Water Photomolecular Evaporation Due to Light-Mediated Ortho-Para Spin Transitions

Recent discoveries have revealed a groundbreaking phenomenon where light alone, without any thermal input, can induce water evaporation, termed the “photomolecular effect”. This study explores a novel hypothesis that this effect can be explained by ortho-para magnetic spin interactions in water molecules within the water-air interface layer. Water molecules, consisting of hydrogen and oxygen, exhibit different nuclear spin states: ortho-(triplet) and para-(singlet). The interaction of polarized light with these spin states may induce transitions between the rotational levels of ortho- and para-forms due to catalysts like triplet oxygen (O2) in its inhomogeneous magnetic field. Resonance pumping at 532 nm (~18,797 cm−1) due to the transition v1-v2-v3 ~ 0-8-2 (~18,796 cm−1) results in an increase in molecular energy sufficient to overcome intermolecular forces at the water surface, thereby causing evaporation. The proposed ortho-para conversion mechanism involves spin-orbit coupling and specific resonance conditions. This theory provides a quantum mechanical perspective on the photomolecular effect, potentially offering insights into natural processes such as cloud formation and climate modeling, as well as practical applications in solar desalination and industrial drying. Further experimental validation is required to confirm the role of spin interactions in light-induced water evaporation.

Effects of Spin Transition and Cation Substitution on the Optical Properties and Iron Partitioning in Carbonate Minerals

The high-pressure behavior of deep carbonate dictates the state and dynamics of oxidized carbon in the Earth's mantle,playing a vital role in the global carbon cycle and potentially influencing long-term climate change.Optical absorption and Raman spectroscopic measurements were carried out on two natural carbonate samples in diamond-anvil cells up to 60 GPa.Mg-substitution in high-spin siderite FeCO_(3)increases the crystal field absorption band position by approximately 1000 cm^(-1),but such an effect is marginal at>40 GPa when entering the low-spin state.The crystal field absorption band of dolomite cannot be recognized upon compression to 45.8 GPa at room temperature but,in contrast,the high-pressure polymorph of dolomite exhibits a strong absorption band at frequencies higher than(Mg,Fe)CO_(3)in the lowspin state by 2000–2500 cm^(-1).Additionally,these carbonate minerals show more complicated features for the absorption edge,decreasing with pressure and undergoing a dramatic change through the spin crossover.The optical and vibrational properties of carbonate minerals are highly correlated with iron content and spin transition,indicating that iron is preferentially partitioned into low-spin carbonates.These results shed new light on how carbonate minerals evolve in the mantle,which is crucial to decode the deep carbon cycle.

Controlling Three-Step and Five-Step Spin Transitions by Polymorphism in an Fe^(Ⅲ) Spin Crossover Complex

Comprehensive Summary,Regulating spin crossover(SCO)behavior,especially controlling the spin transition steps,is an important scientific issue,mainly because people aim to control spin bistability and multistability.Presently,SCO bistability can be regulated by changing the ligand-modifying species,non-coordinated anions,guest molecules,and metal-ion dopant.However,the control of multistability is extremely challenging,especially in Fe(III)SCO compounds.Here,we report that[FeIII(H-5-Br-thsa)(5-Br-thsa)]·H2O(5-Br-thsa=(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazinecarbothioamide),a compound we have reported before,exists in two polymorphic forms:polymorph 1 exhibits three-step SCO,and polymorph 2 shows five-step SCO,with multi-step SCO behavior effectively regulated by polymorphism.According to single-crystal and powder X-ray diffractometry,polymorphs 1 and 2 crystallize in different space groups during their spin transitions,with two-step symmetry breaking observed(Pbcn→Pnc2→Pbcn for polymorph 1;P21/n→Pn→P21/n for polymorph 2).We realized that the behavior of these two polymorphs depends significantly on the structure,including(i)the average Fe—N bond distance,(ii)deformation of octahedral FeIII atoms,and(iii)distinct crystal packing,which account for the large differences observed in magnetic properties.

