Circularly Polarized Absorption and Luminescence of Semiconductor Eu-OCN Nanocrystals in the Blue Region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

Semiconductor nanomaterials with efficient polarized-light control in the blue region of the visible spectrum are promising candidates for modern and future photo-information technology, display devices, and optical sensing applications. New-type semiconductor Eu(OCN)2 nanocrystals with circularly polarized absorption (CD: circular dichroism) and emission (CPL: circularly polarized luminescence) under an applied magnetic field are demonstrated here for the first time. The effective CD signal at 1.6 T was observed at approximately 440 nm. The dissymmetry factor of CPL under 100 K, gM-CPL, was estimated to be 0.01. These characteristic circularly polarized absorption and emission phenomena of Eu(OCN)2 nanocrystals should be caused by combination between the "Faraday A and C terms" of the magnetic moment in the excited state. Polarized-light control using Eu(OCN)2 nanocrystals in the blue-light region of the electromagnetic spectrum is a large first step into a new world of photo-functional semiconductor nanomaterials.

Low-Temperature Oxygen Storage of CrIV-CrV Mixed-Valence YCr1-xPxO4-δ Driven by Local Condensation around Oxygen-Deficient Orthochromite.

The oxygen storage capability and related defect structure of tetrahedral orthochromite(V) compound YCr1-xPxO4 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7) were investigated by employing thermal gravimetry and in situ X-ray spectroscopy for reversible oxygen store/release driven by heating-cooling cycles in the temperature range from 50 to 600 °C. YCr1-xPxO4 started releasing oxygen as heated from 50 °C under ambient atmosphere, with reduction of CrV to CrIV, while the reduced YCr1-xPxO4-δ phase was significantly reoxidized via absorbing oxygen by cooling to 50 °C under ambient atmosphere, recovering the original stoichiometric phase. Operando X-ray adsorption spectroscopy and first-principles calculations demonstrate that nonstoichiometric YCr1-xPxO4-δ phases were stabilized by forming linking polyhedral CrIV2O76- via corner sharing between oxygen-deficient CrIVO32- and adjacent CrIVO44-. YCr1-xPxO4 was found to have an extremely low reduction enthalpy of about 20 kJ mol-1 probably due to the relatively high reduction potential of high-valence-state Cr(V)/Cr(IV) redox pairs, thereby resulting in reversible oxygen storage in such a low-temperature region.

Magnetic Properties of the Melilite-Type Oxysulfide Sr2MnGe2S6O: Magnetic Interactions Enhanced by Anion Substitution.

The synthesis, crystal structures, photoluminescence, and magnetic properties of the melilite-type oxysulfide Sr2MnGe2S6O were investigated. This compound crystallizes in the melilite structure with space group P4̅21m, in which two kinds of anions, S2- and O2-, occupy different crystallographic sites in an ordered manner. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of Sr2MnGe2S6O shows a broad peak due to a two-dimensional magnetic interaction between Mn ions in the ab plane. The specific heat data show that this compound has an antiferromagnetic transition temperature (TN = 15.5 K) that is much higher than that of the oxide analogue Sr2MnGe2O7 (TN = 4.4 K). DFT calculations showed that the magnetic interaction is enhanced by covalency in the Mn-S bonding.

Crystal Structures and Magnetic Properties of Nickel Chain Compounds PbM2Ni6Te3O18 (M = Mn, Cd).

The synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of the pentanary oxides PbM2Ni6Te3O18 (M = Mn and Cd) were investigated. These compounds crystallize in a hexagonal structure with space group P63/m, in which the Ni(2+) ions form a zigzag chain along the c axis. From the magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements, we found that the PbCd2Ni6Te3O18 behaves as a low-dimensional magnet due to the intrachain antiferromagnetic interaction between Ni(2+) ions. Both compounds show a long-range antiferromagnetic ordering at 25.7 K (M = Cd) and 86.0 K (Mn). The magnetic structure of PbMn2Ni6Te3O18 determined by neutron diffraction measurements is a collinear antiferromagnetic arrangement of Mn(2+) ions in the Mn2O9 dimeric unit and Ni(2+) ions in the zigzag chain.

Crystallographic, Electronic, and Magnetic Properties of Rock Salt Superstructure Sulfide Lu2CrS4 with Jahn-Teller Distortion.

A new chromium(II) sulfide, Lu2CrS4, with a novel structure was prepared by a solid-state reaction. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern could be indexed as a tetragonal system, with a = 7.46373(2) Å, c = 22.6338(2) Å, and space group I4̅2d (No. 122). Rietveld analysis of the pattern provided the crystal structure consisting of CrS6 and LuS6 octahedra sharing edges and apexes and revealed a rock salt superstructure with new cation (vacancy) arrangements. The electrical resistivity indicates semiconducting behavior. The magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements showed that the Cr ions are in the high-spin d(4) configuration and that their magnetic moments ordered antiferromagnetically at 55 K. The basic antiferromagnetic structure was determined using powder neutron diffraction data at 10 K. The band structure calculations demonstrate that the densities of states of Cr 3d electrons split into two spin-up eg bands because of Jahn-Teller distortion.

