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Sample records for bi-mg bi-sb in-mg

  1. High figure of merit and thermoelectric properties of Bi-doped Mg2Si0.4Sn0.6 solid solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Wei; Zhang, Qiang; Yin, Kang; Chi, Hang; Zhou, Xiaoyuan; Tang, Xinfeng; Uher, Ctirad

    2013-01-01

    The study of Mg 2 Si 1−x Sn x -based thermoelectric materials has received widespread attention due to a potentially high thermoelectric performance, abundant raw materials, relatively low cost of modules, and non-toxic character of compounds. In this research, Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y solid solutions with the nominal Bi content of 0≤y≤0.03 are prepared using a two-step solid state reaction followed by spark plasma sintering consolidation. Within this range of Bi concentrations, no evidence of second phase segregation was found. Bi is confirmed to occupy the Si/Sn sites in the crystal lattice and behaves as an efficient n-type dopant in Mg 2 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 . Similar to the effect of Sb, Bi doping greatly increases the electron density and the power factor, and reduces the lattice thermal conductivity of Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 solid solutions. Overall, the thermoelectric figure of merit of Bi-doped Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 solid solutions is improved by about 10% in comparison to values obtained with Sb-doped materials of comparable dopant content. This improvement comes chiefly from a marginally higher Seebeck coefficient of Bi-doped solid solutions. The highest ZT∼1.4 is achieved for the y=0.03 composition at 800 K. - Graphical abstract: (a)The relationship between electrical conductivity and power factor for Sb/Bi-doped Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y (Sb/Bi) y (0 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y (0≤y≤0.03) solid solutions. (c)Temperature dependent dimensionless figure of merit ZT of Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 1−y Bi y (0≤y≤0.03) solid solutions. - Highlights: • Bi doped Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 showed 15% enhancement in the power factor as compared to Sb doped samples. • Bi doping reduced κ ph of Mg 2.16 Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 due to stronger point defect scattering. • The highest ZT=1.4 at 800 K was achieved for Mg 2.16 (Si 0.4 Sn 0.6 ) 0.97 Bi 0.03

  2. Bi-induced band gap reduction in epitaxial InSbBi alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rajpalke, M. K.; Linhart, W. M.; Birkett, M.; Alaria, J.; Veal, T. D., E-mail: T.Veal@liverpool.ac.uk [Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy and Department of Physics, School of Physical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZF (United Kingdom); Yu, K. M. [Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Bomphrey, J. J.; Jones, T. S.; Ashwin, M. J., E-mail: M.J.Ashwin@warwick.ac.uk [Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom); Sallis, S.; Piper, L. F. J. [Materials Science and Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902 (United States)

    2014-11-24

    The properties of molecular beam epitaxy-grown InSb{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} alloys are investigated. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry shows that the Bi content increases from 0.6% for growth at 350 °C to 2.4% at 200 °C. X-ray diffraction indicates Bi-induced lattice dilation and suggests a zinc-blende InBi lattice parameter of 6.626 Å. Scanning electron microscopy reveals surface InSbBi nanostructures on the InSbBi films for the lowest growth temperatures, Bi droplets at intermediate temperatures, and smooth surfaces for the highest temperature. The room temperature optical absorption edge was found to change from 172 meV (7.2 μm) for InSb to ∼88 meV (14.1 μm) for InSb{sub 0.976}Bi{sub 0.024}, a reduction of ∼35 meV/%Bi.

  3. Corrosion behavior of as-cast binary Mg-Bi alloys in Hank's solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-li Cheng

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Biodegradable Mg-xBi (x = 3, 6 and 9wt.% alloys were fabricated by ingot casting, and the change of corrosion behavior of the alloys in the Hank's solution was analyzed with respect to the microstructure using optical micrograph (OM, X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS, electrochemical and immersion tests. The results show that the microstructures of the as-cast Mg-Bi alloys mainly consisted of dendritic ?Mg grains and Mg3Bi2 phase in common, with the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS decreasing significantly from 41.2 靘 to 25.4 靘 and the fraction of Mg3Bi2 increasing from 3.1% to 10.7%. Furthermore, the corrosion rate increasing from 1.32 mm昦-1 to 8.07 mm昦-1 as the Bi content was increased from 3wt.% to 9wt.%. The reduced corrosion resistance was mainly ascribed to the increasing fraction of the second phase particles, which bring positive effects on the development of pitting.

  4. Synthesis and photocatalytic properties of MgBi2O6 with Ag additions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Liansheng; Hu, Chaohao; Zhu, Binqing; Zhong, Yan; Zhou, Huaiying

    2018-02-01

    Ag-doped MgBi2O6 photocatalysts were synthesized by the low temperature hydrothermal method in combination with heat treatment reaction using NaBiO3·2H2O, MgCl2·6H2O, and AgNO3 as raw materials. The products were characterized by using power X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDS), and UV-Vis diffusion reflectance spectra. The photocatalytic activity of MgBi2O6 with Ag additions was evaluated by degrading MB (10 mg/L) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). The results showed that in comparison with pure MgBi2O6, the photocatalytic activity of MgBi2O6 with about 5% Ag concentration is increased by about 24% after 120 min reaction. The enhancement of catalytic activity of Ag-doped MgBi2O6 photocatalysts should be related to the band structure, morphology and larger specific surface area.

  5. Refinement of Mg2Si reinforcement in a commercial Al–20%Mg2Si in-situ composite with bismuth, antimony and strontium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nordin, Nur Azmah; Farahany, Saeed; Ourdjini, Ali; Abu Bakar, Tuty Asma; Hamzah, Esah

    2013-01-01

    Refinement by addition elements of Al–Mg 2 Si alloys is known to result in a change of primary Mg 2 Si morphology. In this paper, the effects of Bi, Sb and Sr on the characteristic parameters of Al–20%Mg 2 Si in-situ composite have been investigated by computer aided cooling curve thermal analysis and microstructural inspection. Size, density and aspect ratio measurements showed that additions of 0.4 wt.% Bi, 0.8 wt.% Sb and 0.01 wt.% Sr refined the Mg 2 Si reinforcement. Exceeding these concentrations, however, resulted in coarsening of Mg 2 Si particles with no change in the morphology. The results also showed that addition elements caused a decrease in the nucleation and growth temperatures of Mg 2 Si particles. The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the effect of oxide bifilms suspended in the composite melt as favored nucleation substrates for Mg 2 Si particles. - Highlight: • 0.4 wt.%, 0.8 wt.% and 0.01 wt.% is the optimum content for Bi, Sb and Sr addition. • Exceeding optimum concentration resulted in the coarsening of reinforcements. • Nucleation and growth temperatures decrease with addition of Bi, Sb and Sr. • The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the oxide bifilms

  6. Refinement of Mg{sub 2}Si reinforcement in a commercial Al–20%Mg{sub 2}Si in-situ composite with bismuth, antimony and strontium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nordin, Nur Azmah; Farahany, Saeed, E-mail: saeedfarahany@gmail.com; Ourdjini, Ali; Abu Bakar, Tuty Asma; Hamzah, Esah

    2013-12-15

    Refinement by addition elements of Al–Mg{sub 2}Si alloys is known to result in a change of primary Mg{sub 2}Si morphology. In this paper, the effects of Bi, Sb and Sr on the characteristic parameters of Al–20%Mg{sub 2}Si in-situ composite have been investigated by computer aided cooling curve thermal analysis and microstructural inspection. Size, density and aspect ratio measurements showed that additions of 0.4 wt.% Bi, 0.8 wt.% Sb and 0.01 wt.% Sr refined the Mg{sub 2}Si reinforcement. Exceeding these concentrations, however, resulted in coarsening of Mg{sub 2}Si particles with no change in the morphology. The results also showed that addition elements caused a decrease in the nucleation and growth temperatures of Mg{sub 2}Si particles. The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the effect of oxide bifilms suspended in the composite melt as favored nucleation substrates for Mg{sub 2}Si particles. - Highlight: • 0.4 wt.%, 0.8 wt.% and 0.01 wt.% is the optimum content for Bi, Sb and Sr addition. • Exceeding optimum concentration resulted in the coarsening of reinforcements. • Nucleation and growth temperatures decrease with addition of Bi, Sb and Sr. • The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the oxide bifilms.

  7. Reduction in thermal conductivity of BiSbTe lump

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahmad, Kaleem [King Saud University, Sustainable Energy Technologies Center, College of Engineering, PO Box 800, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Wan, C. [Tsinghua University, State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing (China); Al-Eshaikh, M.A.; Kadachi, A.N. [King Saud University, Research Center, College of Engineering, PO Box 800, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)

    2017-03-15

    In this work, systematic investigations on the thermal conductivities of BiSbTe lump, microstructured pristine BiSbTe bulk and single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/BiSbTe bulk nanocomposites were performed. BiSbTe lumps were crushed to form a coarse powder (200 μm) and effect of particle size reduction on the effective thermal conductivity of BiSbTe (200 μm) bulk were analyzed. For further reduction in the conductivity, a two pronged strategy has been employed. First, additional refinement of BiSbTe (200 μm) were performed through ball milling in an inert environment. Second, SWCNTs in 0.75, and 1.0 vol% were distributed uniformly in the fine BiSbTe ball milled powder. The results showed that the effective thermal conductivities decrease with the reduction in the particle size from lump to BiSbTe (200 μm) bulk as well as with the addition of SWCNTs accompanied by further refinement of BiSbTe particles. The significant reduction in thermal conductivities of the lump was achieved for pure BiSbTe (200 μm) bulk and 0.75 vol% of SWCNTs/BiSbTe composite. This can be ascribed to the enhanced phonon scattering by the grain boundaries between the nanostructured BiSbTe particles as well as the interfaces between BiSbTe and the low dimensional carbon nanotubes. (orig.)

  8. Synthesis, crystal structure and optical properties of BiMgVO 5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benmokhtar, S.; El Jazouli, A.; Chaminade, J. P.; Gravereau, P.; Guillen, F.; de Waal, D.

    2004-11-01

    The new vanadate BiMgVO 5 has been prepared and its structure has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction: space group P21/n, a=7.542(6) Å, b=11.615(5) Å, c=5.305(3) Å, β=107.38(5)°, wR2=0.0447, R=0.0255. The structure consists of [Mg 2O 10] and [Bi 2O 10] dimers sharing their corners with [VO 4] tetrahedra. The ranges of bond lengths are 2.129-2.814 Å for Bi-O; 2.035-2.167 Å for Mg-O and 1.684-1.745 Å for V-O. V-O bond lengths determined from Raman band wavenumbers are between 1.679 and 1.747 Å. An emission band overlapping the entire visible region with a maximum around 650 nm is observed.

  9. Study on anisotropy of n-type Mg3Sb2-based thermoelectric materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Shaowei; Mao, Jun; Shuai, Jing; Zhu, Hangtian; Ren, Zhensong; Saparamadu, Udara; Tang, Zhongjia; Wang, Bo; Ren, Zhifeng

    2018-02-01

    The recent discovery of a high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in an n-type Mg3Sb2-based Zintl phase triggered an intense research effort to pursue even higher ZT. Based on our previous report on Mg3.1Nb0.1Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01, we report here that partial texturing in the (001) plane is achieved by double hot pressing, which is further confirmed by the rocking curves of the (002) plane. The textured samples of Mg3.1Nb0.1Sb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01 show a much better average performance in the (00l) plane. Hall mobility is significantly improved to ˜105 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature in the (00l) plane due to texturing, resulting in higher electrical conductivity, a higher power factor of ˜18 μW cm-1 K-2 at room temperature, and also higher average ZT. This work shows that texturing is good for higher thermoelectric performance, suggesting that single crystals of n-type Mg3Sb2-based Zintl compounds are worth pursuing.

  10. Effects of Bi-2212 addition on the levitation force properties of bulk MgB2 superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylan Koparan, E.; Savaskan, B.; Guner, S.B.; Celik, S.

    2016-01-01

    We present a detailed investigation of the effects of Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+κ (Bi-2212) adding on the levitation force and magnetic properties of bulk MgB 2 obtained by hot press method. The amount of Bi-2212 was varied between 0 and 10 wt% (0, 2, 4, 6, 10 wt%) of the total MgB 2 . Moreover, we present MgB 2 bulk samples fabricated by using different production methods including hot pressing method to our knowledge. All samples were prepared by using elemental magnesium (Mg) powder, amorphous nano-boron (B) powder and Bi-2212 powder which are produced by hot press method. As a result of hot press process, compact pellet samples were manufactured. The vertical and lateral levitation force measurements were executed at the temperatures of 20, 24 and 28 K under zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) regimes for samples with various adding levels. At 24 K and 28 K under ZFC regime, the 2 wt% Bi-2212 added sample exhibits a higher vertical levitation force than the pure sample. Bi-2212 added MgB 2 samples compared to the pure sample have lower attractive force values in FC regime. The magnetic field dependence of the critical current density J c was calculated from the M-H loops for Bi-2212 added MgB 2 samples. The 2 wt% Bi-2212 added sample has the best levitation and critical current density performance compared to other samples. The critical temperature (T c ) has slightly dropped from 37.8 K for the pure MgB 2 sample to 36.7 K for the 10 wt% of Bi-2212 added sample. The transition temperature slightly decreases when Bi-2212 adding level is increased. (orig.)

  11. AgBr/MgBi2O6 heterostructured composites with highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Liansheng; Hu, Chaohao; Zhuang, Jing; Zhong, Yan; Wang, Dianhui; Zhou, Huaiying

    2018-06-01

    AgBr/MgBi2O6 heterostructured photocatalysts were synthesized by the deposition-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence (PL), and UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) were employed to examine the phase structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared samples. The photocatalytic activity was investigated by decomposing methylene blue (MB) solution under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). AgBr/MgBi2O6 composites exhibited significantly enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties in comparison with pure MgBi2O6 and AgBr. When the molar ratio of AgBr to MgBi2O6 was 3:1, the composite catalyst showed the optimal photocatalytic activity and excellent stability. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of AgBr/MgBi2O6 composites was attributed to the formation of p-n heterojunction between AgBr and MgBi2O6, thereby resulting in the effective separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons-hole pairs.

  12. Synthesis, Structural and Antibacterial Studies of New Dithiocarbamate Complexes of Sb (III) And Bi (III)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nur Amirah Jamaluddin; Ibrahim Baba; Nazlina Ibrahim

    2014-01-01

    Six new dithiocarbamate complexes from three different amines, for example N-ethyl ethanol-, N-butylethyl- and N-benzylmethylamine were successfully prepared using in situ method. All complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis, 13 C and 1 H NMR. Elemental analysis data (C, H, N and S) showed an agreement with the general formula of MCl(S 2 CNR ' R '' ) 2 , (M = Sb (III), Bi (III); R ' = ethyl, butyl and benzyl; R '' = ethanol, ethyl and methyl). The complexes had been characterized by infrared spectroscopy that showed a thioureido bands, v(C-N) in the region of 1427 - 1490 cm -1 followed by v(C-S) bands that can be seen in the region of 935 - 1060 cm -1 and v(M-S) bands existed in the region of 350 - 392 cm -1 . Maximum wavelength absorption for ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy for N-C-S group was at 254 nm which indicates π → π * transition. Data from 13 C NMR showed a signal in the region of 198.39 - 199.44 ppm that corresponded to the NCS 2 group. The crystal structure of bis(N,N ' utylethyldithiocarbamato)chloride antimony (III), SbCl (S 2 CN(C 4 H 9 )(C 2 H 5 )) 2 demonstrated a five-coordination geometry, triclinic system, space group P1 with a = 10.0141(8) Armstrong, b = 10.1394(7) Am strong, c = 11.8665(9) Armstrong, α = 67.960(2) degree, β = 87.616(2) degree and γ = 80.172(2) degree. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests were done using five dithiocarbamate complexes which are Bi Cl[S 2 CN(C 2 H 5 )(C 2 H 4 OH)) 2 , SbCl[S 2 CN(C 2 H 5 )(C 2 H 4 OH)) 2 , Bi Cl(S 2 CN(C 4 H 9 )(C 2 H 5 )) 2 , SbCl(S 2 CN(C 4 H 9 )(C 2 H 5 )) 2 , Bi Cl(S 2 CN(C 7 H 7 )(CH 3 )) 2 towards S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. aerogenes and E. coli. It was found that all four complexes were active against S. aureus except SbCl(S 2 CN(C 2 H 5 )(C 2 H 4 OH)) 2 while Bi Cl(S 2 CN(C 7 H 7 )(CH 3 )) 2 and Bi Cl(S 2 CN(CH 3 )(C 6 H 11 )) 2 complexes were active against S. epidermidis with MIC value of 5.0 mg/ m

  13. Microstructure and mechanical properties of an extruded Mg-8Bi-1Al-1Zn (wt%) alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meng, Shuaiju [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Yu, Hui, E-mail: yuhuidavid@gmail.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Materials Commercialization Center, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of); Zhang, Huixing [Mechanical and Material School, Tianjin Sino-German University of Applied Sciences, Tianjin 300350 (China); Cui, Hongwei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shangdong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Park, Sung Hyuk [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702701 (Korea, Republic of); Zhao, Weiming [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); You, Bong Sun [Materials Commercialization Center, Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-06

    In this study, the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a newly developed rare earth free Mg-8Bi-1Al-1Zn (BAZ811, in wt%) alloy were investigated and compared with those of a commercial AZ31 alloy. The as-extruded BAZ811 alloy with much finer grain size shows more homogeneous dynamical recrystallized (DRXed) microstructure and weaker basal texture than those of AZ31 alloy. In addition, compared with bimodal structure AZ31 alloy containing only relatively coarse and sparse Al{sub 8}Mn{sub 5} phases, the coexistence of strip-like fragmented Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2} precipitate and nano-size Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2} particles in the microstructure was observed in BAZ811 alloy. Moreover, the BAZ811 alloy exhibits a tensile yield stress of 291 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 331 MPa, an elongation to failure of 14.6% as well as a reduction in yield asymmetry, which is mainly attributed to the combined effects of grain refinement and micro-scale broken Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2} particles together with nano-scale spherical Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2} precipitates. The strain hardening behavior of both BAZ811 and AZ31 alloys were also discussed in terms of microstructure variation.

  14. The Quantum Chemistry Calculation and Thermoelectrics of Bi-Sb-Te Series

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2002-01-01

    The density function theory and discrete variation method(DFT-DVM) was used to study correlation between composition, structure, chemical bond,and property of thermoelectrics of Bi-Sb-Te series.8 models of Bi20-xSbxTe32(x=0,2,6,8,12,14,18 and 20) were calculated.The results show that there is less difference in the ionic bonds between Te(Ⅰ)-Bi(Sb) and Te(Ⅱ)-Bi(Sb), but the covalent bond of Te(Ⅰ)-Bi(Sb) is stronger than that of Te(Ⅱ)-Bi(Sb).The interaction between Te(Ⅰ) and Te(Ⅰ) in different layers is the weakest and the interaction should be Van Der Waals power.The charge of Sb is lower than that of Bi,and the ionic bond of Te-Sb is weaker than that of Te-Bi.The covalent bond of Te-Sb is also weaker than that of Te-Bi.Therefore,the thermoelectric property may be improved by adjusting the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity through changing the composition in the compounds of Bi-Sb-Te. The calculated results are consistent with the experiments.

  15. Local structure and thermoelectric properties of Mg{sub 2}Si{sub 0.977−x}Ge{sub x}Bi{sub 0.023} (0.1 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.4)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farahi, Nader [Department of Chemistry and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada); Prabhudev, Sagar; Botton, Gianluigi A. [Materials Science and Engineering Department, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8 (Canada); Zhao, Jianbao; Tse, John S. [Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2 (Canada); Liu, Zhenxian [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015 (United States); Salvador, James R. [General Motors Research & Development Center, Warren, MI 48090 (United States); Kleinke, Holger, E-mail: kleinke@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Chemistry and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada)

    2015-09-25

    Highlights: • Incorporating Ge into Bi-doped Mg{sub 2}Si decreases the thermal conductivity and enhances the thermoelectric performance. • Ge-rich domains, identified via TEM, contribute to these changes. • Interstitial sites are in part filled with Mg atoms, as revealed via TEM. • Doping with Bi is advantageous over doping with Sb, resulting in an increase of 48% of the thermoelectric figure of merit. • The highest figure-of-merit of these materials is zT{sub max} = 0.7 at 773 K, realized for Mg{sub 2}Si{sub 0.677}Ge{sub 0.3}Bi{sub 0.023}. - Abstract: We investigated the effect of germanium substitution for silicon in bismuth doped Mg{sub 2}Si. This alloying reduces the thermal conductivity from above 7 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} to 2.7 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} at around 300 K in part due to the added mass contrast. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed the presence of Ge-rich domains within the Mg{sub 2}(Si,Ge,Bi) particles, contributing to decreasing thermal conductivity with increasing Ge content up to 0.3 Ge per formula unit. The electrical conductivity also decreases with Ge alloying because of the increasing amount of scattering centers, while the Seebeck coefficient increased only very slightly. In total, the positive effect of Ge substitution on the thermoelectric properties of Bi doped Mg{sub 2}Si resulted in a figure of merit of 0.7 at 773 K for Mg{sub 2}Si{sub 0.677}Ge{sub 0.3}Bi{sub 0.023} sample. The optimum amount of Bi seems to be 0.023 per formula unit (0.77 at%), since lower Bi content resulted in electrical conductivity that is too low, and higher Bi content generated the Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2} intermetallic phase.

  16. Magnetic properties and critical current density of bulk MgB2 polycrystalline with Bi-2212 addition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, T M; Li, G; Zhu, X T; Cheng, C H; Zhao, Y

    2005-01-01

    Bulk samples of MgB 2 were prepared with 0, 3, 5, and 10 wt% Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 (Bi-2212) particles, added using a simple solid-state reaction route in order to investigate the effect of inclusions of a material with higher T c than the superconducting matrix. The density, diamagnetic signal, and critical current density, J c , of the samples change significantly with the doping level. It is found that J c is significantly enhanced by the Bi-2212 addition. Microstructural analysis indicates that a small amount of Bi-2212 is decomposed into Cu 2 O and other impurity phases while a significant amount of unreacted Bi-2212 particles remains in MgB 2 matrix, and these act as effective pinning centres for vortices. The enhanced pinning force is mainly attributable to these highly dispersed inclusions inserted in the MgB 2 grains. Despite the effectiveness of the high-T c inclusions in increasing superconducting critical currents in our experiment, our results seem to demonstrate the superiority of attractive centres over repulsive ones. A pinning mechanism is proposed to account for the contribution of this type of pinning centre in MgB 2 superconductors. (rapid communication)

  17. Enhancement of thermoelectric properties of Mg2Si compounds with Bi doping through carrier concentration tuning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji Eun; Cho, Sang-Hum; Oh, Min-Wook; Ryu, Byungi; Joo, Sung-Jae; Kim, Bong-Seo; Min, Bok-Ki; Lee, Hee-Woong; Park, Su-Dong

    2014-07-01

    The Bi-doped Mg2Si powder was fabricated with solid state reaction method and consolidated with hot pressing method and then its thermoelectric properties were investigated. The n-type transport properties were measured in all samples and temperature dependence of the electrical properties shows a behavior of degenerate semiconductors for Bi-doped samples. The electrical resistivity and the Seebeck coefficient were greatly reduced with Bi, which was mainly due to the increment of the carrier concentration. The samples have maximum carrier concentration of 8.2 × 1018 cm-3. The largest ZT value of 0.61 was achieve at 873 K for Mg2.04SiBi0.02. The Bi-doping was found to be an effective n-type dopant to adjust carrier concentration. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  18. Lead activity in Pb-Sb-Bi alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Kholkina

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The present work is devoted to the study of lead thermodynamic activity in the Pb-Sb-Bi alloys. The method for EMF measurements of the concentration cell: (–Pb|KCl-PbCl2¦¦KCl-PbCl2|Pb-(Sb-Bi(+ was used. The obtained concentration dependences of the galvanic cell EMF are described by linear equations. The lead activity in the ternary liquid-metal alloy demonstrates insignificant negative deviations from the behavior of ideal solutions.

  19. Effect of Bi modification treatment on microstructure, tensile properties, and fracture behavior of cast Al-Mg2Si metal matrix composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu Xiaofeng

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Bi has a good modification effect on the hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy, and the morphology of eutectic Si changes from coarse acicular to fine fibrous. Based on the similarity between Mg2Si and Si phases in crystalline structure and crystallization process, the present study investigated the effects of different concentrations of Bi on the microstructure, tensile properties, and fracture behavior of cast Al-15wt.%Mg2Si in-situ metal matrix composite. The results show that the addition of the proper amount of Bi has a significant modification effect on both primary and eutectic Mg2Si in the Al-15wt.%Mg2Si composite. With an increase in Bi content from 0 to 1wt.%, the morphology of the primary Mg2Si is changed from irregular or dendritic to polyhedral shape; and its average particle size is significantly decreased from 70 to 6 μm. Moreover, the morphology of the eutectic Mg2Si phase is altered from flake-like to very short fibrous or dot-like. When the Bi addition exceeds 4.0wt.%, the primary Mg2Si becomes coarse again. However, the eutectic Mg2Si still exhibits the modified morphology. Tensile tests reveal that the Bi addition can improve the tensile strength and ductility of the material. Compared with those of the unmodified composite, the ultimate tensile strength and percentage elongation after fracture with 1.0wt.% Bi increase 51.2% and 100%, respectively. At the same time, the Bi addition changes the fracture behavior from brittle to ductile.

  20. RRR and thermal conductivity of Ag and Ag0.2wt%Mg alloy in Ag/Bi-2212 wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Pei [Fermilab; Ye, L. [North Carolina State U.; Jiang. J., Jiang. J. [Natl. High Mag. Field Lab.; Shen, T. [Fermilab

    2015-08-19

    The residual resistivity ratio (RRR) and thermal conductivity of metal matrix in metal/superconductor composite wires are important parameters for designing superconducting magnets. However, the resistivity of silver in reacted Ag/Bi-2212 wires has yet to be determined over temperature range from 4.2 K to 80 K because Bi-2212 filaments have a critical transition temperature Tc of ~ 80 K, and because it is unknown whether the RRR of Ag/Bi-2212 degrades with Cu diffusing from Bi-2212 filaments into silver sheathes at elevated temperatures and to what degree it varies with heat treatment. We measured the resistivity of stand-alone Ag and AgMg (Ag-0.2wt%Mg) wires as well as the resistivity of Ag and Ag- 0.2wt%Mg in the state-of-the-art Ag/Bi-2212 round wires reacted in 1 bar oxygen at 890 °C for 1, 8, 24 and 48 hours and quickly cooled to room temperature. The heat treatment was designed to reduce the critical current Ic of Bi-2212 wires to nearly zero while allowing Cu loss to fully manifest itself. We determined that pure silver exhibits a RRR of ~ 220 while the oxide-dispersion strengthened AgMg exhibits a RRR of ~ 5 in stand-alone samples. A surprising result is that the RRR of silver in the composite round wires doesn’t degrade with extended time at 890 °C for up to 48 hours. This surprising result may be explained by our observation that the Cu that diffuses into the silver tends to form Cu2O precipitates in oxidizing atmosphere, instead of forming Ag-Cu solution alloy. We also measured the thermal conductivity and the magneto-resistivity of pure Ag and Ag-0.2 wt%Mg from 4.2 K to 300 K in magnetic fields up to 14.8 T and summarized them using a Kohler plot.

  1. Magnetic structure of the YbMn2SbBi compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morozkin, A.V.; Manfrinetti, P.

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research highlights: → A neutron diffraction investigation in zero applied field of La 2 O 2 S-type YbMn 2 SbBi shows antiferromagnetic ordering below 138(3) K and ferrimagnetic ordering below 112(3) K. → Between 138 and 112 K, the magnetic structure of YbMn 2 SbBi consists of antiferromagnetically coupled ab-plane magnetic moments of the manganese atoms (D 1d magnetic point group). → Below 112(3) K, the magnetic structure of YbMn 2 SbBi becames the sum antiferromagnetic component with D 1d magnetic point group and ferromagnetic one with C 2 magnetic point group. → The magnitude of Yb and Mn magnetic moments in YbMn 2 SbBi at 2 K (M Yb = 3.6(2) μ B , M Mn = 3.5(2) μ B ) correspond to the trivalent state of the Yb ions and tetravalent state of the Mn ions. - Abstract: A neutron diffraction investigation has been carried out on the trigonal La 2 O 2 S-type (hP5, space group P3-bar ml, No. 164; also CaAl 2 Si 2 -type) YbMn 2 SbBi intermetallic compound. The YbMn 2 SbBi presents antiferromagnetic ordering below 138(3) K and ferrimagnetic ordering below 112(3) K. Between 138 and 112 K, the magnetic structure of YbMn 2 SbBi consists of antiferromagnetically coupled ab-plane magnetic moments of the manganese atoms (D 1d magnetic point group). Below 112(3) K, the ferromagnetic components of Yb and Mn begin to develop, and the magnetic structure of YbMn 2 SbBi becames the sum antiferromagnetic component with D 1d magnetic point group and ferromagnetic one with C 2 magnetic point group. The magnitude of Yb and Mn magnetic moments in YbMn 2 SbBi at 2 K (M Yb = 3.6(2) μ B , M Mn = 3.5(2) μ B ) correspond to the trivalent state of the Yb ions and tetravalent state of the Mn ions.

  2. Production of BiPbSrCaCuO thin films on MgO and Ag/MgO substrates by electron beam deposition techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Varilci, A; Gorur, O; Celebi, S; Karaca, I

    2002-01-01

    Superconducting BiPbSrCaCuO thin films were prepared on MgO(001) and Ag/MgO substrates using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation technique. The effects of annealing temperature and Ag diffusion on the crystalline structure and some superconducting properties, respectively, were investigated by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and by measurements of the critical temperature and the critical current density. It was shown that an annealing of both types of films at 845 or 860 C resulted in the formation of mixed Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases with a high degree of preferential orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrates. The slight increase of the critical temperature from 103 K to 105 K, the enhancement of the critical current density from 2 x 10 sup 3 to 6 x 10 sup 4 A/cm sup 2 , and the improved surface smoothness are due to a possible silver doping from the substrate. (Abstract Copyright [2002], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  3. Thermoelectric properties of quaternary (Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3 compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Pengfei; Li, Yiluan; Wu, Chengjie; Yu, Zhongyuan; Cao, Huawei; Zhang, Xianlong; Cai, Ningning; Zhong, Xuxia; Wang, Shumin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Sb and Se spin–orbit coupling play a key role in the band structure. • Substituted Bi/Sb and Te/Se have a limited impact on the transport coefficients. • n-Type doping will be preferred for quaternary (Bi,Sb) 2 (Te,Se) 3 compound. -- Abstract: The quaternary (Bi,Sb) 2 (Te,Se) 3 compounds are investigated using first-principles study and Boltzmann transport theory. The energy band structure and density of states are studied in detail. The electronic transport coefficients are then calculated as a function of chemical potential. The figure of merit ZT is obtained assuming a constant relaxation time and an averaged thermal conductivity. Our theoretical result agrees well with previous experimental data

  4. Thermoelectric power of Bi and Bi{sub 1{minus}x}Sb{sub x} alloy thin films and superlattices grown by MBE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, S; DiVenere, A; Wong, G K; Ketterson, J B; Meyer, J R; Hoffman, C A

    1997-07-01

    The authors have measured the thermoelectric power (TEP) of MBE-grown epitaxial Bi and Bi{sub 1{minus}x} alloy thin films and superlattices as a function of temperature in the range 20--300 K. They have observed that the TEP of a Bi thin film of 1 {micro}m thickness is in good agreement with the bulk single crystal value and that the TEPs for superlattices with 400 {angstrom} and 800 {angstrom} Bi well thicknesses are enhanced over the bulk values. For x = 0.072 and 0.088 in Bi{sub 1{minus}x}Sb{sub x} thin films showing semiconducting behavior, TEP enhancement was observed by a factor of two. However as Bi or Bi{sub 1{minus}x}Sb{sub x} well thickness decreases in superlattice geometry, the TEP decreases, which may be due to unintentional p-type doping.

  5. Evidence for surface-generated photocurrent in (Bi,Sb)2Se3and(Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Yu; Richardella, Anthony; Yao, Bing; Lee, Joon Sue; Flanagan, Thomas; Kandala, Abhinav; Samarth, Nitin; Yeats, Andrew; Mintun, Peter; Awschalom, David

    2015-03-01

    Illumination with circularly polarized light is known produce a helicity-dependent photocurrent in topological insulators such as Bi2Se3 [e.g. Nature Nanotech. 7, 96 (2012)]. However, the exact origin of this effect is still unclear since it is observed with photons well above the bulk band gap. We report measurements of the polarization-dependent photocurrent in a series of (Bi,Sb)2Se3 thin films with different carrier concentrations and find that the photocurrent is enhanced as we increase the population of the surface states. This finding is supported by a study of helicity-dependent photocurrents in back-gated (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films, where the chemical potential is varied electrostatically. By illuminating our samples at different wavelengths, we show that the helicity-dependent photocurrent is enhanced when the photon energy approaches the energy difference between the lowest and first excited (unoccupied) topological surface states. This leads us to attribute the helicity-dependent photocurrent in topological insulators to optical excitations between these two spin-textured surface states. We will also discuss experiments imaging the spatial variation of these helicity-dependent photocurrents. This work is supported by ONR.

  6. New Insight on Tuning Electrical Transport Properties via Chalcogen Doping in n-type Mg3Sb2-Based Thermoelectric Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Jiawei; Song, Lirong; Borup, Kasper

    2018-01-01

    n-type Mg3Sb1.5Bi0.5 has recently been discovered to be a promising thermoelectric material, yet the effective n-type dopants are mainly limited to the chalcogens. This may be attributed to the limited chemical insight into the effects from different n-type dopants. By comparing the effects of di...

  7. Influence of Bi, Se and Te additions on the formation temperature of MgB2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grivel, Jean-Claude; Andersen, Niels Hessel; Pallewatta, P. G. Asanka Pramod

    2012-01-01

    The formation of the MgB2 superconducting compound from a mixture of Mg and amorphous B powders with various low melting point metals (Bi, Se and Te) was studied in situ by means of high-energy (synchrotron) x-ray diffraction in wires with a composite Cu/Nb sheath. In comparison with an undoped s...

  8. Constructing anisotropic single-Dirac-cones in Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Shuang; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

    2012-04-11

    The electronic band structures of Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin films can be varied as a function of temperature, pressure, stoichiometry, film thickness, and growth orientation. We here show how different anisotropic single-Dirac-cones can be constructed in a Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin film for different applications or research purposes. For predicting anisotropic single-Dirac-cones, we have developed an iterative-two-dimensional-two-band model to get a consistent inverse-effective-mass-tensor and band gap, which can be used in a general two-dimensional system that has a nonparabolic dispersion relation as in the Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin film system. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  9. Topological insulators in Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 with a single Dirac cone on the surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haijun; Liu, Chao-Xing; Qi, Xiao-Liang; Dai, Xi; Fang, Zhong; Zhang, Shou-Cheng

    2009-06-01

    Topological insulators are new states of quantum matter in which surface states residing in the bulk insulating gap of such systems are protected by time-reversal symmetry. The study of such states was originally inspired by the robustness to scattering of conducting edge states in quantum Hall systems. Recently, such analogies have resulted in the discovery of topologically protected states in two-dimensional and three-dimensional band insulators with large spin-orbit coupling. So far, the only known three-dimensional topological insulator is BixSb1-x, which is an alloy with complex surface states. Here, we present the results of first-principles electronic structure calculations of the layered, stoichiometric crystals Sb2Te3, Sb2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3. Our calculations predict that Sb2Te3, Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 are topological insulators, whereas Sb2Se3 is not. These topological insulators have robust and simple surface states consisting of a single Dirac cone at the Γ point. In addition, we predict that Bi2Se3 has a topologically non-trivial energy gap of 0.3eV, which is larger than the energy scale of room temperature. We further present a simple and unified continuum model that captures the salient topological features of this class of materials.

  10. Solid state compatibility in the ZnO-rich region of ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 and ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O5 systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jardiel, T.

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available The obtaining of ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 (ZBS based varistor thick films with high non-linear properties is constrained by the bismuth loss by vaporization that takes place during the sintering step of these ceramics, a process which is yet more critical in the thick film geometry due to its inherent high are/volume ratio. This volatilization can be controlled to a certain extent by modifying the proportions of the Bi and/or Sb precursors. Obviously this requires a clear knowledge of the different solid state compatibilities in the mentioned ZBS system. In this sense a detailed study of the thermal evolution of the ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 and ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O5 systems in the ZnO-rich region of interest for varistors, is presented in this contribution. A different behaviour is observed when using Sb2O3 or Sb2O5 as starting precursor, which should be attributed to the oxidation process experimented by Sb2O3 compound during the heating. On the other hand the use of high amounts of Bi in the starting formulation leads to the formation of a liquid phase at lower temperatures, which would allow the use of lower sintering temperatures.La obtención de varistors en lámina gruesa basados en ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 (ZBS y con propiedades altamente no-lineales está limitada por la perdida de bismuto por volatilización durante la sinterización de estos cerámicos, un proceso que es todavía más crítico en la geometría de lámina gruesa debido a su elevada relación área/volumen inherente. Dicha volatilización puede ser no obstante controlada hasta cierta extensión modificando las proporciones de los precursores de Bi y/o Sb. Obviamente ello conlleva un amplio conocimiento de las diferentes compatibilidades en estado sólido en el mencionado sistema ZBS. En este sentido, en la presente contribución se presenta un estudio detallado de la evolución térmica de los sistemas ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 y ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O5 en la región rica en ZnO de interés para varistores. Como

  11. KF-loaded mesoporous Mg-Fe bi-metal oxides: high performance transesterification catalysts for biodiesel production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Guiju; Hua, Zile; Gao, Zhe; Zhu, Yan; Zhu, Yan; Chen, Yu; Shu, Zhu; Zhang, Lingxia; Shi, Jianlin

    2013-09-21

    Using newly developed mesoporous Mg-Fe bi-metal oxides as supports, a novel kind of high performance transesterification catalysts for biodiesel production has been synthesized. More importantly, the impregnation solvent was for the first time found to substantially affect the structures and catalytic performances of the resultant transesterification catalysts.

  12. Study of Sb/SnO{sub 2} bi-layer films prepared by ion beam sputtering deposition technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Chun-Min [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Huang, Chun-Chieh [Department of Electrical Engineering, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengcing Road, Niaosong Township, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan, ROC (China); Kuo, Jui-Chao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Huang, Jow-Lay, E-mail: jlh888@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China); Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan, ROC (China); Research Center for Energy Technology and Strategy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC (China)

    2014-11-03

    In the present work, bi-layer thin films of Sb/SnO{sub 2} were produced on unheated glass substrates using ion beam sputtering (IBS) technique without post annealing treatment. The thickness of Sb layers was varied from 2 to 10 nm and the Sb layers were deposited on SnO{sub 2} layers having thicknesses of 40 nm to 115 nm. The effect of thickness was studied on the morphological, electrical and optical properties. The Sb/SnO{sub 2} bi-layer resulted in lowering the electrical resistivity as well as reducing the optical transmittance. However, the optical and electrical properties of the bi-layer films were mainly influenced by the thickness of Sb layers due to progressive transfer in structures from aggregate to continuous films. The bi-layer films show the electrical resistivity of 1.4 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm and an optical transmittance of 26% for Sb film having 10 nm thickness. - Highlights: • Bi-layer Sb/SnO{sub 2} structures were synthesized by ion beam sputtering (IBS) technique. • The 6 nm-thick Sb film is a transition region in this study. • The conductivity of the bi-layer films is increased as Sb thickness increases. • The transmittance of the bi-layer films is decreased as Sb thickness increases.

  13. Photovoltaic applications of Cu(Sb,Bi)SM (M = Ag, Pb, Pt)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tablero, C.

    2017-04-01

    Ternary Cu-(Sb,Bi)-S compounds are great absorbents of the solar radiation with a variety of applications including optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. The analyses of several quaternary semiconductors derived from Cu-(Sb,Bi)-S materials is carried out using first-principles density-functional theory with orbital-dependent one-electron potentials. These analyses focus on the optoelectronic properties and the potential for solar cells. The optical properties are obtained from first-principles calculations, and split into inter- and intra-shell-species contributions in order to quantify the optical transitions responsible for the absorption. The absorption coefficients are then used as criteria to evaluate the efficiencies of these materials under several sunlight concentrations. The results indicate high energy photovoltaic conversion efficiency because of the large intra shell s-p absorption of the S and Sb or Bi atomic species.

  14. Thermoelectric properties of quaternary (Bi,Sb){sub 2}(Te,Se){sub 3} compound

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Pengfei, E-mail: photon.bupt@gmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 72, Beijing 100876 (China); Li, Yiluan; Wu, Chengjie; Yu, Zhongyuan; Cao, Huawei; Zhang, Xianlong; Cai, Ningning; Zhong, Xuxia [State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, P.O. Box 72, Beijing 100876 (China); Wang, Shumin [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Photonics Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Gothenburg (Sweden)

    2014-01-25

    Highlights: • Sb and Se spin–orbit coupling play a key role in the band structure. • Substituted Bi/Sb and Te/Se have a limited impact on the transport coefficients. • n-Type doping will be preferred for quaternary (Bi,Sb){sub 2}(Te,Se){sub 3} compound. -- Abstract: The quaternary (Bi,Sb){sub 2}(Te,Se){sub 3} compounds are investigated using first-principles study and Boltzmann transport theory. The energy band structure and density of states are studied in detail. The electronic transport coefficients are then calculated as a function of chemical potential. The figure of merit ZT is obtained assuming a constant relaxation time and an averaged thermal conductivity. Our theoretical result agrees well with previous experimental data.

  15. Roles of Cu in the Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te₃.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Feng; Qiu, Pengfei; Song, Qingfeng; Chen, Hongyi; Lu, Ping; Ren, Dudi; Shi, Xun; Chen, Lidong

    2017-03-01

    Recently, Cu-containing p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te₃ materials have shown high thermoelectric performances and promising prospects for practical application in low-grade waste heat recovery. However, the position of Cu in Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te₃ is controversial, and the roles of Cu in the enhancement of thermoelectric performance are still not clear. In this study, via defects analysis and stability test, the possibility of Cu intercalation in p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te₃ materials has been excluded, and the position of Cu is identified as doping at the Sb sites. Additionally, the effects of Cu dopants on the electrical and thermal transport properties have been systematically investigated. Besides introducing additional holes, Cu dopants can also significantly enhance the carrier mobility by decreasing the Debye screen length and weakening the interaction between carriers and phonons. Meanwhile, the Cu dopants interrupt the periodicity of lattice vibration and bring stronger anharmonicity, leading to extremely low lattice thermal conductivity. Combining the suppression on the intrinsic excitation, a high thermoelectric performance-with a maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of around 1.4 at 430 K-has been achieved in Cu 0.005 Bi 0.5 Sb 1.495 Te₃, which is 70% higher than the Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te₃ matrix.

  16. Equilibrium state of delta-phase with tellurium in the Sb-Bi-Te system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gajgukova, V.S.; Dudkin, L.D.; Erofeev, R.S.; Musaelyan, V.V.; Nadzhip, A.Eh.; Sokolov, O.B.

    1978-01-01

    A research has been carried out with a view to establish the equilibrium state of delta-phase of the composition (Sbsub(1-x)Bisub(x)) 2 Te 3 with tellurium, depending on x and temperature. The Hall effect, the thermoelectromotive force, and the electric conductivity of the samples of Sb-Bi-Te alloys have been measured, the samples being annealed at various temperatures (550 to 250 deg C). The measurement results have shown that as the Bi 2 Te 3 content in the solid solutions increases and temperature decreases, the delta-phase-Te boundary monotonously approaches the stoichiometric composition. Using the research carrid out as the basis, the general character of the equilibrium delta-phase with tellurium boundary has been rendered more precise in Sb-Bi-Te system, depending on the temperature and Bi content (up to 25 at.%)

  17. Signatures of charge inhomogeneities in the infrared spectra of topological insulators Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dordevic, S V; Wolf, M S; Stojilovic, N; Lei Hechang; Petrovic, C

    2013-01-01

    We present the results of an infrared spectroscopy study of topological insulators Bi 2 Se 3 , Bi 2 Te 3 and Sb 2 Te 3 . Reflectance spectra of all three materials look similar, with a well defined plasma edge. However, there are some important differences. Most notably, as temperature decreases the plasma edge shifts to lower frequencies in Bi 2 Se 3 , whereas in Bi 2 Te 3 and Sb 2 Te 3 it shifts to higher frequencies. In the loss function spectra we identify asymmetric broadening of the plasmon, and assign it to the presence of charge inhomogeneities. It remains to be seen if charge inhomogeneities are characteristic of all topological insulators, and whether they are of intrinsic or extrinsic nature.

  18. The effect of Bi2 O3 on the electrical properties of Zr O2: 3 wt% Mg O ceramic solid electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cosentino, I.C.

    1991-01-01

    Zr O 2 : 3 wt% Mg O ceramic solid electrolytes have been prepared to study the effect of Bi 2 O 3 addition on densification and electrical conductivity. Microstructural characterization have been done by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe analyses. Electrical conductivity measurements have been done by two probe dc technique in the 400 0 C - 700 0 C temperature range. The results show that 5 wt% Bi 2 O 3 addition improves densification: 93% TD and 98% TD specimens are obtained from zirconia stabilized by powder mixture and by coprecipitation of oxides, respectively. Moreover, electrical conductivity values are found to be two orders of magnitude higher for Zr O 2 : 3 wt% Mg O with 5% Bi 2 O 3 . (author)

  19. In-plane heterostructures of Sb/Bi with high carrier mobility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Pei; Wei, Wei; Sun, Qilong; Yu, Lin; Huang, Baibiao; Dai, Ying

    2017-06-01

    In-plane two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures have been attracting public attention due to their distinctive properties. However, the pristine materials that can form in-plane heterostructures are reported only for graphene, hexagonal BN, transition-metal dichalcogenides. It will be of great significance to explore more suitable 2D materials for constructing such ingenious heterostructures. Here, we demonstrate two types of novel seamless in-plane heterostructures combined by pristine Sb and Bi monolayers by means of first-principle approach based on density functional theory. Our results indicate that external strain can serve as an effective strategy for bandgap engineering, and the transition from semiconductor to metal occurs when a compressive strain of -8% is applied. In addition, the designed heterostructures possess direct band gaps with high carrier mobility (˜4000 cm2 V-1 s-1). And the mobility of electrons and holes have huge disparity along the direction perpendicular to the interface of Sb/Bi in-plane heterostructures. It is favorable for carriers to separate spatially. Finally, we find that the band edge positions of Sb/Bi in-plane heterostructures can meet the reduction potential of hydrogen generation in photocatalysis. Our results not only offer alternative materials to construct versatile in-plane heterostructures, but also highlight the applications of 2D in-plane heterostructures in diverse nanodevices and photocatalysis.

  20. From thermoelectric bulk to nanomaterials: Current progress for Bi2Te3 and CoSb3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peranio, N.; Eibl, O.; Baessler, S.; Nielsch, K.; Klobes, B.; Hermann, R.P.; Daniel, M.; Albrecht, M.; Goerlitz, H.; Pacheco, V.; Bedoya-Martinez, N.; Hashibon, A.; Elsaesser, C.

    2016-01-01

    Bi 2 Te 3 and CoSb 3 based nanomaterials were synthesized and their thermoelectric, structural, and vibrational properties analyzed to assess and reduce ZT-limiting mechanisms. The same preparation and/or characterization methods were applied in the different materials systems. Single-crystalline, ternary p-type Bi 15 Sb 29 Te 56 , and n-type Bi 38 Te 55 Se 7 nanowires with power factors comparable to nanostructured bulk materials were prepared by potential-pulsed electrochemical deposition in a nanostructured Al 2 O 3 matrix. p-type Sb 2 Te 3 , n-type Bi 2 Te 3 , and n-type CoSb 3 thin films were grown at room temperature using molecular beam epitaxy and were subsequently annealed at elevated temperatures. This yielded polycrystalline, single phase thin films with optimized charge carrier densities. In CoSb 3 thin films the speed of sound could be reduced by filling the cage structure with Yb and alloying with Fe yielded p-type material. Bi 2 (Te 0.91 Se 0.09 ) 3 /SiC and (Bi 0.26 Sb 0.74 ) 2 Te 3 /SiC nanocomposites with low thermal conductivities and ZT values larger than 1 were prepared by spark plasma sintering. Nanostructure, texture, chemical composition, as well as electronic and phononic excitations were investigated by X-ray diffraction, nuclear resonance scattering, inelastic neutron scattering, Moessbauer spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. For Bi 2 Te 3 materials, ab-initio calculations together with equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations for point defects yielded their formation energies and their effect on lattice thermal conductivity, respectively. Current advances in thermoelectric Bi 2 Te 3 and CoSb 3 based nanomaterials are summarized. Advanced synthesis and characterization methods and theoretical modeling were combined to assess and reduce ZT-limiting mechanisms in these materials. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  1. Roles of Cu in the Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Hao

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, Cu-containing p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 materials have shown high thermoelectric performances and promising prospects for practical application in low-grade waste heat recovery. However, the position of Cu in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 is controversial, and the roles of Cu in the enhancement of thermoelectric performance are still not clear. In this study, via defects analysis and stability test, the possibility of Cu intercalation in p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 materials has been excluded, and the position of Cu is identified as doping at the Sb sites. Additionally, the effects of Cu dopants on the electrical and thermal transport properties have been systematically investigated. Besides introducing additional holes, Cu dopants can also significantly enhance the carrier mobility by decreasing the Debye screen length and weakening the interaction between carriers and phonons. Meanwhile, the Cu dopants interrupt the periodicity of lattice vibration and bring stronger anharmonicity, leading to extremely low lattice thermal conductivity. Combining the suppression on the intrinsic excitation, a high thermoelectric performance—with a maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of around 1.4 at 430 K—has been achieved in Cu0.005Bi0.5Sb1.495Te3, which is 70% higher than the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 matrix.

  2. Fe-Doping Effect on Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type Bi0.48Sb1.52Te3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyeona Mun

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The substitutional doping approach has been shown to be an effective strategy to improve ZT of Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric raw materials. We herein report the Fe-doping effects on electronic and thermal transport properties of polycrystalline bulks of p-type Bi0.48Sb1.52Te3. After a small amount of Fe-doping on Bi/Sb-sites, the power factor could be enhanced due to the optimization of carrier concentration. Additionally, lattice thermal conductivity was reduced by the intensified point-defect phonon scattering originating from the mass difference between the host atoms (Bi/Sb and dopants (Fe. An enhanced ZT of 1.09 at 300 K was obtained in 1.0 at% Fe-doped Bi0.48Sb1.52Te3 by these synergetic effects.

  3. High thermoelectric properties of (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire arrays by tilt-structure engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Ming; Hao, Yanming; Deng, Yuan; Chen, Jingyi

    2018-06-01

    In this paper, we present an innovative tilt-structure design concept for (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire array assembled by high-quality nanowires with well oriented growth, utilizing a simple vacuum thermal evaporation technique. The unusual tilt-structure (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire array with a tilted angle of 45° exhibits a high thermoelectric dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT = 1.72 at room temperature. The relatively high ZT value in contrast to that of previously reported (Sb, Bi)2Te3 materials and the vertical (Sb, Bi)2Te3 nanowire arrays evidently reveals the crucial role of the unique tilt-structure in favorably influencing carrier and phonon transport properties, resulting in a significantly improved ZT value. The transport mechanism of such tilt-structure is proposed and investigated. This method opens a new approach to optimize nano-structure in thin films for next-generation thermoelectric materials and devices.

  4. Development of Bi-Sb-Te ternary alloy with compositionally graded structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamoto, A; Ohta, T

    1997-07-01

    Compositionally graded p-type Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric material was synthesized by PIES (Pulverized and Intermixed Elements Sintering) method. The materials consisted of three segmented regions of different alloy composition, i.e., y = 0.8/0.825/0.9 in (Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}){sub 1{minus}y} (Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}){sub y} system. It was found that the electrical power output of the compositionally graded material was larger than that of the best single composition material when the temperature difference was the designed value.

  5. Manufacture of Bi-cuprate thin films on MgO single crystal substrates by chemical solution deposition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grivel, Jean-Claude; Bertelsen, Christian Vinther; Andersen, Niels Hessel

    2014-01-01

    Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films have been deposited on MgO single crystal substrates by spin-coating a solution based on 2-ethylhexanoate precursors dissolved in xylene. Pyrolysis takes place between 200°C and 450°C and is accompanied by the release of 2-ethylhexanoic acid, CO2 and H2O vapour. Highly c...

  6. Growth and characterization of MnGa thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy on BiSb topological insulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duy Khang, Nguyen Huynh; Ueda, Yugo; Yao, Kenichiro; Hai, Pham Nam

    2017-10-01

    We report on the crystal growth as well as the structural and magnetic properties of Bi0.8Sb0.2 topological insulator (TI)/MnxGa1-x bi-layers grown on GaAs(111)A substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. By optimizing the growth conditions and Mn composition, we were able to grow MnxGa1-x thin films on Bi0.8Sb0.2 with the crystallographic orientation of Bi0.8Sb0.2(001)[1 1 ¯ 0]//MnGa (001)[100]. Using magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy, we detected both the L10 phase ( x 0.6 ) of MnxGa1-x. For 0.50 ≤ x ≤ 0.55 , we obtained ferromagnetic L10-MnGa thin films with clear perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, which were confirmed by MCD hysteresis, anomalous Hall effect as well as superconducting quantum interference device measurements. Our results show that the BiSb/MnxGa1-x bi-layer system is promising for perpendicular magnetization switching using the giant spin Hall effect in TIs.

  7. A review of Pb-Sb(As-S, Cu(Ag-Fe(Zn-Sb(As-S, Ag(Pb-Bi(Sb-S and Pb-Bi-S(Te sulfosalt systems from the Boranja orefield, West Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radosavljević Slobodan A.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent mineralogical, chemical, physical, and crystallographic investigations of the Boranja orefield showed very complex mineral associations and assemblages where sulfosalts have significant role. The sulfosalts of the Boranja orefield can be divided in four main groups: (i Pb-Sb(As-S system with ±Fe and ±Cu; (ii Cu(Ag-Fe(Zn-Sb(As-S system; (iii Ag(Pb-Bi(Sb-S; (iv and Pb-Bi-S(Te system. Spatially, these sulfosalts are widely spread, however, they are the most abundant in the following polymetallic deposits and ore zones: Cu(Bi-FeS Kram-Mlakva; Pb(Ag-Zn-FeS2 Veliki Majdan (Kolarica-Centralni revir-Kojići; Sb-Zn-Pb-As Rujevac; and Pb-Zn-FeS2-BaSO4 Bobija. The multi stage formation of minerals, from skarnhydrothermal to complex hydrothermal with various stages and sub-stages has been determined. All hydrothermal stages and sub-stages of various polymetallic deposits and ore zones within the Boranja orefield are followed by a variety of sulfosalts. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. OI-176016: Magmatism and geodynamics of the Balkan Peninsula from Mesozoic to present day: Significance for the formation of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits

  8. Overlayer growth and electronic properties of the Bi/GaSb(110) interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gavioli, Luca; Betti, Maria Grazia; Casarini, Paolo; Mariani, Carlo

    1995-06-01

    The overlayer growth and electronic properties of the Bi/GaSb(110) interface and of the two-dimensional ordered (1×1)- and (1×2)-Bi layers have been investigated by complementary spectroscopic techniques (high-resolution electron-energy-loss, photoemission, and Auger spectroscopy). Bismuth forms an epitaxial monolayer, followed by island formation (Stranski-Krastanov growth mode) covering an average surface area of 40% at a nominal coverage of 4 ML. The (1×2)-symmetry stable structural phase, obtained after annealing at ~220 °C, corresponds to an average nominal Bi coverage of about 0.7 ML, suggesting an atomic geometry different from the epitaxial-continued layer structure. The disposal of Bi atoms in the (1×2) structure should build up an ``open'' layer, as the Ga-related surface exciton quenched in the (1×1) epitaxial monolayer is present in the (1×2) stable phase. The two symmetry phases are characterized by strong absorption features at 1 eV [(1×1)-Bi] and 0.54 eV [(1×2)-Bi], related to interband electronic transitions between Bi-induced electronic states. The major Bi-related occupied electronic levels, present in the valence band of the (1×1)- and (1×2)-Bi layer, have been detected by angle-integrated ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. Both the (1×1) and (1×2) phases show a metallic nature, with a low density of electronic states at the Fermi level. Schottky barrier heights of 0.20 and 0.14 eV are estimated for the epitaxial (1×1)- and (1×2)-symmetry stage, respectively, by analyzing the space-charge layer conditions through the study of the dopant-induced free-carrier plasmon in the GaSb substrate.

  9. Thermoelectric properties of Co4Sb12 with Bi2Te3 nanoinclusions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Sanyukta; Bisht, Anuj; Karati, Anirudha; Rogl, Gerda; Rogl, Peter; Murty, B S; Suwas, Satyam; Mallik, Ramesh Chandra

    2018-02-12

    The figure of merit (zT) of a thermoelectric material can be enhanced by incorporation of nanoinclusions into bulk material. The presence of bismuth telluride (Bi 2 Te 3 ) nanoinclusions in Co 4 Sb 12 leads to lower phonon thermal conductivity by introducing interfaces and defects; it enhances the average zT between 300-700 K. In the current study, Bi 2 Te 3 nanoparticles were dispersed into bulk Co 4 Sb 12 by ball-milling. The bulk was fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The presence of Bi 2 Te 3 dispersion in Co 4 Sb 12 was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron back scattered diffraction technique. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed antimony (Sb) as an impurity phase for higher contents of Bi 2 Te 3 in the sample. The Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity (σ) were measured in the temperature range of 350-673 K. The negative value of S indicates that most of the charge carriers were electrons. A decrease in S and increase in σ with Bi 2 Te 3 content are due to the increased carrier concentration, as confirmed by Hall measurement. The thermal conductivity, measured between 423-673 K, decreased due to the increased phonon scattering at interfaces. A maximum zT of 0.17 was achieved at 523 K and it did not vary much throughout the temperature range. The experimental results of composites were compared by using effective medium theories.

  10. Thermoelectric properties of Co4Sb12 with Bi2Te3 nanoinclusions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Sanyukta; Bisht, Anuj; Karati, Anirudha; Rogl, Gerda; Rogl, Peter F; Murty, B S; Suwas, Satyam; Mallik, Ramesh Chandra

    2018-01-08

    The figure of merit (zT) of a thermoelectric material can be enhanced by incorporation of nanoinclusions into bulk material. The presence of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nanoinclusions in Co4Sb12 leads to lower phonon thermal conductivity by introducing interfaces and defects; it enhances the average zT between 300-700 K. In the current study, Bi2Te3 nanoparticles were dispersed into bulk Co4Sb12 by ball-milling. The bulk was fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The presence of Bi2Te3 dispersion in Co4Sb12 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) showed antimony (Sb) as an impurity phase for higher contents of Bi2Te3 in the sample. The Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity () were measured in the temperature range of 350 - 673 K. The negative value of S indicates that most of the charge carriers were electrons. A decrease in S and increase in with Bi2Te3 content are due to the increased carrier concentration, as confirmed by Hall measurement. The thermal conductivity, measured between 423 - 673 K, decreased due to the increased phonon scattering at interfaces. A maximum zT of 0.17 was achieved at 523 K and it did not vary much throughout the temperature range. The experimental results of composites were compared by using effective medium theories. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  11. Study of the circular photo-galvanic effect in electrically gated (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Yu; Pillsbury, Timothy; Richardella, Anthony; Flanagan, Thomas; Samarth, Nitin

    Illumination with circularly polarized light is known to produce a helicity dependent photocurrent in topological insulators such as Bi2Se3 [Nature Nanotech. 7, 96 (2012)]. Symmetry considerations suggest that this ``circular photo-galvanic effect'' (CPGE) arises purely from the surface. However, whether or not the CPGE is directly related to optical excitations from the helical surface states is still under debate. To clarify the origin of the CPGE, we first compare the helicity dependent photocurrent in intrinsic (Bi,Sb)2Te3 to Cr doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films in which the Dirac surface states are perturbed by magnetic coupling. Secondly, we discuss the tunable CPGE in electrically gated (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films excited by optical excitations at different wavelengths. The dependence on the chemical potential and the photon energy of the excitation unveils the origin of the CPGE. Funded by ONR.

  12. Valence band structure of InAs(1-x)Bi(x) and InSb(1-x)Bi(x) alloy semiconductors calculated using valence band anticrossing model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samajdar, D P; Dhar, S

    2014-01-01

    The valence band anticrossing model has been used to calculate the heavy/light hole and spin-orbit split-off energies in InAs(1-x)Bi(x) and InSb(1-x)Bi(x) alloy systems. It is found that both the heavy/light hole, and spin-orbit split E + levels move upwards in energy with an increase in Bi content in the alloy, whereas the split E - energy for the holes shows a reverse trend. The model is also used to calculate the reduction of band gap energy with an increase in Bi mole fraction. The calculated values of band gap variation agree well with the available experimental data.

  13. Orthorhombic polar Nd-doped BiFeO3 thin film on MgO substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leontyev, I N; Janolin, P-E; Dkhil, B; Yuzyuk, Yu I; El-Marssi, M; Chernyshov, D; Dmitriev, V; Golovko, Yu I; Mukhortov, V M

    2011-01-01

    A Nd-doped BiFeO 3 thin film deposited on MgO substrate was studied by synchrotron diffraction. The ferroelectric nature of the film is proven by in-plane remanent polarization measurement. The highest possible symmetry of the film is determined to be orthorhombic, within the Fm2m space group. Such a structure is rotated by 45 0 with respect to the substrate and is consistent with tilts of oxygen octahedra doubling the unit cell. This polar structure presents a rather unusual strain-accommodation mechanism. (fast track communication)

  14. Investigations on the electrodeposition behaviors of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 thin film from nitric acid baths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Feihui; Huang Qinghua; Wang Wei

    2009-01-01

    The electrochemical reduction process of Bi 3+ , HTeO 2 + , Sb III and their mixtures in nitric acid medium was investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The reduction products electrodeposited at various potentials were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that cathodic process in the nitric acid solution containing Bi 3+ , HTeO 2 + and Sb III involves the following reduction reactions in different polarizing potential ranges: In low polarizing potential ranges, Te 0 is formed firstly on the electrode surface through the electrochemical reduction of HTeO 2 + ; with the negative shift of the cathodic polarizing potential, the reduction reaction of Bi 3+ with Te 0 to form Bi 2 Te 3 takes place; when the cathodic polarizing potential is negative enough, Bi 3+ and Sb III react with Te 0 to form Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 . The results indicate that Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 films can be fabricated by controlling the electrodepositing potential in a proper high potential ranges.

  15. Magnetic and structural properties of Bi(2223doped by pb and Sb

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Salamati

    1998-04-01

    Full Text Available   In a systematic approach, we have investigated the effect of the presence of Pb and Sb in the Bi site in a BSCCO (2223 phase superconductor. There are some contradictory reports in substitution of Sb in the Bi site. Some researchers report an increase in the Tc of these materials. So, we have made an accurate stoichiometry of these superconductors and selected extra pure starting materials with appropriate ratios of Pb+Sb.   The susceptility of these samples have been measured and the structures of the systems have been studied by SEM and XRD. The results of this investigation show that, Although the presence of Pb is essential for formation of (2223 phase, but addition of small amount of Sb helps to stabilize and enhance the ratio of higher phase. Our results show that, presence of Sb would raise the critical current density, but would not affect the Tc of these superconductors.

  16. Molecular beam epitaxy growth of InSb1-xBix thin films

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yuxin Song; Shumin Wang; Saha Roy, Ivy

    2013-01-01

    Molecular beam epitaxy growth for InSb1-xBix thin films on (100) GaAs substrates is reported. Successful Bi incorporation for 2% is achieved, and up to 70% of the incorporated Bi atoms are at substitutional sites. The effects of growth parameters on Bi incorporation and surface morphology are stu...

  17. Thermoelectric properties and microstructure of Mg3Sb2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Condron, Cathie L.; Kauzlarich, Susan M.; Gascoin, Franck; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

    2006-01-01

    Mg 3 Sb 2 has been prepared by direct reaction of the elements. Powder X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric, differential scanning calorimetery, and microprobe data were obtained on hot pressed samples. Single phase samples of Mg 3 Sb 2 were prepared and found to contain oxygen at the grain boundaries and to lose Mg and oxidize at temperatures above 900 K. Thermoelectric properties were characterized by Seebeck, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity measurements from 300 to 1023 K, and the maximum zT was found to be 0.21 at ∼875 K. - Graphical abstract: Dimensionless figure of merit for Mg 3 Sb 2 hot pressed and sintered at 873 K. The inset illustrates the crystal structure of Mg 3 Sb 2 along the [100] direction (white=Mg, black=Sb)

  18. Electric field induced lattice strain in pseudocubic Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-modified BaTiO{sub 3}-BiFeO{sub 3} piezoelectric ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujii, Ichiro, E-mail: ifujii@rins.ryukoku.ac.jp [Department of Materials Chemistry, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga 520-2194 (Japan); Iizuka, Ryo; Ueno, Shintaro; Nakashima, Kouichi; Wada, Satoshi [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medical and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8510 (Japan); Nakahira, Yuki; Sunada, Yuya; Magome, Eisuke; Moriyoshi, Chikako; Kuroiwa, Yoshihiro [Department of Physical Science, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan)

    2016-04-25

    Contributions to the piezoelectric response in pseudocubic 0.3BaTiO{sub 3}-0.1Bi(Mg{sub 1/2}Ti{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}-0.6BiFeO{sub 3} ceramics were investigated by synchrotron X-ray diffraction under electric fields. All of the lattice strain determined from the 110, 111, and 200 pseudocubic diffraction peaks showed similar lattice strain hysteresis that was comparable to the bulk butterfly-like strain curve. It was suggested that the hysteresis of the lattice strain and the lack of anisotropy were related to the complex domain structure and the phase boundary composition.

  19. Preparation and crystal structure of SrCu/sub 2/Sb/sub 2/ and SrZnBi/sub 2/

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cordier, G; Eisenmann, B; Schaefer, H [Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (Germany, F.R.). Fachbereich Anorganische Chemie und Kernchemie

    1976-10-01

    SrCu/sub 2/Sb/sub 2/ and SrZnBi/sub 2/ have been prepared and analytically and structurally characterized. SrCu/sub 2/Sb/sub 2/ crystallizes tetragonal in the CaBe/sub 2/Ge/sub 2/ structure type. SrZnBi/sub 2/ has its own structure type. In both structures the transition metal atoms form with the semimetal atoms tetragonal pyramids, which are connected by common edges of the basis to twodimensional sheets. These sheets are separated in the case of SrCu/sub 2/Sb/sub 2/ by single sheets of strontium atoms, in the case of SrZnBi/sub 2/ by double sheets of strontium atoms in which fourfold nets of Bi atoms are located.

  20. Detection of current-induced spin polarization in BiSbTeSe{sub 2} toplogical insulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Fan; Ghatak, Subhamoy; Taskin, Alexey; Ando, Yoichi [Institute of Physics II, University of Cologne (Germany); Ando, Yuichiro [Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University (Japan)

    2016-07-01

    Topological insulators (TIs) are a class of quantum matter which possess spin-momentum-locked Dirac Fermions on the surfaces. Due to the spin-momentum locking, spin polarization will be induced when a charge current flows through the surface of a TI. Such spin polarization can be detected by using a ferromagnetic tunneling contact as a detector. In this talk, we present our results measured in devices fabricated from BiSbTeSe{sub 2} flakes. Spin signals were observed in both n-type and p-type BiSbTeSe{sub 2} samples.

  1. Multielemental Determination of As, Bi, Ge, Sb, and Sn in Agricultural Samples Using Hydride Generation Coupled to Microwave-Induced Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, Raquel C; Amaral, Clarice D B; Nóbrega, Joaquim A; Araujo Nogueira, Ana Rita

    2017-06-14

    A microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometer with N 2 -based plasma was combined with a multimode sample introduction system (MSIS) for hydride generation (HG) and multielemental determination of As, Bi, Ge, Sb, and Sn in samples of forage, bovine liver, powdered milk, agricultural gypsum, rice, and mineral fertilizer, using a single condition of prereduction and reduction. The accuracy of the developed analytical method was evaluated using certified reference materials of water and mineral fertilizer, and recoveries ranged from 95 to 106%. Addition and recovery experiments were carried out, and the recoveries varied from 85 to 117% for all samples evaluated. The limits of detection for As, Bi, Ge, Sb, and Sn were 0.46, 0.09, 0.19, 0.46, and 5.2 μg/L, respectively, for liquid samples, and 0.18, 0.04, 0.08, 0.19, and 2.1 mg/kg, respectively, for solid samples. The method proposed offers a simple, fast, multielemental, and robust alternative for successful determination of all five analytes in agricultural samples with low operational cost without compromising analytical performance.

  2. Evolution of thermoelectric performance for (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys from cutting waste powders to bulks with high figure of merit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Xi‧an; Cai, Xin zhi; Han, Xue wu; Zhang, Cheng cheng; Rong, Zhen zhou; Yang, Fan; Li, Guang qiang

    2016-01-01

    Bi2Te3 based cutting waste powders from cutting wafers were firstly selected as raw materials to prepare p-type Bi2Te3 based thermoelectric (TE) materials. Through washing, reducing, composition correction, smelting and resistance pressing sintering (RPS) process, p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloy bulks with different nominal stoichiometries were successfully obtained. The evolution of microstructure and TE performance for (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys were investigated in detail. All evidences confirmed that most of contaminants from line cutting process such as cutting fluid and oxides of Bi, Sb or Te could be removed by washing, reducing and smelting process used in this work. The carrier content and corresponding TE properties could be adjusted effectively by appropriate composition correction treatment. At lastly, a bulk with a nominal stoichiometry of Bi0.44Sb1.56Te3 was obtained and its' dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) was about 1.16 at 90 °C. The ZT values of Bi0.36Sb1.64Te3 and Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 alloy bulks could also reach 0.98 and 1.08, respectively. Different from the conventional recycling technology such as hydrometallurgy extraction methods, the separation and extraction of beneficial elements such as Bi, Sb and Te did not need to be performed and the Bi2Te3 based bulks with high TE properties could be directly obtained from the cutting waste powders. In addition, the recycling technology introduced here was green and more suitable for practical industrial application. It can improve material utilization and lower raw material costs of manufacturers.

  3. Preparation of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O high Tc thick films on Ag or MgO substrate with superconductor paste; Bi kei ko Tc chodendo paste ni yoru Ag, MgO kibanjo eno atsumaku sakusei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takabatake, N. [Ishikawa Technical High School, Ishikawa (Japan); Tsubota, T.; Ishikawa, T.; Ohashi, K. [Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Ishikawa (Japan)

    1995-07-15

    The following were reported on making Bi series superconducting thick films by a wet method. A paste was made by adding PSO (or ethanol solution of ethylenegrycol) of Yushiro Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. as a binder to a Bi series 2223 single-phase powder sample (blending composition Bi:Pb:Sr:Ca:Cu=1.8:0.4:2:2:3.2); the sample was then coated on an Ag (or MgO) substrate with a brush; after being dried at 105{degree}C for one hour, it was thermally decomposed at 700{degree}C for one hour; then, the process of prissurized forming (at pressure 2 to 5 ton f/cm{sup 2}) and of sintering at 845{degree}C for 20 hours or more were performed on the sample to form a thick film sample. A critical temperature Tc, critical current density Jc, etc., were measured on such thick film sample. As a result, nearly same values were obtained as Tc (93K) and Jc (84A/cm{sup 2}) which were those of a bulk sample made by using the same powder sample, pressurizing at 2 ton f/cm{sup 2} for pelletizing, and sintering at 845{degree}C for 20 hours. 6 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

  4. Orthorhombic polar Nd-doped BiFeO{sub 3} thin film on MgO substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leontyev, I N; Janolin, P-E; Dkhil, B [Laboratoire Structures, Proprietes et Modelisation des Solides, UMR CNRS-Ecole Centrale Paris, 92295 Chatenay-Malabry Cedex (France); Yuzyuk, Yu I [Faculty of Physics, Southern Federal University, Zorge 5, Rostov-on-Don 344090 (Russian Federation); El-Marssi, M [Laboratoire de Physique de la Matiere Condensee, Universite de Picardie Jules Verne, 33 rue Saint Leu, 80039 Amiens (France); Chernyshov, D; Dmitriev, V [Swiss-Norwegian Beam Lines at ESRF, Boite Postale 220, F-38043 Grenoble (France); Golovko, Yu I; Mukhortov, V M, E-mail: i.leontiev@rambler.ru [Southern Scientific Center RAS, Rostov-on-Don, 344006 (Russian Federation)

    2011-08-24

    A Nd-doped BiFeO{sub 3} thin film deposited on MgO substrate was studied by synchrotron diffraction. The ferroelectric nature of the film is proven by in-plane remanent polarization measurement. The highest possible symmetry of the film is determined to be orthorhombic, within the Fm2m space group. Such a structure is rotated by 45{sup 0} with respect to the substrate and is consistent with tilts of oxygen octahedra doubling the unit cell. This polar structure presents a rather unusual strain-accommodation mechanism. (fast track communication)

  5. Effect of Ga2O3 Nanoparticles Dispersion on Microstructure and Thermoelectric Properties of p-Type BiSbTe Based Alloys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim E.-B.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 based nanocomposites with addition of different weight percentages of Ga2O3 nanoparticles are fabricated by mechanical milling and spark plasma sintering. The fracture surfaces of all Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanocomposites exhibited similar grain distribution on the entire fracture surface. The Vickers hardness is improved for the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanocomposites with 6 wt% added Ga2O3 due to exhibiting fine microstructure, and dispersion strengthening mechanism. The Seebeck coefficient of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanocomposites are significantly improved owing to the decrease in carrier concentration. The electrical conductivity is decreased rapidly upon the addition of Ga2O3 nanoparticle due to increasing carrier scattering at newly formed interfaces. The peak power factor of 3.24 W/mK2 is achieved for the base Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 sintered bulk. The Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 nanocomposites show low power factor than base sample due to low electrical conductivity.

