of a new kind of acidic site was confirmed by the resonance at ∼8.6 ppm in the 1H MAS NMR spectra, attributed to P-OH groups. Increasing the phosphorus loading (P/Al ≫ 1) promotes further dealumination of the framework and cross-dehydroxylation between P-OH and Si-OH species, leading to the formation of a crystalline silicon orthophosphate phase. With decreasing Al content, the monoclinic HZSM-5 structure becomes preferred, especially at 85 K where the strain relaxation is higher. However, the presence of a higher amount of silicophosphate impurities hinders the low-temperature strain release of the framework, indicating that some of these species are localized in the zeolite pores and contribute to the strain build up.

Chiral Soliton Lattice Formation in Monoaxial Helimagnet Yb(Ni1−xCux)3Al9

Helical magnetic structures and its responses to external magnetic fields in Yb(Ni$_x$Cu$_{1-x}$)$_3$Al$_9$, with a chiral crystal structure of the space group $R32$, have been investigated by resonant X-ray diffraction. It is shown that the crystal chirality is reflected to the helicity of the magnetic structure by a one to one relationship, indicating that there exists an antisymmetric exchange interaction mediated via the conduction electrons. When a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis ($c$ axis), the second harmonic peak of $(0, 0, 2q)$ develops with increasing the field. The third harmonic peak of $(0, 0, 3q)$ has also been observed for the $x$=0.06 sample. This result provides a strong evidence for the formation of a chiral magnetic soliton lattice state, a periodic array of the chiral twist of spins, which has been suggested by the characteristic magnetization curve. The helical ordering of magnetic octupole moments, accompanying with the magnetic dipole order, has also been detected.

Quantitative measurement of manganese incorporation into (In,Mn)As islands by resonant x-ray scattering

In this paper we present a method to determine the occupation of Mn ions in epitaxial (In,Mn)As nanostructures by resonant x-ray diffraction near the Mn $K$-absorption edge, exploiting the dependency of the intensity of both (200) superstructure and the (400) fundamental reflections. The concentrations of Mn atoms on substitutional In sites, as well as on In- and As-interstitial sites, were unambiguously determined. A threshold concentration for the interstitial sites, which are occupied first for low nominal Mn deposition content, was found. Calculations using density-functional theory indicate that a higher occupancy of such sites can be favorable with respect to the occupation of substitutional sites, depending on surface potentials and growth kinetic effects.

Probing structural distortions with new high-precision resonant X-ray diffraction approach

Probing structural distortions with new high-precision resonant X-ray diffraction approach

Synthesis and crystal structure of N,N-dimethylformamide solvate of thiocyanuric acid

Considerable attention has been paid recently to crystal engineering; which involves the design and preparation of new crystalline molecular solids with desired properties [1–4]. Crystalline materials with specific properties find applications in petrochemical industry for separation and purification. Moreover, crystal engineering provides products designed for manufacturing catalysts and high-valued chemicals for specific purposes. Recently, crystalline materials find application in pharmaceutical, food and microelectronic industries [5]. The main two strategies that are used for crystal engineering are based on hydrogen bonding and coordination bonding [6]. Since the hydrogen bonding is usually stronger and more directional than the other methods, more new crystal materials have been prepared based on this method. We are here able to design crystalline materials based on hydrogen bonding and study their solid state structures. N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-solvate of thiocyanuric acid (TCUA) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-solvate of thiocyanuric acid (TCUA) were successfully prepared at room temperature in the presence of aqueous solution of sodium nitrate (NaNO3). To the best of our knowledge, this study presents the easy, modest, and rapid method to prepare co-crystal formation based on thiocyanuric acid (TCUA) and solvent-containing hydrogen bonding functionality. In this paper, we present the most effective method to synthesize the co-crystals of (TCUA), and as evidence, the crystal structure of (TCUA) in DMF is fully studied and presented in this paper. The N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-solvate of thiocyanuric acid (TCUA) was successfully prepared at room temperature, and was characterized spectroscopically by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SXRD). The asymmetric unit of the title compound contains one molecule of thiocyanuric acid (TCUA) features an almost planar six-membered ring having exocyclic C-S thione double bonds and one molecule of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). It was crystallized in the monoclinic, P21/c with unit cell parameters of a = 9.6255 (4) Å, b = 12.6864 (5) Å, c = 9.1367 (4) Å, β = 90.095 (2)°, V = 1115.71 (8) Å3, Z = 4. The structure is composed of 1-D TCUA ribbons formed via N–H–S hydrogen bonds. The ribbons are separated by DMF molecules, which are bridged to the ribbons by N–H–O hydrogen bonds. The ribbons and their DMF molecules form 2-D sheets which are in turn π-stacked to build up a layered, 3-D structure. The proton and carbon-13 NMR studies confirmed the formation of such solvate between DMF and TCUA.

