Enhanced ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in Bi_(0.9)Ba_(0.1)FeO_3/La_(2/3)Sr_(1/3)MnO_3 heterostructure grown by pulsed laser deposition

Bi0.9Ba0.lFeO3 （BBFO）/La2/3Srl/3MnO3 （LSMO） heterostructures are fabricated on LaA103 （100） substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Giant remnant polarization value （~ 85 μC/cm2） and large saturated magnetization value （~ 12.4 emu/cm3） for BBFO/LSMO heterostructures are demonstrated at room temperature. Mixed ferroelectric domain structures and low leakage current are observed and in favor of enhanced ferroelectrie properties in the BBFO/LSMO het- erostructures. The magnetic field-dependent magnetization measurements reveal the enhancement in the magnetic moment and improved magnetic hysteresis loop originating from the BBFO/LSMO interface. The heterostructure is proved to be effective in enhancing the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic performances in multiferroic BFO films at room temperature.

Alloying behavior and characterization of(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)M_(10)(M=Al,Hf)high-entropy materials fabricated by mechanical alloying

The alloying behavior and microstructures of the(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)M_(10)(M=Al,Hf)high-entropy alloy(HEA)powders fabricated by mechanical alloying were studied.The CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Al_(10) powders have duplex solid-solution structures.In contrast,nanocrystalline HfNi_(3) anchoring in amorphous structures is found in the(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Hf_(10) powders.The(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Al_(10) powders show better ferromagnetic behaviors,mainly explained by the facilitated motion of the magnetic domain induced by the coherent interface between duplex phases.Combined with our previous work,the rules of forming solid-solution and amorphous phase in as-milled HEA powders are preliminarily proposed.It is found that,compared with the as-cast HEA reported previously,the variation range of mixing enthalpy with atomic size difference of the solid-solution formed in as-milled HEA powders is broader.Moreover,the variation ranges between mixing enthalpy and entropy with atomic size difference of the amorphous phase in HEA powder become wider than those of high-entropy bulk metallic glass.

Substrate temperature dependence of chemical state and magnetoresistance characteristics of Co–TiO2 nanocomposite films

Co−TiO2 nanocomposite films were prepared via magnetron sputtering at various substrate temperatures.The films comprise Co particles dispersed in an amorphous TiO2 matrix and exhibit coexisting ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic properties.When the substrate temperature increases from room temperature to 400℃,Co particles gradually grow,and the degree of Co oxidation significantly decreases.Consequently,the saturation magnetization increases from 0.13 to 0.43 T at the same Co content by increasing the substrate temperature from room temperature to 400℃.At a high substrate temperature,conductive pathways form among some of the clustered Co particles.Thus,resistivity rapidly declines from 1600 to 76μΩ·m.The magnetoresistive characteristic of Co−TiO2 films is achieved even at resistivity of as low as 76μΩ·m.These results reveal that the obtained nanocomposite films have low Co oxidation,high magnetization and magnetoresistance at room temperature.

Preparation,structure and ferromagnetic properties of the nanocrystalline Ti_(1-x)Mn_xO_2 thin films grown by radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering

This paper reported that the Mn-doped TiO2 films were prepared by radio frequency （RF） magnetron cosputtering. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the samples are easy to form the futile structure, and the sizes of the crystal grains grow big and big as the Mn concentration increases. X-ray photoemlssion spectroscopy measurements and high resolution transmission electron microscope photographs confirm that the manganese ions have been effectively doped into the TiO2 crystal when the Mn concentration is lower than 21%. The magnetic property measurements show that the Ti1-xMnxO2 （x = 0.21） films are ferromagnetic at room temperature, and the saturation magnetization, coercivity, and saturation field are 16.0 emu/cm^3, 167.5 × 80 A/m and 3740 × 80 A/m at room temperature, respectively. The room-temperature ferromagnetism of the films can be attributed to the new futile Ti1-xMnxO2 structure formed by the substitution of Mn^4＋ for Ti^4＋ into the TiO2 crystal .lattice, and could be explained by O vacancy （Vo）-enhanced ferromagnetism model.

Theoretical Investigation of Influence of Mechanical Stress on Magnetic Properties of Ferromagnetic/Antiferromagnetic Bilayers Deposited on Flexible Substrates

Effect of mechanical stress on magnetic properties of an exchange-biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic bilayer deposited on a flexible substrate is investigated. The hysteresis loops with different magnitudes and orientations of the stress can be classified into three types. The corresponding physical conditions for each type of the loop are deduced based on the principle of minimal energy. The equation of the critical stress is derived, which can judge whether the loops show hysteresis or not. Numerical calculations suggest that except for the magnitude of the mechanical stress, the relative orientation of the stress is also an important factor to tune the exchange bias effect.