  6. (Tl, Sb) and (Tl, Bi) binary surface reconstructions on Ge(111) substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruznev, D. V.; Bondarenko, L. V.; Tupchaya, A. Y.; Yakovlev, A. A.; Mihalyuk, A. N.; Zotov, A. V.; Saranin, A. A.

    2018-03-01

    2D compounds made of Group-III and Group-V elements on the surface of silicon and germanium attract considerable attention due to prospects of creating III-V binary monolayers, which are predicted to hold advanced physical properties. In the present work, we have investigated two such systems, (Tl, Sb)/Ge(111) and (Tl, Bi)/Ge(111) using scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction observations and density-functional-theory calculations. In addition to the previously reported surface structures of 2D (Tl, Sb) and (Tl, Bi) compounds on Si(111), we found new ones, namely, √{ 7} × √{ 7} and 3 × 3. Formation processes and plausible models of their atomic arrangements are discussed.

  7. Controlling compositional homogeneity and crystalline orientation in Bi0.8Sb0.2 thermoelectric thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rochford, C.; Medlin, D. L.; Erickson, K. J.; Siegal, M. P.

    2015-12-01

    Compositional-homogeneity and crystalline-orientation are necessary attributes to achieve high thermoelectric performance in Bi1-xSbx thin films. Following deposition in vacuum, and upon air exposure, we find that 50%-95% of the Sb in 100-nm thick films segregates to form a nanocrystalline Sb2O3 surface layer, leaving the film bulk as Bi-metal. However, we demonstrate that a thin SiN capping layer deposited prior to air exposure prevents Sb-segregation, preserving a uniform film composition. Furthermore, the capping layer enables annealing in forming gas to improve crystalline orientations along the preferred trigonal axis, beneficially reducing electrical resistivity.

  8. Controlling compositional homogeneity and crystalline orientation in Bi0.8Sb0.2 thermoelectric thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Rochford

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Compositional-homogeneity and crystalline-orientation are necessary attributes to achieve high thermoelectric performance in Bi1−xSbx thin films. Following deposition in vacuum, and upon air exposure, we find that 50%–95% of the Sb in 100-nm thick films segregates to form a nanocrystalline Sb2O3 surface layer, leaving the film bulk as Bi-metal. However, we demonstrate that a thin SiN capping layer deposited prior to air exposure prevents Sb-segregation, preserving a uniform film composition. Furthermore, the capping layer enables annealing in forming gas to improve crystalline orientations along the preferred trigonal axis, beneficially reducing electrical resistivity.

  9. Simultaneous achievement of high dielectric constant and low temperature dependence of capacitance in (111-oriented BaTiO3-Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5O3-BiFeO3 solid solution thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junichi Kimura

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The temperature dependence of the capacitance of (111c-oriented (0.90–xBaTiO3-0.10Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5O3-xBiFeO3 solid solution films is investigated. These films are prepared on (111cSrRuO3/(111Pt/TiO2/SiO2/(100Si substrates by the chemical solution deposition technique. All the films have perovskite structures and the crystal symmetry at room temperature varies with increasing x ratio, from pseudocubic when x = 0–0.30 to rhombohedral when x = 0.50–0.90. The pseudocubic phase shows a high relative dielectric constant (εr (ranging between 400 and 560 at room temperature and an operating frequency of 100 kHz and a low temperature dependence of capacitance up to 400°C, while maintaining a dielectric loss (tan δ value of less than 0.2 at 100 kHz. In contrast, εr for the rhombohedral phase increases monotonically with increasing temperature up to 250°C, and increasingly high tan δ values are recorded at higher temperatures. These results indicate that pseudocubic (0.90–xBaTiO3-0.10Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5O3-xBiFeO3 solid solution films with (111 orientation are suitable candidates for high-temperature capacitor applications.

  10. [Comparative double-blind study of Bi-Profenid and oxyphenbutazone in sports pathology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Commandré, F A; Fornaris, E; Fourré, J M; Raybaud, A; Colonna, P; Pirdas, C

    1983-12-12

    Effectiveness and tolerance of ketoprofen in sustained-release tablets (Bi-Profenid 150 mg) were investigated in a double blind trial in 44 athletes who had recently sprained an ankle. Patients were given either 300 mg Bi-Profenid or 400 mg oxyphenbutazone daily for seven days. Treatment regimens were assigned at random. Results were assessed as excellent or good in 85% of patients given Bi-Profenid and 50% of those given oxyphenbutazone. Spontaneous pain resolved in 19 patients receiving Bi-Profenid and in 6 under oxyphenbutazone. Decrease in pain upon physical examination and in articular circumference was significantly greater with Bi-Profenid as compared with oxyphenbutazone. The chance of rapidly resuming sport was better with Bi-Profenid. Tolerance was excellent in 68.2% of patients with Bi-Profenid and 59% of those with oxyphenbutazone. This investigation thus emphasizes the value of Bi-Profenid in sport pathology.

  11. Precise measurement of the densities of liquid Bi, Sn, Pb and Sb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Lianwen; Wang Qiang; Xian Aiping; Lu Kunquan

    2003-01-01

    The densities of liquid Bi, Sn, Pb and Sb have been precisely measured from the melting point up to about 1100 K using an improved Archimedean method. The densities at the melting point for liquid Bi, Sn, Pb and Sb are 10.042 x 10 3 , 6.983 x 10 3 , 10.635 x 10 3 and 6.454 x 10 3 kg m -3 , respectively. Comparisons between our data and those from the literature have been made and they show the present results to be more reliable. Rather than a linear fit for the temperature dependence of the density, a slight deviation from linearity in the temperature dependence of the densities has been observed

  12. Evolution of thermoelectric performance for (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys from cutting waste powders to bulks with high figure of merit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Xi'an; Cai, Xin zhi; Han, Xue wu; Zhang, Cheng cheng

    2016-01-01

    Bi 2 Te 3 based cutting waste powders from cutting wafers were firstly selected as raw materials to prepare p-type Bi 2 Te 3 based thermoelectric (TE) materials. Through washing, reducing, composition correction, smelting and resistance pressing sintering (RPS) process, p-type (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 alloy bulks with different nominal stoichiometries were successfully obtained. The evolution of microstructure and TE performance for (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 alloys were investigated in detail. All evidences confirmed that most of contaminants from line cutting process such as cutting fluid and oxides of Bi, Sb or Te could be removed by washing, reducing and smelting process used in this work. The carrier content and corresponding TE properties could be adjusted effectively by appropriate composition correction treatment. At lastly, a bulk with a nominal stoichiometry of Bi 0.44 Sb 1.56 Te 3 was obtained and its' dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) was about 1.16 at 90 °C. The ZT values of Bi 0.36 Sb 1.64 Te 3 and Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 alloy bulks could also reach 0.98 and 1.08, respectively. Different from the conventional recycling technology such as hydrometallurgy extraction methods, the separation and extraction of beneficial elements such as Bi, Sb and Te did not need to be performed and the Bi 2 Te 3 based bulks with high TE properties could be directly obtained from the cutting waste powders. In addition, the recycling technology introduced here was green and more suitable for practical industrial application. It can improve material utilization and lower raw material costs of manufacturers. - Graphical abstract: Three kinds of typical morphologies for the fractographs: typical lamellar structure, agglomerated submicron-sized granules and dispersed cubic particles from the initial cutting waste powders. - Highlights: • Bi 2 Te 3 based wastes were directly selected as raw materials for TE alloys. • Contaminants from cutting fluid and oxides could be effectively removed.

  13. Synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetic properties of quaternary iron selenides: Ba{sub 2}FePnSe{sub 5} (Pn=Sb, Bi)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jian; Greenfield, Joshua T.; Kovnir, Kirill

    2016-10-15

    Two new barium iron pnictide–selenides, Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5}, were synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state route and their crystal structures were determined using single crystal X-ray diffraction. Both compounds are isomorphic to the high pressure phase Ba{sub 3}FeS{sub 5} and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62) with cell parameters of a=12.603(2)/12.619(2) Å, b=9.106(1)/9.183(1) Å, c=9.145(1)/9.123(1) Å and Z=4 for Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5}, respectively. According to differential scanning calorimetry, Ba{sub 2}FePnSe{sub 5} compounds exhibit high thermal stability and melt congruently at 1055(5) K (Pn=Sb) and 1105(5) K (Pn=Bi). Magnetic characterizations reveal strong antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interactions in both compounds resulting in an antiferromagnetic ordering at 58(1) K for Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and 79(2) K for Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5}. The magnetic interactions between Fe{sup 3+} centers, which are at least 6 Å apart from each other, are mediated by superexchange interactions. - Graphical abstract: In Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5} the magnetic interactions between Fe{sup 3+} centers, which are at least 6 Å apart from each other, are mediated by superexchange interactions. - Highlights: • New compounds Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5} have been synthesized. • The crystal structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. • Both compounds melt congruently at temperatures above 1000 K. • Ba{sub 2}FeSbSe{sub 5} and Ba{sub 2}FeBiSe{sub 5} exhibit AFM ordering at 58 K (Sb) and 70 K (Bi). • Magnetic exchange between Fe{sup 3+} is mediated by either Se–Sb(Bi)–Se or Se–Ba–Se bridges.

  14. Diffraction and spectroscopic study of pyrochlores Bi{sub 2−x}Fe{sub 1+x}SbO{sub 7}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Qingdi; Blanchard, Peter E.R. [School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Kennedy, Brendan J., E-mail: kennedyb@chem.usyd.edu.au [School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Ling, Chris D.; Liu, Samuel [School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Avdeev, Max [Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, New South Wales 2234 (Australia); Aitken, Jade B. [Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168 (Australia); Institute of Materials Structure Science, KEK, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); School of Chemistry, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Tadich, Anton; Brand, Helen E.A. [Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168 (Australia)

    2014-03-15

    Highlights: • Fe rich pyrochlores of the type Bi{sub 2−x}Fe{sub 1+x}SbO{sub 7} were prepared by solid state methods. • Structures determined using a combination of neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction. • Fe partially occupies the 8-coordinate site. • Dispacive disorder of the Bi cations observed as a consequence of the 6s{sup 2} electrons. • Non-Vegard behaviour seen at low Fe contents due to disorder. -- Abstract: The structural and electronic properties of the series Bi{sub 2−x}Fe{sub 1+x}SbO{sub 7} (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.6) were investigated using a combination of diffraction and spectroscopy. Synchrotron and neutron diffraction analysis show that Fe{sup 3+} cations substitute for Bi{sup 3+} onto the A site with increasing x, which was further confirmed by analysis of the Fe K/L-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectra. The diffraction analysis indicated the presence of displacive disorder along the A{sub 2}O chains, likely the result of the Bi{sup 3+} 6s{sup 2} lone pair, as well as non-Vegard-like behaviour of the lattice parameters in the Fe-poor region. Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis of Bi{sub 2}FeSbO{sub 7} confirmed the displacive disorder of the Bi{sup 3+} cations as well as Sb{sup 5+} and Fe{sup 3+} disorder on the B site.

  15. Enhanced thermoelectric figure-of-merit in Bi-Sb-Te nanocomposites with homogenously dispersed oxide ceramic ZrO2 nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madavali, B.; Kim, H. S.; Lee, K. H.; Hong, S. J.

    2017-06-01

    In this research, p-type BiSbTe/ZrO2 nanocomposite powders were fabricated by high-energy ball milling. Different weight percentages of ZrO2 (2, 4, and 6 wt. %) nanoparticles were incorporated into the bulk (BiSbTe) matrix by consolidation of as-synthesized nanocomposites (NCs) powder by spark plasma sintering at 673 K. The phase and existence of ZrO2 nano-inclusions was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction analysis. The Seebeck coefficient of the BiSbTe/ZrO2 NCs was significantly improved (˜36% for 4 wt. % added NCs) by a decrease in the carrier concentration and energy filtering effect, whereas the thermal conductivity was much reduced via strong scattering of carriers/phonons. The peak thermoelectric figure-of-merit (1.34 ± 0.06) was obtained for BiSbTe into which 2 wt. % ZrO2 was dispersed, which was approximately 20% greater than that of the undispersed sample. The hardness of the nanocomposites was significantly improved (˜27%) due to grain-boundary hardening and a dispersion strengthening mechanism.

  16. Discovery of high-performance low-cost n-type Mg3Sb2-based thermoelectric materials with multi-valley conduction bands

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Jiawei; Song, Lirong; Pedersen, Steffen Hindborg

    2017-01-01

    Widespread application of thermoelectric devices for waste heat recovery requires low-cost high-performance materials. The currently available n-type thermoelectric materials are limited either by their low efficiencies or by being based on expensive, scarce or toxic elements. Here we report a low-cost...... because of the multi-valley band behaviour dominated by a unique near-edge conduction band with a sixfold valley degeneracy. This makes Te-doped Mg3Sb1.5Bi0.5 a promising candidate for the low- and intermediate-temperature thermoelectric applications....

  17. Structure of molten Bi-Sb-alloys by means of neutron diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamparter, P.; Knoll, W.; Steeb, S.

    1976-01-01

    The structural investigations with melts can be subdivided into two groups: The first group contains molten metals and molten alloys, and one can state that the structure of molten metals and of molten alloys nowadays is rather well understood. Interference functions of molten metals may be described by a hard sphere model. This is valid also for molten alloys with statistical distribution. For the second group, namely molten non-metals and molecular melts, the interference functions as well as the pair correlation functions are very offen rather complicated and not well understood. The present study is concerned with the transition region between these two groups. It is shown that the melts of the Bi-Sb system exhibit a change from metallic to non-metallic structure. Regarding the experimental details: the experiments were done with the two-axes spectrometer D 4 at the high-flux reactor at Grenoble. The containers consisted of cylindrical quartz tubes with a wall thickness of 0.1 cm. The furnace consisted of a direct-heated vanadium tube. The wavelength of the neutrons was 0.695 A. The final result is that the structure in molten Bi-Sb-alloys consists of primitive tetrahedra with coordination number 3. There are less tetrahedra in molten Bi than in molten Sb. Also with rising temperature the number of tetrahedra decreases. It is shown how to compose the coordination numbers of two structures to get the observed coordination number. The observed values are always the mean values of the two structures. (orig./HK) [de

  18. Fermi-level tuning of the Dirac surface state in (Bi1-x Sb x )2Se3 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satake, Yosuke; Shiogai, Junichi; Takane, Daichi; Yamada, Keiko; Fujiwara, Kohei; Souma, Seigo; Sato, Takafumi; Takahashi, Takashi; Tsukazaki, Atsushi

    2018-02-01

    We report on the electronic states and the transport properties of three-dimensional topological insulator (Bi1-x Sb x )2Se3 ternary alloy thin films grown on an isostructural Bi2Se3 buffer layer on InP substrates. By angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we clearly detected Dirac surface states with a large bulk band gap of 0.2-0.3 eV in the (Bi1-x Sb x )2Se3 film with x  =  0.70. In addition, we observed by Hall effect measurements that the dominant charge carrier converts from electron (n-type) to hole (p-type) at around x  =  0.7, indicating that the Fermi level can be controlled across the Dirac point. Indeed, the carrier transport was shown to be governed by Dirac surface state in 0.63  ⩽  x  ⩽  0.75. These features suggest that Fermi-level tunable (Bi1-x Sb x )2Se3-based heterostructures provide a platform for extracting exotic topological phenomena.

  19. Emergence of topological and topological crystalline phases in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qingyun

    2015-02-11

    Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the band structure evolution and topological phase transitions in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 under hydrostatic pressure as well as uniaxial and biaxial strain. The phase transitions are identified by parity analysis and by calculating the surface states. Zero, one, and four Dirac cones are found for the (111) surfaces of both TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 when the pressure grows, which confirms trivial-nontrivial-trivial phase transitions. The Dirac cones at the (M) over bar points are anisotropic with large out-of-plane component. TlBiS2 shows normal, topological, and topological crystalline insulator phases under hydrostatic pressure, thus being the first compound to exhibit a phase transition from a topological to a topological crystalline insulator.

  20. Emergence of topological and topological crystalline phases in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qingyun; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2015-01-01

    Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the band structure evolution and topological phase transitions in TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 under hydrostatic pressure as well as uniaxial and biaxial strain. The phase transitions are identified by parity analysis and by calculating the surface states. Zero, one, and four Dirac cones are found for the (111) surfaces of both TlBiS2 and TlSbS2 when the pressure grows, which confirms trivial-nontrivial-trivial phase transitions. The Dirac cones at the (M) over bar points are anisotropic with large out-of-plane component. TlBiS2 shows normal, topological, and topological crystalline insulator phases under hydrostatic pressure, thus being the first compound to exhibit a phase transition from a topological to a topological crystalline insulator.

  1. Effect of surface treatment of thermoelectric materials on the properties of thermoelements made from solid solutions of Bi2Te3-Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alieva, T.D.; Abdinov, D.Sh.; Salaev, Eh.Yu.

    1981-01-01

    Effect of surface treatment technology of samples of solid solutions of Ei 2 Te 3 -Bi 2 Se 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 systems on their thermoelectric efficiency is studied. Branches of thermoelements have been produced with the help of electroerosion or mechanical cutting of monocrystal ingots of semiconducting solid Bi 2 Te 3 -base solutions. It is shown that in case of the treatment of side surfaces of branches of thermoelements produced of monocrystals of Bi 2 Te 3 base solid solutions their thermoelectrical efficiency grows considerably. Maximum growth of efficiency (approximately 20%) is observed during mechanical grinding of branches surfaces with diamond paste with the following chemical or electrochemical etching [ru

  2. Annealing effects on room temperature thermoelectric performance of p-type thermally evaporated Bi-Sb-Te thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Sukhdeep; Singh, Janpreet; Tripathi, S. K.

    2018-05-01

    Bismuth antimony telluride (Bi-Sb-Te) compounds have been investigated for the past many decades for thermoelectric (TE) power generation and cooling purpose. We synthesized this compound with a stoichiometry Bi1.2Sb0.8Te3 through melt cool technique and thin films of as synthesized material were deposited by thermal evaporation. The prime focus of the present work is to study the influence of annealing temperature on the room temperature (RT) power factor of thin films. Electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were studied and power factors were calculated which showed a peak value at 323 K. The compounds performance is comparable to some very efficient Bi-Sb-Te reported stoichiometries at RT scale. The values observed show that material has an enormous potential for energy production at ambient temperature scales.

  3. Evolution of thermoelectric performance for (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloys from cutting waste powders to bulks with high figure of merit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, Xi' an, E-mail: groupfxa@163.com [The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Road, Qingshan District, Wuhan 430081 (China); Cai, Xin zhi, E-mail: xzcwust@163.com [The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Road, Qingshan District, Wuhan 430081 (China); Han, Xue wu, E-mail: hanxuewu1990@163.com [The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Road, Qingshan District, Wuhan 430081 (China); Zhang, Cheng cheng, E-mail: zcc516990418@live.com [The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Road, Qingshan District, Wuhan 430081 (China); and others

    2016-01-15

    Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} based cutting waste powders from cutting wafers were firstly selected as raw materials to prepare p-type Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} based thermoelectric (TE) materials. Through washing, reducing, composition correction, smelting and resistance pressing sintering (RPS) process, p-type (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloy bulks with different nominal stoichiometries were successfully obtained. The evolution of microstructure and TE performance for (Bi,Sb){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloys were investigated in detail. All evidences confirmed that most of contaminants from line cutting process such as cutting fluid and oxides of Bi, Sb or Te could be removed by washing, reducing and smelting process used in this work. The carrier content and corresponding TE properties could be adjusted effectively by appropriate composition correction treatment. At lastly, a bulk with a nominal stoichiometry of Bi{sub 0.44}Sb{sub 1.56}Te{sub 3} was obtained and its' dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) was about 1.16 at 90 °C. The ZT values of Bi{sub 0.36}Sb{sub 1.64}Te{sub 3} and Bi{sub 0.4}Sb{sub 1.6}Te{sub 3} alloy bulks could also reach 0.98 and 1.08, respectively. Different from the conventional recycling technology such as hydrometallurgy extraction methods, the separation and extraction of beneficial elements such as Bi, Sb and Te did not need to be performed and the Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} based bulks with high TE properties could be directly obtained from the cutting waste powders. In addition, the recycling technology introduced here was green and more suitable for practical industrial application. It can improve material utilization and lower raw material costs of manufacturers. - Graphical abstract: Three kinds of typical morphologies for the fractographs: typical lamellar structure, agglomerated submicron-sized granules and dispersed cubic particles from the initial cutting waste powders. - Highlights: • Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} based wastes were directly selected as raw materials

  4. Fate of half-metallicity near interfaces: The case of NiMnSb/MgO and NiMnSi/MgO

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Ruijing

    2014-08-27

    The electronic and magnetic properties of the interfaces between the half-metallic Heusler alloys NiMnSb, NiMnSi, and MgO have been investigated using first-principles density-functional calculations with projector augmented wave potentials generated in the generalized gradient approximation. In the case of the NiMnSb/MgO (100) interface, the half-metallicity is lost, whereas the MnSb/MgO contact in the NiMnSb/MgO (100) interface maintains a substantial degree of spin polarization at the Fermi level (∼60%). Remarkably, the NiMnSi/MgO (111) interface shows 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level, despite considerable distortions at the interface, as well as rather short Si/O bonds after full structural optimization. This behavior markedly distinguishes NiMnSi/MgO (111) from the corresponding NiMnSb/CdS and NiMnSb/InP interfaces. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

  5. The Microstructure and Tensile Properties of a Newly Developed Mg-Al/Mg3Sb2 In Situ Composite in As-Cast and Extruded Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montajabnia, A.; Pourbahari, B.; Emamy, M.

    2018-04-01

    The microstructures and tensile properties of Mg-x wt%Al-y wt%Sb alloys have been studied where x/y ratio was 1 and Sb(Al) contents were 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%, respectively. The results indicated that by increasing Sb(Al) content, not only the crystals of primary Mg3Sb2 alter from small flake-like particles to polygonal or needle-like morphology, but also the eutectic structure changes from semi-continuous network in Mg-5Al-5Sb to continuous network in Mg-20Sb-20Al alloy. The results obtained from thermal analysis revealed different peaks related to the formation of Mg3Sb2 as primary phase and eutectic structure containing Mg17Al12 + Al3Mg2 intermetallic phases. Further results also revealed that Sb(Al) additions change the solidification performance of the material by depressing the Mg3Sb2 nucleation temperature, reducing solidification range and widening eutectic area. Tensile testing results showed that with the increase in Sb (Al) content, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values of the alloys are decreased in as-cast condition. But, significant improvement in the UTS and elongation values of the extruded specimens was attributed to the severe fragmentation of intermetallic phases and well distributed fine particles in the matrix which provided proper obstacles for dislocation motion. It was interesting to note that the fracture behavior of intermetallic particles was found to be different, while Mg3Sb2 was ductile, intermetallic compounds in eutectic regions were brittle.

  6. Preparation and characterization of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ thin films on MgO single crystal substrates by chemical solution deposition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grivel, Jean-Claude; Kepa, Katarzyna; Hlásek, T.

    2013-01-01

    Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films have been deposited on MgO single crystal substrates by spin-coating a solution based on 2-ethylhexanoate precursors. Pyrolysis takes place between 200°C and 450°C and is accompanied by the release of 2-ethylhexanoic acid, CO2 and H2O vapour. Highly c-axis oriented Bi2Sr2Ca...

  7. Martensitic transformation behavior in Ti–Ni–X (Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Tl, Pb, Bi) ternary alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Jai-young; Chun, Su-jin; Kim, Nam-suk; Cho, Jeung-won; Kim, Jae-hyun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, 900 Gazwadong, Jinju, Gyeongnam 660-701 (Korea, Republic of); Yeom, Jong-taek [Light Metal Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 642-831 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jae-il [Materials Science and Engineering, University of Dong-A, Hadan-dong, Saha-gu, Busan 604-714 (Korea, Republic of); Nam, Tae-hyun, E-mail: tahynam@gnu.ac.kr [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, 900 Gazwadong, Jinju, Gyeongnam 660-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-12-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Ag, In and Sn were soluble in TiNi matrix, while Sb, Te, Tl, Pb and Bi were not. • The B2-R-B19′transformation occurred in Ti-Ni-(Ag, In, Sn) alloys. • Solid solution hardening was essential for inducing the B2-R transformation. - Abstract: The microstructures and transformation behaviors of Ti–Ni–X (Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Tl, Pb, Bi) ternary alloys were investigated using electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Micro Vickers hardness tests. All specimens consisted of Ti–Ni matrices and second phase particles. Ag, In and Sn were soluble in Ti–Ni matrices with a limited solubility (≤1.0 at%), while Sb, Te, Tl, Pb and Bi were not soluble. Two-stage B2-R-B19′ transformation occurred in Ti–48.8Ni–1.2Ag, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0In and Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Sn alloys, while one-stage B2-B19′ transformation occurred in Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Ag, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Sb, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Te, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Pb and Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Bi alloys. Micro Vickers hardness of the alloys displaying the B2-R-B19′ transformation (Hv 250–368) was much larger than that (in Ti–Ni–X (X = non-transition elements) alloys.

  8. Martensitic transformation behavior in Ti–Ni–X (Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Tl, Pb, Bi) ternary alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Jai-young; Chun, Su-jin; Kim, Nam-suk; Cho, Jeung-won; Kim, Jae-hyun; Yeom, Jong-taek; Kim, Jae-il; Nam, Tae-hyun

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Ag, In and Sn were soluble in TiNi matrix, while Sb, Te, Tl, Pb and Bi were not. • The B2-R-B19′transformation occurred in Ti-Ni-(Ag, In, Sn) alloys. • Solid solution hardening was essential for inducing the B2-R transformation. - Abstract: The microstructures and transformation behaviors of Ti–Ni–X (Ag, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Tl, Pb, Bi) ternary alloys were investigated using electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Micro Vickers hardness tests. All specimens consisted of Ti–Ni matrices and second phase particles. Ag, In and Sn were soluble in Ti–Ni matrices with a limited solubility (≤1.0 at%), while Sb, Te, Tl, Pb and Bi were not soluble. Two-stage B2-R-B19′ transformation occurred in Ti–48.8Ni–1.2Ag, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0In and Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Sn alloys, while one-stage B2-B19′ transformation occurred in Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Ag, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Sb, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Te, Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Pb and Ti–49.0Ni–1.0Bi alloys. Micro Vickers hardness of the alloys displaying the B2-R-B19′ transformation (Hv 250–368) was much larger than that (< Hv 200) of the alloys displaying the B2-B19′ transformation. Solid solution hardening was an important factor for inducing the B2-R transformation in Ti–Ni–X (X = non-transition elements) alloys

  9. Study of the influence of semiconductor material parameters on acoustic wave propagation modes in GaSb/AlSb bi-layered structures by Legendre polynomial method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Othmani, Cherif, E-mail: othmanicheriffss@gmail.com; Takali, Farid; Njeh, Anouar; Ben Ghozlen, Mohamed Hédi

    2016-09-01

    The propagation of Rayleigh–Lamb waves in bi-layered structures is studied. For this purpose, an extension of the Legendre polynomial (LP) method is proposed to formulate the acoustic wave equation in the bi-layered structures induced by thin film Gallium Antimonide (GaSb) and with Aluminum Antimonide (AlSb) substrate in moderate thickness. Acoustic modes propagating along a bi-layer plate are shown to be quite different than classical Lamb modes, contrary to most of the multilayered structures. The validation of the LP method is illustrated by a comparison between the associated numerical results and those obtained using the ordinary differential equation (ODE) method. The convergency of the LP method is discussed through a numerical example. Moreover, the influences of thin film GaSb parameters on the characteristics Rayleigh–Lamb waves propagation has been studied in detail. Finally, the advantages of the Legendre polynomial (LP) method to analyze the multilayered structures are described. All the developments performed in this work were implemented in Matlab software.

  10. Study of the influence of semiconductor material parameters on acoustic wave propagation modes in GaSb/AlSb bi-layered structures by Legendre polynomial method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othmani, Cherif; Takali, Farid; Njeh, Anouar; Ben Ghozlen, Mohamed Hédi

    2016-01-01

    The propagation of Rayleigh–Lamb waves in bi-layered structures is studied. For this purpose, an extension of the Legendre polynomial (LP) method is proposed to formulate the acoustic wave equation in the bi-layered structures induced by thin film Gallium Antimonide (GaSb) and with Aluminum Antimonide (AlSb) substrate in moderate thickness. Acoustic modes propagating along a bi-layer plate are shown to be quite different than classical Lamb modes, contrary to most of the multilayered structures. The validation of the LP method is illustrated by a comparison between the associated numerical results and those obtained using the ordinary differential equation (ODE) method. The convergency of the LP method is discussed through a numerical example. Moreover, the influences of thin film GaSb parameters on the characteristics Rayleigh–Lamb waves propagation has been studied in detail. Finally, the advantages of the Legendre polynomial (LP) method to analyze the multilayered structures are described. All the developments performed in this work were implemented in Matlab software.

  11. Thermoelectric properties of p-type pseudo-binary (Ag0.365Sb0.558Te) x -(Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3)1-x (x=0-1.0) alloys prepared by spark plasma sintering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, J.L.; Xue, H.F.; Xiu, W.J.; Jiang, L.; Ying, P.Z.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, pseudo-binary (Ag 0.365 Sb 0.558 Te) x -(Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 ) 1- x (x=0-1.0) alloys were prepared using spark plasma sintering technique, and the composition-dependent thermoelectric properties were evaluated. Electrical conductivities range from 7.9x10 4 to 15.6x10 4 Ω -1 m -1 at temperatures of 507 and 318 K, respectively, being about 3.0 and 8.5 times those of Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 alloy at the corresponding temperatures. The optimal dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) of the sample with molar fraction x=0.025 reaches 1.1 at 478 K, whereas that of the ternary Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 alloy is 0.58 near room temperature. The results also reveal that a direct introduction of Ag 0.365 Sb 0.558 Te in the Bi-Sb-Te system is much more effective to the property improvement than naturally precipitated Ag 0.365 Sb 0.558 Te in the Ag-doped Ag-Bi-Sb-Te system. - Graphical abstract: The temperature dependence of the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit ZT for different (Ag 0.365 Sb 0.558 Te) x -(Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 ) 1- x (x=0-1.0) alloys prepared by spark plasma sintering

  12. Electronic energy loss of low velocity H+ beams in Al, Ag, Sb, Au and Bi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valdes, J.E.; Martinez Tamayo, G.; Lantschner, G.H.; Eckardt, J.C.; Arista, N.R.

    1993-01-01

    The energy loss of H + ions in thin polycrystalline Al, Sb, Ag, Au and Bi films has been determined in the energy range below 10 keV. This low-energy range is of special interest to fill a lack of low-energy experimental data and test various theoretical predictions and semiempirical formulas. We find that the general theoretical prediction of a velocity-proportional dependence of energy loss does not hold for all targets studied in this work. The velocity-proportionality is better satisfied for Al, Sb and Bi, whereas a departure from such dependence is observed at lower energies for Ag and Au targets. The results obtained here are in good general agreement with nonlinear stopping power calculations based on density functional theory. Comparison with semiempirical predictions, and other experimental results are also done. (orig.)

  13. Theoretical prediction of thermodynamic activities of liquid Au-Sn-X (X=Bi, Sb, Zn) solder systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Awe, O.E., E-mail: draweoe2004@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan (Nigeria); Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Nigeria); Oshakuade, O.M. [Department of Physics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan (Nigeria)

    2017-02-15

    Molecular interaction volume model has been theoretically used to predict the thermodynamic activities of tin in Au-Sn-Bi and Au-Sn-Sb and the thermodynamic activity of zinc in Au-Sn-Zn at experimental temperatures 800 K, 873 K and 973 K, respectively. On the premise of agreement between the predicted and experimental values, we predicted the activities of the remaining two components in each of the three systems. This prediction was extended from three cross-sections to five cross-sections, and to temperature range 400–600 K, relevant for applications. Iso-activities were plotted. Results show that addition of tin reduces the tendency for chemical short range order in both Au-Sb and Au-Zn systems, while addition of gold and bismuth, respectively, reduce the tendency for chemical short range order in Sn-Sb and Au-Sn systems. Also, we found that, in the desired high-temperature region for applications, while a combination of chemical order and miscibility of components exist in both Au-Sn-Bi and Au-Sn-Zn systems, only chemical order exist in the Au-Sn-Sb system. Results, further show that increase in temperature reduces the phase separation tendency in Au-Sn-Bi system.

  14. Thermoelectric properties of p-type (Bi{sub 1{minus}x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} fabricated by mechanical alloying process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, B Y; Choi, J S; Oh, T S; Hyun, D B

    1997-07-01

    Thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline (Bi{sub 1{minus}x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} (0.75 {le} x {le} 0.85), fabricated by mechanical alloying and hot pressing methods, have been investigated. Formation of (Bi{sub 0.25}Sb{sub 0.75}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloy powder was completed by mechanical alloying for 5 hours at ball-to-material ratio of 5:1, and processing time for (Bi{sub 1{minus}sub x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} formation increased with Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} content x. When (Bi{sub 0.25}Sb{sub 0.75}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} was hot pressed at temperatures ranging from 300 C to 550 C for 30 minutes, figure-of-merit increased with hot pressing temperature and maximum value of 2.8 x 10{sup {minus}3}/K could be obtained by hot pressing at 550 C. When hot pressed at 550 C, (Bi{sub 0.2}Sb{sub 0.8}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} exhibited figure-of-merit of 2.92 x 10{sup {minus}3}/K, which could be improved to 2.97 x 10{sup {minus}3}/K with addition of 1 wt% Sb as acceptor dopant.

  15. Structural and physical properties of Mg3-xZnxSb2 (x=0-1.34)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmadpour, Faraz; Kolodiazhnyi, Taras; Mozharivskyj, Yurij

    2007-01-01

    The Mg 3-x Zn x Sb 2 phases with x=0-1.34 were prepared by direct reactions of the elements in tantalum tubes. According to the X-ray single crystal and powder diffraction, the Mg 3-x Zn x Sb 2 phases crystallize in the same P3-bar m1 space group as the parent Mg 3 Sb 2 phase. The Mg 3-x Zn x Sb 2 structure is different from the other substituted structures of Mg 3 Sb 2 , such as (Ca, Sr, Ba) Mg 2 Sb 2 or Mg 5.23 Sm 0.77 Sb 4 , in a way that in Mg 3-x Zn x Sb 2 the Mg atoms on the tetrahedral sites are replaced, while in the other structures Mg on the octahedral sites is replaced. Thermoelectric performance for the two members of the series, Mg 3 Sb 2 and Mg 2.36 Zn 0.64 Sb 2 , was evaluated from low to room temperatures through resistivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity measurements. In contrast to Mg 3 Sb 2 which is a semiconductor, Mg 2.36 Zn 0.64 Sb 2 is metallic and exhibits an 18-times larger dimensionless figure-of-merit, ZT, at room temperature. However, thermoelectric performance of Mg 2.36 Zn 0.64 Sb 2 is still poor and it is mostly due to its large electrical resistivity. - Graphical abstract: The Mg atoms in Mg 3 Sb 2 were successfully substituted with Zn, with Zn going exclusively into the tetrahedral sites. Zn substitution increases the electrical conductivity in Mg 2.36 Zn 0.64 Sb 2 by closing the band gap. This change combined with a decrease in the thermal conductivity improves the ZT value

  16. Topological Weyl semimetals in Bi1 -xSbx alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yu-Hsin; Shi, Wujun; Felser, Claudia; Sun, Yan

    2018-04-01

    We investigated Weyl semimetal (WSM) phases in bismuth antimony (Bi1 -xSbx ) alloys by combination of atomic composition and arrangement. Via first-principles calculations, we found two WSM states with Sb concentrations of x =0.5 and 0.83 with specific inversion-symmetry-broken elemental arrangement. The Weyl points are close to the Fermi level in both of these two WSM states. Therefore, it is likely to obtain Weyl points in Bi-Sb alloy. The WSM phase provides a reasonable explanation for the current transport study of Bi-Sb alloy with the violation of Ohm's law [D. Shin, Y. Lee, M. Sasaki, Y. H. Jeong, F. Weickert, J. B. Betts, H.-J. Kim, K.-S. Kim, and J. Kim, Nat. Mater. 16, 1096 (2017), 10.1038/nmat4965]. This paper shows that the topological phases in Bi-Sb alloys depend on both elemental composition and their specific arrangement.

  17. Study of the structural and electrical behavior of Bi(Mg,TiO3 modified (Ba,CaTiO3 ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Kashif Shamim

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The ability of BaTiO3 to form solid solutions with different dopants (both iso- and aliovalent makes it versatile for various applications. In the present study, (Ba,CaTiO3 (BCT is modified with Bi(MgTiO3 (BMT in search for new lead-free ferroelectric material and improve their properties. For this purpose, BCT acts as a main base material and BMT acts as a modifier to fabricate a multifunctional material. In this study, we report the structural and electrical properties of lead free piezo-ceramics (1−x(Ba0.8Ca0.2TiO3–xBi(Mg0.5Ti0.5O3 with x=0.2, 0.4, 0.5 prepared by solid-state sintering technique. Single perovskite phase with tetragonal structure is obtained for all the compositions, which is reconfirmed by the Raman Spectroscopic study. Dielectric study confirm the temperature stable behavior of the dielectric permittivity values above 300∘C. The dielectric constant value decreases with increase in BMT doping content. Impedance Spectroscopic study confirms non-Debye type dielectric relaxation in the specimen. The Nyquist plot and conductivity studies show the negative temperature coefficient of resistance behavior (NTCR of the samples.

  18. Strain effects in topological insulators: Topological order and the emergence of switchable topological interface states in Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterojunctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aramberri, H.; Muñoz, M. C.

    2017-05-01

    We investigate the effects of strain on the topological order of the Bi2Se3 family of topological insulators by ab initio first-principles methods. Strain can induce a topological phase transition and we present the phase diagram for the 3D topological insulators, Bi2Te3 , Sb2Te3 , Bi2Se3 , and Sb2Se3 , under combined uniaxial and biaxial strain. Their phase diagram is universal and shows metallic and insulating phases, both topologically trivial and nontrivial. In particular, uniaxial tension can drive the four compounds into a topologically trivial insulating phase. We propose a Sb2Te3/Bi2Te3 heterojunction in which a strain-induced topological interface state arises in the common gap of this normal insulator-topological insulator heterojunction. Unexpectedly, the interface state is confined in the topologically trivial subsystem and is physically protected from ambient impurities. It can be switched on or off by means of uniaxial strain and therefore Sb2Te3 /Bi2Te3 heterojunctions provide a topological system which hosts tunable robust helical interface states with promising spintronic applications.

  19. Constructing a large variety of Dirac-cone materials in the Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin film system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Shuang; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

    2012-12-21

    We theoretically predict that a large variety of Dirac-cone materials can be constructed in Bi(1-x)Sb(x) thin films and we here show how to construct single-, bi- and tri-Dirac-cone materials with various amounts of wave vector anisotropy. These different types of Dirac cones can be of special interest to electronic device design, quantum electrodynamics and other fields.

  20. Actinide-pnictide (An-Pn) bonds spanning non-metal, metalloid, and metal combinations (An=U, Th; Pn=P, As, Sb, Bi)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rookes, Thomas M.; Wildman, Elizabeth P.; Gardner, Benedict M.; Wooles, Ashley J.; Gregson, Matthew; Tuna, Floriana; Liddle, Stephen T. [School of Chemistry, The University of Manchester (United Kingdom); Balazs, Gabor; Scheer, Manfred [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Regensburg (Germany)

    2018-01-26

    The synthesis and characterisation is presented of the compounds [An(Tren{sup DMBS}){Pn(SiMe_3)_2}] and [An(Tren{sup TIPS}){Pn(SiMe_3)_2}] [Tren{sup DMBS}=N(CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}NSiMe{sub 2}Bu{sup t}){sub 3}, An=U, Pn=P, As, Sb, Bi; An=Th, Pn=P, As; Tren{sup TIPS}=N(CH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}NSiPr{sup i}{sub 3}){sub 3}, An=U, Pn=P, As, Sb; An=Th, Pn=P, As, Sb]. The U-Sb and Th-Sb moieties are unprecedented examples of any kind of An-Sb molecular bond, and the U-Bi bond is the first two-centre-two-electron (2c-2e) one. The Th-Bi combination was too unstable to isolate, underscoring the fragility of these linkages. However, the U-Bi complex is the heaviest 2c-2e pairing of two elements involving an actinide on a macroscopic scale under ambient conditions, and this is exceeded only by An-An pairings prepared under cryogenic matrix isolation conditions. Thermolysis and photolysis experiments suggest that the U-Pn bonds degrade by homolytic bond cleavage, whereas the more redox-robust thorium compounds engage in an acid-base/dehydrocoupling route. (copyright 2018 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA.)

  1. Synthesis, structure and electrical properties of Mg-, Ni-codoped bismuth niobates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. S. Koroleva

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Mg-, Ni-codoped bismuth niobates Bi1.6Mg0.8-xNixNb1.6O7-δ (x = 0; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6; 0.8 were obtained by conventional solid-state reaction method. It was shown that the Mg atoms are distributed at the Nb sites while the Ni atoms are distributed over the Bi- and the Nb-sites, according to the results of comparison of pycnometric and X-ray density of the Bi1.6Mg0.4Ni0.4Nb1.6O7-δ pyrochlore. In this case, about 15–20% of the vacancies are formed at the Bi sites. The obtained compounds are stable up to their melting point based on the DSC analysis data. Real dielectric permittivity ε' of the Bi1.6Mg0.8-xNixNb1.6O7-δ samples decreases from 80 to 65 with the temperature decrease from 25 to 700 °C and practically does not depend on frequency in the range of 1–1000 kHz. Oxides Bi1.6Mg0.8-xNixNb1.6O7-δ behave like insulators up to 280 °C, their conductivity increases with temperature (Ea,dc ≈ 1.3 eV, dc and with the Ni content at a given temperature.

  2. Electron Microscopy investigation of Sb{sub 2-x}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 3} hexagonal crystal structure growth prepared from sol–gel method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tongpeng, Suparat [Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Sarakonsri, Thapanee, E-mail: tsarakonsri@gmail.com [Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Materials Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Isoda, Seiji [Institute for Integrated Cell-Materials Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University (Japan); Haruta, Mitsutaka; Kurata, Hiroki [Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011 (Japan); Thanachayanont, Chanchana [National Metal and Materials Technology Center, 114 Thailand Science Park, Paholyothin Rd., Klong 1, KlongLuang, Pathumthani (Thailand)

    2015-11-01

    SbBi – Te ternary compounds, with ZT values (unitless figure of merit for semiconductor materials) as high as 1.28, have long been known as the best thermoelectric materials for use in thermoelectric cooling and power generation operated near room temperature. In this research, p-type Sb{sub 2-x}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0) compounds were synthesized by sol–gel method using bismuth (III) acetate, antimony (III) acetate and tellurium dioxide as precursors. The mole ratio of metal precursor: solvent: organic solvent was 1:60:4. The obtained gels of Sb{sub 2-x}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 3} were annealed to complete the synthesis at 773 K for 2 h under nitrogen atmosphere. Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3}, Sb{sub 1.6}Bi{sub 0.4}Te{sub 3}, and SbBiTe{sub 3} compounds were observed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) as main phases in samples with x = 0–0.2, 0.4–0.6, and 0.8–1.0, respectively. An increase in the lattice parameter a suggested an expansion of unit cells, due to the substitution of Bi in Sb crystallographic positions. The morphology, as revealed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images, is one of aligned hexagonal nanosheets, while the Selected Area Diffraction (SAD) patterns matched well with the phases characterized by XRD. - Highlights: • Sb{sub 2-x}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 3} (x = 0.0–1.0) hexagonal nanosheets were prepared by sol–gel method. • It is the simple and economic method with the first time reported for these structures. • High crystallinity hexagonal nanosheets were oriented into small bundles form. • It is expected to have a high ZT value at room temperature.

  3. Preparation, microstructure and thermal properties of Mg−Bi alloys as phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Dong; Sun, Zheng; Li, Yuanyuan; Cheng, Xiaomin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The microstructure and thermal properties of Mg−Bi alloys are determined. • The relationship between melting enthalpies and phase composition are studied. • The activation energy of Mg−54%Bi alloy is calculated by multiple DSC technology. • Mg−54%Bi alloy is proposed as a phase change material at high (>420 °C) temperature. - Abstract: Comparing with Al-based phase change material, Mg-based phase change material is getting more and more attention due to its high corrosion resistance with encapsulation materials based on iron. This study focuses on the characterization of Mg−36%Bi, Mg−54%Bi and Mg−60%Bi (wt. %) alloys as phase change materials for thermal energy storage at high temperature. The phase compositions, microstructure and phase change temperatures were investigated by X-ray diffusion (XRD), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis, respectively. The results indicates that the microstructure of Mg−36%Bi and Mg−54%Bi alloys are mainly composed of α-Mg matrix and α-Mg + Mg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases, Mg−60%Bi alloy are mainly composed of the Mg_3Bi_2 phase and α-MgMg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases. The melting enthalpies of Mg−36%Bi, Mg−54%Bi and Mg−60%Bi alloys are 138.2, 180.5 and 48.7 J/g, with the phase change temperatures of 547.6, 546.3 and 548.1 °C, respectively. The Mg−54%Bi alloy has the highest melting enthalpy in three alloys. The main reason may be that it has more proportion of α-Mg + Mg_3Bi_2 eutectic phases. The thermal expansion of three alloys increases with increasing temperature. The values of the thermal conductivity decrease with increasing Bi content. Besides, the activation energy of Mg−54%Bi was calculated by multiple DSC technology.

  4. Non radiative decay of Mn2+ emission in LnMB5O10:Bi,Mn (M = Mg,Cd,Zn)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jagannathan, R.; Rao, R.P.; Kutty, T.R.N.

    1990-01-01

    The family of lanthanide magnesium pentaborates with Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) as activators are efficient phosphor materials, Mn(2+) emission in these hosts in a subject of intensive investigation owing to its inexpensiveness. The energy transfer process from various sensitizers such as Bi(3+), Ce(3+), and Sb(3+) to Mn(2+) in these hosts have been studied in detail. The non radiative decay of Mn 2+ emission in these hosts is detailed in this paper

  5. Surface quantum oscillations and weak antilocalization effect in topological insulator (Bi0.3Sb0.7)2Te3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urkude, Rajashri; Rawat, Rajeev; Palikundwar, Umesh

    2018-04-01

    In 3D topological insulators, achieving a genuine bulk-insulating state is an important topic of research. The material system (Bi,Sb)2(Te,Se)3 has been proposed as a topological insulator with high resistivity and low carrier concentration. Topological insulators are predicted to present interesting surface transport phenomena but their experimental studies have been hindered by metallic bulk conduction that overwhelms the surface transport. Here we present a study of the bulk-insulating properties of (Bi0.3Sb0.7)2Te3. We show that a high resistivity exceeding 1 Ωm as a result of variable-range hopping behavior of state and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations as coming from the topological surface state. We have been able to clarify both the bulk and surface transport channels, establishing a comprehensive understanding of the transport properties in this material. Our results demonstrate that (Bi0.3Sb0.7)2Te3 is a good material for studying the surface quantum transport in a topological insulator.

  6. Strain mediated magnetoelectric coupling induced in (x) Bi{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3}-(1−x) MgFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manjusha [Smart Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India); Yadav, K.L., E-mail: klyadav35@yahoo.com [Smart Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667 (India); Adhlakha, Nidhi [Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, Area Science Park, I-34012 Trieste (Italy); Shah, Jyoti; Kotnala, R.K. [CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India)

    2017-06-01

    Particulate composites of ferroelectric and ferrite phases having general formula (x)Bi{sub 0.5}Na{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3}-(1−x)MgFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (x=0, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 and 1.0), equivalently denoted as (x)BNT-(1−x)MgFO were synthesized by solid state reaction method. From X-ray diffraction analysis, the structural transformation from tetragonal to rhombohedral corresponding to BNT phase was observed in composites with x=0.5 to x=0.8. Shifting of (012) BNT peak towards left (x=0.5, 0.8) and right side (x=0.6, 0.7) observed due to occupation of Bi{sup 3+} ions at interstitial and substitutional sites into host MgFO lattice respectively. BNT produced strain in MgFO lattice. Scanning electron micrographs show closely packed microstructure with grain size variations from 0.62 to 2.90 µm. The value of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling coefficient increases from 2.42 (x=0.5) to 4.79 (x=0.8) mV/cm. Oe due to strain produced in MgFO and BNT lattices.

  7. Ternary rare-earth bismuthides RE5SiBi2 and RE5GeBi2 (RE=La-Nd, Gd-Er): Stabilization of the β-Yb5Sb3-type structure through tetrel substitution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barry, Stephen D.; Tkachuk, Andriy V.; Bie, Haiying; Blanchard, Peter E.R.; Mar, Arthur

    2011-01-01

    Ternary bismuthides RE 5 TtBi 2 containing rare-earth (RE=La-Nd, Gd-Er) and tetrel (Tt=Si, Ge) atoms have been prepared by arc-melting of the elements followed by annealing at 800 o C. They adopt the β-Yb 5 Sb 3 -type structure (Pearson symbol oP32, space group Pnma, Z=4), as revealed through analysis by single-crystal X-ray diffraction on Ce 5 Si 0.869(4) Bi 2.131(4) and powder X-ray diffraction on Ce 5 GeBi 2 . Cell parameters for the entire series lie in the ranges of a=12.8-11.8 A, b=9.6-9.0 A, and c=8.4-7.9 A. Solid solubility in Ce 5 Si x Bi 3-x and Pr 5 Si x Bi 3-x (approximately 0.9≤x≤1.2, depending on the RE member) is much more limited compared to the antimonides, consistent with a highly ordered structure in which the two possible anion sites are essentially segregated into a smaller one occupied by Tt atoms (CN7) and a larger one occupied by Bi atoms (CN9). Band structure calculations on La 5 SiBi 2 confirm the importance of La-La bonding interactions near the Fermi level. X-ray photoelectron spectra support the presence of partially anionic Bi atoms, as indicated by a small negative binding energy shift relative to elemental Bi. The Ce and Pr members undergo magnetic transitions at low temperatures, possibly involving ferromagnetic interactions, that are strongly influenced by the nature of the Tt atom. -- Graphical Abstract: Tetrel (Si or Ge) and Bi atoms are arranged in an ordered manner in the β-Yb 5 Sb 3 -type structure adopted by RE 5 TtBi 2 . Display Omitted

  8. The Influence of Growth Temperature on Sb Incorporation in InAsSb, and the Temperature-dependent Impact of Bi Surfactants

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    temperature was set to give a beam equivalent pressure ( BEP ) of 4.8x10-7 Torr, as measured in this configuration. 10 4 We have shown in prior...to the value needed to grow lattice matched InAsSb on GaSb without using Bi surfactant at 415 C. The In growth rate was 1 m/hr. The Sb BEP was...1.2x10-7 Torr and the As BEP was 5.71x10-7 Torr. The absolute flux of all the constituents and the V/III ratios were kept constant for both layers of

  9. Electrodeposition of textured Bi27Sb28Te45 nanowires with enhanced electrical conductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasan, Maksudul; Gautam, Devendraprakash; Enright, Ryan

    2016-01-01

    This work presents the template based pulsed potential electrodeposition technique of highly textured single crystalline bismuth antimony telluride (Bi 1-x Sb x ) 2 Te 3 nanowires from a single aqueous electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry was used as an electroanalytical tool to assess the effect of the precursor concentrations on the composition of the deposits and to determine the deposition potential for each element. Pulsed potential electrodeposition was then applied on a gold-coated anodised alumina template to examine the effect of the pulse parameters on the composition and texture of Bi 27 Sb 28 Te 45 nanowires. The nanowires are cylindrical in shape formed during the deposition inside the porous template and highly textured as they are decorated with sparse distribution of small crystal domains. The electrical conductivity (24.1 × 10 4  S m −1 ) of a single nanowire was measured using a four-point probe technique implemented on a custom fabricated test chip. In this work, we demonstrated that crystal orientation with respect to the transport direction controlled by tuning the pulsed electrodeposition parameters. This allowed us to realise electrical conductivities ∼2.5 times larger than Sb doped bismuth-tellurium based ternary material systems and similar to what is typically seen in binary systems. - Highlights: • Pulsed electrodeposition is described towards fabrication of (Bi 1-x Sb x ) 2 Te 3 nanowires. • The adopted method is compatible with existing CMOS process. • The nanowires were fabricated as highly textured to enhance phonon scattering. • The electrical conductivity is ∼2.5 times larger than the current ternary materials.

  10. Phase equilibria and P-T-X(Fe-Mg relations involving Gl-St-Cd-Als-Bi-Mu-Oz-Kfs-H2O in medium-high grade metapelites (KFASH, KMASH and KFMASH sistems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martínez, F. J.

    1989-12-01

    Full Text Available In different areas of the Hercynian in the Iberian Peninsula some reactions are repeatedly observed in pelites, these reactions are: Staurolite + muscovite + quartz = Biotite+ Al2SiO5+ H2O Garnet + muscovite = Al2SiO5+ biotite+ quartzBiotite + Al2SiO5 + quartz = Cordierite + K feldspar+Hp In order to examinate the P-T stability fields of these, and other similar reactions, aH the univariant equilibria in multisystems with Gt-Cd-St-Bi-Mu-Als-Qz-HP, Gt-St-Bi-Mu-Fk-AIs-QzHp and Cd-St-Bi-Mu-Fk-AIs-Qz-H2O in Kp-FeO-AI2O r SiO2-H2O (KFASH system have been calculated, and their corresponding P-T grids have been constructed. The expansion of these reactions into divariant surfaces through the P-T-X (Fe-Mg space was made by studying the assemblage Gt-Cd-St-Bi-Mu-Fk-AIs-Qz-HP in K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (KFMASH with a Fe/Fe+Mg relationship Gt > St > Bi > Cd such as observed in most of natural pelites. A resultant grid was obtained by combining those obtained in the aboye systerns. This grid has been P-T located for PH20 = P19 near QFM buffer, and excess muscovite and quartz conditions Reaction slopes in this grid were calculated within different P-T surroundings from thermodynamic data as weH as by considering the existing experimental data. In addition to the stability fields of reactions the P-T-XFe-Mg theoric relations for three univariant and thirteen divariant reactions have been obtained. The grid confirms the imposibility of staurolite-K feldspar and Garnet-Cordierite-Muscovite coexistence, as weH as the extension of the stability fields for Garnet-Staurolite, Cordierite-Staurolite and Garnet-Cordierite assemblages in muscovite-poor metapelites.En rocas metapelíticas de diversas áreas en el Hercínico de la Península Ibérica se observan a menudo las siguientes reacciones: Estaurolita + moscovita + cuarzo = biotita + Al2SiO5+ H2OGranate + moscovita = Al2SiO5 + biotita ± cuarzo Biotita + Al2SiO5 + cuarzo = cordierita + feldespato pot

  11. Estimation of Bi induced changes in the direct E{sub 0} band gap of III–V-Bi alloys and comparison with experimental data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Samajdar, D.P., E-mail: dipprakash010@gmail.com; Dhar, S.

    2016-03-01

    Quantum dielectric Theory (QDT) is used to explain the band gap bowing effect observed in III–V-Bismides such as InSb{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}, InAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}, InP{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}, GaSb{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}, GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} and GaP{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x.} The dependence of the direct E{sub 0} band gap for these alloys on Bi mole fraction is calculated using QDT which requires the evaluation of the bowing parameter c. The bowing parameter gives the deviation of the direct E{sub 0} band gap from the linear relationship of E{sub 0} with Bi mole fraction. The band gap reduction values obtained using QDT are compared with those calculated using Virtual Crystal approximation (VCA) and Valence Band Anticrossing (VBAC) model as well as with the reported experimental data and the results of the comparison shows excellent agreement.

  12. Amorphous-to-crystalline transition in Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub (2-x)}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 11} phase-change materials for data recording

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Svoboda, Roman, E-mail: roman.svoboda@upce.cz [Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Karabyn, Vasyl [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Málek, Jiří [Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Frumar, Miloslav [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Beneš, Ludvík; Vlček, Milan [Joint Laboratory of Solid State Chemistry of Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i. and the University of Pardubice 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic)

    2016-07-25

    Structural and thermokinetic analyses were used to study the crystallization behavior of Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub (2-x)}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 11}thin films, promising materials for phase-change memory recording applications. By exploring the full compositional range, it was found that the Sb→Bi substitution leads to a decrease of crystallization enthalpy and activation energy of the main crystallization phase-change process. These trends were explained in terms of the changing structural ordering within the recently proposed new phase-change atomic switching mechanism. All of the compositions exhibited very similar transformation kinetics, confirming the uniformity of the phase-change mechanisms involved. It was further shown that rapid energy delivery achieved during heating, in the case of all investigated materials, leads to a transition from the classical nucleation/growth-based formation of 3D crystallites towards an autocatalytic phase-change process with an enormously increased speed of crystallization. Rapidity of the crystallization process was quantified for all of the studied compositions based on a novel Index of Crystallization Rapidity criterion – the results provided by this criterion showed that the highest crystallization speed was produced by the Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 0.8}Bi{sub 1.2}Te{sub 11} composition, which therefore from this point of view appears to be a suitable candidate for the new generation of phase-change memory recording devices. - Highlights: • Crystallization behavior of Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub (2-x)}Bi{sub x}Te{sub 11} thin films was studied by DSC. • SbBi substitution leads to a decrease of crystallization enthalpy and activation energy. • All compositions exhibited very similar transformation kinetics. • Rapidity of the crystallization process was quantified for the studied compositions. • Highest crystallization speed was produced by the Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 0.8}Bi{sub 1.2}Te{sub 11} composition.

  13. Fermi surfaces of the pyrite-type cubic AuSb2 compared with split Fermi surfaces of the ullmannite-type cubic chiral NiSbS and PdBiSe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishimura, K.; Kakihana, M.; Nakamura, A.; Aoki, D.; Harima, H.; Hedo, M.; Nakama, T.; Ōnuki, Y.

    2018-05-01

    We grew high-quality single crystals of AuSb2 with the pyrite (FeS2)-type cubic structure by the Bridgman method and studied the Fermi surface properties by the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) experiment and the full potential LAPW band calculation. The Fermi surfaces of AuSb2 are found to be similar to those of NiSbS and PdBiSe with the ullmannite (NiSbS)-type cubic chiral structure because the crystal structures are similar each other and the number of valence electrons is the same between two different compounds. Note that each Fermi surface splits into two Fermi surfaces in NiSbS and PdBiSe, reflecting the non-centrosymmetric crystal structure.

  14. Thermal Stability of Zone Melting p-Type (Bi, Sb)2Te3 Ingots and Comparison with the Corresponding Powder Metallurgy Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Chengpeng; Fan, Xi'an; Hu, Jie; Feng, Bo; Xiang, Qiusheng; Li, Guangqiang; Li, Yawei; He, Zhu

    2018-04-01

    During the past few decades, Bi2Te3-based alloys have been investigated extensively because of their promising application in the area of low temperature waste heat thermoelectric power generation. However, their thermal stability must be evaluated to explore the appropriate service temperature. In this work, the thermal stability of zone melting p-type (Bi, Sb)2Te3-based ingots was investigated under different annealing treatment conditions. The effect of service temperature on the thermoelectric properties and hardness of the samples was also discussed in detail. The results showed that the grain size, density, dimension size and mass remained nearly unchanged when the service temperature was below 523 K, which suggested that the geometry size of zone melting p-type (Bi, Sb)2Te3-based materials was stable below 523 K. The power factor and Vickers hardness of the ingots also changed little and maintained good thermal stability. Unfortunately, the thermal conductivity increased with increasing annealing temperature, which resulted in an obvious decrease of the zT value. In addition, the thermal stabilities of the zone melting p-type (Bi, Sb)2Te3-based materials and the corresponding powder metallurgy samples were also compared. All evidence implied that the thermal stabilities of the zone-melted (ZMed) p-type (Bi, Sb)2Te3 ingots in terms of crystal structure, geometry size, power factor (PF) and hardness were better than those of the corresponding powder metallurgy samples. However, their thermal stabilities in terms of zT values were similar under different annealing temperatures.

  15. Atomic-scale microstructures, Raman spectra and dielectric properties of cubic pyrochlore-typed Bi1.5MgNb1.5O7 dielectric ceramics

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Yangyang

    2014-07-01

    Single-phase cubic pyrochlore-typed Bi1.5MgNb 1.5O7 (BMN) dielectric ceramics were synthesized at temperatures of 1050-1200 °C by solid-state reaction method. Their atomic-scale microstructures and dielectric properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the BMN ceramics had an average cubic pyrochlore structure, whereas the Raman spectra indicated that they had an essentially cubic symmetry with small local deviations at the A and O\\' sites of the cubic pyrochlore structure. This was confirmed by selected electron area diffraction (SAED) patterns, where the reflections of {442} (not allowed in the cubic pyrochlore with Fd3̄m symmetry) were clearly observed. SEM and TEM images revealed that the average grain size was increased with the sintering temperature, and an un-homogeneous grain growth was observed at high temperatures. HRTEM images and SAED patterns revealed the single-crystalline nature of the BMN ceramic grains. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping studies indicated that the compositional distributions of Bi, Mg, Nb and O elements in the ceramic grains were homogenous, and no elemental precipitation was observed at the grain boundary. Quantitative EDS data on ceramic grains revealed the expected cationic stoichiometry based on the initial composition of Bi1.5MgNb1.5O7. Dielectric constants of all the BMN samples exhibited almost frequency independent characteristic in the frequency range of 102-106 Hz, and the highest value was 195 for the BMN ceramics sintered at sintered at 1150 °C with the highest bulk density. The dielectric losses were stable and less than 0.002 in the frequency range of 102-105 Hz. The high dielectric constants of the present BMN samples can be ascribed to the local atomic deviations at the A and O\\' sites from the ideal atomic positions of the pyrochlore structure, which affect the different polarization mechanisms in the BMN ceramics, and which in turn enhance the dielectric

  16. Atomic-scale microstructures, Raman spectra and dielectric properties of cubic pyrochlore-typed Bi1.5MgNb1.5O7 dielectric ceramics

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Yangyang; Zhu, Xinhua; Al-Kassab, Talaat

    2014-01-01

    Single-phase cubic pyrochlore-typed Bi1.5MgNb 1.5O7 (BMN) dielectric ceramics were synthesized at temperatures of 1050-1200 °C by solid-state reaction method. Their atomic-scale microstructures and dielectric properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the BMN ceramics had an average cubic pyrochlore structure, whereas the Raman spectra indicated that they had an essentially cubic symmetry with small local deviations at the A and O' sites of the cubic pyrochlore structure. This was confirmed by selected electron area diffraction (SAED) patterns, where the reflections of {442} (not allowed in the cubic pyrochlore with Fd3̄m symmetry) were clearly observed. SEM and TEM images revealed that the average grain size was increased with the sintering temperature, and an un-homogeneous grain growth was observed at high temperatures. HRTEM images and SAED patterns revealed the single-crystalline nature of the BMN ceramic grains. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping studies indicated that the compositional distributions of Bi, Mg, Nb and O elements in the ceramic grains were homogenous, and no elemental precipitation was observed at the grain boundary. Quantitative EDS data on ceramic grains revealed the expected cationic stoichiometry based on the initial composition of Bi1.5MgNb1.5O7. Dielectric constants of all the BMN samples exhibited almost frequency independent characteristic in the frequency range of 102-106 Hz, and the highest value was 195 for the BMN ceramics sintered at sintered at 1150 °C with the highest bulk density. The dielectric losses were stable and less than 0.002 in the frequency range of 102-105 Hz. The high dielectric constants of the present BMN samples can be ascribed to the local atomic deviations at the A and O' sites from the ideal atomic positions of the pyrochlore structure, which affect the different polarization mechanisms in the BMN ceramics, and which in turn enhance the dielectric constants of

  17. Thermal Stability of P-Type BiSbTe Alloys Prepared by Melt Spinning and Rapid Sintering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Zheng

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available P-type BiSbTe alloys have been widely implemented in waste heat recovery from low-grade heat sources below 600 K, which may involve assorted environments and conditions, such as long-term service, high-temperature exposure (generally 473–573 K and mechanical forces. It is important to evaluate the service performance of these materials in order to prevent possible failures in advance and extend the life cycle. In this study, p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 commercial zone-melting (ZM ingots were processed by melt spinning and subsequent plasma-activated sintering (MS-PAS, and were then subjected to vacuum-annealing at 473 and 573 K, respectively, for one week. The results show that MS-PAS samples exhibit excellent thermal stability when annealed at 473 K. However, thermal annealing at 573 K for MS-PAS specimens leads to the distinct sublimation of the element Te, which degrades the hole concentration remarkably and results in inferior thermoelectric performance. Furthermore, MS-PAS samples annealed at 473 K demonstrate a slight enhancement in flexural and compressive strengths, probably due to the reduction of residual stress induced during the sintering process. The current work guides the reliable application of p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 compounds prepared by the MS-PAS technique.

  18. Defect properties of Sb- and Bi-doped CuInSe{sub 2}: The effect of the deep lone-pair s states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Ji-Sang; Yang, Ji-Hui; Ramanathan, Kannan; Wei, Su-Huai, E-mail: Suhuai.Wei@nrel.gov [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States)

    2014-12-15

    Bi or Sb doping has been used to make better material properties of polycrystalline Cu{sub 2}(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} as solar cell absorbers, including the experimentally observed improved electrical properties. However, the mechanism is still not clear. Using first-principles method, we investigate the stability and electronic structure of Bi- and Sb-related defects in CuInSe{sub 2} and study their effects on the doping efficiency. Contrary to previous thinking that Bi or Sb substituted on the anion site, we find that under anion-rich conditions, the impurities can substitute on cation sites and are isovalent to In because of the formation of the impurity lone pair s states. When the impurities substitute for Cu, the defects act as shallow double donors and help remove the deep In{sub Cu} level, thus resulting in the improved carrier life time. On the other hand, under anion-poor conditions, impurities at the Se site create amphoteric deep levels that are detrimental to the device performance.

  19. Solvothermal synthesis and analysis of Bi1-xSbx nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sumithra, S.; Misra, D.K.; Wei, C.; Gabrisch, H.; Poudeu, P.F.P.; Stokes, K.L.

    2011-01-01

    Bismuth-antimony alloy nanoparticles have been synthesized by a facile solvothermal method using N,N-dimethylformamide and ethylene glycol as solvent/reducing agent; BiCl 3 , SbCl 3 and Bi(NO 3 ) 3 as precursors; and citric acid as a surface modifier/stabilizing agent. The particle size and size distribution of Bi nanoparticles were analyzed as a function of the synthesis conditions: molar ratio of precursor to surfactant, precursor concentration and reducing agent. Synthesis of Sb and Bi 0.88 Sb 0.12 under similar conditions was also investigated. The phase purity of nanoparticles was confirmed from X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry and the nanoparticle morphology was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. A case study of Bi nanoparticles with detailed analysis of the particle morphology and size distribution of the nanoparticles is reported.

  20. Structures and magnetic properties of rare earth double perovskites containing antimony or bismuth Ba{sub 2}LnMO{sub 6} (Ln=rare earths; M=Sb, Bi)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Otsuka, Shumpei, E-mail: m-nis-s-o@ec.hokudai.ac.jp; Hinatsu, Yukio

    2015-07-15

    A series of double perovskite-type oxides Ba{sub 2}LnMO{sub 6} (Ln=lanthanides; M=Sb, Bi) were synthesized and their structures were studied. The Ln and M are structurally ordered in the rock-salt type at the B-site of the perovskite ABO{sub 3}. For Ba{sub 2}PrBiO{sub 6} and Ba{sub 2}TbBiO{sub 6}, it has been found that the disordering between Ln ion and Bi ion occurs at the B-site of the double perovskite and both the Pr (Tb) and Bi exist in two oxidation state in the same compound from the analysis of the X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility data. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that all these compounds are paramagnetic and have no magnetic ordering down to 1.8 K. - Graphical abstract: Tolerance factor for Ba{sub 2}LnMO{sub 6} (M=Sb, Bi) plotted against the ionic radius of Ln{sup 3+}. We have found that there is a clear relation between crystal structures and tolerance factors. - Highlights: • The Ln and M ions are structurally ordered in the rock-salt type at the B-site. • The disordering between Pr (Tb) ion and Bi ion occurs at the B-site. • Ba{sub 2}LnMO{sub 6} (M=Sb, Bi) have no magnetic ordering down to 1.8 K.

  1. Effect of surface treatment of thermoelectric materials on the properties of thermoelements made from solid solutions of Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/-Bi/sub 2/Se/sub 3/ and Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/-Sb/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alieva, T.D.; Abdinov, D.Sh.; Salaev, Eh.Yu.

    1981-10-01

    Effect of surface treatment technology of samples of solid solutions of Ei/sub 2/Te/sub 3/-Bi/sub 2/Se/sub 3/ and Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/-Sb/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ systems on their thermoelectric efficiency is studied. Branches of thermoelements have been produced with the help of electroerosion or mechanical cutting of monocrystal ingots of semiconducting solid Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/-base solutions. It is shown that in case of the treatment of side surfaces of branches of thermoelements produced of monocrystals of Bi/sub 2/Te/sub 3/ base solid solutions their thermoelectrical efficiency grows considerably. Maximum growth of efficiency (approximately 20%) is observed during mechanical grinding of branches surfaces with diamond paste with the following chemical or electrochemical etching.

  2. Formation of Dense Pore Structure by Te Addition in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3: An Approach to Minimize Lattice Thermal Conductivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Waqar Hasan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We herein report the electronic and thermal transport properties of p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 polycrystalline bulks with dense pore structure. Dense pore structure was fabricated by vaporization of residual Te during the pressureless annealing of spark plasma sintered bulks of Te coated Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 powders. The lattice thermal conductivity was effectively reduced to the value of 0.35 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K mainly due to the phonon scattering by pores, while the power factor was not significantly affected. An enhanced ZT of 1.24 at 300 K was obtained in spark plasma sintered and annealed bulks of 3 wt.% Te coated Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 by these synergetic effects.

  3. Evaluation of the effect of Bi, Sb, Sr and cooling condition on eutectic phases in an Al–Si–Cu alloy (ADC12) by in situ thermal analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farahany, S.; Ourdjini, A.; Idrsi, M.H.; Shabestari, S.G.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Combined effect of Bi, Sb and Sr additions, and cooling condition was evaluated. • Two different scenarios of recalecense in response to cooling rate were observed. • Fraction solid increased in the order of Sr > Bi > Sb, corresponds to Si morphologies. • Only Bi decreased the nucleation temperature of Al 2 Cu eutectic phase. - Abstract: Al–Si and Al–Cu eutectic phases strongly affect the properties of Al–Si–Cu cast alloys. The characteristic parameters of these two eutectic phases with addition of bismuth, antimony and strontium under different cooling rates (0.6–2 °C/s) were investigated in ADC12 alloy using in situ thermal analysis. Results show that additives affect the Al–Si phase more than the Al–Cu (Al 2 Cu) phase. Addition elements showed two different scenarios in response to cooling rate in terms of recalescence of the Al–Si eutectic phase. Both Bi and Sb caused an increase in recalescence with increased cooling rate but Sr addition reduced the recalescence. Additions of Sb and Sr increased the nucleation temperature of Al 2 Cu, but addition of Bi produced an opposite effect. There seems to be relationship between the solidification temperature range and fraction solid of Al–Si and Al 2 Cu eutectic phases. As the cooling rate increases the fraction solid of Al–Si decreased and that of Al 2 Cu increased

  4. Slurry sampling flow injection chemical vapor generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the determination of trace Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Wei-Ni [Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China); Jiang, Shiuh-Jen, E-mail: sjjiang@faculty.nsysu.edu.tw [Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan (China); Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan (China); Chen, Yen-Ling [Department of Fragrance and Cosmetic Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan (China); Sahayam, A.C. [National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials (CCCM), Hyderabad (India)

    2015-02-20

    Highlights: • Determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions in a single run. • Accurate analysis using isotope dilution and standard addition methods. • Vapor generation ICP-MS yielded superior detection limits compared to ETV-ICP-MS. • No sample dissolution increased sample through put. • Analysis of GBW09305 Cosmetic (Cream) reference material for accuracy. - Abstract: A slurry sampling inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method has been developed for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions using flow injection (FI) vapor generation (VG) as the sample introduction system. A slurry containing 2% m/v lotion, 2% m/v thiourea, 0.05% m/v L-cysteine, 0.5 μg mL{sup −1} Co(II), 0.1% m/v Triton X-100 and 1.2% v/v HCl was injected into a VG-ICP-MS system for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi without dissolution and mineralization. Because the sensitivities of the analytes in the slurry and that of aqueous solution were quite different, an isotope dilution method and a standard addition method were used for the determination. This method has been validated by the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in GBW09305 Cosmetic (Cream) reference material. The method was also applied for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in three cosmetic lotion samples obtained locally. The analysis results of the reference material agreed with the certified value and/or ETV-ICP-MS results. The detection limit estimated from the standard addition curve was 0.025, 0.1, 0.2, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.03 ng g{sup −1} for Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi, respectively, in original cosmetic lotion sample.

