Observation of surface and bulk phase transitions in nematic liquid crystals

The behaviour of liquid crystal (LC) molecules near a surface is of both fundamental and technological interest: it gives rise to various surface phase-transition and wetting phenomena, and surface-induced ordering of the LC molecules is integral to the operation of LC displays. Here we report the observation of a pure isotropic-nematic (IN) surface phase transition-clearly separated from the bulk IN transition-in a nematic LC on a substrate. Differences in phase behaviour between surface and bulk are expected, but have hitherto proved difficult to distinguish, owing in part to the close proximity of their transition temperatures. We have overcome these difficulties by using a mixture of nematic LCs: small, surface-induced composition variations lead to complete separation of the surface and bulk transitions, which we then study independently as a function of substrate and applied magnetic field. We find the surface IN transition to be of first order on surfaces with a weak anchoring energy and continuous on surfaces with a strong anchoring. We show that the presence of high magnetic fields does not change the surface IN transition temperature, whereas the bulk IN transition temperature increases with field. We attribute this to the interaction energy between the surface and bulk phases, which is tuned by magnetic-field-induced order in the surface-wetting layer.     

Superconductor-insulator transition in La2 - xSrxCuO4 at the pair quantum resistance

High-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides arises when a parent insulator compound is doped beyond some critical concentration; what exactly happens at this superconductor-insulator transition is a key open question. The cleanest approach is to tune the carrier density using the electric field effect; for example, it was learned in this way that weak electron localization transforms superconducting SrTiO(3) into a Fermi-glass insulator. But in the copper oxides this has been a long-standing technical challenge, because perfect ultrathin films and huge local fields (>10(9)?V?m(-1)) are needed. Recently, such fields have been obtained using electrolytes or ionic liquids in the electric double-layer transistor configuration. Here we report synthesis of epitaxial films of La(2-?x)Sr(x)CuO(4) that are one unit cell thick, and fabrication of double-layer transistors. Very large fields and induced changes in surface carrier density enable shifts in the critical temperature by up to 30?K. Hundreds of resistance versus temperature and carrier density curves were recorded and shown to collapse onto a single function, as predicted for a two-dimensional superconductor-insulator transition. The observed critical resistance is precisely the quantum resistance for pairs, R(Q) = h/(2e) = 6.45?kΩ, suggestive of a phase transition driven by quantum phase fluctuations, and Cooper pair (de)localization.     

Spin-galvanic effect

There is much recent interest in exploiting the spin of conduction electrons in semiconductor heterostructures together with their charge to realize new device concepts. Electrical currents are usually generated by electric or magnetic fields, or by gradients of, for example, carrier concentration or temperature. The electron spin in a spin-polarized electron gas can, in principle, also drive an electrical current, even at room temperature, if some general symmetry requirements are met. Here we demonstrate such a 'spin-galvanic' effect in semiconductor heterostructures, induced by a non-equilibrium, but uniform population of electron spins. The microscopic origin for this effect is that the two electronic sub-bands for spin-up and spin-down electrons are shifted in momentum space and, although the electron distribution in each sub-band is symmetric, there is an inherent asymmetry in the spin-flip scattering events between the two sub-bands. The resulting current flow has been detected by applying a magnetic field to rotate an optically oriented non-equilibrium spin polarization in the direction of the sample plane. In contrast to previous experiments, where spin-polarized currents were driven by electric fields in semiconductor, we have here the complementary situation where electron spins drive a current without the need of an external electric field.     

Cd_(0.03)Sr_(0.485)Ba_(0.485)Nb_2O_6单晶及其介电谱

本文报告了f=1KHz到1GHz范围内Cd_(0.03)Sr_(0.485)Ba_(0.485)Nb_2O_6(CdSBN)单晶的新鲜样品,和经交变电场处理后样品的介电谱.实验表明,低频介电弛豫经强交变电场处理后而消失,同时交流电导率也降低.在施加偏置电场后,其介电常数出现极大值的温度T_m向高温方向移动,这可用场致相变加以解释.同时也说明该晶体属于二级相变的特性.又在实验所加的偏置电场范围内,晶体相变的弥散性不产生影响.     

Electric-field control of ferromagnetism

It is often assumed that it is not possible to alter the properties of magnetic materials once they have been prepared and put into use. For example, although magnetic materials are used in information technology to store trillions of bits (in the form of magnetization directions established by applying external magnetic fields), the properties of the magnetic medium itself remain unchanged on magnetization reversal. The ability to externally control the properties of magnetic materials would be highly desirable from fundamental and technological viewpoints, particularly in view of recent developments in magnetoelectronics and spintronics. In semiconductors, the conductivity can be varied by applying an electric field, but the electrical manipulation of magnetism has proved elusive. Here we demonstrate electric-field control of ferromagnetism in a thin-film semiconducting alloy, using an insulating-gate field-effect transistor structure. By applying electric fields, we are able to vary isothermally and reversibly the transition temperature of hole-induced ferromagnetism.     