SIGMAPLUG—A NEW TEMPERATURE INDICATOR FOR REMAINING LIFE ASSESSMENT OF HIGH TEMPERATURE COMPONENTS

Improved life assessment techniques will enable engineering components to be replaced before failure, thereby reducing the risk of industrial accidents as well as minimizing financial loss due to unscheduled outages. For components operating at high temperatures, temperature measurement is very important. In many situations, the environmental conditions are too hostile for conventional techniques to be used. Researchers over the world have been looking for new techniques for temperature measurement and one such device, called Feroplug, has been developed previously by the and coworkers. The Feroplug has been patented in USA, UK and Europe by the British Technology Group. The underlying principle of the Feroplug is based on the transformation of ferrite in some specially designed duplex stainless steels. This paper describes a new invention called Sigmaplug which is a new development of the Feroplug but using an entirely different physical principle. It was discovered that the sigma phase in Fe

Photoluminescence of ZnO and Mn-Doped ZnO Polycrystalline Films Prepared by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO polycrystalline films are prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at low temperature （220℃）, and room-temperature photoluminescence of the films is systematically investigated. Analysis from x-ray diffraction reveals that a11 the prepared films exhibit the wurtzite structure of ZnO, and Mndoping does not induce the second phase in the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the existence of Mn^2＋ ions in the films rather than metalic Mn or Mn^4＋ ions. The emission efficiency of the ZnO film is found to be dependent strongly on the post-treatment and to degrade with increasing temperature either in air or in nitrogen ambient. However, the enhancement of near band edge （NBE） emission is observed after hydrogenation in ammonia plasma, companied with more defect-related emission. Furthermore, the position of NBE shifts towards to high-energy legion with increasing Mn-doped concentration due to Mn incorporation into ZnO lattice.

A quantum explanation of the magnetic properties of Mn-doped graphene

Mn-doped graphene is investigated using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory （DFT）. The magnetic moment is calculated for systems of various sizes, and the atomic populations and the density of states （DOS） are analyzed in detail. It is found that Mn doped graphene-based diluted magnetic semiconductors （DMS） have strong ferromagnetic properties, the impurity concentration influences the value of the magnetic moment, and the magnetic moment of the 8×8 supercell is greatest for a single impurity. The graphene containing two Mn atoms together is more stable in the 7×7 supercell. The analysis of the total DOS and partial density of states （PDOS） indicates that the magnetic properties of doped graphene originate from the p–d exchange, and the magnetism is given a simple quantum explanation using the Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida （RKKY） exchange theory.

Multiferroic properties and exchange bias in Bi_(1-x)Sr_xFeO_3(x=0–0.6) ceramics

Multiferroic properties and exchange bias （EB） in Bi1-xSrxFeO3 （x = 0-0.6） ceramics synthesized by a modified Pechini method are investigated. Sr concentration dependence of structure distorting, ferroelectric properties, and dielectric properties were studied at room temperature. Appropriate Sr doping （x = 0.05-0.2） has been found to decrease the conductivity, enhance ferroelectric properties and give rise to high dielectric constant. Compared with antiferromagnetic BiFeO3 compound, BSFO-x （O≤x ≤0.4） ceramics show weak ferromagnetism at room temperature, and their exchange bias field and vertical magnetization shift are observed and exhibit a strong dependence on the content of Sr. This observed EB effect which keeps stable in BSFO ceramics at 10 K tend to vanish at room temperature with Sr concentration over 0.4.

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Double Perovskite Ca_2CrSbO_6

First-principles calculations have been performed for the study of the electronic band structure and ferromagnetic properties of double perovskite Ca2CrSbO6. The density of states, total energy, spin magnetic moment, and charge density were calculated and analyzed in details. It is found that Ca2CrSbO6 has a stable ferromagnetic ground state and the spin magnetic moment per molecule is about 2.99#B. The chromium contributes the most in the total magnetic moments. The results indicate that Ca2CrSbO6 is half-metallic.

Structures and magnetic behaviours of TiO_2-Mn-TiO_2 multilayers

The TiO2-Mn-TiO2multilayers are successfully grown on glass and silicon substrates by alternately using radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering and direct current magnetron sputtering. The structures and the magnetic behaviours of these films are characterised with x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope （TEM）, vibrating sample magnetometer, and superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID）. It is shown that the multi-film consists of a mixture of anatase and rutile TiO2 with an embedded Mn nano-film. It is found that there are two turning points from ferromagnetic phase to antiferromagnetic phase. One is at 42 K attributed to interface coupling between ferromagnetic Mn3O4 and antiferromagnetic Mn2O3, and the other is at 97 K owing to the interface coupling between ferromagnetic Mn and antiferromagnetic MnO. The samples are shown to have ferromagnetic behaviours at room temperature from hysteresis in the M-H loops, and their ferromagnetism is found to vary with the thickness of Mn nano-film. Moreover, the Mn nano-film has a critical thickness of about 18.5 nm, which makes the coercivity of the multi-film reach a maximum of about 3.965 × 10^-2 T.

Structure and Magnetic Properties of ZnO:Cr Prepared by CrIonIm plantation into ZnO Crystals

ZnO：Cr layer was prepared by Cr ion implantation into ZnO bulk crystals. The structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the ZnO：Cr layer were studied with X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and superconductor quantum interferometer, respectively. The ZnO：Cr layer implanted Cr with a dose of 5 10 16 cm 2 remained wurtzite structure and exhibited near-band-edge photoluminescence at 3.365 eV with full-width at half-maximum of 8.4 meV at 10 K. The magnetic measurement showed that the ferromagnetism changed at room temperature by different Cr concentration. For samples implanted to high doses, remanent magnetization reached 1.805 10 -4 emu/g and coercive field was 244.5 Oe. Hall effect measurement showed a decrease of the resistivity from 251.7 cmto 28.6 cmafter annealing at 800 ℃. The magnetism is interpreted by bound magnetic polarons, which were taken into account of the process that electrons were locally trapped by oxygen vacancies and occupied the orbitals that overlapped with d shell of neighboring Cr ions.