  5. Slurry sampling flow injection chemical vapor generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the determination of trace Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Wei-Ni; Jiang, Shiuh-Jen; Chen, Yen-Ling; Sahayam, A.C.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions in a single run. • Accurate analysis using isotope dilution and standard addition methods. • Vapor generation ICP-MS yielded superior detection limits compared to ETV-ICP-MS. • No sample dissolution increased sample through put. • Analysis of GBW09305 Cosmetic (Cream) reference material for accuracy. - Abstract: A slurry sampling inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method has been developed for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in cosmetic lotions using flow injection (FI) vapor generation (VG) as the sample introduction system. A slurry containing 2% m/v lotion, 2% m/v thiourea, 0.05% m/v L-cysteine, 0.5 μg mL −1 Co(II), 0.1% m/v Triton X-100 and 1.2% v/v HCl was injected into a VG-ICP-MS system for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi without dissolution and mineralization. Because the sensitivities of the analytes in the slurry and that of aqueous solution were quite different, an isotope dilution method and a standard addition method were used for the determination. This method has been validated by the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in GBW09305 Cosmetic (Cream) reference material. The method was also applied for the determination of Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi in three cosmetic lotion samples obtained locally. The analysis results of the reference material agreed with the certified value and/or ETV-ICP-MS results. The detection limit estimated from the standard addition curve was 0.025, 0.1, 0.2, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.03 ng g −1 for Ge, As, Cd, Sb, Hg and Bi, respectively, in original cosmetic lotion sample

  6. The role of bismuth on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of ternary Mg–1.2Ca–xBi alloys for biomedical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tok, H.Y.; Hamzah, E., E-mail: Esah@fkm.utm.my; Bakhsheshi-Rad, H.R.

    2015-08-15

    Highlights: • Secondary phases have a significant effect on corrosion properties of the alloys. • Microstructure of Mg–Ca–xBi was refined significantly after Bi addition. • Addition of 0.5 wt.% Bi to Mg–Ca alloy leads to increase corrosion resistance. • Microstructure analysis showed needle-shaped precipitates at the grain boundaries. - Abstract: In this study the influence of various Bi additions on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of the Mg–1.2Ca–xBi alloys (x = 0.5, 1.5, 3, 5, 12 wt.%) were evaluated by using optical and scanning electron microscopy, immersion and electrochemical tests. Microstructural observations showed that the refinement efficiency became more pronounced with increased Bi amount. Microstructural results of Mg–1.2Ca–xBi (x = 0.5, 1.5, and 3) indicated that the formation of three distinct phases—namely α-Mg, Mg{sub 2}Ca and Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2}. However, further addition of Bi to 5 and 12 wt.% leads to evolution of α-Mg, Mg{sub 3}Bi{sub 2}, and Mg{sub 2}Bi{sub 2}Ca phases. The addition of Bi up to 0.5 wt.% enhanced corrosion resistance while further addition from 1.5 to 12 wt.% accelerated the degradation rate because of the emergence of more galvanic coupling between the α-Mg phases and secondary phases. The analyses showed that the Mg–1.2Ca–0.5Bi alloy gives the best corrosion resistance behavior, which makes it ideal for biodegradable medical applications.

  7. Effect of antimony concentration on structural and transport properties of (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} mixed crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malik, K.; Das, Diptasikha; Bandyopadhyay, S.; Banerjee, S.; Banerjee, Aritra, E-mail: aritrabanerjee.cu@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, 92 A P C Road, Kolkata-700009 (India)

    2015-06-24

    Polycrystalline (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} (0.60≤x≤0.68) alloys have been synthesized by solid state reaction method. Structural characterizations have been done using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Lattice parameter decreases with antimony (Sb) concentration. Sb doping leads to the modification in band structure and Fermi surface geometry. Band gap calculated from thermal variation of resistivity (ρ-T) data, decreases with Sb concentration. Sb concentration dependent power factor near room temperature have been calculated from obtained resistivity and thermopower data. Highest power factor obtained for (Bi{sub 0.40}Sb{sub 0.60}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloy.

  8. Positron annihilation in Bi1.8Sb0.2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Feng; Zheng Shennan; Zhang Suqun

    1992-01-01

    The positron lifetime and Doppler broadening line-shape parameter are measured as a function of the temperature from 78 K to 300 K for the Bi 1.8 Sb 0.2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor. A decrease of both lifetime and S parameter is observed across T c . This can be interpreted by the theory of local charge transferring from the CuO layer to the BiO layer during superconducting transition. In the temperature region of normal state two anomalies are found around 165 K and 235 K. The possible origin of the observed anomalies is discussed

  9. MgATP-concentration dependence of protection of yeast vacuolar V-ATPase from inactivation by 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole supports a bi-site catalytic mechanism of ATP hydrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milgrom, Elena M.; Milgrom, Yakov M.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► MgATP protects V-ATPase from inactivation by 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole. ► V-ATPase activity saturation with MgATP is not sufficient for complete protection. ► The results support a bi-site catalytic mechanism for V-ATPase. -- Abstract: Catalytic site occupancy of the yeast vacuolar V-ATPase during ATP hydrolysis in the presence of an ATP-regenerating system was probed using sensitivity of the enzyme to inhibition by 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-Cl). The results show that, regardless of the presence or absence of the proton-motive force across the vacuolar membrane, saturation of V-ATPase activity at increasing MgATP concentrations is accompanied by only partial protection of the enzyme from inhibition by NBD-Cl. Both in the presence and absence of an uncoupler, complete protection of V-ATPase from inhibition by NBD-Cl requires MgATP concentrations that are significantly higher than those expected from the K m values for MgATP. The results are inconsistent with a tri-site model and support a bi-site model for a mechanism of ATP hydrolysis by V-ATPase.

  10. Evidence of β-antimonene at the Sb/Bi2Se3 interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flammini, Roberto; Colonna, Stefano; Hogan, Conor; Mahatha, Sanjoy; Papagno, Marco; Barla, Alessandro; Sheverdyaeva, Polina; Moras, Paolo; Aliev, Ziya; Babanly, M B; Chulkov, Evgueni V; Carbone, Carlo; Ronci, Fabio

    2017-12-19

    We report a study of the interface between antimony and the prototypical topological insulator Sb/Bi2Se3. Scanning tunnelling microscopy measurements show the presence of ordered domains displaying a perfect lattice match with bismuth selenide. Density functional theory calculations of the most stable atomic configurations demonstrate that the ordered domains can be attributed to stacks of β-antimonene. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  11. Exotic topological insulator states and topological phase transitions in Sb2Se3-Bi2Se3 heterostructures

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qianfan; Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhu, Zhiyong; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Cui, Yi

    2012-01-01

    in controlling the electronic properties of semiconductor devices, are interesting for topological insulators. Here, we studied the spatial distribution of the topological state in Sb 2Se 3-Bi 2Se 3 heterostructures by first-principle simulation and discovered

  12. Evaluation of the effect of Bi, Sb, Sr and cooling condition on eutectic phases in an Al–Si–Cu alloy (ADC12) by in situ thermal analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farahany, S., E-mail: saeedfarahany@gmail.com [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Johor Bahru (Malaysia); Ourdjini, A.; Idrsi, M.H. [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310 Johor Bahru (Malaysia); Shabestari, S.G. [Center of Excellence for High Strength Alloys Technology (CEHSAT), School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), 16846-13114 Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2013-05-10

    Highlights: • Combined effect of Bi, Sb and Sr additions, and cooling condition was evaluated. • Two different scenarios of recalecense in response to cooling rate were observed. • Fraction solid increased in the order of Sr > Bi > Sb, corresponds to Si morphologies. • Only Bi decreased the nucleation temperature of Al{sub 2}Cu eutectic phase. - Abstract: Al–Si and Al–Cu eutectic phases strongly affect the properties of Al–Si–Cu cast alloys. The characteristic parameters of these two eutectic phases with addition of bismuth, antimony and strontium under different cooling rates (0.6–2 °C/s) were investigated in ADC12 alloy using in situ thermal analysis. Results show that additives affect the Al–Si phase more than the Al–Cu (Al{sub 2}Cu) phase. Addition elements showed two different scenarios in response to cooling rate in terms of recalescence of the Al–Si eutectic phase. Both Bi and Sb caused an increase in recalescence with increased cooling rate but Sr addition reduced the recalescence. Additions of Sb and Sr increased the nucleation temperature of Al{sub 2}Cu, but addition of Bi produced an opposite effect. There seems to be relationship between the solidification temperature range and fraction solid of Al–Si and Al{sub 2}Cu eutectic phases. As the cooling rate increases the fraction solid of Al–Si decreased and that of Al{sub 2}Cu increased.

  13. Synthesis, crystal structure, and physical properties of the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} phases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forbes, Scott; Yuan, Fang [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1 (Canada); Kosuda, Kosuke; Kolodiazhnyi, Taras [Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Mozharivskyj, Yurij, E-mail: mozhar@mcmaster.ca [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1 (Canada)

    2016-01-15

    The second and third known rare-earth bismuthide oxides, Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, have been discovered via high temperature reactions at 1300 °C. Like its Gd–Sb–O counterparts, the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} phases crystallize in the monoclinic C2/m space group, with the latter containing disordered Bi atoms along the b direction of the unit cell. Unlike the RE{sub 8}Sb{sub 3}O{sub 8} series, the formation of the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} phase does not necessarily precede the formation of Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, which is likely due to the difficulty of accommodating bismuth in the RE–O framework due to its larger size. Physical property measurements performed on a pure Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} sample reveal semiconducting behavior. Although electronic structure calculations predict metallic behavior due to an unbalanced electron count, the semiconducting behavior originates from the Anderson localization of the Bi p states near the Fermi level as a result of atomic disorder. - Graphical abstract: Reaction of GdBi and Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} at high temperatures yields Gd–Bi–O phases. - Highlights: • Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, the second and third rare-earth bismuthide oxides, have been discovered. • Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} are isostructural with RE{sub 3}SbO{sub 3} and RE{sub 8}Sb{sub 3}O{sub 8}. • Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} displays semiconducting behavior despite an unbalanced electron count. • Anderson localization of Bi p states results in semiconducting behavior in Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}.

  14. Exotic topological insulator states and topological phase transitions in Sb2Se3-Bi2Se3 heterostructures

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Qianfan

    2012-03-27

    Topological insulator is a new state of matter attracting tremendous interest due to its gapless linear dispersion and spin momentum locking topological states located near the surface. Heterostructures, which have traditionally been powerful in controlling the electronic properties of semiconductor devices, are interesting for topological insulators. Here, we studied the spatial distribution of the topological state in Sb 2Se 3-Bi 2Se 3 heterostructures by first-principle simulation and discovered that an exotic topological state exists. Surprisingly, the state migrates from the nontrivial Bi 2Se 3 into the trivial Sb 2Se 3 region and spreads across the entire Sb 2Se 3 slab, extending beyond the concept of "surface" state while preserving all of the topological surface state characteristics. This unusual topological state arises from the coupling between different materials and the modification of electronic structure near Fermi energy. Our study demonstrates that heterostructures can open up opportunities for controlling the real-space distribution of the topological state and inducing quantum phase transitions between topologically trivial and nontrivial states. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  15. Influence of Element Substitution on Corrosion Behavior of Bi2Te3-Based Compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohri, Hitoshi; Yagasaki, Takayoshi

    2018-02-01

    Atmospheric water may condense on the surface of Bi2Te3-based compounds constituting the Peltier module, depending on the operating environment used. In the stage of disposal, Bi2Te3-based compounds may come into contact with water in waste disposal sites. There are very few publications about the influence of condensed water on Peltier modules. Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 or Bi2Te3-Bi2Se3 pseudo binary system compounds are used as p-type material or n-type material, respectively. The lattice distortion will be induced in the crystal of Bi2Te3-based compounds by element substitution due to the reduction in their thermal conductivity. However, the influence of element substitution on the corrosion behavior of Bi2Te3-based compounds remains unclear. In this study, the influence of element substitution on the corrosion behavior of Bi2Te3-based compounds with practical compositions has been investigated. Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 or Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 was prepared by the vertical Bridgman method. The electrochemical properties at room temperature were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry in a standard three-electrode cell. The working electrolyte was a naturally aerated 0.6 or 3.0 mass% NaCl solution. From the tendency for corrosion potential for all the samples, the corrosion sensitivity of ternary compounds was slightly higher than that of binary compounds. From the trend of current density, it was found that Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 had a corrosion resistance intermediate between Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3. On the other hand, corrosion resistance was affected despite a small amount of Se substitution, and the corrosion resistance of Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 was close to or lower than that of Bi2Se3. From the observation results of the corrosion products, the trends of morphology and composition of corrosion products for Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 or Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 were consistent with those of Sb2Te3 or Bi2Se3, respectively. From the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for the electrolyte after testing, the possibility that a

  16. Influence of Element Substitution on Corrosion Behavior of Bi2Te3-Based Compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohri, Hitoshi; Yagasaki, Takayoshi

    2018-06-01

    Atmospheric water may condense on the surface of Bi2Te3-based compounds constituting the Peltier module, depending on the operating environment used. In the stage of disposal, Bi2Te3-based compounds may come into contact with water in waste disposal sites. There are very few publications about the influence of condensed water on Peltier modules. Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 or Bi2Te3-Bi2Se3 pseudo binary system compounds are used as p-type material or n-type material, respectively. The lattice distortion will be induced in the crystal of Bi2Te3-based compounds by element substitution due to the reduction in their thermal conductivity. However, the influence of element substitution on the corrosion behavior of Bi2Te3-based compounds remains unclear. In this study, the influence of element substitution on the corrosion behavior of Bi2Te3-based compounds with practical compositions has been investigated. Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 or Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 was prepared by the vertical Bridgman method. The electrochemical properties at room temperature were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry in a standard three-electrode cell. The working electrolyte was a naturally aerated 0.6 or 3.0 mass% NaCl solution. From the tendency for corrosion potential for all the samples, the corrosion sensitivity of ternary compounds was slightly higher than that of binary compounds. From the trend of current density, it was found that Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 had a corrosion resistance intermediate between Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3. On the other hand, corrosion resistance was affected despite a small amount of Se substitution, and the corrosion resistance of Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 was close to or lower than that of Bi2Se3. From the observation results of the corrosion products, the trends of morphology and composition of corrosion products for Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 or Bi2Te2.85Se0.15 were consistent with those of Sb2Te3 or Bi2Se3, respectively. From the results of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for the electrolyte after testing, the possibility that a

  17. Synthesis and characterization of Bi{sub 1.56}Sb{sub 1.48}Co{sub 0.96}O{sub 7} pyrochlore sun-light-responsive photocatalyst

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naceur, Benhadria, E-mail: nacer1974@yahoo.fr [Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Application, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M.B), BP 1505, El M’naouar, 31000 Oran (Algeria); Abdelkader, Elaziouti, E-mail: elaziouti_a@yahoo.com [Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Application, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M.B), BP 1505, El M’naouar, 31000 Oran (Algeria); Dr Moulay Tahar University, Saida (Algeria); Nadjia, Laouedj, E-mail: nlaouedj@yahoo.fr [Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Application, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M.B), BP 1505, El M’naouar, 31000 Oran (Algeria); Dr Moulay Tahar University, Saida (Algeria); Sellami, Mayouf, E-mail: Mourad7dz@yahoo.fr [Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Application, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M.B), BP 1505, El M’naouar, 31000 Oran (Algeria); Noureddine, Bettahar, E-mail: nbettahar2001@yahoo.fr [Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry and Application, Department of Materials Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Oran (USTO M.B), BP 1505, El M’naouar, 31000 Oran (Algeria)

    2016-02-15

    Graphical abstract: Heterogeneous photo Fenton process with dye sensitized mechanism of RhB by Bi{sub 1.56}Sb{sub 1.48}Co{sub 0.96}O{sub 7} compound. - Highlights: • Bi{sub 1.56}Sb{sub 1.48}Co{sub 0.96}O{sub 7} (BSCO) catalyst was synthesized by improved solid state reaction method. • BSCO/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/UVA and BSCO/H{sub 2}O{sub 2}/SL catalyst systems exhibit excellent photocatalytic activities for rhodamine B. • The photocatalytic degradation was preceded via heterogeneous photo Fenton mechanism process. • ·OH radicals are the main reactive species for the degradation of RhB. - Abstract: Novel nanostructure pyrochlore Bi{sub 1.56}Sb{sub 1.48}Co{sub 0.96}O{sub 7} was successfully synthesized via solid state reaction method in air. The as-synthesized photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The results showed that the BSCO was crystallized with the pyrochlore-type structure, cubic crystal system and space group Fd3m. The average particle size and band gap for BSCO were D = 76.29 nm and E{sub g} = 1.50 eV respectively. Under the optimum conditions for discoloration of the dye: initial concentration of 20 mg L{sup −1} RhB, pH 7, 25 °C, 0.5 mL H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and BSCO/dye mass ration of 1 g L{sup −1}, 97.77 and 90.16% of RhB were removed with BSCO/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} photocatalytic system within 60 min of irradiation time under UVA- and SL irradiations respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model gave the best fit, with highest correlation coefficients (R{sup 2} ≥ 0.99). On the base of these results, the mechanism of the enhancement of the discoloration efficiency was discussed. .

  18. Structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of bi-alkali ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The structural parameters, elastic constants, electronic and optical properties of the bi-alkali ... and efficient method for the calculation of the ground-state ... Figure 2. Optimization curve (E–V) of the bi-alkali antimonides: (a) Na2KSb, (b) Na2RbSb, (c) Na2CsSb, .... ical shape of the charge distributions in the contour plots.

  19. Electrochemically deposited BiTe-based nano wires for thermoelectric applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inn-Khuan, N.; Kuan-Ying, K.; Che Zuraini Che Abdul Rahman; Nur Ubaidah Saidin; Suhaila Hani Ilias; Thye-Foo, C.

    2013-01-01

    Full-text: Nano structured materials systems such as thin-films and nano wires (NWs) are promising for thermoelectric power generation and refrigeration compared to traditional counterparts in bulk, due to their enhanced thermoelectric figures-of-merit. BiTe and its derivative compounds, in particular, are well-known for their near-room temperature thermoelectric performance. In this work, both the binary and ternary BiTe-based nano wires namely, BiTe and BiSbTe, were synthesized using template-assisted electrodeposition. Diameters of the nano wires were controlled by the pore sizes of the anodised alumina (AAO) templates used. Systematic study on the compositional change as a function of applied potential was carried out via Linear Sweep Voltametry (LSV). Chemical compositions of the nano wires were studied using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDXS) and their microstructures evaluated using diffraction and imaging techniques. Results from chemical analysis on the nano wires indicated that while the Sb content in BiSbTe nano wires increased with more negative deposition potentials, the formation of Te 0 and Bi 2 Te 3 were favorable at more positive potentials. (author)

  20. Homologous series of layered structures in binary and ternary Bi-Sb-Te-Se systems : Ab initio study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Govaerts, K.; Sluiter, M.H.F.; Partoens, B.; Lamoen, D.

    2014-01-01

    In order to account explicitly for the existence of long-periodic layered structures and the strong structural relaxations in the most common binary and ternary alloys of the Bi-Sb-Te-Se system, we have developed a one-dimensional cluster expansion (CE) based on first-principles electronic structure

  1. Bi209 alpha activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araujo Penna, M.M. de.

    1970-01-01

    The study for measuring Bi 209 alpha activity is presented. Ilford L4 nuclear emulsion pellicles loaded with bismuth citrate to obtain a load of 100 mg/cm 3 of dry emulsion, were prepared. Other pellicles were prepared with the same. Ilford L4 gel to estimate the background radiation. To observe 'fading' effect, pellicles loaded with bismuth were submitted to neutrons of high energy, aiming to record recoil proton tracks. The pellicles were confined in nitrogen atmosphere at temperature lower than -10 0 C. The Bi 209 experimental half-life was obtained and compared with the estimated theoretical data. (M.C.K.) [pt

  2. Effect of Sintering Time on Superconducting Wire Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O With Dopant MgO Sheated Ag Using Powder in Tube Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hariyati Lubis

    2018-01-01

      DAFTAR PUSTAKA Abbas M.M., Abass L.K and Salman U., (2012, Influences of Sintering Time on the Tc of Bi2-xCuxPb0.3Sr2Ca2Cu3010+ High Temperature Superconductors, Energy Procedia 18, 215-224  Abbas, M.M., Abbas, L.K., Bahedh, H.S. 2015. Superconducting Properties of Bi2-SbxPb0,3Sr1,9Ba0,1Ca2Cu3O10+δ Compounds. Journal of Applied Science Research. 11. 22: 164-172 Darsono, N., Imaduddin, A., Raju, K., Yoon, D.H., (2015, Synthesis and Characterization of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O7 Superconducting Oxide by High-Energy Milling, J Supercond Nov Magn. E. Chew,. (2010, Superconducting Transformer Design And Construction, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. March Hamadneh, I., Halim, S. A., dan Lee, C. K., (2006,  Characterization of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy Ceramic Superconductor Prepared Via Coprecipitation Method at Different Sintering Time, J. Mater. Sci, 41: 5526-5530. Hermiz G.Y., Aljurani B.A., Beayaty M.A., (2014, Effect of Mn Substitution on the Superconducting Properties of Bi1.7Pb0,3Sr2Ca2-xMnxCu3O10+, International Journal Of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT. 3. 4: 213-217 John R Hull, (2003, Applications of high-temperature superconductors in power technology, Reports on Progress in Physics, Volume 66, Number 11 Lu, X.Y., Yi, D., Chen, H., Nagata, A. 2016. Effect of Sn, MgO and Ag2O mix-doping on the formation and superconducting properties of Bi-2223 Ag/tapes. Physics Procedia. 81: 129-132 Meretliev Sh., Sadykov K.B., Berkeliev A., (2000, Doping of High Temperature Superconductors, Turk J Phy.24: 39-48 Mohammed, N. H., Ramadhan A., Ali I. A., Ibrahim, I. H., dan Hassan, M. S, (2012, Optimizing the Preparation Conditions of Bi-2223 Superconducting Phase Using PbO and PbO2, Materials Sciences and Applications, 3: 224-233. Roumie, M., Marhaba, S., Awad R., Kork M., Hassan I., Mawassi R., (2014, Effect of Fe2O3 Nano-Oxide Addition on the Superconducting Properties of the (Bi,Pb-2223 Phase, Journal of Supercond Nov Magn, 27: 143-153 Serkan

  3. Electrodeposition of textured Bi{sub 27}Sb{sub 28}Te{sub 45} nanowires with enhanced electrical conductivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasan, Maksudul, E-mail: maksudul.hasan@tyndall.ie [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Lee Maltings, Cork (Ireland); Gautam, Devendraprakash [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Lee Maltings, Cork (Ireland); Enright, Ryan [Thermal Management Research Group, Efficient Energy Transfer Department, Bell Labs Ireland, Alcatel-Lucent Ireland Ltd., Dublin (Ireland)

    2016-04-15

    This work presents the template based pulsed potential electrodeposition technique of highly textured single crystalline bismuth antimony telluride (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} nanowires from a single aqueous electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry was used as an electroanalytical tool to assess the effect of the precursor concentrations on the composition of the deposits and to determine the deposition potential for each element. Pulsed potential electrodeposition was then applied on a gold-coated anodised alumina template to examine the effect of the pulse parameters on the composition and texture of Bi{sub 27}Sb{sub 28}Te{sub 45} nanowires. The nanowires are cylindrical in shape formed during the deposition inside the porous template and highly textured as they are decorated with sparse distribution of small crystal domains. The electrical conductivity (24.1 × 10{sup 4} S m{sup −1}) of a single nanowire was measured using a four-point probe technique implemented on a custom fabricated test chip. In this work, we demonstrated that crystal orientation with respect to the transport direction controlled by tuning the pulsed electrodeposition parameters. This allowed us to realise electrical conductivities ∼2.5 times larger than Sb doped bismuth-tellurium based ternary material systems and similar to what is typically seen in binary systems. - Highlights: • Pulsed electrodeposition is described towards fabrication of (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} nanowires. • The adopted method is compatible with existing CMOS process. • The nanowires were fabricated as highly textured to enhance phonon scattering. • The electrical conductivity is ∼2.5 times larger than the current ternary materials.

  4. Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O superconducting films fabricated using metal alkoxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katayama, S.; Sekine, M.

    1991-01-01

    Superconducting films in the Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O systems were made using metal alkoxides. To prepare a dip-coating solution using a mixed alkoxide solution, insoluble Cu and Bi alkoxides were dissolved by modification with 2-dimethylaminoethanol and formation of a double alkoxide, respectively. Formation of the double alkoxides of Bi with Ca or Sr was confirmed using FT-IR and 1 H-NMR. Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films on yttria-stabilized ZrO 2 and single crystal MgO(100) substrates were made using this solution. The films were closely oriented along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The film on MgO(100) fired at 850 degree C for 48 h showed two resistance drops around 115 and 85 K, corresponding to the high-T c and low-T c phases, respectively, and zero resistance at 72 K

  5. Stable Ferroelectric Behavior of Nb-Modified Bi0.5K0.5TiO3-Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 Lead-Free Relaxor Ferroelectric Ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaman, Arif; Malik, Rizwan Ahmed; Maqbool, Adnan; Hussain, Ali; Ahmed, Tanveer; Song, Tae Kwon; Kim, Won-Jeong; Kim, Myong-Ho

    2018-03-01

    Crystal structure, dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and electric field-induced strain properties of lead-free Nb-modified 0.96Bi0.5K0.5TiO3-0.04Bi(Mg0.5Ti0.5)O3 (BKT-BMT) piezoelectric ceramics were investigated. Crystal structure analysis showed a gradual phase transition from tetragonal to pseudocubic phase with increasing Nb content. The optimal piezoelectric property of small-signal d 33 was enhanced up to ˜ 68 pC/N with a lower coercive field ( E c) of ˜ 22 kV/cm and an improved remnant polarization ( P r) of ˜ 13 μC/cm2 for x = 0.020. A relaxor-like behavior with a frequency-dependent Curie temperature T m was observed, and a high T m around 320°C was obtained in the investigated system. This study suggests that the ferroelectric properties of BKT-BMT was significantly improved by means of Nb substitution. The possible shift of depolarization temperature T d toward high temperature T m may have triggered the spontaneous relaxor to ferroelectric phase transition with long-range ferroelectric order without any traces of a nonergodic relaxor state in contradiction with Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based systems. The possible enhancement in ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties near the critical composition x = 0.020 may be attributed to the increased anharmonicity of lattice vibrations which may facilitate the observed phase transition from a low-symmetry tetragonal to a high-symmetry cubic phase with a decrease in the lattice anisotropy of an undoped sample. This highly flexible (at a unit cell level) narrow compositional range triggers the enhancement of d 33 and P r values.

  6. Hot pressing effect on (Bi 0.25 Sb 0.75 ) 2 Te 3 mechanical and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Hot pressing effect on (Bi0.25Sb0.75)2Te3 mechanical and thermoelectric properties ... The crystal of this compound was prepared, pulverized in a particle size ratio of 64% ... microscopy and, for only once successful attempt, atomic force microscopy. The acquired images ensured to show homogeneous structures for hot ...

  7. Process controls for Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 prepared by mechanical alloying and hot pressing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Go-Eun; Kim, Il-Ho; Choi, Soon-Mok; Lim, Young-Soo; Seo, Won-Seon; Park, Jae-Soung; Yang, Seung-Ho

    2014-01-01

    p-Type Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 solid solutions were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) and hot pressing (HP) under different process conditions, after which the transport and the thermoelectric properties were evaluated. The relative densities of all hot-pressed specimens were over 98%, and the microstructure and crystal orientation were independent of the HP direction. All specimens exhibited p-type conduction, and the electrical resistivity was observed to increase slightly with increasing temperature, indicating a degenerate semiconductor behavior. The carrier concentration decreased with increasing HP temperature while the mobility increased. The maximum figure of merit obtained was 0.86 at 323 K for Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 hot-pressed at 648 K.

  8. Investigations of electronic structure of Bi and Sb by the method of the angular correlation of annihilation quanta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szuszkiewicz, M.

    1977-01-01

    The work is devoted to the investigations of electronic structure of solid bismuth and antymony using the method of the angular correlation of annihilation quanta, originated from the two-photons annihilation of positrons with the electrons of a sample. The measurements of the angular correlation were performed for monocrystallic samples of Bi and Sb for three crystallographic directions: /011/,/011/, /111/. The analysis of the obtained results is based upon the Brillouin zones theory extended by Jones for the crystalline structure of those semimetals. For Bi for the direction /111/, a distinct discrepancy has been found between the experimental and expected distribution, calculated on the base of the completely occupied Jones zone. This diveragence is assumed to be due to the conductivity electrons occupying the electronic states outside the Jones zone. The angular distributions for all directions of Sb turned out to be inconsistent with the model of Jones zone, containing 10 quasi-free electrons per unit cell. It is possible to give a satisfactory interpretation of the experimental data for Sb under the assumption that the first Brillouin zone in Jones zone is occupied by the electrons, behaving as being strongly localized, (about 2 electrons per unit cell) and the remaining part of Jones zone is occupied by quasi-free electrons, similarly to Bi. (author)

  9. Exceptional magneto-resistance in 3D Dirac semimetal Bi0.96Sb0.04

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, P.; Nagpal, V.; Sudesh, Patnaik, S.

    2017-05-01

    Recent experimental evidence for Weyl fermions in topological semimetals has attracted considerable attention. These materials are three-dimensional analogue of graphene. The present work is motivated by the recent prediction of Weyl semi-metallic phase in Bi1-xSbx alloys. In this paper we present the electronic transport properties studied under high applied magnetic fields in Bi0.96Sb0.04 alloys. The sample exhibits extremely high magneto-resistance; MR(5 K, 8 T) = 9.8×104 %. This value is comparable to the MR observed in recently discovered other members of these emergent materials. Most importantly, this composition shows large MR at room temperature, MR (300 K, 8 T) = 435%, which is almost twice to that observed in Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 (= 200 % at 14.5 T) and Weyl semimetal NbP (= 250% at 9 T). We also discuss single crystal growth technique as well as Hall measurement data.

  10. The effect of charge carrier and doping site on thermoelectric properties of Mg2Sn0.75Ge0.25

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saparamadu, Udara; Mao, Jun; Dahal, Keshab; Zhang, Hao; Tian, Fei; Song, Shaowei; Liu, Weishu; Ren, Zhifeng

    2017-01-01

    Mg 2 Sn 0.75 Ge 0.25 has been recently demonstrated to be a promising thermoelectric material for power generation in the temperature range from room temperature to 723 K because of the high power factor of ∼54 μW cm −1  K −2 upon Sb doping to the Sn site. The enhanced density of states effective mass and weak electron scattering from the alloying effect are believed to be the main reasons for the high power factor (PF) and hence high figure of merit (ZT). In this study, it is shown that the right choice of carrier donor also plays an important role in obtaining high power factor. The effect of carrier donors Y and La at Mg-site and Bi and P at Sn-site in Mg 2 Sn 0.75 Ge 0.25 is systematically investigated. It is found that charge donors at the Sn-site are much more effective than at the Mg-site in enhancing PF and ZT. Bi doped Mg 2 Sn 0.73 Bi 0.02 Ge 0.25 shows a peak ZT of ∼1.4 at 673 K, a peak PF of ∼54 μW cm −1  K −2 at 577 K, which resulted in an engineering figure of merit (ZT) eng of ∼0.76 and (PF) eng of ∼2.05 W m −1  K −1 for cold side fixed at 323 K and hot side at 723 K.

  11. Effect of Varying Pnictogen Elements (Pn=N, P, As, Sb, Bi) on the Optoelectronic Properties of SrZn2Pn2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murtaza, G.; Yousaf, N.; Laref, A.; Yaseen, M.

    2018-03-01

    Pnictogen-based Zintl compounds have fascinating properties. Nowadays these compounds have gained exceptional interest in thermoelectric and optoelectronic fields. Therefore, in this work the structural, electronic and optical properties of SrZn2Pn2 (Pn=N, P, As, Sb, Bi) compounds were studied using state-of-the-art density functional theory. The optimised lattice parameters (ɑ, c, c/ɑ and bond lengths) are consistent with the experimental results. The bulk moduli and c/a showed a decrease when changing the Pnictogen (Pn) anion from N to Bi in SrZn2Pn2 (Pn=N, P, As, Sb, Bi). The modified Becke-Johnson potential is used for band structure calculations. All compounds show semiconducting behaviour except SrZn2Bi2, which is metallic. Pn-p, Zn-d and Sr-d play an important role in defining the electronic structure of the compounds. The optical conductivity and absorption coefficient strength are high in visible and ultraviolet regions. These band structures and optical properties clearly show that SrZn2Pn2 compounds are potential candidates in the fields of optoelectronic and photonic devices.

  12. Thermal expansion properties of Bi-2212 in Ag or an Ag-alloy matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tenbrink, J.; Krauth, H.

    1994-01-01

    The thermal expansion properties of polycrystalline Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x melt-processed bulk specimens, and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x monocore as well as multifilamentary round wires in Ag or Ag-alloy matrix have been investigated over the temperature range from -150 to 800 degrees C. Although the thermal expansion of Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x is distinctly lower compared with Ag, the thermal expansion properties of the Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x -Ag or AgNiMg-alloy composite conductors are essentially governed by the matrix material. The thermal expansion of the encountered oxide-dispersion-strengthened AgNiMg alloys is only slightly lower compared with that of pure Ag. Therefore the thermal expansion of all investigated Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+x -Ag or Ag-alloy composite wires was found to be close to that of pure Ag. The reason for this striking behaviour is shown to be related to a surprisingly low elastic modulus of the polycrystalline Bi-2212 wire cores of the order of 10 to a maximum 40 GPa. (author)

  13. Measurement of the Atomic Orbital Composition of the Near-Fermi-Level Electronic States in the Lanthanum Monopnictides LaBi and LaSb

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nummy, Thomas; Waugh, Justin; Parham, Stephen; Li, Haoxiang; Zhou, Xiaoqing; Plumb, Nick; Tafti, Fazel; Dessau, Daniel

    Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is used to measure the electronic structure of the Extreme Magnetoresistance (XMR) topological semimetal candidates LaBi and LaSb. Using a wide range of photon energies the true bulk states are cleanly disentangled from the various types of surface states, which may exist due to surface projections of bulk states as well as for topological reasons. The orbital content of the near-EF states are extracted using varying photon polarizations. The measured bulk bands are somewhat lighter and are energy shifted compared to the results of Density Functional calculations, which is a minor effect in LaBi and a more serious effect in LaSb. This bulk band structure puts LaBi in the v = 1 class of Topological Insulators (or semimetals), consistent with the measured Dirac-like surface states. LaSb on the other hand is at the verge of a topological band inversion, with a less-clear case for any distinctly topological surface states. The low-dimensional cigar-shaped bulk Fermi surfaces for both compounds are separated out by orbital content, with a crossover from pnictide d orbitals to La p orbitals around the Fermi surface, which through strong spin-orbit coupling may be relevant for the Extreme Magnetoresistance. NSF GRFP.

  14. Microstructure, mechanical properties, castability and in vitro biocompatibility of Ti-Bi alloys developed for dental applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, K J; Liu, Y; Zhou, F Y; Wang, B L; Li, L; Zheng, Y F; Liu, Y H

    2015-03-01

    In this study, the microstructure, mechanical properties, castability, electrochemical behaviors, cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility of Ti-Bi alloys with pure Ti as control were systematically investigated to assess their potential applications in the dental field. The experimental results showed that, except for the Ti-20Bi alloy, the microstructure of all other Ti-Bi alloys exhibit single α-Ti phase, while Ti-20Bi alloy is consisted of mainly α-Ti phase and a small amount of BiTi2 and BiTi3 phases. The tensile strength, hardness and wear resistance of Ti-Bi alloys were demonstrated to be improved monotonically with the increase of Bi content. The castability test showed that Ti-2Bi alloy increased the castability of pure Ti by 11.7%. The studied Ti-Bi alloys showed better corrosion resistance than pure Ti in both AS (artificial saliva) and ASFL (AS containing 0.2% NaF and 0.3% lactic acid) solutions. The concentrations of both Ti ion and Bi ion released from Ti-Bi alloys are extremely low in AS, ASF (AS containing 0.2% NaF) and ASL (AS containing 0.3% lactic acid) solutions. However, in ASFL solution, a large number of Ti and Bi ions are released. In addition, Ti-Bi alloys produced no significant deleterious effect to L929 cells and MG63 cells, similar to pure Ti, indicating a good in vitro biocompatibility. Besides, both L929 and MG63 cells perform excellent cell adhesion ability on Ti-Bi alloys. The hemolysis test exhibited that Ti-Bi alloys have an ultra-low hemolysis percentage below 1% and are considered nonhemolytic. To sum up, the Ti-2Bi alloy exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance and has great potential for dental applications. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. First-principles investigation of the structure and synergistic chemical bonding of Ag and Mg at the Al | Ω interface in a Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Lipeng; Irving, Douglas L.; Zikry, Mohammed A.; Brenner, D.W.

    2009-01-01

    Density functional theory was used to characterize the atomic structure and bonding of the Al | Ω interface in a Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy. The most stable interfacial structure was found to be connected by Al-Al bonds with a hexagonal Al lattice on the surface of the Ω phase sitting on the vacant hollow sites of the Al {1 1 1} matrix plane. The calculations predict that when substituted separately for Al at this interface, Ag and Mg do not enhance the interface stability through chemical bonding. Combining Ag and Mg, however, was found to chemically stabilize this interface, with the lowest-energy structure examined being a bi-layer with Ag atoms adjacent to the Al matrix and Mg adjacent to the Ω phase. This study provides an atomic arrangement for the interfacial bi-layer observed experimentally in this alloy.

  16. Polymorphism and properties of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} doped with pentavalent antimony

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kharitonova, E.P.; Belov, D.A. [M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Gagor, A.B.; Pietraszko, A.P. [W. Trzebiatowski Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Okólna 2, 50-950 Wrocław (Poland); Alekseeva, O.A. [Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr. 59, 119333 Moscow (Russian Federation); Voronkova, V.I., E-mail: voronk@polly.phys.msu.ru [M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2014-04-05

    Highlights: • The limit of Bi{sub 2}W{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x}O{sub 6−y} solid solutions is at x = 0.05. • Bi{sub 2}W{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x}O{sub 6−y} does not fully transform into high-temperature monoclinic phase. • Sb{sup 5+} has a weak effect on the temperatures of the ferroelectric transitions. • γ→γ{sup ‴} transition near 650 °C was observed as strong permittivity peak at 0.01–8 Hz. • The conductivity of Bi{sub 2}W{sub 0.96}Sb{sub 0.04}O{sub 6−y} at 800 °C reaches 0.02 S/cm. -- Abstract: Antimony-containing solid solutions isostructural with bismuth tungstate, Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}, have been prepared in air as polycrystalline samples by solid-state reactions and as single crystals by unseeded flux growth. The antimony in the solid solutions is in a pentavalent state and substitutes for tungsten in the structure of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. The Bi{sub 2}W{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x}O{sub 6−y} solid solutions have been shown to exist in the composition range 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.05. We have examined the effect of Sb{sup 5+} doping on the polymorphism and properties of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. In contrast to undoped Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}, antimony-substituted bismuth tungstate does not completely transform into its high-temperature, monoclinic phase at 960 °C and remains two-phase up to temperatures approaching its melting point. Antimony substitution for tungsten has a weak effect on the temperatures of the ferroelectric phase transitions. Heterovalent substitution of Sb{sup 5+} for W{sup 6+} is accompanied by the formation of extra oxygen vacancies and an increase in the electrical conductivity of the solid solutions by one to two orders of magnitude relative to undoped Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}.

  17. Electroforming of Bi(1-x)Sb(x) nanowires for high-efficiency micro-thermoelectric cooling devices on a chip.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Overmyer, Donald L.; Webb, Edmund Blackburn, III (,; ); Siegal, Michael P.; Yelton, William Graham

    2006-11-01

    Active cooling of electronic systems for space-based and terrestrial National Security missions has demanded use of Stirling, reverse-Brayton, closed Joule-Thompson, pulse tube and more elaborate refrigeration cycles. Such cryocoolers are large systems that are expensive, demand large powers, often contain moving parts and are difficult to integrate with electronic systems. On-chip, solid-state, active cooling would greatly enhance the capabilities of future systems by reducing the size, cost and inefficiencies compared to existing solutions. We proposed to develop the technology for a thermoelectric cooler capable of reaching 77K by replacing bulk thermoelectric materials with arrays of Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x} nanowires. Furthermore, the Sandia-developed technique we will use to produce the oriented nanowires occurs at room temperature and can be applied directly to a silicon substrate. Key obstacles include (1) optimizing the Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x} alloy composition for thermoelectric properties; (2) increasing wire aspect ratios to 3000:1; and (3) increasing the array density to {ge} 10{sup 9} wires/cm{sup 2}. The primary objective of this LDRD was to fabricate and test the thermoelectric properties of arrays of Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x} nanowires. With this proof-of-concept data under our belts we are positioned to engage National Security systems customers to invest in the integration of on-chip thermoelectric coolers for future missions.

  18. Hot pressing effect on (Bi0⋅25Sb0⋅75)2Te3 mechanical and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    Abstract. (Bi0⋅25Sb0⋅75)2Te3 thermoelectric material is a well known p type of compound that has higher fig- ... The crystal of this compound was prepared, pulverized in a particle .... ing fracture surfaces of the materials as shown in figures.

  19. Microstructural and thermoelectric properties of p-type Te-doped Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} and n-type SbI{sub 3}-doped Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.85}Se{sub 0.15} compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seo, J; Park, K; Lee, C; Kim, J

    1997-07-01

    The p-type Te-doped Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} and n-type SbI{sub 3}-doped Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 2.85}Se{sub 0.15} thermoelectric compounds were fabricated by hot pressing in the temperature range of 380 to 440 C under 200 MPa in Ar. Both the compounds were highly dense and showed high crystalline quality. The grains of the compounds were preferentially oriented and contained many dislocations through the hot pressing. The fracture path followed the transgranular cleavage planes, which are perpendicular to the c-axis. In addition, with increasing the pressing temperature, the figure of merit was increased. The highest values of figure of merit for the p- and n-type compounds, which were obtained at 420 C, were 2.69 x 10{sup {minus}3}/K and 2.35 x 10{sup {minus}3}/K, respectively.

  20. Low-Temperature Bonding of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Thermoelectric Material with Cu Electrodes Using a Thin-Film In Interlayer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yan-Cheng; Yang, Chung-Lin; Huang, Jing-Yi; Jain, Chao-Chi; Hwang, Jen-Dong; Chu, Hsu-Shen; Chen, Sheng-Chi; Chuang, Tung-Han

    2016-09-01

    A Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 thermoelectric material electroplated with a Ni barrier layer and a Ag reaction layer was bonded with a Ag-coated Cu electrode at low temperatures of 448 K (175 °C) to 523 K (250 °C) using a 4- μm-thick In interlayer under an external pressure of 3 MPa. During the bonding process, the In thin film reacted with the Ag layer to form a double layer of Ag3In and Ag2In intermetallic compounds. No reaction occurred at the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Ni interface, which resulted in low bonding strengths of about 3.2 MPa. The adhesion of the Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Ni interface was improved by precoating a 1- μm Sn film on the surface of the thermoelectric element and preheating it at 523 K (250 °C) for 3 minutes. In this case, the bonding strengths increased to a range of 9.1 to 11.5 MPa after bonding at 473 K (200 °C) for 5 to 60 minutes, and the shear-tested specimens fractured with cleavage characteristics in the interior of the thermoelectric material. The bonding at 448 K (175 °C) led to shear strengths ranging from 7.1 to 8.5 MPa for various bonding times between 5 and 60 minutes, which were further increased to the values of 10.4 to 11.7 MPa by increasing the bonding pressure to 9.8 MPa. The shear strengths of Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/Cu joints bonded with the optimized conditions of the modified solid-liquid interdiffusion bonding process changed only slightly after long-term exposure at 473 K (200 °C) for 1000 hours.

  1. Density functional study of BiSbTeSe{sub 2} topological insulator thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohammadpourrad, Zahra; Abolhassani, Mohammadreza [Department of Physics, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-08-15

    In this work, using density functional theory calculations, we have investigated the band topology of bulk BiSbTeSe{sub 2} and its thin film electronic properties in several thicknesses. It is one member of the quaternary compounds Bi{sub 2-x}Sb{sub x}Te{sub 3-y}Se{sub y} (BSTS) with the best intrinsic bulk insulating behavior. Based on our calculations we have found that a band inversion at Γ-point is induced when spin-orbit coupling is turned on, with an energy gap of about 0.318 eV. The film thickness has an effect on the surface states such that a gap opens at Dirac point in 6 quintuple-layers film and with decrease in thickness, the magnitude of the gap increases. The atomic contributions have been mapped out for the first few layers of thin films to demonstrate the surface states. The relative charge density has been calculated layer-wise and the penetration depth of the surface states into the bulk region is found to be about 2.5-3.5 quintuple layers, depending on the termination species of thin films. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  2. Ternary rare-earth bismuthides RE5SiBi 2 and RE5GeBi 2 ( RE=La-Nd, Gd-Er): Stabilization of the β-Yb 5Sb 3-type structure through tetrel substitution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barry, Stephen D.; Tkachuk, Andriy V.; Bie, Haiying; Blanchard, Peter E. R.; Mar, Arthur

    2011-01-01

    Ternary bismuthides RE5TtBi 2 containing rare-earth ( RE=La-Nd, Gd-Er) and tetrel ( Tt=Si, Ge) atoms have been prepared by arc-melting of the elements followed by annealing at 800 °C. They adopt the β-Yb 5Sb 3-type structure (Pearson symbol o P32, space group Pnma, Z=4), as revealed through analysis by single-crystal X-ray diffraction on Ce 5Si 0.869(4)Bi 2.131(4) and powder X-ray diffraction on Ce 5GeBi 2. Cell parameters for the entire series lie in the ranges of a=12.8-11.8 Å, b=9.6-9.0 Å, and c=8.4-7.9 Å. Solid solubility in Ce 5Si xBi 3- x and Pr 5Si xBi 3- x (approximately 0.9≤ x≤1.2, depending on the RE member) is much more limited compared to the antimonides, consistent with a highly ordered structure in which the two possible anion sites are essentially segregated into a smaller one occupied by Tt atoms (CN7) and a larger one occupied by Bi atoms (CN9). Band structure calculations on La 5SiBi 2 confirm the importance of La-La bonding interactions near the Fermi level. X-ray photoelectron spectra support the presence of partially anionic Bi atoms, as indicated by a small negative binding energy shift relative to elemental Bi. The Ce and Pr members undergo magnetic transitions at low temperatures, possibly involving ferromagnetic interactions, that are strongly influenced by the nature of the Tt atom.

  3. Determination of total Sb,Se Te, and Bi and evaluation of their inorganic species in garlic by hydride-generation-atomic-fluorescence spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matos Reyes, M.N.; Cervera, M.L.; Guardia, M. de la [University of Valencia, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Burjassot, Valencia (Spain)

    2009-07-15

    A sensitive and simple analytical method has been developed for determination of Sb(III), Sb(V), Se(IV), Se(VI), Te(IV), Te(VI), and Bi(III) in garlic samples by using hydride-generation-atomic-fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). The method is based on a single extraction of the inorganic species by sonication at room temperature with 1 mol L{sup -1} H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and washing of the solid phase with 0.1% (w/v) EDTA, followed by measurement of the corresponding hydrides generated under two different experimental conditions directly and after a pre-reduction step. The limit of detection of the method was 0.7 ng g{sup -1} for Sb(III), 1.0 ng g{sup -1} for Sb(V), 1.3 ng g{sup -1} for Se(IV), 1.0 ng g{sup -1} for Se(VI), 1.1 ng g{sup -1} for Te(IV), 0.5 ng g{sup -1} for Te(VI), and 0.9 ng g{sup -1} for Bi(III), in all cases expressed in terms of sample dry weight. (orig.)

  4. Facile fabrication of core–shell ZnO/Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} nanorods: Enhanced photoluminescence through electron charge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Shengfei; Gao, Hongli [School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Deng, Yuan, E-mail: dengyuan@buaa.edu.cn [School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Wang, Yao [School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Qu, Shengchun, E-mail: qsc@semi.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2016-01-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3}/ZnO core–shells prepared by combining a facile hydrothermal growth and magnetron sputtering approach. • The light absorption and photoluminescence emission of the ZnO and the Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3}/ZnO core–shells are investigated. • The core–shell structure reveals a simultaneous novelty enhancement of the photoluminescence emission in the UV and visible range. • The mechanism for the PL simultaneous enhancement is described. - Abstract: Surface decoration techniques are emerging as promising strategy to improve the optical properties of the ZnO based materials. The core–shell ZnO/Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} nanorods were grown on a FTO substrate through a facile hydrothermal and magnetron sputtering combined approach. The microstructure of the core–shell nanorod arrays were investigated by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), a field emission Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HTEM). The optical properties of the core–shell nanorod arrays were investigated through the diffuse reflectance absorption spectra and photoluminescence emission. The visible light absorption and especially the photoluminescence emission of the ZnO nanorods are enhanced markedly with the Bi{sub 0.5}Sb{sub 1.5}Te{sub 3} grains coating the ZnO nanorods through the electron charge.

  5. Study of A-site doping of SrBi4Ti4O15 Bi-layered compounds using micro-Raman spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao, H.; Liu, H.X.; Cao, M.H.; Min, X.M.; Ouyang, S.X.

    2006-01-01

    The temperature-dependent Raman spectra of Mg- and La-doped SrBi 4 Ti 4 O 15 (SBT) were studied in the range 40-590 C. A quantum chemistry calculation was employed to estimate these two substitution states. It was found that A-site doping in this study not only caused multiplicative substitution states, but also the Raman spectra changed with the substitution amount. In a La-doped perovskite-like layer, La would occupy the Bi site when x>0.10 and the 314 and 550 cm -1 modes related to the rotating and tilting of the TiO 6 octahedron firstly became wide and then became sharp. With the increase of the substitution amount, both substitution states of Mg-doped SBT lead to the widening of 270 and 520 cm -1 peaks. (orig.)

  6. Study of A-site doping of SrBi4Ti4O15 Bi-layered compounds using micro-Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, H.; Liu, H. X.; Cao, M. H.; Min, X. M.; Ouyang, S. X.

    2006-10-01

    The temperature-dependent Raman spectra of Mg- and La-doped SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBT) were studied in the range 40 590 °C. A quantum chemistry calculation was employed to estimate these two substitution states. It was found that A-site doping in this study not only caused multiplicative substitution states, but also the Raman spectra changed with the substitution amount. In a La-doped perovskite-like layer, La would occupy the Bi site when x>0.10 and the 314 and 550 cm-1 modes related to the rotating and tilting of the TiO6 octahedron firstly became wide and then became sharp. With the increase of the substitution amount, both substitution states of Mg-doped SBT lead to the widening of 270 and 520 cm-1 peaks.

  7. Bismuth zinc vanadate, BiZn2VO6: New crystal structure type and electronic structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eliziario Nunes, Sayonara; Wang, Chun-Hai; So, Karwei; Evans, John S.O.; Evans, Ivana Radosavljević

    2015-01-01

    We report a combined experimental and computational study of the crystal structure and electronic properties of bismuth zinc vanadate, BiZn 2 VO 6 , known for its visible light photocatalytic activity. The crystal structure has been solved from laboratory powder X-ray diffraction data using the repeated minimisations from random starting values method. BiZn 2 VO 6 adopts a new structure type, based on the following building blocks: corner- and edge-sharing ZnO 4 tetrahedra, ZnO 6 octahedra and VO 4 tetrahedra, and Bi 2 O 12 dimers. It is the only known member of the BiM 2 AO 6 (M=Pb, Ca, Cd, Mn, Zn, Mg, Cu; A=V, P, As) family which does not appear to be structurally closely related to others. The electronic structure of BiZn 2 VO 6 , calculated by DFT methods, shows that it is an indirect gap semiconductor with a calculated band gap of 1.6 eV, which compares favourably to the experimentally measured value of 2.4 eV. - Graphical abstract: The crystal structure of BiZn 2 VO 6 , a new structure type in the BiM 2 AO 6 (M=Mg, Ca, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, Zn; A=V, P, As) family. - Highlights: • Structure solution from PXRD data by repeated minimisations from random starting values. • New structure type in the BiM 2 AO 6 (M=Pb, Ca, Cd, Mn, Zn, Mg, Cu; A=V, P, As) family. • Electronic structure calculation

  8. Evidence of superoxide radical contribution to demineralization of sulfamethoxazole by visible-light-driven Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Sr{sub 6}Bi{sub 2}O{sub 9} photocatalyst

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Shiyuan; Niu, Junfeng, E-mail: junfengn@bnu.edu.cn; Bao, Yueping; Hu, Lijuan

    2013-11-15

    Highlights: • Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Sr{sub 6}Bi{sub 2}O{sub 9} can degrade SMX efficiently using visible light. • 36% of TOC reduction was achieved after 120 min treatment. • The main mineralization products were confirmed. • Formation of O{sub 2}·{sup −} was evidenced by using ESR and a chemiluminescent probe. -- Abstract: Photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was investigated using Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Sr{sub 6}Bi{sub 2}O{sub 9} (BSO) photocatalyst under visible light (>420 nm) irradiation. The photochemical degradation of SMX followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The reaction kinetics was determined as a function of initial SMX concentrations (5–20 mg L{sup −1}), initial pH (3–11) and BSO concentrations (6–600 mg L{sup −1}). Approximately, 90% of SMX (10 mg L{sup −1}) degradation and 36% of TOC reduction were achieved at pH 7.0 after 120 min irradiation. The main mineralization products, including NH{sub 4}{sup +}, NO{sub 3}{sup −}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2−} and CO{sub 2}, as well as intermediates 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole (AMI), p-benzoquinone (BZQ), and sulfanilic acid (SNA) were detected in aqueous solution. The formation of O{sub 2}·{sup −} radical was evidenced by using electron spin resonance and a chemiluminescent probe, luminal. A possible degradation mechanism involving excitation of BSO, followed by charge injection into the BSO conduction band and formation of reactive superoxide radical (O{sub 2}·{sup −}) was proposed for the mineralization of SMX. During the reaction, the O{sub 2}·{sup −} radical attacks the sulfone moiety and causes the cleavage of the S-N bond, which leads to the formation of two sub-structure analogs, AMI and SNA.

  9. Interaction between counter-propagating quantum Hall edge channels in the 3D topological insulator BiSbTeSe2

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Li, C.; De Ronde, B.; Nikitin, A.; Huang, Y.; Golden, M.S.; De Visser, A.; Brinkman, A.

    2017-01-01

    The quantum Hall effect is studied in the topological insulator BiSbTeSe2. By employing top- and back-gate electric fields at high magnetic field, the Landau levels of the Dirac cones in the top and bottom topological surface states can be tuned independently. When one surface is tuned to the

  10. Crystallization characteristics of Mg-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 films for phase change memory applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Jing; Shen Xiang; Nie Qiuhua; Wang Guoxiang; Wu Liangcai; Dai Shixun; Xu Tiefeng; Wang, R.P.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Mg-doped Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) phase change films with higher resistance and better thermal stability have been proposed. ► The increase of Mg content result in an enhancement in crystallization temperature, activation energy and electrical resistance. ► The proper Mg addition in GST can lead to a one-step crystallization process from amorphous to faced-centered cubic (fcc) phase. ► The formation of covalent Mg-Sb and Mg-Te bonds contribute to the enhancement thermal stability in Mg-doped GST films. - Abstract: Mg-doped Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 (GST) films with different Mg doping concentrations have been prepared, and their crystallization behavior, structure and electrical properties have been systematically investigated for phase-change memory applications. The results show that the addition of Mg into GST films could result in an enhancement in crystallization temperature, activation energy and electrical resistance compared with the conventional GST films, indicating that a good amorphous thermal stability. On the other hand, the proper Mg concentration ranging from 13.6 to 31.1 at.% can lead to a one-step crystallization process from amorphous to faced-centered cubic (fcc) phase and suppress the formation of the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) crystalline phase. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) further confirm that the formation of covalent Mg-Sb and Mg-Te bonds contribute to the enhanced thermal stability in Mg-doped GST films.

  11. Magnetic properties of bi-, tri- and multicrystals of 3D topological insulator Bi{sub 1−x}–Sb{sub x}(0.06⩽x⩽0.2)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muntyanu, F.M. [Institute of Electronic Engineering and Industrial Technologies, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Chisinau 2028 (Moldova, Republic of); International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw 53421 (Poland); Gilewski, A., E-mail: andrzej.gilewski@ml.pan.wroc.pl [International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw 53421 (Poland); Nenkov, K. [International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw 53421 (Poland); Leibniz-Institut fur Festkorper und Werkstofforschung, Dresden 01171 (Germany); Rogacki, K. [International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw 53421 (Poland); Institute of Low Temperatures and Structural Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw 50950 (Poland); Zaleski, A.J. [Institute of Low Temperatures and Structural Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw 50950 (Poland); Fuks, G. [International Laboratory of High Magnetic Fields and Low Temperatures, Wroclaw 53421 (Poland); Leibniz-Institut fur Festkorper und Werkstofforschung, Dresden 01171 (Germany); Chistol, V. [Technical University of Moldova, Chisinau 2004 (Moldova, Republic of)

    2014-03-01

    The magnetic properties of bi-, tri- and multicrystals of 3D topological insulator Bi{sub 1−x}Sb{sub x}(0.06in the temperature range 1.6–300 K and fields up to 70 kOe using an SQUID magnetometer. Two superconducting phases associated with adjacent and central layers of the crystallite interfaces of the bicrystals are identified. It has been found that due to the different stress structure the transition temperature T{sub c} for one superconducting phase changes considerably, from 8.3 to 36 K, while for another superconducting phase, T{sub c} remains within the range 3.7–4.6 K. In tricrystals and bicrystals with high contents of structural disorder and topological defects, ferromagnetic hysteresis loops and magnetic field expulsion have been observed simultaneously.

  12. Growth behavior of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films on graphene substrate grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Chang Wan [Thin Film Materials Research Group, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Gun Hwan; Kang, Min A.; An, Ki-Seok; Lee, Young Kuk [Thin Film Materials Research Group, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Seong Gu [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyungjun [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    A comparative study of the substrate effect on the growth mechanism of chalcogenide Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films was carried out. Obvious microstructural discrepancy in both the as-deposited Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films was observed when grown on graphene or SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate. Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} thin films deposited on the graphene substrate were observed to be grown epitaxially along c-axis and show very smooth surface compared to that on SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate. Based on the experimental results of this study, the initial adsorption sites on graphene substrate during deposition process, which had been discussed theoretically, could be demonstrated empirically. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  13. Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Heteroboroxines with MB2O3 Core (M = Sb, Bi, Sn)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mairychova, Barbora; Svoboda, Tomas; Stepnicka, Petr; Ruzicka, Ales; Havenith, Remco W. A.; Alonso, Mercedes; De Proft, Frank; Jambor, Roman; Dostal, Libor

    2013-01-01

    Reaction of organoantimony and organobismuth oxides (LSbO)(2) and (LBiO)(2) (where L is [2,6-bis(dimethylarnino)methyl]phenyl) with four equivalents of the organoboronic acids gave new heteroboroxines LM[(OBR)(2)O] 1a-2c (for M = Sb: R = Ph (1a), 4-CF3C6H4 (1b), ferrocenyl (1c); for M = Bi: R = Ph

  14. Fabrication of Ag-decorated BiOBr-mBiVO4 dual heterojunction composite with enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance for degradation of malachite green

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regmi, Chhabilal; Dhakal, Dipesh; Kim, Tae-Ho; Yamaguchi, Takutaro; Wohn Lee, Soo

    2018-04-01

    A visible light active Ag-decorated BiVO4-BiOBr dual heterojunction photocatalyst was prepared using a facile hydrothermal method, followed by the photodeposition of Ag. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized samples was investigated by monitoring the change in malachite green (MG) concentration upon visible light irradiation. The synthesized sample was highly effective for the degradation of non-biodegradable MG. The enhanced activity observed was ascribed to the efficient separation and transfer of charge carriers across the dual heterojunction structure as verified by photoluminescence measurements. The removal of MG was primarily initiated by hydroxyl radicals and holes based on scavenger’s effect. To gain insight into the degradation mechanism, both high performance liquid chromatography and high resolution-quantitative time of flight, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry measurements during the degradation process were carried out. The degradation primarily followed the hydroxylation and N-demethylation process. A possible reaction pathway is proposed on the basis of all the information obtained under various experimental conditions.

  15. Alternative route for the preparation of CoSb3 and Mg2Si derivatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Godlewska, E.; Mars, K.; Zawadzka, K.

    2012-01-01

    An alternative manufacturing route has been developed for cobalt triantimonide and magnesium disilicide derivatives. Elemental powders were mixed in stoichiometric proportions, cold pressed into cylindrical preforms and heated in oxygen-free environment to initiate the exothermic reaction. According to DTA/TG measurements and observations under high-temperature microscope, the onset of reaction occurred at a temperature not exceeding the melting point of the more volatile component, i.e. antimony in the case of CoSb 3 and magnesium in the case of Mg 2 Si. The reaction products were additionally heat treated to secure homogenization. Dense sinters were obtained by hot uniaxial pressing of the obtained powders in moderate temperature-and-pressure conditions. Several advantages were identified in the proposed technology: absence of liquid phases, relatively short time of the synthesis, possibility of in-situ or ex-situ doping and grain size control. - Graphical abstract: (1) Manufacturing flow sheet for CoSb 3 (milling included) and Mg 2 Si (no milling). (2) Micrographs of CoSb 3 product. (3) Micrographs of Mg 2 Si product. Highlights: ► The combustion synthesis followed by HP was used for the manufacturing of CoSb 3 or Mg 2 Si. ► The time of reaction is shorter compared with many other synthesis methods. ► The process is scalable and practically wasteless.

  16. Bismuth zinc vanadate, BiZn{sub 2}VO{sub 6}: New crystal structure type and electronic structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eliziario Nunes, Sayonara [Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Department of Materials Engineering, Federal University of São Carlos, 13565-905 São Carlos, SP (Brazil); Wang, Chun-Hai; So, Karwei; Evans, John S.O. [Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Evans, Ivana Radosavljević, E-mail: ivana.radosavljevic@durham.ac.uk [Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2015-02-15

    We report a combined experimental and computational study of the crystal structure and electronic properties of bismuth zinc vanadate, BiZn{sub 2}VO{sub 6}, known for its visible light photocatalytic activity. The crystal structure has been solved from laboratory powder X-ray diffraction data using the repeated minimisations from random starting values method. BiZn{sub 2}VO{sub 6} adopts a new structure type, based on the following building blocks: corner- and edge-sharing ZnO{sub 4} tetrahedra, ZnO{sub 6} octahedra and VO{sub 4} tetrahedra, and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 12} dimers. It is the only known member of the BiM{sub 2}AO{sub 6} (M=Pb, Ca, Cd, Mn, Zn, Mg, Cu; A=V, P, As) family which does not appear to be structurally closely related to others. The electronic structure of BiZn{sub 2}VO{sub 6}, calculated by DFT methods, shows that it is an indirect gap semiconductor with a calculated band gap of 1.6 eV, which compares favourably to the experimentally measured value of 2.4 eV. - Graphical abstract: The crystal structure of BiZn{sub 2}VO{sub 6}, a new structure type in the BiM{sub 2}AO{sub 6} (M=Mg, Ca, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, Zn; A=V, P, As) family. - Highlights: • Structure solution from PXRD data by repeated minimisations from random starting values. • New structure type in the BiM{sub 2}AO{sub 6} (M=Pb, Ca, Cd, Mn, Zn, Mg, Cu; A=V, P, As) family. • Electronic structure calculation.

  17. Low-temperature phase MnBi compound: A potential candidate for rare-earth free permanent magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ly, V.; Wu, X.; Smillie, L.; Shoji, T.; Kato, A.; Manabe, A.; Suzuki, K.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The spin reorientation temperature of MnBi is suppressed by nanoscale grain refinement. • Hardness parameter of MnBi reaches as large as 2.8 at 580 K. • MnBi has a great potential as a hard phase in rare-earth free nanocomposite magnets. • Improving the surface passivity is a remaining task for MnBi-based permanent magnets. - Abstract: The low-temperature phase (LTP) MnBi is one of the few rare-earth free compounds that exhibit a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy in the order of 10 6 J/m 3 . A large coercive field (μ 0 H cj ) above 1 T can be obtained readily by reducing the crystallite size (D) through mechanical grinding (MG). The room-temperature H cj values follow a phenomenological expression μ 0 H cj = μ 0 H a (δ/D) n where the anisotropy field (μ 0 H a ) is ∼4 T, the Bloch wall width (δ) is 7 nm and the exponent (n) is about 0.7 in our study. The grain refinement upon MG is accompanied by suppression of the spin reorientation transition temperature (T SR ) from 110 K to below 50 K. The coercive field starts to exhibit positive temperature dependence approximately 50 K above T SR and the room-temperature magnetic hardening induced by MG could partially be brought about by the lowered onset of this positive temperature dependence. The suppression of T SR by MG is likely to be induced by the surface anisotropy with which the 2nd order crystal field term is enhanced. One of the shortcomings of LTP-MnBi is its poor phase stability under the ambient atmosphere. The spontaneous magnetization decreases considerably after room-temperature aging for 1 week. This is due to oxidation of Mn which leads to decomposition of the MnBi phase. Hence, the surface passivity needs to be established before this material is considered for a permanent magnet in practical uses. Another shortcoming is the limited spontaneous magnetization. The theoretical upper limit of the maximum energy product in LTP-MnBi remains only a quarter of that in Nd 2

  18. Low-temperature phase MnBi compound: A potential candidate for rare-earth free permanent magnets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ly, V.; Wu, X.; Smillie, L. [Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 (Australia); Shoji, T.; Kato, A.; Manabe, A. [Toyota Motor Corporation, Mishuku, Susono, Shizuoka 410-1193 (Japan); Suzuki, K., E-mail: kiyonori.suzuki@monash.edu [Department of Materials Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 (Australia)

    2014-12-05

    Highlights: • The spin reorientation temperature of MnBi is suppressed by nanoscale grain refinement. • Hardness parameter of MnBi reaches as large as 2.8 at 580 K. • MnBi has a great potential as a hard phase in rare-earth free nanocomposite magnets. • Improving the surface passivity is a remaining task for MnBi-based permanent magnets. - Abstract: The low-temperature phase (LTP) MnBi is one of the few rare-earth free compounds that exhibit a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy in the order of 10{sup 6} J/m{sup 3}. A large coercive field (μ{sub 0}H{sub cj}) above 1 T can be obtained readily by reducing the crystallite size (D) through mechanical grinding (MG). The room-temperature H{sub cj} values follow a phenomenological expression μ{sub 0}H{sub cj} = μ{sub 0}H{sub a}(δ/D){sup n} where the anisotropy field (μ{sub 0}H{sub a}) is ∼4 T, the Bloch wall width (δ) is 7 nm and the exponent (n) is about 0.7 in our study. The grain refinement upon MG is accompanied by suppression of the spin reorientation transition temperature (T{sub SR}) from 110 K to below 50 K. The coercive field starts to exhibit positive temperature dependence approximately 50 K above T{sub SR} and the room-temperature magnetic hardening induced by MG could partially be brought about by the lowered onset of this positive temperature dependence. The suppression of T{sub SR} by MG is likely to be induced by the surface anisotropy with which the 2nd order crystal field term is enhanced. One of the shortcomings of LTP-MnBi is its poor phase stability under the ambient atmosphere. The spontaneous magnetization decreases considerably after room-temperature aging for 1 week. This is due to oxidation of Mn which leads to decomposition of the MnBi phase. Hence, the surface passivity needs to be established before this material is considered for a permanent magnet in practical uses. Another shortcoming is the limited spontaneous magnetization. The theoretical upper limit of the maximum

  19. Electronic structure of the BiSI cluster

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Audzijonis, A. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Gaigalas, G. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius University, A. Gostauto 12, LT-01108 Vilnius (Lithuania); Zigas, L. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania)]. E-mail: kkol@vpu.lt; Pauliukas, A. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Zaltauskas, R. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Cerskus, A. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Narusis, J. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania); Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius University, A. Gostauto 12, LT-01108 Vilnius (Lithuania); Kvedaravicius, A. [Department of Physics, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Studentu 39, LT-08106 Vilnius (Lithuania)

    2007-03-15

    The energy levels of valence bands (VB) and core levels (CL) of the BiSI crystals have been investigated theoretically. The molecular model of this crystal was used for calculation of VB and CL by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method using GAMESS program, with Hw and MINI basis set. The molecular cluster consisting of 20 molecules of BiSI was used for calculations of averaged total density of states including atom vibrations. The spectra of averaged total density of states from VB of BiSI cluster has been compared with experimental X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of VB of SbSI crystal. The results clarify that the atomic vibrations is one of possible reasons for the smoother appearance of the experimental XPS. The investigation of vibrational spectrum reveals new experimental information about the reflection spectrum of BiSI crystals. The cluster model calculations have shown that the splitting of the CL in the BiSI may be caused by the photoelectron emission from the atoms at the surface that is in different valence states. The cluster model calculation showed that splitting energy of CL depends on difference of ionic charges of the same atoms at the edges of BiSI cluster.

  20. Electronic structure of the BiSI cluster

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Audzijonis, A.; Gaigalas, G.; Zigas, L.; Pauliukas, A.; Zaltauskas, R.; Cerskus, A.; Narusis, J.; Kvedaravicius, A.

    2007-01-01

    The energy levels of valence bands (VB) and core levels (CL) of the BiSI crystals have been investigated theoretically. The molecular model of this crystal was used for calculation of VB and CL by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock method using GAMESS program, with Hw and MINI basis set. The molecular cluster consisting of 20 molecules of BiSI was used for calculations of averaged total density of states including atom vibrations. The spectra of averaged total density of states from VB of BiSI cluster has been compared with experimental X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) of VB of SbSI crystal. The results clarify that the atomic vibrations is one of possible reasons for the smoother appearance of the experimental XPS. The investigation of vibrational spectrum reveals new experimental information about the reflection spectrum of BiSI crystals. The cluster model calculations have shown that the splitting of the CL in the BiSI may be caused by the photoelectron emission from the atoms at the surface that is in different valence states. The cluster model calculation showed that splitting energy of CL depends on difference of ionic charges of the same atoms at the edges of BiSI cluster

  1. Photocatalytic activity of attapulgite–BiOCl–TiO2 toward degradation of methyl orange under UV and visible light irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Lili; Zhang, Jiahui; Zhang, Weiguang; Liu, Jianquan; Zhong, Hui; Zhao, Yijiang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Excellent photocatalyst was obtained by introducing BiOCl–TiO 2 onto attapulgite. • 100 mg L −1 methyl orange (MO) was totally decomposed under UV light within 70 min. • 92.6% of 10 mg L −1 MO was decomposed within 120 min under visible light. • ATT–BiOCl–TiO 2 show better activity than P 25 especially under visible light. • Mechanism of photocatalytic activity enhancement was identified. - Abstract: An environmental friendly composite photocatalyst with efficient UV and visible light activity has been synthesized by introducing BiOCl–TiO 2 hybrid oxide onto the surface of attapulgite (ATT) (denoted as ATT–BiOCl–TiO 2 ), using a simple in situ depositing technique. The obtained products were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra measurements. Results showed that BiOCl–TiO 2 composite particles were successfully loaded onto attapulgite fibers' surface without obvious aggregation. The photocatalytic activity of ATT–BiOCl–TiO 2 was investigated by degradation of methyl orange under UV and visible light irradiation. It was found that 100 mg L −1 methyl orange was totally decomposed under UV light within 70 min and 92.57% of 10 mg L −1 methyl orange was decomposed under visible light within 120 min using ATT–BiOCl–TiO 2 as photocatalyst. These results were quite better than that of P 25 , especially under visible light irradiation. Possible mechanism for the enhancement was proposed

  2. Room-temperature ferromagnetism in Fe-based perovskite solid solution in lead-free ferroelectric Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Nguyen The; Bac, Luong Huu; Trung, Nguyen Ngoc; Hoang, Nguyen The; Van Vinh, Pham; Dung, Dang Duc

    2018-04-01

    The integration of ferromagnetism in lead-free ferroelectric materials is important to fabricate smart materials for electronic devices. In this work, (1 - x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 + xMgFeO3-δ materials (x = 0-9 mol%) were prepared through sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction characterization indicated that MgFeO3-δ materials existed as a well solid solution in lead-free ferroelectric Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials. The rhombohedral structure of Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 materials was distorted due to the random distribution of Mg and Fe cations into the host lattice. The reduced optical band gap and the induced room-temperature ferromagnetism were due to the spin splitting of transition metal substitution at the B-site of perovskite Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 and the modification by A-site co-substitution. This work elucidates the role of secondary phase as solid solution in Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 material for development of lead-free multiferroelectric materials.

