Effect of boron powder purity on superconducting properties of MgB2

The effect of the properties of starting boron powders on the superconducting properties of MgB2 has been studied. The 92% and 96% pure powders produce lower surface reactivity and larger particle size than the 99% boron powder, as can be seen from Brunauer - Emmett - Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results, indicating that the low purity powders cannot be used to archive the same superconducting properties as those of samples made from pure 99% boron powder. However, the purity of 92% and 96% boron powders can be improved by using a simple chemical process, leading to enhanced magnetic critical current densities J(c). From x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement, oxide impurity has been observed, which might be originated from the B2O3 phase in the boron powders. In order to get high performance MgB2, it is obviously important to control the phase composition and microstructure of amorphous boron starting powders and solid reaction conditions.

MAGNETOOPTICAL PROPERTIES OF F-2(+) CENTER IN KCL-SH-

The magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of F2+ centers in KCl:SH- has been measured in absorption in the 1ssigma(g) --> 2p(y)pi(u) transitions at 493 and 509 nm, with fields up to 5 T and in the temperature range 1.5 K < T < 77 K. Within the limit of detection, no MCD is observed in the near infrared transition 1ssigma(g) --> 2psigma(u) as well as in both emissions 2ppi(u) --> 1ssigma(g) and 2psigma(u) --> 1ssigma(g). The optical detection of EPR in the F2+ ground state presents an isotropic single band with g = 1.965 +/- 0.007. The spin-lattice relaxation measured at H = 0.32 T is typical of a direct process T-1 = 4.3 x 10(-2_ coth (gmu(B)H/2k(B)T). The spectral variation of the MCD is calculated using perturbation theory to first order. The Hamiltonian includes the spin-orbit interaction in the 2ppi(u) excited state and the orbital molecular wave functions are obtained by a linear combination of 1s and 2p atomic orbitals. The calculated MCD is in good agreement with the observed one, for the spin-orbit interaction strength Pound(z) = 3.6 meV.

Preparation and properties of colloidal particles. Silica on yttrium iron garnet

Various properties of particles can be altered by coating them with a layer of different chemical composition. Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) particles has been coated with silica for control of their sintering, corrosion resistance, and stabilization of magnetic properties. This silica cover was obtained by hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in 2-propanol. This material was characterized by transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, (XEDS) X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry, (XPS) X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and (VSM) vibrating sample magnetometry. YIG was heterocoagulated by silica as indicated by TEM micrographies. XPS measurements indicated that only binding energy for silicon and oxygen was found on the silica shell, which confirms that the YIG was covered. The values of the saturation magnetization differ from the heterocoagulated system to well-crystallized YIG.

Electrical and Magnetic Characterization of BSCCO and YBCO HTS Tapes for Fault Current Limiter Application

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Structural and electrical properties of SrBi2(Ta0.5Nb0.5)(2)O-9 thin films

SrBi2(Ta0.5Nb0.5)(2)O-9 (SBTN) thin films were obtained by polymeric precursor method on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(1 0 0) substrates. The film is dense and crack-free after annealing at 700 degrees C for 2 h in static air. Crystallinity and morphological characteristic were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The films displayed rounded grains with a superficial roughness of 3.5 nm. The dielectric permittivity was 122 with loss tangent of 0.040. The remanent polarization (P-r) and coercive field (E-c) were 5.1 mu C/cm(2) and 96 kV/cm, respectively. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Mechanism of the formation and properties of antimony polyphosphate

Formation of antimony polyphosphate using Sb2O3 and/or (NH4)2HPO4 and NH4H 2PO4 as starting materials has been simulated by thermal analysis technique. The elimination of water and ammonia molecules induced by heating leads to the formation of intermediate ammonium polyphosphate, which subsequently reacts with Sb2O3. Morphologically, vitreous Sb(PO3)3 is composed of plaques having irregular shapes. Infrared spectra and NMR study is consistent with tetrametaphosphate anion arrangement. The compound is thermally unstable and may be recommended as a donor of -O-P-O- linkers in the preparation of special phosphate glasses. © 2005 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest.

