Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 461
  • Item
    Structure-property relationships in nanoporous metallic glasses
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2016) Şopu, D.; Soyarslan, C.; Sarac, B.; Bargmann, S.; Stoica, M.; Eckert, J.
    We investigate the influence of various critical structural aspects such as pore density, distribution, size and number on the deformation behavior of nanoporous Cu64 Zr36 glass. By using molecular dynamics and finite element simulations an effective strategy to control the strain localization in nanoporous heterostructures is provided. Depending on the pore distribution in the heterostructure, upon tensile loading the nanoporous glass showed a clear transition from a catastrophic fracture to localized deformation in one dominant shear band, and ultimately to homogeneous plastic flow mediated by a pattern of multiple shear bands. The change in the fracture mechanism from a shear band slip to necking-like homogeneous flow is quantitative interpreted by calculating the critical shear band length. Finally, we identify the most effective heterostructure with enhanced ductility as compared to the monolithic bulk metallic glass. The heterostructure with a fraction of pores of about 3% distributed in such a way that the pores do not align along the maximum shear stress direction shows higher plasticity while retaining almost the same strength as the monolithic glass. Our results provide clear evidence that the mechanical properties of nanoporous glassy materials can be tailored by carefully controlling the design parameters.
  • Item
    Single-Electron Lanthanide-Lanthanide Bonds Inside Fullerenes toward Robust Redox-Active Molecular Magnets
    (Washington, DC : ACS Publications, 2019) Liu, Fupin; Spree, Lukas; Krylov, Denis S.; Velkos, Georgios; Avdoshenko, Stanislav M.; Popov, Alexey A.
    A characteristic phenomenon of lanthanide-fullerene interactions is the transfer of metal valence electrons to the carbon cage. With early lanthanides such as La, a complete transfer of six valence electrons takes place for the metal dimers encapsulated in the fullerene cage. However, the low energy of the σ-type Ln-Ln bonding orbital in the second half of the lanthanide row limits the Ln2 → fullerene transfer to only five electrons. One electron remains in the Ln-Ln bonding orbital, whereas the fullerene cage with a formal charge of -5 is left electron-deficient. Such Ln2@C80 molecules are unstable in the neutral form but can be stabilized by substitution of one carbon atom by nitrogen to give azafullerenes Ln2@C79N or by quenching the unpaired electron on the fullerene cage by reacting it with a chemical such as benzyl bromide, transforming one sp2 carbon into an sp3 carbon and yielding the monoadduct Ln2@C80(CH2Ph). Because of the presence of the Ln-Ln bonding molecular orbital with one electron, the Ln2@C79N and Ln2@C80(R) molecules feature a unique single-electron Ln-Ln bond and an unconventional +2.5 oxidation state of the lanthanides.In this Account, which brings together metallofullerenes, molecular magnets, and lanthanides in unconventional valence states, we review the progress in the studies of dimetallofullerenes with single-electron Ln-Ln bonds and highlight the consequences of the unpaired electron residing in the Ln-Ln bonding orbital for the magnetic interactions between Ln ions. Usually, Ln···Ln exchange coupling in polynuclear lanthanide compounds is weak because of the core nature of 4f electrons. However, when interactions between Ln centers are mediated by a radical bridge, stronger coupling may be achieved because of the diffuse nature of radical-based orbitals. Ultimately, when the role of a radical bridge is played by a single unpaired electron in the Ln-Ln bonding orbital, the strength of the exchange coupling is increased dramatically. Giant exchange coupling in endohedral Ln2 dimers is combined with a rather strong axial ligand field exerted on the lanthanide ions by the fullerene cage and the excess electron density localized between two Ln ions. As a result, Ln2@C79N and Ln2@C80(CH2Ph) compounds exhibit slow relaxation of magnetization and exceptionally high blocking temperatures for Ln = Dy and Tb. At low temperatures, the [Ln3+-e-Ln3+] fragment behaves as a single giant spin. Furthermore, the Ln-Ln bonding orbital in dimetallofullerenes is redox-active, which allows its population to be changed by electrochemical reactions, thus changing the magnetic properties because the change in the number of electrons residing in the Ln-Ln orbital affects the magnetic structure of the molecule. © 2019 American Chemical Society.
