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Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in magnetic thin films has attracted much attention due to its potential applications in spintronics devices. Here, we report the continuous strain-mediated PMA in epitaxial (111) CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) thin films grown on (0001) LiTaO 3 substrates. A large variation in lattice strain (∼ 0.9 %) in a continuous way is realized in the CFO thin films by changing substrate temperature during deposition due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between CFO and LiTaO 3. As a result, the PMA of the (111) CFO thin films can be continuously mediated by the strain with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy in the range of 0.12 - 14.69 × 10 6 erg/cm 3. Furthermore, the strain as well as the consequent PMA in the (111) CFO thin films can be maintained within the thickness of 25–205 nm, which is consistent with the scenario of the magnetoelastic effect. Our results reveal that the CFO/LiTaO 3 system can be regarded as an ideal platform to realize robust PMA and its continuous strain tuning in the (111) CFO thin films by virtue of strain-induced magnetic anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an effective equivalent modeling technique has been proposed to describe small-signal characteristics of InP-based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) after proton radiation, which is composed of an artificial neural network and equivalent-circuit models. Small-signal intrinsic parameters of InP-based HEMTs are extracted from S-parameters before and after 2 MeV proton radiation as modeling objects. The deep learning model of a generative adversarial network has been explored to expand the measured finite data samples. Four feedforward neural networks are incorporated to equivalent-circuit topology to form the equivalent model, which are trained to accurately predict the radiation-induced variations of Cgs, Cgd, Rds, and gm, respectively. The prediction accuracy of the developed equivalent model has been well verified in terms of the broad-band S-parameters under radiation fluence of 1 × 1014 and 5 × 1013 H+/cm2. This equivalent modeling method with characterization of radiation damage effects could provide significant guidance for the aerospace monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid–liquid transitions are present in a variety of substances. However, investigating the liquid–liquid transitions occurring in a supercooled liquid is difficult because of the interference from rapid crystallization. Here, we report a strong-to-fragile transition in a Pd32Ni52P16 metallic glass-forming supercooled liquid associated with a liquid–liquid transition. Since the liquid–liquid transition takes place at temperatures smaller than the crystallization temperature, the liquid viscosity can be acquired by creep experiments conducted at temperatures close to the glass transition temperature without interference from crystallization. The strong-to-fragile transition results in a 37% increase of the fragility index and a 56% elongation after thermal-plastic processing. An investigation on the loss-modulus peaks by a dynamic mechanical analyzer implies that the enhanced thermal plasticity is contributed by both glass transition and strong-to-fragile transition. This work highlights how liquid–liquid transition affects liquid fragility and how it may aid the thermal-plastic processing of metallic glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics were fabricated via the solid-state reaction method by the addition of B2O3 as a sintering aid at lower sintering temperatures than that prepared without B2O3. Ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and resistivity can be still greatly enhanced when the sintering temperature is decreased from 1075 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9 to 975 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The high resistivity and weak c-axis texture ensure that the ceramics can be fully polarized in a high enough electric field. The increased spontaneous ferroelectric and remanent polarization result in a significant enhancement in the piezoelectric properties of CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The sample sintered at 975 °C possesses a high piezoelectric coefficient d33 of ∼15.0 pC/N and resistivity of 1.4 × 106 Ω cm (at 600 °C) along with a high ferroelectric Curie temperature TC of ∼954 °C. This work is beneficial for the preparation of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics with excellent electrical properties at a low sintering temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a cluster spin glass behavior, multiferroicity and magnetoelectric (ME) effects in the single crystals of 0.46 BiFeO 3 -0.54 Bi 0.5 (K 0.31 Na 0.69) 0.5 TiO 3. The crystals are found to possess a pseudo-cubic structure with a weak tetragonal distortion and show ferroelectricity at room temperature with a ferroelectric curie temperature of T C ∼ 630.1 K. The cluster spin glass state in the crystal is evidenced by detailed dc and ac magnetic experiments, including thermo-remnant magnetization, aging effect, memory effect, etc. Magnetodielectric effects, poling enhanced magnetism, and electric field induced acceleration of magnetization relaxation in the spin glass state are observed and ascribed mainly to spin-lattice coupling. These results might suggest an effective route to improve ferromagnetism and ME effects by constructing a spin glass state in BiFeO 3 -based antiferromagnetic multiferroics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graded buffer Bragg reflector (GBBR) is a bifunctional device component that provides the reflection of a distributed Bragg reflector and the adjustable lattice constant of a compositionally graded buffer. Prior work showed that these properties can be combined with low threading