Superconductivity in Ti4O7 and γ-Ti3O5 films.

Titanium dioxide is one of the most popular compounds among simple oxides. Except for the fully oxidized titanate, titanium oxides have partially filled d states and their exotic properties have captured attention. Here, we report on the discovery of superconductivity in Ti4O7 and γ-Ti3O5 in a thin film form. The epitaxial Ti4O7 and γ-Ti3O5 thin films were grown using pulsed-laser deposition on (LaAlO3)0.3-(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 and α-Al2O3 substrates, respectively. The highest superconducting transition temperatures are 3.0 K and 7.1 K for Ti4O7 and γ-Ti3O5, respectively. The mechanism behind the superconductivity is discussed on the basis of electrical measurements and previous theoretical predictions. We conclude that the superconductivity arises from unstabilized bipolaronic insulating states with the assistance of oxygen non-stoichiometry and epitaxial stabilization.

Epitaxial synthesis and physical properties of double-perovskite oxide Sr2CoRuO6 thin films.

We report epitaxial structures and physical properties of double-perovskite Sr2CoRuO6 films grown using pulsed-laser deposition. Samples with a degree of Co/Ru order of 2-73% were obtained by changing growth temperature. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) on the highest ordered sample revealed that Co ions were trivalent with a high-spin configuration and Ru ions were pentavalent. We found large differences in magnetization and resistivity between the highest and lowest ordered samples as well as the absence of strong magnetism and metallicity, which are common characteristics of SrCoO3 and SrRuO3. Using resonant photoemission spectroscopy and XAS, dominant d-orbital components at the top of the occupied state (the bottom of the unoccupied state) were identified to be Ru 4d t 2g (Co 3d and Ru 4d t 2g ). These results suggest that the ground state of double-perovskite Sr2CoRuO6 is a ferrimagnetic insulator.

Radiation-induced melting in coherent X-ray diffractive imaging at the nanoscale.

Coherent X-ray diffraction techniques play an increasingly significant role in the imaging of nanoscale structures, ranging from metallic and semiconductor to biological objects. In material science, X-rays are usually considered to be of a low-destructive nature, but under certain conditions they can cause significant radiation damage and heat loading on the samples. The qualitative literature data concerning the tolerance of nanostructured samples to synchrotron radiation in coherent diffraction imaging experiments are scarce. In this work the experimental evidence of a complete destruction of polymer and gold nanosamples by the synchrotron beam is reported in the case of imaging at 1-10 nm spatial resolution. Numerical simulations based on a heat-transfer model demonstrate the high sensitivity of temperature distribution in samples to macroscopic experimental parameters such as the conduction properties of materials, radiation heat transfer and convection. However, for realistic experimental conditions the calculated rates of temperature rise alone cannot explain the melting transitions observed in the nanosamples. Comparison of these results with the literature data allows a specific scenario of the sample destruction in each particular case to be presented, and a strategy for damage reduction to be proposed.

MOF-on-MOF heteroepitaxy: perfectly oriented [Zn2(ndc)2(dabco)]n grown on [Cu2(ndc)2(dabco)]n thin films.

We report the successful heteroepitaxial growth of perfectly oriented hybrid MOF thin films. By employing step-by-step liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE), [Zn(2)(ndc)(2)(dabco)](n) was grown on [Cu(2)(ndc)(2)(dabco)](n), thus demonstrating that the MOF-on-MOF deposition scheme developed for powdered microcrystalline MOF materials can also be applied in connection with LPE for MOF thin films or multilayers. The deposition was monitored by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy, the resulting MOF heterostructures were characterized using IR spectroscopy and different types of X-ray diffraction (XRD)-based techniques. The results suggest that the LPE method is a promising way to fabricate and grow MOF heterostructures, and also demonstrates the potential of [Cu(2)(ndc)(2)(dabco)](n) MOF thin films as substrates for the LPE-based growth of different MOFs on top.

Water adsorption on a p(2x2)-Ni(111)-O surface studied by surface x-ray diffraction and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy at 25 and 140 K.

The adsorption of water molecules on an oxygen-predosed p(2x2)-Ni(111)-O surface was studied by surface x-ray diffraction and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) at temperature of 25 and 140 K. Precise structures including adsorbed water, predosed oxygen, and substrate nickel atoms at these two temperatures were determined by x-ray structural analysis. It was found that water molecules adsorb on oxygen additive sites, forming a hydrogen bond at 25 K. A predosed 2x2 oxygen atom appears to accommodate one, two, or three water molecules at positions relating to threefold rotation symmetry. When the surface temperature was raised to 140 K, water molecules appear at an atop site of Ni. The distance between Ni and the oxygen atoms of a monomer water molecule was found to be 0.2241(22) nm. The adsorbed water molecule induces buckling and a lateral shift of the substrate nickel. The IRAS results provided evidence regarding the existence of two distinct adsorption sites. Water molecules in the low-temperature phase exhibit bands from both hydrogen-bonded nuOD and free OD stretchings, while those in the high-temperature phase lie flat with a molecular plane parallel to the surface.

Ultrahigh-vacuum facility for high-resolution grazing-angle X-ray diffraction at a vertical wiggler source of synchrotron radiation.

A versatile ultrahigh-vacuum chamber has been designed for grazing-angle X-ray standing-wave and diffraction experiments at the vertical wiggler source of the Photon Factory. Unlike at other sources, the vertically polarized X-rays from the wiggler favour the use of a horizontal scattering geometry. The X-ray chamber is equipped with a hemispherical beryllium window, which allows any scattering angle to be attained and secondary emissions to be measured. The chamber is of a compact design, sitting on a precision rotary table which is rotated for scans. Samples are introduced from a portable vessel. The whole procedure can be performed in a vacuum better than 10(-7) Pa. The system has successfully been applied to a grazing-angle X-ray standing-wave experiment, which determined the dimer bond length and the domain structure of Si(001) surfaces deposited with monolayer arsenic.