  3. Mg2BIV: Narrow Bandgap Thermoelectric Semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Il-Ho

    2018-05-01

    : intrinsic Mg2Si, doped Mg2Si:Dm (D = Al, In, Bi, Sb, Te or Se), and solid solutions of intrinsic/doped Mg2Si1 - x Sn x :D m and Mg2Si1 - x Ge x :D m .

  4. Upconversion Properties of the Er-Doped Y2O3, Bi2O3 and Sb2O3 Nanoparticles Fabricated by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid Media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamiri Reza; Bahari-Poor Hamid-Reza; Zakaria Azmi; Jorfi Raheleh; Zamiri Golnoush; Rebelo Avito; Omar Akrajas Ali

    2013-01-01

    Er-doped Y 2 O 3 , Bi 2 O 3 and Sb 2 O 3 nanoparticles are synthesized using pulsed laser ablation in a liquid. Ceramic targets of Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ , Bi 2 O 3 :Er 3+ and Sb 2 O 3 :Er 3+ for ablation process are prepared by standard solid-state reaction technique and ablation is carried out in 5-ml distilled water using nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The morphology and size of the fabricated nanoparticles are evaluated by transmission electron microscopy and the luminescence emission properties of the prepared samples are investigated under different excitation wavelengths

  5. Synthesis and thermoelectric performance of a p-type Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 material developed via mechanical alloying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimenez, Sandra; Perez, Jose G.; Tritt, Terry M.; Zhu, Song; Sosa-Sanchez, Jose L.; Martinez-Juarez, Javier; López, Osvaldo

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • This paper shows a Bi 1.6 Sb 0.4 Te 3 alloy prepared by MA-SPS process. • A ZT value of about 1.2–1.3 around 360 K was achieved for this compound. • The lower sintering process was carried out in a short time. • The resulting material has a very fine microstructure and high density. - Abstract: A p-type Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 thermoelectric compound was fabricated via mechanical alloying of bismuth, antimony and tellurium elemental powders as starting materials. The mechanically alloyed compositions were sintered through a spark-plasma sintering (SPS) process. The effect of the milling time was investigated. In order to characterize the powders obtained via mechanical alloying, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis were used. The morphological evolution was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the p-type Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 compound was formed after 2 h of milling. Further, the variation of milling time showed that the synthesized phase was stable. All the powders exhibit the same morphology albeit with slight differences. Measurements of the electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity were performed in the temperature range 300–520 K for the SPS samples. The resulting thermoelectric figure of merit ZT reaches a maximum of 1.2 at 360 K for the p-type bulk material with a 5 h milling time. This study demonstrates the possibility of preparing thermoelectric materials of high performance and short processing time

  6. The microstructure network and thermoelectric properties of bulk (Bi,Sb)2Te3

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xie, Wenjie; Hitchcock, Dale A.; Kang, Hye J.

    2012-01-01

    We report small-angle neutron scattering studies on the microstructure network in bulk (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3 synthesized by the melt-spinning (MS) and the spark-plasma-sintering (SPS) process. We find that rough interfaces of multiscale microstructures generated by the MS are responsible for the large...... reduction of both lattice thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. Our study also finds that subsequent SPS forms a microstructure network of similar to 10 nm thick lamellae and smooth interfaces between them. This nanoscale microstructure network with smooth interfaces increases electrical...... conductivity while keeping a low thermal conductivity, making it an ideal microstructure for high thermoelectric efficiency....

  7. Heterogeneous nucleation of Mg2Si on Sr11Sb10 nucleus in Mg–x(3.5, 5 wt.%)Si–1Al alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hui-Yuan; Chen, Lei; Liu, Bo; Li, Xiao-Ran; Wang, Jin-Guo; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

    2012-01-01

    After combined additions of Sr and Sb, most primary Mg 2 Si crystals in Mg–3.5Si–1Al and Mg–5Si–1Al alloys transformed from equiaxed-dendritic shapes to octahedral morphologies; while eutectic phases also changed from Chinese script to short rod-shapes. The mechanisms of complex modification of Sr and Sb were attributed to the heterogeneous nucleation of primary Mg 2 Si on Sr 11 Sb 10 nucleus, together with change in growth manners caused by incorporation of Sb in Mg 2 Si crystals. -- Highlights: ► The Sr 11 Sb 10 is the heterogeneous nucleation of primary Mg 2 Si in Mg–3.5Si–1Al alloys. ► Some Sb atoms were incorporated by substituting Si which changed growth manners of primary Mg 2 Si. ► Primary Mg 2 Si transformed from equiaxed-dendritic to octahedral after modification. ► Eutectic phases changed from Chinese script to short rod-shapes after modification.

  8. Quantitative EDX microanalysis of Bi2Te3 in the TEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peranio, N.; Eibl, O.

    2007-01-01

    Quantitative chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) Zeiss912 and ohm; was applied to p-type (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 and n-type Bi 2 (Te,Se) 3 thermoelectric materials. Preliminary results yielded artifacts due to Bi spurious X-rays and hole-counts significantly beyond zero. A stray aperture was inserted in the TEM to absorb the stray radiation. With this aperture inserted a high-accuracy quantitative chemical analysis was established. The hole-counts decreased by a factor of 5 and the scatter of data decreased by a factor of 4 with respect to no aperture inserted. The mole fractions of Te and Se were 54.4 at% and 5.5 at% and varied by 0.5 at% for n-type material. A similar behaviour was found for Sb and Bi in p-type material. The variation in stoichiometry is smaller on the sub-micrometer scale and increases with increasing length scale for both, n-type and p-type Bi 2 Te 3 . Measurements in the TEM confirmed the inhomogeneous chemical composition found by wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The improved accuracy of the quantitative EDX analysis is also important for other compounds with unique physical properties. This was demonstrated on thin foils containing heavy elements and on powders of light elements dispersed on Cu-grids, i.e., the high-T C superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 and the mineral salt hydroxyapatite Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 OH 2 . (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  9. Magnetic susceptibility of Dirac fermions, Bi-Sb alloys, interacting Bloch fermions, dilute nonmagnetic alloys, and Kondo alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buot, Felix A., E-mail: fbuot@gmu.edu [Computational Materials Science Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030 (United States); TCSE Center, Spintronics Group, Physics Department, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu 6000 (Philippines); C& LB Research Institute, Carmen, Cebu 6005 (Philippines); Otadoy, Roland E.S.; Rivero, Karla B. [TCSE Center, Spintronics Group, Physics Department, University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu 6000 (Philippines)

    2017-03-01

    Wide ranging interest in Dirac Hamiltonian is due to the emergence of novel materials, namely, graphene, topological insulators and superconductors, the newly-discovered Weyl semimetals, and still actively-sought after Majorana fermions in real materials. We give a brief review of the relativistic Dirac quantum mechanics and its impact in the developments of modern physics. The quantum band dynamics of Dirac Hamiltonian is crucial in resolving the giant diamagnetism of bismuth and Bi-Sb alloys. Quantitative agreement of the theory with the experiments on Bi-Sb alloys has been achieved, and physically meaningful contributions to the diamagnetism has been identified. We also treat relativistic Dirac fermion as an interband dynamics in uniform magnetic fields. For the interacting Bloch electrons, the role of translation symmetry for calculating the magnetic susceptibility avoids any approximation to second order in the field. The expressions for magnetic susceptibility of dilute nonmagnetic alloys give a firm theoretical foundation of the empirical formulas used in fitting experimental results. The unified treatment of all the above calculations is based on the lattice Weyl-Wigner formulation of discrete phase-space quantum mechanics. For completeness, the magnetic susceptibility of Kondo alloys is also given since Dirac fermions in conduction band and magnetic impurities exhibit Kondo effect.

  10. One-pot solvothermal synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) BiOI/BiOCl composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities for the degradation of bisphenol-A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Xin; Hao, Rong; Liang, Min; Zuo, Xiaoxi; Nan, Junmin; Li, Laisheng; Zhang, Weide

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Synthesis of 3D BiOI/BiOCl microspheres by a one-pot template-free solvothermal method. ► Photocatalyst is BiOI/BiOCl composites. ► BiOI/BiOCl composites have enhanced visible-light photocatalytic ability to bisphenol-A. ► A simple and direct photodegradation pathway of bisphenol-A is proposed. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) BiOI/BiOCl composite microspheres with enhanced visible-light photodegradation activity of bisphenol-A (BPA) are synthesized by a simple, one-pot, template-free, solvothermal method using BiI 3 and BiCl 3 as precursors. These 3D hierarchical microspheres with heterojunction structures are composed of 2D nanosheets and have composition-dependent absorption properties in the ultraviolet and visible light regions. The photocatalytic oxidation of BPA over BiOI/BiOCl composites followed pseudo first-order kinetics according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The highest photodegradation efficiency of BPA, i.e., nearly 100%, was observed with the BiOI/BiOCl composite (containing 90% BiOI) using a catalyst dosage of 1 g L −1 in the BPA solution (C 0 = 20 mg L −1 , pH = 7.0) under visible light irradiation for 60 min. Under these conditions, the reaction rate constant was more than 4 and 20 times greater than that of pure BiOI and the commercially available Degussa P25, respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity of this composite catalyst is attributed to the suitable band gap energies and the low recombination rate of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs due to the presence of BiOI/BiOCl heterostructures. Only one intermediate at m/z 151 was observed in the photodegradation process of BPA by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis, and a simple and hole-predominated photodegradation pathway of BPA was subsequently proposed. Furthermore, this photocatalyst exhibited a high mineralization ratio, high stability and easy separation for recycling use, suggesting that it is a

  11. Diffusion coefficients for Tl, Pb, Cd, In, Zn, Bi, As, Mo and Sb in hydrous rhyolite at 100-200 MPa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berlo, Kim; Brooker, Richard; Wilke, Max

    2014-05-01

    A series of experiments have been conducted to determine the diffusivities of Tl, Pb, Cd, In, Zn, Bi, As, Mo and Sb in hydrous rhyolitic melt. Diffusion experiments used two adjoining glass cylinder of the same hydrous composition, one doped with the elements of interest at ~ 100 ppm. These couples were rapidly heated to 850, 1000 and 1150°C at 100-200 MPa for a few hours. After quenching the sectioned charges were analyzed by both synchrotron XRF (The Diamond Light Source) and LA-ICP-MS (University of Oxford). The data shows excellent correlation between these two techniques. The diffusion profiles were fitted to a 1-D diffusion couple equation to determine the diffusivities and fitting to the different temperature runs defined the Arrhenius parameters. We find that for 850°C the diffusion coefficients follow the trend Tl>Pb>Cd>Zn>In>Bi>As>Sb>Mo. Additional experiments were performed with either S or Cl added (to both sides of the diffusion couple). In general S increases the diffusion rate of all metals except Mo and Sb, which diffuse slower in the presence of S. Chlorine also speeds up the diffusion of metals with the exception of In, Mo and Sb. The systematic change in diffusivities of these metals and their different behaviour in the presence of the ligands that are also observed to be significant in volcanic gases, are important in determining the distribution of these metals during degassing (e.g. MacKenzie and Canil, 2008). This is particularly important in a dynamic environment such as a volcanic conduit. There are also implications for economic exploration and well as hazard mitigation.

  12. BiRd (clarithromycin, lenalidomide, dexamethasone): an update on long-term lenalidomide therapy in previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossi, Adriana; Mark, Tomer; Jayabalan, David; Christos, Paul; Zafar, Faiza; Pekle, Karen; Pearse, Roger; Chen-Kiang, Selina; Coleman, Morton; Niesvizky, Ruben

    2013-03-14

    The combination of clarithromycin, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (BiRd) was evaluated as therapy for treatment-naive symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM), with overall response at 2 years of 90%. We reviewed the long-term follow-up of initial BiRd therapy. Seventy-two patients were given dexamethasone 40 mg weekly, clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily, and lenalidomide 25 mg daily on days 1 to 21 of a 28-day cycle. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, overall response rates were 93%, with a very good partial response or better of 68%. Median progression-free survival was 49 months. Evaluation for the development of second primary malignancies (SPMs) was conducted, and no increase in incidence was noted in our cohort of patients who received frontline immunomodulatory therapy. BiRd remains a highly potent and safe regimen for frontline therapy in patients with MM without apparent increase in risk of SPMs. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00151203.

  13. Preparation and Thermoelectric Properties of Graphite/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Wenhua; Zhou, Hongyu; Mu, Xin; He, Danqi; Ji, Pengxia; Hou, Weikang; Wei, Ping; Zhu, Wanting; Nie, Xiaolei; Zhao, Wenyu

    2018-06-01

    Bismuth telluride zone-melting alloys are the most commercially used thermoelectric materials. However, the zone-melting ingots have weak machinability due to the strong preferred orientation. Here, non-textured graphite/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 (G/BST) composites were prepared by a powder metallurgy method combined with cold-pressing and annealing treatments. The composition, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties of the G/BST composites with different mass percentages of G were investigated. It was found that G addition could effectively reduce the thermal conductivity and slightly improve the electrical properties of the BST, which resulted in a large enhancement in the figure-of-merit, ZT. The largest ZT for the xG/BST composites with x = 0.05% reached 1.05 at 320 K, which is increased by 35% as compared with that of the G-free BST materials. This work provided an effective method for preparing non-textured Bi2Te3-based TE materials with a simple process, low cost, and large potential in scale production.

  14. Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 Ca sub n sub - sub 1 Cu sub n O sub y films sputtered on substrates of Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 CuO sub y single crystals

    CERN Document Server

    Katsurahara, K; Matsumoto, K; Fujiwara, N; Tanaka, H; Kishida, S

    2003-01-01

    We prepared Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 CaCu sub 2 O sub y (Bi-2212) films on substrates of Bi sub 2 Sr sub 2 CuO sub y (Bi-2201) single crystals by a rf magnetron sputtering method, where He and O sub 2 mixture sputtering gas and an off-axis geometry were used. The EPMA measurement indicated that the films deposited on the Bi-2201 single crystal had approximately the same composition as those on MgO substrate, which showed a Bi-221 single-phase. The film deposited on the Bi-2201 single crystal post-annealed at 500degC for 0.5h showed a metallic temperature dependent resistance in the normal state and the superconducting transition (T sub c sup o sup n sup s sup e sup t) of about 80 K. Therefore, the Bi-2212 films are considerate to grow on the substrate of the Bi-2201 singe crystal. (author)

  15. Dispersion interactions between neighboring Bi atoms in (BiH3 )2 and Te(BiR2 )2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haack, Rebekka; Schulz, Stephan; Jansen, Georg

    2018-03-13

    Triggered by the observation of a short Bi⋯Bi distance and a BiTeBi bond angle of only 86.6° in the crystal structure of bis(diethylbismuthanyl)tellurane quantum chemical computations on interactions between neighboring Bi atoms in Te(BiR 2 ) 2 molecules (R = H, Me, Et) and in (BiH 3 ) 2 were undertaken. Bi⋯Bi distances atoms were found to significantly shorten upon inclusion of the d shells of the heavy metal atoms into the electron correlation treatment, and it was confirmed that interaction energies from spin component-scaled second-order Møller-Plesset theory (SCS-MP2) agree well with coupled-cluster singles and doubles theory including perturbative triples (CCSD(T)). Density functional theory-based symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (DFT-SAPT) was used to study the anisotropy of the interplay of dispersion attraction and steric repulsion between the Bi atoms. Finally, geometries and relative stabilities of syn-syn and syn-anti conformers of Te(BiR 2 ) 2 (R = H, Me, Et) and interconversion barriers between them were computed. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Intrinsic Rashba-like splitting in asymmetric Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}/Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} heterogeneous topological insulator films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Xiaofei; Guo, Wanlin, E-mail: wlguo@nuaa.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Mechanical Structures and Key Laboratory for Intelligent Nano Materials and Devices (MOE), Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016 (China)

    2014-08-25

    We show by density functional theory calculations that asymmetric hetero-stacking of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}/Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} films can modulate the topological surface states. Due to the structure inversion asymmetry, an intrinsic Rashba-like splitting of the conical surface bands is aroused. While such splitting in homogeneous Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}-class topological insulators can be realized in films with more than three quintuple layers under external electric fields, the hetero-stacking breaks the limit of thickness for preserving the topological nature into the thinnest two quintuple layers. These results indicate that the hetero-stacking can serve as an efficient strategy for spin-resolved band engineering of topological insulators.

  17. [Sensitive determination of Bi3+ by spectrofluorimetry based on graphene oxide-methylene blue system].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhai, Qiu-ge; Guo, Peng; Zhou, Lin; Liu, Yan-ming

    2014-08-01

    Graphene oxide was prepared by the modified Hummers method and characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The interaction of graphene with methylene blue was studied by UV absorption, the intensity of two main absorption peaks of methylene blue decreased significantly after the fluorescence was quenched, and the energy transfer didn't occur because the overlap of the absorption spectrum of GO and the emission spectrum of MB is too small. Therefore, the fluorescence quenching of MB and GO was static. When adding a certain amount of Bi3+ in the graphene-methylene blue system, Bi3+ replaces the methylene blue from the graphene-methylene blue complexes because Bi3+ has the smaller volume and is more positively charged. The methylene blue therefore dissociates from the GO-MB complexes, resulting in the recovery of fluorescence of the system. Furthermore, the fluorescence of the system increases with the increase in the amount of Bi3+ due to the enhanced amount of MB in the system. A novel spectrofluorimetric method was therefore developed for the sensitive determination of Bi3+. Some parameters including the concentration of methylene blue, the amount of graphene oxide, the amount of nitric acid and the sequence of reagent adding were optimized to obtain higher sensitivity. The fluorescence of the system was detected at an emission wavelength of 667 nm with excitation at 690 nm. Under the optimized conditions, the concentration of Bi3+ showed good linear relationships with the fluorescence intensity in the range of 0.5-100 micromol x L(-1), with correlation coefficients of r = 0.9955. The limits of detection for Bi3+ was 1.0 x 10(-8) mol x L(-1) (S/N=3). The selectivity of the proposed method was evaluated and the results showed that 1000-fold K+, Ca+, Na+, Mg2+, Cu2+; 100-fold Fe3+, Be2+, SiO2- Al3+, Ni2+, Sb3+, NO3-, Cl-, F-, and 20-fold Pb2+, Hg2+, Cd2+ had negligible interference with the determination of Bi3+. The method has advantages of

  18. Bismuth-boron multiple bonding in BiB_2O"- and Bi_2B"-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jian, Tian; Cheung, Ling Fung; Chen, Teng-Teng; Wang, Lai-Sheng

    2017-01-01

    Despite its electron deficiency, boron is versatile in forming multiple bonds. Transition-metal-boron double bonding is known, but boron-metal triple bonds have been elusive. Two bismuth boron cluster anions, BiB_2O"- and Bi_2B"-, containing triple and double B-Bi bonds are presented. The BiB_2O"- and Bi_2B"- clusters are produced by laser vaporization of a mixed B/Bi target and characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra are obtained and interpreted with the help of ab initio calculations, which show that both species are linear. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that Bi forms triple and double bonds with boron in BiB_2O"- ([Bi≡B-B≡O]"-) and Bi_2B"- ([Bi=B=Bi]"-), respectively. The Bi-B double and triple bond strengths are calculated to be 3.21 and 4.70 eV, respectively. This is the first experimental observation of Bi-B double and triple bonds, opening the door to design main-group metal-boron complexes with multiple bonding. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  19. Spin reorientation transition and hard magnetic properties of MnBi intermetallic compound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, K.; Wu, X.; Ly, V.; Shoji, T.; Kato, A.; Manabe, A.

    2012-04-01

    The effects of mechanical grinding (MG) on the crystallite size, the spin reorientation transition temperature (TSR) and the hard magnetic properties in melt-spun low temperature phase (LTP) MnBi have been investigated in order to understand the origin of magnetic hardening induced by MG. The room-temperature coercive field (μ0Hcj) is enhanced dramatically from 0.08 T before MG to 1.5 T after MG for 43.2 ks while TSR is concurrently suppressed from 110 to 38 K. The coercive force exhibits positive temperature dependence approximately 50-60 K above TSR and the lowered TSR after MG could result in magnetic hardening at room temperature. The room-temperature coercive force of LTP-MnBi is highly dependent on the crystallite size (D) and is found to be described phenomenologically by the following relationship: μ0Hcj = μ0Ha(δ/D)n, where μ0Ha is ˜ 4 T, the Bloch wall width δ is 7 nm, and the exponent n is approximately 0.7. Our results suggest that the grain refinement is the primary origin of the hardening effect induced by MG with a possible minor hardening effect due to the suppression of the spin reorientation transition temperature.

  20. Growth of GaSb1-xBix by molecular beam epitaxy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Yuxin; Wang, Shumin; Roy, Ivy Saha

    2012-01-01

    Molecular beam epitaxy for GaSb1-xBix is investigated in this article. The growth window for incorporation of Bi in GaSb was found. Strategies of avoiding formation of Bi droplets and enhancing Bi incorporation were studied. The Bi incorporation was confirmed by SIMS and RBS measurements. The Bi ......As substrates were compared and no apparent difference for Bi incorporation was found.......Molecular beam epitaxy for GaSb1-xBix is investigated in this article. The growth window for incorporation of Bi in GaSb was found. Strategies of avoiding formation of Bi droplets and enhancing Bi incorporation were studied. The Bi incorporation was confirmed by SIMS and RBS measurements. The Bi...... concentration in the samples was found to increase with increasing growth temperature and Bi flux. The position of GaSb1-xBix layer peak in XRD rocking curves is found to be correlated to Bi composition. Surface and structural properties of the samples were also investigated. Samples grown on GaSb and Ga...

  1. Role of defects in the carrier-tunable topological-insulator (Bi1 -xSbx )2Te3 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scipioni, Kane L.; Wang, Zhenyu; Maximenko, Yulia; Katmis, Ferhat; Steiner, Charlie; Madhavan, Vidya

    2018-03-01

    Alloys of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3[(Bi1-xSbx) 2Te3] have played an essential role in the exploration of topological surface states, allowing us to study phenomena that would otherwise be obscured by bulk contributions to conductivity. Despite intensive transport and angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) studies, important questions about this system remain unanswered. For example, previous studies reported the chemical tuning of the Fermi level to the Dirac point by controlling the Sb:Bi composition ratio, but the optimum ratio varies widely across various studies. Moreover, it is unclear how the quasiparticle lifetime is affected by the disorder resulting from Sb/Bi alloying. In this work, we use scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to study the electronic structure of epitaxially grown (Bi,Sb) 2Te3 thin films at the nanoscale. We study Landau levels (LLs) to determine the effect of disorder on the quasiparticle lifetime as well as the position of the Dirac point with respect to the Fermi energy. A plot of the LL peak widths shows that despite the intrinsic disorder, the quasiparticle lifetime is not significantly degraded. We further determine that the ideal Sb concentration to place the Fermi energy to within a few meV of the Dirac point is x ˜0.7 , but that postannealing temperatures can have a significant effect on the crystallinity and Fermi level position. Specifically, high postgrowth annealing temperature can result in better crystallinity and surface roughness, but also produces a larger Te defect density which adds n -type carriers. Finally, in combination with quasiparticle interference imaging, the dispersion is revealed over a large energy range above the Fermi energy, in a regime inaccessible to ARPES. Interestingly, the surface state dispersion for the x ˜0.7 sample shows great similarity to pristine Bi2Te3 . This work provides microscopic information on the role of disorder and composition in determining carrier concentration, surface state

  2. Correlating thermoelectric properties with microstructure in Bi0.8Sb0.2 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegal, M. P.; Lima-Sharma, A. L.; Sharma, P. A.; Rochford, C.

    2017-04-01

    The room temperature electronic transport properties of 100 nm-thick thermoelectric Bi0.8Sb0.2 films, sputter-deposited onto quartz substrates and post-annealed in an ex-situ furnace, systematically correlate with the overall microstructural quality, improving with increasing annealing temperature until close to the melting point for the alloy composition. The optimized films have high crystalline quality with ˜99% of the grains oriented with the trigonal axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. Film resistivities and Seebeck coefficients are accurately measured by preventing deleterious surface oxide formation via a SiN capping layer and using Nd-doped Al for contacts. The resulting values are similar to single crystals and significantly better than previous reports from films and polycrystalline bulk alloys.

  3. Crystallinity and superconductivity of as-grown MgB2 thin films with AlN buffer layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujimoto, K.; Shimakage, H.; Wang, Z.; Kaya, N.

    2005-01-01

    The effects of aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layers on the superconducting properties of MgB 2 thin film were investigated. The AlN buffer layers and as-grown MgB 2 thin films were deposited in situ using the multiple-target sputtering system. The best depositing condition for the AlN/MgB 2 bi-layer occurred when the AlN was deposited on c-cut sapphire substrates at 290 deg. C. The crystallinity of the AlN/MgB 2 bi-layer was studied using the XRD φ-scan and it showed that AlN and MgB 2 had the same in-plane alignment rotated at an angle of 30 deg. as compared to c-cut sapphire. The critical temperature of the MgB 2 film was 29.8 K and the resistivity was 50.0 μΩ cm at 40 K

  4. OXIDACIÓN ELECTROQUÍMICA DE LAMBDACIALOTRINA SOBRE ELECTRODOS DE PBO2-BI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Cifuentes

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The electrochemical oxidation of lambdacyhalotrin in a triton X-100 water solution on a PbO2-Bi electrode has been studied. It was discovered that electrocatalytic degradation proceeded through the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H mechanism. The Langmuir adsorption equilibrium constant of the organic compound on the PbO2-Bi surface (0.67 (±0.02 mg-1L and the L-H maximum reaction rate for lambdacyhalotrin oxidation (0.040 (±0.002 mg L-1 min-1 was also determined on the basis of kinetic data. Oxidation/mineralization was tested at electrode potential higher than 2.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl, in this conditions the higher degradation percent of 85 (±4 % has been obtained.

  5. Sorption of radionuclides from Pb-Bi melt. Report 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konovalov, Eh.E.; Il'icheva, N.S.; Trifonova, O.E.

    2015-01-01

    Results of laboratory investigations of sorption and interfacial distribution of 54 Mn, 59 Fe, 60 Co, 106 Ru, 125 Sb, 137 Cs, 144 Ce, 154,155 Eu and 235,238 U radionuclides in the system Pb-Bi melt - steel surface are analyzed. It is shown that 106 Ru and 125 Sb are concentrated in Pb-Bi melt and other radionuclides with higher oxygen affinity are sorbed on oxide deposits on structural materials. Temperature dependences of sorption efficiency of radionuclides are studied. It is shown that there is sharp increase of this value for all radionuclides near the temperature range 350-400 deg C. Recommendations are given on the use of 106 Ru and 125 Sb as a reference for fuel element rupture detection system with radiometric monitoring of coolant melt samples and 137 Cs, 134 Cs, 134m Cs with radiometric monitoring of sorbing samples [ru

  6. One-pot solvothermal synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) BiOI/BiOCl composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities for the degradation of bisphenol-A

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Xin [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Key Lab of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Nano Science Research Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Hao, Rong; Liang, Min; Zuo, Xiaoxi [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Key Lab of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Nan, Junmin, E-mail: jmnan@scnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Key Lab of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Li, Laisheng [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Key Lab of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhang, Weide [Nano Science Research Center, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640 (China)

    2012-09-30

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesis of 3D BiOI/BiOCl microspheres by a one-pot template-free solvothermal method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Photocatalyst is BiOI/BiOCl composites. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer BiOI/BiOCl composites have enhanced visible-light photocatalytic ability to bisphenol-A. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A simple and direct photodegradation pathway of bisphenol-A is proposed. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) BiOI/BiOCl composite microspheres with enhanced visible-light photodegradation activity of bisphenol-A (BPA) are synthesized by a simple, one-pot, template-free, solvothermal method using BiI{sub 3} and BiCl{sub 3} as precursors. These 3D hierarchical microspheres with heterojunction structures are composed of 2D nanosheets and have composition-dependent absorption properties in the ultraviolet and visible light regions. The photocatalytic oxidation of BPA over BiOI/BiOCl composites followed pseudo first-order kinetics according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The highest photodegradation efficiency of BPA, i.e., nearly 100%, was observed with the BiOI/BiOCl composite (containing 90% BiOI) using a catalyst dosage of 1 g L{sup -1} in the BPA solution (C{sub 0} = 20 mg L{sup -1}, pH = 7.0) under visible light irradiation for 60 min. Under these conditions, the reaction rate constant was more than 4 and 20 times greater than that of pure BiOI and the commercially available Degussa P25, respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity of this composite catalyst is attributed to the suitable band gap energies and the low recombination rate of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs due to the presence of BiOI/BiOCl heterostructures. Only one intermediate at m/z 151 was observed in the photodegradation process of BPA by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, and a simple and hole-predominated photodegradation pathway of BPA was subsequently proposed. Furthermore, this photocatalyst

  7. Molecular beam epitaxial growth of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 topological insulators on GaAs (111 substrates: a potential route to fabricate topological insulator p-n junction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaoquan Zeng

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available High quality Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 topological insulators films were epitaxially grown on GaAs (111 substrate using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Their growth and behavior on both vicinal and non-vicinal GaAs (111 substrates were investigated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. It is found that non-vicinal GaAs (111 substrate is better than a vicinal substrate to provide high quality Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 films. Hall and magnetoresistance measurements indicate that p type Sb2Te3 and n type Bi2Te3 topological insulator films can be directly grown on a GaAs (111 substrate, which may pave a way to fabricate topological insulator p-n junction on the same substrate, compatible with the fabrication process of present semiconductor optoelectronic devices.

  8. Structures and electron affinity of XO30,-, XOF40,- and XO2F20,- (X = P, As, Sb, Bi): a theoretical study of novel superhalogen formulae and exceptions of superhalogen formulae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yi-Fan; Cui, Zhong-Hua; Ding, Yi-Hong

    2015-03-01

    Most superhalogen species are in the form of oxides or halides. To enrich the family of superhalogen species, herein, we investigated the structures and electron affinity (EA) values of higher group 15 elements (X = P, As, Sb, Bi) oxyfluoride species XO30,-, XOF40,- and XO2F20,-, at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ-pp & aug-cc-pVTZ //B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ-pp & aug-cc-pVTZ levels (aug-cc-pVTZ-pp for X = Sb and Bi). Some oxyfluoride species, i.e., PO2F20,-, AsO2F20,-, SbO2F20,-, POF40,-, AsOF40,-, SbOF40,- and BiOF40,-, were found to possess higher EA (VDE: 5.0-6.2 eV; ADE: 4.5-5.5 eV) than halogens (F: 3.4 eV; Cl: 3.6 eV). Thus, we recommended that the oxyfluorides in the form of XO2F20,- and XOF40,- should be considered as potential superhalogens, which have not been considered previously. Surprisingly, we showed that BiO3 and BiO2F2, in superhalogen formulae, possess a high vertical detachment energy (VDE) yet a low adiabatic detachment energy (ADE). This is in marked contrast to the previously reported superhalogens, which generally contain both the high VDE and high ADE values. It is the first report about exceptions of superhalogen formulae. These findings revealed that for the analogous main-group compounds with the same structural formula, the difference in the metallic property of the core element could lead to the significant difference in the ground structures of either the anionic or neutral structures, which would result in the much differed superhalogen features.

  9. Bi-Force

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Peng; Speicher, Nora K; Röttger, Richard

    2014-01-01

    of pairwise similarities. We first evaluated the power of Bi-Force to solve dedicated bicluster editing problems by comparing Bi-Force with two existing algorithms in the BiCluE software package. We then followed a biclustering evaluation protocol in a recent review paper from Eren et al. (2013) (A...... comparative analysis of biclustering algorithms for gene expressiondata. Brief. Bioinform., 14:279-292.) and compared Bi-Force against eight existing tools: FABIA, QUBIC, Cheng and Church, Plaid, BiMax, Spectral, xMOTIFs and ISA. To this end, a suite of synthetic datasets as well as nine large gene expression...

  10. Superconducting Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films from metallo-organic complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gruber, H.; Krautz, E.; Fritzer, H.P.; Popitsch, A.

    1991-01-01

    Thin films in the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system are produced by decomposition of organic precursor compounds containing different metallo-organic complexes. The superconducting phase identified is Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x on (100)-MgO single crystal substrates, polycrystalline Au- and Ag-ribbons and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+x on Ag-ribbons. For the 2212-phase a zero resistance temperature of 79 K is found. The 2223-samples on Ag-ribbons show a broad transition at 110 K with a zero resistance at 85 K. SEM and EDX are used for the detection of the microstructure and composition of the prepared films. (orig.)

  11. Properties and Microstructures of Sn-Bi-X Lead-Free Solders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Yang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The Sn-Bi base lead-free solders are proposed as one of the most popular alloys due to the low melting temperature (eutectic point: 139°C and low cost. However, they are not widely used because of the lower wettability, fatigue resistance, and elongation compared to traditional Sn-Pb solders. So the alloying is considered as an effective way to improve the properties of Sn-Bi solders with the addition of elements (Al, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ag, In, Sb, and rare earth and nanoparticles. In this paper, the development of Sn-Bi lead-free solders bearing elements and nanoparticles was reviewed. The variation of wettability, melting characteristic, electromigration, mechanical properties, microstructures, intermetallic compounds reaction, and creep behaviors was analyzed systematically, which can provide a reference for investigation of Sn-Bi base solders.

  12. Thermoelectric and Transport Properties of N-Type Bi{sub 2−x}Sb{sub x}Te{sub 3−y}Se{sub y} Solid Solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eum, A-Young; Kim, Il-Ho [Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    Bi{sub 2−x}Sb{sub x}Te{sub 3−y}Se{sub y} (x = 0.1, 0.2 and y = 0.15, 0.3) solid solutions were prepared using encapsulated melting and hot pressing. The lattice constants decreased with increases in the Sb and the Se contents, which revealed the successful formation of solid solutions. The relative densities of the hot-pressed specimens were 95 - 98%. All specimens exhibited n-type conduction at temperatures from 323 K to 523 K, and the electrical conductivity slightly decreased with increasing temperature. With an increase in the Se content, the Seebeck coefficient increased while the electrical and the thermal conductivities decreased; thus, the dimensionless figure of merit could be improved. The maximum dimensionless figure of merit ZT{sub max} = 0.89 was obtained at 423 K for Bi{sub 1.8}Sb{sub 0.2}Te{sub 2.7}Se{sub 0.3}. An increase in the Sb content resulted in a decrease in the lattice thermal conductivity because of an increase in alloy scattering, but its effect on the electrical properties was not superior to the effect of Se substitution. Therefore, Sb substitution could effectively control the thermal properties while Se substitution could effectively control the electrical properties.

  13. In-situ synthesis of nanofibers with various ratios of BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z} for effective trichloroethylene photocatalytic degradation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yifan [Department of Chemistry, Inha University, 100 Inharo, Incheon 402-751 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Mira [Department of Organic Materials and Fiber Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hak Yong [Department of BIN Convergence Technology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Ding, Bin [College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Park, Soo-Jin, E-mail: sjpark@inha.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Inha University, 100 Inharo, Incheon 402-751 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-30

    Highlights: • BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z}/PAN fibers were synthesized by in-situ method. • Photodegradation behavior of BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z}/PAN fibers was measured under solar light irradiation. • BiOCl{sub 0.3}/BiOBr{sub 0.3}/BiOI{sub 0.4}/PAN fibers exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. • Photocatalytic mechanism was discussed in detail. - Abstract: In this work, BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z} (x + y + z = 1) composite nanofibers were prepared through electrospinning and the sol-gel methods. Photocatalytic degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) by BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z}/PAN nanofibers was systematically investigated via gas chromatography (GC). Optimum photocatalytic activity was achieved with BiOCl{sub 0.3}/BiOBr{sub 0.3}/BiOI{sub 0.4} fibers under solar light irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) peaks due to C−O and C=O were observed at 286.0 and 288.3 eV, respectively, it indicated that the BiOCl{sub x}/BiOBr{sub y}/BiOI{sub z} mixture had been successfully doped on the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction (XRD) results also confirmed that we had synthesized the as-prepared composite nanofibers successfully. Photocatalytic activities of BiOCl{sub 0.3}/BiOBr{sub 0.3}/BiOI{sub 0.4} were up to 3 times higher than the pure BiOCl, BiOBr and BiOI samples, respectively.

  14. Intrinsic quantum spin Hall and anomalous Hall effects in h-Sb/Bi epitaxial growth on a ferromagnetic MnO2 thin film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jian; Sun, Qiang; Wang, Qian; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki; Jena, Puru

    2016-06-07

    Exploring a two-dimensional intrinsic quantum spin Hall state with a large band gap as well as an anomalous Hall state in realizable materials is one of the most fundamental and important goals for future applications in spintronics, valleytronics, and quantum computing. Here, by combining first-principles calculations with a tight-binding model, we predict that Sb or Bi can epitaxially grow on a stable and ferromagnetic MnO2 thin film substrate, forming a flat honeycomb sheet. The flatness of Sb or Bi provides an opportunity for the existence of Dirac points in the Brillouin zone, with its position effectively tuned by surface hydrogenation. The Dirac points in spin up and spin down channels split due to the proximity effects induced by MnO2. In the presence of both intrinsic and Rashba spin-orbit coupling, we find two band gaps exhibiting a large band gap quantum spin Hall state and a nearly quantized anomalous Hall state which can be tuned by adjusting the Fermi level. Our findings provide an efficient way to realize both quantized intrinsic spin Hall conductivity and anomalous Hall conductivity in a single material.

  15. Effects of Bi(Zn2/3Nb1/3)O3 Modification on the Relaxor Behavior and Piezoelectricity of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 Ceramics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zenghui; Wu, Hua; Paterson, Alisa; Ren, Wei; Ye, Zuo-Guang

    2017-10-01

    Relaxor lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-based materials exhibit complex structures and unusual properties that have been puzzling researchers for decades. In this paper, a new ternary solid solution of Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -PbTiO 3 -Bi(Zn 2/3 Nb 1/3 )O 3 (PMN-PT-BZN) is prepared in the form of ceramics, and the effects of the incorporation of BZN into the PMN-PT binary system are investigated. The crystal structure favors a pseudocubic symmetry and the relaxor properties are enhanced as the concentration of BZN increases. The relaxor behavior and the related phase transformations are studied by dielectric spectroscopy. A phase diagram mapping out the characteristic temperatures and various states is established. Interestingly, the piezoelectricity of the PMN-PT ceramics is significantly enhanced by the BZN substitution, with an optimal value of d 33 reaching 826 pC/N for 0.96[0.7Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.3PbTiO 3 ]-0.04Bi(Zn 2/3 Nb 1/3 )O 3 . This paper provides a better understanding of the relaxor ferroelectric behavior, and unveils a new relaxor-based ternary system as piezoelectric materials potentially useful for electromechanical transducer applications.

  16. Superconducting thin films of As-free pnictide LaPd{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} grown by reactive molecular beam epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Retzlaff, Reiner; Buckow, Alexander; Kurian, Jose; Alff, Lambert [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2013-07-01

    We use reactive molecular beam epitaxy as synthesis technique for the search of arsenic free pnictide superconductors. Epitaxial thin films of LaPd{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} were grown on (100) MgO substrates from elemental sources by simultaneous evaporation of high purity La, Pd and Sb metals by e-gun. LaPd{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} belongs to a novel class of pnictide superconductors with a peculiar pnictide square net layer. Previously, we have reported epitaxial growth of isostructural Bi based compounds. The substitution of Bi by Sb leads to thin films with metallic behavior and room temperature resistivity of about 85 μΩ cm. The highest observed transition temperature T{sub c} inLaPd{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} is 3.1 K and does not depend on x. We discuss strategies to increase T{sub c} in this pnictide subfamily.

  17. Transparent nanoscale floating gate memory using self-assembled bismuth nanocrystals in Bi(2) Mg(2/3) Nb(4/3) O(7) (BMN) pyrochlore thin films grown at room temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Hyun-June; Yoon, Soon-Gil; Hong, Soon-Ku; Lee, Jeong-Yong

    2012-07-03

    Bismuth nanocrystals for a nanoscale floating gate memory device are self-assembled in Bi(2) Mg(2/3) Nb(4/3) O(7) (BMN) dielectric films grown at room temperature by radio-frequency sputtering. The TEM cross-sectional image shows the "real" structure grown on a Si (001) substrate. The image magnified from the dotted box (red color) in the the cross-sectional image clearly shows bismuth nanoparticles at the interface between the Al(2) O(3) and HfO(2) layer (right image). Nanoparticles approximately 3 nm in size are regularly distributed at the interface. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Investigation of structural and electrical properties of (1 - x) Bi0.5Mg0.5TiO3-(x) PbTiO3 ceramic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rai, Radheshyam; Sinha, Abinhav; Sharmac, Seema; Sinha, N.K.P.

    2009-01-01

    [(BiMg 0.5 Ti 0.5 O 3 ) 1-x ][PbTiO 3 ] x (BMT-PT) ceramic powders of different compositions were prepared by solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis of the compounds suggest the structural change (rhombohedral to tetragonal) in these ceramics. SEM photographs exhibit the uniform distribution of grains with less porosity. Polarization vs. electric field (P-E) studies show maximum remanent polarization (P r ∼ 7.9 μC/cm 2 ) for composition x = 0.34. The dielectric peaks were found to be broadened that indicates the existence of diffuse phase transition. Diffusivity (γ) study of phase transition in these compounds provided values between 1 and 2 indicating the variation of degree of disorderness in the system.

  19. High absorption coefficients of the CuSb(Se,Te2 and CuBi(S,Se2 alloys enable high-efficient 100 nm thin-film photovoltaics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Rongzhen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We demonstrate that the band-gap energies Eg of CuSb(Se,Te2 and CuBi(S,Se2 can be optimized for high energy conversion in very thin photovoltaic devices, and that the alloys then exhibit excellent optical properties, especially for tellurium rich CuSb(Se1−xTex2. This is explained by multi-valley band structure with flat energy dispersions, mainly due to the localized character of the Sb/Bi p-like conduction band states. Still the effective electron mass is reasonable small: mc ≈ 0.25m0 for CuSbTe2. The absorption coefficient α(ω for CuSb(Se1−xTex2 is at ħω = Eg + 1 eV as much as 5–7 times larger than α(ω for traditional thin-film absorber materials. Auger recombination does limit the efficiency if the carrier concentration becomes too high, and this effect needs to be suppressed. However with high absorptivity, the alloys can be utilized for extremely thin inorganic solar cells with the maximum efficiency ηmax ≈ 25% even for film thicknesses d ≈ 50 − 150 nm, and the efficiency increases to ∼30% if the Auger effect is diminished.

  20. High absorption coefficients of the CuSb(Se,Te)2 and CuBi(S,Se)2 alloys enable high-efficient 100 nm thin-film photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Rongzhen; Persson, Clas

    2017-06-01

    We demonstrate that the band-gap energies Eg of CuSb(Se,Te)2 and CuBi(S,Se)2 can be optimized for high energy conversion in very thin photovoltaic devices, and that the alloys then exhibit excellent optical properties, especially for tellurium rich CuSb(Se1-xTex)2. This is explained by multi-valley band structure with flat energy dispersions, mainly due to the localized character of the Sb/Bi p-like conduction band states. Still the effective electron mass is reasonable small: mc ≈ 0.25m0 for CuSbTe2. The absorption coefficient α(ω) for CuSb(Se1-xTex)2 is at ħω = Eg + 1 eV as much as 5-7 times larger than α(ω) for traditional thin-film absorber materials. Auger recombination does limit the efficiency if the carrier concentration becomes too high, and this effect needs to be suppressed. However with high absorptivity, the alloys can be utilized for extremely thin inorganic solar cells with the maximum efficiency ηmax ≈ 25% even for film thicknesses d ≈ 50 - 150 nm, and the efficiency increases to ˜30% if the Auger effect is diminished.

  1. Hierarchical Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} architectures decorated with Pd nanoparticles for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Jinniu; Chen, Tianhua [School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 (China); Lu, Hongbing, E-mail: hblu@snnu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 (China); Yang, Zhibo; Yin, Feng; Gao, Jianzhi; Liu, Qianru [School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062 (China); Tu, Yafang [Department of Physics, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056 (China)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • A new kind of Pd decorated Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} hierarchical microarchitecture was synthesized. • Pd nanoparticles remarkably improved the photocatalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. • The photo-generated holes and ·O{sub 2}{sup −} played a crucial role in the degradation of RhB. • The photocatalytic enhancement mechanism of the Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composites was proposed. - Abstract: A new kind of hierarchical Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} architecture decorated with different molar ratios of Pd to Bi, has been fabricated by a hydrothermal process, followed by a chemical deposition method. The photocatalytic activities of the pure Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} and Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanocatalyst were examined in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dyes and phenol under visible light. The photocatalytic results showed that the Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanocomposites possessed observably enhanced photocatalytic activities. Particularly, the 2.0% Pd loaded Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} had the highest photocatalytic activity, exhibiting a nearly complete degradation of 30 mg/L RhB and 10 mg/L phenol within only 50 and 60 min, respectively. In addition, the trapping experiment results indicated that the photo-generated holes (h{sup +}) and ·O{sub 2}{sup −} played a crucial role in the degradation of RhB. According to the experimental results, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} was also proposed. The enhanced photocatalytic activities were ascribed to the combined effects of the highly efficient separation of electrons and holes, improved visible light utilization and increased BET specific surface areas of the Pd-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanocomposites.

  2. Spatial profile of thermoelectric effects during Peltier pulsing in Bi and Bi/MnBi eutectic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silberstein, R. P.; Larson, D. J., Jr.

    1987-01-01

    The spatial profile of the thermal transients that occur during and following the current pulsing associated with Peltier Interface Demarcation during directional solidification is studied. Results for pure Bi are presented in detail and compared with corresponding results for the Bi/MnBi eutectic. Significant thermal transients occur throughout the sample that can be accounted for by the Peltier effect, the Thomson effect, and Joule heating. These effects are separated and their behavior is studied as a function of time, current density, and position with respect to the solid/liquid interface.

  3. Intrinsic Instability of Cs2In(I)M(III)X6 (M = Bi, Sb; X = Halogen) Double Perovskites: A Combined Density Functional Theory and Experimental Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Zewen; Du, Ke-Zhao; Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Jianbo; Mitzi, David B; Yan, Yanfa

    2017-05-03

    Recently, there has been substantial interest in developing double-B-cation halide perovskites, which hold the potential to overcome the toxicity and instability issues inherent within emerging lead halide-based solar absorber materials. Among all double perovskites investigated, In(I)-based Cs 2 InBiCl 6 and Cs 2 InSbCl 6 have been proposed as promising thin-film photovoltaic absorber candidates, with computational examination predicting suitable materials properties, including direct bandgap and small effective masses for both electrons and holes. In this study, we report the intrinsic instability of Cs 2 In(I)M(III)X 6 (M = Bi, Sb; X = halogen) double perovskites by a combination of density functional theory and experimental study. Our results suggest that the In(I)-based double perovskites are unstable against oxidation into In(III)-based compounds. Further, the results show the need to consider reduction-oxidation (redox) chemistry when predicting stability of new prospective electronic materials, especially when less common oxidation states are involved.

  4. Interface Promoted Reversible Mg Insertion in Nanostructured Tin-Antimony Alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, Yingwen; Shao, Yuyan; Parent, Lucas R.; Sushko, Maria L.; Li, Guosheng; Sushko, Petr; Browning, Nigel D.; Wang, Chong M.; Liu, Jun

    2015-11-11

    This paper demonstrates intermetallic compounds SnSb are highly active materials for reversibly hosting Mg ions. Compared with monometallic Sn and Sb, SnSb alloy exhibited exceptionally high reversible capacity (420 mAh/g), excellent rate capability and good cyclic stability. Mg insertion into pristine SnSb involves an activation process to complete, which induces particle breakdown and results in phase segregation to Sn-rich and Sb-rich phases. Both experimental analysis and DFT simulation suggest that the Sn-rich phase is particularly active and provides most of the capacity whereas the Sb-rich phase is not as active, and the interface between these two phases play a key role in promoting the formation and stabilization of the cubic Sn phase that is more favorable for fast and reversible Mg insertion. We further show that activated SnSb alloy has good compatibility with simple Mg electrolytes. Overall, this work could provide new approaches for designing materials capable of reversible Mg ion insertion and new opportunities for understanding Mg electrochemistry.

  5. Applications of thermodynamic calculations to Mg alloy design: Mg-Sn based alloy development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, In-Ho; Park, Woo-Jin; Ahn, Sang Ho; Kang, Dae Hoon; Kim, Nack J.

    2007-01-01

    Recently an Mg-Sn based alloy system has been investigated actively in order to develop new magnesium alloys which have a stable structure and good mechanical properties at high temperatures. Thermodynamic modeling of the Mg-Al-Mn-Sb-Si-Sn-Zn system was performed based on available thermodynamic, phase equilibria and phase diagram data. Using the optimized database, the phase relationships of the Mg-Sn-Al-Zn alloys with additions of Si and Sb were calculated and compared with their experimental microstructures. It is shown that the calculated results are in good agreement with experimental microstructures, which proves the applicability of thermodynamic calculations for new Mg alloy design. All calculations were performed using FactSage thermochemical software. (orig.)

  6. Novel Bi/BiOBr/AgBr composite microspheres: Ion exchange synthesis and photocatalytic performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyu, Jianchang; Li, Zhenlu; Ge, Ming

    2018-06-01

    Novel Bi/BiOBr/AgBr composite microspheres were prepared by a rational in situ ion exchange reaction between Bi/BiOBr microspheres and AgNO3. The characteristic of the as-obtained ternary microspheres was tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL). Under visible light irradiation, Bi/BiOBr/AgBr microspheres exhibited an excellent photocatalytic efficiency for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation, which was about 1.4 and 4.9 times as high as that of Bi/BiOBr and BiOBr/AgBr, demonstrating that the highest separation efficiency of charge carriers in the heterostructured Bi/BiOBr/AgBr. The photocatalytic activity of Bi/BiOBr/AgBr microspheres just exhibited a slight decrease after three consecutive cycles. The photocatalytic mechanism investigation confirmed that the superoxide radicals (O2•-) were the dominant reactive oxygen species for RhB degradation in Bi/BiOBr/AgBr suspension.

  7. The modulation and reconstruction of a BiO layer of cuprate Bi2212

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Wei; Zeng, Z

    2011-01-01

    Studies based on ab initio density functional theory show that the modulated structures of BiO surfaces of cuprate Bi2212 superconductors are spontaneously formed and closely related to the reconstructions of BiO surfaces. The reconstructions of BiO layers occur both on the surface and in the bulk, accompanied with the formations of BiO-zigzag chains and Bi 2 O 2 quadrilaterals. The structural modulations of the BiO surface are along the b axis, perpendicular to the BiO-zigzag chains along the a axis. Our calculations provide a unified understanding of the formation of modulating structures in Bi2212. Another interesting result is that electronic structures of BiO surfaces are significantly influenced by the CuO 2 layer beneath because of the structural modulations and reconstructions.

  8. The motley family of polar compounds (MV)[M(X{sub 5-x}X Prime {sub x})] based on anionic chains of trans-connected M{sup (III)}(X,X Prime ){sub 6} octahedra (M=Bi, Sb; X, X Prime =Cl, Br, I) and methylviologen (MV) dications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leblanc, Nicolas [Laboratoire MOLTECH-Anjou, UMR-CNRS 6200, Universite d' Angers 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045 Angers (France); Mercier, Nicolas, E-mail: nicolas.mercier@univ-angers.fr [Laboratoire MOLTECH-Anjou, UMR-CNRS 6200, Universite d' Angers 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045 Angers (France); Allain, Magali; Toma, Oksana [Laboratoire MOLTECH-Anjou, UMR-CNRS 6200, Universite d' Angers 2 Bd Lavoisier, 49045 Angers (France); Auban-Senzier, Pascale; Pasquier, Claude [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR-CNRS 8502, Bat. 510,Universite Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay (France)

    2012-11-15

    The search for hybrid organic-inorganic materials remains a great challenge in the field of ferroelectrics. Following the discovery of the room temperature ferroelectric material (MV)[BiI{sub 3}Cl{sub 2}] (MV{sup 2+}: methylviologen) exhibiting the highest polarization value in the field of hybrid ferroelectrics, we report here nine new hybrids with the general formulation (MV)[M{sup (III)}X{sub 5-x}X Prime {sub x}] (M=Bi, Sb; X, X Prime =Cl, Br, I): (MV)[BiCl{sub 3.3}Br{sub 1.7}] (1), (MV)[BiCl{sub 1.3}Br{sub 3.7}] (2), (MV)[BiBr{sub 3.2}I{sub 1.8}] (3), (MV)[SbCl{sub 5}] (4), (MV)[SbBr{sub 5}] (5), (MV)[SbCl{sub 3.8}Br{sub 1.2}] (6), (MV)[SbCl{sub 2.4}Br{sub 2.6}] (7), (MV)[SbI{sub 3}Cl{sub 2}] (8) and (MV)[SbBr{sub 3.8}I{sub 1.2}] (9). Depending on the presence of polar chains or not, and on the coupling of polar chains, two types of centrosymmetrical structures [C1] and [C2] and two types of polar structures [P1] and [P2] are defined. (2) undergoes a paraelectric-to-relaxor ferroelectric transition around 100-150 K depending of the frequency showing that the Curie temperature, T{sub C}, of (MV)[BiBr{sub 5}] (243 K) can be modulated by the substitution of Br by Cl. The most interesting family is the [P2] type because the syn coupling of polar chains is in favor of high polarization values, as in (MV)[BiI{sub 3}Cl{sub 2}]. Five of the nine new hybrids, (4), (6-9), which have the [P2] type structure are potential ferroelectrics. - Graphical abstract: The methylviologen haloantimonate (MV)[SbX{sub 5-x}X Prime {sub x}] families (X, X Prime =Cl, Br, I) - [P1] and [P2] are the two kinds of polar structures - and view of the (MV)[SbBr{sub 3.8}I{sub 1.2}] hybrid based on chiral polar chains which are in syn coupling. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nine hybrids based on methylviologen and halometalate chains have been discovered. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The polar nature of chains is due to the ns{sup 2} stereoactivity of Sb{sup (III)} or Bi{sup (III

  9. Facile synthesis of Bi/BiOCl composite with selective photocatalytic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Dongling; Zhang, Min; Lu, Qiuju; Chen, Junfang; Liu, Bitao; Wang, Zhaofeng

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a novel and facile method to fabricate Bi/BiOCl composites with dominant (001) facets in situ via a microwave reduction route. Different characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission scanning electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometry (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR), cathodoluminescence spectrum (CL), and lifetime, have been employed to investigate the structure, optical and electrical properties of the Bi/BiOCl composites. The experimental results show that the introduction of Bi particles can efficiently enhance the photocatalytic performance of BiOCl for the degradation of several dyes under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, especially for negative charged methyl orange (MO). Unlike the UV photocatalytic performance, such Bi/BiOCl composite shows higher degradation efficiency towards rhodamine B (RhB) than MO and methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. This special photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the synergistic effect between oxygen vacancies and Bi particles. This work provides new insights about the photodegradation mechanisms of MO, MB and RhB under UV and visible light irradiation, which would be helpful to guide the selection of an appropriate catalyst for other pollutants. - Highlights: • Bi/BiOCl composites were synthesized via a microwave reduction. • Tunable selectivity photocatalytic activity can be achieved. • Photodegradation mechanism under UV and visible light were proposed

  10. Photocatalytic activity of Bi_2WO_6/Bi_2S_3 heterojunctions: the facilitation of exposed facets of Bi_2WO_6 substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Long; Wang, Yufei; Shen, Huidong; Zhang, Yu; Li, Jian; Wang, Danjun

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 hybrids with exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets have been synthesized. • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that a small amount of Bi_2S_3 was formed. • The enhanced photoactivity of hybrids is due to heterojunction and (020) facets. • A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed. - Abstract: Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 hybrid architectures with exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets have been synthesized via a controlled anion exchange approach. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that a small amount of Bi_2S_3 was formed on the surface of Bi_2WO_6 during the anion exchange process, thus leading to the transformation from the Bi_2WO_6 to Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6. A rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution was chosen as model organic pollutants to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6 catalysts. Under visible light irradiation, the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6-TAA displayed the excellent visible light photoactivities compared with pure Bi_2S_3, Bi_2WO_6 and other composite photocatalysts. The efficient photocatalytic activity of the Bi_2S_3/Bi_2WO_6-TAA composite microspheres was ascribed to the constructed heterojunctions and the inner electric field caused by the exposed (020) Bi_2WO_6 facets. Active species trapping experiments revealed that h"+ and O_2·"− are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, the as-obtained photocatalysts showed good photocatalytic activity after four recycles. The results presented in this study provide a new concept for the rational design and development of highly efficient photocatalysts.

  11. Magnetic field induced superconductor-insulator transitions for ultra-thin Bi films on the different underlayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makise, K; Kawaguti, T; Shinozaki, B

    2009-01-01

    This work shows the experimental results of the superconductor-insulator (S-I) transition for ultra-thin Bi films in magnetic fields. The quench-condensed (q-c) Bi film onto insulating underlayers have been interpreted to be homogeneous. In contrast, the Bi film without underlayers has been regarded as a granular film. The electrical transport properties of ultra-thin metal films near the S-I transition depend on the structure of the film. In order to confirm the effect of the underlayer to the homogeneity of the superconducting films, we investigate the characteristics of S-I transitions of q-c nominally homogeneous Bi films on underlayers of two insulating materials, SiO, and Sb. Under almost the same deposition condition except for the material of underlayer, we prepared the Bi films by repeating the additional deposition and performed in-situ electrical measurement. It is found that the transport properties near the S-I transitions show the remarkable difference between two films on different underlayers. As for Bi films on SiO, it turned out that the temperature dependence of resistance per square R sq (T) of the field-tuned transition and the thickness-tuned transition shows similar behavior; it was a thermally activated form. On the other hand, the R sq (T) of Bi films on Sb for thickness-tuned S-I transition showed logarithmic temperature dependence, but that for field-tuned S-I transition showed a thermally activated form.

  12. Multiferroic BiFeO3-BiMnO3 Nanocheckerboard From First Principles

    OpenAIRE

    Palova, L.; Chandra, P.; Rabe, K. M.

    2010-01-01

    We present a first principles study of an unusual heterostructure, an atomic-scale checkerboard of BiFeO3-BiMnO3, and compare its properties to the two bulk constituent materials, BiFeO3 and BiMnO3. The "nanocheckerboard" is found to have a multiferroic ground state with the desired properties of each constituent: polar and ferrimagnetic due to BiFeO3 and BiMnO3, respectively. The effect of B-site cation ordering on magnetic ordering in the BiFeO3-BiMnO3 system is studied. The checkerboard ge...

  13. Doping of (Bi,Pb)-2223 with metal oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goehring, D.; Vogt, M.; Wischert, W.; Kemmler-Sack, S.

    1997-01-01

    The effect of doping on formation, superconductivity and pinning forces of (Bi,Pb)-2223 was studied for several dopants. They can be subdivided into promoters (Cu, Mn at low doping level of x=0.1 and Rh) and inhibitors (Mg, Al, Sn, Co, Y, Pd and high substitution levels of Mn and Ni) of the transformation of the precursor material into (Bi,Pb)-2223. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies the incorporation of the dopant into the 2223 lattice is restricted to a very low doping level. Higher dopant concentrations are accompanied by a segregation of secondary phases. These segregations are not effective in the process of creating flux pinning centres. A depression of T c is observed for 2223 materials with the dopants Co, Ni and Pd. (orig.)

  14. MLED_BI: a new BI Design Approach to Support Multilingualism in Business Intelligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nedim Dedić

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Existing approaches to support Multilingualism (ML in Business Intelligence (BI create problems for business users, present a number of challenges from the technical perspective, and lead to issues with logical dependence in the star schema. In this paper, we propose MLED_BI (Multilingual Enabled Design for Business Intelligence, a novel BI design approach to support the application of ML in BI Environment, which overcomes the issues and problems found with existing approaches. The approach is based on a revision of the data warehouse dimensional modelling approach and treats the Star Schema as a higher level entity. This paper describes MLED_BI and the validation and evaluation approach used.

  15. The role of the isolated 6s states in BiVO{sub 4} on the electronic and atomic structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Jie; Wang, Lin-Wang [Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

    2014-10-27

    BiVO{sub 4} is one of the most promising photoanodes for water-splitting applications. Similar to many d{sup 10} materials, where the full-shell d electrons are not directly involved in the bonding, the Bi 6s electrons form isolated low-energy bands in BiVO{sub 4}. By systematically altering the energy of the Bi 6s states, we find direct evidences that the isolated s states, through the s-p coupling, affect the BiVO{sub 4} properties, including valence band maximum position, charge density, and atomic structural distortion. We find that many good properties of BiVO{sub 4} for water splitting are related to the s-p coupling due to the existence of Bi 6s states. Based on this understanding, we propose that alloying Bi with Sb can enhance these properties, and hence improve the water-splitting efficiency.

  16. Rapid adsorption properties of flower-like BiOI nanoplates synthesized via a simple EG-assisted solvothermal process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Bin; Ji, Guangbin, E-mail: gbji@nuaa.edu.cn [Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, College of Materials Science and Technology (China); Gondal, M. A. [King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Physics Department (Saudi Arabia); Liu, Yousong; Zhang, Xingmiao; Chang, Xiaofeng; Li, Nianwu [Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, College of Materials Science and Technology (China)

    2013-07-15

    Uniform well-crystallized flower-like BiOI nanoplates contained 3.7 nm mesopores, which may be attributed to the internanosheet spaces of BiOI with maximum pore diameters of about 30 nm, were successfully synthesized via a simple ethylene glycol-assisted solvothermal method. The as-prepared porous BiOI nanoplates exhibited excellent adsorption ability, and the saturated extent of adsorption of BiOI over an RhB solution was as high as 197 mg/g, which is much higher than those for BiOCl and BiOBr prepared via the same method and with a similar surface area. The probable adsorption mechanism could have originated from the interaction between the I atom in BiOI and a proton in RhB at different pH values and temperatures. With visible light irradiation ({lambda} > 420 nm), 80 % of the RhB was degraded in 4 h, while BiOI still demonstrated reasonably outstanding photocatalytic ability under green light ({lambda} = 550 {+-} 15 nm) because of its low-energy gap (1.72 eV). The degradation test for BiOI under irradiation at {lambda} = 550 {+-} 15 nm is an excellent achievement for field applications because the catalyst can be applied in solar irradiation to remove organic pollutants, which may be of great value BiOI complex.

  17. Molecular beam epitaxial growth of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} topological insulators on GaAs (111) substrates: a potential route to fabricate topological insulator p-n junction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeng, Zhaoquan; Morgan, Timothy A.; Li, Chen; Hirono, Yusuke; Hu, Xian; Hawkridge, Michael E.; Benamara, Mourad; Salamo, Gregory J. [Arkansas Institute for Nanoscale Material Sciences and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States); Fan, Dongsheng; Yu, Shuiqing [Arkansas Institute for Nanoscale Material Sciences and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States); Zhao, Yanfei [International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); Lee, Joon Sue [The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Wang, Jian [International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Wang, Zhiming M. [Arkansas Institute for Nanoscale Material Sciences and Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States); State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 (China); Engineering Research Center for Semiconductor Integrated Technology, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2013-07-15

    High quality Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} topological insulators films were epitaxially grown on GaAs (111) substrate using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. Their growth and behavior on both vicinal and non-vicinal GaAs (111) substrates were investigated by reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. It is found that non-vicinal GaAs (111) substrate is better than a vicinal substrate to provide high quality Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} films. Hall and magnetoresistance measurements indicate that p type Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and n type Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} topological insulator films can be directly grown on a GaAs (111) substrate, which may pave a way to fabricate topological insulator p-n junction on the same substrate, compatible with the fabrication process of present semiconductor optoelectronic devices.

  18. Heterojunction BiOI/Bi2MoO6 nanocomposite with much enhanced photocatalytic activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Wen Ting; Zheng, Yi Fan; Yin, Hao Yong; Song, Xu Chun

    2015-01-01

    BiOI/Bi 2 MoO 6 heterostructures with different amounts of BiOI were successfully prepared via a facile deposition method. The obtained BiOI/Bi 2 MoO 6 photocatalysts exhibited much higher visible light (λ > 420 nm) induced photocatalytic activity compared with single Bi 2 MoO 6 and BiOI photocatalysts. 20 % BiOI/Bi 2 MoO 6 nanocomposite exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with almost all RhB decomposed within 70 min. However, excess BiOI covering on the surface of Bi 2 MoO 6 can inversely reduce the photocatalytic activity. The enhanced photocatalytic activities could be resulted from the function of the novel p–n heterojunction interface between Bi 2 MoO 6 and BiOI, which could separate photoinduced carriers efficiently. Possible mechanisms on the basis of the relative band positions were also discussed

  19. Pressure-induced phase transition and octahedral tilt system change of Ba2BiSbO6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lufaso, Michael W.; Macquart, Rene B.; Lee, Yongjae; Vogt, Thomas; Loye, Hans-Conrad zur

    2006-01-01

    High-resolution X-ray synchrotron powder diffraction studies under high-pressure conditions are reported for the ordered double perovskite Ba 2 BiSbO 6 . Near 4GPa, the oxide undergoes a pressure-induced phase transition. The symmetry of the material changes during the phase transition from space group R3-bar to space group I2/m, which is consistent with a change in the octahedral tilting distortion from an a - a - a - type to a 0 b - b - type using the Glazer notation. A fit of the volume-pressure data using the Birch-Murnagaham equation of state yielded a bulk modulus of 144(8)GPa for the rhombohedral phase

  20. Facile Fabrication of BiOI/BiOCl Immobilized Films With Improved Visible Light Photocatalytic Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingxian Zhong

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available HIGHLIGHTSA facial method was used to fabricate BiOI/BiOCl film at room temperature.30% BiOI/BiOCl showed an excellent photocatalytic activity and stability.Improvement of photocatalytic activity was owed to expanded visible light absorption and high separation efficiency of charge.Photocatalysis has been considered to be one of the most promising ways to photodegrade organic pollutants. Herein, a series of BiOI/BiOCl films coating on FTO were fabricated through a simple method at room temperature. The photocatalytic efficiency of 30%BiOI/BiOCl could reach more than 99% aiming to degrading RhB and MB after 90 and 120 min, respectively. Compared with BiOCl, 30%BiOI/BiOCl showed 12 times higher efficiency when degrading RhB. In comparison with BiOI, 30%BiOI/BiOCl showed 5 and 6 times higher efficiency when degrading RhB and MB, respectively. These obvious enhancements were attributed to expanded visible light absorption and high separation performance of photoinduced charge. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of 30%BiOI/BiOCl had no obvious decrease after five recycles, suggesting that it was a promising photocatalyst for the removal of MB and RhB pollutants. Finally, the possible growth process for the BiOI/BiOCl thin films and photocatalysis mechanism were investigated in details. This work would provide insight to the reasonable construction of BiOX heterojunction and the photocatalytic mechanism in degrading organic pollutants.

  1. Bi3+–Pr3+ energy transfer processes and luminescent properties of LuAG:Bi,Pr and YAG:Bi,Pr single crystalline films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zorenko, Y.; Gorbenko, V.; Savchyn, V.; Zorenko, T.; Nikl, M.; Mares, J.A.; Beitlerova, A.; Jary, V.

    2013-01-01

    Absorption, cathodoluminescence, excitation spectra of photoluminescence (PL) and PL decay kinetics were studied at 300 K for the double doped with Bi 3+ –Pr 3+ and separately doped with Bi 3+ and Pr 3+ Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG) and Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (YAG) single crystalline film (SCF) phosphors grown by the liquid phase epitaxy method. The emission bands in the UV range arising from the intrinsic radiative transitions of Bi 3+ based centers, and emission bands in the visible range, related to the luminescence of excitons localized around Bi 3+ based centers, were identified both in Bi–Pr and Bi-doped LuAG and YAG SCFs. The energy transfer processes from the host lattice simultaneously to Bi 3+ and Pr 3+ ions and from Bi 3+ to Pr 3+ ions were investigated. Competition between Pr 3+ and Bi 3+ ions in the energy transfer processes from the LuAG and YAG hosts was evidenced. The strong decrease of the intensity of Pr 3+ luminescence both in LuAG:Pr and YAG:Pr SCFs phosphors, grown from Bi 2 O 3 flux, is observed due to the quenching influence of Bi 3+ flux related impurity. Due to overlap of the UV emission band of Bi 3+ centers with the f–d absorption bands of Pr 3+ ions in the UV range and the luminescence of excitons localized around Bi ions with the f–f absorption bands of Pr 3+ ions in the visible range, an effective energy transfer from Bi 3+ ions to Pr 3+ ions takes place in LuAG:Bi,Pr and YAG:Bi,Pr SCFs, resulting in the appearance of slower component in the decay kinetics of the Pr 3+ d–f luminescence. -- Highlights: • Bi and Pr doped film phosphor grown by liquid phase epitaxy method. • Energy transfer from Bi 3+ to Pr 3+ ions. • Strong quenching of the Pr 3+ luminescence by Bi 3+ co-dopant

  2. Influence of photoinduced Bi-related self-doping on the photocatalytic activity of BiOBr nanosheets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Dan [School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR (China); Yue, Songtao; Wang, Wei [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); An, Tiacheng, E-mail: antc99@gig.ac.cn [Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Li, Guiying [Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Ye, Liqun [School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR (China); College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061 (China); Yip, Ho Yin [School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR (China); Wong, Po Keung, E-mail: pkwong@cuhk.edu.hk [School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR (China)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Bi{sup 5+} self-doped BiOBr nanosheets are achieved under UV irradiation. • Bi{sup 5+} is formed due to the oxidation of surface Bi{sup 3+} by photoexcited h{sup +} of BiOBr. • Two photoinduced h{sup +} mediated oxidation processes happen simultaneously. • Self-doped BiOBr is superior in phenol degradation and bacterial inactivation. • Bi{sup 5+} electron trapping induced photocatalytic enhancement mechanism is proposed. - Abstract: Under UV irradiation, self-doped Bi{sup 5+} is evidenced to be generated on the surface of BiOBr nanosheets, but with well-preserved crystal structure and morphology compared with pure counterpart. Bi{sup 5+} self-doping BiOBr (BiOBr-4) exhibits distinct photocatalytic mode for dyes degradation, as compared with pure BiOBr nanosheets. These photodegradation distinctions are mainly due to the simultaneous occurrence of two photoinduced hole (h{sup +}) mediated oxidation processes on the BiOBr surfaces: (1) a portion of photoexcited h{sup +} participates in the photocatalytic oxidation of dyes, and (2) partial h{sup +} involves the oxidation of Bi{sup 3+} to Bi{sup 5+}. Notably, BiOBr-4 nanosheets comparatively show superior photocatalytic activity for the phenol decomposition as well as the bacterial inactivation. Besides Bi{sup 5+} induced narrowed bandgap and enhanced light adsorption capacity, significantly, the oxidative Bi{sup 5+} acts as electron traps to promote the photoexcited electron-hole separation and accelerate h{sup +} migration, resulting in the considerable photocatalytic enhancement of BiOBr-4 nanosheets. These novel findings will not only give new insights into the photocatalytic mechanism but also explore new route to enhance photocatalytic performance of Bi-based materials.

  3. Hexamethylenetetramine assisted hydrothermal synthesis of BiPO4 and its electrochemical properties for supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nithya, V. D.; Kalai Selvan, R.; Vasylechko, Leonid

    2015-11-01

    The well defined microstructures of BiPO4 were successfully synthesized by the facile hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) assisted hydrothermal method. The low temperature monoclinic BiPO4 structure with space group P21/n, were obtained from X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the pristine and HMT-assisted BiPO4 with 1, 3, 5 and 10 mmole concentration. A transformation from low temperature monazite-type phase to the high temperature SbPO4-type phase of BiPO4 was observed at the 10 mmole concentration. There was a variation in the morphology from polyhedron to octahedra-like and finally into cube shape upon an increase in concentration of HMT. The role of reaction time in the morphology of BiPO4 particles was investigated. The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern elucidated the ordered dot pattern and the calculated d-spacing revealed the formation of BiPO4. An increased specific capacitance of HMT assisted materials (202 F/g) compared with pristine BiPO4 (89 F/g) at 5 mA/cm2 was observed upon morphological variation due to HMT addition.

  4. Facile Fabrication of BiOI/BiOCl Immobilized Films with Improved Visible Light Photocatalytic Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Yingxian; Liu, Yuehua; Wu, Shuang; Zhu, Yi; Chen, Hongbin; Yu, Xiang; Zhang, Yuanming

    2018-03-01

    Photocatalysis has been considered to be one of the most promising ways to photodegrade organic pollutants. Herein, a series of BiOI/BiOCl films coating on FTO were fabricated through a simple method at room temperature. The photocatalytic efficiency of 30%BiOI/BiOCl could reach more than 99% aiming to degrading RhB and MB after 90 and 120 min, respectively. Compared with BiOCl, 30%BiOI/BiOCl showed 12 times higher efficiency when degrading RhB. In comparison with BiOI, 30%BiOI/BiOCl showed 5 and 6 times higher efficiency when degrading RhB and MB, respectively. These obvious enhancements were attributed to expanded visible light absorption and high separation performance of photoinduced charge. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of 30%BiOI/BiOCl had no obvious decrease after 5 recycles, suggesting that it was a promising photocatalyst for the removal of MB and RhB pollutants. Finally, the possible growth process for the BiOI/BiOCl thin films and photocatalysis mechanism were investigated in details. This work would provide insight to the reasonable construction of BiOX heterojunction and the photocatalytic mechanism in degrading organic pollutants.

