Preparation and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4/TiO2 composite films

Using （Ti（OC4H9）4） and metal chlorates as starting materials, CoFe2O4/TiO2 composite films were prepared by sol-gel method. The effects of heat treatment temperature and pH of the precursor on microstructure and magnetic properties were studied. The phase structure of the samples was examined by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure was examined by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope and polarized microscope. The magnetic property was measured by vibrating sample magnetometer. The results show that the crystals of different phases grow up independently. CoFe2O4 is uniformly embedded into the TiO2 matrix in the prepared composite films, and the growth of composite films is dependent on the heat treatment temperatures and PH of the precursor. The average size of CoFe2O4 crystal is 19 nm in Nanocomposite film prepared when the heat treatment temperature is 800℃ and the pH of the precursor is between 2 and 3. The magnetism of the composite films is enhanced as the heat treatment temperature increases.     

Influence of O2/Ar ratio on the properties of transparent conductive niobium-doped ZnO films

Niobium-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering at 300℃. The influence of O2/Ar ratio on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the as-deposited films is investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement and optical transmission spectroscopy. The lowest resistivity of 4.0×10^-4Ω· cm is obtained from the film deposited at the O2/Ar ratio of 1/12. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%.     

Dielectric properties of low dielectric constant Ba0.60Sr0.40Mg0.15Ti0.85O3-Mg2TiO4 composite thin films for tunable applications

Ba0.60Sr0.40Mg0.15Ti0.85O3-xmol%Mg2TiO4 （x = 0-40 mol%） （BSTM-MT） composite thin films were fabricated by sol-gel method. The precursor solution of these composite thin films was prepared through mixing the Ba0.80Sr0.40Mg0.15Ti0.85O3 and Mg2TiO4 solution. The microstructures and dielectric tunability of composite thin films were investigated. The dielectric constant of composite thin films can be tailored from 155 to 55 by changing the concentration of Mg2TiO4. The dielectric loss of these composite thin films were still kept below 0.01 and the tunability was above 20% at a dc-applied electric field of 500 kV/cm. Suitable dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and high tunability of this kind of composite thin films can be useful for potential microwave tunable applications.     

Synthesis of nano onion-like fullerenes by using Fe/Al2O3 as catalyst by chemical vapor deposition

Nano-carbon materials were synthesized by the catalytic decomposition of acetylene at 400℃ by using Fe/Al₂O₃ as catalyst. The product was refluxed in 36% concentrated HCl at 60℃ for 48 h in order to remove the catalyst support. The samples were examined by scanning and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that nano onion-like fullerenes encapsulating a Fe₃C core were obtained. These had a structure of stacked graphitic fragments, with diameters ranging from 15―50 nm. When the product was further heat- treated at 1100℃ for 2 h, nano onion-like fullerenes with a clear concentric graphitic layer structure were obtained. The growth mechanism of nano onion-like fullerenes encapsulating metal cores is suggested to follow a vapor-solid growth model.     

Giant magneto-optical faraday effect of nanometer Fe-In<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> granular films

The giant magneto-optical Faraday effect of nanometer ferromagnetic metal-semiconductor matrix Fe-ln2O3 granular films prepared by the radio frequency sputtering are studied. The result shows that the Faraday rotation angle θF value of the granular film samples with Fe volume fraction x = 35% is of the order of 10^5（°）/cm at room temperature. Temperature dependence of the Faraday rotation angle θF of Fe0.35（In2O3）0.65 granular films shows that θF value below 10 K increases rapidly with the decrease of the temperature, and when T= 4.2 K, θF value is 106（°）/cm. Through the study of the dependence of low field susceptibility on temperature and the hysteresis loops at different temperatures, it has been found that when the temperature decreases to a critical point Tp = 10 K, the transformation of state from ferro-agnetic to spin-glass-like occurs in Fe0.35（In2O3）0.65 granular films. The remarkable increase of the Faraday rotation angle θF value of Fe0.35（In2O3）0.65 granular films below 10 K seems to arise from the sp-d exchange interaction of the granular film samples in the spin-glass-like state.     

Structural and electrical properties of ZnO films on freestanding thick diamond films

In this paper, ZnO films are deposited on freestanding thick diamond films （FTDF） by plasma-assisted metal organic chemical vapour deposition （MOCVD）. Diethyl zinc （DEZn）, O2 and N2O are applied as precursors and different substrate temperatures are used to achieve high quality ZnO films. The influence of substrate temperature on the properties of ZnO films is systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Hall measurements and electron probe microanalysis （EPMA）. Experimental results demonstrate that ZnO films deposited at 600℃ and 73 Pa display a fine electrical quality and Zn/O atomic ratio plays an important role in the electrical property of ZnO films.     

