Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of the Sr2Al0.78Mn1.22O5.2 anion-deficient layered perovskite

A new layered perovskite Sr₂Al_0.78Mn_1.22O_5.2 has been synthesized by solid state reaction in a sealed evacuated silica tube. The crystal structure has been determined using electron diffraction, high-resolution electron microscopy, and high-angle annular dark field imaging and refined from X-ray powder diffraction data (space group P4/mmm, a=3.89023(5) Å, c=7.8034(1) Å, R_I=0.023, R_P=0.015). The structure is characterized by an alternation of MnO₂ and (Al_0.78Mn_0.22)O_1.2 layers. Oxygen atoms and vacancies, as well as the Al and Mn atoms in the (Al_0.78Mn_0.22)O_1.2 layers are disordered. The local atomic arrangement in these layers is suggested to consist of short fragments of brownmillerite-type tetrahedral chains of corner-sharing AlO₄ tetrahedra interrupted by MnO₆ octahedra, at which the chain fragments rotate over 90°. This results in an averaged tetragonal symmetry. This is confirmed by the valence state of Mn measured by EELS. The relationship between the Sr₂Al_0.78Mn_1.22O_5.2 tetragonal perovskite and the parent Sr₂Al_1.07Mn_0.93O₅ brownmillerite is discussed. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate spin glass behavior of Sr₂Al_0.78Mn_1.22O_5.2. The lack of long-range magnetic ordering contrasts with Mn-containing brownmillerites and is likely caused by the frustration of interlayer interactions due to presence of the Mn atoms in the (Al_0.78Mn_0.22)O_1.2 layers.     

Electronic mechanism for refractive-index changes in intensively pumped Yb:YAG laser crystals

Refractive-index changes accompanying changes in population of electronic levels of Yb3+ ions in a Yb:YAG laser disk under intense diode and laser pumping have been studied by use of both a highly sensitive polarization interferometer and transient grating testing at 633 nm. The electronic change of the index that is due to excitation of the Yb3+ ions (which have different polarizability of ground state 2F7/2 and excited level 2F5/2) is strongly predominant over the thermal component. The polarizability differences are deltap (1.9 +/- 0.8) x 10(-26) and (1.95 +/- 0.25) x 10(-26) cm3 as measured at 633 nm in interferometric and transient grating experiments, respectively.     

Epitaxial Growth of Cadmium Selenide Films on Silicon with a Silicon Carbide Buffer Layer

An epitaxial cubic 350-nm-thick cadmium selenide has been grown on silicon for the first time by the method of evaporation and condensation in a quasi-closed volume. It is revealed that, in this method, the optimum substrate temperature is 590°C, the evaporator temperature is 660°C, and the growth time is 2 s. To avoid silicon etching by selenium with formation of amorphous SiSe₂, a high-quality ~100-nm-thick buffer silicon carbide layer has been synthesized on the silicon surface by substituting atoms. The powder diffraction pattern and the Raman spectrum unambiguously correspond to cubic cadmium selenide crystal. The ellipsometric, Raman, and electron diffraction analyses demonstrate high structural perfection of the cadmium selenide layer and the absence of a polycrystalline phase.     

Nonlinear comb spectroscopy

A numerical solution for the polarization of two-level atoms that interact with a polyharmonic field was obtained. An analytical solution for the particular case of a symmetrical position of carrier frequency relative to transition frequency is possible. The results showed that nonlinear effects occur in a polarization spectrum at the small amplitudes of comb components and small frequency distances between them. Consequently, it is necessary to take into account nonlinear effects in comb spectroscopy.     

Raman study of ethylene-propylene copolymers and polyethylene-polypropylene reactor blends

The Raman spectra of the ethylene-propylene copolymers (EPC) synthesized using new metallocene catalytic systems and the polypropylene/polyethylene/diblockcopolymer of propylene and ethylene (PP/PE/DBC) blends obtained using the sequential polymerization are studied. The copolymer and reactor blend spectra are analyzed using the Raman spectra of a series of liquid n-alkanes. Significant monotonic changes are observed in the spectra of EPC and the PP/PE/DBC blends when the ethylene content increases. Substantial differences between the series of samples of blends and copolymers are revealed. In contrast to the EPC spectra, the spectra of the PP/PE/DBC reactor blends are represented as an exact superposition of the homopolymer spectra with the weight coefficients proportional to the contents of the blend components. A monotonic blue shift of the line that corresponds to the symmetric stretching mode of the CH₂ groups is observed in the EPC Raman spectra when the ethylene content increases. It is demonstrated that, for this line, the peak position only depends on the relative content of comonomers and does not depend on the contents of the PP and PE crystalline phases. The intensity ratio of two fundamental vibrations of PE and PP with frequencies of 1295 and 1330 cm^?1 can be used to determine the relative contents of the PE molecules in the trans-conformation and PP macromolecules in the helical conformation in the PP/PE blends. It is demonstrated that variations in the Raman spectra of n-alkanes, EPC, and PP/PE/DBC reactor blends related to variations in the relative contents of various chemical groups are reliably traced in the spectra of all of the materials under study.     

Electrocatalytic activity of palladium–polypyrrole nanocomposite in the formaldehyde oxidation reaction

Palladium–polypyrrole nanocomposite materials with high electrocatalytic activity toward formaldehyde in an alkaline solution (methylene glycolate) have been synthesized via a one-step redox route. Key factors that have an effect on the sensor properties of palladium nanoparticles have been determined. It has been demonstrated for the first time that the emergence of not only the forward but also the reverse wave of formaldehyde oxidation on palladium particles is associated with the oxidation of methylene glycolate rather than intermediate species.     

Experimental-calculation simulation of the ejection of particles from a shock-loaded surface

The possibilities of measuring complex Pylenie, which is intended for studying the parameters of the particles ejected from the free surface of a shock-loaded material and was created at the Institute of Experimental Gas Dynamics and Detonation Physics RFNC-VNIIEF, are demonstrated. The operation of the complex is based on the following three methods, which are based on different physical principles and supplement each other: laser-optical method (macro- and microfilming), pulsed X-ray method, and piezoelectric pressure sensors. This complex is used to study the ejection of particles from the free surface of lead samples when a shock wave with a pressure of 7, 16, and 23 GPa at its front reaches this surface. The effect of the surface roughness and the pressure amplitude at the shock wave front on the quantitative characteristics of the process is shown. The calculation-theoretical simulation is performed by two-dimensional numerical calculations of gasdynamic flows, and the calculation results are used to estimate the “ejecta” characteristics in terms of the developed phenomenological model of the process.     

Dynamics of Thermoluminescence under Dual-Wavelength Vis–IR Laser Excitation of Eosin Molecules in a Polyvinyl Butyral Film Containing Oxygen and Silver Nanoparticles

Optics and Spectroscopy - Electronic and vibrational energy transfer processes taking place in molecular complexes in a polymer are investigated under dual-wavelength (visible at λ = 532 nm...