S. N. Achary

Phase transition and negative thermal expansion in A2(MoO4)3 system (A=Fe3+, Cr3+ and Al3+)

Abstract Thermal expansion behavior of A 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 compounds, where A=Fe 3+ , Cr 3+ and Al 3+ , was studied in static air in the temperature range of 298–1073 K by a thermo-dilatometer. All the compounds showed a positive thermal expansion in the beginning, followed by a phase transition and then a negative thermal expansion (NTE). They have a monoclinic unit cell at room temperature. The negative thermal expansion coefficients (NTEC) of Fe 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 , Cr 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 and Al 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 are: −14.82×10 −6 K −1 , −9.39×10 −6 K −1 and −2.83×10 −6 K −1 , respectively. It is for the first time that some of the transition metal molybdates are shown to exhibit NTE.

Theoretical and experimental evidence of enhanced ferromagnetism in Ba and Mn cosubstituted BiFeO3

Ba and Mn doped BiFeO3 prepared through the pyrolysis of xerogel precursors are characterized by powder x-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry, and polarization measurements. Structural studies by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy show a tetragonal lattice for Ba substituted BiFeO3 and a rhombohedral lattice for Mn substituted BiFeO3. A large ferromagnetic hysteresis loop is observed for Ba doped BiFeO3. Coexistence of distorted rhombohedral and tetragonal phases is observed in Ba and Mn codoped BiFeO3, where enhanced ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties are produced by the internal strain. Density functional calculations are used to substantiate the results.

Size dependent magnetic and dielectric properties of nano CoFe2O4 prepared by a salt assisted gel-combustion method

In this communication, we report the preparation and properties of nano-CoFe2O4 by gel combustion in presence of KCl and subsequent heat treatments. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, and Mossbauer Spectroscopy. Spinel type structure with all Fe in 3+ oxidation states was confirmed from the XRD and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The average crystallite sizes of the studied samples were about 6 and 50 nm. Low temperature magnetic and dielectric properties of the samples were studied by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and ac-impedance spectroscopy. The field and temperature dependent magnetization studies indicated superparamagnetic nature for 6 nm sample and ferromagnetic nature for 50 nm sample. The temperature-dependent dielectric properties measured over a wide range of frequencies indicated an increasing trend of dielectric permittivity with the decrease in crystallite size. Variable range polaron hopping conduction was observed in both samples.

Preparation, phase transition and thermal expansion studies on low-cristobalite type Al1−xGaxPO4 (x=0.0, 0.20, 0.50, 0.80 and 1.00)

Abstract The orthorhombic (α) low-cristobalite type AlPO4 and GaPO4 and their solid solutions are prepared by co-precipitation followed by high temperature annealing of the precipitate. The single phasic nature of the products is ascertained by powder XRD at room temperature. The high temperature behavior of these samples is studied by HT-XRD over the temperature range of 25–1000°C. All these compositions undergo an orthorhombic to cubic (β, high-cristobalite) phase transition at elevated temperature. The unit cell parameters at different temperatures are determined by refining the observed powder diffraction profiles. The phase transition is accompanied by a significant increase in the unit cell volume, leading to the formation of a low dense structure. The variation of unit cell volume with temperature for each composition shows that the orthorhombic phase has a significantly larger thermal expansion than the cubic (high temperature) phase. The high temperature behavior of all the compositions except the GaPO4 is similar. GaPO4 undergoes a phase separation to a more stable quartz type phase above 800°C. However, the quartz type phase again transforms to the high cristobalite (β) phase at 1000°C. Thermal expansions of all these phases are explained in term of the variation of M–O–P angle as a function of temperature.

Investigation of the phase stability of LuVO4 at high pressure using powder x-ray diffraction measurements and lattice dynamical calculations

High pressure angle dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements are carried out on LuVO4 in a diamond anvil cell up to 33 GPa at the Elettra synchrotron radiation source. The measurements show that LuVO4 undergoes a zircon to scheelite structure phase transition with a volume change of about 11% at about 8 GPa. A second transition to a monoclinic fergusonite structure occurs above 16 GPa. The data are also recorded while releasing the pressure, and indicate that the scheelite phase is metastable under ambient conditions. The equations of state and changes in internal structural parameters are reported for various phases of LuVO4. Lattice dynamical calculations based on a transferable interatomic potential were also performed and the results support the stability of the scheelite structure at high pressures. The calculated structure, equation of state and bulk modulus for all the phases are in fair agreement with the experimental observations.

