Physical properties and magnetic structure of a layered antiferromagnet PrPd0.82Bi2

We report the physical properties, crystalline and magnetic structures of singe crystals of a new layered antiferromagnetic(AFM) material PrPd0.82Bi2. The measurements of magnetic properties and heat capacity indicate an AFM phase transition at TN^7K. A large Sommerfeld coefficient of 329.23 m J·mol-1·K-2 is estimated based on the heat capacity data, implying a possible heavy-fermion behavior. The magnetic structure of this compound is investigated by a combined study of neutron powder and single-crystal diffraction. It is found that an A-type AFM structure with magnetic propagation wavevector k =(0 0 0) is formed below TN. The Pr3+ magnetic moment is aligned along the crystallographic c-axis with an ordered moment of 1.694(3) μBat 4K, which is smaller than the effective moment of the free Pr3+ ion of 3.58 μB.PrPd0.82Bi2 can be grown as large as 1 mm×1 cm in area with a layered shape, and is very easy to be cleaved, providing a unique opportunity to study the interplay between magnetism, possible heavy fermions, and superconductivity.

Magnetic Phase Diagram of Cu4-xZnx(OH)6FBr Studied by Neutron-Diffraction and μSR Techniques

We systematically investigate the magnetic properties of Cu4-xZnx(OH)6FBr using the neutron diffraction and muon spin rotation and relaxation(μSR) techniques.Neutron-diffraction measurements suggest that the longrange magnetic order and the orthorhombic nuclear structure in the x=0 sample can persist up to x=0.23 and 0.43,respectively.The temperature dependence of the zero-field μSR spectra provides two characteristic temperatures,TA0 and Tλ,which are associated with the initial drop close to zero time and the long-time exponential decay of the muon relaxation,respectively.Comparison between TA0 and TM from previously reported magnetic-susceptibility measurements suggest that the former comes from the short-range interlayer-spin clusters that persist up to x=0.82.On the other hand,the doping level where Tλ becomes zero is about 0.66,which is much higher than threshold of the long-range order,i.e.,~0.4.Our results suggest that the change in the nuclear structure may alter the spin dynamics of the kagome layers and a gapped quantum-spin-liquid state may exist above x=0.66 with the perfect kagome planes.

Evidence for Magnetic Fractional Excitations in a Kitaev Quantum-Spin-Liquid Candidate α-RuCl_(3)

It is known that α-RuCl_(3) has been studied extensively because of its proximity to the Kitaev quantum-spin-liquid(QSL)phase and the possibility of approaching it by tuning the competing interactions.Here we present the first polarized inelastic neutron scattering study on α-RuCl_(3) single crystals to explore the scattering continuum around the Γ point at the Brillouin zone center,which was hypothesized to be resulting from the Kitaev QSL state but without concrete evidence.With polarization analyses,we find that,while the spin-wave excitations around the Γ point vanish above the transition temperature T_(N),the pure magnetic continuous excitations around the Γ point are robust against temperature.Furthermore,by calculating the dynamical spin-spin correlation function using the cluster perturbation theory,we derive magnetic dispersion spectra based on the K-Γ model,which involves with a ferromagnetic Kitaev interaction of −7.2 meV and an off-diagonal interaction of 5.6 meV.We find this model can reproduce not only the spin-wave excitation spectra around the Γ point,but also the non-spin-wave continuous magnetic excitations around the Γ point.These results provide evidence for the existence of fractional excitations around the Γ point originating from the Kitaev QSL state,and further support the validity of the K-Γ model as the effective minimal spin model to describe α-RuCl_(3).

退火热处理对增材制造AlSi10Mg合金宏观和微观变形行为的影响

增材制造AlSi10Mg合金存在显著的残余应力,对零件的形状尺寸精度、服役安全性和抗腐蚀性能等产生不利影响。在实际应用中,对残余应力敏感的应用需采用去应力退火以消除残余应力。然而,目前对增材制造AlSi10Mg合金退火后力学特性的理解还停留在宏观层面。为了更深入地揭示其微观力学行为与内在机制,本工作利用同步辐射X射线衍射技术,对合金进行原位变形研究,分析Al和Si相的晶格应变应力演化,明确各物相对合金加工硬化率的具体贡献,并对位错密度的演变进行了量化分析,从而阐明了退火热处理对增材制造AlSi10Mg合金载荷传递行为与位错行为的影响。

Electrochemical top-down synthesis of C-supported Pt nanoparticles with controllable shape and size:Mechanistic insights and application

In this work,we demonstrate the power of a simple top-down electrochemical erosion approach to obtain Pt nanoparticle with controlled shapes and sizes(in the range from-2 to-10 nm).Carbon supported nanoparticles with narrow size distributions have been synthesized by applying an alternating voltage to macroscopic bulk platinum structures,such as disks or wires.Without using any surfactants,the size and shape of the particles can be changed by adjusting simple parameters such as the applied potential,frequency and electrolyte composition.For instance,application of a sinusoidal AC voltage with lower frequencies results in cubic nanoparticles;whereas higher frequencies lead to predominantly spherical nanoparticles.On the other hand,the amplitude of the,sinusoidal signal was found to affect the particle size;the lower the amplitude of the applied AC signal,the smaller the resulting particle size.Pt/C catalysts prepared by this approach showed 0.76 A/mg mass activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction which is-2 times higher than the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst(0.42 A/mg)from Tanaka.In addition to this,we discussed the mechanistic insights about the nanoparticle formation pathways.

Field-tuned quantum effects in a triangular-lattice Ising magnet

We report thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements of the triangular-lattice quantum Ising magnet TmMgGaO_(4)in longitudinal magnetic fields.Our experiments reveal a quasi-plateau state induced by quantum fluctuations.This state exhibits an unconventional non-monotonic field and temperature dependence of the magnetic order and excitation gap.In the high field regime where the quantum fluctuations are largely suppressed,we observed a disordered state with coherent magnon-like excitations despite the suppression of the spin excitation intensity.Through detailed semi-classical calculations,we are able to understand these behaviors quantitatively from the subtle competition between quantum fluctuations and frustrated Ising interactions.