dislocation density and high reflectivity. Here, we design and demonstrate complex GBBRs for specific metamorphic solar cell applications. We design buffers that provide (1) high reflectivity over a narrow bandwidth, for quantum well solar cells, (2) reflectivity over a wide bandwidth, for optically thin solar cells, and (3) low sidelobe reflection, for multijunction devices that demand low out-of-band reflection. Apodized and triple GBBRs are demonstrated, and transparency is always considered, requiring designs with carefully engineered material combinations. A GBBR with a reflection of 99% is demonstrated, as well as a triple GBBR that has over 80% reflection for 100 nm of the spectrum around 800 nm. We also analyze potential deviations in a baseline GBBR from that of a perfect DBR using transmission electron microscopy to analyze imperfections in the material and modeling to analyze the impact of imperfect refractive index data for lattice-mismatched AlGaInAs. Minimal crosshatch roughness and unintentional thickness variation occur throughout the buffer, which likely influences reflection slightly. Small deviations between the calculated AlGaInAs and utilized AlGaAs refractive index exist, giving methods for future GBBR improvement. While the GBBR designs are intended for metamorphic solar cells, the broad and high reflection may also be useful for other optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes or lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), combining the mutually exclusive functionalities of high electrical conductivity and high optical transparency, lie at the center of a wide range of technological applications. The current design strategy for n-type TCOs, making wide bandgap oxides conducting through degenerately doping, obtains successful achievements. However, the performances of p-type TCOs lag far behind the n-type counterparts, primarily owing to the localized nature of the O 2 p -derived valence band (VB). Modulation of the VB to reduce the localization is a key issue to explore p-type TCOs. This Perspective provides a brief overview of recent progress in the field of design strategy for p-type TCOs. First, the introduction to principle physics of TCOs is presented. Second, the design strategy for n-type TCOs is introduced. Then, the design strategy based on the concept of chemical modulation of the valence band for p-type TCOs is described. Finally, through the introduction of electron correlation in strongly correlated oxides for exploring p-type TCOs, the performance of p-type TCOs can be remarkably improved. The design strategy of electron correlation for p-type TCOs could be regarded as a promising material design approach toward the comparable performance of n-type TCOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unified analytical approach to study the effects of elasticity, viscosity, and magnetic fields on the Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instability by using the impulsively accelerated model is presented. This model clarifies the discontinuity in the oscillation periods and yields the asymptotic decaying rate in elastic solids. It reveals that the complex eigenvalues produce better results compared with the numerical simulations for RM instability in viscous fluids and resolves the standing controversy between the analytical theory and numerical simulations at a vacuum/fluid interface. At last, it easily retrieves the results when the normal or tangential magnetic field is present. Those good agreements, between numerical simulations and theoretical analysis, would enable the model to be valuable in more complex situations such as in the elastic–plastic slabs with or without the presence of magnetic fields, as well as in the nonlinear regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistive random access memories with self-rectifying behaviors, in which the sneak-path issue in passive crossbar arrays can be alleviated without additional access devices, have been investigated recently. The applications of p-type transparent oxide semiconductors as a memory medium will pave the way for realizing all-transparent memories and integrating on the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Here, Ag-based p-type delafossite AgCr 1 − x Mg x O 2 thin films were prepared onto n-Si wafers to investigate the resistive switching (RS) performance. Bipolar RS with self-rectifying behaviors were observed in the Au / AgCr 0.92 Mg 0.08 O 2 / n − Si sandwich structure, showing improved rectification ratio, On/Off ratio, and switching durability. The change of the oxygen vacancy concentration resulting from Mg doping plays a key role in determination of the RS. The intrinsic rectifying behavior in the low resistance state is attributed to the existence of a Schottky-like barrier in the AgCr 1 − x Mg x O 2 / n − Si p-n heterojunction. The RS behavior originates from the modification of the barrier, which is induced by the trapping/detrapping of charge carriers in oxygen vacancies at the interface. The results will provide novel RS devices based on p-type transparent delafossite thin films with a self-rectifying feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the structural, magnetic, and thermal transport properties of Co 1 − x Ni x Cr 2 O 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) to check the evolution of structural and magnetic properties upon the introduction of the Jahn–Teller active ion Ni 2 + . The x ≤ 0.95 samples can be indexed with a cubic lattice with the space group Fd3m, whereas the x = 0.98 sample undergoes a cubic-tetragonal structural transition, and the x > 0.98 samples belong to a tetragonal lattice with the space group I41-amd at room temperature. All these samples undergo a paramagnetic–ferrimagnetic transition at T C. A spiral ferrimagnetic ordering at T S is suppressed when the amount of Ni is increased, and the abnormal magnetization at T S for the x = 0.6 and 0.8 