Verwey-Type Charge Ordering and Site-Selective Mott Transition in Fe4O5 under Pressure.

The metal-insulator transition driven by electronic correlations is one of the most fundamental concepts in condensed matter. In mixed-valence compounds, this transition is often accompanied by charge ordering (CO), resulting in the emergence of complex phases and unusual behaviors. The famous example is the archetypal mixed-valence mineral magnetite, Fe3O4, exhibiting a complex charge-ordering below the Verwey transition, whose nature has been a subject of long-time debates. In our study, using high-resolution X-ray diffraction supplemented by resistance measurements and DFT+DMFT calculations, the electronic, magnetic, and structural properties of recently synthesized mixed-valence Fe4O5 are investigated under pressure to ∼100 GPa. Our calculations, consistent with experiment, reveal that at ambient conditions Fe4O5 is a narrow-gap insulator characterized by the original Verwey-type CO. Under pressure Fe4O5 undergoes a series of electronic and magnetic-state transitions with an unusual compressional behavior above ∼50 GPa. A site-dependent collapse of local magnetic moments is followed by the site-selective insulator-to-metal transition at ∼84 GPa, occurring at the octahedral Fe sites. This phase transition is accompanied by a 2+ to 3+ valence change of the prismatic Fe ions and collapse of CO. We provide a microscopic explanation of the complex charge ordering in Fe4O5 which "unifies" it with the behavior of two archetypal examples of charge- or bond-ordered materials, magnetite and rare-earth nickelates (RNiO3). We find that at low temperatures the Verwey-type CO competes with the "trimeron"/"dimeron" charge ordered states, allowing for pressure/temperature tuning of charge ordering. Summing up the available data, we present the pressure-temperature phase diagram of Fe4O5.

An Indole-based Chromofluorogenic Probe for Detection of Trivalent Al3+, Ga3+, In3+ and Fe3+ Ions.

An easily synthesizable indole-derived chromofluorogenic probe InNS has been demonstrated for recognition of trivalent metal ions (i. e., Al3+, Ga3+, In3+ and Fe3+). Both UV-Vis and emission spectral studies have been employed to assess the cation sensing ability of InNS in semi-aqueous medium. This probe exhibited a chromogenic response for these metal ions, and the related change was accompanied with the appearance of a new absorption near 376 nm. An obvious color change from pale yellow to dark yellow could also be noticed upon addition of the aforementioned metal ions to the probe's solution. Distinctively from the UV-Vis analysis, the fluorescence behavior of InNS was completely different; it displayed a 'turn-on' fluorescence response for only Al3+ among all the studied cations. The detection limit and the association constant (Ka) for Al3+ were determined to be 12.5 nM and 6.85×106 M-1, respectively. A potential 1 : 1 binding mode of Al3+-InNS has been established based on Job's plot, 1H NMR and DFT analyses. The reversibility experiment was conducted using strongly chelating EDTA ion, and a corresponding logic gate has been devised. In terms of practical applications, the InNS has been utilized to detect Al3+ in human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines displaying promising 'turn-on' bioimaging experiments.

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Fe-doped CuO nanoparticles.

The pure and Fe-doped CuO nanoparticles of the series Cu(1-x)Fe(x)O (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) were successfully prepared by a simple low temperature sol-gel method using metal nitrates and citric acid. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction data showed that all the samples were single phase crystallized in monoclinic structure of space group C2/c with average crystallite size of about 25 nm and unit cell volume decreases with increasing iron doping concentration. TEM micrograph showed nearly spherical shaped agglomerated particles of 4% Fe-doped CuO with average diameter 26 nm. Pure CuO showed weak ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature with coercive field of 67 Oe. The ferromagnetic properties were greatly enhanced with Fe-doping in the CuO matrix. All the doped samples showed ferromagnetism at room temperature with a noticeable coercive field. Saturation magnetization increases with increasing Fe-doping, becomes highest for 4% doping then decreases for further doping which confirms that the ferromagnetism in these nanoparticles are intrinsic and are not resulting from any impurity phases. The ZFC and FC branches of the temperature dependent magnetization (measured in the range of 10-350 K by SQUID magnetometer) look like typical ferromagnetic nanoparticles and indicates that the ferromagnetic Curie temperature is above 350 K.

Mössbauer and magnetic studies of surfactant mediated Ca-Mg doped ferrihydrite nanoparticles.

Ultrafine (2-5 nm) particles of amorphous Ca-Mg co-doped ferrihydrite have been synthesized by surfactant mediated co-precipitation method. The evolution of the amorphous ferrihydrite by Ca-Mg co-doping is quite different from our earlier investigations on individual doping of Ca and Mg. Amorphous phase of ferrihydrite for the present study has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and low temperatures (40 K and 20 K). Hematite nanoparticles with crystallite size about 8, 38 and 70 nm were obtained after annealing the as-prepared samples at 400, 600 and 800 degrees C respectively in air atmosphere. Superparamagnetism has been found in 8 nm sized hematite nanoparticles which has been confirmed from the magnetic hysteresis loop with zero remanent magnetization and coercive field and also from the superparamagnetic doublet of its room temperature Mössbauer spectrum. The magnetic properties of the 38 and 70 nm sized particles have been studied by room temperature magnetic hysteresis loop measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The coercive field in these hematite nanoparticles increases with increasing particle size. Small amount of spinel MgFe2O4 phase has been detected in the 800 degrees C annealed sample.