  • Item
    Structural and mechanical characterization of heterogeneities in a CuZr-based bulk metallic glass processed by high pressure torsion
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2018) Ebner, Christian; Escher, Benjamin; Gammer, Christoph; Eckert, Jürgen; Pauly, Simon; Rentenberger, Christian
    Cu45Zr45Al5Ag5 bulk metallic glass samples, processed by high pressure torsion (HPT) under various conditions, were characterized using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, nanoindentation, differential scanning calorimetry, atomic force and transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results clearly show that HPT modifies the amorphous structure by increasing the mean atomic volume. The level of rejuvenation, correlated with the excess mean atomic volume, is enhanced at higher shear strains as inferred from relaxation enthalpies. By mapping of structural and mechanical quantities, the strain-induced rejuvenated state is characterized on cross-sectional HPT samples on a local scale. A clear correlation both between elastic and plastic softening and between softening and excess mean atomic volume is obtained. But also the heterogeneity of the HPT induced rejuvenation is revealed, resulting in the formation of highly strain-softened regions next to less-deformed ones. A hardness drop of up to 20% is associated with an estimated increase of the mean atomic volume of up to 0.75%. Based on synchrotron X-ray diffraction and nanoindentation measurements it is concluded that elastic fluctuations are enhanced in the rejuvenated material on different length scales down to atomic scale. Furthermore, the calculated flexibility volume and the corresponding average mean square atomic displacement is increased. The plastic response during nanoindentation indicates that HPT processing promotes a more homogeneous-like deformation.
  • Item
    Structure evolution of soft magnetic (Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4)100-xCux (x = 0 and 0.5) bulk glassy alloys
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2015) Stoica, Mihai; Ramasamy, Parthiban; Kaban, Ivan; Scudino, Sergio; Nicoara, Mircea; Vaughan, Gavin B.M.; Wright, Jonathan; Kumar, Ravi; Eckert, Jürgen
    Fully amorphous rods with diameters up to 2 mm diameter were obtained upon 0.5 at.% Cu addition to the Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4 bulk metallic glass. The Cu-added glass shows a very good thermal stability but, in comparison with the Cu-free base alloy, the entire crystallization behavior is drastically changed. Upon heating, the glassy (Fe36Co36B19.2Si4.8Nb4)99.5Cu0.5 samples show two glass transitions-like events, separated by an interval of more than 100 K, in between which a bcc-(Fe,Co) solid solution is formed. The soft magnetic properties are preserved upon Cu-addition and the samples show a saturation magnetization of 1.1 T combined with less than 2 A/m coercivity. The relaxation behavior prior to crystallization, as well as the crystallization behavior, were studied by time-resolved X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation. It was found that both glassy alloys behave similar at temperatures below the glass transition. Irreversible structural transformations take place when approaching the glass transition and in the supercooled liquid region.
  • Item
    The use of matrix-specific calibrations for oxygen in analytical glow discharge spectrometry
    (Dordrecht : Springer, 2014) Gonzalez-Gago, C.; Smid, P.; Hofmann, T.; Venzago, C.; Hoffmann, V.; Gruner, W.
    The performance of glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry for oxygen determination is investigated using a set of new conductive samples containing oxygen in the percent range in three different matrices (Al, Mg, and Cu) prepared by a sintering process. The sputtering rate corrected calibrations obtained at standard conditions for the 4 mm anode (700 V, 20 mA) in GD-OES are matrix independent for Mg and Al but not for Cu. The importance of a "blue shifted" line of oxygen at 130.22 nm (first reported by Köster) for quantitative analyses by GD-OES is confirmed. Matrix-specific calibrations for oxygen in GD-MS are presented. Two source concepts - fast flow (ELEMENT GD) and low gas flow (VG9000) - are evaluated obtaining higher sensitivity with the static flow source. Additional experiments using Ar-He mixtures or μs pulsed GD are carried out in ELEMENT GD aiming to improve the oxygen sensitivity.
  • Item
    Fulleretic well-defined scaffolds: Donor–fullerene alignment through metal coordination and its effect on photophysics
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2016) Williams, Derek E.; Dolgopolova, Ekaterina A.; Godfrey, Danielle C.; Ermolaeva, Evgeniya D.; Pellechia, Perry J.; Greytak, Andrew B.; Smith, Mark D.; Avdoshenko, Stanislav M.; Popov, Alexey A.; Shustova, Natalia B.
