Temperature-dependent Measurements Research Articles

Enhancement of superconducting properties of grown FeTe0.65Se0.35 single crystals through air annealing

Abstract This work investigates the annealing effects on the superconducting properties of FeTe0.65Se0.35 single crystals. We examine the impact of varying annealing times on the magnetotransport, magnetic, and vortex pinning properties of the single crystals. The structural analysis shows the single crystalline growth of crystals along the c-axis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirm the presence of iron oxides in the annealed samples. Temperature-dependent resistivity and magnetization measurements confirm the superconductivity in the as-grown and annealed samples. However, the as-grown sample shows a broad superconducting transition and low superconducting volume fraction, but after annealing, significant improvement in both is observed. Moreover, the self-field critical current density at 2 K is enhanced by a factor of ~4.5 for the optimally annealed sample compared to the as-grown sample. Experimental observations have been analyzed with the theoretical models to understand the effects of annealing on the vortex pinning mechanisms. Further, the specific heat study confirms the bulk superconductivity in the annealed sample compared to the as-grown single crystal. Overall, our study indicates that the superconducting properties vary with the annealing time, and the best results are obtained at an optimum annealing time.

Dynamics of Photoinduced Charge Carriers in Metal-Halide Perovskites

The measurement and description of the charge-carrier lifetime (τc) is crucial for the wide-ranging applications of lead-halide perovskites. We present time-resolved microwave-detected photoconductivity decay (TRMCD) measurements and a detailed analysis of the possible recombination mechanisms including trap-assisted, radiative, and Auger recombination. We prove that performing injection-dependent measurement is crucial in identifying the recombination mechanism. We present temperature and injection level dependent measurements in CsPbBr3, which is the most common inorganic lead-halide perovskite. In this material, we observe the dominance of charge-carrier trapping, which results in ultra-long charge-carrier lifetimes. Although charge trapping can limit the effectiveness of materials in photovoltaic applications, it also offers significant advantages for various alternative uses, including delayed and persistent photodetection, charge-trap memory, afterglow light-emitting diodes, quantum information storage, and photocatalytic activity.

High temperature thermoelectric properties of BaxSr2−xFeCoO6 double perovskites

Abstract In this study, environmentally benign BaxSr2-xFeCoO6 (BSFC) double perovskites are synthesized via solid-state reaction route for high-temperature thermoelectric applications. The crystal structure and morphology of the ceramic samples are analyzed using XRD and SEM, respectively. Rietveld refinement of XRD data confirms a cubic structure with Pm3̅m space-group. High-temperature thermoelectric measurements exhibits that substituting Ba for Sr in Sr2FeCoO6 increases the Seebeck coefficient (S) but at the expense of the electrical conductivity (σ). The highest Seebeck coefficient of 117 μV/K has been observed in Ba0.5Sr1.5FeCoO6 at 910 K. Temperature-dependent electrical conductivity measurements indicates a semiconductor-to-metal like transition in all samples, with BSFC (x = 0.1) achieving the highest conductivity of 4 × 104 S m−1 at ∼623 K. The thermoelectric power factor has been enhanced by over 50% with Ba substitution in Sr2FeCoO6. Electron transport in these double perovskites is found to follow the small polaron hopping conduction mechanism.

Is Native Mass Spectrometry in Ammonium Acetate Really Native? Protein Stability Differences in Biochemically Relevant Salt Solutions.