Dynamic pathway of the photoinduced phase transition of TbMnO3

We investigate the demagnetization dynamics of the cycloidal and sinusoidal phases of multiferroic TbMnO$_3$ by means of time-resolved resonant soft x-ray diffraction following excitation by an optical pump. Using orthogonal linear x-ray polarizations, we suceeded in disentangling the response of the multiferroic cycloidal spin order from the sinusoidal antiferromagnetic order in the time domain. This enables us to identify the transient magnetic phase created by intense photoexcitation of the electrons and subsequent heating of the spin system on a picosecond timescale. The transient phase is shown to be a spin density wave, as in the adiabatic case, which nevertheless retains the wave vector of the cycloidal long range order. Two different pump photon energies, 1.55 eV and 3.1 eV, lead to population of the conduction band predominantly via intersite $d$-$d$ transitions or intrasite $p$-$d$ transitions, respectively. We find that the nature of the optical excitation does not play an important role in determining the dynamics of magnetic order melting. Further, we observe that the orbital reconstruction, which is induced by the spin ordering, disappears on a timescale comparable to that of the cycloidal order, attesting to a direct coupling between magnetic and orbital orders. Our observations are discussed in the context of recent theoretical models of demagnetization dynamics in strongly correlated systems, revealing the potential of this type of measurement as a benchmark for such complex theoretical studies.

Interplay of Fe and Tm moments through the spin-reorientation transition in TmFeO3

X-ray magnetic circular and linear dichroism (XMCD and XMLD) have been used to investigate the Fe magnetic response during the spin reorientation transition (SRT) in TmFeO3. These experiments are complemented with resonant magnetic diffraction experiments at the Tm M5 edge to study simultaneously the induced magnetic order in the Tm 4f shell and the behavior of the Tm orbitals through the SRT. Comparing the Fe XMLD results with neutron diffraction and magnetization measurements on the same sample indicate that the SRT has an enhanced temperature range in the near surface region. This view is supported by the resonant soft x-ray diffraction results at the Tm M5 edge. These find an induced magnetic moment on the Tm sites, which is well-described by a dipolar mean field model originating from the Fe moments. Even though such a model can describe the 4f response in the experiments, it is insufficient to describe the SRT even when considering a change in the 4f anisotropy. Moreover, the results of the Fe XMCD are indicative of a decoupling of spin canting and antiferromagnetic spin rotation in the near surface regime close to the SRT, which remains to be understood.

Synthesis and Characterization of polymer resins from renewable resource

As a alternate to the use of conventional reinforcing synthetic resins, biobased resins were synthesized from renewable resources such as cardanol and furfural. Cardanol is the meta- substituted phenolic compound isolated from cashew nut shell liquid, a byproduct of cashew industry. P-chloroaniline has been diazotised and coupled with cardanol to prepare diazotised p-chloroaniline cardanol dye (bio monomer). The obtained dye has been condensed with furfural in presence of 3 N H2SO4 to give diazotized p-chloroaniline cardanol furfural (homo polymer) resin. The condensed resin has been allowed to react with urea, ethylene glycol, resorcinol and o-hydroxy benzoic acid to form various copolymer resins. These resins have been characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis studies. XRD techniques are used to distinguish the state of polymer, i.e. crystalline or amorphous etc., to calculate percentage crystallinity. The energy of activation for different stages of polyurethane degradation is determined by Coats–Redfern integration method which involves different kinetic models.

Fast and inexpensive synthesis of pentacene with high yield using 6,13-pentacenequinone as precursor

Pentacene is an important semiconductor in the field of organic electronics. In this work is presented an alternative synthesis procedure to obtain pentacene from 6,13-pentacenequinone as a precursor. Synthesis of pentacene was performed in two reactions, Diels-Adler cycloaddition of 6,13-pentacenequinone followed by 6,13-pentacenequinone reduction to pentacene, employing LiAlH4 as reducing agent. The products were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS). In this work, 6,13-pentacenequinone was synthetized with a high yield (55%) using an alternative method. The optimization process resulted in an overall reduction of reaction time while exhibiting high yield. The method presented here provides an affordable pentacene synthesis route with high purity, which can be further applied for research and development of organic electronic applications.