Effect of thermal treatment under oxygen atmosphere on the superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8

The discovery of the spatial uniform coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in rutheno-cuprates, RuSr2GdCu2O8 (Ru-1212), has spurred an extraordinary development in the study of the competition between magnetism and superconductivity. However, several points of their preparation process and characterization that determine their superconductive behavior are still obscure. The improvement of sample preparation conditions involves some thermal treatments in inert atmosphere. The first treatment results in the immediate formation of Sr2GdRuO 6. Using the CuO composition as a precursor, we produced Ru-1212. To turn it metallic and superconductor, besides the previous treatment, a final sinterization is carried out in oxygen flow for several days. Three Ru-1212 samples were produced by varying the last sinterization time (two, four, and six days under oxygen flow). Through measurements of x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, magnetic susceptibility and mechanical spectroscopy, it was studied the influence of the treatments under oxygen atmosphere on the structural and superconducting properties of the material.

Effect of Boron powder purity on superconducting properties of bulk MgB2

In order to study the influence of the amorphous Boron powder on the superconducting properties, MgB2 bulk samples were prepared using 96% and 99% pure commercial Boron powder as well as 92% commercial Boron powder after purification process. The results showed that the original 96% and the purified 92% powders have larger particle size compared to the pure 99% Boron powder, which leads to reduce magnetic critical current densities. In order to get higher performance MgB2, the purified low grade Boron powder need further control of their microstructure such as smaller particle size to enhance flux pinning from the grain boundaries which represent effective pinning centers. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Mg-Ga powder addition on the superconducting properties of MgB2 samples

MgB2 bulk samples containing different proportions of Mg-Ga powder were prepared by an in situ reaction technique. The Mg-Ga powder was obtained via high energy ball milling of a Mg-10 at.% Ga composite, which was fabricated by melting of pure magnesium and gallium metals inside encapsulated stainless steel tube at 655 °C in a controlled atmosphere. The MgB2 samples containing 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt.% of MgGa addition were sintered at 650 °C for 30 min in argon atmosphere. Magnetic measurements performed at 5 K and 20 K showed improved critical current density, Jc, in the low magnetic field range for samples with MgGa addition. The critical temperature, Tc, for all samples with gallium additions is consistently higher when compared to the pure MgB2. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure and properties of Brazilian peat: Analysis by spectroscopy and microscopy

Peat was taken from the Sergipe State, Brazil and characterized by several techniques: elemental and thermal analyses; Fourier infrared (FTIR) and solid state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies; scanning electron microscopy (SEM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Also, the Sergipe State peat samples were compared with other peat sample from later from Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The lowest O/C and E 4/E 6 ratios and differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves of the Santo Amaro (SAO) sample indicated that this sample had the highest degree of decomposition. FTIR results showed that Itabaiana (ITA) and São Paulo (SAP) samples presented more prominent peak at 1086 cm -1 attributed the presence of Si-O than SAO sample spectra. The SAO sample showed two more intense peaks at 2920 cm -1 and 2850 cm -1. These results were corroborated by 13C NMR and thermal gravimetric (TG) where the relative abundance of the alkyl-C groups was greater in the SAO sample. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) of SAO sample is characteristic of amorphous matter however, the SAP and ITA samples revealed the large presence of quartz mineral. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) showed that the surface of peat samples have porous granules of organic material. The ITA and SAP peat samples are alike while SAO peat sample is richer in organic material. Only the SAO sample has truthful characteristics of peat. The results of this study showed that the samples are very different due to variable inorganic and organic material contents. ©2007 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Anelastic characterization and superconducting properties of RuSr2GdCu2O8+δ

Since the discovery of the high Tc superconductors, many researches have been carried out on the different properties of these materials, especially on the transition temperature into the superconducting state. The rutheno-cuprates belong to a new class of composites, which were synthesized for the first time by Bauernfeind in 1995. Bernhard and collaborators discovered, in 1999, the coexistence of the ferromagnetism and the superconductivity in this phase, which is known as antagonistic phenomenon in the electromagnetism due to spin-charge interactions established in these states. However, the physical nature of the superconducting and magnetic states is still very obscure. The non-stoichiometric (interstitial) oxygen is considered as a possible cause for the non-uniformity of the sample properties. In this paper, results of mechanical spectroscopy in Ru-1212 samples are presented showing complex anelastic spectra, which were attributed to the mobility of the interstitial oxygen atoms in the Ru-1212 lattice.