Influence of target-substrate distance and sputtering power on chromium oxide films prepared by medium-frequency magnetron sputtering

Chromium oxide films were deposited on Si (100) substrates by medium-frequency (MF) unbalanced magnetron sputtering at different target-substrate distances D _TS (60, 100, 120 mm) and sputtering power (2.8, 5.6, 11.2 kW), respectively. The structure, surface morphologies, and microhardness of the chromium oxide films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and microhardness tester. The results indicate that elevated MF sputtering power can improve the crystallization of the films; The D _TS value affects the structure of the films by changing the preferential orientation from CrO₃ (221) to Cr₂O₃ (116); The microhardness of the chromium oxide films is found to increase with the sputtering power. For preparing the Cr₂O₃-dominated films with comparatively high-performance, the optimized condition is the target-substrate distance of 100 mm and MF sputtering power of 11.2 kW.     

Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres

Near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres with an average diameter of 170 nm have been synthesized by a solvothermal reduction method, using K3[Fe（CN）6] as the raw material in the absence of any surfactants at 200~C℃ for 24 h. The products were detected by XRD, FESEM, TEM, and XPS. The investigation of the reaction parameters indicates that ethylene glycol plays a key role both as reducing agent and solvent. In addition, the reaction time and temperature also have important influences on the final product. The hysteresis loop of the near monodisperse Fe3O4 sub-microspheres shows a ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 60.8 emu/g and coercivity of 124.7Oe.     

Preparation of narrow band gap V2O5/TiO2 composite films by micro-arc oxidation

V₂O₅/TiO₂ composite films were prepared on pure titanium substrates via micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in electrolytes consisting of NaVO₃. Their morphology and elements were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Phase composition and valence states of species in the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS) were also employed to evaluate the photophysical property of the films. The V₂O₅/TiO₂ composite films show a sheet-like morphology. Not only V₂O₅ phase appears in the films when the NaVO₃ concentration of the electrolyte is higher than 6.10 g/L and is loaded at the surface of anatase, but also V⁴⁺ is incorporated into the crystal lattice of anatase. In comparison with pure TiO₂ films the V₂O₅/TiO₂ composite films exhibit significantly narrow band gap energy. The film prepared in an electrolyte consisting of NaVO₃ with a concentration of 8.54 g/L exhibits the narrowest band gap energy, which is approximately 1.89 eV. The V₂O₅/TiO₂ composite films also have the significantly enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity. The film prepared in an electrolyte consisting of NaVO₃ with a concentration of 8.54 g/L exhibits the best photocatalytic activity and about 93% of rhodamine is degraded after 14 h visible light radiation.     

Heteroseneous oxidation of carbonyl sulfide on mineral oxides

Heterogeneous oxidation of carbonyl sulfide （OCS） on mineral oxides including SiO2, Fe2O3, CaO, MgO, ZnO and TiO2, which are the main components of atmospheric particles, were investigated using in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy （in situ DRIFTS）, ion chromatography （IC）, temperature-programmed desorption （TPD）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） methods. The main products and intermediates of the heterogeneous oxidation of OCS on these oxides were identified with in situ DRIFTS and IC. The reaction mechanism and kinetics were also discussed. It is found that the reaction mechanism on these mineral oxides is the same as that on Al2O3 for the same final products and the intermediates at room temperature. Namely, OCS can be catalytically oxidized to produce surface SO4^2- species and gaseous CO2 through the surface hydrogen thiocarbonate （HSCO2-） and HSO; species. The activity series for heterogeneous oxidation of OCS follows： Al2O3 ≈ CaO 〉 MgO 〉 TiO2 ≈ ZnO 〉 Fe2O3 〉 SiO2. The specific area, basic hydroxyl and surface basicity of these oxides have effect on the reactivity. This study suggests that heterogeneous reactions of OCS on mineral dust may be an unneglectable sink of OCS.     

Magnetism in Mn and Co doped ZnO bulk samples

Bulk samples with nominal composition Zn0.95Co0.05O and Zn0.92Co0.05Mn0.03O were fabricated by a solid-state reaction method at 600℃.X-ray diffraction experiment showed that the peaks of secondary phase Co3O4 with a cubic structure were visible in both samples,besides the main peaks of wurtzite structure as ZnO.Magnetization measurement indicated that doping Co alone can induce ferromag- netism in ZnO itself,while the introduction of Mn significantly enhances ferromagnetism.However, both samples showed different magnetic behavior at temperatures below 50 K.It was also noted that ferromagnetic coupling interaction was weakened due to the presence of antiferromagnetic Co3O4.     