Enhancement of optical Faraday effect of nonanuclear Tb(III) complexes.

The effective magneto-optical properties of novel nonanuclear Tb(III) complexes with Tb-O lattice (specifically, [Tb9(sal-R)16(µ-OH)10](+)NO3(-), where sal-R = alkyl salicylate (R = -CH3 (Me), -C2H5 (Et), -C3H7 (Pr), or -C4H9 (Bu)) are reported. The geometrical structures of these nonanuclear Tb(III) complexes were characterized using X-ray single-crystal analysis and shape-measure calculation. Optical Faraday rotation was observed in nonanuclear Tb(III) complexes in the visible region. The Verdet constant per Tb(III) ion of the Tb9(sal-Me) complex is 150 times larger than that of general Tb(III) oxide glass. To understand their large Faraday rotation, electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of Gd(III) complexes were carried out. In this Report, the magneto-optical relation to the coordination geometry of Tb ions is discussed.

Effective optical Faraday rotations of semiconductor EuS nanocrystals with paramagnetic transition-metal ions.

Novel EuS nanocrystals containing paramagnetic Mn(II), Co(II), or Fe(II) ions have been reported as advanced semiconductor materials with effective optical rotation under a magnetic field, Faraday rotation. EuS nanocrystals with transition-metal ions, EuS:M nanocrystals, were prepared by the reduction of the Eu(III) dithiocarbamate complex tetraphenylphosphonium tetrakis(diethyldithiocarbamate)europium(III) with transition-metal complexes at 300 °C. The EuS:M nanocrystals thus prepared were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroanalysis (ICP-AES), and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Enhanced Faraday rotations of the EuS:M nanocrystals were observed around 550 nm, and their enhanced spin polarization was estimated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements. In this report, the magneto-optical relationship between the Faraday rotation efficiency and spin polarization is discussed.

Crystal structures and properties of europium aluminum oxynitride Eu2AlO(3.75)N(0.1) and europium aluminum oxide EuAl2O4.

The reactions among Eu2O3, AlN, and Al2O3 with the ratios Eu:Al = 2:1 and 1:2 at 1200 °C for 10 h yielded Eu2AlO(3.75)N(0.1) and EuAl2O4, respectively. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the new oxynitride could be indexed as a monoclinic structure with the space group I2 (No. 5) (a = 3.7113(2) Å, b = 3.6894(2) Å, c = 12.3900(8) Å, and ß = 90.6860(5)°). This structure was found to be a novel distorted Ruddlesden-Popper type. For EuAl2O4, isostructural with monoclinic SrAl2O4 (space group P2(1), No. 4), a structural refinement was performed, indicating that the cell parameters were a = 8.44478(11) Å, b = 8.82388(12) Å, c = 5.15643(7) Å, and ß = 93.1854(12)°. (151)Eu Mössbauer spectra revealed that the divalent and trivalent Eu ions coexisted in Eu2AlO(3.75)N(0.1), while Eu ions were in the divalent state in EuAl2O4. A photoluminescent mechanism due to 4f(7) ((8)S(7/2)) ↔ 4f(6)5d(1) of europium in EuAl2O4 was proposed on the basis of the calculated band structure, the band gap obtained from UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and the photoluminescence spectra.

Magnetic and neutron diffraction study on melilite-type oxides Sr2MGe2O7 (M = Mn, Co).

The crystal structures and magnetic properties of melilite-type oxides Sr(2)MGe(2)O(7) (M = Mn, Co) were investigated. These compounds crystallize in the melilite structure with space group P ̅42(1)m, in which the M and Ge ions occupy two kinds of tetrahedral sites in an ordered manner. The magnetic M ions form a square-planar lattice in the ab plane. Both compounds do not show the structural phase transition down to 2.5 K. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility for Sr(2)MnGe(2)O(7) shows a broad peak at ~6.0 K because of a two-dimensional magnetic interaction between Mn ions in the ab plane. At 4.4 K, an antiferromagnetic transition was observed. The magnetic structure was determined by the neutron powder diffraction measurements at 2.5 K. It can be represented by the propagation vector k = (0, 0, 1/2), and the magnetic moments of Mn(2+) (3.99 µ(B)) ions order antiferromagnetically in a collinear manner along the c axis. On the other hand, Sr(2)CoGe(2)O(7) shows an antiferromagnetic transition at 6.5 K with divergence between zero-field-cooled and field-cooled susceptibilities. Its magnetic structure determined at 2.5 K has a magnetic propagation vector k = (0, 0, 0), and the ordered magnetic moment of Co(2+) (2.81 µ(B)) adopts a collinear arrangement lying on the ab plane.