  5. The crystal structure of Kirkiite, Pb10Bi3As3S19

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Makovicky, Emil; Balic Zunic, Tonci; Karanovic, Ljiljana

    2006-01-01

    and chemical analysis resulted in comparable formulae, Pb10Bi2.16As3.84S19 and Pb10.08Bi2.55Sb0.13As2.91S19, respectively, which are close to the ideal formula Pb10Bi3As3S19. The crystal lattice shows a pseudohexagonal symmetry, which is the cause of common twinning in this mineral. The main twin-law has (20...... layers parallel to (083) of kirkiite; the slabs are unit-cell-twinned on (010) refl ection planes. The structure contains one split As position, and two additional sites that could accommodate both As and Bi. The As,Bi distribution over these two sites is determined by the trapezoidal distortion...... of the half-octahedral coordination environment inside the tightly bonded double layers of the PbS-SnS archetype slabs. Owing to the stoichiometry requirements in this structure, Bi must also substitute for 1/11 of the Pb sites. Bond-valence calculations and the volumes of coordination polyhedra show...

  6. Microstructure of thermoelectric (Bi0.15Sb0.85)2Te3 film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yildiz, Koksal; Akgul, Unal; Atici, Yusuf; Leipner, Hartmut S.

    2014-01-01

    The film of thermoelectric ternary p-type (Bi 0.15 Sb 0.85 ) 2 Te 3 was deposited on polyimide foil substrate at 168 C using direct-current magnetron sputtering. Microstructural investigations of the film were performed by electron microscopy techniques. SEM observations showed that the film surface consisted of large-sized particulates with small-sized particles and also mound-like crystal agglomerates in some areas. Chemical composition of the film was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). It has been observed that the EDS results were in an agreement with nominal composition for the film. Detailed microstructural investigations were carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images and selected area electron diffraction patterns showed that the film has randomly oriented polycrystalline grain structure. High-resolution TEM images indicated that the microstructure of film also contained nano-crystal structure, smaller than 10 nm. (orig.)

  7. On the electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of BiTeBr and BiTeI single crystals and of BiTeI with the addition of BiI3 and CuI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulbachinskii, Vladimir A.; Kytin, Vladimir G.; Kudryashov, Alexey A.; Kuznetsov, Alexei N.; Shevelkov, Andrei V.

    2012-01-01

    The electronic structures were calculated for BiTeBr and BiTeI using the density-functional theory approach and accounting for the strong spin–orbital interaction. Qualitatively, the band structures for two compounds are similar, showing strong mixing of the p states of all elements in vicinity of the Fermi level, with the band gaps of 0.595 and 0.478 eV for BiTeBr and BiTeI, respectively. The optimized crystal structures show a tendency for the Bi–X (X=Br, I) bond elongation compared to the Bi–Te one. Both compounds are intrinsic n-type semiconductors but display a metallic-like conductivity coupled to rather large thermopower, which is rationalized within the frames of the acoustic phonons scattering model. Because of larger thermopower BiTeBr exhibits a twice higher thermoelectric figure-of-merit near room temperature, ZT=0.17, compared to BiTeI. The addition of 1 mass% of BiI 3 or CuI to BiTeI decreases the mobility of electrons by two orders of magnitude, leading to significantly lower electrical conductivity, but at the same time effectively reduces the thermal conductivity. The prospects of further enhancing the thermoelectric efficiency are briefly discussed. - Graphical abstract: View of the crystal structure of BiTeBr is shown in the figure The optimized crystal structures show a tendency for the Bi–X (X=Br, I) bond elongation compared to the Bi–Te one. The electronic structures were calculated for BiTeBr and BiTeI using the density-functional theory approach and accounting for the strong spin–orbital interaction. Qualitatively, the band structures for two compounds are similar, showing strong mixing of the p states of all elements in vicinity of the Fermi level, with the band gaps of 0.595 and 0.478 eV for BiTeBr and BiTeI, respectively. Both compounds are intrinsic n-type semiconductors but display a metallic-like conductivity coupled to rather large thermopower, which is rationalized within the frames of the acoustic phonons scattering

  8. Raman scattering study of phonons in Bi-based superconductor thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejia-Garcia, C.; Diaz-Valdes, E.; Contreras-Puente, G.; Lopez-Lopez, J.L.; Jergel, M.; Morales, A.

    2004-01-01

    Raman spectra were obtained from samples of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BPSCCO) thin films after varying several growth parameters, such as covering material, annealing time (t R ), annealing temperature (T R ), and nominal lead content (x). Thin films with the nominal composition Bi 1.4 Pb x Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O δ were grown on MgO substrates by a spray pyrolysis technique, followed by a solid state reaction. The results of Raman scattering measurements at room temperature show a series of vibrational optical modes within the range 300-900 cm -1 . The assignment of these modes was made by involving mainly the 2212 and 2223 phases and was confirmed by both X-ray diffraction and resistance in dependence of the temperature (R-T) measurements as well

  9. Effect of Cooling Rate and Chemical Modification on the Tensile Properties of Mg-5wt% Si Alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirshahi, Farshid; Meratian, Mahmood; Zahrani, Mohsen Mohammadi; Zahrani, Ehsan Mohammadi

    Hypereutectic Mg-Si alloys are a new class of light materials usable for aerospace and other advanced engineering applications. In this study, the effects of both cooling rate and bismuth modification on the micro structure and tensile properties of hypereutectic Mg-5wt% Si alloy were investigated. It was found that the addition of 0.5% Bi, altered the morphology of primary Mg2Si particles from bulky to polygonal shape and reduced their mean size from more than 70 μm to about 30 (am. Also, the tensile strength and elongation of the modified alloy increased about 10% and 20%, respectively, which should be ascribed to the modification of Mg2Si morphology and more uniform distribution of the primary particles. Moreover, an increase in tensile strength value with increase in cooling rate were observed which is attributed to finer micro structure of alloy in higher cooling rates. It was observed that Bi addition is significantly more effective in refining the morphology of primary Mg2Si particles than applying faster cooling rates.

  10. Stoichiometric transfer of material in the infrared pulsed laser deposition of yttrium doped Bi-2212 films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Vero, Jeffrey C.; Blanca, Glaiza Rose S.; Vitug, Jaziel R.; Garcia, Wilson O.; Sarmago, Roland V.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → This work describes the stoichiometric transfer of Y-doped Bi-2212 during IR-PLD. → As-deposited films show spheroidal morphology with similar composition as the target. Relatively flat and highly c-axis oriented films were obtained after heat treatment. → IR-PLD can be a viable technique in growing other high Tc superconducting materials. - Abstract: Films of Y-doped Bi-2212 were successfully grown on MgO (1 0 0) substrates by infrared pulsed laser deposition (IR-PLD). With post-heat treatments, smooth and highly c-axis oriented films were obtained. The average compositions of the films have the same stoichiometry as the target. Y content is also preserved on the grown films at all doping levels. The electrical properties of the grown Y-doped Bi-2212 films exhibit the expected electrical properties of the bulk Y-doped Bi-2212. This is attributed to the stoichiometric transfer of material by IR-PLD.

  11. Bismuth-boron multiple bonding in BiB{sub 2}O{sup -} and Bi{sub 2}B{sup -}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jian, Tian; Cheung, Ling Fung; Chen, Teng-Teng; Wang, Lai-Sheng [Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI (United States)

    2017-08-01

    Despite its electron deficiency, boron is versatile in forming multiple bonds. Transition-metal-boron double bonding is known, but boron-metal triple bonds have been elusive. Two bismuth boron cluster anions, BiB{sub 2}O{sup -} and Bi{sub 2}B{sup -}, containing triple and double B-Bi bonds are presented. The BiB{sub 2}O{sup -} and Bi{sub 2}B{sup -} clusters are produced by laser vaporization of a mixed B/Bi target and characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra are obtained and interpreted with the help of ab initio calculations, which show that both species are linear. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that Bi forms triple and double bonds with boron in BiB{sub 2}O{sup -} ([Bi≡B-B≡O]{sup -}) and Bi{sub 2}B{sup -} ([Bi=B=Bi]{sup -}), respectively. The Bi-B double and triple bond strengths are calculated to be 3.21 and 4.70 eV, respectively. This is the first experimental observation of Bi-B double and triple bonds, opening the door to design main-group metal-boron complexes with multiple bonding. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  12. Few-Layer Nanoplates of Bi 2 Se 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 with Highly Tunable Chemical Potential

    KAUST Repository

    Kong, Desheng

    2010-06-09

    A topological insulator (TI) represents an unconventional quantum phase of matter with insulating bulk band gap and metallic surface states. Recent theoretical calculations and photoemission spectroscopy measurements show that group V-VI materials Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3 are TIs with a single Dirac cone on the surface. These materials have anisotropic, layered structures, in which five atomic layers are covalently bonded to form a quintuple layer, and quintuple layers interact weakly through van der Waals interaction to form the crystal. A few quintuple layers of these materials are predicted to exhibit interesting surface properties. Different from our previous nanoribbon study, here we report the synthesis and characterizations of ultrathin Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 nanoplates with thickness down to 3 nm (3 quintuple layers), via catalyst-free vapor-solid (VS) growth mechanism. Optical images reveal thickness-dependent color and contrast for nanoplates grown on oxidized silicon (300 nm SiO2/Si). As a new member of TI nanomaterials, ultrathin TI nanoplates have an extremely large surface-to-volume ratio and can be electrically gated more effectively than the bulk form, potentially enhancing surface state effects in transport measurements. Low-temperature transport measurements of a single nanoplate device, with a high-k dielectric top gate, show decrease in carrier concentration by several times and large tuning of chemical potential. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  13. Effects of an in vacancy on local distortion of fast phase transition in Bi-doped In3SbTe2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Minho; Choi, Heechae; Kim, Seungchul; Ahn, Jinho; Kim, Yong Tae

    2017-12-01

    Indium vacancies in Bi-doped In3SbTe2 (BIST) cause local distortion or and faster phase transition of BIST with good stability. The formation energy of the In vacancy in the BIST is relatively lower compared to that in IST due to triple negative charge state of the In vacancy ( V 3- In) and higher concentration of the V 3- In in BIST. The band gap of BIST is substantially reduced with increasing concentrations of the V 3- In and the hole carriers, which results in a higher electrical conductivity. The phase-change memory (PRAM) device fabricated with the BIST shows very fast, stable switching characteristics at lower voltages.

  14. State diagram of Pr-Bi system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abulkhaev, V.L.; Ganiev, I.N.

    1994-01-01

    By means of thermal differential analysis, X-ray and microstructural analysis the state diagram of Pr-Bi system was studied. Following intermetallic compounds were defined in the system: Pr 2 Bi, Pr 5 Bi 3 , Pr 4 Bi 3 , Pr Bi, PrBi 2 , Pr 2 Bi, Pr 5 Bi 3 , Pr 4 Bi 3 and PrBi 2 . The data analysis on Ln-Bi diagram allowed to determine the regularity of change of properties of intermetallic compounds in the line of rare earth elements of cerium subgroup.

  15. A Dealloying Synthetic Strategy for Nanoporous Bismuth-Antimony Anodes for Sodium Ion Batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Hui; Niu, Jiazheng; Zhang, Chi; Peng, Zhangquan; Zhang, Zhonghua

    2018-04-24

    Metal-based anodes have recently aroused much attention in sodium ion batteries (SIBs) owing to their high theoretical capacities and low sodiation potentials. However, their progresses are prevented by the inferior cycling performance caused by severe volumetric change and pulverization during the (de)sodiation process. To address this issue, herein an alloying strategy was proposed and nanoporous bismuth (Bi)-antimony (Sb) alloys were fabricated by dealloying of ternary Mg-based precursors. As an anode for SIBs, the nanoporous Bi 2 Sb 6 alloy exhibits an ultralong cycling performance (10 000 cycles) at 1 A/g corresponding to a capacity decay of merely 0.0072% per cycle, due to the porous structure, alloying effect and proper Bi/Sb atomic ratio. More importantly, a (de)sodiation mechanism ((Bi,Sb) ↔ Na(Bi,Sb) ↔ Na 3 (Bi,Sb)) is identified for the discharge/charge processes of Bi-Sb alloys by using operando X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations.

  16. Structural stability of ternary C22–Zr6X2Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and C22–Zr6Sn2T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colinet, Catherine; Crivello, Jean-Claude; Tedenac, Jean-Claude

    2013-01-01

    The crystal and electronic structures, and the thermodynamic properties of Zr 6 X 2 Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and Zr 6 Sn 2 T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) ternary compounds in the Fe 2 P-type structure have been investigated by means of first principle calculations. The calculated structural parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The total electronic densities of states as well as the Bader charges of the atoms have been computed. Both electronic and size effects allow to explain the stability of the ternary Zr 6 X 2 Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and Zr 6 Sn 2 T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) compounds. - Graphical abstract: Valence charge electronic localization function (ELF) calculated for Zr 6 Sb 2 Co compound. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Structural stability of Zr 6 X 2 T′ compounds (X: p element, T′: late transition metal) in the Fe 2 P-type structure. • First principles calculation of lattice parameters and enthalpies of formation. • Electronic densities of state in the series Zr 6 Sn 2 T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu). • Electronic densities of state in the series Zr 6 X 2 Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te)

  17. Preparation, characterization and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities of BiPO4/BiVO4 composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Siyuan; Zheng, Hong; Lian, Youwei; Wu, Yiying

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composites were successfully prepared by the hydrothermal method. • BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composites exhibited broad absorption in the visible region. • Visible-light photocatalytic activities of BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composites were enhanced. • P/V molar ratio and pH value of the reaction affect photocatalytic activity. • The mechanism of enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activities was discussed. - Abstract: BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composites with different P/V molar ratios were prepared by the hydrothermal method and the effect of pH values of hydrothermal reaction on photocatalytic activity of BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composite was investigated. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic property of BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 was evaluated by photocatalytic degradation of Methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the photocatalytic activity of the composites was much higher than that of pure BiPO 4 and BiVO 4 . The rate constant of Methylene blue degradation over BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 (P/V molar ratio of 5:1 and hydrothermal reaction pH value of 1.5) is 1.7 times that of pure BiVO 4 . The photocatalytic activity enhancement of BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 composite is closely related to the BiVO 4 functioning as a sensitizer to adsorb visible light and the heterojunction of BiPO 4 /BiVO 4 acting as an active center for hindering the rapid recombination of electron–hole pairs during the photocatalytic reaction

  18. A study on non-crystalline BiPbSbSrCaCuO and its heat treatment effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Hong; Wu Hong; Hu Suhui

    1993-01-01

    In this work positron annihilation spectroscopy, X ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and ac susceptibility measurement have been used to study non-crystalline Bi-Pb-Sb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O and the effect of heat treatment. The crystallization temperature T c is around 450-470 degree C for investigated materials. There are low temperature and high temperature structure relaxation as in metallic glasses from room temperature to glass temperature. For T>T c in the crystallized multiphase the low n phase can transform to high n phase by reaction diffusion and T c can reach near 110 K by 850 degree C annealing. The positron annihilation characteristics are sensitive to phase transformation and the electron density sampled by positrons in the non-crystal is lower than that in crystallized one. The doping of Pb and Sb together is of benefit to forming of non-crystal but narrows the temperature range of the viscous state

  19. One-step growth of nanosheet-assembled BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres for highly efficient visible photocatalytic performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jinfeng; Lv, Jiali; Dai, Kai; Liang, Changhao; Liu, Qi

    2018-02-01

    In this work, we have developed a simple synthetic approach of nanosheet-assembled BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres by an ethylene glycol (EG)-assisted hydrothermal method. The crystalline form, morphology, chemical composition, optical performance and surface area of BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy spectra (EDX), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) analysis, high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres were nanosheet-assembled particles, which possessed visible light absorption under LED light irridation. Additionally, the methylene blue (MB) photodegradation performance of different BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres irradiated under 410 nm LED light arrays were investigated, the results exhibited that as-prepared BiOCl/BiOBr products showed higher catalytic effiency than pure BiOCl or BiOBr. By optimizing the composition ration of the BiOCl and BiOBr, up to 93% degradation rate can be obtained in the 40%BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of BiOCl/BiOBr microspheres had been proposed.

  20. The Au-Ag-Sb-Bi-Te mineralization from the deposit Bytíz (mine 19), the Příbram uranium-polymetallic ore discrit, Czech Republic

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Litochleb, J.; Sejkora, J.; Šrein, Vladimír

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 28, Spec. pap. (2006), s. 133-135 ISSN 1896-2203. [Central European Mineralogical Conference /1./. Vyšná Boca, 11.09.2006-15.09.2006] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30460519 Keywords : Au-Ag-Sb-Bi-Te * mineralization * uranium-polymetallic ore Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

  1. Bandgap Engineering of Lead-Free Double Perovskite Cs2 AgBiBr6 through Trivalent Metal Alloying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Ke-Zhao; Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Yan, Yanfa; Mitzi, David B

    2017-07-03

    The double perovskite family, A 2 M I M III X 6 , is a promising route to overcome the lead toxicity issue confronting the current photovoltaic (PV) standout, CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 . Given the generally large indirect band gap within most known double perovskites, band-gap engineering provides an important approach for targeting outstanding PV performance within this family. Using Cs 2 AgBiBr 6 as host, band-gap engineering through alloying of In III /Sb III has been demonstrated in the current work. Cs 2 Ag(Bi 1-x M x )Br 6 (M=In, Sb) accommodates up to 75 % In III with increased band gap, and up to 37.5 % Sb III with reduced band gap; that is, enabling ca. 0.41 eV band gap modulation through introduction of the two metals, with smallest value of 1.86 eV for Cs 2 Ag(Bi 0.625 Sb 0.375 )Br 6 . Band structure calculations indicate that opposite band gap shift directions associated with Sb/In substitution arise from different atomic configurations for these atoms. Associated photoluminescence and environmental stability of the three-metal systems are also assessed. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Investigation of radiation shielding properties for MeO-PbCl2-TeO2 (MeO = Bi2O3, MoO3, Sb2O3, WO3, ZnO) glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayyed, M. I.; Çelikbilek Ersundu, M.; Ersundu, A. E.; Lakshminarayana, G.; Kostka, P.

    2018-03-01

    In this work, glasses in the MeO-PbCl2-TeO2 (MeO = Bi2O3, MoO3, Sb2O3, WO3, ZnO) system, which show a great potential for optoelectronic applications, were used to evaluate their resistance under high energy ionizing radiations. The basic shielding quantities for determining the penetration of radiation in glass, such as mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), half value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) values were investigated within the energy range 0.015 MeV ‒ 15 MeV using XCOM program and variation of shielding parameters were compared with different glass systems and ordinary concrete. From the derived results, it was determined that MeO-PbCl2-TeO2 (MeO = Bi2O3, MoO3, Sb2O3, WO3, ZnO) glasses show great potentiality to be used under high energy radiations. Among the studied glass compositions, Bi2O3 and WO3 containing glasses were found to possess superior gamma-ray shielding effectiveness.

  3. Development of MnBi permanent magnet: Neutron diffraction of MnBi powder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, J., E-mail: jun.cui@pnnl.gov; Choi, J. P.; Li, G.; Polikarpov, E.; Darsell, J. [Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354 (United States); Kramer, M. J.; Zarkevich, N. A.; Wang, L. L.; Johnson, D. D. [Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa 50011 (United States); Marinescu, M. [Electron Energy Corporation, Landisville, Pennsylvania 17538 (United States); Huang, Q. Z.; Wu, H. [NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-6102 (United States); Vuong, N. V.; Liu, J. P. [Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019 (United States)

    2014-05-07

    MnBi attracts great attention in recent years for its great potential as permanent magnet materials. MnBi phase is difficult to obtain because of the rather drastic peritectic reaction between Mn and Bi. In this paper, we report our effort on synthesizing high purity MnBi compound using conventional powder metallurgical approaches. Neutron diffraction was carried out to investigate the crystal and nuclear structure of the obtained powder. The result shows that the purity of the obtained powder is about 91 wt. % at 300 K, and the magnetic moment of the Mn atom in MnBi lattice is 4.424 and 4.013 μ{sub B} at 50 K and 300 K, respectively.

  4. Development of MnBi permanent magnet: Neutron diffraction of MnBi powder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, J; Choi, JP; Li, G; Polikarpov, E; Darsell, J; Kramer, MJ; Zarkevich, NA; Wang, LL; Johnson, DD; Marinescu, M; Huang, QZ; Wu, H; Vuong, NV; Liu, JP

    2014-05-07

    MnBi attracts great attention in recent years for its great potential as permanent magnet materials. MnBi phase is difficult to obtain because of the rather drastic peritectic reaction between Mn and Bi. In this paper, we report our effort on synthesizing high purity MnBi compound using conventional powder metallurgical approaches. Neutron diffraction was carried out to investigate the crystal and nuclear structure of the obtained powder. The result shows that the purity of the obtained powder is about 91 wt. % at 300 K, and the magnetic moment of the Mn atom in MnBi lattice is 4.424 and 4.013 mu(B) at 50 K and 300 K, respectively. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

  5. Luminescence of Bi3+ ions in Y3Al5O12:Bi single crystalline films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zorenko, Yu.; Gorbenko, V.; Voznyak, T.; Vistovsky, V.; Nedilko, S.; Nikl, M.

    2007-01-01

    The absorption and cathodoluminescence spectra of single crystalline films (SCF) of Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Bi garnet depending on Bi concentration were analyzed. For consideration of the nature of the UV and visible Bi-related emission bands the time-resolved luminescence of Bi 3+ (ns 2 ) ions in YAG:Bi SCF was studied at 10 K under excitation by synchrotron radiation. The difference in the excitation spectra and emission decay of the UV and visible bands has been explained via radiative relaxation from the 3 P 1,0 excited states to the 1 S 0 ground state of the isolated and pair/clustered Bi 3+ emission centers in the garnet lattice, respectively

  6. Global EiBI-monopole

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JIN Xinghua

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available A global EiBI-monopole problem is studied under EiBI gravitational theory.The equations of global EiBI-monopole are derived in the curved spacetime and the relation between the spacetime metric and auxiliary metric is found.In the case of a very small parameter,an asymptotic form of equations is given.The series solutions of global EiBI-monopole at infinity are found.

  7. Magnetic field induced strong valley polarization in the three-dimensional topological semimetal LaBi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Nitesh; Shekhar, Chandra; Klotz, J.; Wosnitza, J.; Felser, Claudia

    2017-10-01

    LaBi is a three-dimensional rocksalt-type material with a surprisingly quasi-two-dimensional electronic structure. It exhibits excellent electronic properties such as the existence of nontrivial Dirac cones, extremely large magnetoresistance, and high charge-carrier mobility. The cigar-shaped electron valleys make the charge transport highly anisotropic when the magnetic field is varied from one crystallographic axis to another. We show that the electrons can be polarized effectively in these electron valleys under a rotating magnetic field. We achieved a polarization of 60% at 2 K despite the coexistence of three-dimensional hole pockets. The valley polarization in LaBi is compared to the sister compound LaSb where it is found to be smaller. The performance of LaBi is comparable to the highly efficient bismuth.

  8. Quantum oscillations and Dirac dispersion in the BaZnBi2 semimetal guaranteed by local Zn vacancy order

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, K.; Golias, E.; Zhang, Q. H.; Krivenkov, M.; Jesche, A.; Gu, L.; Rader, O.; Mazin, I. I.; Gegenwart, P.

    2018-03-01

    We have synthesized single crystals of Dirac semimetal candidates A ZnBi2 with A =Ba and Sr. In contrast to A =Sr , the Ba material displays a local Zn vacancy ordering, which makes the observation of quantum oscillations in out-of-plane magnetic fields possible. As a Dirac semimetal candidate, BaZnBi2 exhibits a small cyclotron electron mass, high quantum mobility, and nontrivial Berry phases. Three Dirac dispersions are observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and identified by first-principles band-structure calculations. Compared to A Mn(Bi/Sb) 2 systems which host Mn magnetic moments, BaZnBi2 acts as a nonmagnetic analog to investigate the intrinsic properties of Dirac fermions in this structure family.

  9. BiRD (Biaxin [clarithromycin]/Revlimid [lenalidomide]/dexamethasone) combination therapy results in high complete- and overall-response rates in treatment-naive symptomatic multiple myeloma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niesvizky, Ruben; Jayabalan, David S; Christos, Paul J; Furst, Jessica R; Naib, Tara; Ely, Scott; Jalbrzikowski, Jessica; Pearse, Roger N; Zafar, Faiza; Pekle, Karen; Larow, April; Lent, Richard; Mark, Tomer; Cho, Hearn J; Shore, Tsiporah; Tepler, Jeffrey; Harpel, John; Schuster, Michael W; Mathew, Susan; Leonard, John P; Mazumdar, Madhu; Chen-Kiang, Selina; Coleman, Morton

    2008-02-01

    This trial determined the safety and efficacy of the combination regimen clarithromycin (Biaxin), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (BiRD) as first-line therapy for multiple myeloma. Patients received BiRD in 28-day cycles. Dexamethasone (40 mg) was given orally once weekly, clarithromycin (500 mg) was given orally twice daily, and lenalidomide (25 mg) was given orally daily on days 1 to 21. Objective response was defined by standard criteria (ie, decrease in serum monoclonal protein [M-protein] by at least 50%, and a decrease in urine M-protein by at least 90%). Of the 72 patients enrolled, 65 had an objective response (90.3%). A combined stringent and conventional complete response rate of 38.9% was achieved, and 73.6% of the patients achieved at least a 90% decrease in M-protein levels. This regimen did not interfere with hematopoietic stem-cell harvest. Fifty-two patients who did not go on to receive transplants received continued therapy (complete response, 37%; very good partial response, 33%). The major adverse events were thromboembolic events, corticosteroid-related morbidity, and cytopenias. BiRD is an effective regimen with manageable side effects in the treatment of symptomatic, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00151203.

  10. Magneto-optical Kerr effect in Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Yu; Yao, Bing; Richardella, Anthony; Kandala, Abhinav; Fraleigh, Robert; Lee, Joon Sue; Samarth, Nitin; Yeats, Andrew; Awschalom, David D.

    2014-03-01

    When a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator (TI) is interfaced with magnetism, the breaking of time reversal symmetry results in new phenomena such as the recently observed quantum anomalous Hall effect [C.-Z. Zhang et al., Science340, 167 (2013)]. Thus motivated, we use the polar-mode magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) to probe the temperature- and field-dependent magnetization in molecular beam epitaxy grown Cr-doped thin films of the 3D TI (Bi,Sb)2Te3. Square MOKE hysteresis loops observed at low temperatures indicate robust ferromagnetism with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and Curie temperature that varies from ~ 5 K to ~ 150 K, depending on sample details. A key question is the nature of the ferromagnetism: is it a carrier-mediated mechanism, Van Vleck mechanism or due to extrinsic clusters? We address this issue by varying the magnetic ion concentration and carrier density via sample composition as well as by varying the chemical potential by back gating. Finally, we use spatially-resolved MOKE to image the magnetization in these samples. Supported by ONR and DARPA.

  11. Observation of topological surface states and strong electron/hole imbalance in extreme magnetoresistance compound LaBi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, J.; Schröter, N. B. M.; Wu, S.-C.; Kumar, N.; Shekhar, C.; Peng, H.; Xu, X.; Chen, C.; Yang, H. F.; Hwang, C.-C.; Mo, S.-K.; Felser, C.; Yan, B. H.; Liu, Z. K.; Yang, L. X.; Chen, Y. L.

    2018-02-01

    The recent discovery of the extreme magnetoresistance (XMR) in the nonmagnetic rare-earth monopnictides La X (X = P, As, Sb, Bi,), a recently proposed new topological semimetal family, has inspired intensive research effort in the exploration of the correlation between the XMR and their electronic structures. In this work, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the three-dimensional band structure of LaBi, we unraveled its topologically nontrivial nature with the observation of multiple topological surface Dirac fermions, as supported by our ab initio calculations. Furthermore, we observed substantial imbalance between the volume of electron and hole pockets, which rules out the electron-hole compensation as the primary cause of the XMR in LaBi.

  12. Effect of Substitutional Pb Doping on Bipolar and Lattice Thermal Conductivity in p-Type Bi0.48Sb1.52Te₃.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Sik; Lee, Kyu Hyoung; Yoo, Joonyeon; Youn, Jehun; Roh, Jong Wook; Kim, Sang-Il; Kim, Sung Wng

    2017-07-06

    Cation substitutional doping is an effective approach to modifying the electronic and thermal transports in Bi₂Te₃-based thermoelectric alloys. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the electrical and thermal conductivities of polycrystalline Pb-doped p-type bulk Bi 0.48 Sb 1.52 Te₃. Pb doping significantly increased the electrical conductivity up to ~2700 S/cm at x = 0.02 in Bi 0.48-x Pb x Sb 1.52 Te₃ due to the increase in hole carrier concentration. Even though the total thermal conductivity increased as Pb was added, due to the increased hole carrier concentration, the thermal conductivity was reduced by 14-22% if the contribution of the increased hole carrier concentration was excluded. To further understand the origin of reduction in the thermal conductivity, we first estimated the contribution of bipolar conduction to thermal conductivity from a two-parabolic band model, which is an extension of the single parabolic band model. Thereafter, the contribution of additional point defect scattering caused by Pb substitution (Pb in the cation site) was analyzed using the Debye-Callaway model. We found that Pb doping significantly suppressed both the bipolar thermal conduction and lattice thermal conductivity simultaneously, while the bipolar contribution to the total thermal conductivity reduction increased at high temperatures. At Pb doping of x = 0.02, the bipolar thermal conductivity decreased by ~30% from 0.47 W/mK to 0.33 W/mK at 480 K, which accounts for 70% of the total reduction.

  13. High photocatalytic performance of BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} toward toluene and Reactive Brilliant Red

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Huiquan [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Fuyang Normal College, Fuyang 236041 (China); Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry of MOE, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Nanotechnology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Cui Yumin, E-mail: cuiyumin0908@163.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Fuyang Normal College, Fuyang 236041 (China); Hong Wenshan [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Fuyang Normal College, Fuyang 236041 (China)

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: When BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalyst was exposed to UV or visible light, the electrons in the valence band of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} would be excited into the conduction band and then injected into the more positive conduction band of BiOI. Therefore, the photoelectrons were generated from Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} and transferred across the interface between BiOI and Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} to the surface of BiOI, leaving the photogenerated holes in the valence band of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. In this way, the photoinduced electron-hole pairs were effectively separated. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer BiOI sensitized Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalysts were successfully prepared by a facile method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The 13.2% BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalyst exhibits higher photoactivities than P25. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A possible transfer process of photogenerated carriers was proposed. - Abstract: BiOI sensitized nano-Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} photocatalysts with different BiOI contents were successfully synthesized by a facile deposition method at room temperature, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. The photocatalytic activity of BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} was evaluated by the photo-degradation of Reactive Brilliant Red (X-3B) in suspended solution and toluene in gas phase. It has been shown that the BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalysts exhibit a coexistence of both tetragonal BiOI and orthorhombic Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} phases. With increasing BiOI content, the absorption intensity of BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalysts increases in the 380-600 nm region and the absorption edge shifts significantly to longer wavelengths as compared to pure Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. The 13.2% BiOI/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalyst exhibits

  14. DFT study on the interfacial properties of vertical and in-plane BiOI/BiOIO3 hetero-structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Wen-Wu; Zhao, Zong-Yan

    2017-04-12

    Composite photocatalysts with hetero-structures usually favor the effective separation of photo-generated carriers. In this study, BiOIO 3 was chosen to form a hetero-structure with BiOI, due to its internal polar field and good lattice matching with BiOI. The interfacial properties and band offsets were focused on and analyzed in detail by DFT calculations. The results show that the charge depletion and accumulation mainly occur in the region near the interface. This effect leads to an interfacial electric field and thus, the photo-generated electron-hole pairs can be easily separated and transferred along opposite directions at the interface, which is significant for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, according to the analysis of band offsets, the vertical BiOI/BiOIO 3 belongs to the type-II hetero-structure, while the in-plane BiOI/BiOIO 3 belongs to the type-I hetero-structure. The former type of hetero-structure has more favorable effects to enhance the photocatalytic activity of BiOI than that of the latter type of hetero-structure. In the case of the vertical BiOI/BiOIO 3 hetero-structure, photo-generated electrons can move from the conduction band of BiOI to that of BiOIO 3 , while holes can move from the valence band of BiOIO 3 to that of BiOI under solar radiation. In addition, the introduced internal electric field functions as a selector that can promote the separation of photo-generated carriers, resulting in the higher photocatalytic quantum efficiency. These findings illustrate the underlying mechanism for the reported experiments, and can be used as a basis for the design of novel highly efficient composite photocatalysts with hetero-structures.

  15. Effect of Ce-rich rare earth on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb magnesium alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    You Zhiyong

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available To improve the comprehensive mechanical properties of Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb magnesium alloy, different amount of Ce-rich rare earth (RE was added to the alloy, and the effect of RE addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb alloy was investigated by means of Brinell hardness measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The results show that an appropriate amount of Ce-rich rare earth addition can make the Al4Ce phase particles and CeSb phase disperse more evenly in the alloy. These phases refine the alloy抯 matrix and make the secondary phases [t-Mg32(Al,Zn49 phase and f-Al2Mg5Zn2 phase] finer and more dispersive, therefore significantly improve the mechanical properties of the Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb alloy. When the RE addition is 1.0 wt.%, the tensile strengths of the alloy both at room temperature and 150 篊 reach the maximum values while the impact toughness is slightly lower than that of the matrix alloy. The hardness increases with the increase of RE addition.

  16. Ga-Bi-Te system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rustamov, P.G.; Seidova, N.A.; Shakhbazov, M.G.; AN Azerbajdzhanskoj SSR, Baku. Inst. Neorganicheskoj i Fizicheskoj Khimii)

    1976-01-01

    To elucidate the nature of interaction in the system Ga-Bi-Te, a study has been made of sections GaTe-Bi 2 Te 3 , Ga 2 Te 3 -Bi, GaTe-Bi and Bi 2 Te 3 -Ga. The alloys have been prepared by direct melting of the components or their alloys with subsequent homogenizin.o annealing at 400 deg C. The study has been made by the methods of differential thermal, microstructural analysis and by microhardness measurements. On the basis of literature data and data obtained a projection of the liquidus surface of the phase diagram for the system Ga-Bi-Te has been constructed. In the ternary system there are 17 curves of monovariant equilibrium dividing the liquidus into 10 fields of primary crystallization of phases, 9 points of non-variant equilibrium of which 4 points are triple eutectics and 5 points are triple peritectics

  17. Bandgap engineering of lead-free double perovskite Cs_2AgBiBr_6 through trivalent metal alloying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du, Ke-zhao; Mitzi, David B.; Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Yan, Yanfa

    2017-01-01

    The double perovskite family, A_2M"IM"I"I"IX_6, is a promising route to overcome the lead toxicity issue confronting the current photovoltaic (PV) standout, CH_3NH_3PbI_3. Given the generally large indirect band gap within most known double perovskites, band-gap engineering provides an important approach for targeting outstanding PV performance within this family. Using Cs_2AgBiBr_6 as host, band-gap engineering through alloying of In"I"I"I/Sb"I"I"I has been demonstrated in the current work. Cs_2Ag(Bi_1_-_xM_x)Br_6 (M=In, Sb) accommodates up to 75 % In"I"I"I with increased band gap, and up to 37.5 % Sb"I"I"I with reduced band gap; that is, enabling ca. 0.41 eV band gap modulation through introduction of the two metals, with smallest value of 1.86 eV for Cs_2Ag(Bi_0_._6_2_5Sb_0_._3_7_5)Br_6. Band structure calculations indicate that opposite band gap shift directions associated with Sb/In substitution arise from different atomic configurations for these atoms. Associated photoluminescence and environmental stability of the three-metal systems are also assessed. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  18. Local variation in Bi crystal sites of epitaxial GaAsBi studied by photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laukkanen, P., E-mail: pekka.laukkanen@utu.fi [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Punkkinen, M.P.J., E-mail: marko.punkkinen@utu.fi [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Lahti, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Puustinen, J. [Optoelectronics Research Centre, Tampere University of Technology, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Tuominen, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Hilska, J. [Optoelectronics Research Centre, Tampere University of Technology, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Mäkelä, J.; Dahl, J.; Yasir, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Kuzmin, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 194021, Russian Federation (Russian Federation); Osiecki, J.R.; Schulte, K. [The MAX IV laboratory, P. O. Box 118, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund (Sweden); Guina, M. [Optoelectronics Research Centre, Tampere University of Technology, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Kokko, K. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland)

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • XPS is used to study bulk-like properties of GaAsBi crystals. • Surface effects are removed from XPS signal by an epitaxial AlAs cap film. • Local variation of Bi composition is found. • The result is consistent with photoluminescence and theoretical results. • Ga vacancies and Bi crystallites are suggested to be dominating defects. - Abstract: Epitaxial Bi-containing III–V crystals (III-V{sub 1-x}Bi{sub x}) have attracted increasing interest due to their potential in infrared applications. Atomic-scale characterization and engineering of bulk-like III-V{sub 1-x}Bi{sub x} properties (e.g., Bi incorporation and defect formation) are challenging but relevant to develop applications. Toward that target, we report here that the traditional surface-science measurement of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) is a potential, non-destructive method to be combined in the studies of bulk-like properties, when surface effects are properly removed. We have investigated epitaxial GaAs{sub 1-x}Bi{sub x} films, capped by epitaxial AlAs layers, with high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy. The Bi5d core-level spectra of GaAs{sub 1-x}Bi{sub x} together with ab-initio calculations give direct evidence of variation of Bi bonding environment in the lattice sites. The result agrees with photoluminescence (PL) measurement which shows that the studied GaAs{sub 1-x}Bi{sub x} films include local areas with higher Bi content, which contribute to PL but do not readily appear in x-ray diffraction (XRD). The measured and calculated Bi core-level shifts show also that Ga vacancies and Bi clusters are dominant defects.

  19. A Novel Gas Sensor Based on MgSb2O6 Nanorods to Indicate Variations in Carbon Monoxide and Propane Concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillén-Bonilla, Héctor; Flores-Martínez, Martín; Rodríguez-Betancourtt, Verónica-María; Guillen-Bonilla, Alex; Reyes-Gómez, Juan; Gildo-Ortiz, Lorenzo; de la Luz Olvera Amador, María; Santoyo-Salazar, Jaime

    2016-01-01

    Bystromite (MgSb2O6) nanorods were prepared using a colloidal method in the presence of ethylenediamine, after a calcination step at 800 °C in static air. From X-ray powder diffraction analyses, a trirutile-type structure with lattice parameters a = 4.64 Å and c = 9.25 Å and space group P42/mnm was identified. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microrods with sizes from 0.2 to 1.6 μm were observed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed that the nanorods had a length of ~86 nm and a diameter ~23.8 nm. The gas-sensing properties of these nanostructures were tested using pellets elaborated with powders of the MgSb2O6 oxide (calcined at 800 °C) at temperatures 23, 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C. The pellets were exposed to different concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and propane (C3H8) at these temperatures. The results showed that the MgSb2O6 nanorods possess excellent stability and high sensitivity in these atmospheres. PMID:26840318

  20. A Novel Gas Sensor Based on MgSb2O6 Nanorods to Indicate Variations in Carbon Monoxide and Propane Concentrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Héctor Guillén-Bonilla

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Bystromite (MgSb2O6 nanorods were prepared using a colloidal method in the presence of ethylenediamine, after a calcination step at 800 °C in static air. From X-ray powder diffraction analyses, a trirutile-type structure with lattice parameters a = 4.64 Å and c = 9.25 Å and space group P42/mnm was identified. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, microrods with sizes from 0.2 to 1.6 μm were observed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM analyses revealed that the nanorods had a length of ~86 nm and a diameter ~23.8 nm. The gas-sensing properties of these nanostructures were tested using pellets elaborated with powders of the MgSb2O6 oxide (calcined at 800 °C at temperatures 23, 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C. The pellets were exposed to different concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO and propane (C3H8 at these temperatures. The results showed that the MgSb2O6 nanorods possess excellent stability and high sensitivity in these atmospheres.

  1. Spheroidization of primary Mg{sub 2}Si in Al-20Mg{sub 2}Si-4.5Cu alloy modified with Ca and Sb during T6 heat treatment process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Hong-Chen; Wang, Hui-Yuan, E-mail: wanghuiyuan@jlu.edu.cn; Chen, Lei; Zha, Min, E-mail: minzha@jlu.edu.cn; Wang, Cheng; Li, Chao; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

    2017-02-08

    The morphology evolution of primary Mg{sub 2}Si particles in a Al-20Mg{sub 2}Si-4.5Cu alloy both unmodified and modified with 0.5 wt% Ca-Sb prepared by hot-extrusion followed by T6 heat treatment was investigated in the present study. Interestingly, we found that the combination of hot-extrusion and T6 heat treatment was efficient in transforming truncated octahedral primary Mg{sub 2}Si into sphere in the modified alloy. In contrast, the primary Mg{sub 2}Si particles still kept dentritic in the unmodified alloy. It suggested that the formation of truncated octahedral primary Mg{sub 2}Si particles in as-cast state, the fragmentation of particles by hot-extrusion and the enhanced solid-state diffusion of Si and/or Mg atoms during heat treatment were responsible for the spheroidization of primary Mg{sub 2}Si. Moreover, the existence of fine (~10–20 µm) spherical primary Mg{sub 2}Si played an important role in strengthening the alloy, i.e., the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased from ~227 MPa in the unmodified alloy to ~303 MPa in the modified one. It is because the fine spherical primary Mg{sub 2}Si particles can provide a higher fracture stress and strength of the matrix/particle interface. Our study offered a simple methodology to prepare spherical primary Mg{sub 2}Si in an Al-high Mg{sub 2}Si alloy, which is beneficial to design novel light-weight Al-Mg-Si alloys with improved mechanical properties.

  2. Mössbauer and magnetic studies of Mg{sub 1+2x}Sb{sub x}Fe{sub 2−3x}O{sub 4} spinel ferrites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Widatallah, H.M., E-mail: hishammw@squ.edu.om [Department of Physics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, 123 Muscat (Oman); Al-Mamari, F.A.S.; Al-Saqri, N.A.M.; Gismelseed, A.M.; Al-Omari, I.A.; Al-Shahumi, T.M.H. [Department of Physics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, 123 Muscat (Oman); Alhaj, A.F. [Department of Physics, Qasim University, Al-Qasim (Saudi Arabia); Abo El Ata, A.M. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta (Egypt); Elzain, M.E. [Department of Physics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, 123 Muscat (Oman)

    2013-06-15

    Spinel-related Mg{sub 1+2x}Sb{sub x}Fe{sub 2−3x}O{sub 4} samples (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.30) prepared using the conventional double sintering technique were investigated using {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. Mössbauer spectra favor a cationic distribution of the form (Mg{sub δ}Fe{sub 1−δ}){sup A}[Mg{sub 1+2x−δ}Sb{sub x}Fe{sub 1+δ−3x}]{sup B}O{sub 4} among the tetrahedral-A and octahedral-B sites of the spinel structure. The cation distribution parameter (δ) was found to vary with the Sb{sup 5+} concentration (x). The Mössbauer hyperfine magnetic fields at both sites and the Curie temperatures of the ferrites decrease as x increases. This was attributed to gradual weakening in the magnetic exchange interaction as more Fe{sup 3+} ions are substituted by diamagnetic Sb{sup 5+} and Mg{sup 2+} ones. The sample with x = 0.30 exhibits short range magnetic order due to cationic clustering and/or superparamagnetism. The magnetization of all samples was found to be temperature-dependent implying that δ depends on temperature in addition to x. At low temperatures the substituted ferrites (x ≠ 0.0) unexpectedly exhibit higher magnetization values relative to that of the pure ferrite MgFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. This behavior, while at variance with the Néel's model for ferrimagnetism, is explicable in terms of the spin canting mechanism proposed in the Yafet–Kittel model. - Highlights: ► A Mössbauer and magnetic study of Sb{sup 5+} and Mg{sup 2+} co-substituted ferrites of the composition Mg{sub 1+2x}Sb{sub x}Fe{sub 2−3x}O{sub 4} is reported. ► The cation distribution in Mg{sub 1+2x}Sb{sub x}Fe{sub 2−3x}O{sub 4} is shown to depend on both the Sb{sup 5+} ionic concentration and the temperature. ► The A–B magnetic exchange interaction and Mössbauer hyperfine fields weaken with increasing Sb{sup 5+} and Mg{sup 2+} concentrations. ► The magnetization of the substituted samples with x ≠ 0.00 increases

  3. Optimization of excess Bi doping to enhance ferroic orders of spin casted BiFeO3 thin film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, Surbhi; Gupta, Vinay; Tomar, Monika; James, A. R.; Pal, Madhuparna; Guo, Ruyan; Bhalla, Amar

    2014-01-01

    Multiferroic Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO 3 ) thin films with varying excess bismuth (Bi) concentration were grown by chemical solution deposition technique. Room temperature multiferroic properties (ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, and piezoelectricity) of the deposited BiFeO 3 thin films have been studied. High resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal that the dominant phases formed in the prepared samples change continuously from a mixture of BiFeO 3 and Fe 2 O 3 to pure BiFeO 3 phase and, subsequently, to a mixture of BiFeO 3 and Bi 2 O 3 with increase in the concentration of excess Bi from 0% to 15%. BiFeO 3 thin films having low content (0% and 2%) of excess Bi showed the traces of ferromagnetic phase (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ). Deterioration in ferroic properties of BiFeO 3 thin films is also observed when prepared with higher content (15%) of excess Bi. Single-phased BiFeO 3 thin film prepared with 5% excess Bi concentration exhibited the soft ferromagnetic hysteresis loops and ferroelectric characteristics with remnant polarization 4.2 μC/cm 2 and saturation magnetization 11.66 emu/g. The switching of fine spontaneous domains with applied dc bias has been observed using piezoresponse force microscopy in BiFeO 3 thin films having 5% excess Bi. The results are important to identify optimum excess Bi concentration needed for the formation of single phase BiFeO 3 thin films exhibiting the improved multiferroic properties.

  4. Photocatalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} heterojunctions: the facilitation of exposed facets of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Long [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yulin University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Low Metamorphic Coal Clean Utilization, Yulin 71900 (China); School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Yan’an 716000 (China); Wang, Yufei [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yulin University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Low Metamorphic Coal Clean Utilization, Yulin 71900 (China); Shen, Huidong; Zhang, Yu [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Yan’an 716000 (China); Li, Jian [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yulin University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Low Metamorphic Coal Clean Utilization, Yulin 71900 (China); Wang, Danjun, E-mail: yulyanlong@aliyun.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Yan’an 716000 (China)

    2017-01-30

    Highlights: • Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} hybrids with exposed (020) Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} facets have been synthesized. • X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that a small amount of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} was formed. • The enhanced photoactivity of hybrids is due to heterojunction and (020) facets. • A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed. - Abstract: Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} hybrid architectures with exposed (020) Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} facets have been synthesized via a controlled anion exchange approach. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that a small amount of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} was formed on the surface of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} during the anion exchange process, thus leading to the transformation from the Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} to Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. A rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution was chosen as model organic pollutants to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} catalysts. Under visible light irradiation, the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-TAA displayed the excellent visible light photoactivities compared with pure Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}, Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} and other composite photocatalysts. The efficient photocatalytic activity of the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-TAA composite microspheres was ascribed to the constructed heterojunctions and the inner electric field caused by the exposed (020) Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} facets. Active species trapping experiments revealed that h{sup +} and O{sub 2}·{sup −} are the main active species in the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, the as-obtained photocatalysts showed good photocatalytic activity after four recycles. The results presented in this study provide a new concept for the rational design and development of highly efficient photocatalysts.

  5. One step synthesis of Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@carboxylate-rich carbon spheres with enhanced photocatalytic performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qu, Lingling [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); Luo, Zhijun, E-mail: lzj@ujs.edu.cn [School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013 (China); State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Tang, Chao [Maple Leaf International High School, Zhenjiang 212013 (China)

    2013-11-15

    Graphical abstract: Functional groups of sodium gluconate play synergetic roles in the formation of Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@carboxylate-rich carbon core–shell nanosturctures (Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs). Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs exhibits significant enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. - Highlights: • One step synthesis of Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@carboxylate-rich carbon spheres. • Functional groups of sodium gluconate play synergetic roles in the formation of Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs. • Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs exhibits enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. - Abstract: Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@carboxylate-rich carbon core-shell nanosturctures (Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs) have been synthesized via a one-step method. The core–shell nanosturctures of the as-prepared samples were confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The formation of Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs core–shell nanosturctures should attribute to the synergetic roles of different functional groups of sodium gluconate. Bi@Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}@CRCSs exhibits significant enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and shows an O{sub 2}-dependent feature. According to trapping experiments of radicals and holes, hydroxyl radicals were not the main active oxidative species in the photocatalytic degradation of MB, but O{sub 2}·{sup −} are the main active oxidative species.

  6. Electronic structures and stability of Ni/Bi2Te3 and Co/Bi2Te3 interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Ka; Wang Weichao; Alshareef, Husam N; Gupta, Rahul P; Gnade, Bruce E; Cho, Kyeongjae; White, John B

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the electronic structures and stability for Ni/Bi 2 Te 3 , NiTe/Bi 2 Te 3 , Co/Bi 2 Te 3 and CoTe 2 /Bi 2 Te 3 interfaces by first-principles calculations. It is found that the surface termination strongly affects the band alignment. Ni and Co are found to form Ohmic contacts to Bi 2 Te 3 . The interface formation energy for Co/Bi 2 Te 3 interfaces is much lower than that of Ni/Bi 2 Te 3 interfaces. Furthermore, we found that NiTe on Bi 2 Te 3 is more stable than Ni, while the formation energies for Co and CoTe 2 on Bi 2 Te 3 are comparable.

  7. Reduction of chromium (VI) on the hetero-system CuBi2O4/TiO2 under solar light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahmar, H.; Benamira, M.; Akika, F. Z.; Trari, M.

    2017-11-01

    The CuBi2O4/TiO2 heterojunction was tested with success for the photo-catalytic reduction of chromate ions under sunlight. CuBi2O4, prepared by nitrate process, was characterised photo-electrochemically. The oxide is stable against photo corrosion by consumption of holes in presence of oxalic acid. The light absorption promotes electrons in the conduction band of the sensitizer (CuBi2O4) with a very negative potential (-1.74 VSCE) to participate in the exchange of the electron with HCrO4-. The enhanced activity is due to electron injection of activated CuBi2O4 into TiO2-CB (-0.97 VSCE). The band gap of the semiconductor CuBi2O4 is 1.50 eV with a direct optical transition. This compound is a p-type semiconductor with a flat band potential of -0.39 VSCE and activation energy of 0.18 eV. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was undertaken to study the semiconductor/electrolyte interfacial phenomena. The photoactivity on the heterojunction is strongly enhanced. A remarkable performance is obtained in less than 4 h for a concentration of 30 mg in (Cr (VI)) at pH ∼ 4 and a dose of 1 mg/mL; a 98% reduction has been obtained. The kinetic of chromate photoreduction is well described by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The chromate elimination obeys to a pseudo-first order kinetic with an apparent rate constant of 0.014 min-1.

  8. Demonstration of surface transport in a hybrid Bi2Se3/Bi2Te3 heterostructure

    OpenAIRE

    Zhao, Yanfei; Chang, Cui-Zu; Jiang, Ying; DaSilva, Ashley; Sun, Yi; Wang, Huichao; Xing, Ying; Wang, Yong; He, Ke; Ma, Xucun; Xue, Qi-Kun; Wang, Jian

    2013-01-01

    In spite of much work on topological insulators (TIs), systematic experiments for TI/TI heterostructures remain absent. We grow a high quality heterostructure containing single quintuple layer (QL) of Bi2Se3 on 19 QLs of Bi2Te3 and compare its transport properties with 20 QLs Bi2Se3 and 20 QLs Bi2Te3. All three films are grown on insulating sapphire (0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) provides direct evidence that the su...

  9. Epitaxial growth and multiferroic properties of cation-engineered (Bi{sub 0.45}La{sub 0.05}Ba{sub 0.5})(Fe{sub 0.75}Nb{sub 0.25})O{sub 3} thin film on Ir-buffered (0 0 1) MgO substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paik, Hanjong [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853 (United States); Kim, Hyun-Suk [Department of Materials Engineering, Chungnam University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Jongin, E-mail: hongj@cau.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: • Epitaxial (Bi{sub 0.45}La{sub 0.05}Ba{sub 0.5})(Fe{sub 0.75}Nb{sub 0.25})O{sub 3} thin film was grown on the Ir-buffered (0 0 1) MgO substrate by pulsed laser deposition. • Its ferroelectric polarization switching was investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy. • Its ferromagnetic hysteresis at room temperature and ferrimagnetic–ferromagnetic transition at low temperature were evaluated. • Artificial A- and B-site cation engineering would result in stable multiferroic properties at room temperature. - Abstract: An epitaxial (Bi{sub 0.45}La{sub 0.05}Ba{sub 0.5})(Fe{sub 0.75}Nb{sub 0.25})O{sub 3} (BLB-FNO) thin film was successfully grown on an Ir-buffered (0 0 1) MgO substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The “cube-on-cube” epitaxial relation, (0 0 1)[1 0 0] BLB-FNO//(0 0 1)[1 0 0] Ir//(0 0 1)[1 0 0] MgO, was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pole figures and cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The ferroelectric polarization switching of the BLB-FNO thin film was investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). Its magnetic properties, such as ferromagnetic hysteresis at room temperature and possible magnetic transition at low temperature, were also evaluated. Accordingly, we successfully demonstrated that artificial A- and B-site cation engineering would allow for stable multiferroic properties at room temperature.

  10. Electronic structures and stability of Ni/Bi2Te3 and Co/Bi2Te3 interfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Xiong, Ka; Wang, Weichao; Alshareef, Husam N.; Gupta, Rahul P.; White, John B.; Gnade, Bruce E.; Cho, Kyeongjae

    2010-01-01

    We investigate the electronic structures and stability for Ni/Bi 2Te3, NiTe/Bi2Te3, Co/Bi 2Te3 and CoTe2/Bi2Te3 interfaces by first-principles calculations. It is found that the surface termination strongly affects the band alignment. Ni and Co are found to form Ohmic contacts to Bi2Te3. The interface formation energy for Co/Bi2Te3 interfaces is much lower than that of Ni/Bi2Te3 interfaces. Furthermore, we found that NiTe on Bi2Te3 is more stable than Ni, while the formation energies for Co and CoTe2 on Bi2Te3 are comparable. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  11. Electronic structures and stability of Ni/Bi2Te3 and Co/Bi2Te3 interfaces

    KAUST Repository

    Xiong, Ka

    2010-03-04

    We investigate the electronic structures and stability for Ni/Bi 2Te3, NiTe/Bi2Te3, Co/Bi 2Te3 and CoTe2/Bi2Te3 interfaces by first-principles calculations. It is found that the surface termination strongly affects the band alignment. Ni and Co are found to form Ohmic contacts to Bi2Te3. The interface formation energy for Co/Bi2Te3 interfaces is much lower than that of Ni/Bi2Te3 interfaces. Furthermore, we found that NiTe on Bi2Te3 is more stable than Ni, while the formation energies for Co and CoTe2 on Bi2Te3 are comparable. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  12. Microstructure Of MnBi/Bi Eutectic Alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilcox, William R.; Eisa, G. F.; Baskaran, B.; Richardson, Donald C.

    1988-01-01

    Collection of three reports describes studies of directional solidification of MnBi/Bi eutectic alloy. Two of the reports, "Influence of Convection on Lamellar Spacing of Eutectics" and "Influence of Convection on Eutectic Microstructure," establish theoretical foundation for remaining document. Reports seek to quantify effect of convection on concentration field of growing lamellar eutectic. Remaining report, "Study of Eutectic Formation," begins by continuing theoretical developments. New technique under development by one of the authors helps to reveal three-dimensional microstructures of alloys.

  13. Sodium citrate-assisted anion exchange strategy for construction of Bi2O2CO3/BiOI photocatalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Peng-Yuan; Xu, Ming; Zhang, Wei-De

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Heterostructured Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOI microspheres were prepared via anion exchange. • Sodium citrate-assisted anion exchange for construction of composite photocatalysts. • Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOI composites show high visible light photocatalytic activity. - Abstract: Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOI heterojuncted photocatalysts were constructed through a facile partial anion exchange strategy starting from BiOI microspheres and urea with the assistance of sodium citrate. The content of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 in the catalysts was regulated by modulating the amount of urea as a precursor, which was decomposed to generate CO 3 2− in the hydrothermal process. Citrate anion plays a key role in controlling the morphology and composition of the products. The Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOI catalysts display much higher photocatalytic activity than pure BiOI and Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 towards the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and bisphenol A (BPA). The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the heterojuncted catalysts is attributed to the formation of p–n junction between p-BiOI and n-Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 , which is favorable for retarding the recombination of photoinduced electron-hole pairs. Moreover, the holes are demonstrated to be the main active species for the degradation of RhB and BPA

  14. Effects of Ni and carbon-coated Ni addition on the thermoelectric properties of 25Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}+75Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} base composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Sang Min; Dharmaiah, Peyala; Femi, Olu Emmanuel; Lee, Chul Hee; Hong, Soon-Jik, E-mail: hongsj@kongju.ac.kr

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, we report the effect of nickel (Ni) and carbon coated nickel (C-Ni) on the thermoelectric and mechanical properties of 25Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}+75Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} (GA) base composites. Ni and C-Ni powders were synthesized using pulse wire evaporation and mixed with 25Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}+75Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} in a planetary ball mill. The morphology of the Ni and C-Ni powders and GA + x (x = none, Ni, or C-Ni) composites were examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermoelectric properties of the GA + x (x = none, Ni, or C-Ni) composites shows that the addition of Ni increases the carrier concentration while the presence of C-Ni reduces the carrier concentration to a level comparable to the bare sample (x = 0). Subsequently, the Seebeck coefficient of the GA + C-Ni sample increases by about 18% more than in the bare sample. The thermal conductivity of the GA + Ni and GA + C-Ni samples was considerably lower at room temperature compared to the bare sample. The mechanical properties of the GA + Ni and GA + C-Ni composite samples show a three-fold improvement compared to the bare sample. - Highlights: • Ni and carbon-coated Ni nanoparticles were incorporated into 25Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3}+75Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} (BST) matrix. • Seebeck coefficient increased by 18% for BST/carbon coated Ni composites. • BST/carbon coated Ni composite reduces the thermal conductivity (21%). • The Vickers hardness of the BST/C-Ni composite samples significantly improved.

  15. Quantum spin Hall effect and topological phase transition in InN x Bi y Sb1-x-y /InSb quantum wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Zhigang; Bose, Sumanta; Fan, Weijun; Zhang, Dao Hua; Zhang, Yan Yang; Shen Li, Shu

    2017-07-01

    Quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, a fundamentally new quantum state of matter and topological phase transitions are characteristics of a kind of electronic material, popularly referred to as topological insulators (TIs). TIs are similar to ordinary insulator in terms of their bulk bandgap, but have gapless conducting edge-states that are topologically protected. These edge-states are facilitated by the time-reversal symmetry and they are robust against nonmagnetic impurity scattering. Recently, the quest for new materials exhibiting non-trivial topological state of matter has been of great research interest, as TIs find applications in new electronics and spintronics and quantum-computing devices. Here, we propose and demonstrate as a proof-of-concept that QSH effect and topological phase transitions can be realized in {{InN}}x{{Bi}}y{{Sb}}1-x-y/InSb semiconductor quantum wells (QWs). The simultaneous incorporation of nitrogen and bismuth in InSb is instrumental in lowering the bandgap, while inducing opposite kinds of strain to attain a near-lattice-matching conducive for lattice growth. Phase diagram for bandgap shows that as we increase the QW thickness, at a critical thickness, the electronic bandstructure switches from a normal to an inverted type. We confirm that such transition are topological phase transitions between a traditional insulator and a TI exhibiting QSH effect—by demonstrating the topologically protected edge-states using the bandstructure, edge-localized distribution of the wavefunctions and edge-state spin-momentum locking phenomenon, presence of non-zero conductance in spite of the Fermi energy lying in the bandgap window, crossover points of Landau levels in the zero-mode indicating topological band inversion in the absence of any magnetic field and presence of large Rashba spin-splitting, which is essential for spin-manipulation in TIs.

  16. Effect of current on the microstructure and performance of (Bi2Te3)0.2(Sb2Te3)0.8 thermoelectric material via field activated and pressure assisted sintering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Ruixue; Meng Qingsen; Fan Wenhao; Wang Zhong

    2011-01-01

    (Bi 2 Te 3 ) 0.2 (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 0.8 thermoelectric material was sintered via a field activated and pressure assisted sintering (FAPAS) process. By applying different current intensity (0, 60, 320 A/cm 2 ) in the sintering process, the effects of electric current on the microstructure and thermoelectric performance were investigated. This demonstrated that the application of electric current in the sintering process could significantly improve the uniformity and density of (Bi 2 Te 3 ) 0.2 (Sb 2 Te 3 ) 0.8 samples. When the current intensity was raised to 320 A/cm 2 , the preferred orientation of grains was observed. Moreover, positive effects on the thermoelectric performance of applying electric current in the sintering process were also confirmed. An increase of 0.02 and 0.11 in the maximum figure of merit ZT value could be acquired by applying current of 60 and 320 A/cm 2 , respectively. (semiconductor materials)

  17. Fabrication and properties of Ag-Bi2223 tapes with resistive barriers for filament decoupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inada, Ryoji; Fukumoto, Yohei; Yasunami, Taeko; Nakamura, Yuichi; Oota, Akio; Li Chengshang; Zhang Pingxiang

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we prepared the Bi2223 multifilamentary tapes with Ca 2 CuO 3 + Bi2212 as interfilamentary resistive barriers to suppress the electromagnetic coupling among the filaments under AC external magnetic field. The tapes with thin barrier layers of Ca 2 CuO 3 + 30 wt% Bi2212 around the filaments were prepared by using a standard powder-in-tube (PIT) method. The outside surface of monocore Ag-sheathed rods was coated by barrier materials. Then, the several coated monocore wires were stacked and packed into another Ag or Ag-Mg alloy tube. The packed tube was drawn and rolled into tape shape. The tape was subsequently sintered to form Bi2223 phase inside filaments. For the characterization of tapes, X-ray diffraction measurements were performed to investigate the phase formation inside the filaments. The uniformity of transport properties (J c ) for barrier tapes were evaluated on the order of several metre lengths and compared with the result for the tapes without barriers. Finally, AC loss characteristics under AC parallel transverse magnetic field were investigated to examine the effect of introducing the barriers on the filament decoupling

  18. Scanning thermal microscopy of Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Yb{sub 0.19}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12} thermoelectric films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeipl, Radek; Remsa, Jan; Kocourek, Tomas [Institute of Physics ASCR v.v.i., Prague (Czech Republic); Jelinek, Miroslav [Institute of Physics ASCR v.v.i., Prague (Czech Republic); Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Kladno (Czech Republic); Vanis, Jan [Institute of Physics ASCR v.v.i., Prague (Czech Republic); Institute of Photonics and Electronics ASCR v.v.i., Prague (Czech Republic); Navratil, Jiri [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry ASCR v.v.i., Prague (Czech Republic)

    2016-04-15

    Thermal conductivity of thermoelectric Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and Yb{sub 0.19}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12} thin nanolayers of different thicknesses prepared by pulsed laser deposition on Si (100) substrates was studied by a scanning thermal microscope working in AC current pulse mode. A sensitivity of the approach is demonstrated on the steep Si substrate-layer boundary made by a Ga+ focused ion beam technique. Transport and thermoelectric properties such as in-plane electrical resistivity and the Seebeck coefficient were studied in temperature range from room temperature up to 200 C. The room temperature thermal conductivity of the layers was estimated from thermoelectric figure of merit that was measured by the Harman technique, in which parameters related to electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity are measured at the same place and at the same time with electrical current flowing through the layer. For Yb{sub 0.19}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12} and Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} layers, we observed room temperature electrical resistivity of about 7 and 1 mΩcm, the Seebeck coefficient of -112 and -61μVK{sup -1}, thermoelectric figure of merit about 0.04 and 0.13 and we estimated thermal conductivity of about 1.3 and 0.9 WK{sup -1}m{sup -1}, respectively. (orig.)

  19. Topotactic synthesis of a new BiS2-based superconductor Bi2(O,F)S2

    OpenAIRE

    Okada, Tomoyuki; Ogino, Hiraku; Shimoyama, Jun-ichi; Kishio, Kohji

    2015-01-01

    A new BiS2-based superconductor Bi2(O,F)S2 was discovered. This is a layered compound consisting of alternate stacking structure of rock-salt-type BiS2 superconducting layer and fluorite-type Bi(O,F) blocking layer. Bi2(O,F)S2 was obtained as the main phase by topotactic fluorination of undoped Bi2OS2 using XeF2, which is the first topotactic synthesis of an electron-doped superconductor via reductive fluorination. With increasing F-content, a- and c-axis length increased and decreased, respe...

  20. Optimization of excess Bi doping to enhance ferroic orders of spin casted BiFeO{sub 3} thin film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gupta, Surbhi; Gupta, Vinay, E-mail: drguptavinay@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi (India); Tomar, Monika [Department of Physics, Miranda Housea, University of Delhi, Delhi (India); James, A. R. [Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Hyderabad (India); Pal, Madhuparna; Guo, Ruyan; Bhalla, Amar [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at SanAntonio, San Antonio 78249 (United States)

    2014-06-21

    Multiferroic Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO{sub 3}) thin films with varying excess bismuth (Bi) concentration were grown by chemical solution deposition technique. Room temperature multiferroic properties (ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, and piezoelectricity) of the deposited BiFeO{sub 3} thin films have been studied. High resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal that the dominant phases formed in the prepared samples change continuously from a mixture of BiFeO{sub 3} and Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} to pure BiFeO{sub 3} phase and, subsequently, to a mixture of BiFeO{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} with increase in the concentration of excess Bi from 0% to 15%. BiFeO{sub 3} thin films having low content (0% and 2%) of excess Bi showed the traces of ferromagnetic phase (γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}). Deterioration in ferroic properties of BiFeO{sub 3} thin films is also observed when prepared with higher content (15%) of excess Bi. Single-phased BiFeO{sub 3} thin film prepared with 5% excess Bi concentration exhibited the soft ferromagnetic hysteresis loops and ferroelectric characteristics with remnant polarization 4.2 μC/cm{sup 2} and saturation magnetization 11.66 emu/g. The switching of fine spontaneous domains with applied dc bias has been observed using piezoresponse force microscopy in BiFeO{sub 3} thin films having 5% excess Bi. The results are important to identify optimum excess Bi concentration needed for the formation of single phase BiFeO{sub 3} thin films exhibiting the improved multiferroic properties.

  1. Response of MnBi-Bi eutectic to freezing rate changes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, M.; Fu, T.-W.; Wilcox, W. R.; Doddi, K.; Ravishankar, P. S.; Larson, D.

    1982-01-01

    Reference is made to a study by Fu and Wilcox (1981), which treated theoretically the influence on freezing rate of sudden changes in translation rate in the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. This treatment is extended here to a linear ramped translation rate and an oscillatory freezing rate. It is found that oscillations above a few hertz are highly damped in small-diameter apparatus. An experimental test is carried out of the theoretical predictions for a sudden change of translation rate. The MnBi-Bi eutectic is solidified with current-induced interface demarcation. The experimental results accord reasonably well with theory if the silica ampoule wall is assumed to either (1) contribute only a resistance to heat exchange between the sample and the furnace wall or (2) transmit heat effectively in the axial direction by radiation. In an attempt to explain the fact that a finer microstructure is obtained in space, MnBi-Bi microstructure is determined when the freezing rate is increased or decreased rapidly. Preliminary results suggest that fiber branching does not occur as readily as fiber termination.

  2. Facile fabrication of Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 heterojunction photocatalysts with efficient photocatalytic activity under visible light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Xiaomin; Huang, Guanbo; Gao, Haihuan; Pan, Cheng; Wang, Huan; Yan, Jing; Liu, Yu; Qiu, Haixia; Ma, Ning; Gao, Jianping

    2016-01-01

    In this work, Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared by combining a hydrothermal technique and a facile in situ growth method. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy and room-temperature photoluminescence spectra. Their photocatalytic performances were evaluated by degrading methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution (50 mg/L) under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. It was found that when the mass percentage of Bi_2S_3 in Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 was 7.95 wt%, the as-prepared Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 nanocomposite showed the best photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MO. The highly improved performance of the Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 nanocomposite was mainly ascribed to the efficient charge separation. - Highlights: • Facile fabrication of novel Bi_2S_3/SnS_2 heterojunction photocatalysts. • High-performance photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants. • Good recyclability of catalyst without photo-corrosion. • The photocatalytic mechanism was proposed.

  3. In-Situ Hydrothermal Synthesis of Bi-Bi2O2CO3 Heterojunction Photocatalyst with Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kar, Prasenjit; Maji, Tuhin Kumar; Nandi, Ramesh; Lemmens, Peter; Pal, Samir Kumar

    2017-04-01

    Bismuth containing nanomaterials recently received increasing attention with respect to environmental applications because of their low cost, high stability and nontoxicity. In this work, Bi-Bi2O2CO3 heterojunctions were fabricated by in-situ decoration of Bi nanoparticles on Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets via a simple hydrothermal synthesis approach. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were used to confirm the morphology of the nanosheet-like heterostructure of the Bi-Bi2O2CO3 composite. Detailed ultrafast electronic spectroscopy reveals that the in-situ decoration of Bi nanoparticles on Bi2O2CO3 nanosheets exhibit a dramatically enhanced electron-hole pair separation rate, which results in an extraordinarily high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of a model organic dye, methylene blue (MB) under visible light illumination. Cycling experiments revealed a good photochemical stability of the Bi-Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction under repeated irradiation. Photocurrent measurements further indicated that the heterojunction incredibly enhanced the charge generation and suppressed the charge recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs.

  4. Phase I trial of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers with bi-weekly docetaxel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Tomoyuki; Nakamura, Kazuhiro; Simizu, Shigetaka

    2005-01-01

    Docetaxel (DOC) has radiation-sensitizing effects because it synchronizes with the most radiation-sensitive G2/M phase of the cell cycle. From the results of concurrent radiotherapy with weekly DOC administrations in a phase I trial, dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was mucositis and the recommended dose was 10 mg/m 2 , but the administration schedule was a problem. We planned concurrent radiation therapy in a bi-weekly DOC phase I trial to improve the larynx preservation rate and to determine which schedule and dosage of DOC would yield its inherent cytotoxic effects. We decided the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and DLT to serve as an index of the appearance of adverse events. Patients with stage II or stage III T2N1 hypopharyngeal cancer or stage II or III laryngeal cancer were included in this study. DOC was administered on the days of initiation of bi-weekly radiation (day 1, day 15, day 29). Radiation was given (2 Gy/day: 5 days per week) for a total of 30 Fr, with a total of 60 Gy. The starting dose of DOC was 30 mg/m 2 (level 1) and the dosage was raised by 5 mg/m 2 at each level. DLT was observed due to mucositis and neutropenia at 40 mg/m 2 (level 3), the MTD was 40 mg/m 2 and the recommended dose (RD) was 35 mg/m 2 . Especially in hypopharyngeal cancer of Grade 3 or more, mucositis appeared, with swallowing difficulty in cases with a wide range of irradiation. At dosages of 35 mg/m 2 , the effectiveness was favorable and this was the suitable dosage recommended for the subsequent phase II trial. This clinical study was performed with permission of our IRB (Institutional Review Board). (author)

  5. Photoreduction of non-noble metal Bi on the surface of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} for enhanced visible light photocatalysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xiaojing [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, No. 8, Xindu Road, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500 (China); The Center of New Energy Materials and Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, No. 8, Xindu Road, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500 (China); Yu, Shan; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Qian [The Center of New Energy Materials and Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, No. 8, Xindu Road, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500 (China); Zhou, Ying, E-mail: yzhou@swpu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, No. 8, Xindu Road, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500 (China); The Center of New Energy Materials and Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, No. 8, Xindu Road, Xindu District, Chengdu 610500 (China)

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi composite was synthesized by in situ photoreduction of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. • Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi exhibits improved photocatalytic efficiency towards degradation of Rhodamine B. • The generation of elemental Bi in Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi induces vacancy and structure distortion of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. • The surface oxygen adsorption mode changes from hydroxyl group on Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} to molecular oxygen on Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi. - Abstract: In this report, Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi composite was prepared through an in situ photoreduction method and was characterized systematically by X-Ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The as-prepared Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi maintains the same crystal structure with the pristine Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} regardless of some surface defects. Nevertheless, these surface defects result in the change of surface oxygen adsorption mode from hydroxyl to molecular oxygen on Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. Photocatalytic activity over Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi is 2.4 times higher than that of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} towards the degradation of organic dye Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). A deep study shows that cleavage of benzene ring is the main pathway for RhB degradation over Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}, but both the benzene cleavage and de-ethylation pathway coexist for RhB decomposition in the presence of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi as the photocatalyst. Photoelectrochemical study including transient photocurrent tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements shows that Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-Bi could facilitate the charge transfer process compared to Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. These data above has indicated a new insight into the promotion mechanism based on Bi related heterostructures.