Ammonium acetate is widely used in native mass spectrometry to provide adequate ionic strength without adducting to protein ions, but different ions can preferentially stabilize or destabilize the native form of proteins in solution. The stability of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated in 50 mM solutions of a variety of salts using electrospray emitters with submicron tips to desalt protein ions. The charge-state distribution of BSA is narrow (+14 to +18) in ammonium acetate (AmmAc), whereas it is much broader (+13 to +42) in solutions containing sodium acetate (NaAc), ammonium chloride (AmmCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium chloride (NaCl). The average charge state and percent of unfolded protein increase in these respective solutions, indicating greater extents of protein destabilization and conformational changes. In contrast, no high charge states of either bovine carbonic anhydrase II or IgG1 were formed in AmmAc or NaCl despite their similar melting temperatures to BSA, indicating that the presence of unfolded BSA in some of these solutions is not an artifact of the electrospray ionization process. The charge states formed from the nonvolatile salt solutions do not change significantly for up to 7 min of electrospray, but higher charging occurs after 10 min, consistent with solution acidification. Formation of unfolded BSA in NaAc but not in AmmAc indicates that the cation identity, not acidification, is responsible for structural differences in these two solutions. Temperature-dependent measurements show both increased charging and aggregation at lower temperatures in NaCl:Tris than in AmmAc, consistent with lower protein stability in the former solution. These results are consistent with the order of these ions in the Hofmeister series and indicate that data on protein stability in AmmAc may not be representative of solutions containing nonvolatile salts that are directly relevant to biology.

Crystalline electric field excitations and their nonlinear splitting under magnetic fields in YbOCl

Recently reported van der Waals layered honeycomb rare-earth chalcohalides REChX (RE = rare earth, Ch = chalcogen, and X = halogen) are considered to be promising Kitaev spin liquid (KSL) candidates. The high-quality single crystals of YbOCl, a representative member of the family with an effective spin of 1/2, are available now. The crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations in a rare-earth spin system are fundamentally important for understanding both finite-temperature and ground-state magnetism but remain unexplored in YbOCl so far. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive Raman scattering study to unambiguously identify the CEF excitations in YbOCl and determine the CEF parameters and wave functions. Our Raman experiments further reveal the anomalous nonlinear CEF splitting under magnetic fields. We have grown single crystals of YbOCl, the nonmagnetic LuOCl, and the diluted magnetic Lu0.86Yb0.14OCl to make a completely comparative investigation. Polarized Raman spectra on the samples at 1.8 K allow us to clearly assign all the Raman-active phonon modes and explicitly identify the CEF excitations in YbOCl. The CEF excitations are further examined using temperature-dependent Raman measurements and careful symmetry analysis based on Raman tensors related to CEF excitations. By applying the CEF Hamiltonian to the experimentally determined CEF excitations, we extract the CEF parameters and eventually determine the CEF wave functions. The study experimentally pins down the CEF excitations in the Kitaev compound YbOCl and sets a foundation for understanding its finite-temperature magnetism and exploring the possible nontrivial spin ground state. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The Extraction of the Density of States of Atomic-Layer-Deposited ZnO Transistors by Analyzing Gate-Dependent Field-Effect Mobility

In this study, we investigated the density of states extraction method for atomic-deposited ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) by analyzing gate-dependent field-effect mobility. The atomic layer deposition (ALD) method offers ultra-thin and smooth ZnO films, but these films suffer from interface and semiconductor defects, which lead to disordered localized electronic structures. Hence, to investigate the unstable localized structure of ZnO TFTs, we tried to derive the electronic state relationship by assuming field-effect mobility can be expressed as a gate-dependent Arrhenius relation, and the activation energy in the relation is the required energy for hopping. Following this derived relationship, the DOS of the atomic-deposited ZnO transistor was extracted and found to be consistent with those using temperature-dependent measurements. Moreover, to ensure the proposed method is reliable, we applied methods for the extraction of DOSs of doped ZnO transistors, which show enhanced mobilities with shifted threshold voltages, and the results show that the extraction method is reliable. Thus, we can state that the mobility-based DOS extraction method offers practical benefits for estimating the density of states of disordered transistors using a single transfer characteristic of these devices.

Structure and Magnetic Properties of the n = 3 Ruddlesden-Popper Oxyfluoride La0.5Sr3.5Fe3O7.5F2.6.

Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) compounds of the general formula (AX)(ABX3)n with their unique sequence of perovskite-like (ABX3) and rock-salt-like units (AX) promise applications in diverse fields such as catalysis and superconductivity. Fluorination of RP oxides often leads to dramatic changes in the material properties, caused by differences in the atomic and electronic structure. While current research focuses on fluorination of n = 1 type RP oxides (A2BO4), n = 3 RP oxyfluorides have remained elusive. We present the synthesis of the first iron-based n = 3 RP oxyfluoride, La0.5Sr3.5Fe3O7.5F2.6, which was obtained from an oxide precursor by topochemical fluorination with poly(vinylidene fluoride). Joint Rietveld refinements of neutron and powder X-ray diffraction data were used to determine the crystal structure. Best results were obtained in the space group Pbca (No. 61) with a = 5.5374(1) Å, b = 5.5441(1) Å, and c = 29.2541(2) Å. The effect of the aliovalent incorporation of fluoride ions is particularly evident with respect to changes in structure and magnetic properties. The magnetic behavior was studied using field- and temperature-dependent magnetization measurements, Mößbauer spectroscopy, and neutron diffraction. Additional magnetic Bragg reflections observed in the room-temperature neutron data were successfully refined in the space group Pbca (61.1.497 in Opechowski-Guccione notation), indicating a G-type antiferromagnetic ordering with a surprisingly high Néel temperature above 300 K. This strong increase of TN by several hundred Kelvin compared to the parent oxide is particularly remarkable.

Chemistry of Reduced Graphene Oxide: Implications for the Electrophysical Properties of Segregated Graphene-Polymer Composites.

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) with nanocarbon fillers are at the high end of modern materials science, advancing current electronic applications. Herein, we establish the interplay between the chemistry and electrophysical properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), separately and as a filler for CPCs with the segregated structure conferred by the chemical composition of the initial graphene oxide (GO). A set of experimental methods, namely X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, van der Paw and temperature-dependent sheet resistance measurements, along with dielectric spectroscopy, are employed to thoroughly examine the derived materials. The alterations in the composition of oxygen groups along with their beneficial effect on nitrogen doping upon GO reduction by hydrazine are tracked with the help of XPS. The slight defectiveness of the graphene network is found to boost the conductivity of the material due to facilitating the impact of the nitrogen lone-pair electrons in charge transport. In turn, a sharp drop in material conductivity is indicated upon further disruption of the π-conjugated network, predominantly governing the charge transport. Particularly, the transition from the Mott variable hopping transport mechanism to the Efros-Shklovsky one is signified. Finally, the impact of rGO chemistry and physics on the electrophysical properties of CPCs with the segregated structure is evaluated. Taken together, our results give a hint at how GO chemistry manifests the properties of rGO and the CPC derived from it, offering compelling opportunities for their practical applications.

Elucidating temperature-dependent local structure change and optical properties in GeTe phase-change material

Phase-change memory emerges as a top contender for non-volatile data storage applications. We report here a systematic change in local structure and crystallization kinetics of binary GeTe thin films using temperature-dependent resistivity measurements, which offers single-stage crystallization at around 187 °C, corroborated with x-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the change in chemical bonding upon crystallization is determined through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core level spectra, which reveals the existence of Ge and Te components that align with the GeTe crystal structure. Also, an investigation was carried out employing a UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer to explore the evolution of optical bandgaps (Eg), Tauc parameter (B) representing the local disorder, and Urbach energy (Eu) of the GeTe material, as it undergoes the transition from a disordered amorphous state to a crystalline state. As crystallization progresses, a consistent shift of Eg from 0.92 to 0.70 eV corresponds to as-deposited amorphous at room temperature and crystalline at 250 °C, respectively. In addition, the reduction in Eu (from 199.87 to 141.27 meV) and a sudden increase of B around crystallization temperature is observed upon increasing temperature, indicating direct observation of enhanced medium-range order and distortion in short-range order, respectively, in GeTe thin films, revealing improved structural and optical properties. These enhancements make the GeTe material ideal for data storage applications of phase-change memory for next-generation computing technology.