Orthogonal spin arrangement in quasi-two-dimensional La2Co2O3Se2.

The crystal, electronic, and magnetic structures of the cobalt oxyselenide La(2)Co(2)O(3)Se(2) were investigated through powder neutron diffraction measurements and band structure calculations. This oxyselenide crystallizes in a tetragonal layered structure with space group I4/mmm. The Co ion is sixfold-coordinated by two oxide ions and four selenide ions, and the face-sharing CoO(2)Se(4) octahedra form Co(2)OSe(2) layers. The band structure calculations revealed that the Co ion is in the divalent high-spin state. Rietveld analysis of the neutron diffraction profiles below 200 K demonstrated that the Co moments have a noncollinear antiferromagnetic structure with the propagation vector k = (½, ½, 0). The ordered magnetic moment was determined to be 3.5 µ(B) at 10 K, and the directions of the nearest-neighbor Co moments are orthogonal each other in the c plane.

Crystal structures and magnetic properties of new europium melilites Eu(2)MSi(2)O(7) (M = Mg, Mn) and their strontium analogues.

Synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of melilite-type oxides A(2)MSi(2)O(7) (A = Sr, Eu; M = Mg, Mn) were investigated. These compounds crystallize in the melilite structure with space group P4̅2(1)m. The (151)Eu Mössbauer measurements show that the Eu ions are in the divalent state. The Eu(2)MgSi(2)O(7) is paramagnetic down to 1.8 K. Long-range antiferromagnetic ordering is observed at 3.4 K for Sr(2)MnSi(2)O(7). On the other hand, the Eu(2)MnSi(2)O(7) shows a ferrimagnetic transition at 10.7 K. From the magnetization and specific heat measurements, it is found that the Eu(2+) (14 µ(B)) and Mn(2+) (5 µ(B)) sublattices order antiferromagnetically. This result indicates that an interaction between f-d electrons (Eu-Mn) predominantly operate in this compound.

Crystal structures and characterizations of mixed valence 12 L-perovskites Ba(4)EuM(3)O(12) (M = Ru and Ir).

The crystal structures and characterizations of Ba(4)EuM(3)O(12) (M = Ru and Ir) are reported. They crystallize in a monoclinic 12-l-perovskite-type structure with space group C2/m. The M(3)O(12) trimers and EuO(6) octahedra are alternately linked by corner-sharing and form the perovskite-type structure with 12 layers. The (151)Eu Mossbauer and X-ray photoelectron spectra reveal that the Eu and M ions are in the trivalent and mixed valence (+4.33) oxidation states, respectively. Their electrical conductivities show semiconducting behavior with an activation energy of approximately 0.2 eV above room temperature and demonstrate two-dimensional Mott variable range hopping behavior at low temperatures. The magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements indicate that an antiferromagnetic ordering occurs at 4 K, which is due to the magnetic interaction between Ru(3)O(12) trimers. On the other hand, the Ir(3)O(12) trimer is found to be nonmagnetic.

Magnetic and neutron diffraction study on quaternary oxides MTeMoO(6) (M = Mn and Zn).

Crystal structures and magnetic properties of quaternary oxides MTeMoO(6) (M = Mn and Zn) were investigated. From the Rietveld analyses for the powder x-ray and neutron diffraction measurements, their detailed structures have been determined. Both compounds have orthorhombic structure with space group P 2(1)2(1)2 and a charge configuration of M(2+)Te(4+)Mo(6+)O(6). ZnTeMoO(6) shows diamagnetic behavior. In this structure, M ions are arranged in a square-planar manner. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility for MnTeMoO(6) shows a broad peak at ∼33 K, which is due to a two-dimensional characteristic of the magnetic interaction. In addition, this compound shows an antiferromagnetic transition at 20 K. The magnetic structure was determined by the powder neutron diffraction measurement at 3.3 K. The magnetic moments of Mn(2+) ions (4.45 µ(B)) order in a collinear antiferromagnetic arrangement along the b axis.

Reversible mechanochromic luminescence of [(C6F5Au)2(mu-1,4-diisocyanobenzene)].

Reversible mechanochromic luminescence of [(C6F5Au)2(mu-1,4-diisocyanobenzene)] is reported. Grinding of the complex induced a photoluminescent color change, which was restored by exposure to a solvent. This cycle was repeated 20 times with no color degradation in the emissions. Their optical properties, X-ray crystallographic analysis, IR, and XRD measurements strongly suggested that the change in the molecular arrangement is responsible for this mechanochromic property. Intermolecular aurophilic bondings presumably play a key role in the altered emission.