Electronic and magnetic properties of multiferroic ScFeO3 available from diffraction experiments

Electronic and magnetic properties of ferric ions (3d5) in multiferroic ScFeO3 are puzzling, in part because they are different from the only other multiferroic known to possess the same polar chemical structure, BiFeO3. Open questions about ScFeO3 can be addressed by confronting observations with results for G-type antiferromagnetism allowed by the lithium niobate (LiNbO3)-like parent R3c structure. Calculated structure factors for resonant x-ray diffraction include all charge-like quadrupoles allowed by symmetry, and if experimental results for ScFeO3 subsequently imply they are different from zero then ferric ions cannot be in the high-spin 6S state. The same type of experiment can reveal the moment direction in the G-type antiferromagnetism, according to our calculations, and thereby contribute to understanding magnetic anisotropy. Furthermore, structure factors for magnetic neutron diffraction by ScFeO3 include Dirac multipoles that are time-odd and parity-odd, e.g. dipoles that are often called anapoles or toroidal moments. Apart from Dirac multipoles, the conventional approach to the interpretation of neutron Bragg diffraction data will be inadequate if ferric ions (Fe3+) are not in the high-spin 6S state, because the scattering amplitude includes more than simple dipole moments in the general case.

Oxygen-Induced Ordering in Bulk Polycrystalline Cu2ZnSnS4 by Sn Removal.

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy were used to show that Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) bulk solids grown in the presence of oxygen had improved cation ordering compared to bulk solids grown without oxygen. Oxygen was shown to have negligible solubility in the CZTS phase. The addition of oxygen resulted in the formation of SnO2, leading to Sn-deficient CZTS. At the highest oxygen levels, other phases such as Cu9S5 and ZnS were observed. Beneficial ordering was only observed in samples produced with more than 2 at. % oxygen in the precursor materials but did not occur in samples designed with excess Sn and O. Thus, it is the removal of Sn and formation of Sn-deficient CZTS that improves ordering rather than the presence of SnO2 or O alone. These results indicate that using oxygen or air annealing to tailor the Sn content of CZTS followed by an etching step to remove SnO2 may significantly improve the properties of CZTS.

Soft x-ray resonant diffraction study of magnetic structure in magnetoelectric Y-type hexaferrite

The effect of magnetic field on the magnetic structure associated with magnetoelectric properties in a Y-type hexaferrite, Ba1.3Sr0.7CoZnFe11AlO22, was investigated by utilizing the soft x-ray resonant diffraction technique. In this hexaferrite, the so-called alternating longitudinal conical phase is stabilized at room temperature and zero magnetic field. Below room temperature, however, this phase is transformed into the so-called transverse conical phase by applying an in-plane magnetic field (≈ 0.3T). The transverse conical phase persists even after removing the magnetic field. The magnetoelectricity, which is magnetically-induced electric polarization, observed in the hexaferrite is discussed in terms of the temperature-dependent magnetic structure at zero field.

Metal-Free [2 + 2]-Photocycloaddition of (Z)-4-Aryliden-5(4H)-Oxazolones as Straightforward Synthesis of 1,3-Diaminotruxillic Acid Precursors: Synthetic Scope and Mechanistic Studies

The direct [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition of (Z)-2-phenyl-4-aryliden-5(4H)-oxazolones 1 to give 1,3-diaminotruxillic cyclobutane derivatives 2 in very good yields (75–100%) is reported. The reaction takes place by irradiation of CH2Cl2 solutions of 1 with blue light (465 nm) provided by light-emitting diode (LED) lamps of low power (around 1 W) for 72 h. Four isomers of the 1,3-diaminotruxillic cyclobutanes 2 were obtained; all of them fully characterized by a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The reaction shows a certain selectivity, since one of the isomers (the epsilon) is obtained preferentially, and works for electron-releasing and electron-withdrawing substituents at the arylidene ring. A novel setup is presented for the in-line monitoring of the continuous flow photoassisted synthesis of the cyclobutane derivatives 2 by NMR spectroscopy, with the microreactor dramatically reducing reaction times to only 30 min with clear product distribution of...