  6. Bandgap engineering of lead-free double perovskite Cs{sub 2}AgBiBr{sub 6} through trivalent metal alloying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Du, Ke-zhao; Mitzi, David B. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, and Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Yan, Yanfa [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, The University of Toledo, OH (United States)

    2017-07-03

    The double perovskite family, A{sub 2}M{sup I}M{sup III}X{sub 6}, is a promising route to overcome the lead toxicity issue confronting the current photovoltaic (PV) standout, CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3}. Given the generally large indirect band gap within most known double perovskites, band-gap engineering provides an important approach for targeting outstanding PV performance within this family. Using Cs{sub 2}AgBiBr{sub 6} as host, band-gap engineering through alloying of In{sup III}/Sb{sup III} has been demonstrated in the current work. Cs{sub 2}Ag(Bi{sub 1-x}M{sub x})Br{sub 6} (M=In, Sb) accommodates up to 75 % In{sup III} with increased band gap, and up to 37.5 % Sb{sup III} with reduced band gap; that is, enabling ca. 0.41 eV band gap modulation through introduction of the two metals, with smallest value of 1.86 eV for Cs{sub 2}Ag(Bi{sub 0.625}Sb{sub 0.375})Br{sub 6}. Band structure calculations indicate that opposite band gap shift directions associated with Sb/In substitution arise from different atomic configurations for these atoms. Associated photoluminescence and environmental stability of the three-metal systems are also assessed. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  7. Quantum interference effects in [Co/Bi]n thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Athanasopoulos P.

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Magnetoconductivity (MC, Δσ(Β, and Hall coefficient, RH(B, measurements have been performed in polycrystalline thin films of Bi(15nm, Bi(10nm/Co(1nm/Bi(10nm trilayer and [Co(0.7nm/Bi(2nm]10 multilayer, grown by magnetron scattering. The temperature dependence of RH(B curves reveal the existence of a second conduction channel below 250K, that can be assigned to surface states. MC measurements between ±0.4T show at 5K an interplay between weak-antilocalization (WAL in Bi and Bi/Co/Bi films and weal-localization (WL in [Co/Bi]10 multilayer.

  8. Investigation of the electronic structure of the BiSBr and BiSeBr clusters by density functional method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Audzijonis, A.; Gaigalas, G.; Zigas, L.; Pauliukas, A.; Zaltauskas, R.; Kvedaravicius, A.; Cerskus, A.

    2008-01-01

    The energy levels of valence bands (VB) of the BiSBr and BiSeBr crystals have been calculated for investigation of the photoelectron emission spectra of BiSBr, BiSeBr and BiSI crystals. The molecular model of this crystal has been used for the calculation of VB by the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. The molecular cluster, consisting of 20 molecules of BiSBr, BiSeBr, has been used for calculations of averaged total density of states, including atom vibrations. The spectra of the averaged total density of states from VB of BiSBr and BiSeBr clusters have been compared with the experimental photoelectron emission spectra from VB of BiSI crystals. The results clarify that the atomic vibrations in A 5 B 6 C 7 type crystals with chain structure create a smoother appearance of the averaged total density of state spectrum and the experimental X-ray photoemission spectra (XPS)

  9. Topotactic synthesis of a new BiS2-based superconductor Bi2(O,F)S2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okada, Tomoyuki; Ogino, Hiraku; Shimoyama, Jun-ichi; Kishio, Kohji

    2015-02-01

    A new BiS2-based superconductor, Bi2(O,F)S2, was discovered. It is a layered compound consisting of alternately stacked structure of rock-salt-type BiS2 superconducting layers and fluorite-type Bi(O,F) blocking layers. Bi2(O,F)S2 was obtained as the main phase by topotactic fluorination of undoped Bi2OS2 using XeF2. This is the first topotactic synthesis of an electron-doped superconductor via reductive fluorination. With increasing F-content, a- and c-axis lengths increased and decreased, respectively, and Tc increased to 5.1 K.

  10. Tl, Bi, and Pb doping in Ba4BiPb2TlO12-δ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutto, T.E.; Averill, B.A.

    1992-01-01

    To determine the effects of different 6s metal concentrations on the superconducting nature of Ba 4 BiPb 2 TlO 12-δ , materials produced via four doping schemes were examined: Ba 4 Bi(Pb, Tl) 3 O 12-δ , Ba 4 -(BiPb) 3 TlO 12-δ , Ba 4 (Bi,Tl) 2 Pb 2 O 12-δ , and Ba 4 Bi x Pb 4-2x Tl x O 12-δ . For the parent compound a value of δ = 0.91 was observed, indicating that approximately 1/4 oxygen atom was missing per cubic subsection of the unit cell. For all samples, the symmetry of the parent compound changed from orthorhombic to tetragonal as the system moved away from the ideal composition. This was usually accompanied by the loss of superconductivity, which exhibited a maximum T c of 10.5 K for the parent compound Ba 4 BiPb 2 TlO 12-δ . Also reported are high-temperature magnetic susceptibility results, which are used to determine the effect of metal substitution on the density of states at the Fermi level. For each set of variants on the parent composition, the onset of superconductivity was accompanied by a significant decrease in the size of the Pauli paramagnetic signal. 16 refs., 6 figs

  11. Thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 base solid solutions in the Bi2Te3-InS system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Safarov, M.G.; Rustamov, P.G.; Alidzhanov, M.A.

    1979-01-01

    The rich Bi 2 Te 3 part ot the Bi 2 Te 3 -InS constitutional diagram has been studied with a view to produce new Bi 2 Te 3 -based solid solutions and to establish the maximum solubility of InS in Bi 2 Te 3 . The methods of differential-thermal, X-ray phase and microstructural analysis have been used. The alloys microhardness, density and thermal electric properties have been measured. A large region of Bi 2 Te 3 -based restricted solid solutions has been detected; it reaches 14.0 mol.% InS at room temperature. Studied have been the thermoelectromotive forces, electric and thermal conductivity of the alloys, containing up to 5 mol.% InS in the 300-700 K temperature range

  12. [sup 205]Bi/[sup 206]Bi cyclotron production from Pb-isotopes for absorption studies in humans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, R.; Dresow, B.; Heinrich, H.C. (Universitaetskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg (Germany). Abt. Medizinische Biochemie); Wendel, J.; Bechtold, V. (Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Kernphysik)

    1993-12-01

    Pb(p,xn) thick target excitation functions were measured in the energy range 10-38 MeV in order to optimize the production of isotopically pure radiobismuth from [sup nat]Pb, [sup 206]Pb, and [sup 207]Pb. Additionally, the decay of Po-isotopes from deuteron irradiation of natural bismuth ([sup 209]Bi) was exploited for radiobismuth production. [sup 205]Bi was produced from [sup 206]Pb at 20 MeV with only 2% of [sup 206]Bi at 4 weeks post irradiation. Bismuth compounds as used in the treatment of peptic ulcer were labeled with [sup 205]Bi for absorption studies in animals and subjects. (Author).

  13. Structural stability of ternary C22–Zr{sub 6}X{sub 2}Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and C22–Zr{sub 6}Sn{sub 2}T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colinet, Catherine, E-mail: ccolinet@simap.grenoble-inp.fr [Science et Ingénierie des Matériaux et Procédés, Grenoble INP, UJF, CNRS, 38402 Saint Martin d’Hères, Cedex (France); Crivello, Jean-Claude [ICMPE-CMTR, CNRS UMR-7182, 2-8 rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais (France); Tedenac, Jean-Claude [Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux I.C.G., UMR-CNRS 5253, Université Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

    2013-09-15

    The crystal and electronic structures, and the thermodynamic properties of Zr{sub 6}X{sub 2}Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and Zr{sub 6}Sn{sub 2}T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) ternary compounds in the Fe{sub 2}P-type structure have been investigated by means of first principle calculations. The calculated structural parameters are in good agreement with the experimental data. The total electronic densities of states as well as the Bader charges of the atoms have been computed. Both electronic and size effects allow to explain the stability of the ternary Zr{sub 6}X{sub 2}Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te) and Zr{sub 6}Sn{sub 2}T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) compounds. - Graphical abstract: Valence charge electronic localization function (ELF) calculated for Zr{sub 6}Sb{sub 2}Co compound. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Structural stability of Zr{sub 6}X{sub 2}T′ compounds (X: p element, T′: late transition metal) in the Fe{sub 2}P-type structure. • First principles calculation of lattice parameters and enthalpies of formation. • Electronic densities of state in the series Zr{sub 6}Sn{sub 2}T′ (T′=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu). • Electronic densities of state in the series Zr{sub 6}X{sub 2}Co (X=Al, Ga, Sn, As, Sb, Bi, Te)

  14. Thick Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ films grown by liquid-phase epitaxy for Josephson THz applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simsek, Y.; Vlasko-Vlasov, V.; Koshelev, A. E.; Benseman, T.; Hao, Y.; Kesgin, I.; Claus, H.; Pearson, J.; Kwok, W.-K.; Welp, U.

    2018-01-01

    Theoretical and experimental studies of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) that naturally occur in high-T c superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi-2212) have demonstrated their potential for novel types of compact devices for the generation and sensing of electromagnetic radiation in the THz range. Here, we show that the THz-on-a-chip concept may be realized in liquid-phase epitaxial-grown (LPE) thick Bi-2212 films. We have grown μm thick Bi-2212 LPE films on MgO substrates. These films display excellent c-axis alignment and single crystal grains of about 650 × 150 μm2 in size. A branched current-voltage characteristic was clearly observed in c-axis transport, which is a clear signature of underdamped IJJs, and a prerequisite for THz-generation. We discuss LPE growth conditions allowing improvement of the structural quality and superconducting properties of Bi-2212 films for THz applications.

  15. Thermal conductivity in Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3+x and the role of dense dislocation arrays at grain boundaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Rigui; Su, Xianli; Zheng, Zheng; Liu, Wei; Yan, Yonggao; Zhang, Qingjie; Dravid, Vinayak P; Uher, Ctirad; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G; Tang, Xinfeng

    2018-06-01

    Several prominent mechanisms for reduction in thermal conductivity have been shown in recent years to improve the figure of merit for thermoelectric materials. Such a mechanism is a hierarchical all-length-scale architecturing that recognizes the role of all microstructure elements, from atomic to nano to microscales, in reducing (lattice) thermal conductivity. In this context, there have been recent claims of remarkably low (lattice) thermal conductivity in Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 that are attributed to seemingly ordinary grain boundary dislocation networks. These high densities of dislocation networks in Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 were generated via unconventional materials processing with excess Te (which formed liquid phase, thereby facilitating sintering), followed by spark plasma sintering under pressure to squeeze out the liquid. We reproduced a practically identical microstructure, following practically identical processing strategies, but with noticeably different (higher) thermal conductivity than that claimed before. We show that the resultant microstructure is anisotropic, with notable difference of thermal and charge transport properties across and along two orthonormal directions, analogous to anisotropic crystals. Thus, we believe that grain boundary dislocation networks are not the primary cause of enhanced ZT through reduction in thermal conductivity. Instead, we can reproduce the purported high ZT through a favorable but impractical and incorrect combination of thermal conductivity measured along the pressing direction of anisotropy while charge transport measured in the direction perpendicular to the anisotropic direction. We believe that our work underscores the need for consistency in charge and thermal transport measurements for unified and verifiable measurements of thermoelectric (and related) properties and phenomena.

  16. Thermoelectric Properties of Cu-doped Bi2-xSbxTe3 Prepared by Encapsulated Melting and Hot Pressing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Woo-Jin; Kim, Il-Ho

    2018-03-01

    P-type Bi2-xSbxTe3:Cum (x = 1.5-1.7 and m = 0.002-0.003) solid solutions were synthesized using encapsulated melting and were consolidated using hot pressing. The effects of Sb substitution and Cu doping on the charge transport and thermoelectric properties were examined. The lattice constants decreased with increasing Sb and Cu contents. As the amount of Sb substitution and Cu doping was increased, the electrical conductivity increased, and the Seebeck coefficient decreased owing to the increase in the carrier concentration. All specimens exhibited degenerate semiconductor characteristics and positive Hall and Seebeck coefficients, indicating p-type conduction. The increased Sb substitution caused a shift in the onset temperature of the intrinsic transition and bipolar conduction to higher temperatures. The electronic thermal conductivity increased with increasing Sb and Cu contents owing to the increase in the carrier concentration, while the lattice thermal conductivity slightly decreased due to alloy scattering. A maximum figure of merit, ZTmax = 1.25, was achieved at 373 K for Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3:Cu0.003.

  17. Ultrahigh vacuum STM/STS studies of the Bi-O surface in Bi2Sr2CuOy single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikeda, Kazuto; Tomeno, Izumi; Takamuku, Kenshi; Yamaguchi, Koji; Itti, Rittaporn; Koshizuka, Naoki

    1992-01-01

    Scanning tunneling microscopic and spectroscopic studies were made on cleaved surfaces of Bi 2 Sr 2 CuO y single crystals using an ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (UHV-STM). The modulation structures of the Bi-O surface were observed at room temperature with atomic resolution. The tunneling spectra showed electronic gap structures similar to those observed for the Bi-O surface of superconducting Bi-2212 single crystals. This suggests that superconductivity is not directly related to the electronic structure observed in the Bi-O plane. (orig.)

  18. Structures and solid solution mechanisms of pyrochlore phases in the systems Bi2O3-ZnO-(Nb, Ta)2O5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, K.B.; Khaw, C.C.; Lee, C.K.; Zainal, Z.; Miles, G.C.

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Combined XRD and ND Rietveld structural refinement of pyrochlores. → Structures and solid solution mechanisms of Bi-pyrochlores. → Bi and Zn displaced off-centre to different 96g A-site positions. → Summary of composition-structure-property of Bi-pyrochlores. - Abstract: The crystal structures of two pyrochlore phases have been determined by Rietveld refinement of combined X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data. These are stoichiometric, Bi 1.5 ZnTa 1.5 O 7 and non-stoichiometric Bi 1.56 Zn 0.92 Nb 1.44 O 6.86 . In both structures, Zn is distributed over A- and B-sites; Bi and Zn are displaced off-centre, to different 96g A-site positions; of the three sets of oxygen positions, O(1) are full, O(2) contain vacancies and O(3) contain a small number of oxygen, again in both cases. Comparisons between these structures, those of related Sb analogues and literature reports are made.

  19. Control microestructural en varistores cerámicos basados en el sistema ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 dopados con TiO2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernández-Hevia, D.

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Typically Titanium oxide is added to the formulation of Bi2O3-doped ZnO based varistors to enhance the growth of ZnO grains, thus allowing their application in low voltage devices. However its incorporation to formulation based on the ZnOBi2O3-Sb2O3 (ZBS system, characteristic of high voltage applications has not been analyzed jet. In this contribution it has been verified that far from promoting the ZnO grain growth, the incorporation of TiO2 to varistor formulations based on this ZBS ternary system leads to a better control of the varistor microstructure, which in turns causes an appreciable improvement of its electrical response.Típicamente el Óxido de Titanio se incorpora a la formulación de varistores basados en ZnO dopado con Bi2O3 para favorecer un crecimiento de los granos de ZnO, lo que determina su aplicación en dispositivos de bajo voltaje. Sin embargo su incorporación en formulaciones basadas en el ternario ZnO-Bi2O3-Sb2O3 (sistema ZBS, características de aplicaciones de alto voltaje, es algo que apenas se ha analizado. En este trabajo se ha comprobado que lejos de favorecer el crecimiento de los granos de ZnO, la incorporación de TiO2 a sistemas basados en dicho ternario ZBS lleva a un mayor control de la microestructura de estos electrocerámicos, y esto además se traduce en una apreciable mejoría de su respuesta eléctrica.

  20. Phase relations and crystal structures in the systems (Bi,Ln)2WO6 and (Bi,Ln)2MoO6 (Ln=lanthanide)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berdonosov, Peter S.; Charkin, Dmitri O.; Knight, Kevin S.; Johnston, Karen E.; Goff, Richard J.; Dolgikh, Valeriy A.; Lightfoot, Philip

    2006-01-01

    Several outstanding aspects of phase behaviour in the systems (Bi,Ln) 2 WO 6 and (Bi,Ln) 2 MoO 6 (Ln=lanthanide) have been clarified. Detailed crystal structures, from Rietveld refinement of powder neutron diffraction data, are provided for Bi 1.8 La 0.2 WO 6 (L-Bi 2 WO 6 type) and BiLaWO 6 , BiNdWO 6 , Bi 0.7 Yb 1.3 WO 6 and Bi 0.7 Yb 1.3 WO 6 (all H-Bi 2 WO 6 type). Phase evolution within the solid solution Bi 2- x La x MoO 6 has been re-examined, and a crossover from γ(H)-Bi 2 MoO 6 type to γ-R 2 MoO 6 type is observed at x∼1.2. A preliminary X-ray Rietveld refinement of the line phase BiNdMoO 6 has confirmed the α-R 2 MoO 6 type structure, with a possible partial ordering of Bi/Nd over the three crystallographically distinct R sites. - Graphical abstract: A summary of phase relations in the lanthanide-doped bismuth tungstate and bismuth molybdate systems is presented, together with some additional structural data on several of these phases

  1. Strongly compressed Bi (111) bilayer films on Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} studied by scanning tunneling microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, K. F.; Yang, Fang; Song, Y. R. [Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Liu, Canhua; Qian, Dong; Gao, C. L.; Jia, Jin-Feng [Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093 (China)

    2015-09-21

    Ultra-thin Bi films show exotic electronic structure and novel quantum effects, especially the widely studied Bi (111) film. Using reflection high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy, we studied the structure and morphology evolution of Bi (111) thin films grown on Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3}. A strongly compressed, but quickly released in-plane lattice of Bi (111) is found in the first three bilayers. The first bilayer of Bi shows a fractal growth mode with flat surface, while the second and third bilayer show a periodic buckling due to the strong compression of the in-plane lattice. The lattice slowly changes to its bulk value with further deposition of Bi.

  2. Microwave plasma CVD of oxide films relating to high Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashimoto, T.; Kosaka, T.; Yoshida, Y.; Yoshimoto, M.; Koinuma, H.

    1989-01-01

    Microwave plasma CVD was applied to the synthesis of Bi, Sr, Ca, and Cu oxide films at relatively low temperatures. Gas source materials used were Bi(C 6 H 5 ) 3 , Sr(PPM) 2 , Ca(PPM) 2 , and Cu(HFA) 2 , where PPM and HFA represent C 2 F 5 COCHCOC(CH 3 ) 3 and CF 3 COCHCOCF 3 , respectively. Films were deposited on MgO (100) substrate at temperatures between 200 C and 400 C under an atmosphere of 1000mTorr Ar-O 2 (50/100) mixture which was partially excited by plasma. From Bi(C 6 H 5 ) 3 , Bi 2 O 3 was formed at 200 C without containing carbon above the detection level by XPS analysis. From Cu(HFA) 2 , CuO was prepared at 400 C by increasing oxygen partial pressure to 0.1Torr. (At lower oxygen partial pressure, CuF 2 or amorphous films were deposited.) From Sr(PPM) 2 and Ca(PPM) 2 , SrF 2 and CaF 2 were obtained at 400 C. The attempt to fabricate superconducting films is also reported

  3. Effect of Trait Heritability, Training Population Size and Marker Density on Genomic Prediction Accuracy Estimation in 22 bi-parental Tropical Maize Populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ao; Wang, Hongwu; Beyene, Yoseph; Semagn, Kassa; Liu, Yubo; Cao, Shiliang; Cui, Zhenhai; Ruan, Yanye; Burgueño, Juan; San Vicente, Felix; Olsen, Michael; Prasanna, Boddupalli M; Crossa, José; Yu, Haiqiu; Zhang, Xuecai

    2017-01-01

    Genomic selection is being used increasingly in plant breeding to accelerate genetic gain per unit time. One of the most important applications of genomic selection in maize breeding is to predict and select the best un-phenotyped lines in bi-parental populations based on genomic estimated breeding values. In the present study, 22 bi-parental tropical maize populations genotyped with low density SNPs were used to evaluate the genomic prediction accuracy ( r MG ) of the six trait-environment combinations under various levels of training population size (TPS) and marker density (MD), and assess the effect of trait heritability ( h 2 ), TPS and MD on r MG estimation. Our results showed that: (1) moderate r MG values were obtained for different trait-environment combinations, when 50% of the total genotypes was used as training population and ~200 SNPs were used for prediction; (2) r MG increased with an increase in h 2 , TPS and MD, both correlation and variance analyses showed that h 2 is the most important factor and MD is the least important factor on r MG estimation for most of the trait-environment combinations; (3) predictions between pairwise half-sib populations showed that the r MG values for all the six trait-environment combinations were centered around zero, 49% predictions had r MG values above zero; (4) the trend observed in r MG differed with the trend observed in r MG / h , and h is the square root of heritability of the predicted trait, it indicated that both r MG and r MG / h values should be presented in GS study to show the accuracy of genomic selection and the relative accuracy of genomic selection compared with phenotypic selection, respectively. This study provides useful information to maize breeders to design genomic selection workflow in their breeding programs.

  4. Effect of Trait Heritability, Training Population Size and Marker Density on Genomic Prediction Accuracy Estimation in 22 bi-parental Tropical Maize Populations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ao Zhang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Genomic selection is being used increasingly in plant breeding to accelerate genetic gain per unit time. One of the most important applications of genomic selection in maize breeding is to predict and select the best un-phenotyped lines in bi-parental populations based on genomic estimated breeding values. In the present study, 22 bi-parental tropical maize populations genotyped with low density SNPs were used to evaluate the genomic prediction accuracy (rMG of the six trait-environment combinations under various levels of training population size (TPS and marker density (MD, and assess the effect of trait heritability (h2, TPS and MD on rMG estimation. Our results showed that: (1 moderate rMG values were obtained for different trait-environment combinations, when 50% of the total genotypes was used as training population and ~200 SNPs were used for prediction; (2 rMG increased with an increase in h2, TPS and MD, both correlation and variance analyses showed that h2 is the most important factor and MD is the least important factor on rMG estimation for most of the trait-environment combinations; (3 predictions between pairwise half-sib populations showed that the rMG values for all the six trait-environment combinations were centered around zero, 49% predictions had rMG values above zero; (4 the trend observed in rMG differed with the trend observed in rMG/h, and h is the square root of heritability of the predicted trait, it indicated that both rMG and rMG/h values should be presented in GS study to show the accuracy of genomic selection and the relative accuracy of genomic selection compared with phenotypic selection, respectively. This study provides useful information to maize breeders to design genomic selection workflow in their breeding programs.

  5. Synthesis of chemically bonded BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} microspheres with exposed (0 2 0) Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} facets and their enhanced photocatalytic activities under visible light irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Yongchao [Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109 (China); Chen, Zhiwei [School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049 (China); Qu, Dan [Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109 (China); Shi, Jinsheng, E-mail: jsshiqn@aliyun.com [Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109 (China)

    2016-01-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composites were prepared via a controlled anion exchange method. • The shell of composites was composed of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} sheets with exposed (0 2 0) facets. • The BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composites showed efficient photocatalytic activity. • A possible photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed. - Abstract: Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} photocatalysts has been extensively studied for its photocatalytic activity. However, few works have been conducted on hierarchical Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composite photocatalysts with specifically exposed facets. In this work, we report a facile method to synthesize BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} hierarchical composite microspheres. Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} nanosheets with specifically exposed (0 2 0) facet were directly formed on the surface of BiOCl precursor microspheres via a controlled anion exchange route between BiOCl and Na{sub 2}WO{sub 4}. The visible-light photocatalytic activity of the BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} heterojunction with exposed (0 2 0) facets (denoted as BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}) was investigated by degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The experimental results indicated that the BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composite microsphere with intimate interfacial contacts exhibited improved efficiency for RhB photodegradation in comparison with pure BiOCl and Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}. The BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} composite microsphere also shows high photocatalytic activity for degradation of CIP under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of BiOCl@Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}-020 hierarchical microspheres can be ascribed to the improved visible light harvesting ability, high charge separation and transfer. This work will make significant contributions toward the exploration of novel heterostructures with high potential in photocatalytic applications.

  6. An ion exchange strategy to BiOI/CH{sub 3}COO(BiO) heterojunction with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Qiaofeng, E-mail: hanqiaofeng@njust.edu.cn; Yang, Zhen; Wang, Li; Shen, Zichen; Wang, Xin; Zhu, Junwu; Jiang, Xiaohong

    2017-05-01

    Highlights: • BiOI/BiOAc heterojunction was firstly synthesized by an ion exchange route. • BiOI/BiOAc exhibited enhanced visible-light-driven photoreactivity for the dyes degradation in comparison with individuals. • Photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared BiOI/BiOAc is better than that prepared by precipitation-deposition method. • Photosensitization effect of BiOI to BiOAc was superior to that of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} due to suitable solubility constant. - Abstract: It is very significant to develop CH{sub 3}COO(BiO) (denoted as BiOAc) based photocatalysts for the removal of pollutants due to its non-toxicity and availability. We previously reported that BiOAc exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under UV light irradiation. Herein, by an ion exchange approach, BiOI/BiOAc heterojunction could be easily obtained. The as-prepared heterojunction possessed enhanced photodegradation activity for multiple dyes including RhB and methyl orange (MO) under visible light illumination in comparison with individual materials. Good visible-light photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction could be attributed to the increased visible light response, effective charge transfer from the modified band position and close interfacial contact due to partial ion exchange method.

  7. Bi-cooperative games in bipolar fuzzy settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Pankaj; Borkotokey, Surajit; Mesiar, Radko

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce the notion of a bi-cooperative game with Bipolar Fuzzy Bi-coalitions and discuss the related properties. In many decision-making situations, players show bipolar motives while cooperating among themselves. This is modelled in both crisp and fuzzy environments. Bi-cooperative games with fuzzy bi-coalitions have already been proposed under the product order of bi-coalitions where one had memberships in [0, 1]. In the present paper, we adopt the alternative ordering: ordering by monotonicity and account for players' memberships in ?, a break from the previous formulation. This simplifies the model to a great extent. The corresponding Shapley axioms are proposed. An explicit form of the Shapley value to a particular class of such games is also obtained. Our study is supplemented with an illustrative example.

  8. Calorimetric investigations of U-Bi system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agarwal, Renu; Joshi, A.R.

    2013-01-01

    U 0.333 Bi 0.667 is a compound that may form on breach of clad during reactor operation with metallic fuel and lead-bismuth coolant. Therefore, enthalpy of mixing of U-Bi liquid solution in limited composition range and enthalpy of formation of U 0.333 Bi 0.667 compound were measured by high temperature calorimetry. The enthalpy of mixing follows subregular solution model and enthalpy of formation U 0.333 Bi 0.667 from U(l) and Bi(l) at 843 K was -52.5 kJ/mol and -40.8 kJ/mol from U(s) and Bi(s) at 298.15 K. Both enthalpy of mixing and enthalpy of formation of intermetallic compound obtained experimentally were compared with Miedema model values. (author)

  9. Unusual Concentration Induced Antithermal Quenching of the Bi(2+) Emission from Sr2P2O7:Bi(2.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Liyi; Peng, Mingying; Viana, Bruno; Wang, Jing; Lei, Bingfu; Liu, Yingliang; Zhang, Qinyuan; Qiu, Jianrong

    2015-06-15

    The resistance of a luminescent material to thermal quenching is essential for the application in high power LEDs. Usually, thermal luminescence quenching becomes more and more serious as the activator concentration increases. Conversely, we found here that a red phosphor Sr2P2O7:Bi(2+) is one of the exceptions to this as we studied the luminescence properties at low (10-300 K) and high (300-500 K) temperatures. As Bi(2+) ions are incorporated into Sr2P2O7, they exhibit the emissions at ∼660 and ∼698 nm at room temperature and are encoded, hereafter, as Bi(1) and Bi(2) due to the substitutions for two different crystallographic sites Sr(1) and Sr(2), respectively, in the compound. However, they will not substitute for these sites equally. At lower dopant concentration, they will occupy preferentially Sr(2) sites partially due to size match. As the concentration increases, more Bi(2+) ions start to occupy the Sr(1) sites. This can be verified by the distinct changes of emission intensity ratio of Bi(2) to Bi(1). As environment temperature increases, the thermal quenching happens, but it can be suppressed by the Bi(2+) concentration increase. This becomes even more pronounced in Bi(2+) heavily doped sample as we decompose the broad emission band into separated Bi(1) and Bi(2) Gaussian peaks. For the sample, the Bi(1) emission at ∼660 nm even shows antithermal-quenching particularly at higher temperatures. This phenomenon is accompanied by the blue shift of the overall emission band and almost no changes of lifetimes. A mechanism is proposed due to volume expansion of the unit cell, the increase of Bi(1) content, and temperature dependent energy transfer between Bi(2) and Bi(1). This work helps us better understand the complex luminescent behavior of Bi(2+) doped materials, and it will be helpful to design in the future the heavily doped phosphor for WLEDs with even better resistance to thermal quenching.

  10. Controlled hydrothermal synthesis of BiOxCly/BiOmIn composites exhibiting visible-light photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Yu-Rou; Lin, Ho-Pan; Chung, Wen-Hsin; Dai, Yong-Ming; Lin, Wan-Yu; Chen, Chiing-Chang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • This is the first report on a series of BiO x Cl y /BiO m I n heterojunctions. • The BiO x Cl y /BiO m I n composition was controlled by adjusting the growth parameters. • The BiO x Cl y /BiO m I n were indirect semiconductors with a 1.78–2.95-eV bandgap. • The new photocatalysts removed CV at a much faster rate than TiO 2 . • Mechanisms were determined by separating the intermediates using HPLC-MS. - Abstract: A series of BiO x Cl y /BiO m I n composites were prepared using autoclave hydrothermal methods. The composition and morphologies of the BiO x Cl y /BiO m I n composites were controlled by adjusting the experimental conditions: the reaction pH value, temperature, and KCl/KI molar ratio. The products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface areas, cathodoluminescence, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic efficiencies of composite powder suspensions were evaluated by monitoring the crystal violet (CV) concentrations. In addition, the quenching effects of various scavengers indicated that the reactive O 2 · − played a major role, and OH· or h + played a minor role in CV degradation. The intermediates formed during the decomposition process were isolated, identified, and characterized using high performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry to elucidate the CV decomposition mechanism

  11. Internal friction behavior of liquid Bi-Sn alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Aiqing; Guo Lijun; Liu Changsong; Jia Erguang; Zhu Zhengang

    2005-01-01

    Pure Bi and Sn and four Bi-Sn alloys distributed on the entire concentration range were selected for internal-friction investigation over a wide temperature range. There exist two peaks in the plots of internal friction versus temperature for liquid Sn, Bi-Sn60 and Bi-Sn90 alloys, one peak being located at about 480 - bar Cand another at about 830 - bar C. Only a single internal-friction peak at about 830 - bar C occurs in liquid Bi-Sn43 (eutectic composition). No internal-friction peak appears in liquid Bi-Sn20 alloy and pure Bi. The height of the internal-friction peaks depends on the content of Sn. The present finding suggests that Sn-rich Bi-Sn alloys may inherit the internal-friction behaviors of pure Sn, whereas Bi-rich Bi-Sn alloy seems to be like pure Bi. The position of the internal-friction peaks is frequency dependent, which resembles the internal-friction feature in structure transition in solids

  12. Internal friction behavior of liquid Bi-Sn alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu Aiqing [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031 (China); Guo Lijun [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031 (China); Liu Changsong [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031 (China); Jia Erguang [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031 (China); Zhu Zhengang [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1129, Hefei 230031 (China)]. E-mail: zgzhu@issp.ac.cn

    2005-12-01

    Pure Bi and Sn and four Bi-Sn alloys distributed on the entire concentration range were selected for internal-friction investigation over a wide temperature range. There exist two peaks in the plots of internal friction versus temperature for liquid Sn, Bi-Sn60 and Bi-Sn90 alloys, one peak being located at about 480{sup -}bar Cand another at about 830{sup -}bar C. Only a single internal-friction peak at about 830{sup -}bar C occurs in liquid Bi-Sn43 (eutectic composition). No internal-friction peak appears in liquid Bi-Sn20 alloy and pure Bi. The height of the internal-friction peaks depends on the content of Sn. The present finding suggests that Sn-rich Bi-Sn alloys may inherit the internal-friction behaviors of pure Sn, whereas Bi-rich Bi-Sn alloy seems to be like pure Bi. The position of the internal-friction peaks is frequency dependent, which resembles the internal-friction feature in structure transition in solids.

  13. High pressure synthesis of BiS2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søndergaard-Pedersen, Simone; Nielsen, Morten Bormann; Bremholm, Martin

    crystal structures and electrical properties.1,2 Up until now, the most sulfur rich phase in the Bi-S phase diagram was Bi2S3.3 For BiS2 the Bi atoms have anisotropic charge distribution and more complex structures are expected when comparing the layered structures of transition metal dichalcogenides....... The possibilities of using high pressure synthesis to discover new phases in the Bi-S binary system were investigated as early as the 1960’s.4 The research led to discovery of a compound with BiS2 stoichiometry, but no structure solution of BiS2 was reported. A reason behind making this new phase is to study...... the physical properties since the related compound Bi2S3 is known to be a thermoelectric material.5 In this research the BiS2 compound was synthesized by a high pressure and high temperature method using a multi-anvil large volume press and the structure was solved by single crystal diffraction. The structure...

  14. High-temperature abnormal behavior of resistivities for Bi-In melts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi Yun; Zu Fangqiu; Li Xianfen; Yu Jin; Liu Lanjun; Li Qiang; Chen Zhihao

    2004-01-01

    The patterns of electrical resistivities versus temperature in large temperature range have been studied, using the D.C. four-probe method, for liquid Bi-In alloys (Bi-In(33 wt%), Bi-In(38 wt%), Bi-In(50.5 wt%), Bi-In(66 wt%)). The clear turning point of each resistivity-temperature curves of the liquid Bi-In alloys is observed at the temperature much above the melting point, in which temperature range the resistivity-temperature coefficient increases rapidly. Except for the turning temperature range, the resistivities of Bi-In alloys increase linearly with temperature. Because resistivity is sensitive to the structure, this experiment shows the structural transition in Bi-In melts at the temperature much higher than the liquidus. And it is suggested that there are different Bi-In short-range orderings in different Bi-In melts, so the resistivity-temperature curves have the turns at different temperatures and the resistivity-temperature coefficients are also different

  15. Structural and electrical properties of (1-x)(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-xPb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 solid solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, J.-K.; Yi, J.Y.; Hong, K.S.

    2004-01-01

    Structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of (1-x)(Na 1/2 Bi 1/2 )TiO 3 -xPb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 (NBT-xPMN) solid solution have been investigated. An addition of PMN into NBT transformed the structure of sintered samples from rhombohedral to pseudocubic phase where x is larger than 0.1. In calcined powders, however, the intermediate structure were observed between rhombohedral and cubic phases near x=0.1. The formation of solid solution between NBT and PMN modified the dielectric and piezoelectric properties of NBT to be suitable for high temperature dielectric and piezoelectric material. With increasing the content of PMN, the temperature-stability of ε r (T) increased and the high temperature dielectric loss decreased. In addition, the piezoelectric property of NBT-xPMN was enhanced, for the decrease of coercive field and conductivity promoted the domain reversal under the high electric field of the poling process

  16. In situ grown hierarchical 50%BiOCl/BiOI hollow flowerlike microspheres on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Xiangde; Yang, Jinjin; Yu, Xiang; Zhu, Yi; Zhang, Yuanming

    2018-03-01

    50%BiOCl/BiOI/reduced graphene oxide (50%BiOCl/BiOI/rGO) composite photocatalyst was synthesized successfully by a facile one-step solvothermal route in this work. Reduction of graphene oxide (GO) took place in the process of solvothermal reaction and a new Bi-C bond between rGO and 50%BiOCl/BiOI was formed. The introduction of rGO affected the morphology of 50%BiOCl/BiOI, resulting in the transformation of 50%BiOCl/BiOI from solid microspheres to hollow microspheres. Both the introduction of rGO and formation of 50%BiOCl/BiOI hollow microspheres can facilitate the light absorption. The strong interaction between 50%BiOCl/BiOI and rGO and the electrical conductivity of rGO greatly improved the effective separation of photogenerated carriers. Hence, GOB-5 demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity which was over twice of the pristine 50%BiOCl/BiOI in the presence of visible light. Mechanism study revealed that 50%BiOCl/BiOI generated electrons and holes in the presence of visible light, and holes together with rad O2- generated from reduction of O2 by electrons degraded the pollutant directly. Overall, this work provides an excellent reference to the synthesis of chemically bonded BiOX/BiOY (X, Y = Cl, Br, I)/rGO nanocomposite and helps to promote their applications in environmental protection and photoelectric conversion.

  17. Comparison of growth texture in round Bi2212 and flat Bi2223 wires and its relation to high critical current density development

    OpenAIRE

    Kametani, F.; Jiang, J.; Matras, M.; Abraimov, D.; Hellstrom, E. E.; Larbalestier, D. C.

    2015-01-01

    Why Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi2212) allows high critical current density Jc in round wires rather than only in the anisotropic tape form demanded by all other high temperature superconductors is important for future magnet applications. Here we compare the local texture of state-of-the-art Bi2212 and Bi2223 ((Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10), finding that round wire Bi2212 generates a dominant a-axis growth texture that also enforces a local biaxial texture (FWHM

  18. Phonons of single quintuple Bi 2 Te 3 and Bi 2 Se 3 films and bulk materials

    KAUST Repository

    Cheng, Wei; Ren, Shang-Fen

    2011-01-01

    Phonons of single quintuple films of Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 and corresponding bulk materials are calculated in detail by MedeA (a trademark of Materials Design) and Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP). The calculated results with and without spin-orbit couplings are compared, and the important roles that the spin-orbit coupling plays in these materials are discussed. A symmetry breaking caused by the anharmonic potentials around Bi atoms in the single quintuple films is identified and discussed. The observed Raman intensity features in Bi 2Te3 and Bi2Se3 quintuple films are explained. © 2011 American Physical Society.

  19. Phonons of single quintuple Bi 2 Te 3 and Bi 2 Se 3 films and bulk materials

    KAUST Repository

    Cheng, Wei

    2011-03-10

    Phonons of single quintuple films of Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 and corresponding bulk materials are calculated in detail by MedeA (a trademark of Materials Design) and Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP). The calculated results with and without spin-orbit couplings are compared, and the important roles that the spin-orbit coupling plays in these materials are discussed. A symmetry breaking caused by the anharmonic potentials around Bi atoms in the single quintuple films is identified and discussed. The observed Raman intensity features in Bi 2Te3 and Bi2Se3 quintuple films are explained. © 2011 American Physical Society.

  20. Exploratory Bi-factor Analysis: The Oblique Case

    OpenAIRE

    Jennrich, Robert L.; Bentler, Peter M.

    2011-01-01

    Bi-factor analysis is a form of confirmatory factor analysis originally introduced by Holzinger and Swineford (1937). The bi-factor model has a general factor, a number of group factors, and an explicit bi-factor structure. Jennrich and Bentler (2011) introduced an exploratory form of bi-factor analysis that does not require one to provide an explicit bi-factor structure a priori. They use exploratory factor analysis and a bi-factor rotation criterion designed to produce a rotated loading mat...

  1. Effect of oxidant on resputtering of Bi from Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grace, J.M.; McDonald, D.B.; Reiten, M.T.; Olson, J.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Gray, K.E.

    1992-01-01

    The type and partial pressure of oxidant mixed with argon can affect the selective sputtering of Bi in composite-target, magnetron-sputtered Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O films. Comparative studies using oxygen and ozone show that ozone is a more potent oxidant, as well as a more potent source of resputterers than is oxygen. Severe resputtering from ozone is significantly reduced by a -40 V potential on the sample block. We suggest that oxygen causes resputtering by forming O + 2 , which interacts with the target to produce energetic O - . In contrast, ozone may form lower-energy O - by electron impact in the dark space. Negative oxygen ions from the target itself may be responsible for a background resputtering effect. Our results and those found for Y--Ba--Cu--O by others are comparable. Bi in Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O behaves as Ba in Y--Ba--Cu--O, with regard to selective resputtering; furthermore, the response of Sr, Ca, and Cu to oxygen in sputtered Bi--Sr--Ca--Cu--O is similar to what is observed for Cu in Y--Ba--Cu--O

  2. Effects of Complex Modification by Sr–Sb on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al–18 wt % Mg2Si–4.5Cu Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Youhong; Ma, Shaoming; Wang, Huiyuan; Chen, Lei; Gao, Ke; Ma, Yinlong; Liu, Baochang

    2016-01-01

    This research was carried out to investigate the influence of Sr–Sb on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al–18 wt % Mg2Si–4.5Cu alloys. After the addition of 0.2 wt % Sr–Sb, the morphologies of primary Mg2Si transformed from equiaxed dendrite to cube in as-cast alloys and the average size of primary Mg2Si decreased from ~50 to ~20 μm. The shape of eutectic Mg2Si changed from Chinese script to short rod. After extrusion and T6 heat treatment, the ultimate tensile strength of modified alloy at room temperature (RT) and 100 °C increased respectively from 229 to 288 MPa, and from 231 to 272 MPa. The elongation-to-failure only slightly improved from 2.9% to 3.8% and from 3.3% to 3.7% at RT and 100 °C, respectively. The tensile fracture surface revealed a transition from brittle fracture to ductile fracture after modifying by 0.2 wt % Sr–Sb. PMID:28773282

  3. Comparative study of phase structure and dielectric properties for K0.5Bi0.5TiO3-BiAlO3 and LaAlO3-BiAlO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou, Yudong; Zheng, Mupeng; Si, Meiju; Cui, Lei; Zhu, Mankang; Yan, Hui

    2013-01-01

    In this work, two perovskite-type compounds, K 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 and LaAlO 3 , have been selected as host material to incorporate with BiAlO 3 using a solid-state reaction route. The phase evolution and dielectric properties for both systems have been investigated in detail. For the K 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 -BiAlO 3 system, it is interesting to find that when using Bi 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and TiO 2 as starting materials, the formed compounds are K 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 -K 0.5 Bi 4.5 Ti 4 O 15 and Al 2 O 3 only plays a dopant role. There are two distinct dielectric peaks appearing in the patterns of temperature dependence of dielectric constant, corresponding to the phase-transition points of perovskite-type K 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 and Aurivillius-type K 0.5 Bi 4.5 Ti 4 O 15 , independently. In comparison, using Bi 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , and La 2 O 3 as starting materials, the pure perovskite phase LaAlO 3 -BiAlO 3 can be obtained. Compared to the inherent paraelectric behavior in LaAlO 3 , the diffuse phase-transition phenomena can be observed in the LaAlO 3 -BiAlO 3 binary system, which corresponds well to the Vogel-Fulcher (VF) relationship. Moreover, compared to pure LaAlO 3 , the synthesized LaAlO 3 -BiAlO 3 compound shows enhanced dielectric properties, which are promising in application as gate dielectric materials. (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  4. Preliminary study of the characteristics of a high Mg containing Al-Mg-Si alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, F; McKay, B J; Fan, Z; Chen, M F

    2012-01-01

    An Al-20Mg-4Si high Mg containing alloy has been produced and its characteristics investigated. The as-cast alloy revealed primary Mg 2 Si particles evenly distributed throughout an α-Al matrix with a β-Al 3 Mg 2 fully divorced eutectic phase observed in interdendritic regions. The Mg 2 Si particles displayed octahedral, truncated octahedral, and hopper morphologies. Additions of Sb, Ti and Zr had a refining influence reducing the size of the Mg 2 Si from 52 ± 4 μm to 25 ± 0.1 μm, 35 ± 1 μm and 34 ± 1 μm respectively. HPDC tensile test samples could be produced with a 0.6 wt.% Mn addition which prevented die soldering. Solution heating for 1 hr was found to dissolve the majority of the Al 3 Mg 2 eutectic phase with no evidence of any effect on the primary Mg 2 Si. Preliminary results indicate that the heat treatment has a beneficial effect on the elongation and the UTS.

  5. Microscopic fracture of filaments and its relation to the critical current under bending deformation in (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 composite superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hojo, Masaki; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Matsuoka, Tomoe; Tanaka, Mototsugu; Ochiai, Shojiro; Sugano, Michinaka; Osamura, Kozo

    2003-01-01

    The strain dependence of the critical current, I c , of (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 (Bi2223)/Ag/Ag-Mg composite superconducting tapes has been studied both experimentally and analytically under bending deformation. Tests have been carried out for one type of tape used in the VAMAS bending round-robin programme. The complex stress-strain behaviour of each component was first analysed in tension. This was done by comparing the stress-strain curves of composite tapes with those of Ag and Ag-Mg alloy tapes. Here, the plastic deformation (work hardening) of Ag and Ag-Mg alloy, and the thermal residual strain due to the manufacturing process were taken into account. The fracture strain of Bi2223 filaments was inversely determined as 0.08% to meet the global tensile stress-strain curve of the composite tape. The calculated stress-strain curves finally agreed well with the experimental results when the as-supplied bending strain was taken into account. Then, the analysis was modified to fit the bending deformation. Here, the movement of the neutral axis due to the non-symmetric and elastic-plastic stress-strain curves of the components and their Bauschinger effect were taken into account. The relative decrease of I c with the increase in the Bi2223 tape curvature was calculated from the volume fraction of the broken filaments. The calculated I c agreed well with the experimental results when the movement of the neutral axis and the Bauschinger effect were taken into account. Microscopic observation of the spatial distribution of the filament fracture indicated that the damage occurred at the outermost layer on the tensile side when the curvature was small, and then the damage front shifted to the inside layers. The observed fracture behaviour of the Bi2223 filament agreed well with the estimated location based on the above analysis

  6. Overexpression of BiP in tobacco alleviates endoplasmic reticulum stress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leborgne-Castel, N.; Jelitto- Dooren, E.P.W.M. van; Crofts, A.J.; Denecke, J.

    1999-01-01

    To study the role of the lumenal binding protein (BiP) in the transport and secretion of proteins, we have produced plants with altered BiP levels. Transgenic plants overexpressing BiP showed dramatically increased BiP mRNA levels but only a modest increase in BiP protein levels. The presence of

  7. Thermal analysis and phase diagrams of the LiF BiF{sub 3} e NaF BiF{sub 3} systems; Analise termica e diagramas de fase dos sistemas LiF-BiF{sub 3} e NaF-BiF{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamura, Gerson Hiroshi de Godoy

    2013-07-01

    Investigations of the binary systems LiF-BiF{sub 3} and NaF-BiF{sub 3} were performed with the objective of clarifying the thermal behavior and phase equilibria of these systems and their intermediary phases, an important requisite for high-quality crystal growth. Several samples in the entire range of compositions (0 to 100 mol% BiF{sub 3}) of both systems were subjected to experiments of differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetry (TG), and also of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A few specific compositions were selected for X-ray diffraction to supplement the experimental data. Due to the high vulnerability of BiF{sub 3} to oxygen contamination, its volatility and propensity to destroy metal parts upon heating, it was necessary to determine the optimal conditions for thermal analysis before investigating the systems themselves. Phase relations in the system LiF-BiF{sub 3} were completely clarified and a phase diagram was calculated and evaluated via the commercial software Factsage. The diagram itself consists in a simple peritectic system in which the only intermediary compound, LiBiF{sub 4}, decomposes into LiF and a liquid phase. The NaF-BiF{sub 3} system could not be completely elucidated and the phase relations in the NaF poor side (> 50% BiF{sub 3}) are still unknown. In the NaF rich side, however, the possible peritectoid decomposition of the compound NaBiF{sub 4} was identified. In both systems X-ray diffraction yielded crystal structures discrepant with the literature for the intermediary phases, LiBiF{sub 4}, NaBiF{sub 4} and a solid solution of NaF and BiF{sub 3} called {sup I.} The observed structures remain unknown and explanations for the discrepancies were proposed. (author)

  8. Synthesis, magnetic properties and Moessbauer spectroscopy for the pyrochlore family Bi{sub 2}BB Prime O{sub 7} with B=Cr and Fe and B Prime =Nb, Ta and Sb

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blanco, Maria C. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Franco, Diego G. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Centro Atomico Bariloche - CNEA, Av. E. Bustillo 9500, S.C. de Bariloche (8500), R.N. (Argentina); Jalit, Yamile; Pannunzio Miner, Elisa V. [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina); Berndt, Graciele; Paesano, Andrea [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Estadual de Maringa, Parana (Brazil); Nieva, Gladys [Centro Atomico Bariloche - CNEA, Av. E. Bustillo 9500, S.C. de Bariloche (8500), R.N. (Argentina); Carbonio, Raul E., E-mail: carbonio@mail.fcq.unc.edu.ar [INFIQC (CONICET), Dpto. de Fisicoquimica, Fac. de Ciencias Quimicas, U.N.C., Cordoba (X5000HUA) (Argentina)

    2012-08-15

    The samples Bi{sub 2}BB Prime O{sub 7}, with B=Cr and Fe and B Prime =Nb, Ta and Sb were prepared by solid state method. The crystallographic structure was investigated on the basis of X-ray powder diffraction data. Rietveld refinements show that the crystal structure is cubic, space group Fd-3m. The Bi{sup 3+} cation on the eight-coordinate pyrochlore A-site shows displacive disorder, as a consequence of its lone pair electron configuration. There is also a considerable A-site disorder shown by Rietveld Analysis and confirmed in the case of the iron containing samples with Moessbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic measurements show paramagnetic behavior at all temperatures for the Cr oxides. The Fe pyrochlores show antiferromagnetic order around 10 K.

  9. The Effect of SbI3 Doping on the Structure and Electrical Properties of n-Type Bi1.8Sb0.2Te2.85Se0.15 Alloy Prepared by the Free Growth Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaoyu; Yu, Yuan; Zhu, Bin; Gao, Na; Huang, Zhongyue; Xiang, Bo; Zu, Fangqiu

    2018-02-01

    Thermoelectric technology is regarded as one of the most promising direct power generation techniques via thermoelectric materials. However, the batch production and scale-up application are hindered because of the high-cost and poor performance. In this work, we adopt the free growth method to synthesize a series of the bulk materials of SbI3-doped Bi1.8Sb0.2Te2.85Se0.15 alloys. The structural and component investigations as well as the electrical properties characterization are carried out. The results show that SbI3 promotes the formation of Te-rich regions in the matrix. In addition, the synergistically optimized electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient are attained by controlling the SbI3 doping concentration. Thus, the sample with 0.30 wt.% SbI3 displays a highly increased power factor of ˜ 13.57 μW cm-1 K-2, which is nearly 21 times higher than that of the undoped one. Moreover, the free growth method is reproducible, convenient and economical. Therefore, it has great potential as a promising technology for the batch synthesis.

  10. High-pressure studies of superconductivity in BiO0. 75F0. 25BiS2

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ). We have investigated the effect of pressure on magnetization measurements. Our studies suggest improved superconducting properties in polycrystalline samples of BiO 0.75 F 0.25 BiS 2 . The Tc in our sample is 5.3 K, at ambient pressure, ...

  11. Considerations about using OLAP Cubes and Self-Service BI Tools for BI Systems’ Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gianina MIHAI

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, the decision-making process must be an extremely fast one. This is why any decision-maker in a company must obtain information from the multiple available data source used in its transactional systems as easily and as quickly as possible. Business Intelligence (BI systems are the ones that provide the tools necessary for obtaining this information. In this article, we shall present the strengths and weaknesses regarding data analyses in a BI system using OLAP cubes and self-service BI tools.

  12. The CNO Bi-cycle in the Open Cluster NGC 752

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Keith; Schuler, S.; King, J.; The, L.

    2011-01-01

    The CNO bi-cycle is the primary energy source for main sequence stars more massive than the sun. To test our understanding of stellar evolution models using the CNO bi-cycle, we have undertaken light-element (CNO) abundance analysis of three main sequence dwarf stars and three red giant stars in the open cluster NGC 752 utilizing high resolution (R 50,000) spectroscopy from the Keck Observatory. Preliminary results indicate, as expected, there is a depletion of carbon in the giants relative to the dwarfs. Additional analysis is needed to determine if the amount of depletion is in line with model predictions, as seen in the Hyades open cluster. Oxygen abundances are derived from the high-excitation O I triplet, and there is a 0.19 dex offset in the [O/H] abundances between the giants and dwarfs which may be explained by non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE), although further analysis is needed to verify this. The standard procedure for spectroscopically determining stellar parameters used here allows for a measurement of the cluster metallicity, [Fe/H] = 0.04 ± 0.02. In addition to the Fe abundances we have determined Na, Mg, and Al abundances to determine the status of other nucleosynthesis processes. The Na, Mg and Al abundances of the giants are enhanced relative to the dwarfs, which is consistent with similar findings in giants of other open clusters. Support for K. Hawkins was provided by the NOAO/KPNO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program which is funded by the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and the Department of Defense ASSURE program through Scientific Program Order No. 13 (AST-0754223) of the Cooperative Agreement No. AST-0132798 between the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and the NSF.

  13. Crystalline structure and XMCD studies of Co40Fe40B20 grown on Bi2Te3, BiTeI and Bi2Se3

    OpenAIRE

    Kaveev, A. K.; Sokolov, N. S.; Suturin, S. M.; Zhiltsov, N. S.; Golyashov, V. A.; Tereshchenko, O. E.; Prosvirin, I. P.; Kokh, K. A.; Sawada, M.

    2018-01-01

    Epitaxial films of Co40Fe40B20 (further - CoFeB) were grown on Bi2Te3(001) and Bi2Se3(001) substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) technique at 200-400C. Bcc-type crystalline structure of CoFeB with (111) plane parallel to (001) plane of Bi2Te3 was observed, in contrast to polycrystalline CoFeB film formed on Bi2Se3(001) at RT using high-temperature seeding layer. Therefore, structurally ordered ferromagnetic thin films were obtained on the topological insulator surface for the firs...

  14. Solvothermal modification of BiOCl nanosheets with Bi nanoparticles using ascorbic acid as reductant and the superoxide radicals dominated photocatalytic performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Zhankui; Gao, Keke; Ge, Suxiang; Fa, Wenjun

    2017-11-01

    BiOCl nanosheets were solvothermally modified with Bi nanoparticles (NPs) using ascorbic acid as the reductant. The structures of Bi/BiOCl composites were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and SEM. The light absorption properties were measured by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performances were evaluated by photodegrading methyl orange (MO) and the photocatalytic mechanism was investigated using trapping experiments and a fluorescent probe method. The results show that Bi NPs are uniformly distributed on the surfaces of BiOCl nanosheets and the modification amount of Bi NPs could be well controlled because of the mild property of ascorbic acid as reducing agent. The photocatalytic activities for the composites are improved obviously and the best photocatalytic performance is obtained when the weight ratio of Bi and BiOCl is1:10 and the photochemical reaction rate is 3.5 times that of pure BiOCl nanosheets and 19.7 times of Bi powders. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency is ascribed to the favorable formation of dominant \\cdot O2- radicals caused by the increased photoinduced electrons from both Bi NPs and BiOCl nanosheets.

  15. Thermal analysis and phase diagrams of the LiF BiF3 e NaF BiF3 systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Gerson Hiroshi de Godoy

    2013-01-01

    Investigations of the binary systems LiF-BiF 3 and NaF-BiF 3 were performed with the objective of clarifying the thermal behavior and phase equilibria of these systems and their intermediary phases, an important requisite for high-quality crystal growth. Several samples in the entire range of compositions (0 to 100 mol% BiF 3 ) of both systems were subjected to experiments of differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetry (TG), and also of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A few specific compositions were selected for X-ray diffraction to supplement the experimental data. Due to the high vulnerability of BiF 3 to oxygen contamination, its volatility and propensity to destroy metal parts upon heating, it was necessary to determine the optimal conditions for thermal analysis before investigating the systems themselves. Phase relations in the system LiF-BiF 3 were completely clarified and a phase diagram was calculated and evaluated via the commercial software Factsage. The diagram itself consists in a simple peritectic system in which the only intermediary compound, LiBiF 4 , decomposes into LiF and a liquid phase. The NaF-BiF 3 system could not be completely elucidated and the phase relations in the NaF poor side (> 50% BiF 3 ) are still unknown. In the NaF rich side, however, the possible peritectoid decomposition of the compound NaBiF 4 was identified. In both systems X-ray diffraction yielded crystal structures discrepant with the literature for the intermediary phases, LiBiF 4 , NaBiF 4 and a solid solution of NaF and BiF 3 called I. The observed structures remain unknown and explanations for the discrepancies were proposed. (author)

  16. Electron diffraction study of the sillenites Bi12SiO20, Bi25FeO39 and Bi25InO39: Evidence of short-range ordering of oxygen-vacancies in the trivalent sillenites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig A. Scurti

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available We present an electron diffraction study of three sillenites, Bi12SiO20, Bi25FeO39, and Bi25InO39 synthesized using the solid-state method. We explore a hypothesis, inspired by optical studies in the literature, that suggests that trivalent sillenites have additional disorder not present in the tetravalent compounds. Electron diffraction patterns of Bi25FeO39 and Bi25InO39 show streaks that confirm deviations from the ideal sillenite structure. Multi-slice simulations of electron-diffraction patterns are presented for different perturbations to the sillenite structure - partial substitution of the M site by Bi3+, random and ordered oxygen-vacancies, and a frozen-phonon model. Although comparison of experimental data to simulations cannot be conclusive, we consider the streaks as evidence of short-range ordered oxygen-vacancies.

  17. Facile synthesis of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/reduced graphene oxide photocatalyst with highly efficient and stable natural sunlight photocatalytic performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Limin; Dong, Shuying; Li, Qilu; Feng, Jinglan; Pi, Yunqing; Liu, Menglin [School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environmental and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Sun, Jingyu, E-mail: sunjy-cnc@pku.edu.cn [Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Sun, Jianhui, E-mail: sunjh@htu.cn [School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environmental and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China)

    2015-06-05

    Highlights: • A dual Bi-based ball-shaped material BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} were facilely synthesized. • The composition effect of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO hybrid were probed for the first time. • The photocatalytic performances were evaluated upon natural sunlight irradiation. • The composites showed a twofold augmentation in the degradation efficiency. • The hybrid photocatalyst can be easily recycled for three times. - Abstract: A facile and efficient route for the controllable synthesis of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures by hydrolysis method was reported, where the as-prepared BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} was subsequently incorporated with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets to form BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites. The obtained BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites were well characterized with the aid of various techniques to probe their crystallographic, morphological, chemical and optical properties. Photocatalytic capacities of the pure BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites have been investigated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB)-contained wastewater under natural sunlight irradiation. A twofold augmentation of degradation efficiency was in turn observed for BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites compared with that of pure BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} under the natural sunlight irradiation. The optimum conditions, the effects of the active species and stabilities in photocatalytic performances of the BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites have also been probed.

  18. Bismuth oxychloride homogeneous phasejunction BiOCl/Bi12O17Cl2 with unselectively efficient photocatalytic activity and mechanism insight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Lin; Huang, Hongwei; Guo, Yuxi; Du, Xin; Zhang, Yihe

    2017-10-01

    Fabrication of homo/hetero-junctions by coupling of wide-band gap semiconductor and narrow-band gap semiconductor is desirable as they can achieve a decent balance between photoabsorption and photo-redox ability. Herein, a n-n type bismuth oxychloride homogeneous phasejunction BiOCl/Bi12O17Cl2 was developed by facilely manipulating the basicity in a one-pot hydrothermal process. Compared with BiOCl which only responds to UV light, the photo-responsive range is remarkably extended to visible region. The BiOCl/Bi12O17Cl2 phasejunctions show much higher photocatalytic activity than the single BiOCl and Bi12O17Cl2 toward degradation of methyl orange (MO) under simulated solar light. In particular, it presented a high photo-oxidation ability in degrading diverse industrial contaminants including 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), phenol, bisphenol A (BPA) and tetracycline hydrochloride. Based on a series of photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence measurements, the fortified photocatalytic performance of BiOCl/Bi12O17Cl2 phasejunctions was manifested to be attributed to the efficient separation and transfer efficiencies of photoinduced electron-hole pairs because of the junctional interface formed between BiOCl and Bi12O17Cl2. The study may not only furnish a high-effective photocatalyst in the application of environment purification, but also pave a path to fabricate agnate phase-junctional photocatalyst.

  19. Substutited molybdates of bismuth on a basis of Bi13Mo5O34±δ: production and properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. A. Mikhailovskaya

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The present work is devoted to the investigation of the methods of a synthesis and properties of the one of the most interesting one-dimensional oxygen –ion conductors, the Bi13Mo5O34±δ –based complex oxides. The general compositions of these bismuth molybdates are Bi13Mo5-хMeхO34-δ, and Bi13-yMeyMo5O34-δ, with Me = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba (IIA group and Co, Fe, Ni (Fe triade. The samples have been synthesized using conventional ceramic technology. The powders and pellets of the bismuth molybdates were studied by X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, laser dispersion, dilatometry, atom absorption and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Electrical conductivity has been studied using impedance spectroscopy method.

  20. Fuzzy Bi-level Decision-Making Techniques: A Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangquan Zhang

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Bi-level decision-making techniques aim to deal with decentralized management problems that feature interactive decision entities distributed throughout a bi-level hierarchy. A challenge in handling bi-level decision problems is that various uncertainties naturally appear in decision-making process. Significant efforts have been devoted that fuzzy set techniques can be used to effectively deal with uncertain issues in bi-level decision-making, known as fuzzy bi-level decision-making techniques, and researchers have successfully gained experience in this area. It is thus vital that an instructive review of current trends in this area should be conducted, not only of the theoretical research but also the practical developments. This paper systematically reviews up-to-date fuzzy bi-level decisionmaking techniques, including models, approaches, algorithms and systems. It also clusters related technique developments into four main categories: basic fuzzy bi-level decision-making, fuzzy bi-level decision-making with multiple optima, fuzzy random bi-level decision-making, and the applications of bi-level decision-making techniques in different domains. By providing state-of-the-art knowledge, this survey paper will directly support researchers and practitioners in their understanding of developments in theoretical research results and applications in relation to fuzzy bi-level decision-making techniques.

  1. Annealing-Induced Bi Bilayer on Bi2Te3 Investigated via Quasi-Particle-Interference Mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schouteden, Koen; Govaerts, Kirsten; Debehets, Jolien; Thupakula, Umamahesh; Chen, Taishi; Li, Zhe; Netsou, Asteriona; Song, Fengqi; Lamoen, Dirk; Van Haesendonck, Chris; Partoens, Bart; Park, Kyungwha

    2016-09-27

    Topological insulators (TIs) are renowned for their exotic topological surface states (TSSs) that reside in the top atomic layers, and hence, detailed knowledge of the surface top atomic layers is of utmost importance. Here we present the remarkable morphology changes of Bi2Te3 surfaces, which have been freshly cleaved in air, upon subsequent systematic annealing in ultrahigh vacuum and the resulting effects on the local and area-averaging electronic properties of the surface states, which are investigated by combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) experiments with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our findings demonstrate that the annealing induces the formation of a Bi bilayer atop the Bi2Te3 surface. The adlayer results in n-type doping, and the atomic defects act as scattering centers of the TSS electrons. We also investigated the annealing-induced Bi bilayer surface on Bi2Te3 via voltage-dependent quasi-particle-interference (QPI) mapping of the surface local density of states and via comparison with the calculated constant-energy contours and QPI patterns. We observed closed hexagonal patterns in the Fourier transform of real-space QPI maps with secondary outer spikes. DFT calculations attribute these complex QPI patterns to the appearance of a "second" cone due to the surface charge transfer between the Bi bilayer and the Bi2Te3. Annealing in ultrahigh vacuum offers a facile route for tuning of the topological properties and may yield similar results for other topological materials.

  2. Electric Field-Induced Large Strain in Ni/Sb-co Doped (Bi0.5Na0.5) TiO3-Based Lead-Free Ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Liangliang; Hao, Jigong; Xu, Zhijun; Li, Wei; Chu, Ruiqing

    2018-02-01

    Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.935Ba0.065Ti1- x (Ni0.5Sb0.5) x O3 (BNBT6.5- xNS) have been fabricated using conventional solid sintering technique. The effect of (Ni, Sb) doping on the phase structure and electrical properties of BNBT6.5 ceramics were systematically investigated. Results show that the addition of (Ni, Sb) destroyed the ferroelectric long-range order of BNBT6.5 and shifted the ferroelectric-relaxor transition temperature ( T F-R) down to room temperature. Thus, this process induced an ergodic relaxor phase at zero field in samples with x = 0.005. Under the electric field, the ergodic relaxor phase could reversibly transform to ferroelectric phase, which promotes the strain response with peak value of 0.38% (at 80 kV/cm, corresponding to d 33 * = 479 pm/V) at x = 0.005. Temperature-dependent measurements of both polarization and strain confirmed that the large strain originated from a reversible field-induced ergodic relaxor to ferroelectric phase transformation. The proposed material exhibits potential for nonlinear actuators.

  3. Highly efficient visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/BiVO{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalysts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chaiwichian, Saranyoo [Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai50200 (Thailand); Inceesungvorn, Burapat [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Wetchakun, Khatcharin [Program of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University, Ubon Ratchathani 34000 (Thailand); Phanichphant, Sukon [Materials Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Kangwansupamonkon, Wiyong [National Nanotechnology Center, Thailand Science Park, Phahonyotin Road, Klong 1, Klong Luang, Phathumthani 12120 (Thailand); Wetchakun, Natda, E-mail: natda_we@yahoo.com [Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai50200 (Thailand)

    2014-06-01

    Highlights: • Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/BiVO{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalysts were obtained using hydrothermal method. • Physicochemical properties played a significant role on photocatalytic efficiency. • Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/BiVO{sub 4} heterogeneous structures were greatly enhanced for degradation of MB. • A tentative mechanism of charge transfer process in MB degradation was proposed. - Abstract: The Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/BiVO{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Physical properties of the heterojunction photocatalyst samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The XRD results indicated that BiVO{sub 4} retain monoclinic and tetragonal structures, while Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} presented as orthorhombic structure. The Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) adsorption–desorption of nitrogen gas for specific surface area determination at the temperature of liquid nitrogen was performed on all samples. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS) were used to identify the absorption range and band gap energy of the heterojunction photocatalysts. The photocatalytic performance of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}/BiVO{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalysts was studied via the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The results indicated that the heterojunction photocatalyst at 0.5:0.5 mole ratio of Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}:BiVO{sub 4} shows the highest photocatalytic activity.

  4. Preparation and optimization of thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 based alloys using the waste particles as raw materials from the cutting process of the zone melting crystal rods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Qiusheng; Fan, Xi'an; Han, Xuewu; Zhang, Chengcheng; Hu, Jie; Feng, Bo; Jiang, Chengpeng; Li, Guangqiang; Li, Yawei; He, Zhu

    2017-12-01

    The p-type Bi2Te3 alloys were prepared using the waste particles from the cutting process of the zone melting crystal rods as the main raw materials by impurity removal process including washing, carbon monoxide reduction and vacuum metallurgical process. The thermoelectric properties of the Bi2Te3 based bulk materials were optimized by component adjustment, second smelting and resistance pressing sintering (RPS) process. All evidences confirmed that most of impurities from the line cutting process and the oxidation such as Sb2O3, Bi2O3 and Bi2Te4O11 could be removed by carbon monoxide reduction and vacuum metallurgical process adopted in this work, and the recycling yield was higher than 97%. Appropriate component adjustment treatment was used to optimize the carrier content and corresponding thermoelectric properties. Lastly, a Bi0.36Sb1.64Te3 bulk was obtained and its power factor (PF) could reach 4.24 mW m-1 K-2 at 300 K and the average PF value was over 3.2 mW m-1 K-2 from 300 K to 470 K, which was equivalent with the thermoelectric performance of the zone melting products from high purity elements Bi, Te and Sb. It was worth mentioning that the recovery process introduced here was a simple, low-cost, high recovery rate and green recycling technology.

  5. A plate-on-plate sandwiched Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst: BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} with enhanced photocatalytic performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Shengyao [College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070 (China); Yang, Xianglong; Zhang, Xuehao; Ding, Xing; Yang, Zixin [College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Dai, Ke [College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Chen, Hao, E-mail: hchenhao@mail.hzau.edu.cn [College of Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430070 (China)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A visible light heterojunction photocatalyst of BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} was simply synthesized. • Carriers transferred efficiently in sandwiched layers causing an enhance activity. • A possible direct Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism of BiOBr-Bi2MoO6 is proposed. - Abstract: In this study, a direct Z-scheme heterojunction BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} with greatly enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance was fabricated via a two-step coprecipitation method. It was indicated that a plate-on-plate heterojunctions be present between BiOBr and Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} through different characterization techniques including X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoelectrochemical measurements. The crystal structure and morphology analysis revealed that the heterointerface in BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} occurred mainly on the (001) facets of BiOBr and (001) facets of Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6}. The photocatalytic activity of the BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} was investigated by degradation of RhB and about 66.7% total organic carbon (TOC) could be removed. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) was employed to rule out the photosensitization. It was implied that the higher activity of BiOBr-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} could be attribute to the strong redox ability in the Z-scheme system, which was subsequently confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and active spices trapping experiments. This study provides a promising platform for Z-scheme heterojunction constructing and also sheds light on highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysts designing.

  6. Synthesis and characterization of CoOx/BiVO4 photocatalysts for the degradation of propyl paraben.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petala, Athanasia; Noe, Antigoni; Frontistis, Zacharias; Drivas, Charalampos; Kennou, Stella; Mantzavinos, Dionissios; Kondarides, Dimitris I

    2018-03-13

    Cobalt-promoted bismuth vanadate photocatalysts of variable cobalt content (0-1.0 wt.%) were synthesized and characterized with various techniques including BET, XRD, DRS, XPS and TEM. BiVO 4 exists in the monoclinic scheelite structure, while cobalt addition improves the absorbance in the visible region although it does not affect the band gap energy of BiVO 4 . Cobalt exists in the form of well-dispersed Co 3 O 4 nanocrystallites, which are in intimate contact with the much larger BiVO 4 nanoparticles. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated for the degradation of propyl paraben (PP) under simulated solar radiation. The activity of pristine BiVO 4 is significantly improved adding small amounts of cobalt and is maximized for the catalyst containing 0.5 wt.% Co. PP degradation in ultrapure pure water increases with increasing photocatalyst loading (100 mg/L to 1.5 g/L), and decreasing PP concentration (1600-200 μg/L). Experiments in bottled water, as well as in pure water spiked with bicarbonate and chloride ions showed little effect of non-target inorganics on degradation. Conversely, degradation is severely impeded in secondary treated wastewater. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized catalysts is attributed to efficient electron-hole separation, achieved at the p-n junction formed between the p-type Co 3 O 4 and the n-type BiVO 4 semiconductors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Molecular beam epitaxy growth of InSb1−xBix thin films

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Yuxin; Wang, Shumin; Saha Roy, Ivy

    2013-01-01

    Molecular beam epitaxy growth for InSb1−xBix thin films on (100) GaAs substrates is reported. Successful Bi incorporation for 2% is achieved, and up to 70% of the incorporated Bi atoms are at substitutional sites. The effects of growth parameters on Bi incorporation and surface morphology are stu...

  8. Potential barrier behavior in BiCuVOX materials Comportamento da barreira de potencial em materiais BiCuVOX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. M. Gheno

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The BiMeVOX materials appear being high attractive for applications at low temperatures when the ionic conductivity is the determining parameter. The occurrence of many types substitution was confirmed for numerous Me ions, but the greatest interest have been focused on the BiCuVOX materials. The objective of this study was to image the potential barriers in BiCuVOX. The sample was sintered for 4 h at 750 °C and the results show that the high density compound can be obtained. Simultaneously, topography and electric force microscopy (EFM images are viewed side-by-side. EFM experiments were performed and the results show the maps of the electric field distribution on the surface of BiCuVOX. The formation of potential barrier was observed and the width and intensity were measured.Materiais do tipo BiMeVOX são muito atrativos para aplicações em baixas temperaturas quando a condutividade iônica for o parâmetro determinante. A ocorrência de muitos tipos de substituições foi confirmada para numerosos íons Me, dentre os quais, existe um grande interesse no estudo de materiais BiCuVOX. O objetivo deste estudo foi realizar o imageamento das barreiras de potencial em uma amostra de material BiCuVOX. A amostra foi sinterizada 4 h a 750 °C e apresentou alta densidade. Imagens da superfície topográfica e de microscopia de força elétrica (EFM foram obtidas simultaneamente em um microscópio de varredura por sonda. Os experimentos EFM mostraram um mapa da distribuição do campo elétrico na superfície do material BiCuVOx. A formação da barreira de potencial foi observada e tanto a largura quanto a altura foram medidas.

  9. Growth of superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ films by sedimentation deposition and liquid phase sintering and annealing technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manahan, R.L.C.; Sarmago, R.V.

    2006-01-01

    We report on a technique of growing highly c-axis oriented Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ (Bi-2212) thick films on MgO substrate using a combined sedimentation-deposition and liquid phase sintering and annealing process. The temperature profiles employed partial melting followed by rapid cooling to temperature below the melting point. Scanning electron micrographs show that the films have a smooth surface. No evidence of grain boundaries on the film's surface can be seen. The critical temperatures of the samples range from ∼67 K to ∼81 K. This method presents a quick and easy preparation for high quality epitaxial Bi-2212 films

  10. Exploratory Bi-Factor Analysis: The Oblique Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennrich, Robert I.; Bentler, Peter M.