samples is not pronounced. The measurements of magnetic hysteresis reveal that the x = 0.4 and 0.6 samples possess a rather large coercivity H C compared with the x = 0 and 1 samples. Specifically, the x = 0.4 and 0.6 samples undergo a short-range antiferromagnetic transition above T C. The magnetic properties of the Ni-doped samples can be understood in terms of the magnetic structure model consisting of longitudinal and transverse magnetic sublattices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of growth rate and substrate temperature on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of LaVO 3 / SrTiO 3 interfaces has been investigated. It is found that both growth rate and substrate temperature can modulate the structural and electrical properties of the LaVO 3 / SrTiO 3 interfaces through oxygen substrate-to-film transfer. When the LaVO 3 thin films are deposited at a low substrate temperature and a high growth rate, the LaVO 3 / SrTiO 3 interfaces exhibit weak oxygen substrate-to-film transfer and resultant low density of oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO 3 substrate. As a result, the intrinsic effect (polar discontinuity and/or dielectric screening) dominates the interfacial conduction, while the oxygen vacancies play a minor role. In contrast, the oxygen substrate-to-film transfer (oxygen vacancies in the SrTiO 3 substrate) can be enhanced (increased) by depositing the LaVO 3 thin films at lower growth rates and/or higher substrate temperatures. In this case, the contribution of oxygen vacancies to the interfacial conduction would prevail over the intrinsic effect. Our results elucidate the origins of 2DEG in the LaVO 3 / SrTiO 3 interfaces and may also be important for other SrTiO 3 -based heterointerfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic entropy changes of ΔSM(T,H) around the magnetic transition temperature (TC) have been investigated by the scaling method in a two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductor (2D FS) CrI3 single crystal. The critical parameters based on ΔSM(T,H) have been obtained. The ΔSM(T,H) under different magnetic fields can be scaled into a single curve independent of external field and temperature. The magnetic entropy is about 3.21 J/kg K at applied magnetic field H = 4.5 T. The critical parameters n, b, and c obtained from magnetic entropy ΔSM(T,H) are about 0.62(1), 0.69(2), and 1.30(3), respectively. The value of n is close to that of the 3D Heisenberg model. The temperature dependent n at different magnetic fields scales into one universal line above TC and deviates the scaling line at low temperatures. The deviation can be attributed to the strong uniaxial anisotropy effect in CrI3. The result is helpful for understanding the origin of the magnetic phase transition in 2D FSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic entropy changes of ΔSM(T,H) around the magnetic transition temperature (TC) have been investigated by the scaling method in a two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductor (2D FS) CrI3 single crystal. The critical parameters based on ΔSM(T,H) have been obtained. The ΔSM(T,H) under different magnetic fields can be scaled into a single curve independent of external field and temperature. The magnetic entropy is about 3.21 J/kg K at applied magnetic field H = 4.5 T. The critical parameters n, b, and c obtained from magnetic entropy ΔSM(T,H) are about 0.62(1), 0.69(2), and 1.30(3), respectively. The value of n is close to that of the 3D Heisenberg model. The temperature dependent n at different magnetic fields scales into one universal line above TC and deviates the scaling line at low temperatures. The deviation can be attributed to the strong uniaxial anisotropy effect in CrI3. The result is helpful for understanding the origin of the magnetic phase transition in 2D FSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niobium does not show any structure transition up to very high pressures. Nonetheless, by using density functional theory, we demonstrate in this work that it exhibits striking softening in elastic moduli C44 and C' at a pressure from 20 to 150 GPa. A novel anomaly softening in C44 from 275 to 400 GPa is also predicted. The physics behind these two anomalies is elaborated by electronic structure calculations, which revealed that they are actually different—first one directly relates to an underlying rhombohedral distortion whereas the latter originates in an electronic topological transition. The large magnitude of the softening leads to a remarkable elastic anisotropy in both the shear and the Young’s moduli of Nb. Further investigation shows that thermo-electrons have an important role in these anomalies. This effect has not been noticed before. With increased electronic temperature, it is found that all anomalies (both the elastic softening and anisotropy) in Nb are gradually diminished, effectively giving rise to a temperature-induced hardening phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La2Mo2O9 (LMO) thin films have been deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition and the resistive switching (RS) characteristics of the Au/LMO/Pt devices has been investigated. The Au/LMO/Pt devices show excellent unipolar RS characteristics with high resistance ratio between high resistance state and low resistance state (LRS), good endurance, and retention performances. The results of temperature dependence of resistance and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggest that the observed RS characteristics can be explained by the formation and rupture of conducting filaments composed of oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, the plot of the reset current (IR) as a function of the third harmonic coefficient (B0) caused by Joule heating during the reset process shows scaling behavior with a power law of IR∝ B0-δ. The IR and reset power (PR) can also be scaled to the resistance in LRS (R0), i.e., IR(PR) ∝ R0-α(β). The observed scaling behaviors indicate the importance of the Joule heating for the RS characteristics of Au/LMO/Pt devices. These results demonstrate the potential application of LMO thin film in a nonvolatile memory device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of an initial saturation coverage of antimony on the growth of indium arsenide quantum dots on gallium arsenide, during metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy, was studied. The results showed that antimony incorporates into the quantum dots, increasing their density and total volume, and causing them to be more densely clustered together.