Magnetic characteristics of nanocrystalline GaMnN films deposited by reactive sputtering

The magnetic characteristics of Ga1-xMnxN nanocrystalline films (x = 0.08 and x = 0.18), grown by reactive sputtering onto amorphous silica substrates (a-SiO2), are shown. Further than the dominant paramagnetic-like behaviour, both field- and temperature-dependent magnetization curves presented some particular features indicating the presence of secondary magnetic phases. A simple and qualitative analysis based on the Brillouin function assisted the interpretation of these secondary magnetic contributions, which were tentatively attributed to antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic phases. © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The effects of water molecules on the electronic and structural properties of peptide nanotubes

The self-assembly of short amino acid chains appears to be one of the most promising strategies for the fabrication of nanostructures. Their solubility in water and the possibility of chemical modification by targeting the amino or carboxyl terminus give peptide-based nanostructures several advantages over carbon nanotube nanostructures. However, because these systems are synthesized in aqueous solution, a deeper understanding is needed on the effects of water especially with respect to the electronic, structural and transport properties. In this work, the electronic properties of l-diphenylalanine nanotubes (FF-NTs) have been studied using the Self-Consistent Charge Density-Functional-based Tight-Binding method augmented with dispersion interaction. The presence of water molecules in the central hydrophilic channel and their interaction with the nanostructures are addressed. We demonstrate that the presence of water leads to significant changes in the electronic properties of these systems decreasing the band gap which can lead to an increase in the hopping probability and the conductivity. © the Owner Societies 2013.

Supramolecular assemblies and magnetic behaviors of the M(II)/p-aminopyridine/malonate (M = Ni, Mn, Cu, Co) systems

The coordination compounds [Ni(μ-mal)(apy)2(H 2O)]·2.8H2O (1), [Mn(μ-mal)(H2O) 2] (2), (apyH)2[Cu(μ-mal)2] (3) and (apyH)2[Co(mal)2(H2O)2] (4) (mal = malonate, apy = p-aminopyridine) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, vibrational spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction and magnetometry. With exception of 4, the malonate group acts as bridging ligand leading to the formation of one-dimensional polymeric chains. In compound 1 it was observed the coordination of the p-aminopyridine in the axial positions of the distorted octahedral coordination sphere. The solid-state structure exhibits a high complex 3D network formed by several supramolecular interactions. Magnetic properties were determined for all members of the series and indicate that the materials behave are normal paramagnets, except the Mn polymer 2 which exhibits an antiferromagnetic ground state. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Luminescent properties of hybrid materials prepared by the polymeric precursor method

Rare earth complexes (RE) can be incorporated in silica matrixes, originating organic/inorganic hybrid materials with good thermal stability and high rare earth emission lines. In this work, the hybrid material was obtained by the polymeric precursor method and ultrasonic dispersed with spherical silica particles prepared by the Stöber Method. The Raman spectra indicated that the Eu3+ ions are involved in a polymeric structure formed as consequence of the chelation and polyesterification reactions of this ion with citric acid and ethylene glycol. After the ultrasonic stirring, 2-hydroxynicotinic ligand will also compose this polymeric rigid structure. The TGA/DTA analysis showed that this polymeric material was thermal decomposed at 300 °C. Moreover, this process allows the chelating process of the 2-hydroxynicotinic acid ligand to the Eu3+ ions. The 29Si NMR showed that the ultrasonic dispersion of the reactants was not able to promote the functionalization of the silica particles with the 2-hydroxynicotinic acid ligand. Moreover, heat treatment promotes the [Eu(HnicO2)3] complex particles incorporation into silica pores. At this temperature, the TGA curve showed that only the thermal degradation of ethylene glycol and citric acid used during the experimental procedure occurs. The silica and hybrid materials are composed by spherical and aggregated particles with particle size of approximately 450 nm, which can be influenced by the heat treatment. These materials also present an absorption band located at 337 nm. The photoluminescent study showed that when the hybrid samples were excited at 337 nm wavelength, the ligand absorbs the excitation light. Part of this energy is transferred to the Eu3+ ion, which main emission, 5D0→ 7F2, is observed in the emission spectrum at 612 nm. As the heating temperature increases to 300 C, the energy transfer is more favorable. The lifetime values showed that the Eu3+ emission is enhanced due to the energy transfer process in the powders. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.