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Thermal analysis is widely employed for the characterization of nanomaterials. It encompasses a variety of techniques that allow the evaluation of the physicochemical properties of a material by monitoring its response under controlled temperature. In the case of carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene derivatives, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is particularly useful to determine the quality and stability of the sample, the presence of impurities and the degree of functionalization or doping after post-synthesis treatments. Furthermore, TGA is widely used to evaluate the thermal stability against oxidation by air, which can be, for instance, enhanced by the purification of the material and by nitrogen doping, finding application in areas where a retarded combustion of the material is required. Herein, we have evaluated key parameters that play a role in the data obtained from TGA, namely, gas flow rate, sample weight and temperature rate, used during the analysis. We found out that the heating rate played the major role in the process of combustion in the presence of air, inducing an increase in the temperature at which the oxidation of CNTs starts to occur, up to ca. 100 °C (from 1 °C min−1 to 50 °C min−1). The same trend was observed for all the evaluated systems, namely N-doped CNTs, graphene produced by mechanical exfoliation and N-doped reduced graphene samples. Other aspects, like the presence of impurities or structural defects in the evaluated samples, were analyzed by TGA, highlighting the versatility and usefulness of the technique to provide information of structural aspects and properties of carbon materials. Finally, a set of TGA parameters are recommended for the analysis of carbon nanomaterials to obtain reliable data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐centrosymmetric polar compounds have important technological properties. Reported perovskite oxynitrides show centrosymmetric structures, and for some of them high permittivities have been observed and ascribed to local dipoles induced by partial order of nitride and oxide. Reported here is the first hexagonal perovskite oxynitride BaWON2, which shows a polar 6H polytype. Synchrotron X‐ray and neutron powder diffraction, and annular bright‐field in scanning transmission electron microscopy indicate that it crystalizes in the non‐centrosymmetric space group P63mc, with a total order of nitride and oxide at two distinct coordination environments in cubic and hexagonal packed BaX3 layers. A synergetic second‐order Jahn–Teller effect, supported by first principle calculations, anion order, and electrostatic repulsions between W6+ cations, induce large distortions at two inequivalent face‐sharing octahedra that lead to long‐range ordered dipoles and spontaneous polarization along the c axis. The new oxynitride is a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.1 eV and a large permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐centrosymmetric polar compounds have important technological properties. Reported perovskite oxynitrides show centrosymmetric structures, and for some of them high permittivities have been observed and ascribed to local dipoles induced by partial order of nitride and oxide. Reported here is the first hexagonal perovskite oxynitride BaWON2, which shows a polar 6H polytype. Synchrotron X‐ray and neutron powder diffraction, and annular bright‐field in scanning transmission electron microscopy indicate that it crystalizes in the non‐centrosymmetric space group P63mc, with a total order of nitride and oxide at two distinct coordination environments in cubic and hexagonal packed BaX3 layers. A synergetic second‐order Jahn–Teller effect, supported by first principle calculations, anion order, and electrostatic repulsions between W6+ cations, induce large distortions at two inequivalent face‐sharing octahedra that lead to long‐range ordered dipoles and spontaneous polarization along the c axis. The new oxynitride is a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.1 eV and a large permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐centrosymmetric polar compounds have important technological properties. Reported perovskite oxynitrides show centrosymmetric structures, and for some of them high permittivities have been observed and ascribed to local dipoles induced by partial order of nitride and oxide. Reported here is the first hexagonal perovskite oxynitride BaWON2, which shows a polar 6H polytype. Synchrotron X‐ray and neutron powder diffraction, and annular bright‐field in scanning transmission electron microscopy indicate that it crystalizes in the non‐centrosymmetric space group P63mc, with a total order of nitride and oxide at two distinct coordination environments in cubic and hexagonal packed BaX3 layers. A synergetic second‐order Jahn–Teller effect, supported by first principle calculations, anion order, and electrostatic repulsions between W6+ cations, induce large distortions at two inequivalent face‐sharing octahedra that lead to long‐range ordered dipoles and spontaneous polarization along the c axis. The new oxynitride is a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.1 eV and a large permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐centrosymmetric polar compounds have important technological properties. Reported perovskite oxynitrides show centrosymmetric structures, and for some of them high permittivities have been observed and ascribed to local dipoles induced by partial order of nitride and oxide. Reported here is the first hexagonal perovskite oxynitride BaWON2, which shows a polar 6H polytype. Synchrotron X‐ray and neutron powder diffraction, and annular bright‐field in scanning transmission electron microscopy indicate that it crystalizes in the non‐centrosymmetric space group P63mc, with a total order of nitride and oxide at two distinct coordination environments in cubic and hexagonal packed BaX3 layers. A synergetic second‐order Jahn–Teller effect, supported by first principle calculations, anion order, and electrostatic repulsions between W6+ cations, induce large distortions at two inequivalent face‐sharing octahedra that lead to long‐range ordered dipoles and spontaneous polarization along the c axis. The new oxynitride is a semiconductor with a band gap of 1.1 eV and a large permittivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topotactic nitridation of cation ordered, tetragonal Sr2FeMoO6 in NH3 at moderate temperatures leads to cubic, Fm3̅m double perovskite oxynitride Sr2FeMoO4.9N1.1 where double-exchange interactions determine ferromagnetic order with TC≈ 100 K. Substitution of oxide by nitride induces bond asymmetries and local electronically driven structural distortions, which combined with Fermi level lowering restricts charge itinerancy to confined regions and preclude spontaneous long-range magnetic order. Under a magnetic field, ferromagnetic correlations expand, favoring charge delocalization and a negative magnetoresistance is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag2Cu3Cr2O8(OH)4, a new Ag–Cu–Cr–O layered mixed oxide, prepared by soft hydrothermal heterogeneous reactions, is reported. The new phase is an oxyhydroxide and presents a structure with alternating brucite-like Cu–O and Ag–O layers connected by individual chromate groups. The crystallographic structure has been solved and refined from high resolution powder X-ray diffraction data and is supported by density functional theory calculations, yielding a triclinic, space group P1̅, a = 5.3329(1) Å, b = 5.3871(1) Å, c = 10.0735(1) Å, α = 80.476(1)°, β = 87.020(1)°, γ = 62.383(1)°. Bond valence sums suggest the formulation of Ag+2Cu2+3Cr6+2O8(OH)4, an electronic state fully supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Cr K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements. Ag2Cu3Cr2O8(OH)4 exhibits bidimensional Cu–O–Cu ferromagnetic correlations that are apparent at much higher temperatures than in other similar Cu–O layered structures, without coupling between Cu–O layers, which represents a unique case in the recent family of silver copper oxides. The role of Ag inducing bidimensionality in copper oxides is therefore expanded further with the presence of chromate anions. Ab initio calculations using density functional theory show that the electronic states involved originate mainly from Cu and OH orbitals, with minor contributions from Cr and the O atoms linking the Cr tetrahedra to the brucitic Cu–O layer, and almost no contribution from Ag. Further modeling of the in-plane magnetic interactions between Cu atoms suggests that the coupled magnetized stripes are responsible for the observed behavior. The results are discussed in relation with previous Ag–Cu mixed oxide phases where metallic behavior or ferro–antiferro transitions had been observed. The structure of this new Ag–Cu–O phase as compared with previous silver copper oxides supports the conclusion that the Ag–Cu layered ordering is favored under oxidizing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]