    2012-01-01

    Bi-factor analysis is a form of confirmatory factor analysis originally introduced by Holzinger and Swineford ("Psychometrika" 47:41-54, 1937). The bi-factor model has a general factor, a number of group factors, and an explicit bi-factor structure. Jennrich and Bentler ("Psychometrika" 76:537-549, 2011) introduced an exploratory form of bi-factor…

  11. The effect of FR enhancement in reactive ion beam sputtered Bi, Gd, Al-substituted iron- garnets: Bi2O3 nanocomposite films

    OpenAIRE

    Berzhansky, V.; Shaposhnikov, A.; Karavainikov, A.; Prokopov, A.; Mikhailova, T.; Lukienko, I.; Kharchenko, Yu.; Miloslavskaya, O.; Kharchenko, N.

    2012-01-01

    The effect of considerable Faraday rotation (FR) and figure of merit (Q) enhancement in Bi, Gd, Al-substituted iron garnets: Bi2O3 nano-composite films produced by separate reactive ion beam sputtered Bi:YIG and Bi2O3 films was found. It reached threefold enhancement of the FR and twofold of the Q one on GGG substrates.

  12. Synthesis and structural characterization of a novel Sillén - Aurivillius bismuth oxyhalide, PbBi3VO7.5Cl, and its derivatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charkin, Dmitri O.; Plokhikh, Igor V.; Kazakov, Sergey M.; Kalmykov, Stepan N.; Akinfiev, Victor S.; Gorbachev, Anatoly V.; Batuk, Maria; Abakumov, Artem M.; Teterin, Yury A.; Maslakov, Konstantin I.; Teterin, Anton Yu; Ivanov, Kirill E.

    2018-01-01

    A new Sillén - Aurivillius family of layered bismuth oxyhalides has been designed and successfully constructed on the basis of PbBiO2X (X = halogen) synthetic perites and γ-form of Bi2VO5.5 solid electrolyte. This demonstrates, for the first time, the ability of the latter to serve as a building block in construction of mixed-layer structures. The parent compound PbBi3VO7.5-δCl (δ ≤ 0.05) has been investigated by powder XRD, TEM, XPS methods and magnetic susceptibility measurements. An unexpected but important condition for the formation of the mixed-layer structure is partial (ca. 5%) reduction of VV into VIV which probably suppresses competitive formation of apatite-like Pb - Bi vanadates. This reduction also stabilizes the γ polymorphic form of Bi2VO5.5 not only in the intergrowth structure, but in Bi2V1-xMxO5.5-y (M = Nb, Sb) solid solutions.

  13. First-principles study of electronic and optical properties of lead-free double perovskites Cs2NaBX6 (B = Sb, Bi; X = Cl, Br, I)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Shuai; Yamamoto, Kumiko; Iikubo, Satoshi; Hayase, Shuzi; Ma, Tingli

    2018-06-01

    Organolead halide perovskite is regarded as the most promising light-harvesting material for next-generation solar cells; however, the intrinsic instability and toxicity of lead are still of great concern. Bismuth is ecofriendly and has electronic properties similar to those of lead, which has gradually attracted interest for optoelectronic applications. However, the valence state of bismuth is different from that of lead, eliminating the possibility of replacing lead by bismuth in organolead halide perovskites. To address this matter, one feasible strategy is to construct B-site double perovskites by the combination of Bi3+ and B+ in 1:1 ratio. In this work, lead-free halide double perovskites of the form Cs2NaBX6 (B = Sb, Bi; X = Cl, Br, I) were investigated by first-principles calculations. The electronic properties, optical absorption coefficients, and thermodynamic stability of these compounds were investigated to ascertain their potential application in solar energy conversion. The results provide theoretical support for the exploration of lead-free perovskite materials in potential optoelectronic applications.

  14. Attempting to realize n-type BiCuSeO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaoxuan; Feng, Dan; He, Jiaqing; Zhao, Li-Dong

    2018-02-01

    As an intrinsic p-type semiconductor, BiCuSeO has been widely researched in the thermoelectric community, however, n-type BiCuSeO has not been reported so far. In this work, we successfully realized n-type BiCuSeO through carrying out several successive efforts. Seebeck coefficient of BiCuSeO was increased through introducing extra Bi/Cu to fill the Bi/Cu vacancies that may produce holes, and the maximum Seebeck coefficient was increase from +447 μVK-1 for undoped BiCuSeO to +638 μVK-1 for Bi1.04Cu1.05SeO. The Seebeck coefficient of Bi1.04Cu1.05SeO was changed from p-type to n-type through electron doping through introducing Br/I in Se sites, the maximum negative Seebeck coefficient can reach ∼ -465 μVK-1 and -543 μVK-1 for Bi1.04Cu1.05Se1-xIxO and Bi1.04Cu1.05Se1-xBrxO, respectively. Then, after compositing Bi1.04Cu1.05Se0.99Br0.01O with Ag, n-type BiCuSeO can be absolutely obtained in the whole temperature range of 300-873 K, the maximum ZT 0.05 was achieved at 475 K in the Bi1.04Cu1.05Se0.99Br0.01O+15% Ag. Our report indicates that it is possible to realize n-type conducting behaviors in BiCuSeO system.

  15. Predicting bi-decadal organic carbon mineralization in northwestern European soils with Rock-Eval pyrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soucemarianadin, Laure; Barré, Pierre; Baudin, François; Chenu, Claire; Houot, Sabine; Kätterer, Thomas; Macdonald, Andy; van Oort, Folkert; Plante, Alain F.; Cécillon, Lauric

    2017-04-01

    The organic carbon reservoir of soils is a key component of climate change, calling for an accurate knowledge of the residence time of soil organic carbon (SOC). Existing proxies of the size of SOC labile pool such as SOC fractionation or respiration tests are time consuming and unable to consistently predict SOC mineralization over years to decades. Similarly, models of SOC dynamics often yield unrealistic values of the size of SOC kinetic pools. Thermal analysis of bulk soil samples has recently been shown to provide useful and cost-effective information regarding the long-term in-situ decomposition of SOC. Barré et al. (2016) analyzed soil samples from long-term bare fallow sites in northwestern Europe using Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis (RE6), and demonstrated that persistent SOC is thermally more stable and has less hydrogen-rich compounds (low RE6 HI parameter) than labile SOC. The objective of this study was to predict SOC loss over a 20-year period (i.e. the size of the SOC pool with a residence time lower than 20 years) using RE6 indicators. Thirty-six archive soil samples coming from 4 long-term bare fallow chronosequences (Grignon, France; Rothamsted, Great Britain; Ultuna, Sweden; Versailles, France) were used in this study. For each sample, the value of bi-decadal SOC mineralization was obtained from the observed SOC dynamics of its long-term bare fallow plot (approximated by a spline function). Those values ranged from 0.8 to 14.3 gC·kg-1 (concentration data), representing 8.6 to 50.6% of total SOC (proportion data). All samples were analyzed using RE6 and simple linear regression models were used to predict bi-decadal SOC loss (concentration and proportion data) from 4 RE6 parameters: HI, OI, PC/SOC and T50 CO2 oxidation. HI (the amount of hydrogen-rich effluents formed during the pyrolysis phase of RE6; mgCH.g-1SOC) and OI (the CO2 yield during the pyrolysis phase of RE6; mgCO2.g-1SOC) parameters describe SOC bulk chemistry. PC/SOC (the amount of organic

  16. X-ray standing wave study of the Bi/GaAs and Bi/GaP interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera-Gomez, A.

    1994-04-01

    Interfaces are one of the most important elements determining the characteristics of electronic devices. Composite semiconductors, specifically the III-V family, are technologically attractive because of their mobility and optical properties, and also because they offer the possibility of engineering such properties as the size of the band gap. Nevertheless, Si has remained the most utilized semiconductor material, primarily because the fabrication of practical MOSFETs with III-V semiconductors remains elusive. Examples of such complex interfaces are the structures formed by one monolayer of Bi on the (110) surface of GaAs and GaP. While better matched Column V elements form epitaxial continuous monolayers on III-V semiconductor (110) surfaces, Bi is too large to accommodate on GaAs and GaP surfaces with long range order, and vacancies appear to allow relaxation. For the ideal systems, symmetry imposes the presence of only two nonequivalent adatom sites. However, for Bi/GaAs and Bi/GaP, more than two different sites are present because the position of Bi atoms next to a vacancy is not necessarily equivalent to that between other Bi atoms. The geometry of the Bi/GaAs and Bi/GaP systems was determined here by triangulating XSW results from three Bragg planes. A methodology was developed that provides an intrinsic check of the validity of assuming two sites for the overlayer structures. An experimental method was developed that allows the three reflections to be measured on the same sample, thus reducing the number of experimental variables, such as the degree of disorder. The traditional method of analysis was not accurate enough for this data, so a more reliable and faster method of data fitting was developed. A configuration used in the present work, which previously has been widely used, presents an intrinsic multireflection problem. This issue is discussed in depth, and the appropriate method is determined for analyzing the data obtained with this configuration

  17. Hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of As, Bi, Sb, Se(IV) and Te(IV) in aqua regia extracts from atmospheric particulate matter using multivariate optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moscoso-Perez, Carmen; Moreda-Pineiro, Jorge; Lopez-Mahia, Purificacion; Muniategui-Lorenzo, Soledad; Fernandez-Fernandez, Esther; Prada-Rodriguez, Dario

    2004-01-01

    A highly sensitive and simple method, based on hydride generation and atomic fluorescence detection, has been developed for the determination of As, Bi, Sb, Se(IV) and Te(IV) in aqua regia extracts from atmospheric particulate matter samples. Atmospheric particulates matter was collected on glass fiber filters using a medium volume sampler (PM1 particulate matter). Two-level factorial designs have been used to optimise the hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) procedure. The effects of several parameters affecting the hydride generation efficiency (hydrochloric acid, sodium tetrahydroborate and potassium iodide concentrations and flow rates) have been evaluated using a Plackett-Burman experimental design. In addition, parameters affecting the hydride measurement (delay, analysis and memory times) have been also investigated. The significant parameters obtained (sodium tetrahydroborate concentration, sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate and analysis time for As; hydrochloric acid concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate for Se(IV); and sodium tetrahydroborate concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate for Te(IV)) have been optimized by using 2 n + star central composite design. Hydrochloric acid concentration and sodium tetrahydroborate flow rate were the significant parameters obtained for Sb and Bi determination, respectively. Using a univariate approach these parameters were optimized. The accuracy of methods have been verified by using several certified reference materials: SRM 1648 (urban particulate matter) and SRM 1649a (urban dust). Detection limits in the range of 6 x 10 -3 to 0.2 ng m -3 have been achieved. The developed methods were applied to several atmospheric particulate matter samples corresponding to A Coruna city (NW Spain)

  18. Facile fabrication of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} heterojunction photocatalysts with efficient photocatalytic activity under visible light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Xiaomin; Huang, Guanbo [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Gao, Haihuan [Tianjin Fourth Middle School, Tianjin 300021 (China); Pan, Cheng; Wang, Huan [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Yan, Jing, E-mail: yanjingls2012@163.com [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072 (China); Liu, Yu [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Qiu, Haixia [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072 (China); Ma, Ning [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Gao, Jianping [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin 300072 (China)

    2016-07-25

    In this work, Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared by combining a hydrothermal technique and a facile in situ growth method. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffusion reflectance spectroscopy and room-temperature photoluminescence spectra. Their photocatalytic performances were evaluated by degrading methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution (50 mg/L) under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation. It was found that when the mass percentage of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} in Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} was 7.95 wt%, the as-prepared Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} nanocomposite showed the best photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MO. The highly improved performance of the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} nanocomposite was mainly ascribed to the efficient charge separation. - Highlights: • Facile fabrication of novel Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/SnS{sub 2} heterojunction photocatalysts. • High-performance photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants. • Good recyclability of catalyst without photo-corrosion. • The photocatalytic mechanism was proposed.

  19. Effect of Silver Doping on Transport Properties of Bi2Se3: AgxBi2Se3 and Bi2-xAgxSe3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Min; Wei, Zhan-Tao

    2018-03-01

    Ag-doped Bi2Se3 with the formula AgxBi2Se3 and Bi2-xAgxSe3 were prepared and their electrical and magnetic transport properties have been investigated to study the influence of silver doping on transport properties of Bi2Se3 with different Ag-doped method. All samples exhibited metallic resistivity and the resistivity increased with increasing Ag concentration. The lattice parameter c of Ag-substituted and Ag-intercalated samples displays a contrary change as the Ag concentration increased. For the Ag-intercalated samples, both the resistance upturn were observed in the curves of temperature dependent of resistivity and temperature dependent of magnetoresistance, respectively, indicating that the enhanced surface effect was obtained in those samples. Monotonously, field-induced MR peaks around 200 K were also observed in those samples. Similar behaviors were not observed in the Ag-substituted samples.

  20. Effect of Silver Doping on Transport Properties of Bi2Se3: AgxBi2Se3 and Bi2-xAgxSe3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Min; Wei, Zhan-Tao

    2018-05-01

    Ag-doped Bi2Se3 with the formula AgxBi2Se3 and Bi2-xAgxSe3 were prepared and their electrical and magnetic transport properties have been investigated to study the influence of silver doping on transport properties of Bi2Se3 with different Ag-doped method. All samples exhibited metallic resistivity and the resistivity increased with increasing Ag concentration. The lattice parameter c of Ag-substituted and Ag-intercalated samples displays a contrary change as the Ag concentration increased. For the Ag-intercalated samples, both the resistance upturn were observed in the curves of temperature dependent of resistivity and temperature dependent of magnetoresistance, respectively, indicating that the enhanced surface effect was obtained in those samples. Monotonously, field-induced MR peaks around 200 K were also observed in those samples. Similar behaviors were not observed in the Ag-substituted samples.

  1. The effect of oxidant on resputtering of Bi from Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grace, J. M.; McDonald, D. B.; Reiten, M. T.; Olson, J.; Kampwirth, R. T.; Gray, K. E.

    1991-09-01

    The type and partial pressure of oxidant mixed with argon can affect the selective resputtering of Bi in composite-target, magnetron-sputtered Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O films. Comparative studies using oxygen and ozone show that ozone is a more potent oxidant, as well as a more potent source of resputterers, than is oxygen. Severe resputtering from ozone is significantly reduced by a -40 V potential on the sample block. We suggest that oxygen causes resputtering by forming O2(+)p , which interacts with the target to produce energetic O(-). In contrast, ozone may form lower-energy O(-) by electron impact in the dark space. Negative oxygen ions from the target itself may be responsible for a background resputtering effect. Our results and those found for Y-Ba-Cu-O by others are comparable. Bi in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O behaves as Ba in Y-Ba-Cu-O, with regard to selective resputtering; furthermore, the response of Sr, Ca, and Cu to oxygen in sputtered Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O is similar to what is observed for Cu in Y-Ba-Cu-O.

  2. High-pressure studies of superconductivity in BiO0. 75F0. 25BiS2

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Bulletin of Materials Science; Volume 40; Issue 6. High-pressure studies of superconductivity in BiO 0.75 F 0.25 BiS 2. ZEBA HAQUE GOHIL S THAKUR GANESAN KALAI SELVAN SONACHALAM ARUMUGAM L C GUPTA A K GANGULI. Volume 40 Issue 6 October 2017 pp 1121-1125 ...

  3. In vitro studies of immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP, GRP78). Interactions of BiP with newly synthesized proteins and adenine nucleotides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kassenbrock, C.K.

    1988-01-01

    Here we examine the interaction of BiP with newly synthesized polypeptides in an in vitro protein translations-translocation system. We find that BiP forms tight complexes with nonglycosylated yeast invertase and incorrectly disulfide-bonded prolactin but not with glycosylated invertase or correctly disulfide-bonded prolactin. Moreover, BiP associates detectably only with completed chains of prolactin, not with chains undergoing synthesis. We conclude that BiP recognizes and binds with high affinity to aberrantly folded or aberrantly glycosylated polypeptides in vitro, but not to all nascent chains as they are folding. BiP also binds APT and can be purified by APT affinity chromatography. We show that submicromolar levels of ATP or ADP decrease the rate of absorption of 125 I-BiP to nitrocellulose filters coated with protein or nonionic detergents. ATP and ADP also protect portions of BiP from proteolytic degradation. In contrast, micromolar levels of AMP increase the rate of adsorption and the rate of proteolytic degradation of BiP. We also show that an ATPase activity co-purifies with BiP, but its slow turnover number suggests a regulatory, rather than a functional role. The BiP-associated ATPase shares several properties with the related cytoplasmic protein, HSC70/clathrin uncoating ATPase

  4. DIALIGN: multiple DNA and protein sequence alignment at BiBiServ.

    OpenAIRE

    Morgenstern, Burkhard

    2004-01-01

    DIALIGN is a widely used software tool for multiple DNA and protein sequence alignment. The program combines local and global alignment features and can therefore be applied to sequence data that cannot be correctly aligned by more traditional approaches. DIALIGN is available online through Bielefeld Bioinformatics Server (BiBiServ). The downloadable version of the program offers several new program features. To compare the output of different alignment programs, we developed the program AltA...

  5. Relaxations in Ba{sub 2}BiTaO{sub 6} ceramics investigated by impedance and electric modulus spectroscopies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodrigues, Joao Elias Figuereido Soares [Departamento de Fisica - CCET, Universidade Federal do Maranhao, Campus do Bacanga, 65085-580, Sao Luis -MA (Brazil); Paschoal, Carlos William de Araujo, E-mail: paschoal@ufma.br [Departamento de Fisica - CCET, Universidade Federal do Maranhao, Campus do Bacanga, 65085-580, Sao Luis -MA (Brazil); Silva, Eder Nascimento [Departamento de Fisica - CCET, Universidade Federal do Maranhao, Campus do Bacanga, 65085-580, Sao Luis -MA (Brazil); Mince, Kathryn A.; Lufaso, Michael W. [Department of Chemistry, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224 (United States)

    2012-03-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We have confirmed that the relaxation observed in Ba{sub 2}BiTaO{sub 6} is due to the conduction mechanism. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The conduction mechanism is the oxygen vacancies hopping. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We have explained because the activation energy for the Ba{sub 2}BiTaO{sub 6} is lower than observed for Ba{sub 2}BiSbO{sub 6} with basis in zero-point energy of both materials. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We have showed that a minor secondary phase is a minor secondary phase, which is common when the BBTO is obtained by ceramic method under air, does not change significantly the electrical properties of BBTO. -- Abstract: Impedance spectroscopy analysis of the dielectric properties of a Ba{sub 2}BiTaO{sub 6} ceramic was performed in the temperature range from room temperature to 500 K. The sample was prepared using conventional solid state synthesis under air and the X-ray diffraction shows the presence of Ba{sub 5}Ta{sub 4}O{sub 15} as a minor secondary phase (0.09%). The impedance data clearly show contributions of the grain and grain boundary. The results indicate that the conduction in Ba{sub 2}BiTaO{sub 6} is due to hopping of oxygen vacancies and that the impurities not influence the conduction mechanism.

  6. Generation of bi-transgenic pigs overexpressing human lactoferrin and lysozyme in milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Dan; Li, Jia; Zhang, Linlin; Liu, Shen; Wen, Xiao; Li, Qiuyan; Zhao, Yaofeng; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Ran; Li, Ning

    2015-04-01

    Intensive swine production industry uses antibiotics to treat diseases and improve pig growth. This can not only cause antibiotic resistance, but can also pollute the environment or eventually affect human public health. To date, human lactoferrin (hLF) and human lysozyme (hLZ) have been known as non-adaptive but interactive antimicrobial members and could act in concert against bacteria, which contribute to host defense. Therefore, their expression in pigs might be an alternative strategy for replacing antibiotics in the pig production industry. In our study, we produced hLF and hLZ bi-transgenic pigs and assessed the milk's antibacterial ability. Integration of both transgenes was confirmed by PCR and southern blot. Both the hLF and hLZ were expressed in the mammary gland of bi-transgenic pigs, as detected by western blotting. The expression amounts were 6.5 g/L for hLF and 1.1 mg/L for hLZ using ELISA. Interestingly, pig milk containing hLF and hLZ had synergistic antimicrobial activity. Our results suggest an alternative approach for avoiding the use of antibiotics in the pig industry, which would be of great benefit to the commercial swine production.

  7. Electromotive force measurement of lanthanides in Bi solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheng, Jiawei; Yamana, Hajimu; Moriyama, Hirotake

    2000-01-01

    The thermodynamic properties of Tb, Dy and Ho dissolved in liquid Bi were determined by the electromotive force (EMF) measurement method. The EMF of the following galvanic cell was measured in the range of 500-800degC over a wide range of solute concentration. Ln(solid)|KCl-LiCl|Ln-Bi (solution) There was observed a linear relationship between the EMFs and the lanthanide (Ln) concentrations in liquid Bi phase at a constant temperature, which agreed with the Nernst's equation. The obtained activity coefficients of lanthanides in liquid Bi solution were almost constant at a fixed temperature condition. Temperature effects on the activity coefficients could be expressed by the following equation: log γ=a+b/T, where a and b are experimental constants which correspond to the entropy and enthalpy of the formation of Ln-Bi compound in the melt, respectively. The thermodynamic quantities obtained were discussed in terms of their systematics along the 4f series. (author)

  8. alpha-decay spectroscopy of light odd-odd Bi isotopes - II sup 1 sup 8 sup 6 Bi and the new nuclide sup 1 sup 8 sup 4 Bi

    CERN Document Server

    Andreyev, A N; Ackermann, D; Münzenberg, G; Hessberger, F P; Hofmann, S; Kojouharov, I; Kindler, B; Lommel, B; Huyse, M; Vel, K V D; Duppen, P V; Heyde, Kris L G

    2003-01-01

    Alpha-decay of the new nuclide sup 1 sup 8 sup 4 Bi has been studied in the complete-fusion reaction sup 9 sup 3 Nb( sup 9 sup 4 Mo, 3n) sup 1 sup 8 sup 4 Bi at the velocity filter SHIP. The evaporation residues were separated in-flight and subsequently identified on the basis of recoil-alpha, recoil-alpha-gamma analysis and excitation functions measurements. Two alpha-decaying isomeric states in sup 1 sup 8 sup 4 Bi with half-life values of 13(2) ms and 6.6(1.5) ms were identified. The alpha-branching ratio of sup 1 sup 8 sup 0 Tl was deduced for the first time as b subalpha = (2-12)%. Improved data on the fine-structure alpha-decay of sup 1 sup 8 sup 6 Bi were obtained in the sup 9 sup 3 Nb( sup 9 sup 5 Mo, 2n) sup 1 sup 8 sup 6 Bi reaction. A similarity of the decay energies and half-life values of sup 1 sup 8 sup 4 sup , sup 1 sup 8 sup 6 Bi is pointed out and a possible explanation for this effect is suggested.

  9. Bi[NC5H3(CO2)2](OH2)xF (x=1 and 2): New one-dimensional Bi-coordination materials—Reversible hydration and topotactic decomposition to α-Bi2O3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, Hye Rim; Lee, Dong Woo; Ok, Kang Min

    2012-01-01

    Two one-dimensional bismuth-coordination materials, Bi[NC 5 H 3 (CO 2 ) 2 ](OH 2 ) x F (x=1 and 2), have been synthesized by hydrothermal reactions using Bi 2 O 3 , 2,6-NC 5 H 3 (CO 2 H) 2 , HF, and water at 180 °C. Structures of the two materials were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Although they have different crystal structures, both Bi-organic materials shared a common structural motif, a one-dimensional chain structure consisting of Bi 3+ cations and pyridine dicarboxylate linkers. Detailed structural analyses include infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and reversible hydration reactions for the coordinated water molecules were reported. Also, thermal decomposition of the rod-shaped Bi[NC 5 H 3 (CO 2 ) 2 ](OH 2 )F single crystals at 800 °C led to α-Bi 2 O 3 that maintained the same morphology of the original crystals. - Graphical abstract: Calcination of the Bi[NC 5 H 3 (CO 2 ) 2 ](OH 2 )F single crystals at 800 °C results in the α-Bi 2 O 3 rods that maintain the original morphology of the crystals. Highlights: ► Synthesis of one-dimensional chain Bi-organic frameworks. ► Reversible hydration reactions of Bi[NC 5 H 3 (CO 2 ) 2 ](OH 2 )F. ► Topotactic decomposition maintaining the same morphology of the original crystals.

  10. Superstrengthening Bi2Te3 through Nanotwinning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guodong; Aydemir, Umut; Morozov, Sergey I.; Wood, Max; An, Qi; Zhai, Pengcheng; Zhang, Qingjie; Goddard, William A.; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

    2017-08-01

    Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3 ) based thermoelectric (TE) materials have been commercialized successfully as solid-state power generators, but their low mechanical strength suggests that these materials may not be reliable for long-term use in TE devices. Here we use density functional theory to show that the ideal shear strength of Bi2Te3 can be significantly enhanced up to 215% by imposing nanoscale twins. We reveal that the origin of the low strength in single crystalline Bi2Te3 is the weak van der Waals interaction between the Te1 coupling two Te 1 - Bi - Te 2 - Bi - Te 1 five-layer quint substructures. However, we demonstrate here a surprising result that forming twin boundaries between the Te1 atoms of adjacent quints greatly strengthens the interaction between them, leading to a tripling of the ideal shear strength in nanotwinned Bi2Te3 (0.6 GPa) compared to that in the single crystalline material (0.19 GPa). This grain boundary engineering strategy opens a new pathway for designing robust Bi2Te3 TE semiconductors for high-performance TE devices.

  11. Calorimetric investigation of Pb-Bi system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agarwal, Renu; Jat, Ram Avtar; Sen, B.K.

    2008-01-01

    Enthalpy increment of Pb 0.71 Bi 0.29 compound was determined using high temperature Calvet calorimeter. The data was fit into the following polynomial equation. ΔH(T-298.15 K) J/mol = -10384.96 + 39.23 T - 0.014T 2 - 18970/T. By precipitation method, the enthalpy of formation of the compound of composition Pb 0.68 Bi 0.32 at 448 K, from Pb(l) and Bi(l) was determined to be -2450± 50 J/mol and from Pb(s) and Bi(s) at 298.15 K was calculated to be 4047 J/mol. (author)

  12. Evidence of β-antimonene at the Sb/Bi2Se3 interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flammini, R.; Colonna, S.; Hogan, C.; Mahatha, S. K.; Papagno, M.; Barla, A.; Sheverdyaeva, P. M.; Moras, P.; Aliev, Z. S.; Babanly, M. B.; Chulkov, E. V.; Carbone, C.; Ronci, F.

    2018-02-01

    We report a study of the interface between antimony and the prototypical topological insulator Bi2Se3. Scanning tunnelling microscopy measurements show the presence of ordered domains displaying a perfect lattice match with bismuth selenide. Density functional theory calculations of the most stable atomic configurations demonstrate that the ordered domains can be attributed to stacks of β-antimonene.

  13. BiP Negatively Affects Ricin Transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirsten Sandvig

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The AB plant toxin ricin binds both glycoproteins and glycolipids at the cell surface via its B subunit. After binding, ricin is endocytosed and then transported retrogradely through the Golgi to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER. In the ER, the A subunit is retrotranslocated to the cytosol in a chaperone-dependent process, which is not fully explored. Recently two separate siRNA screens have demonstrated that ER chaperones have implications for ricin toxicity. ER associated degradation (ERAD involves translocation of misfolded proteins from ER to cytosol and it is conceivable that protein toxins exploit this pathway. The ER chaperone BiP is an important ER regulator and has been implicated in toxicity mediated by cholera and Shiga toxin. In this study, we have investigated the role of BiP in ricin translocation to the cytosol. We first show that overexpression of BiP inhibited ricin translocation and protected cells against the toxin. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated depletion of BiP enhanced toxin translocation resulting in increased cytotoxicity. BiP-dependent inhibition of ricin toxicity was independent of ER stress. Our findings suggest that in contrast to what was shown with the Shiga toxin, the presence of BiP does not facilitate, but rather inhibits the entry of ricin into the cytosol.

  14. TiO2/Bi2(BDC)3/BiOCl nanoparticles decorated ultrathin nanosheets with excellent photocatalytic reaction activity and selectivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Shu-Mei; Ma, De-Kun; Cai, Ping; Chen, Wei; Huang, Shao-Ming

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: TiO 2 /Bi 2 (BDC) 3 /BiOCl nanoparticles decorated ultrathin nanosheets showed excellent photocatalytic reaction activity and selectivity. - Highlights: • TiO 2 /Bi 2 (BDC) 3 /BiOCl nanoparticles decorated ultrathin nanosheets were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal process. • The products showed excellent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of various dyes. • The photocatalytic activities of the composite materials could be easily adjusted through tuning the content of TiO 2 . • TiO 2 /Bi 2 (BDC) 3 /BiOCl displayed obvious photocatalytic selectivity in mixed dyes systems of rhodamine B and eosin Y. - Abstract: Photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic reaction activity and ideal selectivity are highly desirable for pollutants clearance and purification of targeted organics from a mixture. Continued efforts toward the goal, we here present a facile hydrothermal route to synthesize TiO 2 /Bi-benzenedicarboxylate/BiOCl nanoparticles decorated ultrathin nanosheets with a thickness less than 5 nm on a large scale. The as-synthesized products showed excellent photocatalytic activities for the degradation of various dyes such as rhodamine B, eosin Y and methylene blue in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of TiO 2 /Bi-benzenedicarboxylate/BiOCl nanocomposites for the degradation of rhodamine B and eosin Y could be adjusted through tuning the content of TiO 2 . With increasing the amount of TiO 2 , the composites showed declining photocatalytic activities in decomposing of rhodamine B while on the contrary they displayed enhanced photocatalytic activities in decomposing of eosin Y. Interestingly, TiO 2 /Bi-benzenedicarboxylate/BiOCl composite nanosheets showed obvious photocatalytic selectivity in a mixed dyes system. The photocatalytic reaction and selectivity mechanisms of the nanocomposites for the degradation of the dyes were discussed on the basis of experimental results. The

  15. Preparation and Faraday rotation of Bi-YIG/PMMA nanocomposite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, H. P.; Hong, R. Y.; Wu, Y. J.; Di, G. Q.; Xu, B.; Zheng, Y.; Wei, D. G.

    Bismuth-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Bi-YIG) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by coprecipitation and subsequent heating treatment. Thermal gravity-differential thermal analysis was performed to investigate the thermal behavior of the Bi-YIG precursors and to decide the best annealing temperature. Phase formation of garnet NPs was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction. The size of Bi-YIG NPs was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the magnetic properties of Bi-YIG NPs were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The results show that the temperature needed for the transformation of Bi-YIG from the amorphous phase to the garnet phase decreases with increasing Bi content, and Bi-YIG NPs with sizes of 28-78 nm are obtained after heating treatment at 650-1000 °C. The saturation magnetization of Bi-YIG NPs increases as the Bi content increases. Moreover, the Faraday rotation of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) slices doped with Bi-YIG NPs was investigated. The results indicate that the angle of Faraday rotation increases with increasing Bi content in PMMA composites, and the maximum value of the figure of merit is 1.46°, which is comparable to the value of a sputtered film. The Bi-YIG NPs-doped PMMA slices are new promising materials for magneto-optical devices.

  16. PRECONDITIONED BI-CONJUGATE GRADIENT METHOD FOR RADIATIVE TRANSFER IN SPHERICAL MEDIA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anusha, L. S.; Nagendra, K. N.; Paletou, F.; Leger, L.

    2009-01-01

    A robust numerical method called the Preconditioned Bi-Conjugate Gradient (Pre-BiCG) method is proposed for the solution of the radiative transfer equation in spherical geometry. A variant of this method called Stabilized Preconditioned Bi-Conjugate Gradient (Pre-BiCG-STAB) is also presented. These are iterative methods based on the construction of a set of bi-orthogonal vectors. The application of the Pre-BiCG method in some benchmark tests shows that the method is quite versatile, and can handle difficult problems that may arise in astrophysical radiative transfer theory.

  17. Spectral and spatial resolving of photoelectric property of femtosecond laser drilled holes of GaSb(1-x)Bi(x).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, C B; Zha, F X; Song, Y X; Shao, J; Dai, Y; Chen, X R; Ye, J Y; Wang, S M

    2015-07-15

    Femtosecond laser drilled holes of GaSbBi were characterized by the joint measurements of photoconductivity (PC) spectroscopy and laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) mapping. The excitation light in PC was focused down to 60 μm presenting the spectral information of local electronic property of individual holes. A redshift of energy band edge of about 6-8 meV was observed by the PC measurement when the excitation light irradiated on the laser drilled holes. The spatial resolving of photoelectric property was achieved by the LBIC mapping which shows "pseudo-holes" with much larger dimensions than the geometric sizes of the holes. The reduced LBIC current with the pseudo-holes is associated with the redshift effect indicating that the electronic property of the rim areas of the holes is modified by the femtosecond laser drilling.

  18. Development of Bi-base high-temperature Pb-free solders with second-phase dispersion: Thermodynamic calculation, microstructure, and interfacial reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaku, Yoshikazu; Ohnuma, Ikuo; Kainuma, Ryosuke; Yamada, Yasushi; Yagi, Yuji; Nishibe, Yuji; Ishida, Kiyohito

    2006-11-01

    Bismuth and its alloys are candidates for Pb-free high-temperature solders that can be substituted for conventional Pb-rich Pb-Sn solders (melting point (mp) = 573 583 K). However, inferior properties such as brittleness and weak bonding strength should be improved for practical use. To that end, BiCu-X (X=Sb, Sn, and Zn) Pb-free high-temperature solders are proposed. Miscibility gaps in liquid BiCu-X alloys were surveyed using the thermodynamic database ADAMIS (alloy database for micro-solders), and compositions of the BiCu-X solders were designed on the basis of calculation. In-situ composite solders that consist of a Bi-base matrix with fine intermetallic compound (IMC) particles were produced by gas-atomizing and melt-spinning methods. The interfacial reaction between in-situ composite solders and Cu or Ni substrates was investigated. The IMCs at the interface formed a thin, uniform layer, which is an appropriate morphology for a reliable solder joint.

  19. Facile synthesis of AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} multi-heterojunctions with high visible light activity for Cr(VI) reduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Qi [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); The Brook Byer Institute for Sustainable Systems and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332 (United States); Shi, Xiaodong; Liu, Enqin [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Crittenden, John C. [The Brook Byer Institute for Sustainable Systems and School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332 (United States); Ma, Xiangjuan; Zhang, Yi [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Cong, Yanqing, E-mail: yqcong@hotmail.com [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China)

    2016-11-05

    Graphical abstract: Highly visible-light-active AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} with multi-heterojunctions was developed. - Highlights: • Visible-light-active AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} with multi-heterojunctions was prepared. • Highly enhanced photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) was observed. • k{sub Cr(VI)} on AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} increased by ca.16 times relative to Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Decreased E{sub g}, shifted E{sub fb} and reduced charge transfer resistance were observed. • Simultaneous reduction of Cr(VI) and degradation of organics were achieved. - Abstract: AgI sensitized BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} composite (AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}) with multi-heterojunctions was prepared using simple etching-deposition process. Different characterization techniques were performed to investigate the structural, optical and electrical properties of the as-prepared photocatalysts. It was found that the ternary AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} composite exhibited: (1) improved photocurrent response, (2) smaller band gap, (3) greatly reduced charge transfer resistance and (4) negative shift of flat band potential, which finally led to easier generation and more efficient separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs at the hetero-interfaces. Thus, for the reduction of Cr(VI), AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation at near neutral pH. AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} was optimized when the initial molar ratio of KI to Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and AgNO{sub 3} to Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} was 1:1 and 10%, respectively. The estimated k{sub Cr(VI)} on optimized AgI/BiOI-Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} was about 16 times that on pure Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Good stability was also observed in cyclic runs, indicating that the current multi-heterostructured photocatalyst is highly desirable for the remediation of Cr(VI)-containing wastewater.

  20. Fuzzy Bi-cooperative games in multilinear extension form

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Borkotokey, S.; Hazarika, P.; Mesiar, Radko

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 259, č. 1 (2015), s. 44-55 ISSN 0165-0114 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP402/11/0378 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Fuzzy Bi-cooperative games * Bi-cooperative game * Bi-coalition * LG value Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 2.098, year: 2015 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2015/E/mesiar-0442007.pdf

  1. The matrix effect study in the spectrographic analysis of rare earth elements. Pt. 1. The influence of Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Cu, Ag, Zn and Cd on the spectral lines intensity of Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm in the current arc exciting between C-electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wysocka-Lisek, J.; Paszkowska, B.; Mularczyk, K.

    1976-01-01

    In the beginning the influence of Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Cu, Ag, Zn and Cd on the light rare earth spectral lines using Ni as the internal standard, during the intermittent current arc excitation between C-electrodes was studied. On the basis of the spectral lines intensity measurements, it was stated that one may apply the addition of Ni as the internal standard by the quantitative determination of Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn and Cd in the light rare earth mixtures with one of the above. Also a great influence of the presence of the individually studied metal was observed on the spectral line intensity of rare earth elements and nickel. The differences of the thermo-chemical reactions nature between excited elements and the carbon of the electrodes may cause that influence. (author)

  2. Estudio de la región rica en Bi2O3 en el sistema binario ZnO-Bi2O3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caballero, A. C.

    2004-08-01

    Full Text Available Ceramic materials based in the ZnO- Bi2O3 system have their principal application as varistors. The binary system ZnO-Bi2O3 is specially relevant to the formation of the microstructure responsable of the varistor behaviour. The study of the different equilibrium phases at high temperatures at the Bi2O3-rich region of the ZnO-Bi2O3 will allow a correct understanding of the microstructural development. Equilibrium phases have been analyzed by XRD, SEM and DTA. Different temperature treatments of samples formulated in the Bi2O3 rich region of the ZnO-Bi2O3 binary system have allowed to determine the phase 19Bi2O3•ZnO as the equilibrium one instead of the 24Bi2O3•ZnO phase.Los materiales cerámicos basados en el sistema binario ZnO-Bi2O3 tienen su principal aplicación en el campo de los varistores. El sistema binario ZnO-Bi2O3 resulta especialmente relevante para la formación de la microestructura funcional de varistores. La determinación de las diferentes fases en equilibrio a alta temperatura en la región rica en Bi2O3 en el sistema binario ZnO-Bi2O3 permitirá interpretar correctamente el desarrollo microestructural. El estudio de las fases en equilibrio se ha llevado a cabo mediante difracción de rayos X, microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB y análisis térmico diferencial (ATD. Tratamientos a diferentes temperaturas, en la zona rica en Bi2O3 del sistema, han permitido determinar la presencia del compuesto 19Bi2O3•ZnO como fase estable en equilibrio, en lugar del compuesto 24Bi2O3•ZnO.

  3. Orbital-dependent Rashba coupling in bulk BiTeCl and BiTeI

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong

    2013-02-06

    By all-electron ab initio calculations, the layered polar semiconductor BiTeCl is shown to host giant bulk Rashba spin splitting, similar to the recently reported compound BiTeI. In both materials, the standard Rashba–Bychkov model is no longer applicable, because of huge band extrema shifts even in the absence of spin–orbit coupling and a strong momentum dependence of the Rashba coupling constant (αR). By assuming αR to be orbital dependent, a phenomenological extension of the Rashba–Bychkov model is proposed which explains the splitting behavior of states with small in-plane momentum.

  4. Orbital-dependent Rashba coupling in bulk BiTeCl and BiTeI

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Zhiyong; Cheng, Yingchun; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2013-01-01

    By all-electron ab initio calculations, the layered polar semiconductor BiTeCl is shown to host giant bulk Rashba spin splitting, similar to the recently reported compound BiTeI. In both materials, the standard Rashba–Bychkov model is no longer applicable, because of huge band extrema shifts even in the absence of spin–orbit coupling and a strong momentum dependence of the Rashba coupling constant (αR). By assuming αR to be orbital dependent, a phenomenological extension of the Rashba–Bychkov model is proposed which explains the splitting behavior of states with small in-plane momentum.

  5. As-free pnictide LaNi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} thin films grown by reactive molecular beam epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Retzlaff, Reiner; Buckow, Alexander; Kurian, Jose; Alff, Lambert [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2012-07-01

    We use reactive molecular beam epitaxy (RMBE) as synthesis technique for the search of arsenic free pnictide superconductors. Epitaxial thin films of LaNi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} were grown on (100)MgO substrates from elemental sources by simultaneous evaporation of high purity La, Ni and Sb metals by e-gun. The LaNi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} thin films grow epitaxially and are (00l) oriented with high crystalline quality, as evident from RHEED and X-Ray diffraction studies. The Ni deficient LaNi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub 2} thin films show metallic behavior with a room temperature resistivity of 110 {mu}{Omega} cm, while the stoichiometric compound is a semiconductor/insulator. The isostructural compound with Bi as pnictide shows a superconducting transition with a T{sub C}(0) of 3.1 K.

  6. Optical spectroscopy and Fermi surface studies of BiTeCl and BiTeBr

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Catalin; Suslov, A. V.; Buvaev, S.; Hebard, A. F.; Bugnon, Philippe; Berger, Helmuth; Magrez, Arnaud; Tanner, D. B.

    2014-03-01

    The observation of a large bulk Rashba effect in the non-centrosymmetric semiconductors BiTeX(X=Cl, Br, I) has stimulated the interest in these sys- tems, as promising candidates for studying spin related phenomena and for the realization of spin devices. Here we present a comparative study of the electronic properties of BiTeCl and BiTeBr, determined from temperature dependent infrared spectroscopy and Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. In par- ticular, we compare the angle dependence of quantum oscillations between the two compounds and discuss possible differences between the topology of their Fermi surfaces. Supported by NSF Cooperative Agreement DMR-1157490 to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

  7. INTERVAL-VALUED INTUITIONISTIC FUZZY BI-IDEALS IN TERNARY SEMIRINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. KRISHNASWAMY

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we introduce the notions of interval-valued fuzzy bi-ideal, interval-valued anti fuzzy bi-ideal and interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy bi-ideal in ternary semirings and some of the basic properties of these ideals are investigated. We also introduce normal interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy ideals in ternary semirings.

  8. Adjacent level effects of bi level disc replacement, bi level fusion and disc replacement plus fusion in cervical spine--a finite element based study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faizan, Ahmad; Goel, Vijay K; Biyani, Ashok; Garfin, Steven R; Bono, Christopher M

    2012-03-01

    Studies delineating the adjacent level effect of single level disc replacement systems have been reported in literature. The aim of this study was to compare the adjacent level biomechanics of bi-level disc replacement, bi-level fusion and a construct having adjoining level disc replacement and fusion system. In total, biomechanics of four models- intact, bi level disc replacement, bi level fusion and fusion plus disc replacement at adjoining levels- was studied to gain insight into the effects of various instrumentation systems on cranial and caudal adjacent levels using finite element analysis (73.6N+varying moment). The bi-level fusion models are more than twice as stiff as compared to the intact model during flexion-extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. Bi-level disc replacement model required moments lower than intact model (1.5Nm). Fusion plus disc replacement model required moment 10-25% more than intact model, except in extension. Adjacent level motions, facet loads and endplate stresses increased substantially in the bi-level fusion model. On the other hand, adjacent level motions, facet loads and endplate stresses were similar to intact for the bi-level disc replacement model. For the fusion plus disc replacement model, adjacent level motions, facet loads and endplate stresses were closer to intact model rather than the bi-level fusion model, except in extension. Based on our finite element analysis, fusion plus disc replacement procedure has less severe biomechanical effects on adjacent levels when compared to bi-level fusion procedure. Bi-level disc replacement procedure did not have any adverse mechanical effects on adjacent levels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Structures and solid solution mechanisms of pyrochlore phases in the systems Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}-ZnO-(Nb, Ta){sub 2}O{sub 5}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, K.B., E-mail: tankb@science.upm.edu.m [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor (Malaysia); Khaw, C.C. [Department of Engineering, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, 53300 Setapak, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Lee, C.K. [Academic Science Malaysia, 902-4 Jalan Tun Ismail, 50480 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Zainal, Z. [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor (Malaysia); Miles, G.C. [Department of Engineering Materials, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

    2010-10-22

    Research highlights: {yields} Combined XRD and ND Rietveld structural refinement of pyrochlores. {yields} Structures and solid solution mechanisms of Bi-pyrochlores. {yields} Bi and Zn displaced off-centre to different 96g A-site positions. {yields} Summary of composition-structure-property of Bi-pyrochlores. - Abstract: The crystal structures of two pyrochlore phases have been determined by Rietveld refinement of combined X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data. These are stoichiometric, Bi{sub 1.5} ZnTa{sub 1.5}O{sub 7} and non-stoichiometric Bi{sub 1.56}Zn{sub 0.92}Nb{sub 1.44}O{sub 6.86}. In both structures, Zn is distributed over A- and B-sites; Bi and Zn are displaced off-centre, to different 96g A-site positions; of the three sets of oxygen positions, O(1) are full, O(2) contain vacancies and O(3) contain a small number of oxygen, again in both cases. Comparisons between these structures, those of related Sb analogues and literature reports are made.

  10. Spatial variations in composition in high-critical-current-density Bi-2223 tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holesinger, T. G.; Bingert, J. F.; Teplitsky, M.; Li, Q.; Parrella, R.; Rupich, M. P.; Riley, G. N. Jr.

    2000-01-01

    A detailed compositional analysis of high-critical-current-density (J c ) (55 and 65 kA/cm2 at 77 K) (Bi, Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y (Bi-2223) tapes was undertaken by energy dispersive spectroscopy in the transmission electron microscope. Structural features were coupled with characteristic compositions of the Bi-2223 phase. The average of all compositional measurements of the Bi-2223 phase was determined to be Bi 1.88 Pb 0.23 Sr 1.96 Ca 1.95 Cu 2.98 O y . However, spatial variations in the Bi-2223 composition and differing phase equilibria were found throughout the filament structure. In particular, a considerable range of Bi-2223 compositions can be found within a single tape, and the lead content of the Bi-2223 phase is significantly depressed in the vicinity of lead-rich phases. The depletion of lead in the Bi-2223 phase around the 3221 phases may be a current-limiting microstructure in these tapes. (c) 2000 Materials Research Society

  11. Generalized bi-quasi-variational inequalities for quasi-semi-monotone and bi-quasi-semi-monotone operators with applications in non-compact settings and minimization problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chowdhury Molhammad SR

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Results are obtained on existence theorems of generalized bi-quasi-variational inequalities for quasi-semi-monotone and bi-quasi-semi-monotone operators in both compact and non-compact settings. We shall use the concept of escaping sequences introduced by Border (Fixed Point Theorem with Applications to Economics and Game Theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1985 to obtain results in non-compact settings. Existence theorems on non-compact generalized bi-complementarity problems for quasi-semi-monotone and bi-quasi-semi-monotone operators are also obtained. Moreover, as applications of some results of this paper on generalized bi-quasi-variational inequalities, we shall obtain existence of solutions for some kind of minimization problems with quasi- semi-monotone and bi-quasi-semi-monotone operators.

  12. Growth of high Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thick films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhry, Sangeeta; Khare, Neeraj; Gupta, A.K.; Nagpal, K.C.; Ojha, V.N.; Reddy, G.S.N.; Tomar, V.S.

    1991-01-01

    Thick films of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O were deposited on (100) MgO substrates by screen-printing technique with the starting composition 1112. To attain the superconducting state, the films were subjected to two-step heat-treatment. R-T and XRD have been studied for films annealed at different durations of the second step. Initially T c (R=O) increased from 77 to 103 K as the annealing duration was increased after which T c decreased. Kinetics of the growth of high T c phase is discussed in the light of results. (author). 7 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

  13. Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting thin films: theory and experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yavuz, M [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering Program, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada); Boybay, M S [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering Program, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada); Elbuken, C [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering Program, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada); Andrews, M J [Los Alamos National Lab, PO Box 1663, Mail Stop B 296, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Hu, C R [Department of Physics, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States); Ross, J H [Department of Physics, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843 (United States)

    2006-06-01

    The interest of this paper centers on fabrication and characterization and modeling of vortices in high temperature superconducting thin films. As a first step, the magnetic vertices of the superconducting matrix were modeled. As a second, Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films were grown using Pulsed Laser Ablation (PLD) on single crystal MgO substrates as magnetic templates for the potential use for Nano and Microelectronic circuits, and were characterized by x-ray diffraction, electron, and atomic force microscopy. The third step (future work) will be observation and pinning of these vortices using Bitter decoration.

  14. Enhanced photosensitization process induced by the p–n junction of Bi2O2CO3/BiOCl heterojunctions on the degradation of rhodamine B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Haijing; Xu, Lingling; Wei, Bo; Zhang, Mingyi; Gao, Hong; Sun, Wenjun

    2014-01-01

    Herein, we report the enhanced photosensitization process in the nanosheet Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOCl heterojunctions photocatalyst. The combined XRD, FT-IR and Raman results have confirmed the co-existence of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 and BiOCl phases in the composites. Although both Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 and BiOCl are wide bandgap semiconductors, the composites showed an unexpectedly high catalytic activity in decomposing RhB (rhodamine B) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity was ascribed to the inner electric field formed in the Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /BiOCl p–n junction.

  15. Improvement of reliability and speed of phase change memory devices with N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9) films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, J. H.; Kim, S.-W.; Kim, J. H.; Ko, D.-H.; Wu, Z.; Cho, S. L.; Ahn, D.; Ahn, D. H.; Lee, J. M.; Nam, S. W.

    2015-08-01

    In this study, we propose a nitrogen-incorporated GeBiTe ternary phase of N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9) as a phase change material for reliable PCM (Phase Change Memory) with high speed operation. We found that the N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9) film shows the resistance value of 40 kΩ after annealing at 440oC for 10 minutes, which is much higher than the value of 3.4 kΩ in the case of conventional N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0) films. A set operation time of 14 nsec was achieved in the devices due to the increased probability of the nucleation by the addition of the elemental Bi. The long data retention time of 10 years at 85oC on the base of 1% failure was obtained as the result of higher activation energy of 2.52 eV for the crystallization compared to the case of N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0) film, in which the activation energy is 2.1 eV. In addition, a reset current reduction of 27% and longer cycles of endurance as much as 2 order of magnitude compared to the case of N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0) were observed at a set operation time of 14 nsec. Our results show that N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9) is highly promising for use as a phase change material in reliable PCMs with high performance and also in forthcoming storage class memory applications, too.

  16. Improvement of reliability and speed of phase change memory devices with N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9 films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. H. Park

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we propose a nitrogen-incorporated GeBiTe ternary phase of N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9 as a phase change material for reliable PCM (Phase Change Memory with high speed operation. We found that the N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9 film shows the resistance value of 40 kΩ after annealing at 440oC for 10 minutes, which is much higher than the value of 3.4 kΩ in the case of conventional N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0 films. A set operation time of 14 nsec was achieved in the devices due to the increased probability of the nucleation by the addition of the elemental Bi. The long data retention time of 10 years at 85oC on the base of 1% failure was obtained as the result of higher activation energy of 2.52 eV for the crystallization compared to the case of N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0 film, in which the activation energy is 2.1 eV. In addition, a reset current reduction of 27% and longer cycles of endurance as much as 2 order of magnitude compared to the case of N7.0(Ge22.0Sb22.0Te56.0 were observed at a set operation time of 14 nsec. Our results show that N7.9(Ge46.9Bi7.2Te45.9 is highly promising for use as a phase change material in reliable PCMs with high performance and also in forthcoming storage class memory applications, too.

  17. The highly enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of gaseous o-dichlorobenzene through fabricating like-flowers BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr p-n heterojunction composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zou, Xuejun [Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, 116600 (China); Dong, Yuying, E-mail: dongy@dlnu.edu.cn [Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, 116600 (China); Zhang, Xiaodong, E-mail: fatzhxd@126.com [Environment and Low-Carbon Research Center, School of Environment and Architecture, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093 (China); Cui, Yubo; Ou, Xiaoxia [Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, 116600 (China); Qi, Xiaohui [College of Life Science, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, 116600 (China)

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Like-flowers BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr was fabricated by mixing in solvent method. • o-Dichlorobenzene removal efficiency was 53.6% using BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr. • The p–n junction improved o-dichlorobenzene degradation activity. - Abstract: In this paper, in order to enhance photo-induced electron-hole pairs separation of BiOBr, flowers-like BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr p-n heterojunction composites was fabricated by a mixing in solvent method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption. Meanwhile, their photocatalytic properties were investigated by the degradation of gaseous o-dichlorobenzene under visible light irradiation. Due to its strong adsorption capacity and the formation of p-n heterojunction, compared with BiPO{sub 4} and BiOBr, the BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr composites showed higher photocatalytic activity in the degradation of gaseous o-DCB under visible light. Among them, 2% BiPO{sub 4}/BiOBr showed the maximum value of the activity, whose degradation rate was about 2.6 times as great as the pure BiOBr. Furthermore, the OH· was confirmed the main active species during the photocatalytic process by the trapping experiments. The outstanding performance indicated that the photocatalysts could be applied to air purification for chlorinated volatile organic compound.

  18. Bi-Polaron Condensation in High Tc Superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranninger, J.

    1995-01-01

    On the basis of optical measurements-, photoemission-, EXAFS- and neutron scattering-experiments we conclude that itinerant valence electrons coexist with localized bi-polarons.Entering the metallic phase upon chemical doping, a charge transfer between the two electronic subsystems is triggered off. We show that as the temperature is lowered towards Tc this process leads to a delocalization of bi-polarons due to a precursor effect of superfluidity of those bi-polarons. Upon entering the superconducting phase, these bipolarons ultimately condense into a superfluid state which is expected to largely determine the superconducting properties of high Tc materials. (authors)

  19. Layer structured bismuth selenides Bi2Se3 and Bi3Se4 for high energy and flexible all-solid-state micro-supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Chunxue; Wang, Lidan; Wen, Fusheng; Xiang, Jianyong; Li, Lei; Hu, Wentao; Liu, Zhongyuan

    2018-02-01

    In this work, bismuth selenides (Bi2Se3 and Bi3Se4), both of which have a layered rhombohedral crystal structure, have been found to be useful as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. In a liquid electrolyte system (6M KOH), Bi2Se3 nanoplates exhibit much better performance as an electrode material than Bi3Se4 nanoparticles do, delivering a higher specific capacitance (272.9 F g-1) than that of Bi3Se4 (193.6 F g-1) at 5 mV s-1. This result may be attributed to the fact that Bi2Se3 nanoplates possess more active electrochemical surfaces for the reversible surface redox reactions owing to their planar quintuple stacked layers (septuple layers for Bi3Se4). To meet the demands of electronic skin, we used a novel flexible annular interdigital structure electrode to support the all-solid-state micro-supercapacitors (AMSCs). The Bi2Se3 AMSC device delivers a much better supercapacitor performance, exhibits a large stack capacitance of 89.5 F cm-3 at 20 mV s-1 (Bi3Se4: 79.1 F cm-3), a high energy density of 17.9 mWh cm-3 and a high power density of 18.9 W cm-3. The bismuth selenides also exhibit good cycle stability, with 95.5% retention after 1000 c for Bi2Se3 (Bi3Se4:90.3%). Clearly, Bi2Se3 nanoplates can be promising electrode materials for flexible annular interdigital AMSCs.

  20. Gd-substituted Bi-2223 superconductor

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The effects of gadolinium doping at calcium site on the normal and super- conducting properties of Bi-2223 system were ... quantities of the metal oxides and the carbonates were taken and thoroughly mixed. The calcination of the mixture after .... Therefore, Gd has higher solubility in (BiPb)-2223 as compared to Pr, and is, ...

  1. High Pressure X-Ray Diffraction Studies of Bi2-xSbxTe3 (x = 0,1,2)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobsen, M. K.; Kumar, R. S.; Cornelius, A. L.; Sinogeiken, S. V.; Nico, M. F.

    2007-12-01

    Recently, pressure tuning of the thermoelectric figure of merit has been reported for several materials Bi2Te3 based thermoelectric materials [2],[10],[12]. In order to investigate the bulk properties of Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3, and their solid solution in detail, we have performed structural studies up to 20 GPa. Our diffraction results show that all three compounds transform from the ambient pressure structure to a high pressure phase between 7 and 10 GPa. In addition, these diffraction results have been converted to Vinet and Holzapfel equations of state to test the claim of electronic topological transitions in these structures [3].

  2. Bi-cooperative games in bipolar fuzzy settings

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hazarika, P.; Borkotokey, S.; Mesiar, Radko

    2018-01-01

    Roč. 47, č. 1 (2018), s. 51-66 ISSN 0308-1079 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Bi-cooperative games * bipolar fuzzy bi-coalition * Shapley function Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 2.490, year: 2016 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2018/E/mesiar-0485377.pdf

  3. Facile large scale synthesis of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nano rods–graphene composite for photocatalytic photoelectrochemical and supercapacitor application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vadivel, S. [Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, C. Tech Campus, Anna University, Chennai-600 025 (India); Naveen, A. Nirmalesh [Department of Physics, Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600025 (India); Kamalakannan, V.P. [Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, C. Tech Campus, Anna University, Chennai-600 025 (India); Cao, P. [Department of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, The University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland 1142 (New Zealand); Balasubramanian, N., E-mail: nbsbala@annauniv.edu [Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, C. Tech Campus, Anna University, Chennai-600 025 (India)

    2015-10-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/RGO composite was synthesized by one pot precipitation method. • The synthesized Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/RGO composite exhibit rod like morphology. • As synthesized composite was applied for malachite green degradation. • The synthesized Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}/RGO composite exhibits a specific capacitance of 290 F g{sup −1} at a scan rate of 1 A g{sup −1}. • Photocatalytic and supercapacitor properties of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} were enhanced mainly due to effective graphene incorporation. - Abstract: Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nano rods–graphene (BG) composite material was synthesized by a simple one step precipitation method. The crystallanity, structural and morphological properties were studied by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The photocatalytic activity of BG was evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye (MG) aqueous solution under the visible light irradiation. The effect of graphene content on the photoelectrochemical property of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nano rods was also studied. The enhancement of photocurrent and photocatalytic properties of BG composite attributed to the synergistic effect between the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nano rods and graphene sheets which improves the charge separation efficiency in Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nano rods. The supercapacitor behavior was studied using cyclic voltametry and galvanostatic charge discharge studies. The BG composite exhibits a maximum specific capacitance of 290 F g{sup −1} at a current density of 1 A g{sup −1}. The present study may provide as a new approach in improving the performance of BG composite in supercapacitor, solar cells and photocatalytic applications.

  4. Bi:Ge substitution - its effect on the structural and electrical properties of the Bi2212 superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saligan, P.P.

    1997-03-01

    The critical temperature determined from dc resistance and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements, and the coherence length obtained from the of fluctuation conductivity of polycrystalline Bi 2-x Ge x Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 +δ were studied. The effect of sample quality was also studied by making two kinds of pellet samples: (1) by conventional sintering process and (2) by conventional sintering process followed annealing at high temperature. The rough phase diagram of Bi 2-x Ge x Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 +δ was constructed and it was found that from x=0 to x=0.3 a predominantly Bi2212 phase can be obtained. The critical temperature of the unsubstituted Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 +δ is sensitive to the cold press and anneal method. The resistive transition T c based on the maximum dR(T)dT of the as-sintered Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 +δ is about 74 K. The resistive T c of the cold-pressed-annealed samples either (1) remain near 74 K or (2) increase to approximately 85 K or (3) show two values at about 74 K and 85 K. A structural relaxation is observed in the Bi 2-x Ge x Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 +δ the c-axis decreases with increasing x and the a-axis increases at x=0.1 then settles back to its unsubstituted value at higher x. The as-sintered samples show an increasing resistive T c with x, 74 K for x=0 and 79 K for x>0. The resistive T c 's of the cold-pressed-annealed samples are almost independent of x, 85 K for x=0 and 87 K for x>0. The increase in the magnetic critical temperature induced by the cold press and anneal method is considerably larger compared to the increase in the resistive critical temperature, independent of the Bi:Ge substitution. An analysis of fluctuation conductivity just above T c using the Aslamasov-Larkin model for two-dimensional superconductors and the Lawrence-Doniach model for layered superconductors was done. The Aslamasov-Larkin model gives the thickness of the two dimensional superconductor to be ∼34 A also independent of the Bi:Ge substitution. The Lawrence

  5. BiOCl nanowire with hierarchical structure and its Raman features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Ye; Guo Chuanfei; Guo Yanjun; Wang Qi; Liu Qian

    2012-01-01

    BiOCl is a promising V-VI-VII-compound semiconductor with excellent optical and electrical properties, and has great potential applications in photo-catalysis, photoelectric, etc. We successfully synthesize BiOCl nanowire with a hierarchical structure by combining wet etch (top-down) with liquid phase crystal growth (bottom-up) process, opening a novel method to construct ordered bismuth-based nanostructures. The morphology and lattice structures of Bi nanowires, β-Bi 2 O 3 nanowires and BiOCl nanowires with the hierarchical structure are investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transition electron microscope (TEM). The formation mechanism of such ordered BiOCl hierarchical structure is considered to mainly originate from the highly preferred growth, which is governed by the lattice match between (1 1 0) facet of BiOCl and (2 2 0) or (0 0 2) facet of β-Bi 2 O 3 . A schematic model is also illustrated to depict the formation process of the ordered BiOCl hierarchical structure. In addition, Raman properties of the BiOCl nanowire with the hierarchical structure are investigated deeply.

  6. Perovskite BaBiO3 Transformed Layered BaBiO2.5 Crystals Featuring Unusual Chemical Bonding and Luminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hong; Zhao, Qing; Liu, Bo-Mei; Zhang, Jun-Ying; Li, Zhi-Yong; Guo, Shao-Qiang; Ma, Ju-Ping; Kuroiwa, Yoshihiro; Moriyoshi, Chikako; Zheng, Li-Rong; Sun, Hong-Tao

    2018-04-14

    Engineering oxygen coordination environments of cations in oxides has received intense interest thanks to the opportunities for the discovery of novel oxides with unusual properties. Here we present the successful synthesis of stoichiometric layered BaBiO2.5 enabled by a non-topotactic phase transformation of perovskite BaBiO3. By analysing the synchrotron X-ray diffraction data using the maximum entropy method/Rietveld technique, we find that Bi forms unusual chemical bondings with four oxygen atoms, featuring one ionic bonding and three covalent bondings that results in an asymmetric coordination geometry. A broad range of photophysical characterizations reveal that this peculiar structure shows near-infrared luminescence differing from conventional Bi-bearing systems. Experimental and theoretical results lead us to propose the excitonic nature of luminescence. Our work highlights that synthesizing materials with uncommon Bi-O bonding and Bi coordination geometry provides a pathway to the discovery of systems with new functionalities. We envisage that this work could inspire interest for the exploration of a range of materials containing heavier p-block elements, offering prospects for the finding of systems with unusual properties. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. The effect of Bi composition on the properties of InP{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} grown by liquid phase epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, T. D., E-mail: tddas@hotmail.com [Department of Electronic Science, University of Calcutta, 92, A. P. C. Road, Kolkata 700009 (India)

    2014-05-07

    InP{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} epilayers (x ≥ 1.2%) on InP (001) are grown reproducibly by liquid phase epitaxy with conventional solution baking in a H{sub 2} environment. The Bi composition and surface morphology of the grown layers are studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. High-resolution x-ray diffraction is used to characterize the lattice parameters and the crystalline quality of the layers. 10 K photoluminescence measurements indicate three clearly resolved peaks in undoped InP layers with band-to-band transition at 1.42 eV which is redshifted with Bi incorporation in the layer with a maximum band gap reduction of 50 meV/% Bi. The effect is attributed to the interaction between the valence band edge and Bi-related defect states as is explained here by valence-band anticrossing model. Room temperature Hall measurements indicate that the mobility of the layer is not significantly affected for Bi concentration up to 1.2%.

  8. Wet-Chemical Synthesis of Enhanced-Thermopower Bi1 -xSbx Nanowire Composites for Solid-State Active Cooling of Electronics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandaele, K.; He, Bin; Van Der Voort, P.; De Buysser, K.; Heremans, J. P.

    2018-02-01

    This paper is a contribution to the Physical Review Applied collection in memory of Mildred S. Dresselhaus. In 1993, Hicks and Dresselhaus [Thermoelectric figure of merit of a one-dimensional conductor, Phys. Rev. B 47, 16631 (1993)., 10.1103/PhysRevB.47.16631] suggested that Bi nanowires could result in values of the thermoelectric figure of merit z T >1 . The Dresselhaus group also calculated a ternary phase diagram for Bi1 -xSbx nanowires as a function of x and wire diameter. This manuscript reports a wet-chemical method to synthesize Bi1 -xSbx -silica nanowire composites. Resistivity, Hall electron concentration, electron mobility, Seebeck and Nernst coefficients, and thermal conductivity of composites are measured and compared to bulk polycrystalline Bi1 -xSbx samples prepared either by ingot casting or by the same wet chemistry but without nanostructuring. A clear increase of the thermopower in 20-nm Bi94Sb6 -silica is reported when compared to bulk samples, and the values are among the highest found in the literature from 300 to 380 K, even though the electron concentration is higher than in the bulk. This suggests that consistent with theory, size quantization is responsible for the thermopower increase.

  9. Investigation of the transport properties and compositions of the Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} series (RE=Pr, Sm, Gd, Dy; Pn=Sb, Bi)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forbes, Scott [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada); Yuan, Fang [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada); Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Kosuda, Kosuke; Kolodiazhnyi, Taras [Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Mozharivskyj, Yurij, E-mail: mozhar@mcmaster.ca [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1 (Canada)

    2016-10-15

    The Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases (RE=Pr, Sm, Gd, Dy; Pn=Sb, Bi) were successfully prepared from high temperature reactions at 1225–1300 °C. These phases maintain the same structure types as the parent RE{sub 9}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases, except for a Ca/RE mixing. The study and preparation of these phases was motivated by the desire to shift the metallic type properties of the parent RE{sub 9}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases to a level more suitable for thermoelectric applications. Electrical resistivity measurements performed on pure, bulk samples indicated all phases to be narrow band gap semiconductors or semimetals, supporting the charge balanced electron count of the Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} composition. Unfortunately, all samples are too electrically resistive for any potential usage as thermoelectrics. Electronic band structure calculations performed on idealized RE{sub 9}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} structures revealed the presence of a pseudogap at the Fermi level, which is consistent with the observed electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient behavior. - Graphical abstract: Ca substitution in RE{sub 9}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} leads to charge-balanced Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases with semiconducting or semimetallic properties. - Highlights: • The RE{sub 9}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} structure may be stabilized with calcium substitution in the form of Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5}. • The Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Pn{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases maintain the parent P 4/n structure, albeit with Ca/RE mixing. • The Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Sb{sub 5}O{sub 5} phases behave as semiconductors while Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Bi{sub 5}O{sub 5} are semimetals with electron-electron correlations. • Electronic structure calculations yield a semimetal-like density of states for both Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Sb{sub 5}O{sub 5} and Ca{sub 2}RE{sub 7}Bi{sub 5}O{sub 5}.

  10. Effect of Bi on the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Meiyi; Zhou Bangxin; Li Qiang; Zhang Weipeng; Zhu Li; Zou Linghong; Zhang Jinlong; Peng Jianchao

    2014-01-01

    In order to investigate systematically the effect of Bi addition on the corrosion resistance of zirconium alloys, different zirconium-based alloys, including Zr-4 (Zr-l.5Sn-0.2Fe-0.1Cr), S5 (Zr-0.8Sn-0.35Nb-0.4Fe-0.1Cr), T5 (Zr-0.7Sn-l.0Nb-0.3Fe-0.1Cr) and Zr-1Nb, were adopted to prepare the zirconium alloys containing Bi of 0∼0.5% in mass fraction. These alloys were denoted as Zr-4 + xBi, S5 + xBi, T5 + xBi and Zr-1Nb + xBi, respectively. The corrosion behavior of these specimens was investigated by autoclave testing in lithiated water with 0.01 M LiOH or deionized water at 360 ℃/18.6 MPa and in superheated steam at 400 ℃/10.3 MPa. The microstructure of the alloys was examined by TEM and the second phase particles (SPPs) were analyzed by EDS. Microstructure observation shows that the addition of Bi promotes the precipitation of Sn as second phase particles (SPPs) because Sn is in solid solution in α-Zr matrix in Zr-4, S5 and T5 alloys. The concentration of Bi dissolved in α-Zr matrix increase with the increase of Nb in the alloys, and the excess Bi precipitates as Bi-containing SPPs. The corrosion results show that the effect of Bi addition on the corrosion behavior of different zirconium-based alloys is very complicated, depending on their compositions and corrosion conditions. In the case of higher Bi concentration in α-Zr, the zirconium alloys exhibit better corrosion resistance. However, in the case of precipitation of Bi-containing SPPs, the corrosion resistance gets worse. This indicates that the solid solution of Bi in α-Zr matrix can improve the corrosion resistance, while the precipitation of the Bi-containing SPPs is harmful to the corrosion resistance. (authors)

  11. Enhanced thermoelectric properties in p-type Bi{sub 0.4}Sb{sub 1.6}Te{sub 3} alloy by combining incorporation and doping using multi-scale CuAlO{sub 2} particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Zijun; Liu, Yuan; Zhou, Zhenxing; Lu, Xiaofang; Wang, Lianjun [State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai (China); Institute of Functional Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai (China); Zhang, Qihao [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); Jiang, Wan [State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai (China); Institute of Functional Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai (China); School of Material Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen (China); Chen, Lidong [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China)

    2017-01-15

    Multi-scale CuAlO{sub 2} particles are introduced into the Bi{sub 0.4}Sb{sub 1.6}Te{sub 3} matrix to synergistically optimize the electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and the lattice thermal conductivity. Cu element originating from fine CuAlO{sub 2} grains diffuses into the Bi{sub 0.4}Sb{sub 1.6}Te{sub 3} matrix and tunes the carrier concentration while the coarse CuAlO{sub 2} particles survive as the second phase within the matrix. The power factor is improved at the whole temperatures range due to the low-energy electron filtering effect on Seebeck coefficient and enhanced electrical transport property by mild Cu doping. Meanwhile, the remaining CuAlO{sub 2} inclusions give rise to more boundaries and newly built interfaces scattering of heat-carrying phonons, resulting in the reduced lattice thermal conductivity. Consequently, the maximum ZT is found to be enhanced by 150% arising from the multi-scale microstructure regulation when the CuAlO{sub 2} content reaches 0.6 vol.%. Not only that, but the ZT curves get flat in the whole temperature range after introducing the multi-scale CuAlO{sub 2} particles, which leads to a remarkable increase in the average ZT. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  12. Exchange coupling in permalloy/BiFeO3 heterostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heron, John; Wang, Chen; Carlton, David; Nowakowski, Mark; Gajek, Martin; Awschalom, David; Bokor, Jeff; Ralph, Dan; Ramesh, R.

    2010-03-01

    BiFeO3 is a ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic multiferroic with the ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic order parameters coupled at room temperature. This coupling results in the reorientation of the ferroelectric and magnetic domains as applied voltages switch the electric polarization. Previous studies using ferromagnet/BiFeO3 heterostructures have shown that the anisotropy of the ferromagnetic layer can be tuned by the ferroelectric domain structure of the BiFeO3 film [1, 2]. The physical mechanism driving this exchange bias with BiFeO3 is still under investigation. We use patterned permalloy structures, with varying aspect ratios, on BiFeO3 thin films to investigate the physics of this interaction. The results of our studies using MFM, PEEM, and MOKE to understand this mechanism as a means to electric field control of magnetic structures will be presented. [4pt] [1] H. Bea et al., Physical Review Letters 100, 017204 (2008).[0pt] [2] L.W. Martin et al., Nanoletters 8, 2050 (2008).

  13. Layer Structured Bismuth Selenides of Bi2Se3 and Bi3Se4 for High Energy and Flexible All-Solid-State Micro-Supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Chunxue; Wang, Lidan; Wen, Fusheng; Xiang, Jianyong; Li, Lei; Hu, Wentao; Liu, Zhongyuan

    2017-12-20

    Bismuth selenides (Bi2Se3 and Bi3Se4), both of which have the layered rhombohedral crystal structure, and found to be useful as electrode materials for supercapacitor application in this work. Bi2Se3 nanoplates as electrode material exhibit much better performance than that of Bi3Se4 nanoparticles in liquid electrolyte system (6 M KOH), which delivers a higher specific capacitance (272.9 F/g) than that of Bi3Se4 (193.6 F/g) at 5 mV/s. This result would may be attributed to that Bi2Se3 nanoplates possess more active electrochemical surfaces for the reversible surface redox reactions owing to its planar quintuple stacked layers (septuple layers for Bi3Se4). For the demand of electronic skin, we used a novel flexible annular interdigital structure electrode applying for all-solid-state micro-supercapacitors (AMSCs). Bi2Se3 AMSCs device delivers a much more excellent supercapacitor performance, exhibits a large stack capacitance 89.5 F/cm3 (Bi3Se4: 79.1 F/cm3) at 20 mV/s, a high energy density 17.9 mWh/cm3 and high power density 18.9 W/cm3. The bismuth selenides also exhibit good cycle stability, retention 95.5% (90.3%) after 1000 c for Bi2Se3 (Bi3Se4). Obviously, Bi2Se3 nanoplates can be promising electrode materials for flexible annular interdigital all-solid-sate supercapacitor. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  14. First principles study of (Cd, Hg, In, Tl, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, Se) modified Pt(111), Pt(100) and Pt(211) electrodes as CO oxidation catalysts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tripkovic, Vladimir

    2015-01-01

    . The coverage dependence as a function of potential for ten different adatom species (Cd, Hg, In, Tl, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, Se) on bare and CO saturated Pt(111), Pt(100) and Pt(211) surfaces has been established by means of Density Functional Theory calculations. Most of the adatoms are very stable under standard......, given by the OH formation potentials from water, is dependent on the oxophilicity of the adatoms, and is found to scale almost inversely with the adatom stability. In electrolyte solutions saturated with CO, the stability reduces to roughly half of that on bare Pt surfaces. Irrespective of the CO...