Low-cost fabrication methods of ZnO nanorods and their physical and photoelectrochemical properties for optoelectronic applications

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods have great potential in several applications including gas sensors, light-emitting diodes, and solar cells because of their unique properties. Here, three low cost and ecofriendly techniques were used to produce ZnO nanorods on FTO substrates: hydrothermal, chemical bath deposition (CBD), and electrochemical deposition (ECD). This study explores the impact of such methods on the optical, structural, electrical, morphological, and photoelectrochemical properties of nanorods using various measurements. XRD analysis confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO nanorods in all three methods, with hydrothermal showing a preferred orientation (002) and CBD and ECD samples showing multiple growth directions, with average particle sizes of 31 nm, 34 nm, and 33 nm, respectively. Raman spectra revealed hexagonal Wurtzite structure of ZnO, with hydrothermal method exhibiting higher E2 (high) peak at 438 cm−1 than CBD and ECD methods. SEM results revealed hexagonal ZnO nanorods became more regular and thicker for the hydrothermal method, while CBD and ECD led to less uniform with voids. UV-vis spectra showed absorption lines between 390 nm and 360 nm. Optical bandgap energies were calculated as 3.32 eV, 3.22 eV, and 3.23 eV for hydrothermal, CBD, and ECD samples, respectively. PL spectra revealed UV emission band with a small intensity peak around 389 nm and visible emission peaks at 580 nm. Temperature dependent PL measurements for ZnO nanorods indicated that the intensities ratio between bound exciton and free exciton decreases with temperature increases for the three methods. Photocurrent measurements revealed ZnO nanorod films as n-type semiconductors, with photocurrent values of 2.25 µA, 0.28 µA, and 0.3 µA for hydrothermal, CBD, and ECD samples, and photosensitivity values of 8.01, 2.79, and 3.56 respectively. Our results suggest that the hydrothermal method is the most effective approach for fabricating high-quality ZnO nanorods for optoelectronic applications.

Hofmann Clathrates: A "Blue Box" Approach to Modulate Spin-Crossover Properties.

Hofmann coordination polymers (CPs) with cationic ligands provide an innovative strategy for recognizing π-electron-rich aromatic molecules - similar to the "little blue box". In this study, we demonstrate that hydroquinone molecules can be incorporated into these coordination polymers when redox-active bipyridinium derivatives are used as axial ligands. The insertion leads to a significant structural modification, resulting in a shift of the spin transition by 150 K and an approximate 23 % increase in volume, caused by the strong donor-acceptor π-π stacking interaction formed between the ligands and the guest molecule. These findings have been confirmed through temperature-dependent single crystal X-ray diffraction, magnetic measurements and optical reflectivity measurements.

Temperature-dependent dielectric measurements of polypyrrole/zinc cobalt oxide nanocomposites by impedance spectroscopy

This study characterizes the conduction mechanism in Zinc Cobalt oxide/Polypyrrole nanocomposites (ZCO/PPy NCs) concerning temperature (303–453 K) and frequency (100 Hz–1 MHz). To obtain the ZCO/PPy nanocomposites for the experiments, we used the in-situ chemical polymerization technique to disseminate varying weight percentages of ZCO nanoparticles (ZCO NPs) in the PPy matrix. The total electrical conductivity graph consists of a step-like feature of a plateau and dispersive regimes. The dispersive zone, which follows Jonscher's power law, correlates to AC conductivity, whereas the plateau region, which corresponds to DC conductivity, is thermally activated. The extracted DC conductivity values are of the order of 10‐4 S/m at 303 K. The conduction mechanism in ZCO/PPy nanocomposites is depicted by the Non-Overlapping Large Polaron Tunneling (NSPT) model. The dielectric studies confirm the non-Debye-like relaxation in PPy and ZCO/PPy NCs. In addition, the complex impedance and equivalent circuit analysis showed maximum contribution from grain and grain boundaries. The grain and grain boundary resistances are of the order of 103 Ω, depicting the electrical homogeneity in the PPy and ZCO/PPy nanocomposites.

Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 Thickness-Dependent Transfer Characteristics of InxZn1-xOy Channel Ferroelectric FETs.