Temperature-Dependent Cycloidal Magnetic Structure in GdRu2Al10Studied by Resonant X-ray Diffraction

We have performed resonant X-ray diffraction experiments on the antiferromagnet GdRu$_{2}$Al$_{10}$ and have clarified that the magnetic structure in the ordered state is cycloidal with the moments lying in the $bc$ plane and propagating along the $b$ axis. The propagation vector shows a similar temperature dependence to the magnetic order parameter, which can be interpreted as being associated with the gap opening in the conduction band and the resultant change in the magnetic exchange interaction. Although the $S=7/2$ state of Gd is almost isotropic, the moments show slight preferential ordering along the $b$ axis. The $c$ axis component in the cycloid develops with decreasing temperature through a tiny transition in the ordered phase. We also show that the scattering involves the $\sigma$-$\sigma'$ process, which is forbidden in normal $E1$-$E1$ resonance of magnetic dipole origin. We discuss the possibility of the $E1$-$E2$ resonance originating from a toroidal moment due to the lack of inversion symmetry at the Gd site. The spin-flop transition in a magnetic field is also described in detail.

Investigation of the commensurate magnetic structure in the heavy-fermion compound CePt2In7 using magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction

We investigated the magnetic structure of the heavy fermion compound CePt$_2$In$_7$ below $T_N~=5.34(2)$ K using magnetic resonant X-ray diffraction at ambient pressure. The magnetic order is characterized by a commensurate propagation vector ${k}_{1/2}~=~\left( \frac{1}{2} , \frac{1}{2}, \frac{1}{2}\right)$ with spins lying in the basal plane. Our measurements did not reveal the presence of an incommensurate order propagating along the high symmetry directions in reciprocal space but cannot exclude other incommensurate modulations or weak scattering intensities. The observed commensurate order can be described equivalently by either a single-${k}$ structure or by a multi-${k}$ structure. Furthermore we explain how a commensurate-only ordering may explain the broad distribution of internal fields observed in nuclear quadrupolar resonance experiments (Sakai et al. 2011, Phys. Rev. B 83 140408) that was previously attributed to an incommensurate order. We also report powder X-ray diffraction showing that the crystallographic structure of CePt$_2$In$_7$ changes monotonically with pressure up to $P~=~7.3$ GPa at room temperature. The determined bulk modulus $B_0~=~81.1(3)$ GPa is similar to the ones of the Ce-115 family. Broad diffraction peaks confirm the presence of pronounced strain in polycrystalline samples of CePt$_2$In$_7$. We discuss how strain effects can lead to different electronic and magnetic properties between polycrystalline and single crystal samples.

Updating the list of known opioids through identification and characterization of the new opioid derivative 3,4-dichloro-N-(2-(diethylamino)cyclohexyl)-N-methylbenzamide (U-49900)

New psychoactive substances have been rapidly growing in popularity in the drug market as non-illegal drugs. In the last few years, an increment has been reported on the use of synthetic alternatives to heroin, the synthetic opioids. Based on the information provided by the European Monitoring Centre for Drug and Drug Addiction, these synthetic opioids have been related to overdoses and deaths in Europe and North America. One of these opioids is the U-47700. A few months ago, U-47700 was scheduled in the U.S. and other countries, and other opioid derivatives have been appearing in order to replace it. One of these compounds is U-49900, an analog of U-47700. A white powder sample was obtained from an anonymous user in Spain. After an accurate characterization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and single-crystal X-ray diffraction; and complemented by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet and circular dichroism spectrophotometry, the drug sample was unequivocally identified as U-49900. The information provided will be useful for the Early Warning System and forensic laboratories for future identifications of the U-49900, as well as in tentative identifications of other related opioids.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of fluorescent nanocrystalline cellulose/carbon dot hydrogels

Fluorescent nanocrystalline cellulose/carbon dots (NCC/CDs) hydrogels were successfully prepared by a facile one-step green hydrothermal carbonization process. The properties of NCC/CDs hydrogels prepared at different temperatures were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. NCC/CDs hydrogels with high crystallinity, high thermal stability, and excellent fluorescence properties can be obtained by controlling the hydrothermal treatment temperature. Small rod-like NCC/CDs hydrogels with a diameter of 2–6nm, a length of 40–60nm, and the cellulose Ι structure were obtained when the hydrothermal carbonization temperature was 240°C. The NCC/CDs hydrogels exhibited an excellent broad spectral response and high fluorescence stability at various pH values. Considering of the wide natural abundance of NCC and the biocompatibility of the NCC/CDs hydrogels, Preparation in this simple, green approach is attractive for future bio-medical applications.