Development of low-cost copper nanoclusters for highly selective "turn-on" sensing of Hg2+ ions.

The development of low-cost earth abundant metal based fluorescent sensors for a rapid and selective nanomolar level detection of Hg2+ is essential due to the increasing world-wide concern of its detrimental effect on humans as well as the environment. Herein, we present a perylene tetracarboxylic acid functionalized copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) based "turn-on" fluorescence probe for highly selective detection of toxic Hg2+ ions. The fabricated CuNCs exhibited high photostability with emission maximum centered at 532 nm (λex = 480 nm). The fluorescence intensity of CuNCs was remarkably enhanced upon the addition of Hg2+ over other competing ions and neutral analytes. Notably, the 'turn-on' fluorescence response exhibits highly sensitive detection limit as low as 15.9 nM (S/N âˆ¼ 3). The time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy suggested the energy transfer between CuNCs and Hg2+ ions following either inhibited fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) or surface modification of CuNCs during Hg2+ sensing. This study offers the systematic design and development of new fluorescent 'turn-on' nanoprobes for rapid and selective recognition of heavy metal ions.

Protonation of an oxo-bridged diiron unit gives two different iron centers: synthesis and structure of a new class of diiron(III)-µ-hydroxo bisporphyrins and the control of spin states by using counterions.

Reported herein is a hitherto unknown family of diiron(III)-µ-hydroxo bisporphyrins in which two different spin states of Fe are stabilized in a single molecular framework, although both cores have identical molecular structures. Protonation of the oxo-bridged dimer (2) by using strong Brønsted acids, such as HI, HBF(4), and HClO(4), produce red µ-hydroxo complexes with I(3)(-) (3), BF(4)(-) (4), and ClO(4)(-) (5) counterions, respectively. The X-ray structure of the molecule reveals that the Fe-O bond length increases on going from the µ-oxo to the hydroxo complex, whereas the Fe-O(H)-Fe unit becomes more bent, which results in the smallest known Fe-O(H)-Fe angles of 142.5(2) and 141.2(1)° for 3 and 5, respectively. In contrast, the Fe-O(H)-Fe angle remains unaltered in 4 from the corresponding µ-oxo complex. The close approach of two rings in a molecule results in unequal core deformations in 3 and 4, whereas the cores are deformed almost equally but to a lesser extent in 5. Although 3 was found to have nearly high-spin and admixed intermediate Fe spin states in cores I and II, respectively, two admixed intermediate spin states were observed in 4. Even though the cores have identical chemical structures, crucial bond parameters, such as the Fe-N(p), Fe-O, and Fe⋅⋅⋅Ct(p) bond lengths and the ring deformations, are all different between the two Fe(III) centers in 3 and 4, which leads to an eventual stabilization of two different spin states of Fe in each molecule. In contrast, the two Fe centers in 5 are equivalent and assigned to high and intermediate spin states in the solid and solution states, respectively. The spin states are thus found to be dependent on the counterions and can also be reversibly interconverted. Upon protonation, the strong antiferromagnetic coupling in the µ-oxo dimer (J, -126.6 cm(-1)) is attenuated to almost zero in the µ-hydroxo complex with the I(3)(-) counterion, whereas the values of J are -36 and -42 cm(-1), respectively, for complexes with BF(4)(-) and ClO(4)(-) counterions.

Pressure-induced high-spin/low-spin disproportionated state in the Mott insulator FeBO3.

The pressure-induced Mott insulator-to-metal transitions are often accompanied by a collapse of magnetic interactions associated with delocalization of 3d electrons and high-spin to low-spin (HS-LS) state transition. Here, we address a long-standing controversy regarding the high-pressure behavior of an archetypal Mott insulator FeBO3 and show the insufficiency of a standard theoretical approach assuming a conventional HS-LS transition for the description of the electronic properties of the Mott insulators at high pressures. Using high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements supplemented by Mössbauer spectroscopy up to pressures ~ 150 GPa, we document an unusual electronic state characterized by a "mixed" HS/LS state with a stable abundance ratio realized in the [Formula: see text] crystal structure with a single Fe site within a wide pressure range of ~ 50-106 GPa. Our results imply an unconventional cooperative (and probably dynamical) nature of the ordering of the HS/LS Fe sites randomly distributed over the lattice, resulting in frustration of magnetic moments.

Studies on the Synthesis and Physico-Chemical Properties of Porous LiFe0.9M0.1P2O7 (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Ni) Nanoparticles.

The nano-porous LiFe0.9M0.1P2O7 (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Ni) particles were successfully prepared by simple microwave assisted combustion method and studied its detailed physico-chemical properties. The phase purity, crystallinity, functional group identification was revealed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The presence of nanoporous was identified through transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images. The electrical conductivity results illustrated that LiFe0.9Ni0.1P2O7 has higher conductivity (2.85 x 10⁻7 S cm⁻¹) among the studied systems owing to their negligible grain boundary effect. The normal dielectric behaviour was observed for all the LiFe0.9M0.1P2O7 (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Ni) materials. The paramagnetic behaviour and the Fe³âº state of LiFe0.9M0.1P2O7 were obtained from VSM and Mössbauer spectral analysis respectively. The cyclic voltammogram suggested that the good electrochemical lithium intercalation/de-intercalation behaviour of LiFe0.9M0.1P2O7 (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Ni) electrodes in aqueous electrolytes. The obtained diffusion coefficient value is comparable with carbon based materials.