    Herein, we report the first example of a crystalline metal–donor–fullerene framework, in which control of the donor–fullerene mutual orientation was achieved through chemical bond formation, in particular, by metal coordination. The 13C cross‐polarization magic‐angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy were performed for comprehensive structural analysis and energy‐transfer (ET) studies of the fulleretic donor–acceptor scaffold. Furthermore, in combination with photoluminescence measurements, the theoretical calculations of the spectral overlap function, Förster radius, excitation energies, and band structure were employed to elucidate the photophysical and ET processes in the prepared fulleretic material. We envision that the well‐defined fulleretic donor–acceptor materials could contribute not only to the basic science of fullerene chemistry but would also be used towards effective development of organic photovoltaics and molecular electronics.
  • Item
    High Blocking Temperature of Magnetization and Giant Coercivity in the Azafullerene Tb 2 @C 79 N with a Single-Electron Terbium–Terbium Bond
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Velkos, Georgios; Krylov, Denis S.; Kirkpatrick, Kyle; Spree, Lukas; Dubrovin, Vasilii; Büchner, Bernd; Avdoshenko, Stanislav M.; Bezmelnitsyn, Valeriy; Davis, Sean; Faust, Paul; Duchamp, James; Dorn, Harry C.; Popov, Alexey A.
    The azafullerene Tb 2 @C 79 N is found to be a single-molecule magnet with a high 100-s blocking temperature of magnetization of 24 K and large coercivity. Tb magnetic moments with an easy-axis single-ion magnetic anisotropy are strongly coupled by the unpaired spin of the single-electron Tb−Tb bond. Relaxation of magnetization in Tb 2 @C 79 N below 15 K proceeds via quantum tunneling of magnetization with the characteristic time τ QTM =16 462±1230 s. At higher temperature, relaxation follows the Orbach mechanism with a barrier of 757±4 K, corresponding to the excited states, in which one of the Tb spins is flipped. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
  • Item
    High-quality MgB2 nanocrystals synthesized by using modified amorphous nano-boron powders: Study of defect structures and superconductivity properties
    (College Park, MD : American Institute of Physics, 2019) Bateni, A.; Erdem, E.; Häßler, W.; Somer, M.
    Nano sized magnesium diboride (MgB2) samples were synthesized using various high-quality nano-B precursor powders. The microscopic defect structures of MgB2 samples were systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman, resistivity measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. A significant deviation in the critical temperature Tc was observed due to defects and crystal distortion. The symmetry effect of the latter is also reflected on the vibrational modes in the Raman spectra. Scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrate uniform and ultrafine morphology for the modified MgB2. Defect center in particular Mg vacancies influence the connectivity and the conductivity properties which are crucial for the superconductivity applications.
  • Item
    Resistive switching in polycrystalline YMnO3 thin films
    (New York, NY : American Inst. of Physics, 2014) Bogusz, A.; Müller, A.D.; Blaschke, D.; Skorupa, I.; Bürger, D.; Scholz, A.; Schmidt, O.G.; Schmidt, H.
    We report a unipolar, nonvolatile resistive switching in polycrystalline YMnO3 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition and sandwiched between Au top and Ti/Pt bottom electrodes. The ratio of the resistance in the OFF and ON state is larger than 103. The observed phenomena can be attributed to the formation and rupture of conductive filaments within the multiferroic YMnO3 film. The generation of conductive paths under applied electric field is discussed in terms of the presence of grain boundaries and charged domain walls inherently formed in hexagonal YMnO3. Our findings suggest that engineering of the ferroelectric domains might be a promising route for designing and fabrication of novel resistive switching devices.
  • Item
    Stimuli‐responsive microjets with reconfigurable shape
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2014) Magdanz, Veronika; Stoychev, Georgi; Ionov, Leonid; Sanchez, Samuel; Schmidt, Oliver.G.
    Flexible thermoresponsive polymeric microjets are formed by the self‐folding of polymeric layers containing a thin Pt film used as catalyst for self‐propulsion in solutions containing hydrogen peroxide. The flexible microjets can reversibly fold and unfold in an accurate manner by applying changes in temperature to the solution in which they are immersed. This effect allows microjets to rapidly start and stop multiple times by controlling the radius of curvature of the microjet. This work opens many possibilities in the field of artificial nanodevices, for fundamental studies on self‐propulsion at the microscale, and also for biorelated applications.