  15. X-ray studies of interface Fe-oxide in annealed MgO based magnetic tunneling junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Telesca, D., E-mail: donaldtelesca@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Connecticut, 2152 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT 06269 (United States); Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Kirtland AFB, NM 87117 (United States); Sinkovic, B. [Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Kirtland AFB, NM 87117 (United States); Yang, See-Hun; Parkin, S.S.P. [IBM Amaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120 (United States)

    2012-08-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This work concludes the presence of oxide in MgO/transition-metal bi-layers. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal annealing causes a possible structural transformation of the oxide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This is first evidence for a possible structural change of the oxide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer First use of the O K-edge XAS signature of TM oxides to confirm presence of oxide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We see a diffusion of oxygen and a decrease in interface roughness. -- Abstract: X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray scattering have been used to determine the oxidation reactions at the buried MgO/Fe interface as a result of the deposition of MgO. We confirm that Fe-oxide is present at the MgO/Fe and MgO/CoFe interfaces and amounts to less than 1 mL in thickness. The Fe-oxide is a mixture of different iron oxide phases within the ultra-thin layer which can be reduced following annealing. We observe the transformation of the interfacial oxide from a more Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}-like phase to a more FeO-like phase following annealing, and that this process is most noticeable between the 200 and 350 Degree-Sign C annealing steps. In addition, the formation of a more bulk like MgO electronic structure following annealing was observed.

  16. Photoelectrochemical Performance Observed in Mn-Doped BiFeO3 Heterostructured Thin Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao-Min Xu

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Pure BiFeO3 and heterostructured BiFeO3/BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 (5% Mn-doped BiFeO3 thin films have been prepared by a chemical deposition method. The band structures and photosensitive properties of these films have been investigated elaborately. Pure BiFeO3 films showed stable and strong response to photo illumination (open circuit potential kept −0.18 V, short circuit photocurrent density was −0.023 mA·cm−2. By Mn doping, the energy band positions shifted, resulting in a smaller band gap of BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 layer and an internal field being built in the BiFeO3/BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 interface. BiFeO3/BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 and BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 thin films demonstrated poor photo activity compared with pure BiFeO3 films, which can be explained by the fact that Mn doping brought in a large amount of defects in the BiFe0.95Mn0.05O3 layers, causing higher carrier combination and correspondingly suppressing the photo response, and this negative influence was more considerable than the positive effects provided by the band modulation.

  17. Determination of the impact of Bi content on the valence band energy of GaAsBi using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Collar

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the change of the valence band energy of GaAs1-xBix (0Bi concentration, x, using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. The change in the valence band energy per addition of 1 % Bi is determined for strained and unstrained thin films using a linear approximation applicable to the dilute regime. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE was used as a complementary technique to determine the change in GaAsBi bandgap resulting from Bi addition. Analysis of SE and XPS data together supports the conclusion that ∼75% of the reduction in the bandgap is in the valence band for a compressively strained, dilute GaAsBi thin film at room temperature.

  18. Bi[NC5H3(CO2)2](OH2)xF (x=1 and 2): New one-dimensional Bi-coordination materials—Reversible hydration and topotactic decomposition to α-Bi2O3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Hye Rim; Lee, Dong Woo; Ok, Kang Min

    2012-03-01

    Two one-dimensional bismuth-coordination materials, Bi[NC5H3(CO2)2](OH2)xF (x=1 and 2), have been synthesized by hydrothermal reactions using Bi2O3, 2,6-NC5H3(CO2H)2, HF, and water at 180 °C. Structures of the two materials were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Although they have different crystal structures, both Bi-organic materials shared a common structural motif, a one-dimensional chain structure consisting of Bi3+ cations and pyridine dicarboxylate linkers. Detailed structural analyses include infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and reversible hydration reactions for the coordinated water molecules were reported. Also, thermal decomposition of the rod-shaped Bi[NC5H3(CO2)2](OH2)F single crystals at 800 °C led to α-Bi2O3 that maintained the same morphology of the original crystals.

  19. Electron diffraction study of the sillenites Bi{sub 12}SiO{sub 20}, Bi{sub 25}FeO{sub 39} and Bi{sub 25}InO{sub 39}: Evidence of short-range ordering of oxygen-vacancies in the trivalent sillenites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scurti, Craig A.; Arenas, D. J. [Department of Physics, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224 (United States); Auvray, Nicolas [Department of Physics, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224 (United States); Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d’Instrumentation Optique - UMR CNRS 6279, Université Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, Troyes 10010 (France); Lufaso, Michael W. [Department of Chemistry, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL 32224 (United States); Takeda, Seiji [The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Kohno, Hideo [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada, Kami, Kochi 782-8502 Japan (Japan)

    2014-08-15

    We present an electron diffraction study of three sillenites, Bi{sub 12}SiO{sub 20}, Bi{sub 25}FeO{sub 39}, and Bi{sub 25}InO{sub 39} synthesized using the solid-state method. We explore a hypothesis, inspired by optical studies in the literature, that suggests that trivalent sillenites have additional disorder not present in the tetravalent compounds. Electron diffraction patterns of Bi{sub 25}FeO{sub 39} and Bi{sub 25}InO{sub 39} show streaks that confirm deviations from the ideal sillenite structure. Multi-slice simulations of electron-diffraction patterns are presented for different perturbations to the sillenite structure - partial substitution of the M site by Bi{sup 3+}, random and ordered oxygen-vacancies, and a frozen-phonon model. Although comparison of experimental data to simulations cannot be conclusive, we consider the streaks as evidence of short-range ordered oxygen-vacancies.

  20. Structural properties of superconducting Bi-2223/Ag tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gottschalck Andersen, L.

    2001-05-01

    The structural properties of silver clad high-T{sub c} superconducting ceramic tapes of (Bi,Pb){sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (Bi-2223) have been investigated by means of synchrotron X-ray diffraction (including the 3DXRD microscope setup), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). By synchrotron X-ray diffraction in situ studies of the phase development during the transformation of (Bi,Pb){sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 1}Cu{sub 2}O{sub x} (Bi-2212) into Bi-2223, the stoichiometry changes and the texture have been performed during annealing in 8% O{sub 2} and in air. Furthermore, an annealing with two high temperature cycles has been performed to study the equilibrium phenomena. During heating (Ca,Sr){sub 2}PbO{sub 4} decomposes at temperatures between 700 deg. C and 840 deg.C. Simultaneously, the Bi-2212 lattice contracts, indicating an incorporation of Pb. Moreover, the grain mis-alignment decreases significantly. In air we have observed that Bi-2212 partly dissociates into (Ca,Sr){sub 2}CuO{sub 3} and a liquid at temperatures above 812 deg. C. At the annealing temperature Bi-2212 and (Ca,Sr){sub 2}CuO{sub 3} react with the liquid to form Bi-2223. The transformation mechanism is discussed. During cooling below {approx}750 deg.C (Ca,Sr){sub 2}CuO{sub 3} and the liquid mainly transform into Bi-2201. Below {approx}780 deg. C Bi-2223 decomposes to 3221. In addition, a two-step cooling experiment and a decomposition study have been performed in 8% O{sub 2}. By TEM the grain and colony size in the c-axis direction, the angles of c-axis tilt grain boundaries and the intergrowth content are investigated. A fully processed tape has on average 50% thicker grains than a tape after the 1st annealing. The angles of c-axis tilt grain boundaries are on average 14 deg. and 26 deg. for the fully processed tape and the tape after the 1st annealing, respectively. The intergrowth content (15%) and

  1. Design and fabrication of a 30 T superconducting solenoid using overpressure processed Bi2212 round wire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flanagan, Gene [Muons, Inc., Batavia, IL (United States); Johnson, Rolland [Muons, Inc., Batavia, IL (United States)

    2016-02-18

    High field superconducting magnets are used in particle colliders, fusion energy devices, and spectrometers for medical imaging and advanced materials research. Magnets capable of generating fields of 20-30 T are needed by future accelerator facilities. A 20-30 T magnet will require the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) and therefore the challenges of high field HTS magnet development need to be addressed. Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi2212) conductors fabricated by the oxide-powder-in-tube (OPIT) technique have demonstrated the capability to carry large critical current density of 105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 45 T. Available in round wire multi-filamentary form, Bi2212 may allow fabrication of 20-50 T superconducting magnets. Until recently the performance of Bi2212 has been limited by challenges in realizing high current densities (Jc ) in long lengths. This problem now is solved by the National High Magnetic Field Lab using an overpressure (OP) processing technique, which uses external pressure to process the conductor. OP processing also helps remove the ceramic leakage that results when Bi-2212 liquid leaks out from the sheath material and reacts with insulation, coil forms, and flanges. Significant advances have also been achieved in developing novel insulation materials (TiO2 coating) and Ag-Al sheath materials that have higher mechanical strengths than Ag-0.2wt.% Mg, developing heat treatment approaches to broadening the maximum process temperature window, and developing high-strength, mechanical reinforced Bi-2212 cables. In the Phase I work, we leveraged these new opportunities to prototype overpressure processed solenoids and test them in background fields of up to 14 T. Additionally a design of a fully superconducting 30 T solenoid was produced. This work in conjunction with the future path outlined in the Phase II proposal would

  2. BiDil: from another vantage point.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puckrein, Gary

    2006-01-01

    In a recent Health Affairs Web Exclusive, Pamela Sankar and Jonathan Kahn argue against the Food and Drug Administration's approval of BiDil as a new drug for the treatment of heart failure in African Americans. Their paper questions the existence of disparities between African American and other heart-failure patients and the motivations of BiDil's developers and manufacturer. The disparities are confirmed and persistent, however, and BiDil's effectiveness is proven. If the authors' logic were to prevail, patients would be denied life-saving therapy. Continued investigation will likely narrow identification of patients who will benefit.

  3. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of BiFeO3 modified Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Changrong; Liu Xinyu; Li Weizhou

    2008-01-01

    The (0.82 - x)Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 -0.18Bi 0.5 K 0.5 TiO 3 -xBiFeO 3 (x = 0-0.07) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were fabricated by a conventional solid-state reaction method and the effect of BiFeO 3 addition on microstructure and electrical properties of the ceramics was investigated. The specimens with x ≤ 0.05 maintained a rhombohedral-tetragonal phase coexistence and changed into a rhombohedral phase when x > 0.05 in crystal structure. The addition of BiFeO 3 caused a promoted grain growth. All the specimens reveal a low-frequency dielectric dispersion in the frequency range of 40-1 MHz. The piezoelectric constant d 33 and the electromechanical coupling factor k p show an obvious improvement by the addition of small amount of BiFeO 3 , which shows optimum values of d 33 = 170 pC/N and k p = 0.366 at x = 0.03. Contrary to the enhancement of piezoelectric properties, Q m decreases with increasing BiFeO 3 content. The mechanisms of intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the dielectric and piezoelectric responses have been proposed. Intrinsic contributions are from the relative ion/cation shift that preserves the ferroelectric crystal structure. The remaining extrinsic contributions are from the domain-wall motion and point defects

  4. Chemical casting of high-Tc superconducting BiSCCO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toth, L.E.; Das, B.N.; Rayne, R.J.; Bender, B.A.; Lechter, W.L.; Hoff, H.A.; Osofsky, M.S.; Soulen, R.J. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    BiSCCO has been successfully cast into a number of useful shapes. This casting process differs significantly from traditional casting in that the process includes a change in the oxygen content of the melt. A heat treatment is required to restore the original chemistry, properly form the BiSCCO crystal structure and develop the superconducting properties. This paper emphasizes the microstructures of as-cast and heat treated BiSCCO. Casting causes considerable grain alignment of the BiSCCO platelets. The platelets align preferentially along the thermal gradients which exist during the solidification process

  5. Anharmonic phonons and magnons in BiFeO3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Delaire, Olivier A [ORNL; Ma, Jie [ORNL; Stone, Matthew B [ORNL; Huq, Ashfia [ORNL; Gout, Delphine J [ORNL; Brown, Craig [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Wang, Kefeng [Nanjing National Laboratory of Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing; Ren, Zhifeng [Boston College, Chestnut Hill

    2012-01-01

    The phonon density of states (DOS) and magnetic excitation spectrum of polycrystalline BiFeO3 were measured for temperatures 200 < T < 750K , using inelastic neutron scattering (INS). Our results indicate that the magnetic spectrum of BiFeO3 closely resembles that of similar Fe perovskites, such as LaFeO3, despite the cycloid modulation in BiFeO3. We do not find any evidence for a spin gap. A strong T-dependence of the phonon DOS was found, with a marked broadening of the whole spectrum, providing evidence of strong anharmonicity. This anharmonicity is corroborated by large amplitude motions of Bi and O ions observed with neutron diffraction. These results highlight the importance of spin-phonon coupling in this material.

  6. Ion-cyclotron instability in plasmas described by product-bi-kappa distributions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, M. S. dos; Ziebell, L. F.; Gaelzer, R.

    2015-01-01

    The dispersion relation for parallel propagating waves in the ion-cyclotron branch is investigated numerically by considering that the velocity distribution of the ion population is a function of type product-bi-kappa. We investigate the effects of the non-thermal features and of the anisotropy associated with this type of distribution on the ion-cyclotron instability, as well as the influence of different forms of the electron distribution, by considering Maxwellian distributions, bi-kappa distributions, and product-bi-kappa distributions. The cases of ions described by either Maxwellian or bi-kappa distributions are also considered, for comparison. The results of the numerical analysis show that the increase in the non-thermal character associated with the anisotropic kappa distributions for ions contributes to enhance the instability as compared to that obtained in the Maxwellian case, in magnitude and in wave number range, with more significant enhancement for the case of ion product-bi-kappa distributions than for the case of ion bi-kappa distributions. It is also shown that the ion-cyclotron instability is decreased if the electrons are described by product-bi-kappa distributions, while electrons described by bi-kappa distributions lead to growth rates which are very similar to those obtained considering a Maxwellian distribution for the electron population

  7. Contact interaction of the Bi12GeO20, Bi12SiO20, and Bi4Ge3O12 melts with noble metals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denisov, V. M.; Podkopaev, O. I.; Denisova, L. T.; Kuchumova, O. V.; Istomin, S. A.; Pastukhov, E. A.

    2014-02-01

    The sessile drop method is used to study the contact interaction of Ag, Au, Pd, Pt, and Ir with the Bi2O3-GeO2 and Bi2O3-SiO2 melts. These melts spread over Ag and Pd and, in some cases, over Au and Pt at a rather high speed and form equilibrium contact angles on Ir.

  8. Spectroscopy of 214Bi and systematics of 210,212,214Pb(0+) long->β-210,212,214Bi(0-)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berant, Z.; Schuhmann, R.B.; Alburger, D.E.; Chou, W.T.; Gill, R.L.; Warburton, E.K.; Wesselborg, C.

    1991-01-01

    Experiments designed to provide more information on the spectroscopy of 214 Bi, and on 214 Pb(β - ) 214 Bi in particular, were undertaken because of interest in first-forbidden β decay in the lead region. The experiments consisted of γ-γ coincidences and angular correlations, conversion electron measurements, level lifetime determinations, and precision γ-ray energy measurements. The 352-keV level of 214 Bi was found to be a strong candidate (and the only candidate) for the 0 1 - state. Recent additions to the 214 Pb decay scheme are confirmed by γ-γ coincidence measurements. A careful evaluation of the 214 Bi level scheme is made with emphasis on separating experimentally based conclusions from speculations based on systematics and other ''weak'' arguments. Shell-model calculations of the spectroscopy of 210,212 Bi and 210,212 Pb(β - ) 210,212 Bi were performed using a modification of the Kuo-Herling realistic interaction. These calculations and a generalized seniority model provide a basis for an examination of the systematics of the A=210, 212, 214 spectroscopy and β decay. The generalized seniority model is found to be a quite good approximation which provides a quantitative understanding of the 214 Pb decay rates

  9. Combinatorial processing libraries for bulk BiFeO3-PbTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, W.; Tan, X.; Rajan, K.

    2010-01-01

    A high throughput approach for generating combinatorial libraries with varying processing conditions for bulk ceramics has been developed. This approach utilized the linear temperature gradient in a tube furnace to screen a whole temperature range for optimized preparation. With this approach, the processing of 0.98[0.6BiFeO 3 -0.4PbTiO 3 ]-0.02Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 ceramic powders and pellets for high-temperature piezoelectric applications was demonstrated to identify the best synthesis conditions for phase purity. The dielectric property measurement on the as-processed solid solution ceramics confirmed the high Curie temperature and the improved loss tangent with the Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 doping. (orig.)

  10. Synthesis and melting behaviour of Bi, Sn and Sn–Bi nanostructured alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frongia, F.; Pilloni, M.; Scano, A.; Ardu, A.; Cannas, C.; Musinu, A. [Università di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche and Cagliari Research Unit of the National Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, CA (Italy); Borzone, G.; Delsante, S. [Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, Genoa University and Genoa Research Unit of the National Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Via Dodecaneso 31, I-16146 Genoa (Italy); Novakovic, R. [National Research Council (CNR), Institute for Energetics and Interphases (IENI), Via De Marini 6, 16149 Genoa (Italy); Ennas, G., E-mail: ennas@unica.it [Università di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche and Cagliari Research Unit of the National Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, CA (Italy)

    2015-02-25

    Highlights: • Aqueous solution route is used to produce Bi, Sn and Bi–Sn nanoparticles. • HRTEM revealed core–shell and Janus type structures of Bi–Sn nanoparticles. • Melting temperature depression of Bi and Bi–Sn nanoparticles were measured by DSC. • DSC data on Bi melting temperature depression agrees with theoretical values. - Abstract: Lead-free solders based on Bi–Sn bimetallic nanoclusters with eutectic composition (Bi{sub 43}Sn{sub 57}) were synthesized at low temperature by simultaneous reduction reaction from aqueous solution containing bismuth and tin chlorides, using potassium borohydride as a reducing agent. By the same processing route, pure bismuth and tin nanoparticles have also been prepared. Microstructure, morphology and composition of the samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). TEM images of Bi–Sn nanoparticles show average size ranging from 30 to 100 nm. Thermal behaviour of Bi–Sn nanopowders was studied by DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and a melting temperature (135 °C) lower than that of the corresponding microcrystalline sample (139 °C) was observed. SEM micrographs of the thermally treated sample up to 400 °C show fine spherical grains in the micrometer range with finer powder particles on the surface. XRD powder diffraction analysis indicates the formation of bismuth and tin nanophases with an average particle size of 85 and 126 nm, respectively. The oxidation behaviour of the samples was also investigated. The results obtained have been analyzed in view of theoretical models describing the melting temperature depression of nanoparticles.

  11. [Possibilities of bi-level positive pressure ventilation in chronic hypoventilation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saaresranta, Tarja; Anttalainen, Ulla; Polo, Olli

    2011-01-01

    During the last decade, noninvasive bi-level positive pressure ventilation has enabled respiratory support in inpatient wards and at home. In many cases, a bi-level airway pressure ventilator can be used to avoid artificial airway and respirator therapy, and may shorten hospital stay and save costs. The treatment alleviates the patient's dyspnea and fatigue, whereby the quality of life improves, and in certain situations also the life span increases. The implementation of bi-level positive pressure ventilation by the physician requires knowledge of the basics of respiratory physiology and familiarization with the bi-level airway pressure ventilator.

  12. Bi-amalgamations subject to the arithmetical property

    OpenAIRE

    Kabbaj, S.; Mahdou, N.; Moutui, M. A. S.

    2016-01-01

    This paper establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for a bi-amalgamation to inherit the arithmetical property, with applications on the weak global dimension and transfer of the semihereditary property. The new results compare to previous works carried on various settings of duplications and amalgamations, and capitalize on recent results on bi-amalgamations. All results are backed with new and illustrative examples arising as bi-amalgamations.

  13. Remarkable catalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites prepared by hydrothermal method for the degradation of methyl orange

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malligavathy, M. [Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Department of Physics (India); Iyyapushpam, S. [Thanthai Hans Roever Arts and Science College, PG and Research Department of Physics (India); Nishanthi, S. T. [Central Electro Chemical Research Institute, Electrochemical Materials Division (India); Pathinettam Padiyan, D., E-mail: dppadiyan@msuniv.ac.in [Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Department of Physics (India)

    2017-04-15

    Visible light Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites are successfully prepared with different dosages of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} by hydrothermal process. All the as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), N{sub 2} adsorption-desorption measurement, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). XRD and Raman spectra reveal the anatase phase of both TiO{sub 2} and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrate that the bismuth ions did not enter into the lattice of TiO{sub 2}, and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} is extremely dispersive on the surface of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles. The incorporation of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} in TiO{sub 2} leads to the spectral response of TiO{sub 2} in the visible light region and efficient separation of charge carriers. The enhanced visible light activity is tested by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under light illumination, and the performance of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposites are superior than that of pure TiO{sub 2} which is ascribed to the efficient charge separation and transfer across the Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} junction. Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite (20 mg) loaded with 0.25 of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} dispersed in 50 ml of 5 ppm methyl orange solution exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity of 98.86% within 240 min of irradiation, which is attributed to the low band gap, high surface area, and the strong interaction between Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2}.

  14. Preparation of 2D square-like Bi2S3-BiOCl heterostructures with enhanced visible light-driven photocatalytic performance for dye pollutant degradation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing-jing Xu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A series of Bi2S3-BiOCl composites with two-dimensional (2D square-like structures were prepared via a two-step anion exchange route. X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS were used to investigate the properties of the as-prepared Bi2S3-BiOCl heterostructures. The coupling of BiOCl and Bi2S3 induced enhanced photoabsorption efficiency and bandgap narrowing. A reactive brilliant red X-3B dye was used as a contaminant to test the photocatalytic activity of the obtained Bi2S3-BiOCl samples under visible light irradiation. The sample Bi2S3-BiOCl with a mass ratio of 8:4 exhibited the highest photodegradation efficiency, which was six times higher than that of pure BiOCl. In addition, a mechanism for the enhancement of photocatalytic activity is proposed.

  15. Photocatalytic removal of tetrabromobisphenol A by magnetically separable flower-like BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} hybrid nanocomposites under visible-light irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Shengwang [Department of Chemistry, College of Science, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051 (China); State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Guo, Changsheng; Hou, Song; Wan, Li [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Wang, Qiang [Heilongjiang Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Harbin 150056 (China); Lv, Jiapei; Zhang, Yuan [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Gao, Jianfeng [Department of Chemistry, College of Science, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051 (China); Meng, Wei [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Xu, Jian, E-mail: xujian@craes.org.cn [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

    2017-06-05

    Highlights: • A novel BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} hybrid nanocomposites was prepared for the first time. • BiOBr-BiOI-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (2:2:0.5) displays superior photocatalytic activity for TBBPA. • Good magnetic property makes it easy for the material’s recovery from solution. • The photocatalytic reaction mechanism of BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} was proposed. • Superoxide radical is the dominant ROS in TBBPA degradation. - Abstract: A novel flower-like three-dimensional BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized using a simple in situ co-precipitation method at room temperature. The hybrid composites were characterized by a couple of techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy, photoluminescence technique, and vibrating sample magnetometer. Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles were perfectly loaded on the surface of BiOBr/BiOI microspheres. The recyclable magnetic BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} was employed to degrade TBBPA under visible light irradiation. The optimal removal efficiency of the ternary BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (2:2:0.5) nanocomposite reached up to 98.5% for TBBPA in aqueous solution. The superior photocatalytic activity of BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} was mainly ascribed to large surface area and appropriate energy gaps, resulting in the effective adsorption and separation of electrons-hole pairs. The photogenerated reactive species determined by free radicals trapping experiments revealed that the excellent catalytic activity was primarily driven by ·O{sub 2}{sup −} radical. The photocatalytic degradation kinetics and a detailed mechanism were also proposed. Result demonstrated that the BiOBr/BiOI/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} can be magnetically recycled, and maintain high photocatalytic activity after reuse over five cycles. It

  16. Modification of photosensing property of CdS–Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} bi-layer by thermal annealing and swift heavy ion irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaikh, Shaheed U.; Siddiqui, Farha Y. [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics (India); Department of Nanotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004 (India); Singh, Fouran; Kulriya, Pawan K. [Inter University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067 (India); Phase, D.M. [UGC DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Khandwa Road, Indore 452017 (India); Sharma, Ramphal, E-mail: ramphalsharma@yahoo.com [Thin Film and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Physics (India); Department of Nanotechnology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004 (India)

    2016-02-01

    The CdS–Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} bi-layer thin films have been deposited on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass substrates at room temperature by Chemical Bath Deposition Technique (CBD) and bi-layer thin films were annealed in air atmosphere for 1 h at 250 {sup °}C. The air annealed sample was irradiated using Au{sup 9+} ions at the fluence 5 × 10{sup 11} ion/cm{sup 2} with 120 MeV energy. Effects of Swift Heavy Ion (SHI) irradiation on CdS–Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} bi-layer thin films were studied. The results are explained on the basis annealing and high electronic excitation, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Selective Electron Area Diffraction (SEAD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Raman Spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy and I–V characteristics. The photosensing property after illumination of visible light over the samples is studied. These as-deposited, annealed and irradiated bi-layer thin films are used to sense visible light at room temperature. - Graphical abstract: Schematic illustration of CdS–Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} bi-layer thin film (a) As-deposited (b) Annealed (c) irradiated sample respectively (d) Model of bi-layer photosensor device (e) Graph of illumination intensity verses photosensitivity. - Highlights: • CdS–Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} bi-layer thin film prepared at room temperature. • Irradiated using Au{sup 9+} ions at the fluence of 5 × 10{sup 11} ion/cm{sup 2} with 120 MeV energy. • Study of modification induced by irradiations. • Study of Photosensitivity after annealing and irradiation.

  17. On atomic mechanisms governing the oxidation of Bi2Te3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Music, Denis; Chang, Keke; Schmidt, Paul; Braun, Felix N.; Heller, Martin; Hermsen, Steffen; Pöllmann, Peter J.; Schulzendorff, Till; Wagner, Cedric

    2017-12-01

    Oxidation of Bi2Te3 (space group R \\overline{3} m) has been investigated using experimental and theoretical means. Based on calorimetry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermodynamic modelling, Bi2Te3 is at equilibrium with Bi2O3 and TeO2, whereby the most stable compound is Bi2Te3, followed by Bi2O3. The reactivity of Bi towards oxygen is expected to be higher than that of Te. This notion is supported by density functional theory. The strongest bond is formed between Bi and Te, followed by Bi-O. This gives rise to unanticipated atomic processes. Dissociatively adsorbed oxygen diffuses through Bi and Te basal planes of Bi2Te3(0 0 0 1) and preferably interacts with Bi. The Te termination considerably retards this process. These findings may clarify conflicting literature data. Any basal plane off-cut or Bi terminations trigger oxidation, but a perfect basal cleavage, where only Te terminations are exposed to air, may be stable for a longer period of time. These results are of relevance for applications in which surfaces are of key importance, such as nanostructured Bi2Te3 thermoelectric devices.

  18. Bi-liquid foams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonneville, Odile

    1997-01-01

    Concentrated emulsions have structures similar to foams; for this reason they are also called 'bi-liquid foams'. For oil in water emulsions, they are made of polyhedral oil cells separated by aqueous surfactant films. The limited stability of these Systems is a major nuisance in their applications. In this work, we tried to understand and to control the mechanisms through which bi-liquid foams can loose their stability. In a first stage, we characterized the states of surfactant films in bi-liquid foams submitted to different pressures. We determined their hydration, the surfactant density at interfaces as well as their thicknesses. The bi-liquid foams were made by concentrating hexadecane-in-water emulsions through centrifugation. The initial emulsions contained submicron oil droplets that were completely covered with surfactant. We measured the resistance of the films to dehydration, and we represented it by pressure-film thickness curves or pressure-film hydration curves. We also obtained evidence that the interfacial surfactant density increases when the film thickness is decreased (SDS case). The Newton Black Film state is the most dehydrated metastable state that can be reached. In this state, the films can be described as surfactant bilayers that only contain the hydration water of the surfactant polar heads. Two different processes are involved the destabilization of bi-liquid foams: Ostwald ripening (oil transfer from small cells to large cells) and coalescence (films rupture). The first mechanism can be controlled by choosing oils that are very insoluble in water, avoiding ethoxylated nonionic surfactants of low molecular weight, and making emulsions that are not too fine. The second mechanism is responsible for the catastrophic destabilization of bi-liquid foams made of droplets above one micron or with a low coverage in surfactant. In these cases, destabilization occurs in the early stages of concentration, when the films are still thick. It is caused

  19. Simulated-sunlight-activated photocatalysis of Methyl Orange using carbon and lanthanum co-doped Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zou, Hao [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environment Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Song, Mianxin, E-mail: songmianxin@swust.edu.cn [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environment Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Yi, Facheng [Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environment Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Bian, Liang [The Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics & Chemistry, Urumqi 830011 (China); Liu, Pan [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environment Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Zhang, Shuai [Fundamental Science on Nuclear Wastes and Environment Safety Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China)

    2016-09-25

    The C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite was prepared by sol-gel method. The physicochemical properties of as-synthesized samples were characterized by the TG-DSC, FESEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, TEM, HRTEM and UV–vis DRS. Besides, their photoactivities were valuated by degrading Methyl Orange. The experimental results showed that the C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite has anatase crystal structure and exhibits a remarkable optical absorption in UV–visible light region. In addition, carbon and lanthanum are deposited in the Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite in the form of amorphous carbon and oxide, respectively. When the concentration of C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} loading was 2.5 g/L, the decomposition rate of 25 mg/L Methyl Orange reached 94.3% under the irradiation of the 500 W xenon lamp after 60 min. The corresponding degradation rate constant of C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} was 2.1, 9.2, 1.3 and 6.8 times higher than that of P25, Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}, C/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} and La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}, respectively. The reuse evaluation of C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} indicated that its photocatalytic activity has good stability. - Highlights: • C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite was prepared by sol-gel method. • Carbon is deposited in Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite in the form of amorphous carbon. • Lanthanum is deposited in Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} composite in the form of oxide. • C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} exhibited superior photocatalytic activity than Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}, C/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} and La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}. • C/La/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2} has good stability.

  20. Quantum Hall effect on top and bottom surface states of topological insulator (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimi, R; Tsukazaki, A; Kozuka, Y; Falson, J; Takahashi, K S; Checkelsky, J G; Nagaosa, N; Kawasaki, M; Tokura, Y

    2015-04-14

    The three-dimensional topological insulator is a novel state of matter characterized by two-dimensional metallic Dirac states on its surface. To verify the topological nature of the surface states, Bi-based chalcogenides such as Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, Sb2Te3 and their combined/mixed compounds have been intensively studied. Here, we report the realization of the quantum Hall effect on the surface Dirac states in (Bi1-xSbx)2Te3 films. With electrostatic gate-tuning of the Fermi level in the bulk band gap under magnetic fields, the quantum Hall states with filling factor ±1 are resolved. Furthermore, the appearance of a quantum Hall plateau at filling factor zero reflects a pseudo-spin Hall insulator state when the Fermi level is tuned in between the energy levels of the non-degenerate top and bottom surface Dirac points. The observation of the quantum Hall effect in three-dimensional topological insulator films may pave a way toward topological insulator-based electronics.

  1. Tunable catalytic properties of bi-functional mixed oxides in ethanol conversion to high value compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramasamy, Karthikeyan K.; Gray, Michel J.; Job, Heather M.; Smith, Colin D.; Wang, Yong

    2016-04-10

    tA highly versatile ethanol conversion process to selectively generate high value compounds is pre-sented here. By changing the reaction temperature, ethanol can be selectively converted to >C2alcohols/oxygenates or phenolic compounds over hydrotalcite derived bi-functional MgO–Al2O3cata-lyst via complex cascade mechanism. Reaction temperature plays a role in whether aldol condensationor the acetone formation is the path taken in changing the product composition. This article containsthe catalytic activity comparison between the mono-functional and physical mixture counterpart to thehydrotalcite derived mixed oxides and the detailed discussion on the reaction mechanisms.

  2. BiP clustering facilitates protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Griesemer

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The chaperone BiP participates in several regulatory processes within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER: translocation, protein folding, and ER-associated degradation. To facilitate protein folding, a cooperative mechanism known as entropic pulling has been proposed to demonstrate the molecular-level understanding of how multiple BiP molecules bind to nascent and unfolded proteins. Recently, experimental evidence revealed the spatial heterogeneity of BiP within the nuclear and peripheral ER of S. cerevisiae (commonly referred to as 'clusters'. Here, we developed a model to evaluate the potential advantages of accounting for multiple BiP molecules binding to peptides, while proposing that BiP's spatial heterogeneity may enhance protein folding and maturation. Scenarios were simulated to gauge the effectiveness of binding multiple chaperone molecules to peptides. Using two metrics: folding efficiency and chaperone cost, we determined that the single binding site model achieves a higher efficiency than models characterized by multiple binding sites, in the absence of cooperativity. Due to entropic pulling, however, multiple chaperones perform in concert to facilitate the resolubilization and ultimate yield of folded proteins. As a result of cooperativity, multiple binding site models used fewer BiP molecules and maintained a higher folding efficiency than the single binding site model. These insilico investigations reveal that clusters of BiP molecules bound to unfolded proteins may enhance folding efficiency through cooperative action via entropic pulling.

  3. Magnetic force driven magnetoelectric effect in bi-cantilever composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ru; Wu, Gaojian; Zhang, Ning

    2017-12-01

    The magnetic force driven magnetoelectric (ME) effect in bi-cantilever Mn-Zn-Ferrite /PZT composites is presented. Compared with single cantilever, the ME voltage coefficient in bi-cantilever composite is a little lower and the resonance frequency is higher, but the bi-cantilever structure is advantageous for integration. When the magnetic gap is 3 mm, the ME voltage coefficient can achieve 6.2 Vcm-1Oe-1 at resonance under optimum bias field Hm=1030 Oe; when the magnetic gap is 1.5 mm, the ME voltage coefficient can get the value as high as 4.4 Vcm-1Oe-1 under much lower bias field H=340 Oe. The stable ME effect in bi-cantilever composites has important potential application in the design of new type ME device.

  4. Resistance–temperature relation and atom cluster estimation of In–Bi system melts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geng, Haoran; Wang Zhiming; Zhou Yongzhi; Li Cancan

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A testing device was adopted to measure the electrical resistivity of In–Bi system melts. ► A basically linear relation exists between the resistivity and temperature of In x Bi 100−x melts in measured temperature range. ► Based on Novakovic's assumption, the content of InBi atomic cluster in In x Bi 100−x melt is estimated with ρ ≈ ρ InBi x InBi + ρ m (1 − x InBi ) equation. - Abstract: A testing device for the resistivity of high-temperature melt was adopted to measure the l resistivity of In–Bi system melts at different temperatures. It can be concluded from the analysis and calculation of the experimental results that the resistivity of In x Bi 100−x (x = 0–100) melt is in linear relationship with temperature within the experiment temperature range. The resistivity of the melt decreases with the increasing content of In. The fair consistency of resistivity of In–Bi system melt is found in the heating and cooling processes. On the basis of Novakovic's assumption, we approximately estimated the content of InBi atom clusters in In x Bi 100−x melts with the resistivity data by equation ρ ≈ ρ InBi x InBi + ρ m (1 − x InBi ). In the whole components interval, the content corresponds well with the mole fraction of InBi clusters calculated by Novakovic in the thermodynamic approach. The mole fraction of InBi type atom clusters in the melts reaches the maximum at the point of stoichiometric composition In 50 Bi 50 .

  5. Improved photoelectrochemical performance of Z-scheme g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4} heterostructure and degradation property

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Junqi, E-mail: sfmlab@163.com; Yuan, Huan; Zhu, Zhenfeng

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • A novel Z-scheme g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4} composite was synthesized. • The Z-scheme system we made can remain the strong reducibility and oxidizability of the photocatalysts. • The solar light was made the utmost use both the ultraviolet and visible region light through the g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4} composite. - Abstract: In g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4}, the p–n junction between p-type Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and n-type BiPO{sub 4} was encapsulated by g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and a direct Z-scheme was built between g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The optical, morphological and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of BiPO{sub 4}, g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/BiPO{sub 4}, Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4} and g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4} hierarchical Z-scheme system were studied. More than 90% photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) with the exposure of simulated solar light was achieved within 160 min with the g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4}, which displayed remarkably promoted photocatalytic activities than other samples. The electrochemical impedance spectra and photocurrent results also proved that efficient charge separation and better electron transport properties were achieved by g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/BiPO{sub 4}. In general, the addition of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} can guide the residual electrons on p-type Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} to recombine with photoholes of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and make sure the left carries exhibit stronger oxidation and reduction ability to boost the production of active groups.

  6. Growth of superconducting Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} films by sedimentation deposition and liquid phase sintering and annealing technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manahan, R.L.C. [Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines, Llamas Science Hall, Rm. 3122, E. Quirino Street, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 (Philippines)]. E-mail: rcmanahan@nip.upd.edu.ph; Sarmago, R.V. [Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines, Llamas Science Hall, Rm. 3122, E. Quirino Street, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 (Philippines)

    2006-10-01

    We report on a technique of growing highly c-axis oriented Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8+{delta}} (Bi-2212) thick films on MgO substrate using a combined sedimentation-deposition and liquid phase sintering and annealing process. The temperature profiles employed partial melting followed by rapid cooling to temperature below the melting point. Scanning electron micrographs show that the films have a smooth surface. No evidence of grain boundaries on the film's surface can be seen. The critical temperatures of the samples range from {approx}67 K to {approx}81 K. This method presents a quick and easy preparation for high quality epitaxial Bi-2212 films.

  7. Single Crystal Growth and Superconducting Properties of Antimony-Substituted NdO0.7F0.3BiS2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satoshi Demura

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Antimony (Sb substitution of less than 8% was examined on a single crystal of a layered superconductor NdO0.7F0.3BiS2. The superconducting transition temperature of the substituted samples decreased as Sb concentration increased. A lattice constant along the c-axis showed a large decrease compared with that along the a-axis. Since in-plane chemical pressure monotonically decreased as Sb concentration increased, the suppression of the superconductivity is attributed to the decrease in the in-plane chemical pressure.

  8. TOOL ASSEMBLY WITH BI-DIRECTIONAL BEARING

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longhurst, G.E.

    1961-07-11

    A two-direction motion bearing which is incorporated in a refueling nuclear fuel element trsnsfer tool assembly is described. A plurality of bi- directional bearing assembliesare fixed equi-distantly about the circumference of the transfer tool assembly to provide the tool assembly with a bearing surface- for both axial and rotational motion. Each bi-directional bearing assembly contains a plurality of circumferentially bulged rollers mounted in a unique arrangement which will provide a bearing surface for rotational movement of the tool assembly within a bore. The bi-direc tional bearing assembly itself is capable of rational motion and thus provides for longitudinal movement of the tool assembly.

  9. Rashba split surface states in BiTeBr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eremeev, S V; Rusinov, I P; Nechaev, I A; Chulkov, E V

    2013-01-01

    Within density functional theory, we study the bulk band structure and surface states of BiTeBr. We consider both ordered and disordered phases, which differ in atomic order in the Te–Br sublattice. On the basis of relativistic ab initio calculations, we show that the ordered BiTeBr is energetically preferable as compared with the disordered one. We demonstrate that both Te- and Br-terminated surfaces of the ordered BiTeBr hold surface states with a giant spin–orbit splitting. The Te-terminated surface-state spin splitting has Rashba-type behavior with the coupling parameter α R ∼ 2 eVÅ. (paper)

  10. BI-AMALGAMATION OF SMALL WEAK GLOBAL DIMENSION

    OpenAIRE

    Tamekkante, Mohammed; Bouba, El Mehdi

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we characterize the bi-Amalgamations of small weakglobal dimension. The new results compare to previous works carried on varioussettings of duplications and amalgamations, and capitalize on recent resultson bi-amalgamations

  11. Synthesis, Analysis, and Testing of BiOBr-Bi2WO6 Photocatalytic Heterojunction Semiconductors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangchao Meng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In photocatalysis, the recombination of electron-hole pairs is generally regarded as one of its most serious drawbacks. The synthesis of various composites with heterojunction structures has increasingly shed light on preventing this recombination. In this work, a BiOBr-Bi2WO6 photocatalytic heterojunction semiconductor was synthesized by the facile hydrothermal method and applied in the photocatalytic degradation process. It was determined that both reaction time and temperature significantly affected the crystal structure and morphologies of the photocatalysts. BiOBr (50 at%-Bi2WO6 composites were prepared under optimum synthesis conditions (120°C for 6 h and by theoretically analyzing the DRS results, it was determined that they possessed the suitable band gap (2.61 eV to be stimulated by visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared photocatalysts were evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB under visible-light irradiation. The experimental conditions, including initial concentration, pH, and catalyst dosage, were explored and the photocatalysts in this system were proven stable enough to be reused for several runs. Moreover, the interpreted mechanism of the heterojunction enhancement effect proved that the synthesis of a heterojunction structure provided an effective method to decrease the recombination rate of the electron-hole pairs, thereby improving the photocatalytic activity.

  12. Crystal Structure of AgBi2I7 Thin Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Zewen; Meng, Weiwei; Mitzi, David B; Yan, Yanfa

    2016-10-06

    Synthesis of cubic-phase AgBi 2 I 7 iodobismuthate thin films and fabrication of air-stable Pb-free solar cells using the AgBi 2 I 7 absorber have recently been reported. On the basis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and nominal composition, it was suggested that the synthesized films have a cubic ThZr 2 H 7 crystal structure with AgBi 2 I 7 stoichiometry. Through careful examination of the proposed structure and computational evaluation of the phase stability and bandgap, we find that the reported "AgBi 2 I 7 " films cannot be forming with the ThZr 2 H 7 -type structure, but rather more likely adopt an Ag-deficient AgBiI 4 type. Both the experimental X-ray diffraction pattern and bandgap can be better explained by the AgBiI 4 structure. Additionally, the proposed AgBiI 4 structure, with octahedral bismuth coordination, removes unphysically short Bi-I bonding within the [BiI 8 ] hexahedra of the ThZr 2 I 7 model. Our results provide critical insights for assessing the photovoltaic properties of AgBi 2 I 7 iodobismuthate materials.

  13. BiVO4 nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venkataraman Sivakumar

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4 nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple thermal decomposition method. The synthesized bismuth vanadate nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, it is found that the synthesized sample belongs to monoclinic BiVO4. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms the formation of Bi-O bond in the sample. Ultraviolet–Visible (DRS-UV–Visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal the optical property of the BiVO4 nanoparticles. The morphology was identified by both scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Further, the photocatalytic activity of BiVO4 nanoparticles was investigated by photodegradation of methylene blue as a model organic pollutant.

  14. Metaheuristics for bi-level optimization

    CERN Document Server

    2013-01-01

    This book provides a complete background on metaheuristics to solve complex bi-level optimization problems (continuous/discrete, mono-objective/multi-objective) in a diverse range of application domains. Readers learn to solve large scale bi-level optimization problems by efficiently combining metaheuristics with complementary metaheuristics and mathematical programming approaches. Numerous real-world examples of problems demonstrate how metaheuristics are applied in such fields as networks, logistics and transportation, engineering design, finance and security.

  15. Analysis of the residual strain change of Bi2212, Ag alloy and Ag during the heating and cooling process in Bi2212/Ag/Ag alloy composite wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, J K; Ochiai, S; Okuda, H; Mukai, Y; Sugano, M; Sato, M; Oh, S S; Ha, D W; Kim, S C

    2008-01-01

    The residual strain change of Bi2212 and Ag during the cooling and heating process in the Bi2212/Ag/Ag alloy composite superconductor was studied. First, the residual strain of Bi2212 filaments at room temperature was measured by the x-ray diffraction method. Then, the Young's moduli of the constituents (Bi2212 filaments, Ag and Ag alloy) and yield strains of Ag and Ag alloy were estimated from the analysis of the measured stress-strain curve, based on the rule of mixtures. Also, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the Bi2212 filaments was estimated from the analysis of the measured thermal expansion curve of the composite wire. From the modeling analysis using the estimated property values and the residual strain of Bi2212 filaments, the changes of residual strain of Bi2212, Ag alloy and Ag with temperature during the cooling and heating process were revealed

  16. Fabricaion of improved novel p–n junction BiOI/Bi{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} nanocomposite for visible light driven photocatalysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Weicheng [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong (China); Fang, Jianzhang, E-mail: fangjzh@scnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong (China); Guangdong Technology Research Center for Ecological Management and Remediation of Urban Water System, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhu, Ximiao [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong (China); Fang, Zhanqiang [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong (China); Guangdong Technology Research Center for Ecological Management and Remediation of Urban Water System, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Cen, Chaoping [The Key Laboratory of Water and Air Pollution Control of Guangdong Province, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou 510655 (China)

    2015-12-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A p–n heterojunction photocatalyst BiOI/Bi{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} was prepared by hydrothermal method. • 4% BiOI/Bi{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} with maximal photocatalytic degradation efficiency (RhB) of 99.9%. • A specific degradation routes of RhB was illustrated. • The photocatalytic mechanism is discussed according to p–n junction principles. • • O{sub 2}{sup −} and h+ are the main reactive species for the degradation of RhB. - Abstract: A series of novel p−n junction photocatalysts BiOI/Bi{sub 2}Sn{sub 2}O{sub 7} (BiOI/BSO) were successfully fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method. The phase structures, morphologies and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were studied by XRD, TEM, HRTEM, BET, XPS, UV–vis DRS and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results showed that BiOI/BSO heteronanostructures displayed much higher photocatalytic activity than pure BSO and BiOI for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The best photocatalytic activity of BiOI/BSO with almost 99.9% RhB degradation situated at molar percentage ratio of 4% after 6 h irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of BiOI/BSO could be mainly attributed to the formation of the heterojunction between p-BiOI and n-BSO, which effectively restrains the recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Moreover, the study of radical scavengers affirmed that h{sup +} and • O{sub 2}{sup −} were the primary reactive species for the degradation of RhB.

  17. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties of Bi0⋅5(Na0⋅82K0⋅18)0⋅5 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Administrator

    diffuse into the Bi0⋅5(Na0⋅82K0⋅18)0⋅5TiO3 lattices to form a solid solution with a pure perovskite structure. The LiSbO3 addition has no remarkable effect on the crystal structure. However, a significant change in grain size took place. Simultaneously, with increasing amount of LiSbO3, the temperature for a ...

  18. Structural determination of Bi-doped magnetite multifunctional nanoparticles for contrast imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laguna-Marco, M A; Piquer, C; Roca, A G; Boada, R; Andrés-Vergés, M; Veintemillas-Verdaguer, S; Serna, C J; Iadecola, A; Chaboy, J

    2014-09-14

    To determine with precision how Bi atoms are distributed in Bi-doped iron oxide nanoparticles their structural characterization has been carried out by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) recorded at the K edge of Fe and at the L3 edge of Bi. The inorganic nanoparticles are nominally hybrid structures integrating an iron oxide core and a bismuth oxide shell. Fe K-edge XAS indicates the formation of a structurally ordered, non-stoichiometric magnetite (Fe3-δO4) phase for all the nanoparticles. The XAS spectra show that, in the samples synthesized by precipitation in aqueous media and laser pyrolysis, the Bi atoms neither enter into the iron oxide spinel lattice nor form any other mixed Bi-Fe oxides. No modification of the local structure around the Fe atoms induced by the Bi atoms is observed at the Fe K edge. In addition, contrary to expectations, our results indicate that the Bi atoms do not form a well-defined Bi oxide structure. The XAS study at the Bi L3 edge indicates that the environment around Bi atoms is highly disordered and only a first oxygen coordination shell is observed. Indefinite [BiO6-x(OH)x] units (isolated or aggregated forming tiny amorphous clusters) bonded through hydroxyl bridges to the nanoparticle, rather than a well defined Bi2O3 shell, surround the nanoparticle. On the other hand, the XAS study indicates that, in the samples synthesized by thermal decomposition, the Bi atoms are embedded in a longer range ordered structure showing the first and second neighbors.

  19. Radiation-induced defects formation in Bi-containing vitreous chalcogenides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shpotyuk, O.; Vakiv, M.; Balitska, V.; Kovalskiy, A.

    1997-01-01

    Processes of formation and annihilation of coordination defects in As 2 Se 3 Bi y and (As 2 Se 3 )(Bi 2 Se 3 ) y amorphous chalcogenide semiconductors induced by influence of Co 60 gamma-irradiation are investigated by photoelectric spectroscopy method. It is obtained that radiation-induced changes of photoelectrical properties on bioconcentration of As 2 Se 3 Bi y glasses are characterized by anomalous concentration dependence. The nature of this effect is associated with diamagnetic coordination defects formation. (author). 19 refs, 3 figs

  20. Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange on Bi2O3 and Ag2O-Bi2O3 Nano Photocatalysts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Ali Hosseini

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The photocatalytic activity of Bi2O3 and Ag2O-Bi2O3 was evaluated by degradation of aqueous methyl orange as a model dye effluent. Bi2O3 was synthesized using chemical precipitation method. Structural analysis revealed that Bi2O3 contain a unique well-crystallized phase and the average crystallite size of 22.4 nm. The SEM analysis showed that the size of Bi2O3 particles was mainly in the range of 16-22 nm. The most important variables affecting the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, namely reaction time, initial pH and catalyst dosage were studied, and their optimal amounts were found at 60 min, 5.58 and 0.025 g, respectively. A good correlation was found between experimental and predicted responses, confirming the reliability of the model. Incorporation of Ag2O in the structure of composite caused decreasing band gap and its response to visible light. Because a high percentage of sunlight is visible light, hence Ag2O-Bi2O3 nano-composite could be used as an efficient visible light driven photocatalyst for degradation of dye effluents by sunlight. Copyright © 2017 BCREC GROUP. All rights reserved Received: 15th August 2016; Revised: 20th December 2016; Accepted: 21st December 2016 How to Cite: Hosseini, S.A., Saeedi, R. (2017. Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange on Bi2O3 and Ag2O-Bi2O3 Nano Photocatalysts. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 12 (1: 96-105 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.12.1.623.96-105 Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.12.1.623.96-105

  1. Heat treatment control of Bi-2212 coils: I. Unravelling the complex dependence of the critical current density of Bi-2212 wires on heat treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Tengming; Li, Pei; Ye, Liyang

    2018-01-01

    A robust and reliable heat treatment is crucial for developing superconducting magnets from several superconductors especially Bi-2212. An improper heat treatment may significantly reduce the critical current density Jc of a Bi-2212 superconducting coil, even to zero, since the Jc of Bi-2212 wires is sensitive to parameters of its heat treatment (partial melt processing). To provide an essential database for heat treating Bi-2212 coils, the dependence of Jc on heat treatment is studied systematically in 11 industrial Bi-2212 wires, revealing several common traits shared between these wires and outlier behaviors. The dependence of the Jc of Bi-2212 on heat treatment is rather complex, with many processing parameters affecting Jc, including the peak processing temperature Tp, the time at the peak temperature tp, the time in the melt tmelt, the rate at which Bi-2212 melt is initially cooled CR1, the rate at which the solidification of Bi-2212 melt occurs CR2, and the temperature Tq at which the cooling rate switches from CR1 to CR2. The role of these parameters is analyzed and clarified, in the perspective of heat treating a coil. Practical advices on heat treatment design are given. The ability of a Bi-2212 coil to follow the prescribed recipe decreases with increasing coil sizes. The size of a coil that can be properly heat treated is determined.

  2. Processing Y- and Bi-based superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balachandran, U.; Dos Santos, D.I.; von Stumberg, A.W.; Graham, S.W.; Singh, J.P.; Youngdahl, C.A.; Goretta, K.C.; Shi, D.; Poeppel, R.B.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports on bulk specimens of YBa 2 Cu 3 O x and Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O y formed and then processed by sintering in the solid state, in the presence of a liquid phase, or by sinter forging. Both Y- and Bi-based superconductors are difficult to densify by solid-state sintering but easy to densify in the presence of a liquid phase. Effects of sintering conditions on superconducting properties are, however, different between the two materials. These differences will be discussed. Attempts to texture microstructures and increase J c by sinter-forging techniques have been successful for Y-based superconductors, but unsuccessful for Bi-based superconductors

  3. A study of the formation processes of the 2212 phase in the Bi-based superconductor systems. [BiSrCaCuO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wai, Lo; Glowacki, B A [Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Superconductivity, Univ. of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

    1992-04-15

    A study towards the identification of the reactions contributing to and accompanying the formation of the 2212 phase from oxides and carbonates by solid state reaction processes was conducted. The formation processes were investigated by thermal analysis, powder X-ray diffractometry and AC magnetic susceptometry. The 2212 phase was found to form from reactions between the 2201 phases (the non-superconducting pseudo-tetragonal and the superconducting monoclinic phases), Bi{sub 6}Ca{sub 7}O{sub 16}, CuO and SrCO{sub 3}. The 2201 phases were produced by the reactions of Bi-Sr-Cu-O or Bi-Sr-O compounds with SrCO{sub 3} or CuO. The 2201 phases could also be formed through the direct reaction between Bi{sub 2}CuO{sub 4} and SrCO{sub 3}. (orig.).

  4. Discovery of highly spin-polarized conducting surface states in the strong spin-orbit coupling semiconductor Sb2Se3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Shekhar; Sirohi, Anshu; Kumar Gupta, Gaurav; Kamboj, Suman; Vasdev, Aastha; Gayen, Sirshendu; Guptasarma, Prasenjit; Das, Tanmoy; Sheet, Goutam

    2018-06-01

    Majority of the A2B3 -type chalcogenide systems with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), such as Bi2Se3,Bi2Te3 , and Sb2Te3 , etc., are topological insulators. One important exception is Sb2Se3 where a topological nontrivial phase was argued to be possible under ambient conditions, but such a phase could be detected to exist only under pressure. In this paper, we show that Sb2Se3 like Bi2Se3 displays a generation of highly spin-polarized current under mesoscopic superconducting point contacts as measured by point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy. In addition, we observe a large negative and anisotropic magnetoresistance of the mesoscopic metallic point contacts formed on Sb2Se3 . Our band-structure calculations confirm the trivial nature of Sb2Se3 crystals and reveal two trivial surface states one of which shows large spin splitting due to Rashba-type SOC. The observed high spin polarization and related phenomena in Sb2Se3 can be attributed to this spin splitting.

  5. Evidence for charge transfer in Bi-based superconductors studied by positron annihilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Z.; Wang, S.J.; Gao, X.H.; Ce, G.C.; Zhao, Z.X.

    1993-01-01

    We have measured Doppler-broadening annihilation radiation (DBAR) spectra and positron lifetimes in normal and superconducting states for three kinds of Bi-based superconductors: Bi2212, Pb-doped Bi2223, Pb- and F-doped Bi2223. The difference spectra after deconvolution between two states show a sharpening effect with increasing temperature; the F-doped sample has the greatest amplitude in difference spectra but nearly the same positron lifetimes as the Pb-doped sample. The results are interpreted in terms of charge transfer between the Cu-O and Bi-O planes. The role of oxygen defects in charge transfer is discussed. (orig.)

  6. Effect of spark plasma sintering conditions on the thermoelectric properties of (Bi{sub 0.25}Sb{sub 0.75}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, Sang-Soon [Center for Electronic Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ju-Heon [High Temp. Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Beomjin; Kim, Seong Keun [Center for Electronic Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hyung-Ho [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Ki-Suk; Baik, Jeong Min [School of Materials and Science Engineering, UNIST, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); KIST-UNIST Ulsan Center for Convergent Materials, UNIST, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Won Jun [Center for Opto-Electronic Materials and Devices, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dong-Ik [High Temp. Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Hyun, Dow-Bin; Kim, Jin-Sang [Center for Electronic Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Seung-Hyub, E-mail: shbaek77@kist.re.kr [Center for Electronic Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); KIST-UNIST Ulsan Center for Convergent Materials, UNIST, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Nanomaterials Science and Technology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-09-05

    As a field-assisted technique, spark plasma sintering (SPS) enables densification of specimens in a very short period of time compared to other sintering techniques. For high performance thermoelectric material synthesis, SPS is widely used to fabricate nanograin-structured thermoelectric materials by rapidly densifying the nanopowders suppressing grain growth. However, the microstructural evolution behavior of thermoelectric materials by SPS, another important process during sintering, has been rarely studied. Here, we explore SPS as a tool to control the microstructure by long-time SPS. Using p-type (Bi{sub 0.25}Sb{sub 0.75}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} thermoelectric materials as a model system, we systematically vary SPS temperature and time to understand the correlations between SPS conditions, microstructural evolution, and the thermoelectric properties. Our results show that the relatively low eutectic temperature (∼420 °C) and the existence of volatile tellurium (Te) are critical factors to determine both microstructure and thermoelectric property. In the liquid-phase sintering regime, rapid evaporation of Te leads to a strong dependence of thermoelectric property on SPS time. On the other hand, in the solid-phase sintering regime, there is a weak dependence on SPS time. The optimum thermoelectric figure-of-merit (Z) of 2.93 × 10{sup −3}/K is achieved by SPS at 500 °C for 30 min. Our results will provide an insight on the optimization of SPS conditions for materials containing volatile elements with low eutectic temperature. - Highlights: • Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is used to synthesize the thermoelectric (Bi{sub 0.25}Sb{sub 0.75}){sub 2}Te{sub 3}. • Liquid phase and volatile element are a key for the microstructure and thermoelectric property. • Thermoelectric figure-of-merit of 2.9 × 10{sup −3}/K is achieved at 500 °C for 30 min.

  7. Quench Property of Twisted-Pair MgB$_2$ Superconducting Cables in Helium Gas

    CERN Document Server

    Spurrell, J; Falorio, I; Pelegrin, J; Ballarino, A; Yang, Y

    2015-01-01

    CERN's twisted-pair superconducting cable is a novel design which offers filament transposition, low cable inductance and is particularly suited for tape conductors such as 2G YBCO coated conductors, Ag-sheathed Bi2223 tapes and Ni/Monel-sheathed MgB2 tapes. A typical design of such twistedpair cables consists of multiple superconducting tapes intercalated with thin copper tapes as additional stabilizers. The copper tapes are typically not soldered to the superconducting tapes so that sufficient flexibility is retained for the twisting of the tape assembly. The electrical and thermal contacts between the copper and superconducting tapes are an important parameter for current sharing, cryogenic stability and quench propagation. Using an MgB2 twisted-pair cable assembly manufactured at CERN, we have carried out minimum quench energy (MQE) and propagation velocity (vp) measurements with point-like heat deposition localized within a tape. Furthermore, different contacts between the copper and superconductor aroun...

  8. BiCluE - Exact and heuristic algorithms for weighted bi-cluster editing of biomedical data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Peng; Guo, Jiong; Baumbach, Jan

    2013-01-01

    to solve the weighted bi-cluster editing problem. It implements (1) an exact algorithm based on fixed-parameter tractability and (2) a polynomial-time greedy heuristics based on solving the hardest part, edge deletions, first. We evaluated its performance on artificial graphs. Afterwards we exemplarily...... problem. BiCluE as well as the supplementary results are available online at http://biclue.mpi-inf.mpg.de webcite....

  9. BI-RADS: Use in the French radiologic community

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stines, Joseph

    2007-01-01

    In the United States, BI-RADS TM (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) has been set up as a quality assurance system for better communication between professionals and for the follow-up of breast screening programs. It has become a reference in the field of mammographic imaging and has been adopted by several countries throughout the world. It has been translated in French. The aim of this article is to discuss the difficulties in using it in the French radiologic communities. There are few problems with vocabulary excepted for microcalcifications. BI-RADS TM includes a guidance chapter giving some recommendations for using properly the lexicon. Classification of normal breast remains of concern, as it is difficult to evaluate precisely the content of fat and as the final image is also dependant of technical factors. The main difficulties are related to final classification in BI-RADS TM categories as the lexicon does not explicit which mammographic features should be included in the categories from three to five. In France, a table concerning the classification of mammographic abnormalities has been established by the HAS (former ANAES) which represents the highest scientific health authority in France. There are no major problems for using the BI-RADS TM for US and MRI. BI-RADS TM is suitable for different categories of women and for male and training has an important impact on acceptance and proper use of the lexicon

  10. MRI for the assessment of malignancy in BI-RADS 4 mammographic microcalcifications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Bennani-Baiti

    Full Text Available Assess the performance of breast MRI to diagnose breast cancer in BI-RADS 4 microcalcifications detected by mammography.This retrospective, IRB-approved study included 248 consecutive contrast-enhanced breast MRI (1.5T, protocol in accordance with EUSOBI recommendations performed to further diagnose BI-RADS 4 microcalcifications detected at mammography during a 3-year period. Standard of reference had to be established by histopathology. Routine consensus reading results by two radiologists were dichotomized as positive or negative and compared with the reference standard (benign vs malignant to calculate diagnostic parameters.There were 107 malignant and 141 benign microcalcifications. Malignancy rates were 18.3% (23/126 BI-RADS 4a, 41.7% (25/60 BI-RADS 4b and 95% (59/62 BI-RADS 4c. There were 103 true-positive, 116 true-negative, 25 false-positive, and 4 false-negative (one invasive cancer, three DCIS; 2 BI-RADS 4c, 1 BI-RADS 4b on mammography breast MRI findings, effecting a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 96.3% (95%-CI 90.7-99.0%, 82.3% (95%-CI 75.0-88.2%, 80.5% (95%-CI 72.5-87.0% and 96.7% (95%-CI 91.7-99.1%, respectively.MRI is an accurate tool to further diagnose BI-RADS 4a and 4b microcalcifications and may be helpful to avoid unnecessary biopsies in BI-RADS 4a and 4b lesions. BI-RADS 4c microcalcifications should be biopsied irrespective of MRI findings.

  11. Superconductivity induced by oxygen doping in Y{sub 2}O{sub 2}Bi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, Xiyue; Deng, Shuiquan [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Fuzhou (China); Gordon, Elijah E. [Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Whangbo, Myung-Hwan [State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Fuzhou (China); Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

    2017-08-14

    When doped with oxygen, the layered Y{sub 2}O{sub 2}Bi phase becomes a superconductor. This finding raises questions about the sites for doped oxygen, the mechanism of superconductivity, and practical guidelines for discovering new superconductors. We probed these questions in terms of first-principles calculations for undoped and O-doped Y{sub 2}O{sub 2}Bi. The preferred sites for doped O atoms are the centers of Bi{sub 4} squares in the Bi square net. Several Bi 6p x/y bands of Y{sub 2}O{sub 2}Bi are raised in energy by oxygen doping because the 2p x/y orbitals of the doped oxygen make antibonding possible with the 6p x/y orbitals of surrounding Bi atoms. Consequently, the condition necessary for the ''flat/steep'' band model for superconductivity is satisfied in O-doped Y{sub 2}O{sub 2}Bi. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  12. Oblate deformation and intruder configuration in 194,195Bi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukherjee, G.; Banerjee, K.; Banerjee, S.R.; Basu, S.K.; Bhattacharya, C.; Bhattacharya, S.; Bhattacharya, Srijit; Bhattacharjee, T.; Chanda, S.; Dey, A.; Gupta, D.; Meena, J.K.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Rana, T.K.; Bhattacharya, Sudeb; Ganguly, S.; Goswami, A.; Kshetri, R.; Pradhan, M.K.; Raut, R.; Dey, G.

    2006-01-01

    The experimental information on 194,195 Bi are very scarce compared to its neighbouring isotopes. Only 6 levels above the ground state band of 195 Bi, based on 9/2, are known with tentative spin parity assignments. Only two low energy gamma rays above the 10 isomeric state are known in 194 Bi. It is interesting not only to extend the presently known bands to higher spins, beyond band crossing but also to search for the intruder quasiparticle configurations to get a clear idea about the structure of these nuclei

  13. Higher critical current density achieved in Bi-2223 High-Tc superconductors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.S. Shalaby

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223 were prepared using a solid state reaction method at different sintering times and temperatures. Structural phase identifications have been done using X-Ray analysis and refinement by Reitveld method which proves the coexistence of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases. The critical transition temperature Tc and critical current density Jc values were measured using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer (SQUID and by the magneto-optics technique. A remarkable rapid decrease to the diamagnetic signal in the magnetization versus temperature M(T at 110 K and Jc around 1.2 × 107 A/m2 at 5 K are confirmed for the Bi-2223 compound.

  14. Bi-orderings on pure braided Thompson's groups

    OpenAIRE

    Burillo, Jose; Gonzalez-Meneses, Juan

    2006-01-01

    In this paper it is proved that the pure braided Thompson’s group BF admits a bi-order, analog to the bi-order of the pure braid groups. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional

  15. Fabrication of heterostructured Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} photocatalyst and efficient photodegradation of organic contaminants under visible-light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Meng; Li, Shuangli; Yan, Tao; Ji, Pengge; Zhao, Xia; Yuan, Kun; Wei, Dong [School of Resources and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022 (China); Du, Bin, E-mail: dubin61@gmail.com [School of Resources and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022 (China); Key Laboratory of Chemical Sensing & Analysis in Universities of Shandong, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022 (China)

    2017-07-05

    Highlights: • The product shows efficient activity in photodegradation of RhB, BPA, and phenol. • The BBOC-10 heterojunction exhibits the best activity under visible light. • Suppressed recombination of photo-generated carriers lead to the activity enhancement. - Abstract: Heterostructured Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} photocatalysts were fabricated by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method, in which melem served as the sacrificial reagent to supply carbonate anions. The as-synthesized Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} heterojunction catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. The XRD patterns of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} catalysts showed the distinctive peaks of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4}. The SEM and TEM results showed that the pure Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} possessed large plate morphology, while Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} were composed of various nanorods and particles. As for Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} heterojunction, it was obviously observed that Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanorods and particles were grown on the surfaces of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} plates. The visible light driven photocatalytic activity of Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} heterojunction photocatalyst was evaluated by decomposing dyes, phenol, and bisphenol A in water. Compared with Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4}, the Bi{sub 2}O{sub 2}CO{sub 3}/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 4} photocatalysts have exhibited remarkable enhanced activity under visible light. The excellent activity can be mainly attributed to the enhanced separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers. Controlled experiments using different radical scavengers proved that ·O{sub 2}{sup −} and h{sup +} played the main role in decomposing organic pollutants. The results of this work would

  16. Structural, chemical, and thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 Peltier materials. Bulk, thin films, and superlattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peranio, Nicola

    2008-01-01

    In this work, the nature of the natural nanostructure (nns) was analysed and the correlations to the transport coefficients, particularly the lattice thermal conductivity, is discussed. Experimental methods are presented for the first time, yielding an accurate quantitative analysis of the chemical composition and of stress fields in Bi 2 Te 3 and in compounds with similar structural and chemical microstructures. This work can be subdivided as follows: (I) N-type Bi 2 (Te 0.91 Se 0.09 ) 3 and p-type (Bi 0.26 Sb 0.74 ) 1.98 (Te 0.99 Se 0.01 ) 3.02 bulk materials synthesised by the Bridgman technique. (II) Bi 2 Te 3 thin films and Bi 2 Te 3 /Bi 2 (Te 0.88 Se 0.12 ) 3 superlattices epitaxially grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on BaF 2 substrates with periods of δ-12 nm at the Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Physikalische Messtechnik (IPM). (III) Experimental methods, i.e., TEM specimen preparation, high-accuracy quantitative chemical analysis by EDX in the TEM, and image simulations of dislocations and the nns according to the two-beam dynamical diffraction theory. The nns was analysed in detail by stereomicroscopy and by image simulation and was found to be a pure sinusoidal displacement field with (i) a displacement vector parallel to and an amplitude of about 10 pm and (ii) a wave vector parallel to {1,0,10} and a wavelength of 10 nm. The results obtained here showed a significant amount of stress in the samples, induced by the nns which was still not noticed and identified. Both kinds of nanostructures, artificial (ans) and natural (nns) nanostructures, yielded in thermoelectric materials a low lattice thermal conductivity which was beneficial for the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT. (orig.)

  17. Educational Outcomes and Functioning of Bi-Ethnic Dutch Children in School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karssen, Merlijn; van der Veen, Ineke; Volman, Monique

    2015-01-01

    Background: Changing demographics in societies through international migration have led to an increasing number of bi-ethnic individuals. The focus of this study is on bi-ethnic students with one parent with an ethnic majority background and one parent with an ethnic minority background. Most studies worldwide have grouped these bi-ethnic students…

  18. The influence of Bi content on dielectric properties of Bi4–xTi3O12–1.5x ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Gong

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available A kind of lead-free dielectric materials, such as the bismuth layered perovskite-type structure of Bi4–xTi3O12–1.5x (x=0.04,0.02,0,–0.02,–0.04, was prepared by the conventional solid-state method at 800∘C and sintered at 1100∘C. The variation of structure and electrical properties with different Bi concentration was studied. All the Bi4–xTi3O12–1.5x (x=0.04,0.02,0,–0.02,–0.04 samples exhibited a single structured phase. SEM could be a better approach to present the microstructure of Bi4–xTi3O12–1.5x (x=0.04,0.02,0,–0.02,–0.04 ceramics. It could be found that the grain size of Bi4.02Ti3O12.03 sintered at 1100∘C was smaller than that of others among the five samples through grain size mechanics. Through impedance spectra analysis, we knew, when the Bi content was fixed, that the dielectric constant and the loss values increased with the decrease of frequency. The Curie temperature of the five samples was about 670∘C. In particular, while at the frequency of 100kHz, the lowest loss was 0.001 when Bi content was 3.98. The Bi4.02Ti3O12.03 ceramics with the minimum grain size had highest dielectric constant and the relatively low loss. Due to its high Curie temperature, high permittivity and low loss, the Bi4Ti3O12 (BIT ceramics have a broad application prospect in high density memory, generator, sensor, ferroelectric tunnel junctions and so on.

  19. Fabrication and imaging study of ultrasound/fluorescence bi-modal contrast agent based on polymeric microbubbles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing Zhanwen; Ke Hengte; Wang Jinrui; Zhao Bo; Qu Enze; Yue Xiuli; Dai Zhifei

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To fabricate an ultrasound/fluorescence bi-modal contrast agent by encapsulating fluorescent quantum dots into polymeric ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles. Methods: Polylactic acid (PLA, 500 mg), (1R)-(+)-camphor (50 mg) and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (0.5 ml, 2.3 μmol/L)were dissolved or dispersed in dichloromethane (10 ml) to form in an organic phase. Ammonium carbonate solution and poly (vinyl alcohol) solution were employed as the internal and external water phase, respectively. The fluorescent microbubbles were generated using double emulsion solvent evaporation and lyophilization methods. The morphology and illumination were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Synchronized contrast-enhanced ultrasound and fluorescence imaging was acquired by injecting fluorescent microbubbles into the silicone tube coupled to a self-made ultrasound/fluorescence imaging device. Ultrasound/fluorescence bi-modal in vivo imaging was acquired on the kidney of New Zealand rabbits and suckling mice. Results: The fluorescent microbubbles were hollow spheres with an averaged diameter of (1.62 ± 1.47) μm. More than 99% of these microbubbles were less than 8 μm in diameter, which met the size criteria for ultrasound contrast agents. The fluorescence emission peak of the microbubbles appeared at 632 nm, indicating that good luminescence properties of quantum dots were maintained. In vitro ultrasound/fluorescence imaging showed no echoic signal when the silicone tube was filled with saline, but there was a strong echo when filled with fluorescent microbubbles. The liquid column with fluorescent microbubbles emitted red luminescence under ultraviolet irradiation. The kidney of the rabbit was remarkably enhanced after the administration of fluorescent microbubbles. Bright fluorescence could be observed at the injection site of the suckling mice via subcutaneous injection. Conclusions: A bi-modal but single contrast agent

  20. Positive Predictive Value of BI-RADS Categorization in an Asian Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yah-Yuen Tan

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available The Breast Imaging Reporting And Data System (BI-RADS categorization of mammograms is useful in estimating the risk of malignancy, thereby guiding management decisions. However, in Asian women, in whom breast density is increased, the sensitivity of mammography is correspondingly lower. We sought to determine the positive predictive value of BI-RADS categorization for malignancy in our Asian population and, hence, its value in helping us to choose between the various modalities for breast biopsy. We retrospectively reviewed all patients with occult breast lesions detected on mammography or ultrasound who underwent needle-localization open breast biopsy (NLOB in our institution over a 6-year period. There were 470 biopsies in 427 patients; 16% of lesions were malignant. The positive predictive value of BI-RADS 4 and 5 lesions for cancer was 0.27 and 0.84, respectively. While most BI-RADS 5 mass lesions were invasive cancers, the majority of calcifications in this category were in situ carcinomas. We conclude that BI-RADS remains useful in aiding decision-making for biopsy in our Asian population. Based on positive predictive values, we recommend percutaneous breast biopsy for initial evaluation of lesions categorized as BI-RADS 4 or less. For BI-RADS 5 lesions with microcalcifications, open surgical biopsy as a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure may be more appropriate. In the case of a BI-RADS 5 lesion associated with a mass, initial percutaneous biopsy may be useful for diagnosis, followed by a planned single-stage surgical procedure as necessary.