We investigate how the threshold voltage (VT) is adjusted to create a memory window (MW) in ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs) composed of ferroelectric Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 and InZnO (In2O3:ZnO = 9:1 wt %). Temperature-dependent polarization measurements reveal a dipole switching in Hf0.4Zr0.6O2. The properties of the n-type InZnO channel are examined by fabricating an oxide transistor with an HfO2 gate dielectric. Upon replacement of HfO2 with Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 in the oxide transistor, a counterclockwise MW is observed. Specifically, as the Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 thickness increases from 16 to 24 nm, the VT of the FeFET after a + gate voltage (VG) sweep remains nearly constant, while the VT after a -VG sweep shifts significantly from -0.9 to 0.5 V. The enlarged MW of approximately 2 V, which is proportional to the Hf0.4Zr0.6O2 thickness in the FeFET, can be explained by considering the balance between VG controllability across the gate stack and the ferroelectric switching of Hf0.4Zr0.6O2.

Large reversible magnetocaloric effect in rare-earth molybdate RE2(MoO4)3 (RE: Gd and Tb) compounds

We report on the synthesis, structural, DC magnetic susceptibility studies on Gd2(MoO4)3 and Tb2(MoO4)3 polycrystals, prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. Temperature and magnetic field (H) dependent magnetization and heat capacity measurements have been carried out to estimate the isothermal magnetic-entropy change (−ΔSm) and adiabatic temperature change (ΔTadi) in both rare-earth molybdates. No obvious long-range magnetic ordering can be found down to 2 K in both studied compounds. The estimated maximum value of –ΔSm at 3.5 K for 70 kOe is 31.1 J kg−1 K−1 and 16.7 J kg−1 K−1 in Gd2(MoO4)3 and Tb2(MoO4)3, respectively. Further, the calculated total-adiabatic temperature change for Gd2(MoO4)3 was 12.8 K, and Tb2(MoO4)3 has shown 9.8 K. The difference in the observed magnetocaloric and adiabatic temperature responses of Tb2(MoO4)3 compared to Gd2(MoO4)3 could be attributed to the presence of orbital angular moment of Tb3+ ions and relatively low-value of magnetization. Both the systems show a large magnetocaloric effect (MCE) (−ΔSm ∼ 12 J kg−1 K−1) even in low applied H (<20 kOe) attainable by a permanent magnet. Large magnetocaloric behaviour of Gd2(MoO4)3 and Tb2(MoO4)3 systems at a moderate field change along with very low electrical conductivity and the absence of thermal and magnetic field hysteresis in magnetization make them conducive to their use as promising magnetic refrigerants in the vicinity of liquid-helium temperatures.

Electrical properties of completely compensated single-crystal Ge-on-GaAs films with two-dimension Coulomb disorder

We present electrical properties of heavily doped and completely compensated Ge films grown on semiinsulating GaAs(100) substrates by vacuum evaporation. The thin (∼100 nm) Ge films are single-crystal and characterized using temperature-dependent transport measurements, with anomalously large activation energy up to half the Ge bandgap, anisotropy of the transverse magnetoresistance, high resistivity (up to 140 Ω cm), low free charge carrier mobility (∼50 cm2/V·s), and concentration (∼1014–1015 cm−3). This behaviour is attributed to a completely compensated semiconductors arising from Ga and As impurity incorporation and large-scale potential fluctuations. Analysis suggests a two-dimensional percolative transport mechanism in Ge-on-GaAs heterostructures.

Improved flux pinning properties of Mg exceed MgB2 ceramics with B4C and Dy2O3 additions

In this study, MgB2 polycrystals were synthesized via the addition of B4C and Dy2O3. X-ray diffraction confirmed that MgB2 was the predominant phase in all the samples. The superconducting properties of the samples were characterized by in-field temperature-dependent resistivity and magnetization measurements. The upper critical field (Hc2) and the critical current density (Jc) of each sample were estimated. The results indicate significant enhancements in Hc2 and Jc with the optimal addition levels of B4C and Dy2O3. According to collective pinning theory, δl pinning was identified as the dominant pinning type in the fabricated samples. The dominant pinning mechanism was determined to be core surface pinning induced by grain boundaries, which is consistent with predictions made by the Dew–Hughes model.

