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Photostimulated luminescence phosphors are promising candidates for next‐generation optical data storage devices. Herein, optically‐reversible luminescence modulation is demonstrated using UV wavelengths in the fluoroperovskite RbCdF3:Mn, where the modulation is mediated by photostimulated luminescence processes. UV‐C stimulation enhances the luminescence from Mn2+ centers and simultaneously fills electron traps. This charging process occurs via electron transfer from Mn2+ ions to fluorine vacancies, yielding Mn3+ ions and F‐centers, and is mediated by conduction band transport. UV‐A stimulation restores the material to the initial state. This discharging process occurs via electron transfer from F‐centers to Mn3+ ions and is similarly mediated by conduction band transport. Moreover, the discharging process manifests Mn2+ photostimulated luminescence. The primary trap state has activation energies in the range 1.46 to 1.73 eV and has room temperature lifetimes exceeding 40 000 years. A kinetic model is presented and evaluated that accurately describes the charge transport and luminescence properties of the material. Thus, a material is presented via which ultra‐long term, multi‐level luminescent data storage can be realized, and a model via which precise control over the luminescence modulation and photostimulated luminescence intensities can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results from a comprehensive study of the effect that annealing FeSe0.35Te0.65 single crystals in different atmospheres has on the surface chemistry, the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, and the critical current density, Jc. A review of the literature and our data shows that annealing in oxygen, nitrogen, air or vacuum atmosphere leads to a universal superconducting phase diagram that is independent of the variance in the as-grown properties. We show that atmospheres with an oxygen partial pressure of p > 10−3 hPa during annealing are necessary to improve the superconducting properties in this compound. This is demonstrated by Raman and magnetisation measurements on air, nitrogen, or low vacuum annealed FeSe0.35Te0.65 samples, which show that the improvement in the superconducting properties is strongly correlated to the formation of a thin iron oxide surface layer. However, annealing under high vacuum does not lead to the formation of an iron oxide layer and no improvement in the superconducting properties is observed. Our findings show that the previously reported improvements in the superconducting properties after annealing under vacuum or in nitrogen are thus likely to have been caused by residual oxygen. Furthermore, we propose a diffusion model for the formation of the iron oxide layer as the driving force for the reduction of interstitial excess iron that suppresses superconductivity in this compound. Overall, our results show that the presence of an iron reactant, such as oxygen, during annealing is necessary to improve the superconducting properties of FeSe1−xTex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results from magnetic, resistivity, and Hall effect measurements on a ferromagnetically ordered 5% Gd low energy implanted ZnO single crystal. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements show that the Gd ions do not contribute to the magnetic order; hence, the magnetic order is intrinsic. The electronic transport in the Gd-implanted region is inhomogeneous, and there is a nonlinear Hall resistance. The nonlinear Hall resistance is likely to be a consequence of the inhomogeneous transport and not due to an anomalous Hall effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoluminescence (PL), PL lifetime, and radioluminescence (RL) measurements were made on LaF3 nanoparticles doped with Eu3+ or Sm3+. The radiative lifetimes decreased with increasing rare earth concentrations, which can be attributed to energy transfer to the surface of the nanoparticles followed by non-radiative recombination. The RL signal increases with increasing concentration for Eu3+ concentrations up to 20% Eu3+ but it saturates and disappears for >10% Sm3+. A dose-independent RL was observed up to 10 kGy during continual X-ray irradiation for Eu3+ and Sm3+ doped nanoparticles, which is advantageous for real time dosimetry applications (© 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The narrow band gap semiconductors Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 are well known for their room temperature thermoelectric performance. Recently, they were shown to serve as model systems of three‐dimensional topological insulators with a bulk band gap and very robust, spin‐resolved surface states due to a special band inversion in their periodic bulk. Evidently, it is of interest to investigate the special surface states with a local probe like nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). However, especially the bulk NMR of these materials shows peculiar and rather