2-Dimensional (2D) CrPS4 single crystals have been grown by the chemical vapor transport method. The crystallographic, magnetic, electronic, and thermal transport properties of the single crystals were investigated by the room-temperature X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity ρ(T), specific heat CP(T), and the electronic spin response (ESR) measurements. CrPS4 crystals crystallize into a monoclinic structure. The electrical resistivity ρ(T) shows a semiconducting behavior with an energy gap Ea = 0.166 eV. The antiferromagnetic transition temperature is about TN = 36 K. The spin flipping induced by the applied magnetic field is observed along the c axis. The magnetic phase diagram of CrPS4 single crystal has been discussed. The extracted magnetic entropy at TN is about 10.8 J/mol K, which is consistent with the theoretical value R ln(2S + 1) for S = 3/2 of the Cr3+ ion. Based on the mean-field theory, the magnetic exchange constants J1 and Jc corresponding to the interactions of the intralayer and between layers are about 0.143 meV and -0.955 meV are obtained based on the fitting of the susceptibility above TN, which agree with the results obtained from the ESR measurements. With the help of the strain for tuning the magnetic properties, monolayer CrPS4 may be a promising candidate to explore 2D magnetic semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till date, there have been no direct atomic-level experimental observations of the earliest stages of the nucleation and growth processes of nanocrystals formed by thermally induced crystallization in ultrathin metallic glasses (MGs). Here, we present a study of the crystallization process in atomically thin and highly stable MG films using double spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-TEM). Taking advantage of the stability of MG films with a slow crystallization process and the atomic-level high resolution of Cs-TEM, we observe the formation of the nucleus precursor of nanocrystals formed by atom aggregation followed by concomitant coalescence and stepwise evolution of the shape of the nanocrystals with a monodispersed and separated bimodal size distribution. Molecular dynamics simulation of the atomic motion in the glass film on a rigid amorphous substrate confirms the stepwise evolution processes of atom aggregation, cluster formation, cluster movement on the substrate, and cluster coalescence into larger crystalline particles. Our results might provide a better fundamental understanding of the nucleation and growth processes of nanocrystals in thin MG films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat capacity jump ΔCp at glass transition and the dynamical heterogeneity are two of the most important features of glass forming liquids. In order to reveal the intrinsic relationship between the two properties, a model glass system (Na2O)x(SiO2)1-x (x=0.2-0.35) was studied by the systematic measurements of the ΔCp and the mechanical relaxation in the supercooled liquid region. A linear increase in ΔCp with increasing content of Na2O was found, indicating direct contributions of the locally fast dynamics around Na2O to ΔCp. This positive correlation between the locally heterogeneous dynamics and ΔCp was further confirmed by the dynamical heterogeneity analyses. Our results might be helpful for understanding the nature of glass transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study three carbon defects in GaN, isolated CN and its two complexes with donors CN–ON, and CN–SiGa, as a cause of the yellow luminescence using accurate hybrid density functional calculation, which includes the semi-core Ga 3d electrons as valence electrons and uses a larger 300-atom supercell. We show that the isolated CN defect yields good agreement with experiment on the photoluminescence (PL) peak position, zero-phonon line, and thermodynamic defect transition level. We find that the defect state of the complexes that is involved in the PL process is the same as that of the CN defect. The role of the positively charged donors (ON or SiGa) next to CN is to blue-shift the PL peak. Therefore, the complexes cannot be responsible for the same PL peak as isolated CN. Our detailed balance analysis further suggests that under thermal equilibrium at typical growth temperature, the concentration of isolated CN defect is orders of magnitude higher than the defect complexes, which is a result of the small binding energy in these complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structural, magnetic, and magnetodielectric properties of DyMn0.5Cr0.5O3. The sample can be indexed with an orthorhombic phase with B site disordered space group Pbnm. The valence state of both Mn and Cr ions are suggested to be +3 based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Two thermally excited dielectric relaxation at temperatures TN23+/Cr3+ ions associated with electron hopping between them are observed. The absence of any noticeable magnetoresistance effect (MR<0.5%) demonstrates that the observed magnetodielectric effect is an intrinsic behavior. These results suggest that DyMn0.5Cr0.5O3 is a magnetodielectric compound, whose dielectric properties are dependence of the applied magnetic field, which exhibits such effects near room temperature and holds great