Meigan C. Aronson

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Ultrathin Au/Pt Nanowires

We have reported the synthesis of Au(25)Pt(75) and Au(48)Pt(52) alloyed ultrathin nanowires with average widths of less than 3 nm via a wet chemistry approach at room temperature. Using a combination of techniques, including scanning transmission electron microscopy equipped with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies, we identified the stoichiometry-dependent heterogeneous crystalline structures, as well as electronic structures with respect to the charge transfer between Pt and Au within both nanowires. In particular, we observed d-charge depletion at the Au site and the d-charge gain at the Pt site in Au(48)Pt(52) nanowires, which accounted for its ferromagnetic magnetic behavior, in contrast to the paramagnetism and diamagnetism appearing respectively in bulk Pt and Au.

Nanospheres of a New Intermetallic FeSn5 Phase: Synthesis, Magnetic Properties and Anode Performance in Li-ion Batteries

We synthesized monodisperse nanospheres of an intermetallic FeSn(5) phase via a nanocrystal-conversion protocol using preformed Sn nanospheres as templates. This tetragonal phase in P4/mcc space group, along with the defect structure Fe(0.74)Sn(5) of our nanospheres, has been resolved by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement. Importantly, FeSn(5), which is not yet established in the Fe-Sn phase diagram, exhibits a quasi-one dimensional crystal structure along the c-axis, thus leading to interesting anisotropic thermal expansion and magnetic properties. Magnetization measurements indicate that nanospheres are superparamagnetic above the blocking temperature T(B) = 300 K, which is associated with the higher magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant K = 3.33 kJ m(-3). The combination of the magnetization measurements and first-principles density functional theory calculations reveals the canted antiferromagnetic nature with significant spin fluctuation in lattice a-b plane. The low Fe concentration also leads Fe(0.74)Sn(5) to enhanced capacity as an anode in Li ion batteries.

Water-Dispersible, Multifunctional, Magnetic, Luminescent Silica-Encapsulated Composite Nanotubes

A multifunctional one-dimensional nanostructure incorporating both CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (NPs) within a SiO(2)-nanotube matrix is successfully synthesized based on the self-assembly of preformed functional NPs, allowing for control over the size and amount of NPs contained within the composite nanostructures. This specific nanostructure is distinctive because both the favorable photoluminescent and magnetic properties of QD and NP building blocks are incorporated and retained within the final silica-based composite, thus rendering it susceptible to both magnetic guidance and optical tracking. Moreover, the resulting hydrophilic nanocomposites are found to easily enter into the interiors of HeLa cells without damage, thereby highlighting their capability not only as fluorescent probes but also as possible drug-delivery vehicles of interest in nanobiotechnology.

Yb2Pt2Pb: Magnetic frustration in the Shastry-Sutherland lattice

Here, we have synthesized single crystals of Yb2Pt2Pb, which crystallize in the layered U2Pt2Sn-type structure, where planes of Yb ions lie on a triangular network. Here, we report the results of magnetization, specific heat, and electrical resistivity experiments. The lattice constants and high temperature magnetic susceptibility indicate that the Yb ions are trivalent, while the Schottky peaks in the specific heat show that the ground state is a well isolated doublet. A significant magnetic anisotropy is observed, with the ratio of susceptibilities perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic planes differing by as much as a factor of 30 at the lowest temperatures. Antiferromagnetic order occurs at a Neel temperature TN = 2.07 K. Evidence of short range magnetic fluctuations is found in the magnetic susceptibility and electrical resistivity, which have broad peaks above TN, and in the slow development of the magnetic entropy at TN. Our experiments indicate that Yb2Pt2Pb is a quasi-two-dimensional and localized moment system, where strong magnetic frustration may arise from the geometry of the underlying Shastry-Sutherland lattice.

Synthesis and characterization of V2O3 nanorods

In this work, VO2 nanorods have been initially generated as reactive nanoscale precursors to their subsequent conversion to large quantities of highly crystalline V2O3 with no detectable impurities. Structural changes in VO2, associated with the metallic-to-insulating transition from the monoclinic form to the rutile form, have been investigated and confirmed using X-ray diffraction and synchrotron data, showing that the structural transition is reversible and occurs at around 63 degrees C. When this VO2 one-dimensional sample was subsequently heated to 800 degrees C in a reducing atmosphere, it was successfully transformed into V2O3 with effective retention of its nanorod morphology. We have also collected magnetic and transport data on these systems that are comparable to bulk behavior and consistent with trends observed in previous experiments.

Magnetotransport in single-crystal half-Heusler compounds

We present the results of electrical resistivity and Hall effect measurements on single crystals of HfNiSn, TiPtSn, and TiNiSn. Semiconducting behavior is observed in each case, involving the transport of a small number of highly compensated carriers. Magnetization measurements suggest that impurities and site disorder create both localized magnetic moments and extended paramagnetic states, with the susceptibility of the latter increasing strongly with reduced temperature. The magnetoresistance is sublinear or linear in fields ranging from

Critical Phenomena and the Quantum Critical Point of Ferromagnetic Zr1 xNbxZn2

0.01\char21{}9\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}

Non-Fermi-liquid scaling in ( x = 1, 1.5)

at the lowest temperatures. As the temperature increases, the normal quadratic magnetoresistance is regained, initially at low fields, and at the highest temperatures extending over the complete range of fields. The origin of the vanishingly small field scale implied by these measurements remains unknown, presenting a challenge to existing classical and quantum mechanical theories of magnetoresistance.

Low field magnetic response of the non-centrosymmetric superconductor YPtBi

We present a study of the magnetic properties of Zr(1-x)NbxZn2, using an Arrott plot analysis of the magnetization. The Curie temperature Tc is suppressed to zero temperature for Nb concentration xc = 0.083+/-0.002, while the spontaneous moment vanishes linearly with Tc as predicted by the Stoner theory. The initial susceptibility chi displays critical behavior for x <or= xc , with a critical exponent which smoothly crosses over from the mean field to the quantum critical value. For high temperatures and x <or= xc, and for low temperatures and x >or= xc we find that chi(-1) = chi0(-1) + aT(4/3), where chi0(-1) vanishes as x-->xc. The resulting magnetic phase diagram shows that the quantum critical behavior extends over the widest range of temperatures for x=xc, and demonstrates how a finite transition temperature ferromagnet is transformed into a paramagnet, via a quantum critical point.

From antiferromagnetic insulator to correlated metal in pressurized and doped LaMnPO

We review the compiled measurements of the imaginary part of the dynamical magnetic susceptibility X(ω, T), static susceptibility χ(T), electrical resistivity ρ(T) and specific heat C(T) in the uranium intermetallics UCu 5-x Pd x (x = 1, 1.5). We assess the temperature- and energy-dependences predicted by single-ion and disorder-dominated models and compare these results to experiments. For temperatures T and excitation energies ω in the range 12 K < ω, T < 150 K, our analysis suggests that the dynamics of isolated uranium ions are responsible for the observed temperature and frequency scaling, although inter-ion interactions may become important at lower temperatures and frequencies.