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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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    Cargo shuttling by electrochemical switching of core–shell microgels obtained by a facile one-shot polymerization
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2019) Mergel, Olga; Schneider, Sabine; Tiwari, Rahul; Kühn, Philipp T.; Keskin, Damla; Stuart, Marc C. A.; Schöttner, Sebastian; de Kanter, Martinus; Noyong, Michael; Caumanns, Tobias; Mayer, Joachim; Janzen, Christoph; Simon, Ulrich; Gallei, Markus; Wöll, Dominik; van Rijn, Patrick; Plamper, Felix A.
    Controlling and understanding the electrochemical properties of electroactive polymeric colloids is a highly topical but still a rather unexplored field of research. This is especially true when considering more complex particle architectures like stimuli-responsive microgels, which would entail different kinetic constraints for charge transport within one particle. We synthesize and electrochemically address dual stimuli responsive core-shell microgels, where the temperature-responsiveness modulates not only the internal structure, but also the microgel electroactivity both on an internal and on a global scale. In detail, a facile one-step precipitation polymerization results in architecturally advanced poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-vinylferrocene) P(NIPAM-co-VFc) microgels with a ferrocene (Fc)-enriched (collapsed/hard) core and a NIPAM-rich shell. While the remaining Fc units in the shell are electrochemically accessible, the electrochemical activity of Fc in the core is limited due to the restricted mobility of redox active sites and therefore restricted electron transfer in the compact core domain. Still, prolonged electrochemical action and/or chemical oxidation enable a reversible adjustment of the internal microgel structure from core-shell microgels with a dense core to completely oxidized microgels with a highly swollen core and a denser corona. The combination of thermo-sensitive and redox-responsive units being part of the network allows for efficient amplification of the redox response on the overall microgel dimension, which is mainly governed by the shell. Further, it allows for an electrochemical switching of polarity (hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity) of the microgel, enabling an electrochemically triggered uptake and release of active guest molecules. Hence, bactericidal drugs can be released to effectively kill bacteria. In addition, good biocompatibility of the microgels in cell tests suggests suitability of the new microgel system for future biomedical applications. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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    Cooperative catalytic methoxycarbonylation of alkenes: Uncovering the role of palladium complexes with hemilabile ligands
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Dong, Kaiwu; Sang, Rui; Wei, Zhihong; Liu, Jie; Dühren, Ricarda; Spannenberg, Anke; Jiao, Haijun; Neumann, Helfried; Jackstell, Ralf; Franke, Robert; Beller, Matthias
    Mechanistic studies of the catalyst [Pd2(dba)3/1,1′-bis(tert-butyl(pyridin-2-yl)phosphanyl)ferrocene, L2] for olefin alkoxycarbonylation reactions are described. X-ray crystallography reveals the coordination of the pyridyl nitrogen atom in L2 to the palladium center of the catalytic intermediates. DFT calculations on the elementary steps of the industrially relevant carbonylation of ethylene (the Lucite α-process) indicate that the protonated pyridyl moiety is formed immediately, which facilitates the formation of the active palladium hydride complex. The insertion of ethylene and CO into this intermediate leads to the corresponding palladium acyl species, which is kinetically reversible. Notably, this key species is stabilized by the hemilabile coordination of the pyridyl nitrogen atom in L2. The rate-determining alcoholysis of the acyl palladium complex is substantially facilitated by metal-ligand cooperation. Specifically, the deprotonation of the alcohol by the built-in base of the ligand allows a facile intramolecular nucleophilic attack on the acyl palladium species concertedly. Kinetic measurements support this mechanistic proposal and show that the rate of the carbonylation step is zero-order dependent on ethylene and CO. Comparing CH3OD and CH3OH as nucleophiles suggests the involvement of (de)protonation in the rate-determining step.
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    A robust iron catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of substituted (iso)quinolones
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Sahoo, Basudev; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Agostini, Giovanni; Lund, Henrik; Bachmann, Stephan; Scalone, Michelangelo; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias
    By applying N-doped carbon modified iron-based catalysts, the controlled hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes, especially (iso)quinolones, is achieved. Crucial for activity is the catalyst preparation by pyrolysis of a carbon-impregnated composite, obtained from iron(ii) acetate and N-aryliminopyridines. As demonstrated by TEM, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy, the synthesized material is composed of Fe(0), Fe3C and FeNx in a N-doped carbon matrix. The decent catalytic activity of this robust and easily recyclable Fe-material allowed for the selective hydrogenation of various (iso)quinoline derivatives, even in the presence of reducible functional groups, such as nitriles, halogens, esters and amides. For a proof-of-concept, this nanostructured catalyst was implemented in the multistep synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutical lead compounds as well as modification of photoluminescent materials. As such this methodology constitutes the first heterogeneous iron-catalyzed hydrogenation of substituted (iso)quinolones with synthetic importance.
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    Iron/N-doped graphene nano-structured catalysts for general cyclopropanation of olefins
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2020) Sarkar, Abhijnan; Formenti, Dario; Ferretti, Francesco; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Bartling, Stephan; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias; Ragaini, Fabio
    The first examples of heterogeneous Fe-catalysed cyclopropanation reactions are presented. Pyrolysis of in situ-generated iron/phenanthroline complexes in the presence of a carbonaceous material leads to specific supported nanosized iron particles, which are effective catalysts for carbene transfer reactions. Using olefins as substrates, cyclopropanes are obtained in high yields and moderate diastereoselectivities. The developed protocol is scalable and the activity of the recycled catalyst after deactivation can be effectively restored using an oxidative reactivation protocol under mild conditions. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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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).