promise for future device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared V-doped Bi6Fe2Ti3O18 thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition route and investigated the doping effect on the microstructure, dielectric, leakage, and ferroelectric properties of Bi6Fe2Ti3O18 thin films. The Bi5.97Fe2Ti2.91V0.09O18 thin film exhibits improved dielectric properties, leakage current, and ferroelectric properties. The incorporation of vanadium resulted in a substantially enhanced remnant polarization (2Pr) over 30μC/cm2 in Bi5.97Fe2Ti2.91V0.09O18 thin film compared with 10μC/cm2 in Bi6Fe2Ti3O18 thin film. It is demonstrated that the improved properties may stem from the improvement of crystallinity of the films with the contribution of suppressed oxygen vacancies and decreased mobility of oxygen vacancies caused by the V-doping. The results will provide a guidance to optimize the ferroelectric properties in Bi6Fe2Ti3O18 thin films by chemical solution deposition, which is important to further explore single-phase multiferroics in the n=5 Aurivillius thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase polycrystalline SrBi5Ti4CrO18 and SrBi5Ti4Cr0.5Co0.5O18 were synthesized by a modified Pechini method. Both samples have an orthorhombic structure with the space group B2cb. The valence state of Cr is suggested to be +3 and the Co ions exist in the form of Co2+ and Co3+ based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sample SrBi5Ti4Cr0.5Co0.5O18 exhibits the paramagnetic state, whereas SrBi5Ti4Cr0.5Co0.5O18 undergoes a ferrimagnetic transition at 89K originating from the antiferromagnetic coupling of Cr-based and Co-based sublattices. In addition, SrBi5Ti4Cr0.5Co0.5O18 shows a typical spin-glass behavior below 89K with zν =6.02 and τ0=(1.75±0.33)x10-14 s as evidenced by the results of the frequency dependence of ac susceptibility and magnetic relaxation measurements. In particular, both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of SrBi5Ti4Cr0.5Co0.5O18 exhibit the characteristics of dielectric relaxation around 89K with the activation energy of (0.14±0.02) eV, which can be ascribed to the electron hopping of Co2+-VO-Co3+ through the bridging oxygen vacancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-field electron spin resonance (ESR) has been employed to study the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering state (TN=55 K) of spin-chain multiferroic Gd2BaNiO5. The spin reorientation at TSR=24K is well characterized by the temperature-dependent ESR spectra. The magnetization data evidence a field-induced spin-flop transition at 2K. The frequency-field relationship of the ESR data can be explained by conventional AFM resonance theory with uniaxial anisotropy, in good agreement with magnetization data. Related discussion on zero-field spin gap is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition-metal dichalcogenides provided a good platform for the investigation of superconductivity and charge-density-wave (CDW) order. A series of high quality 6R-TaS2-xSex (0≤x≤1.6) single crystals were fabricated by the chemical-vapor-transport method and systematically investigated. The CDW becomes more stable with more S being replaced by Se, which causes expansion of the lattice, and produces a negative chemical pressure in the system. The x dependence of the onset of superconductivity (Tconset) shows a dome-like shape with a maximum of Tconset=2.7K at x=0.8. The magnetic susceptibility (4πχ) of x=0.8 under the hydrostatic pressure P=1.0 GPa was also measured, which showed a small increase of Tc and superconducting volume fraction. A pronounced peak effect was observed in the isothermal hysteresis with magnetic field (H) parallel to c-axis, which may arise from the quenching inhomogeneity and/or the stacking disorder. Finally, the evolution of the electronic states tuned by Se-doping was summarized in the phase diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a systematic study of the single-crystal GdCrO3, which shows various novel magnetic features, such as temperature-induced magnetization reversal (TMR), temperature-induced magnetization jump (TMJ), spin reorientation, and giant magnetocaloric effect (MCE). In the field-cooled cooling process with modest magnetic field along the c axis, GdCrO3 first shows a TMR at Tcomp ~ 120 - 130K and then an abrupt TMJ with a sign change of magnetization at Tjump ~ 52 - 120K, and finally a spin reorientation at TSR ~ 4 - 7K. Interestingly, the remarkable TMJ behavior, which was not reported ever before, persists at higher fields up to 10 kOe even when TMR disappears. In addition, giant MCE with the maximum value of magnetic entropy change reaching ~31.6 J/kg K for a field change of 44 kOe was also observed in GdCrO3 single crystal, suggesting it could be a potential material for low-T magnetic refrigeration. A possible mechanism for these peculiar magnetic behaviors is discussed based on the various competing magnetic interactions between the 3d electrons of Cr3+ ions and 4f electrons of Gd3+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structural, magnetic, dielectric properties, and scaling behaviors of Aurivillius compounds Bi6-x/3Fe2Ti3-2x(WCo)xO18 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.15). The room-temperature weak ferromagnetism is observed for the W/Co co-doped samples. The results of the dielectric constant εr, complex impedance Z", the dc conductivity σdc, and hopping frequency fH manifest that the dielectric relaxation of the x = 0 sample and the doped samples in the dielectric anomaly region (450-750 K) can be ascribed to the trap-controlled ac conduction around the doubly ionized oxygen vacancies and the localized hopping process of oxygen vacancies, respectively. The scaling behaviors reveal that the dynamic process of both electrons in the x = 0 sample and oxygen vacancies in the doped samples is temperature independent. The ferroelectric