Electronic structures,magnetic properties,and martensitic transformation in all-d-metal Heusler-like alloys Cd2MnTM(TM=Fe,Ni,Cu)

The electronic structures,magnetic properties,and martensitic transformation in all-d-metal Heusler-like alloys Cd2MnTM(TM=Fe,Ni,Cu)were investigated by the first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory.The results indicate that all three alloys are stabilized in the ferromagnetic L21-type structure.The total magnetic moments mainly come from Mn and Fe atoms for Cd2MnFe,whereas,only from Mn atoms for Cd2MnNi and Cd2MnCu.The magnetic moment at equilibrium lattice constant of Cd2MnFe(6.36μB)is obviously larger than that of Cd2MnNi(3.95μB)and Cd2MnCu(3.82μB).The large negative energy differences(ΔE)between martensite and austenite in Cd2MnFe and Cd2MnNi under tetragonal distortion and different uniform strains indicate the possible occurrence of ferromagnetic martensitic transformation(FMMT).The minimum total energies in martensitic phase are located with the c/a ratios of 1.41 and 1.33 for Cd2MnFe and Cd2MnNi,respectively.The total moments in martensitic state still maintain large values compared with those in cubic state.The study is useful to find the new all-d-metal Heusler alloys with FMMT.

A low-dimensional crystal growth model on an isotropic and quasi-free sustained substrate

A new crystal growth theoretical model is established for the low-dimensional nanocrystals on an isotropic and quasifree sustained substrate. The driven mechanism of the model is based on the competitive growth among the preferential growth directions of the crystals possessing anisotropic crystal structures, such as the hexagonal close-packed and wurtzite structures. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings in the growth process of the lowdimensional Zn nanocrystals on silicone oil surfaces. Our model shows a growth mechanism of various low-dimensional crystals on/in the isotropic substrates.

Tailored martensitic transformation and enhanced magnetocaloric effect in all-d-metal Ni_(35)Co_(15)Mn_(33)Fe_(2)Ti_(15)alloy ribbons

The crystal structure,martensitic transformation and magnetocaloric effect have been studied in all-d-metal Ni35Co15Mn33Fe2Ti15alloy ribbons with different wheel speeds(15 m/s(S15),30 m/s(S30),and 45 m/s(S45)).All three ribbons crystalize in B2-ordered structure at room temperature with crystal constants of 5.893(2)A,5.898(4)A,and5.898(6)A,respectively.With the increase of wheel speed,the martensitic transformation temperature decreases from230 K to 210 K,the Curie temperature increases slightly from 371 K to 378 K.At the same time,magnetic entropy change(△Sm)is also enhanced,as well as refrigeration capacity(RC).The maximum△Sm of 15.6(39.7)J/kg·K and RC of85.5(212.7)J/kg under?H=20(50)k Oe(1 Oe=79.5775 A·m^(-1))appear in S45.The results indicate that the ribbons could be the candidate for solid-state magnetic refrigeration materials.

Exploration of the rare-earth cobalt nickel-based magnetocaloric materials for hydrogen liquefaction

Magnetic refrigeration based on the magnetocaloric effect(MCE)of magnetic solids has been considered as an emerging technology for hydrogen liquefaction.However,the lack of high-performance materials has slowed the development of any practical applications.Here,we present a family of rare-earth cobalt nickel-based magnetocaloric materials,namely Dy_(1-x)Ho_(x)CoNi and Ho_(1-x)Er_(x)CoNi compounds,and system-atically investigated their structural and magnetic properties as well as the MCE and magnetocaloric per-formance.All of these compounds crystallize in the C15-type Laves-phase structure and undergo typi-cal second-order magnetic phase transition(MPT).The change in magnetism and the MPT temperature for the Dy_(1-x)Ho_(x)CoNi and Ho_(1-x)Er_(x)CoNi compounds originate from the exchange interactions between nearest-neighbor RE 3+ion pairs.No hysteresis magnetocaloric effect was achieved,and the MPT tem-perature of these compounds could be tuned from the liquefaction temperature of nitrogen(∼77 K)to hydrogen(∼20 K)by adjusting the ratio of rare-earth elements.This study’s findings indicate that theDy_(1-x)Ho_(x)CoNi and Ho_(1-x)Er_(x)CoNi compounds are of potential for practical magnetic refrigeration applica-tions in the field of hydrogen liquefaction.