Enolate chelating N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of Fe(II): Synthesis, structure and their catalytic activity for ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone

The reaction of anhydrous FeBr2 with two equivalents of anionic N-heterocyclic carbene (NaL1 and NaL2), which are generated in situ by the reaction of the corresponding salt [4-R-C6H4COCH2{CH- (NCHCHNiPr)}Br] (R = OCH3, H2L1Br, 1; R = F, H2L2Br, 2) with two equivalents of NaN(SiMe3)2, affords bis-ligand Fe(II) complexes of L12Fe (3) and L22Fe (4) in high yield, respectively. Attempt to synthesize mono-ligand Fe(II) bromide by the 1:1 molar ratio of NaL to FeBr2 is unsuccessful, and the same com- plexes of 3 and 4 were obtained. Both 3 and 4 have been depicted by elemental analysis and X-ray structure determination. Preliminary studies show that both 3 and 4 can be used as single-component catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone, and the catalytic activity of 3 is higher than that of 4.     

Relaxor behavior of (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3 ceramics

n the present work, the phase transitions and relaxor behavior of (1−x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃ (PMN-PT, x = 0.2―0.4) ferroelectric ceramics have been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, di-electric spectroscopy, the P-E hysteresis loop measurements and Raman scattering techniques. Structural analysis revealed that with the increase of PbTiO₃ content, PMN-PT ceramics experienced a gradual phase transition process from rhombohedral to tetragonal. It is usually believed that such kinds of phase transitions resulted in the linear decrease of relaxation degree. Surprisingly, our analy-sis of the dielectric spectra revealed that the indicator of the degree of diffuseness γ reached the maximum value near morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) (x = 0.32), then decreased with the further increase of PbTiO₃ content. The large dielectric relaxor feature near MPB may be attributed to the for-mation of ordered nanodomains, resulting from complex coexisting nanostructures. Further, the P-E hysteresis loop measurements and Raman analysis of the B-site cation order correlated well with the dielectric measurement results. It was found that the hysteresis loop squareness R_sq received the minimum value while the inverse of the value of full wide of half maximum (FWHM) of A_1g mode reached the maximum value at MPB composition, which showed similar trends to γ.     

Visible light-induced degradation of organic pollutants using Fe（ll） supported on silica gel as an effective catalyst

Silica gel-supported Fe（ll） （SiOFe） was prepared and used for heterogeneous degradation of sulforhodamine B （SRB） and 2,4-dichlorophenol （DCP） under visible irradiation （λ 〉 420 nm） as an effective catalyst. UV-visible spectra, and infrared Spectrophotometry （IR）, fluorescence, total organic carbon （TOC） and electron spin resonance （ESR） measurements were employed to analyze the photoreaction products. The results showed that SRB could be efficiently degraded by SiOFe/H2O2 system under visible irradiation with 100% decolorization and 72.3% TOC removal after 180 min illumination. The results of ESR and fluorescence measurements indicated that the oxidative process was predominated mainly by the hydroxyl radical （.OH） generated in the system.     

Structure and transport studies on nanometer YBCO/PBCGO multilayers

We have fabricated M doped （M = Al, Co, Fe, Ga, Ni and Zn） PrBa2Cu3O7（PBCO）, i.e. PrBa2（CU1-xMx）3O7. The doping levels x are 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20. X-ray data indicated no significant second phase for substituting Cu by Al, Co, Fe and Ga up to 20%. However impurity phases were detected for Ni and Zn substituted samples with doping levels equal to and higher than 15%. At 77 K the electrical resistivity of these compounds is orders in magnitude higher than that of PBCO. We also found that although the lattice parameters in the doped samples differ from PBCO, all samples remain orthorhombic. The lattice parameters of the doped sample are very close to those of YBa2CU3O7-δ （YBCO） and PBCO. For this reason these compounds are better materials to be used as the I-layer for YBCO SIS junctions. Results of structural and transport studies on 2000 A thick PrBa2[Cu0.80G0.2]3O7 （PBCGO） and YBCO/PBCGO multilayers are presented in this paper.     

铁磁纳米颗粒系统磁性质对尺寸和各向异性效应的依赖

研究了随机分布颗粒系统的尺寸、各向异性、矫顽力和温度之间的关系.从FexCu1-x,Fe/SiO2,Fe/Al2O3颗粒膜实验结果入手,以Néel-Bron理论和Storner-Wohlfartly模型为依据,建立了描述细磁性颗粒矫顽力Hc与颗粒大小d、热力学温度T的函数关系,并得出在粒径小于dm(=18~20 nm)范围内,矫顽力随着颗粒的尺寸的增加而迅速地增大,而在颗粒尺寸大于这个范围,则按照Hc∝1/d规律变化.       