Preparation, thermal expansion, high pressure and high temperature behavior of Al2(WO4)3

The titled compound Al2(WO4)3 was synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction and characterized by powder XRD. It crystallizes in an orthorhombic (Pbcn, No. 60) lattice, with unit cell parameters as 12.582(2), 9.051(1), 9.128(2) Å, and V = 1039.5(3) (Å)3. The compound was found to show negative thermal expansion (NTE) behavior in the temperature range of 25 to 850°C. The average linear NTE coefficient (α1), in this temperature range, was −1.5 × 10−6 K−1. The effect of pressure at ambient temperature, was studied by a Bridgman Anvil (BA) apparatus, to reveal that there is no irreversible phase transition up to 8 GPa. The effect of high pressure and high temperature on this compound was studied by a Toroid Anvil (TA) apparatus. This compound has a limited stability under high pressure and temperature, as it undergoes a decomposition to AlWO4 and WO3−x with a partial oxygen loss. As an off-shoot of this work, certain new modifications of WO3−x under pressure and temperature were observed, viz., monoclinic, tetragonal and an orthorhombic modifications at 5 GPa/1400°C, 3 GPa/900°C and 1.8 GPa/1030°C, respectively. The detailed XRD studies of the products are presented here.

Experimental and theoretical investigations on the polymorphism and metastability of BiPO4

In this work we report the metastability and the energetics of the phase transitions of three different polymorphs of BiPO4, namely trigonal (Phase-I, space group P3(1)21), monoclinic monazite-type (Phase-II, space group P2(1)/n) and SbPO4-type monoclinic (Phase-III, space group P2(1)/m) from ambient and non-ambient temperature powder XRD and neutron diffraction studies as well as ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The symmetry ambiguity between P2(1) and P2(1)/m of the high temperature polymorph of BiPO4 has been resolved by a neutron diffraction study. The structure and vibrational properties of these polymorphs of the three polymorphs have also been reported in detail. Total energy calculations have been used to understand the experimentally observed metastable behavior of trigonal and monazite-type BiPO4. Interestingly, all of the three phases were found to coexist after heating a single phasic trigonal BiPO4 to 773 K. The irreversible nature of these phase transitions has been explained by the concepts of the interplay of the structural distortion, molar volume and total energy.

Structural analysis of excess-anion C-type rare earth oxide: a case study with Gd1−xCexO1.5+x/2 (x = 0.20 and 0.40)

Structural analysis of anion-rich C-type Gd2O3 was carried by the Rietveld refinement of the powder X-ray diffraction data for compositions Gd0.8Ce0.2O1.60 and Gd0.6Ce0.4O1.70. Both compounds have a body-centred cubic lattice (space group Ia\bar{3}, No. 206, Z = 32) with unit-cell parameters of 10.8488 (1) and 10.8542 (1) A, respectively. Both of these compounds are iso-structural with the C-type rare earth oxides, with excess anions as required for charge balance. The structural analysis reveals that there are two different kinds of metal ion site, namely 8b (M1) and 24d (M2), and two different kinds of anion sites, namely 48e (O1) and 16c (O2). The excess anions occupy the 16c (xxx) sites. The two metal ions each form an approximately eightfold-coordination polyhedron with O1 and O2. The details of these two compositions are explained and compared with both the CeO2 structure and the Gd2O3 structure, i.e. the end member.

High-pressure lattice dynamical study of bulk and nanocrystalline In2O3

The effect of pressure on the vibrational properties of bulk and nanocrystalline powders of cubic bixbyite-type In2O3 has been investigated at room temperature by means of Raman spectroscopy up to 31.6 and 30 GPa, respectively. We have been able to follow the pressure dependence of up to sixteen and seven Raman modes in bulk and nanocrystalline cubic In2O3, respectively. The experimental frequencies and pressure coefficients of the Raman-active modes of bulk cubic In2O3 at ambient pressure are in good agreement with those predicted by our theoretical ab initio calculations. Furthermore, a comparison of our experimental data with our calculations for the Raman modes in rhombohedral corundum and orthorhombic Rh2O3-II structures and with already reported Raman modes of rhombohedral corundum-type In2O3 at room pressure indicate that Raman scattering measurements provide no experimental evidence of the cubic to rhombohedral or cubic to orthorhombic phase transitions either in bulk material or in nanocrystals u...

Crucial role of the reaction conditions in isolating several metastable phases in a Gd-Ce-Zr-O system.

A series of samples with composition Gd(2-y)Ce(y)Zr(2)O(7) (0.0 ≤ y ≤ 2.0) were prepared by the gel combustion method followed by high-temperature reduction. The details of the structural variations as a function of the composition, temperature, and oxygen stoichiometry have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-temperature XRD (HT-XRD), and thermogravimetry. A complete solubility of Gd(3+) in Ce(2)Zr(2)O(7) and Ce(2)Zr(2)O(8) could be achieved by this adaptive preparative method. Analysis of the XRD data revealed a sequential variation of the structural features with oxygen stoichiometry as well as Gd(3+) contents in these compositions. The variation in the unit cell parameter along the compositions has a strong influence on the oxygen uptake behavior in the Gd(2-y)Ce(y)Zr(2)O(7) system, as observed from the thermogravimetric and HT-XRD studies. The preparation and stability of various metastable phases in Gd-Ce-Zr-O have been addressed in detail. The details of the study will be useful for the design and application of a potential redox catalyst and an oxygen storage capacitor.