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Now showing 1 - 10 of 12
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    Ultrahigh Power Factor in Thermoelectric System Nb0.95M0.05FeSb (M = Hf, Zr, and Ti)
    (Chichester : John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2018) Ren, W.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, Q.; Saparamadu, U.; He, R.; Liu, Z.; Mao, J.; Wang, C.; Nielsch, K.; Wang, Z.; Ren, Z.
    Conversion efficiency and output power are crucial parameters for thermoelectric power generation that highly rely on figure of merit ZT and power factor (PF), respectively. Therefore, the synergistic optimization of electrical and thermal properties is imperative instead of optimizing just ZT by thermal conductivity reduction or just PF by electron transport enhancement. Here, it is demonstrated that Nb0.95Hf0.05FeSb has not only ultrahigh PF over ≈100 µW cm−1 K−2 at room temperature but also the highest ZT in a material system Nb0.95M0.05FeSb (M = Hf, Zr, Ti). It is found that Hf dopant is capable to simultaneously supply carriers for mobility optimization and introduce atomic disorder for reducing lattice thermal conductivity. As a result, Nb0.95Hf0.05FeSb distinguishes itself from other outstanding NbFeSb-based materials in both the PF and ZT. Additionally, a large output power density of ≈21.6 W cm−2 is achieved based on a single-leg device under a temperature difference of ≈560 K, showing the realistic prospect of the ultrahigh PF for power generation.
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    Inter-granular effects at high magnetic fields of cuprate and iron chalcogenide superconducting materials
    (Bristol : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2019) Buchkov, K.; Valkovski, M.; Gajda, D.; Nenkov, K.; Nazarova, E.
    The weak links effects are one of the main challenges for effective power applications of high temperature superconducting materials. Studies of these effects help for their better understanding and subsequent improvement. An overview analysis of the intergranular properties of cuprate (Y0.8Ca0.2Ba2Cu3O7-δ) and iron-based chalcogenide (FeSe0.5Te0.5) polycrystalline samples was carried out, by means of series of electro-transport experiments at different magnetic fields. The temperature evolution of the Josephson coupling and intrinsic superconductivity effects for the both systems was constructed. The FeSe0.5Te0.5 compound shows very stable and superior behavior compared to Y0.8Ca0.2BCO up to the highest magnetic fields (14T) used. We have explored FeSe0.5Te0.5 Josephson weak links influence (as a non-linear process) over the resistive transition using different AC current amplitudes and applying the sensitive AC transport third harmonics technique.
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    Femtosecond spectroscopy in a nearly optimally doped Fe-based superconductors FeSe0.5Te0.5 and Ba(Fe 1-xCox)2As2/Fe thin film
    (Bristol : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2014) Bonavolontà, C.; Parlato, L.; De, Lisio, C.; Valentino, M.; Pepe, G.P.; Kazumasa, I.; Kurth, F.; Bellingeri, E.; Pallecchi, I.; Putti, M.; Ferdeghini, C.; Ummarino, G.A.; Laviano, F.
    Femtosecond spectroscopy has been used to investigate the quasi-particle relaxation times in nearly optimally doped Fe-based superconductors FeSe 0.5Te0.5 and optimally doped Ba-122 thin films growth on a Fe buffer layer. Experimental results concerning the temperature dependence of the relaxation time of such pnictides both in the superconducting state are now presented and discussed. Modelling the T-dependence of relaxation times an estimation of both electron-phonon constant and superconducting energy gap in the excitation spectrum of both Fe(Se,Te) and Ba-122 compounds is obtained.