Curie-temperature Tc decreases slightly from 973K to 947K with increasing the doping level of W/Co. In addition, the dielectric loss exhibits a dielectric relaxation above 800K with the rather large activation energies (1.95 eV ⩽ Ea ⩽ 2.72 eV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully synthesized the Aurivillius compounds SrBi5Ti4MnO18 and SrBi5Ti4Mn0.5 Co0.5O18 using a modified Pechini method. Both samples have an orthorhombic structure with the space group B2cb. The valence state of Mn is suggested to be +3 and the doped Co ions exist in the form of Co2+ and Co3+ based on the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The sample SrBi5Ti4MnO18 exhibits a dominant paramagnetic state with the existence of superparamagnetic state as evidenced by the electron paramagnetic resonance results, whereas SrBi5Ti4Mn0.5Co0.5O18 undergoes a ferrimagnetic transition at 161K originating from the antiferromagnetic coupling of Co-based and Mn-based sublattices, and a ferromagnetic transition at 45K arising from the Mn3+-O-Co3+ (low spin) interaction. The sample SrBi5Ti4Mn0.5Co0.5O18 exhibits two dielectric anomalies. One corresponds to a relaxor-like dielectric relaxation which follows the Vogel-Fulcher function and the other dielectric relaxation obeys the Arrhenius law arising from the collective motion of oxygen vacancies. In addition, the sample SrBi5Ti4Mn0.5Co0.5O18 exhibits a magnetodielectric effect caused by the Maxwell-Wagner effect because of the conductivity of the sample. This is demonstrated by the fact that the activation energy in dielectric loss process is close to that for dc conductivity and the magnetodielectric effect is sensitive to the measured frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiperovskite intermetallic compounds AgN1-xCxMn3 (0⩽x⩽0.15) have been synthesized. As x increases, the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) above room temperature decreases monotonically and finally changes the sign from positive to negative above x=0.1. Meanwhile, the temperature range is gradually broadened. For x=0.07, TCR is ∼3.1 ppm/K between 280K and 375 K. Both the resistivity and its slope are insensitive to the external magnetic field, indicating an insignificant contribution from magnetic scattering or short-range magnetic ordering to the observed low-TCR. As manifested by the Hall effect, the charge carrier density in the paramagnetic state for x=0.15 is reduced by an order of magnitude in comparison with that for x=0. The reduction of carrier density and the enhancive disorders when x increases was proposed to be responsible for the decrease in TCR and its sign switch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the magnetic, dielectric, and magnetodielectric properties of rare-earth-substituted Aurivillius phase Bi6Fe1.4Co0.6Ti3O18. The room-temperature ferromagnetic behavior is observed in all samples, and the rare-earth-substituted samples exhibit an enhanced magnetization. The weak ferromagnetism can be ascribed to the spin canting of the antiferromagnetic coupling of the Fe-based and Co-based sublattices via Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction. The dielectric loss of all samples exhibits two dielectric relaxation peaks corresponding to two different relaxation mechanisms. One relaxation process with Ea = 0.5 eV is related to the hoping process of oxygen vacancies and the other one with Ea = 1.6 eV can be ascribed to the intrinsic conduction. The Gd-doped sample exhibits a remarkable magnetodielectric effect (9.4%) at RT implying this Aurivillius phase may be the potential candidate for magnetodielectric applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a large tunnel electroresistance (TER) effect up to ~104% in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/BaTiO3/ Co (LSMO/BTO/Co) multiferroic tunnel junctions (MFTJs), which couples with well-defined tunnel magnetoresistance. The large TER is related to (LaAlO3)0.3(LaSrTaO6)0.7 substrates which guarantee a high-quality LSMO/BTO interface and robust ferroelectricity in BTO. The insert of 0.5 nm-thick Pt between the Co electrode and BTO barrier further enhances the TER value to 105% and improves the endurance of the MFTJs, ascribed to the shortened screening length and reduced oxidation of BTO/Co interface. Their use would advance the process towards practical MFTJs with four resistance states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a systematic study of the specific heat and dc magnetic susceptibility on the paramagnetic to ferrimagnetic transition (TC~141 K) in CuNMn3. A large magnetocaloric effect (MCE) at TC is observed with the entropy change of 3.49 J/kg K (6.38 J/kg K) for the field change of ΔH=20 kOe (45 kOe). The analysis of the isothermal magnetizations, including the derived Arrott plots and magnetic entropy change, shows a second-order like transition at TC. However, the existence of latent heat around TC is unambiguously manifested by the reduced slope of the temperature-time relaxations recorded during the specific heat measurement, indicating the transition is in fact weakly first-order in nature. The large MCE comparable with those observed the antiperovskite manganese carbides suggests it is equivalently interesting to explore the MCE in the antiperovskite manganese nitrides as in the carbides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) method is developed to obtain the energy loss function (ELF) and optical constants from a measured reflection electron energy-loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectrum by an iterative Monte Carlo (MC) simulation procedure. The method combines the simulated annealing method, i.e., a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling of oscillator parameters, surface and bulk excitation weighting factors, and band gap energy, with a conventional MC simulation of electron interaction with solids, which acts as a single step of MCMC sampling in this