电场强化旋流分离装置的内部流场分析

提出一种运用高压电场强化提高旋流分离效率的装置,实现工业废油资源化工艺环节中的高效破乳脱水处理;强化装置内部的流场分布情况直接影响了装置的分离效率,但比较复杂,目前尚不明确;通过建立电场强化旋流分离装置模型,联合电场控制方程和乳化油液滴粒径控制方程,分别对5种不同强化电压条件下的装置内部流场进行了数值模拟;计算结果表明,当强化电压为11 kV时,装置内部混合流体切向速度的最大增幅为15%,轴向速度最大降幅为20%,底流管段的压力梯度得到明显增大,有效提高了装置分离效率,试验结果表明:建立的装置数值模型,能够合理揭示电场强化旋流离心分离装置内部复杂流场的分布规律。     

A colloidal model system with an interaction tunable from hard sphere to soft and dipolar

Monodisperse colloidal suspensions of micrometre-sized spheres are playing an increasingly important role as model systems to study, in real space, a variety of phenomena in condensed matter physics--such as glass transitions and crystal nucleation. But to date, no quantitative real-space studies have been performed on crystal melting, or have investigated systems with long-range repulsive potentials. Here we demonstrate a charge- and sterically stabilized colloidal suspension--poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres in a mixture of cycloheptyl (or cyclohexyl) bromide and decalin--where both the repulsive range and the anisotropy of the interparticle interaction potential can be controlled. This combination of two independent tuning parameters gives rise to a rich phase behaviour, with several unusual colloidal (liquid) crystalline phases, which we explore in real space by confocal microscopy. The softness of the interaction is tuned in this colloidal suspension by varying the solvent salt concentration; the anisotropic (dipolar) contribution to the interaction potential can be independently controlled with an external electric field ranging from a small perturbation to the point where it completely determines the phase behaviour. We also demonstrate that the electric field can be used as a pseudo-thermodynamic temperature switch to enable real-space studies of melting transitions. We expect studies of this colloidal model system to contribute to our understanding of, for example, electro- and magneto-rheological fluids.     

高浓度聚驱采出液乳化行为及电化学脱水方法

针对高浓度聚驱采出液油水分离效率及其给常规交-直流电场带来的冲击,开展了该类采出液的乳化行为及脱水方法研究,研究中综合了集输工况条件下的采出液转相特征、电负性、乳化油珠粒径分布、界面性质、乳化体系的微观形态及瓶试法油水分离实验,并基于所建立模拟装置评价了脉冲供电脱水对高浓度聚驱采出液破乳脱水的适应性。结果表明,高浓度聚驱采出液复杂的乳化行为与含聚浓度直接相关,含聚浓度上升使其电负性增强,转相点呈不同程度降低,且由于促进了黏弹性界面膜的形成,乳化粒子聚并和相分离的难度增大;辅以化学破乳的脉冲供电电场脱水工艺能有效改善分离效果,提高脱水操作的稳定性。     

磁场下U(2)×U(2)线性σ模型的手征相变

采用U(2)×U(2)线性σ模型对匀强磁场下的手征相变进行了研究.采用单圈有效势方法,讨论在不同温度、不同重子化学势、不同磁场下的有效势,从而对相变的类型进行了考察.结果表明,磁场的引入一般会提高手征相变的相变温度;介子自由度、真空起伏可能改变相变的性质.     

Magnetic phase control by an electric field

The quest for higher data density in information storage is motivating investigations into approaches for manipulating magnetization by means other than magnetic fields. This is evidenced by the recent boom in magnetoelectronics and 'spintronics', where phenomena such as carrier effects in magnetic semiconductors and high-correlation effects in colossal magnetoresistive compounds are studied for their device potential. The linear magnetoelectric effect-the induction of polarization by a magnetic field and of magnetization by an electric field-provides another route for linking magnetic and electric properties. It was recently discovered that composite materials and magnetic ferroelectrics exhibit magnetoelectric effects that exceed previously known effects by orders of magnitude, with the potential to trigger magnetic or electric phase transitions. Here we report a system whose magnetic phase can be controlled by an external electric field: ferromagnetic ordering in hexagonal HoMnO3 is reversibly switched on and off by the applied field via magnetoelectric interactions. We monitor this process using magneto-optical techniques and reveal its microscopic origin by neutron and X-ray diffraction. From our results, we identify basic requirements for other candidate materials to exhibit magnetoelectric phase control.     