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    On the growth of Co-doped BaFe2As2 thin films on CaF2
    (Bristol : IOP Publ., 2019) Langer, Marco; Meyer, Sven; Ackermann, Kai; Grünewald, Lukas; Kauffmann-Weiss, Sandra; Aswartham, Saicharan; Wurmehl, Sabine; Hänisch, Jens; Holzapfel, Bernhard
    The competition between phase formation of BaF2 and Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 on CaF2 single crystals has been analysed. Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 thin films have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies have revealed that the formation of secondary phases and misorientations as well as the growth modes of the Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 thin films strongly depend on the growth rate. At high growth rates, formation of BaF2 is suppressed. The dependency of the Ba(Fe0.92Co0.08)2As2 lattice parameters supports the idea of fluorine diffusion into the crystal structure upon suppression of BaF2 formation similar as was proposed for FeSe1-xTex thin films on CaF2. Furthermore, a growth mode transition from a layer growth mechanism to a three-dimensional growth mode at high supersaturation has been found, suggesting similarities between the growth mechanism of iron-based superconductors and high-T c cuprate thin films. © 2019 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
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    Suppression of nematicity by tensile strain in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films
    (College Park, MD : APS, 2023) Lou, Rui; Suvorov, Oleksandr; Grafe, Hans-Joachim; Kuibarov, Andrii; Krivenkov, Maxim; Rader, Oliver; Büchner, Bernd; Borisenko, Sergey; Fedorov, Alexander
    The nematicity in multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films has been previously suggested to be enhanced with decreasing film thickness. Motivated by this, there have been many discussions about the competing relation between nematicity and superconductivity. However, the criterion for determining the nematicity strength in FeSe remains highly debated. The understanding of nematicity as well as its relation to superconductivity in FeSe films is therefore still controversial. Here, we fabricate multilayer FeSe/SrTiO3 films using molecular beam epitaxy and study the nematic properties by combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, Se77 nuclear magnetic resonance, and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. We unambiguously demonstrate that, near the interface, the nematic order is suppressed by the SrTiO3-induced tensile strain; in the bulk region further away from the interface, the strength of nematicity recovers to the bulk value. Our results not only solve the recent controversy about the nematicity in multilayer FeSe films, but also offer valuable insights into the relationship between nematicity and superconductivity.
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    Analyzer-free, intensity-based, wide-field magneto-optical microscopy
    (Melville, NY : American Inst. of Physics, 2021) Schäfer, Rudolf; Oppeneer, Peter M.; Ognev, Alexey; Samardak, Alexander; Soldatov, Ivan V.
    In conventional Kerr and Faraday microscopy, the sample is illuminated with plane-polarized light, and a magnetic domain contrast is generated by an analyzer making use of the Kerr or Faraday rotation. Here, we demonstrate possibilities of analyzer-free magneto-optical microscopy based on magnetization-dependent intensity modulations of the light. (i) The transverse Kerr effect can be applied for in-plane magnetized material, as demonstrated for an FeSi sheet. (ii) Illuminating that sample with circularly polarized light leads to a domain contrast with a different symmetry from the conventional Kerr contrast. (iii) Circular polarization can also be used for perpendicularly magnetized material, as demonstrated for garnet and ultrathin CoFeB films. (iv) Plane-polarized light at a specific angle can be employed for both in-plane and perpendicular media. (v) Perpendicular light incidence leads to a domain contrast on in-plane materials that is quadratic in the magnetization and to a domain boundary contrast. (vi) Domain contrast can even be obtained without a polarizer. In cases (ii) and (iii), the contrast is generated by magnetic circular dichroism (i.e., differential absorption of left- and right-circularly polarized light induced by magnetization components along the direction of light propagation), while magnetic linear dichroism (differential absorption of linearly polarized light induced by magnetization components transverse to propagation) is responsible for the contrast in case (v). The domain-boundary contrast is due to the magneto-optical gradient effect. A domain-boundary contrast can also arise by interference of phase-shifted magneto-optical amplitudes. An explanation of these contrast phenomena is provided in terms of Maxwell-Fresnel theory. © 2021 Author(s).