Temperature-driven spin reorientation transition of magnetron sputtered nickel thin film

The temperature-driven spin reorientation transition of magnetron sputtered Ni/Si （111） systems has been studied. The relationship between ac initial susceptibility and temperature of nickel films with different thicknesses shows that the magnetization orientation changes from in-plane to out-of-plane with the increase of temperature. The temperature dependence of mugnetoelastic, magneto-crystalline, and magnetostatic anisotropies determines the direction of the reorientation transition. The temperature-driven spin reorientation transition is supported by Hall coefficient measurements which show that its temperature dependence is similar to that of susceptibility.

Accelerating Oxygen Electrocatalysis Kinetics on Metal-Organic Frameworks via Bond Length Optimization

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)have been developed as an ideal platform for exploration of the relationship between intrinsic structure and catalytic activity,but the limited catalytic activity and stability has hampered their practical use in water splitting.Herein,we develop a bond length adjustment strategy for optimizing naphthalene-based MOFs that synthesized by acid etching Co-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid-based MOFs(donated as AE-CoNDA)to serve as efficient catalyst for water splitting.AE-CoNDA exhibits a low overpotential of 260 mV to reach 10 mA cm^(−2)and a small Tafel slope of 62 mV dec^(−1)with excellent stability over 100 h.After integrated AE-CoNDA onto BiVO_(4),photocurrent density of 4.3 mA cm^(−2)is achieved at 1.23 V.Experimental investigations demonstrate that the stretched Co-O bond length was found to optimize the orbitals hybridization of Co 3d and O 2p,which accounts for the fast kinetics and high activity.Theoretical calculations reveal that the stretched Co-O bond length strengthens the adsorption of oxygen-contained intermediates at the Co active sites for highly efficient water splitting.

Magnetic phase transition and continuous spin switching in a high-entropy orthoferrite single crystal

Rare-earth orthoferrite REFeO_(3)(where RE is a rare-earth ion)is gaining interest.We created a high-entropy orthoferrite(Tm_(0.2)Nd_(0.2)Dy_(0.2)Y_(0.2)Yb_(0.2))FeO_(3)(HEOR)by doping five RE ions in equimolar ratios and grew the single crystal by optical floating zone method.It strongly tends to form a single-phase structure stabilized by high configurational entropy.In the low-temperature region(11.6‒14.4 K),the spin reorientation transition(SRT)ofΓ_(2)(F_(x),C_(y),G_(z))‒Γ_(24)‒Γ_(4)(G_(x),A_(y),F_(z))occurs.The weak ferromagnetic(FM)moment,which comes from the Fe sublattices distortion,rotates from the a-to c-axis.The two-step dynamic processes(Γ_(2)‒Γ_(24)‒Γ_(4))are identified by AC susceptibility measurements.SRT in HEOR can be tuned in the range of 50‒60000 Oe,which is an order of magnitude larger than that of orthoferrites in the peer system,making it a candidate for high-field spin sensing.Typical spin-switching(SSW)and continuous spin-switching(CSSW)effects occur under low magnetic fields due to the strong interactions between RE‒Fe sublattices.The CSSW effect is tunable between 20‒50 Oe,and hence,HEOR potentially can be applied to spin modulation devices.Furthermore,because of the strong anisotropy of magnetic entropy change()and refrigeration capacity(RC)based on its high configurational entropy,HEOR is expected to provide a novel approach for refrigeration by altering the orientations of the crystallographic axes(anisotropic configurational entropy).

Magnetic transition behavior of perovskite manganites Nd0.5Sr0.3Ca0.2MnO3 polycrystalline

A polycrystalline sample Ndo.5Sro.3Cao.2MnO3 is prepared by the conventional solid state reaction method. The structure and magnetic properties are investigated with x-ray diffraction （XRD） patterns, a superconducting quantum in- terference device （SQUID）, and electron spin resonance （ESR）. The sample is in single phase with the space group Pbnm symmetry. With the decrease of temperature, Ndo.sSro.3Cao.2MnO3 undergoes three magnetic transitions： ferromagnetic transition at Tc ≈ 210 K, charge-ordering at Tco ≈ 175 K, and antiferromagnetic transition at TN = 155 K. In addition, the activation energy Ea ≈ 52.78 meV can be extracted by curve fitting.