Room-temperature ferroelectricity in strained SrTiO3

Systems with a ferroelectric to paraelectric transition in the vicinity of room temperature are useful for devices. Adjusting the ferroelectric transition temperature (T(c)) is traditionally accomplished by chemical substitution-as in Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO(3), the material widely investigated for microwave devices in which the dielectric constant (epsilon(r)) at GHz frequencies is tuned by applying a quasi-static electric field. Heterogeneity associated with chemical substitution in such films, however, can broaden this phase transition by hundreds of degrees, which is detrimental to tunability and microwave device performance. An alternative way to adjust T(c) in ferroelectric films is strain. Here we show that epitaxial strain from a newly developed substrate can be harnessed to increase T(c) by hundreds of degrees and produce room-temperature ferroelectricity in strontium titanate, a material that is not normally ferroelectric at any temperature. This strain-induced enhancement in T(c) is the largest ever reported. Spatially resolved images of the local polarization state reveal a uniformity that far exceeds films tailored by chemical substitution. The high epsilon(r) at room temperature in these films (nearly 7,000 at 10 GHz) and its sharp dependence on electric field are promising for device applications.     

PbTiO3多晶及薄膜材料强电场下的电热效应研究

基于Landau-Devonshire的热动力学模型,计算了PbTiO3块体及薄膜材料在铁电相变附近的电热效应。PbTiO3块体在769 K出现了一级铁电-顺电转变。700 K时其矫顽场为25MV·m-1。强的电场使得PbTiO3块体材料的一级相变逐渐转变为二级连续相变,且相变在更高的温度发生。PbTiO3薄膜材料的相变为二级相变,熵值减小,而熵变也相应减少。随着电场的增强,两者的比热容减小,但对应的温度向高温方向移动,2者的熵值却随着电场的增大而增强。对于PbTiO3薄膜来说,随着面内错配度的变化,张应力使相变温度降低,而压应力则相反。计算了PbTiO3块体与薄膜材料的绝热温变与制冷热容,其中块体的绝热温变ΔTad与制冷热容RC最大,分别为4.76 K与94.1 kJm-2K-1。     

DC PJ－CVD等离子体炬通道中的电弧行为

运用电磁学和热流体学的方法研究了直流大阳极喷嘴长电弧通道等离子体炬中电弧的行为，并通过实验证明了温度梯度与电场梯度作用于流体时所产生的特殊现象；结果表明：电弧弧柱的高温效应剧烈排斥冷气流的混入，使ＣＶＤ过程受到抑制。新产生的胶体粒子在热泳现象作用下逐渐沉积于通道内壁上。改变不同气体的进气位置以及减小温度与电场梯度并增设径向旋转磁场，可有效地解决上述问题     

Microdomain patterns from directional eutectic solidification and epitaxy

Creating a regular surface pattern on the nanometre scale is important for many technological applications, such as the periodic arrays constructed by optical microlithography that are used as separation media in electrophoresis, and island structures used for high-density magnetic recording devices. Block copolymer patterns can also be used for lithography on length scales below 30 nanometres (refs 3-5). But for such polymers to prove useful for thin-film technologies, chemically patterned surfaces need to be made substantially defect-free over large areas, and with tailored domain orientation and periodicity. So far, control over domain orientation has been achieved by several routes, using electric fields, temperature gradients, patterned substrates and neutral confining surfaces. Here we describe an extremely fast process that leads the formation of two-dimensional periodic thin films having large area and uniform thickness, and which possess vertically aligned cylindrical domains each containing precisely one crystalline lamella. The process involves rapid solidification of a semicrystalline block copolymer from a crystallizable solvent between glass substrates using directional solidification and epitaxy. The film is both chemically and structurally periodic, thereby providing new opportunities for more selective and versatile nanopatterned surfaces.     

Magnetization vector manipulation by electric fields

Conventional semiconductor devices use electric fields to control conductivity, a scalar quantity, for information processing. In magnetic materials, the direction of magnetization, a vector quantity, is of fundamental importance. In magnetic data storage, magnetization is manipulated with a current-generated magnetic field (Oersted-Ampère field), and spin current is being studied for use in non-volatile magnetic memories. To make control of magnetization fully compatible with semiconductor devices, it is highly desirable to control magnetization using electric fields. Conventionally, this is achieved by means of magnetostriction produced by mechanically generated strain through the use of piezoelectricity. Multiferroics have been widely studied in an alternative approach where ferroelectricity is combined with ferromagnetism. Magnetic-field control of electric polarization has been reported in these multiferroics using the magnetoelectric effect, but the inverse effect-direct electrical control of magnetization-has not so far been observed. Here we show that the manipulation of magnetization can be achieved solely by electric fields in a ferromagnetic semiconductor, (Ga,Mn)As. The magnetic anisotropy, which determines the magnetization direction, depends on the charge carrier (hole) concentration in (Ga,Mn)As. By applying an electric field using a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure, the hole concentration and, thereby, the magnetic anisotropy can be controlled, allowing manipulation of the magnetization direction.     