unexpected phenomena, e. g., a magnetic field induced deformation of the local charge symmetry and excessive line broadening due to a special internuclear coupling. Here we report a comprehensive account of the room temperature NMR properties of the spin‐1/2 nucleus 125Te of single crystalline Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3. This includes a very unusual spin‐lattice relaxation that seems not to be reflected in the NMR shift, as well as an exchange enhanced NMR line broadening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear relaxation is an important thermodynamic probe of electronic excitations, in particular in conducting and superconducting systems. Here, an empirical phenomenology based on all available literature data for planar Cu in hole-doped cuprates is developed. It is found that most of the seemingly different relaxation rates among the systems are due to a temperature-independent anisotropy that affects mostly measured 1/T1∥, the rate with an external magnetic field along the crystal c-axis, while 1/T1⊥ is largely independent on doping and material above the critical temperature of superconductivity (Tc). This includes very strongly overdoped systems that show Fermi liquid behavior and obey the Korringa law. Below Tc, the relaxation rates are similar, as well, if plotted against the reduced temperature T/Tc. Thus, planar Cu nuclear relaxation is governed by a simple, dominant mechanism that couples the nuclei with varying anisotropy to a rather ubiquitous bath of electronic excitations that appear Fermi liquid-like irrespective of doping and family. In particular, there is no significant enhancement of the relaxation due to electronic spin fluctuations, different from earlier conclusions. Only the La2−xSrxCuO4 family appears to be an outlier as additional relaxation is present; however, the anisotropy remains temperature independent. Also systems with very low doping levels, for which there is a lack of data, may behave differently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the dramatic effect of rationally-designed phosphopeptides on the size and shape of iron-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles prepared in a one-pot synthesis by sodium borohydride reduction of an iron salt. These phosphopeptides are effective at small ratios of peptide to metal, in contrast to the behaviour of conventional capping agents, which must be added at high concentration to control the particle growth. Wet chemical techniques are attractive methods for the preparation of metal nanoparticles. Here, we report the dramatic effect of rationally-designed phosphopeptides on the size, shape and magnetic properties of iron-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles prepared in a one-pot synthesis by sodium borohydride reduction of an iron salt. These phosphopeptides are effective at small ratios of peptide to metal, in contrast to the behaviour of conventional surfactants, which must be added at high concentration to control the particle growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the results from a study of europium-doped fluorochlorozirconate glasses that have been thermally processed to induce nucleation and crystallization of BaCl2 crystallites. The resulting glass ceramics show a photostimulated luminescence (PSL) effect with a conversion efficiency which is up to 80% of that found in the commercial crystalline x-ray storage phosphor material BaFBr:Eu2+. Thermal processing for 20 min in the range 240–260 °C produces small (∼6–11 nm) hexagonal BaCl2 crystallites, while temperatures in the range 270–290 °C lead to the formation and growth of larger (∼15–100 nm) orthorhombic BaCl2 crystallites, as well as additional unidentified phases. We observe only weak PSL from glass ceramics containing hexagonal BaCl2 (∼0.1% conversion efficiency compared to BaFBr:Eu2+ at room temperature), but orthorhombic phase crystallites give rise to a much larger relative efficiency that increases with particle size, and reaches ∼80% for 100 nm diameter particles. The PSL is attributed to the excitation of electrons trapped as F centers in the BaCl2 crystallites, while the dependence on crystallite size is consistent with a PSL-inert surface shell of thickness ∼7 nm surrounding the BaCl2 crystallites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The local distribution of electrons and holes in the CuO2 plane of the high-temperature superconducting cuprates is determined with nuclear magnetic resonance through the quadrupole splittings of 17O and 63Cu. Based on new data for single crystals of electron-doped Pr2-xCexCuO4 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) as well as Nd2-xCexCuO4 (x = 0, 0.13) the changes in hole contents nd of Cu 3dx2-y2 and np of O 2pσ orbitals are determined and these account for the stoichiometrically doped charges, similar to hole-doped La2-xSrxCuO4. It emerges that while nd + 2np = 1 in all parent materials as expected, nd and np vary substantially between different