Fe_(3)O_(4)@silica nanoparticles for reliable identification and magnetic separation of Listeria monocytogenes based on molecular-scale physiochemical interactions

Listeria monocytogenes(L.monocytogenes)is one of the top five dangerous foodborne pathogens which widely exists in most raw food and has approximately 30%mortality rate in high-risk groups.Food safety caused by foodborne pathogens is still a major problem faced by humans in all world.The conventional analytical methods currently used involve complex bacteriological tests and usually take several days for incubation and analysis.Thus,in order to prevent the spread of disease,the development of a detection method with high speed,high accuracy and sensitivity is urgent and necessary.Herein,we developed an approach for the identification and magnetic capture of L.monocytogenes by using core@shell Fe_(3)O_(4)@silica nanoparticles terminated with hydroxyl or amine groups.Our results show that both amine-and hydroxyl-terminated Fe_(3)O_(4)@silica core@shell nanoparticles functionalized with specific antibodies,present 95.2%±6.2%and 98.6%±0.3%capture efficacies,respectively.However,without conjugating the specific antibodies,the hydroxyl-terminated Fe_(3)O_(4)@silica nanoparticles exhibit 17.6%±1.6%efficacy,while the amine-terminated one remains 93.2%±9.2%capture efficiency ascribed to the high affinity.This study quantitatively uncovers the specific and non-specific recognitions relevant to the molecular-scale physiochemical interactions between the microorganisms and the functionalized particles,and the results from this work can be generalized and extended to other bacterial species by changing antibodies,also have important implications in developing advanced analytic methods.

Magnetocaloric effect and slow magnetic relaxation behavior in binuclear rare earth based RE_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)4(RE=Gd,Tb,and Dy) complexes

Three binuclear rare earth based complexes combining RE ions with semirigid tricarboxylic ligand(H_(3)L).namely,[RE_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)_(4)][RE=Gd,Tb,and Dy;H_(3)L=5-((4-Carboxybenzyl)oxy)isophthalic acid;DMF=N,N-dimethylformamide]complexes,were fabricated success fully.The RE_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)_(4) co mplexe s consist of two central RE ions with the same coordination environment which were connected by two tridentate bridging carboxylic groups and two syn-syn bidentate bridging carboxylic groups originating from the L^(3-)ligands to form the{RE_(2)}dimeric unit,and thus provides the basis for further constructing a dense three-dimensional(3 D)network structure.Moreover,the present RE_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)_(4) complexes can be described by a topology diagram with the topology point symbol of{4^(2)·6}_(2){4^(4)·6^(2)·8^(7)·10^(2)}.Weak antiferromagnetic(AFM)coupling between the adjacent RE ions for all the present complexes was found according to the magnetic calculations.The observed significant cryogenic magnetocaloric effect(MCE)with the maximum magnetic entropy change-ΔS_(M)^(max) to be 26.3 J/(kg·K)withΔH=7 T in Gd_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)_(4) complex makes it competitive for the cryogenic magnetic refrigerant.Moreover,the slow magnetic relaxation behavior at 0.2 T dc field with an obvious large U_(eff)/k=45(4)K and τ_(0)=6.5(2)×10^(-10)s was confirmed in Dy_(2)(L)_(2)(DMF)_(4)complex.This work not only provides an effective strategy for obtaining molecular materials with high MCE,but also confirms that tricarboxylate ligands are the ideal choice for constructing stable high dimensional geometric structures.

Enhanced magnetic properties in chemically inhomogeneous Nd-Dy-Fe-B sintered magnets by multi-main-phase process

Homogeneous substitution of Dy for Nd in the hard magnetic 2:14:1 phase can effectively enhance coercivity to ensure the high temperature operation,however,inevitably deteriorate remanence at expense.In this work,we performed a comparative investigation of the two magnets prepared by multimain-phase(co-sintering Nd_(2)Fe_(14)B and(Nd,Dy)_(2)Fe_(14)B powders)and single-main-phase(sintering(Nd,Dy)_(2)Fe_(14)B powders)approaches.The comparative investigation reveals that at the same Dy substitution level(2.16 wt%),such chemically inhomogeneous multi-main-phase magnet possesses better roomtemperature magnetic properties as well as thermal stability than those of the single-main-phase one with homogenous Dy distribution in the matrix grains.Room-temperature magnetic properties H_(Cj)=1664 kA/m,B_(r)=1.33 T and(BH)_(max)=350.4 kJ/m^(3)for the multi-main-phase magnet are all better than those for the single-main-phase magnet with H_(Cj)=1536 kA/m,B_(r)=1.29 T and(BH)_(max)=318.4 kj/m^(3).In addition,over the temperature range from 295 to 423 K,both the temperature coefficients of coercivity and remanence for the multi-main-phase magnet are also lower than that for the single-main-phase magnet.Such superior magnetic performance is attributed to the short-range magnetic interactions inside individual 2:14:1 phase grains and the long-range magnetostatic interactions between adjacent grains with inhomogeneous Dy distribution.Our work provides a feasible approach of enhancing coercivity and retaining energy product simultaneously in the Nd-Dy-Fe-B permanent magnets.