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    Quantum critical fluctuations in an Fe-based superconductor
    (London : Springer Nature, 2022) Jost, Daniel; Peis, Leander; He, Ge; Baum, Andreas; Geprägs, Stephan; Palmstrom, Johanna C.; Ikeda, Matthias S.; Fisher, Ian R.; Wolf, Thomas; Lederer, Samuel; Kivelson, Steven A.; Hackl, Rudi
    Quantum critical fluctuations may prove to play an instrumental role in the formation of unconventional superconductivity. Here, we show that the characteristic scaling of a marginal Fermi liquid is present in inelastic light scattering data of an Fe-based superconductor tuned through a quantum critical point (QCP) by chemical substitution or doping. From the doping dependence of the imaginary time dynamics we are able to distinguish regions dominated by quantum critical behavior from those having classical critical responses. This dichotomy reveals a connection between the marginal Fermi liquid behavior and quantum criticality. In particular, the overlap between regions of high superconducting transition temperatures and quantum critical scaling suggests a contribution from quantum fluctuations to the formation of superconductivity.
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    Pinning of the Fermi Level in CuFeO2 by Polaron Formation Limiting the Photovoltage for Photochemical Water Splitting
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2020) Hermans Y.; Klein A.; Sarker H.P.; Huda M.N.; Junge H.; Toupance T.; Jaegermann W.
    CuFeO2 is recognized as a potential photocathode for photo(electro)chemical water splitting. However, photocurrents with CuFeO2-based systems are rather low so far. In order to optimize charge carrier separation and water reduction kinetics, defined CuFeO2/Pt, CuFeO2/Ag, and CuFeO2/NiOx(OH)y heterostructures are made in this work through a photodeposition procedure based on a 2H CuFeO2 hexagonal nanoplatelet shaped powder. However, water splitting performance tests in a closed batch photoreactor show that these heterostructured powders exhibit limited water reduction efficiencies. To test whether Fermi level pinning intrinsically limits the water reduction capacity of CuFeO2, the Fermi level tunability in CuFeO2 is evaluated by creating CuFeO2/ITO and CuFeO2/H2O interfaces and analyzing the electronic and chemical properties of the interfaces through photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that Fermi level pinning at the Fe3+/Fe2+ electron polaron formation level may intrinsically prohibit CuFeO2 from acquiring enough photovoltage to reach the water reduction potential. This result is complemented with density functional theory calculations as well. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
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    Studies towards synthesis, evolution and alignment characteristics of dense, millimeter long multiwalled carbon nanotube arrays
    (Frankfurt, M. : Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften, 2011) Mahanandia, P.; Schneider, J.J.; Engel, M.; Stühn, B.; Subramanyam, S.V.; Nanda, K.K.
    We report the synthesis of aligned arrays of millimeter long carbon nanotubes (CNTs), from benzene and ferrocene as the molecular precursor and catalyst respectively, by a one-step chemical vapor deposition technique. The length of the grown CNTs depends on the reaction temperature and increases from ~85 μm to ~1.4 mm when the synthesis temperature is raised from 650 to 1100°C, while the tube diameter is almost independent of the preparation temperature and is ~80 nm. The parallel arrangement of the CNTs, as well as their tube diameter can be verified spectroscopically by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies. Based on electron diffraction scattering (EDS) studies of the top and the base of the CNT films, a root growth process can be deduced.
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    Universal scaling behavior of the upper critical field in strained FeSe0.7Te0.3 thin films
    (Bristol : Institute of Physics Publishing, 2018) Yuan, F.; Grinenko, V.; Iida, K.; Richter, S.; Pukenas, A.; Skrotzki, W.; Sakoda, M.; Naito, M.; Sala, A.; Putti, M.; Yamashita, A.; Takano, Y.; Shi, Z.; Nielsch, K.; Hühne, R.
    Revealing the universal behaviors of iron-based superconductors (FBS) is important to elucidate the microscopic theory of superconductivity. In this work, we investigate the effect of in-plane strain on the slope of the upper critical field H c2 at the superconducting transition temperature T c (i.e. -dH c2/dT) for FeSe0.7Te0.3 thin films. The in-plane strain tunes T c in a broad range, while the composition and disorder are almost unchanged. We show that -dH c2/dT scales linearly with T c, indicating that FeSe0.7Te0.3 follows the same universal behavior as observed for pnictide FBS. The observed behavior is consistent with a multiband superconductivity paired by interband interaction such as sign change s ± superconductivity.