Properties of PbLa（Zr,Sn, Ti）O3 ceramics near ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase boundary

Shirane found in the middle of the 20th century that the solid solution PZT had a lot of fine characteristics and carried out detailed researches[1]. The critical phase transition field of antiferroelectric decreased by adding titanate. Titanate expands t…     

Terahertz-field-induced insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide metamaterial

Electron-electron interactions can render an otherwise conducting material insulating, with the insulator-metal phase transition in correlated-electron materials being the canonical macroscopic manifestation of the competition between charge-carrier itinerancy and localization. The transition can arise from underlying microscopic interactions among the charge, lattice, orbital and spin degrees of freedom, the complexity of which leads to multiple phase-transition pathways. For example, in many transition metal oxides, the insulator-metal transition has been achieved with external stimuli, including temperature, light, electric field, mechanical strain or magnetic field. Vanadium dioxide is particularly intriguing because both the lattice and on-site Coulomb repulsion contribute to the insulator-to-metal transition at 340?K (ref. 8). Thus, although the precise microscopic origin of the phase transition remains elusive, vanadium dioxide serves as a testbed for correlated-electron phase-transition dynamics. Here we report the observation of an insulator-metal transition in vanadium dioxide induced by a terahertz electric field. This is achieved using metamaterial-enhanced picosecond, high-field terahertz pulses to reduce the Coulomb-induced potential barrier for carrier transport. A nonlinear metamaterial response is observed through the phase transition, demonstrating that high-field terahertz pulses provide alternative pathways to induce collective electronic and structural rearrangements. The metamaterial resonators play a dual role, providing sub-wavelength field enhancement that locally drives the nonlinear response, and global sensitivity to the local changes, thereby enabling macroscopic observation of the dynamics. This methodology provides a powerful platform to investigate low-energy dynamics in condensed matter and, further, demonstrates that integration of metamaterials with complex matter is a viable pathway to realize functional nonlinear electromagnetic composites.     

不同频率高频交流电对球形传播火焰的影响

为研究不同频率高频交流电场对预混稀燃火焰的影响,对常温、常压下定容燃烧弹中过量空气系数为1.6时的甲烷/空气火焰的传播和燃烧特性进行了研究.结果表明:高频交流电场作用下,火焰均在水平方向被拉伸,当加载交流电压有效值一定时,交流电频率越高,火焰在水平方向的拉伸越剧烈.与未加载电压相比,当交流电压有效值u=5kV,交流电频率f为5、7.5、10、12.5和15kHz时,平均火焰传播速度分别提高43.10%、53.45%、63.79%、74.14%和84.48%,相对燃烧压力增大率的最大值分别为0.15、0.21、0.27、0.36和0.50.由此得出,高频交流电场对火焰燃烧有一定的促进作用,且交流电频率越高,促进作用越明显.     

小世界网络中的相分离和超大磁电阻效应

由于自旋、轨道、电荷和晶格的关联作用,具有超大磁电阻效应的锰氧化物表现出自发的相分离特征和复杂网络的输运特性.小世界网络是介于规则网络与无规网络之间的一种新的网络构形,它能够很好地描述锰氧化物的相分离特征.我们运用蒙特卡罗方法研究了基于小世界网络的一维伊辛自旋链中的磁输运性质,发现小世界关联会导致自发的长程序.随着小世界长程作用的增强,铁磁相的区域扩大,同时体系的磁性相变温度升高.相应的电阻网络模拟显示,在铁磁—顺磁转变温度附近,磁电阻效应有了很大的提高,很好地解释了锰氧化物中的相分离现象与超大磁电阻效应.     

Mobile silver ions and glass formation in solid electrolytes

Solid electrolytes are a class of materials in which the cationic or anionic constituents are not confined to specific lattice sites, but are essentially free to move throughout the structure. The solid electrolytes AgI and Ag2Se (refs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are of interest for their use as additives in network glasses, such as chalcogenides and oxides, because the resulting composite glasses can show high electrical conductivities with potential applications for batteries, sensors and displays. Here we show that these composite glasses can exhibit two distinct types of molecular structures-an intrinsic phase-separation that results in a bimodal distribution of glass transition temperatures, and a microscopically homogeneous network displaying a single glass transition temperature. For the first case, the two transition temperatures correspond to the solid-electrolyte glass phase and the main glass phase (the 'base glass'), enabling us to show that the glass transition temperatures for the AgI and Ag2Se phases are respectively 75 and 230 degrees C. Furthermore, we show that the magnitude of the bimodal glass transition temperatures can be quantitatively understood in terms of network connectivity, provided that the Ag+ cations undergo fast-ion motion in the glasses. These results allow us to unambiguously distinguish base glasses in which these additives are homogeneously alloyed from those in which an intrinsic phase separation occurs, and to provide clues to understanding ion-transport behaviour in these superionic conductors.