RMC method. To examine the reliability of this method, we have verified that the output data of the dielectric function are essentially independent of the initial values of the trial parameters, which is a basic property of a MCMC method. The optical constants derived for SiO2 in the energy loss range of 8-90 eV are in good agreement with other available data, and relevant bulk ELFs are checked by oscillator strength-sum and perfect-screening-sum rules. Our results show that the dielectric function can be obtained by the RMC method even with a wide range of initial trial parameters. The RMC method is thus a general and effective method for determining the optical properties of solids from REELS measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared a series of Bi1-xLaxFeO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) ceramics with a sol-gel method and find that both the magnetization and dielectric constant show an abrupt anomaly near a critical field Hc, which is attributed to the destruction of the cycloidal antiferromagnetic spin structure. The critical field Hc decreases substantially from ∼20 T for the x = 0 sample [Y. F. Popov et al., JETP Lett. 57, 69 (1993)] to ∼2.8 T for the x = 0.17 sample and finally to 0 T for the x = 0.2 sample at room temperature (RT). It is also found that Hc increases with decreasing temperature. The variation of Hc with La substitution and temperature can be ascribed to the change in the magnetic anisotropy and isotropic superexchange interaction, respectively. We have also discussed the magnetodielectric effects in these samples in terms of the Ginzburg-Landau theory and the spin-phonon model. Moreover, increasing the doping level of La to 0.15 greatly improves the RT leakage-current and ferroelectric (FE) properties. A RT square-shaped FE hysteresis loop with remnant polarization (2Pr) as high as ∼64 μC/cm2 is obtained for the x = 0.15 sample. These results may be important for potential applications in BiFeO3-based magnetoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the effects of carbon content on crystal structure, magnetic and electrical/thermal transport properties in antiperovskite compounds GaCxFe3 (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 0.3). Our experimental results indicate that all the physical properties we measured are sensitive to the carbon concentration for GaCxFe3. With decreasing the carbon content x, the Curie temperature (TC), saturated magnetization, and coercive force (HC) increase while the lattice constant, Debye temperature, and resistivity decrease gradually. Further analysis suggests that the serial GaCxFe3 can be a new kind of promising high-temperature soft magnetic material considering their high-TC (∼788 K) and low-HC (∼22 Oe). Interestingly, the low-temperature resistivity exhibits an abnormal semiconducting behavior below a characteristic temperature for each of GaCxFe3 (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 0.3). This abnormality of resistivity may be attributed to a combination of the renormalized electron-electron interaction and the weak-localization. Furthermore, the studies of the thermal transport and the Hall measurement suggest that the type of dominant carriers in GaCxFe3 changes gradually from hole- to electron-type with decreasing x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of charge-spin co-doped Ba1-x-yLax+yTi1-xMxO3 (M = Cr, Fe, and Co). For Ba1-x-yLax+yTi1-xCrxO3, carrier doping induces short-range ferromagnetism, and we find a large negative magnetoresistance in these compounds. However, for Ba1-x-yLax+yTi1-xMxO3 (M = Fe and Co), the magnetism does not seem to couple with the charge carriers. The transport properties of Ba1-x-yLax+yTi1-xCrxO3 can be described by a three-dimensional variable-range-hopping model that implies itinerant charge carriers, whereas almost all the samples of Ba1-x-yLax+yTi1-xMxO3 (M = Fe and Co) exhibit high resistivity. It is known that only the itinerant charge carriers can enhance the coupling of two isolated magnetic ions. Therefore, there is almost no long-range ferromagnetism in the studied system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the effects of partial substitution of Mn for Cr on the structural, magnetic, and electrical/thermal transport properties of Mn+1AXn phase compounds Cr2-xMnxGaC (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). As a result, the unit cell volume and the thermal conductivity decrease while the resistivity increases with increasing x. Interestingly, the magnetism of Cr2-xMnxGaC changes from the nonmagnetic Cr2GaC (x = 0) to the ferrimagnetic CrMnGaC (x = 1). In order to shed light on the discrepancy observed between Hall coefficient and Seebeck coefficient of Cr2GaC, the electrical conductivity, Hall coefficient, and magnetoresistance are analyzed within a two-band model. Furthermore, an upturn is observed in low-temperature specific heat of Cr2-xMnxGaC, which may be related with the magnetic Mn dopant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correlation between colossal magnetocapacitance (CMC) and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in CdCr2S4 system has been revealed. The CMC is induced in polycrystalline Cd0.97In0.03Cr2S4 by annealing in cadmium vapor. At the same time, an insulator-metal transition and a concomitant CMR are observed near the Curie temperature. In contrast, after the same annealing treatment, CdCr2S4 displays a typical semiconductor behavior and does not show magnetic field dependent dielectric and electric transport properties. The simultaneous occurrence or absence of CMC and CMR effects implies that the CMC in the annealed Cd0.97In0.03Cr2S4 could be explained qualitatively by a combination of CMR and Maxwell-Wagner effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface magnetic behavior of La0.8Ca0.2MnO3 nanoparticles was investigated. We observed irreversibility in high magnetic field. The surface