An in-situ DRIFTS study in the reaction between NO x and soot on BaAl2O4

The interactions between NO, O2 and their mixture on BaAl2O4, as well as the reaction of NOx with soot in the presence of O2, have been investigated using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy （DRIFTS）. NO adsorption produces only nitrites species in the absence of O2. NO2 adsorption produces nitrates species besides nitrites species. The produced nitrites will further react with O2, Osurf^-. and Olattice^2- to form nitrates. The reaction of NOx with soot begins with the reaction of nitrates with soot oxygenated complex （C（O））, which is regarded as the key and rate determining step. A reaction pathway is proposed for the catalyzed reaction of NOx with soot in the presence of O2.     

The comparative investigation on redox property and second-order nonlinear response of Keggin-type α-[PM12O39NPh]3− (M = W and Mo) and Mo6NPh

Keggin-type phenylimido-polyoxometalates α-[PM₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻ (M = W and Mo) have been systematically investigated on the electronic structures, redox as well as nonlinear optical (NLO) properties by density functional theory (DFT). The strong M≡N bond confirmed by natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis comprises one s bond and two π bonds, the same as Mo≡N in [Mo₆O₁₈NPh]²⁻. Furthermore, phenylimido segment effectively modifies the electronic properties of α-[PM₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻. On one hand, when enlarging the inorganic cluster from {Mo₆O₁₈} to {PMo₁₂O₃₉}, the energy gap between HOMO and LUMO in α-[PMo₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻ decreased, resulting in enormously anodic shift for the reduction potential, while the excitation energy is less and the total second-order polarizability β ₀ is up to 438-3×10⁻³⁰ esu, which is nearly 10 times larger than that of [Mo₆O₁₈NPh]²⁻. On the other hand, when metal W in α-[PM₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻ is substituted by Mo, the interaction between Mo and N is enhanced and the redox ability becomes stronger. The β ₀ value for α-[PMo₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻ is more than 5 times higher than that of α-[PW₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻. It indicates that changing appropriate metal or enlarging the inorganic cluster will improve the redox properties and second-order nonlinear response. Moreover, the electron transition for three compounds mentioned above occurred mainly from organoimido segment (as the electron donor) to polyanion cluster (as the acceptor). As a result, α-[PMo₁₂O₃₉NPh]³⁻ may be a promising candidate for oxidant and nonlinear optical material. Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20573016), Training Fund of NENU’s Scientific Innovation Project (Grant No. NENUSTC07017), Science Foundation for Young Teachers of Northeast Normal University (Grant No. 20070304) and Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (PCSIRT)     

Structure, magnetic properties and giant magnetostriction studies in [Tb/Fe/Dy] n nano-multilayer film

[Tb/Fe/Dy]_n nano-multilayer films, with precise composition of Tb_0.27Dy_0.73Fe₂, were prepared by the multi-targets magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature (sample A) and 300℃ substrate temperature (sample B). Both of the nano-multilayer films show columnar structures perpendicular to the film plane according to the scanning electron microscopy results. The magnetic hysteresis loops and the giant magnetostriction (GMS) property of the two samples indicate the perpendicular anisotropy in them. In spite of the perpendicular anisotropy, both of the samples present GMS effect. In a very low applied field of 0.18 T, the GMS value in sample B is 89.3 ppm, which is about four times of that in sample A, 23.5 ppm. The good low-field GMS effect in sample B might attribute to the Laves phase of R-Fe₂ segregated from the amorphous matrix under the thermal annealing of the substrate. The relation between the magnetization process and GMS property of the perpendicular anisotropy nano-multilayer films is further investigated.     

Magnetic properties and giant magnetoresistance effect of nanometer Fe−In2O3 granular films

Nanometer ferromagnetic metal-semiconductor matrix Fe−In₂O₃ granular films are fabricated by the radio frequency sputtering. Magnetic properties and the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect of Fe_x(In₂O₃)_1−x granular film samples are studied. The result shows that the magnetoresistance (MR) ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of the granular film samples with Fe volume fraction x=35% is 4.5% at room temperature. The temperature dependence (T=1.5–300 K) of the MR ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of Fe_0.35(In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films shows that Δρ/ρ ₀ value below 10 K increases rapidly with the decrease of the temperature, and when T=2 K, Δρ/ρ ₀ value is 85%. Through the study of the dependence of low field susceptibility on temperature and the hysteresis loops at different temperatures, it has been found that, when the temperature decreases to a critical point T _p=10 K, the change of the structure in Fe_0.35)In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films results in the transformation of state from ferromagnetic to spin-glass-like. The remarkable increase of the MR ratio Δρ/ρ ₀ value of Fe_0.35(In₂O₃)_0.65 granular films below 10 K seems to arise from the peculiar conducting mechanism of the granular film samples in the spin-glass-like state.