Factor graph based navigation and positioning for control system design:A review

Navigation and positioning is an important and challenging problem in many control engineering applications.It provides feedback information to design controllers for systems.In this paper,a bibliographical review on factor graph based navigation and positioning is presented.More specifically,the sensor modeling,the factor graph optimization methods,and the topology factor based cooperative localization are reviewed.The navigation and positioning methods via factor graph are considered and classified.Focuses in the current research of factor graph based navigation and positioning are also discussed with emphasis on its practical application.The limitations of the existing methods,some solutions for future techniques,and recommendations are finally given.

Achievement of promising cryogenic magnetocaloric performances in La_(1-x)Pr_(x)Fe_(12)B_(6)compounds

The magnetic refrigeration(MR)utilizing magnetocaloric effect(MCE)has been recognized as an environmentally friendly and energy efficiency technology.Here we presented the magnetic properties and MCE in Pr-doped La_(1-x)Pr_(x)Fe_(12)B_(6)(x=0.05-0.2)itinerant-electron metamagnetic(IEM)compounds.A small amount of Pr doping La site can greatly improve the peak values in the magnetic entropy change S_(M)(T)curves,especially under relatively low magnetic field changes(ΔH).Additionally,the peak temperature increases gradually and the magnetic hysteresis reduces gradually with increasing x.The observed MCE in present La_(1-x)Pr_(x)Fe_(12)B_(6)compounds is related to its field-induced first-ordered IEM transition.The peak values ofΔS_(M)for La_(1-x)Pr_(x)Fe_(12)B_(6)compounds reach 13.4,15.4,12.5 and 13.0 J/(kg K)at T_(C)~58,68,72and 89 K for x=0.05,0.10,0.15 and 0.2 under H of 0-7 T,respectively.The corresponding relative cooling power values are 462.3,480.7,372.4 and 375.7 J/kg.The present La_(1-x)Pr_(x)Fe_(12)B_(6)compounds could be good candidates for active MR application if the magnetic and thermal hysteresis can be further reduced.The present work indicates that the La Fe_(12)B_(6)-based material system could also exhibit promising magnetocaloric performances.

Enhanced magnetocaloric performances and tunable martensitic transformation in Ni_(35)Co_(15)Mn_(35-x)Fe_(x)Ti_(15) all-d-metal Heusler alloys by chemical and physical pressures

The solid-state magnetic cooling(MC)method based on the magnetocaloric effect(MCE)is recognized as an environmentally friendly and high-energy-efficiency technology.The search or design of suitable magnetic materials with large MCEs is one of the main targets at present.In this work,we apply the chemical and hydrostatic pressures in the Ni_(35)Co_(15)Mn_(35-x)Fe_(x)Ti_(15) all-d-metal Heusler alloys and systematically investigate their crystal structures,phases,and magnetocaloric performances experimentally and theoretically.All the alloys are found to crystallize in an ordered B2-type structure at room temperature and the atoms of Fe are confirmed to all occupy at sites Mn(B).The total magnetic moments decrease gradually with increasing Fe content and decreasing of volume as well.The martensitic transformation temperature decreases with the increase of Fe content,whereas increases with increasing hydrostatic pressure.Moreover,obviously enhanced magnetocaloric performances can also be obtained by applied pressures.The maximum values of magnetic entropy change and refrigeration capacity are as high as 15.61(24.20)J(kg K)^(−1) and 109.91(347.26)J kg^(−1) withΔH=20(50)kOe,respectively.These magnetocaloric performances are superior to most of the recently reported famous materials,indicating the potential application for active MC.