groups of materials. Doping holes increases predominantly np, but also nd. To the contrary, doping electrons predominantly decreases nd and only slightly np. However, np for the electron-doped systems is higher than that in hole-doped La1.85Sr0.15CuO4. Cuprates with the highest maximum Tc's appear to have a comparatively low nd and high np. The rather high oxygen hole content of the Pr2CuO4 and Nd2CuO4 with the low nd seems to make them ideal candidates for hole doping to obtain a potentially high Tc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Communication describes the synthesis of highly monodispersed 12 nm nickel nanocubes. The cubic shape was achieved by using trioctylphosphine and hexadecylamine surfactants under a reducing hydrogen atmosphere to favor thermodynamic growth and the stabilization of {100} facets. Varying the metal precursor to trioctylphosphine ratio was found to alter the nanoparticle size and shape from 5 nm spherical nanoparticles to 12 nm nanocubes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the nanocubes are protected from further oxidation by a 1 nm NiO shell. Synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction techniques showed the nickel nanocubes order into [100] aligned arrays. Magnetic studies showed the nickel nanocubes have over 4 times enhancement in magnetic saturation compared to spherical superparamagnetic nickel nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A NMR anvil cell design is used for measuring the influence of high pressure on the electronic properties of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu4O8 above the superconducting transition temperature Tc. It is found that pressure increases the spin shift at all temperatures in such a way that the pseudogap feature has almost disappeared at 63 kbar. This change of the temperature-dependent spin susceptibility can be explained by a pressure-induced proportional decrease (factor of 2) of a temperature-dependent component, and an increase (factor of 9) of a temperature-independent component, contrary to the effects of increasing doping. The results demonstrate that one can use anvil cell NMR to investigate the tuning of the electronic properties of correlated electronic materials with pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of cerium-doped compounds with the composition Ba1-xLaxCl2+x and 0 < x < 0.5 have been prepared in ceramic form. We find from the powder X-ray diffraction patterns that the compounds adopt the cubic fluorite structure for 0.05 < x < 0.34. Samples with x ~ 0.2 are translucent. When doped with trivalent cerium, the materials show photoluminescence emission peaks at 350, 372 nm (for the Ba0.66La0.34Cl2.34 composition); the photoluminescence decay can be fitted with a single exponential with decay time 25 ns. The scintillation pulse height analysis shows a photopeak for 137Cs which can be used to compute a light yield of 4000 photons/MeV. The scintillation decay is non-exponential, with a rapid initial decay which can be represented approximately by a decay constant of ~100 ns, but there is a substantial delayed scintillation which extends over several microseconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis of Eu[SUP2+]- and chlorine-doped fluorozirconate glass-ceramics that show an intense photostimulated luminescence (PSL) after x-ray irradiation at room temperature. The PSL efficiency is up to 80% of that found in the well-known crystalline x-ray storage phosphor BaFBr:Eu[SUP2+], and it is the largest thus far reported for a glass-ceramic. We attribute the PSL to crystallites of orthorhombic BaCl[SUB2] that are formed after annealing above the glass temperature. Hexagonal BaCl[SUB2] crystallites are also observed after short annealing times, but they do not provide a measurable PSL signal. The photoluminescence peak from glass-ceramics containing orthorhombic BaCl[SUB2] crystallites occurs at 402 nm, and the stimulation band is centered at about 560 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological insulators constitute a new class of materials with an energy gap in the bulk and peculiar metallic states on the surface. We report on new features resulting from the bulk electronic structure, based on a comprehensive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of 77Se on Bi2Se3 and Cu0.15Bi2Se3 single crystals. First, we find two resonance lines and show that they originate from the two inequivalent Se lattice sites. Second, we observe unusual field-independent linewidths and attribute them to an unexpectedly strong internuclear coupling mediated by bulk electrons. In order to support this interpretation, we present a model calculation of the indirect internuclear coupling and show that the Bloembergen-Rowland coupling is much stronger than the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida coupling. Our results call for a revision of earlier NMR studies and add information concerning the bulk electronic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]