Unveiling novel drug delivery mechanism: Cisplatin’s bonding behaviour with BC4N Nanostructure

Recent advancements in nanotechnology have opened avenues to address the selectivity challenges in targeted drug delivery systems, minimizing adverse effects. While carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have gained traction as drug carriers, their B, N-containing counterpart, pristine boron carbonite (p-BC4N), remains underexplored. This study investigates the possibility of pristine boron carbonite (p-BC4N) nanotubes as a drug carrier for the anticancer medication cisplatin (CPT). Using first-principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations, we examined the interaction between CPT and p-BC4N nanotubes, revealing favourable adsorption energies (−0.523 eV) due to orbital interactions and charge transfer between the C 2p orbitals of BC4N and the 1 s orbitals in H of CPT. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations confirmed the stability of the system at room temperature. Furthermore, pH and temperature-dependent desorption measurements demonstrated the effectiveness of p-BC4N nanotubes as a promising candidate for CPT drug delivery, highlighting their potential in targeted cancer therapy. This work opens up new avenues for the development of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems.

Anomalous Behavior in Dark-Bright Splitting Impacts the Biexciton Binding Energy in (BA)2(MA)n-1PbnBr3n+1 (n = 1-3).

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper series are an excellent system for tuning physical properties of the perovskite by controlling the layer number (n). For instance, bandgap and exciton binding energies of the series gradually increase upon reducing n via enhanced quantum and dielectric confinements. Here, we present findings that challenge the anticipated trend in electron-hole exchange interaction within (BA)2MAn-1PbnBr3n+1 (n = 1-3), which causes spin-dependent exciton level splitting into bright and dark states, where the latter is partially visible near the surface of the Br-based two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper series. Contrary to expectations, the smallest gap between bright and dark exciton levels is observed from n = 2 at 10 K. This anomaly results in the strongest biexciton binding between two dark excitons occurring at n = 2, rather than at n = 1 as initially hypothesized. The observed anomaly arises from a phase transition induced by octahedral tilting occurring only for n = 2 near 100 K as confirmed by temperature-dependent optical and X-ray diffraction measurements. Our results show that Coulomb interaction need not vary gradually with n, which can impact the optoelectronic properties of the Ruddlesden-Popper series.

Freezing of short-range ordered antiferromagnetic clusters in the CrFeTi2O7system.

We report on the CrFeTi2O7(CFTO) system using a combination of x-ray diffraction, dc magnetization, ac susceptibility, specific heat and neutron diffraction measurements. CFTO is seen to crystallize in a monoclinic P21/a symmetry. It shows a glassy freezing at Tf ~ 22 K, characterized by the observation of bifurcation between ZFC and FC χ (T) curves, frequency dispersion across Tf in ac susceptibility, and follows Vogel-Fulcher and power law type critical dynamics, very slow relaxation of iso-thermal remanent magnetization with time and the absence of an anomaly in the temperature dependence of specific heat measurements. The microscopic neutron diffraction analysis of CFTO not only confirms the absence of long-range antiferromagnetic ordering but also exhibits diffuse scattering due to the presence of short-range ordered antiferromagnetically correlated spin clusters.&#xD.

High temperature photoluminescence dependence and energy migration of Tb3+-Incorporated K3Y(BO2)6 phosphors

This study investigates the structural and photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of Tb3+-incorporated K3Y(BO2)6 (KYBO) phosphors synthesized via a microwave-assisted sol-gel technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement confirmed the formation of a pure hexagonal phase, with lattice expansion due to Tb³⁺ doping. PL studies revealed strong green emissions centered at 541 nm, attributed to the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transitions of Tb³⁺ ions, with the highest intensity observed at 5 wt% Tb³⁺. A decrease in emission was observed at higher concentrations due to concentration quenching. Temperature-dependent PL measurements revealed reverse thermal quenching enhancing PL intensity. Chromaticity analysis based on CIE 1931 coordinates showed stable green emission across all concentrations, with a maximum color purity of 89.74% observed for the KYBO:3 wt% Tb³⁺ sample. The results, along with reverse thermal quenching behavior observed between 470K and 550K, suggest that these phosphors exhibit excellent potential for lighting and display technologies.