Spin-flop transition and Zeeman effect of defect-localized bound states in the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi_(2)Te_(4)

The correlation of surface impurity states with the antiferromagnetic ground states is crucial for understanding the formation of the topological surface state in the antiferromagnetic topological insulators MnBi_(2)Te_(4).By using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy,we observed a localized bound state around the Mn-Bi antisite defect at the Teterminated surface of the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi_(2)Te_(4).When applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the surface(Bz)from–1.5 to 3.0 T,the bound state shifts linearly to a lower energy with increasing Bz,which is attributed to the Zeeman effect.Remarkably,when applying a large range of Bz from–8.0 to 8.0 T,the magnetic field induced reorientation of surface magnetic moments results in an abrupt jump in the local density of states(LDOS),which is characterized by LDOSchange-ratio■quantitatively.Interestingly,two asymmetric critical field,–2.0 and 4.0 T determined by the two peaks in■are observed,which is consistent with simulated results according to a Mills-model,describing a surface spin flop transition(SSF).Our results provide a new flatform for studying the interplay between magnetic order and topological phases in magnetic topological materials.

Thermal control magnetic switching dominated by spin reorientation transition in Mn-doped PrFeO_(3) single crystals

Spin reorientation transition (SRT) has attracted substantial attention due to its important role in the ultrafast control of spins. However, the transition temperature is usually too low for its practical applications. Here, we demonstrate the ability to modulate the SRT temperature in PrFe_(1−x)Mn_(x)O_(3) single crystals from 196 K to 317 K across the room temperature by varying the Mn concentration. Interestingly, the Γ_(4) to Γ_(1) spin reorientation of the Mn-doped PrFeO_(3) is distinct from the Γ_(4) to Γ_(2) spin reorientation transition as in the parent material. Because of the coupling between rare-earth ions and transition-metal ions in determining the SRT temperature, the demonstrated control scheme of spin reorientation transition temperature by Mn-doping is expected to be used in temperature control magnetic switching devices and applicable to many other rare-earth orthoferrites.

Magnetization reversal of Fe ultrathin film on Cu(100)

The magnetization reversal of Fe/Cu（100） ultrathin films grown at room temperature is investigated by using an in situ magneto-optical Kerr effect polarimeter with a magnet that can rotate in a plane of incidence. There occur spin reorientation transitions from out-of-plane to in-plane magnetizations in 8 and 12 monolayers （ML） thick iron films. The coercive fields are observed to be proportional to the reciprocal of the cosine with respect to the easy axis, suggesting that the domain-wall displacement plays a main role in the magnetization reversal process.

Thickness-driven spin reorientation transition in ultrathin films

We review recent studies by different experimental means of ultrathin films,exhibiting thickness-driven spin reorientation transitions(SRTs).The stage is set by determining,via phenomenological thermodynamic description,of the relevant phase diagrams for the possible types of SRT with and without applied magnetic field.Suitable representation may be chosen such that best use is made of the linear character(under thickness variation) of the system's path in anisotropy space.The latter involves higher-order bulk and surface anisotropies in a substantial way.We examine sensitive experimental techniques for the detection and quantification of SRTs,such as hysteresis measurements with magneto-optical Kerr effect(MOKE),micromagnetic studies utilizing scanning electron microscopy with polarization analysis(SEMPA),photoemission electron microscopy(PEEM) and spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy(SPLEEM) as well as ac magnetic susceptibility measurements via MOKE.Key issues are conclusively discussed including the identification of reliable experimental fingerprints about whether a given SRT proceeds via a phase of coexistence or via a cone(canted) phase.We demonstrate how the application of the general theoretical ideas to carefully designed measurements leads to the determination of the most important material parameters in any ultrathin-film SRT,namely,the surface(interface) magnetic anisotropy constants.The review concludes by our personal outline for future promising work on SRTs.