Remarkable magneto-optical properties of europium selenide nanoparticles with wide energy gaps.

The enhanced magneto-optical properties of nanoscaled lanthanide chalogenide semiconductors which have a wide energy gap were observed at around 500 nm for the first time. The nanoscaled semiconductors, Eu(1-x)Se nanoparticles 1 (cubic shapes) and 2 (spherical shapes), were synthesized by the thermal reduction of Eu(III) ion with organic ligands containing Se atoms. The resulting Eu(1-x)Se nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, superconducting quantum interference devices magnetometer, and microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectroscopy measurements. The particle grain sizes of 1 and 2 were estimated to be 11 and 20 nm, respectively. The concentration-normalized Veldet constants (the magnitude of the Faraday effect) of Eu(1-x)Se nanoparticles were much larger than those of corresponding bulk EuSe and EuS nanoparticles.

Enhancement of Fe-N-C carbon catalyst activity for the oxygen reduction reaction: effective increment of active sites by a short and repeated heating process.

Controlling the formation of Fe-N-C catalytic sites is crucial to activate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for realization of non-precious electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). We present a quantitative study on the effect of a newly obtained thermal history on the formation of Fe-N-C catalytic sites. A short and repeated heating process is employed as the new thermal history, where short heating (1 min) followed by quenching is applied to a sample with arbitrary repetition. Through electrochemical quantitative analysis, it is found that the new process effectively increases the Fe-N-C mass-based site density (MSD) to almost twice that achieved using a conventional continuous heating process, while the turn-over frequency (TOF) is independent of the process. Elemental analysis shows that the new process effectively suppresses the thermal desorption of Fe and N atoms during the initial formation stage and consequently contributes to an increase in the Fe-N-C site density. The resultant catalytic activity (gravimetric kinetic current density (0.8 V vs. RHE)) is 1.8 times higher than that achieved with the continuous heating process. The results indicate that fine control of the thermal history can effectively increase the catalytic activity and provide guidelines for further activation of non-precious ORR electrocatalysts for PEMFCs.

Crystal structures, magnetic properties, and DFT calculation of B-site defected 12L-perovskites Ba2La2MW2O12 (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Zn).

The synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic properties of Ba2La2MW2O12 (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Zn) were investigated. They crystallize in the 12-layer polytype of the perovskite structure with a regular cation defect in the B-site. The results of neutron diffraction measurements reveal that they adopt a rhombohedral structure with a space group R - 3 and have a cation ordering between Ba and La ions in the A-site. In these compounds, the magnetic M ions form the 2D triangular lattice. From the results of magnetic measurements, the ferromagnetic ordering of M2+ ions for M = Co (T C = 1.3 K) and Ni (6.2 K) and the paramagnetic behavior (T > 1.8 K) with an antiferromagnetic interaction for M = Mn are observed. From the DFT calculation, their band structures and magnetic interactions are discussed.

Superconductivity in ternary chalcogenides Bi(2)Ni(3)X(2) (X = S, Se).

The physical properties of parkerite and its related compound, Bi(2)Ni(3)X(2) (X =  S, Se), were studied. The electrical resistivity of both compounds shows typical metallic behaviour up to 400 K. The resistivity and specific heat measurements at low temperatures reveal that these compounds are superconducting with a transition temperature of ∼0.7 K. The upper critical fields at 0 K, µ(0)H(c2)(0), are 95 mT (Bi(2)Ni(3)S(2)) and 75 mT (Bi(2)Ni(3)Se(2)). In the normal state, the electronic specific heat coefficient, γ, and the Debye temperature, Θ(D), are found to be 11.4 mJ mol(-1) K(-2) and 189 K, respectively, for Bi(2)Ni(3)S(2), and 12.2 mJ mol(-1) K(-2) and 173 K, respectively, for Bi(2)Ni(3)Se(2). From the electronic specific heat in the superconducting temperature range, it was found these compounds belong to the weak-coupling BCS superconductors.

Crystal structure, magnetic properties, and Mössbauer spectroscopy of new layered iron oxyselenide Nd2Fe2O3Se2.

The crystal structure and magnetic properties of a new layered iron oxyselenide Nd(2)Fe(2)O(3)Se(2) have been investigated through powder x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrum measurements, and electronic structure calculations. This oxyselenide crystallizes in a tetragonal structure (space group I4/mmc) which is isostructural with La(2)Fe(2)O(3)Se(2). The lattice parameters were estimated to be a = 4.0263(1) Å and c = 18.4306(2) Å by the Rietveld analysis. Through its magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrum measurements, a long-range antiferromagnetic transition of the Fe(2+) ions was found at 88 K and the Nd(3+) ions exhibited Curie paramagnetic behavior down to 2 K. Two magnetic structure models for the Fe(2+) ions were suggested from the Mössbauer spectra.