Unlocking the charge doping effect in softly intercalated ultrathin ferromagnetic superlattice

The electrolyte-assisted exfoliation strategy is widely employed to synthesize ultrathin two-dimensional(2D)materials.Yet,spins in 2D magnets are susceptible to the electrolyte due to the underlying charge doping effect.Hence,it is crucial to understand and trace the doping process during the delamination of 2D magnets.Taking the prototype Fe_(3)GeTe_(2),we utilized soft organic cations to exfoliate the bulk and obtain a freestanding organ-ic–inorganic hybrid superlattice with a giant electron doping effect as high as 6.9×10^(14)/cm^(2)(~1.15 electrons per formula unit).A remarkable ferromagnetic transition exceeding 385 K was revealed in these superlattices,together with unique anisotropic saturation magnetization.The doping enhanced the in-plane electron–phonon coupling and thus optimized originally poor indirect double-exchange scenario for spin electrons.The emerging vertical magnetization shift phenomenon served to evaluate the uniformity of charge doping.The above findings provide a new perspective for understanding the role of parasitic charge in 2D magnetism.

Recent progress in the development of RE_(2)TMTM’O_(6)double perovskite oxides for cryogenic magnetic refrigeration

The magnetic functional materials play a particularly important role in our modern society and daily life.The magnetocaloric effect(MCE)is at the basis of a solid state magnetic refrigeration(MR)technology which may enhance the efficiency of cooling systems,both for room temperature and cryogenic appli-cations.Despite numerous experimental and theoretical MCE studies,commercial MR systems are still at developing stage.Designing magnetic solids with outstanding magnetocaloric performances remains therefore a most urgent task.Herein,recent progresses on characterizing the crystal structure,magnetic properties and cryogenic MCE of rare earths(RE)-based RE_(2)TMTM’O_(6)double perovskite(DP)oxides,where TM and TM’are different 3d transition metals,are summarized.Some Gd-based DP oxides are found to exhibit promising cryogenic magnetocaloric performances which make them attractive for active MR ap-plications.

Quantitative reorientation behaviors of macro-twin interfaces in shape-memory alloy under compression stimulus in situ TEM

Twinning stress is known to be a critical factor for the actuating performance of magnetic shape memory alloys because of the harmful deterioration of their magnetic field-induced strain effect.However,the intrinsic origin of the high twinning stress is still in debate.In this work,we firstly fill this gap by precisely probing the reorientation behaviors of A-C and A-B two common macro-twin interfaces under the stimulus of uniaxial compression in-situ transmission electron microscope.The grain boundary is proved to be the main reason for large twinning stress.The twinning stress of the A-C and A-B type interfaces quantitatively are~0.69 and 1.27 MPa within the plate respectively.The A-C type interface evidently has smaller twinning stress and larger deformation variable than the A-B interface.Under the action of compression,not only the orientations of the crystals have changed,but also the roles of the major and minor lamellae have changed for both interfaces due to the movements of twinning dislocations.Combining insitu and quasi in-situ electron diffraction data,the reorientation process is clearly and intuitively shown by the stereographic projection.Atomic models and the theory of dislocation motion are proposed to phenomenologically clarify the intrinsic mechanism.This work is believed to not only provide a deeper understanding of the deformation mechanism of magnetic shape memory alloys under uniaxial compression testing,but also discover that compression training is not the mechanical training way to decrease the twinning stress of non-modulated martensite in single crystal shape memory alloys.

Underwater minirobots actuated by hybrid driving method

Underwater minirobots have attracted significant interest due to their value in complex application scenarios.Typical underwater minirobots are driven mainly by a soft or rigid actuator.However,soft actuation is currently facing challenges,including inadequate motional control accuracy and the lack of a continuous and steady driving force,while conventional rigid actuation has limited actuation efficiency,environmental adaptability,and motional flexibility,which severely limits the accomplishment of complicated underwater tasks.In this study,we developed underwater minirobots actuated by a hybrid driving method(HDM)that combines combustion-based actuators and propeller thrusters to achieve accurate,fast,and flexible underwater locomotion performance.Underwater experiments were conducted to investigate the kinematic performance of the minirobots with respect to the motion modes of rising,drifting,and hovering.Numerical models were used to investigate the kinematic characteristics of the minirobots,and theoretical models developed to unveil the mechanical principle that governs the driving process.Satisfactory agreement was obtained from comarisons of the experimental,numerical,and theoretical results.Finally,the HDM was compared with selected hybrid driving technologies in terms of acceleration and response time.The comparison showed that the minirobots based on HDM were generally superior in transient actuation ability and reliability.