spin-glass behavior as well as the high-field irreversibility is suppressed by increasing particle size while the freezing temperature TF does not change with particle size. The enhanced coercivity has been observed in the particles and we attributed it to the large surface anisotropy. We have disclosed a clear relationship between the particle size, the thickness of the shell, and the saturation magnetization of the particles. The large reduction of the saturation magnetization of the samples is found to be induced by the increase of nonmagnetic surface large since the thickness of the spin-disordered surface layer increases with a decrease in the particle size. Due to the reduction of the magnetization, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has been reduced by the decreased particle size since the nonmagnetic surface contributes little to the MCE. Based on the core-shell structure, large relative cooling powers RCP(s) of 180 J/kg and 471 J/kg were predicted for a field change of 2.0 T and 4.5 T, respectively, in the small particles with thin spin-glass layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) technique, we successfully label-free detected the interaction of swine IgG with different concentrations of 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1 mg/ml, and 5 μg/ml goat anti-swine IgG, and real-time detected the reaction dynamic processes of 0.5 mg/ml swine IgG and goat anti-swine IgG with different concentration of 5, 10, and 20 μg/ml, respectively. The interaction times are about 2043, 1828, and 1347 s for the reactions of 0.5 mg/ml swine IgG and goat anti-swine IgG of 5, 10, and 20 μg/ml, respectively. By fitting the reaction dynamic curves, we obtained that the association constant of swine IgG and goat anti-swine IgG is 1620.77 M-1·S-1 at temperature about 22 °C. The experimental results demonstrate that the OIRD is a promising and competing method for label-free and real time detecting the biomolecular interactions and achieving the quantitative information of reaction kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the magnetic phase diagram of antiperovskite compounds Zn1-xSnxCFe3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1). The effects of the ratio of Zn/Sn on the structure, magnetic and electrical transport properties have been investigated systematically. With increasing the Sn content x, the lattice constant increases while both the Curie temperature (TC) and the saturated magnetization decrease gradually. All the resistivity curves of Zn1-xSnxCFe3 show a metal-like behavior in measured temperature range (2-350 K). In particular, the T2-power-law dependence of the electrical resistivity is obtained at low temperatures for all samples with x ≤ 0.3. It is noteworthy that, for x = 0.1, the TC is tuned just at the room temperature (∼300 K). Around TC, the magnetocaloric effect is considerably large with a magnetic entropy change of 2.78 J/kg K (ΔH = 45 kOe) as well as a relative cooling power (RCP) of 320 J/kg (ΔH = 45 kOe). Considering the considerably large RCP, suitable working temperature, inexpensive and innoxious raw materials, Zn0.9Sn0.1CFe3 is suggested to be a promising candidate for practical application in magnetic refrigeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the crystal structure and magnetic properties of Al1-xNixN films with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.032 deposited on Si (100) substrates by radio frequency reactive sputtering. X-ray diffractometry, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and x-ray absorption fine structure analysis clearly showed that Ni atoms were successfully incorporated into AlN, while the crystal structure of the films was maintained. All the doped samples exhibited ferromagnetism both at 5 K and 300 K. The saturation magnetizations (Ms) and coercive fields (Hc) tended to decrease as Ni concentration increased from 0.019 to 0.032, the maximum Ms obtained at 5 K and 300 K were about 0.025 and 0.014 emu/g, respectively, and the corresponding Hc were 208 and 60 Oe. Temperature dependence of remanent magnetization showed that the ferromagnetic transition temperature was beyond 300 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the structure (free volume) related hardness and elastic modulus of a typical Cu36Zr48Al8Ag8 bulk metallic glass have been investigated. It is found that the cooling rate during sample preparation affects significantly the concentration of the free volume and thus the interatomic distance. The central region of the specimen has a much lower cooling rate and concentration of the free volume, which decreases the nucleation density of the shear bands, leading to higher hardness and elastic modulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing the substitution of Sn for Cu in Cu0.8-xSnxMn0.2NMn3, the initial cubic-tetragonal structural phase transition disappears for the samples x ≥ 0.10 and is replaced by a discontinuous lattice expansion with a cubic structure which has been confirmed by the measurements of variable temperature x-ray diffractions and specific heat. The discontinuous lattice expansion broadens with increasing the doping level x and the negative thermal expansion coefficient up to -64.54 ppm/K between 190 K and 235 K is found for the sample x = 0.3. Detailed magnetic measurements indicate that the magnetic ground state is meta-stable for the lower-doping level and transforms into spin-glass-like state owing to the enhancement of antiferromagnetic interaction when x is up to 0.3. Furthermore, the magnetization curves M(T) display abnormal behaviors for lower-x. For the samples x = 0.1 and 0.2, the jump of field-cooled magnetization curve MFC (defined as ΔMFC/MFC) around the lower-temperature magnetic transition is suppressed with increasing the magnetic field. These abnormalities of magnetizations are also discussed based on a simple model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]