Chemical Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline (La_(0.67-X)Gd_X)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3 Using Amorphous Molecular Alloy as Precursors

A new route to synthesize nanosized crystalline of(La 0.67–X Gd X )Sr 0.33 MnO 3 (X=0.05,0.10, 0.15,0.20)perovskite-type complex oxides at calcination temperature of 600-1000°C using the amorphous molecular alloy as precursors was reported.The precursor could be completely decomposed into complex oxide at temperature below 500°C according to the TGA and DTA results.XRD demonstrates that the decomposed species is composed of perovskite-type structure at calcination temperature of 600°C for 2 h.The particle size that depends on the calcination temperature of the precursor is in a range of 30-120 nm as determined by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).This method is effective and can be easily quantitatively controlled to synthesize nanosized perovskite-type complex oxides.The magnetic properties of(La 0.67–X Gd X )Sr 0.33 MnO 3 nanocrystalline were preliminary studied.     

Electrical Transport and Magnetic Properties of La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xCrxO3 and La0.67＋xCa0.33-x Mn1-xCrxO3 （0.04≤x≤0.08）

A comparative study for two different series,La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xCrxO3 and La0.67+xCa0.33-xMn1-x CrxO3,is performed with x changing from 0.04 to 0.08 through measurements of zero-field resistivity (ρ) magnetoresistance(MR) and ac susceptibility (x) as functions of temperature(T). For the second group,a single insulator-metal transition was characterized by the resistivity maximum appears in ρ VS.T curve.For the first group,besides the resistivity peak appearing at higher temperatures,the sample shows evidence for the existence of another peak appearing at lower temperatures.Compared to the first group,the second group shows a significant enhancement in MR effect,while the measurement of x-T dependence does not display obvious differences for the two series.Different behaviors observed in the tWO series are discussed by considering possible exchange interaction between Mn3+ ion and Cr3+ ion.     

Electrical Transport and Magnetic Properties of La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xCrxO3 and La0.67＋xCa0.33-x Mn1-xCrxO3 （0.04≤x≤0.08）

A comparative study for two different series, La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xCrxO3 and La0.67＋xCa0.33-x Mn1-xCrxO3 is performed with x changing from 0.04 to 0.08 through measurements of zero-field resistivity （p）, magnetoresistance （MR） and ac susceptibility （Z） as functions of temperature （T）. For the second group, a single insulator-metal transition was characterized by the resistivity maximum appears in p vs. T curve. For the first group, besides the resistivity peak appearing at higher temperatures, the sample shows evidence for the existence of another peak appearing at lower temperatures. Compared to the first group, the second group shows a significant enhancement in MR effect, while the measurement ofΧ-T dependence does not display obvious differences for the two series. Different behaviors observed in the two series are discussed by considering possible exchange interaction between Mn^3- ion and Cr^3- ion.     

First-principles Investigation of the Structural,Electronic and Elastic Properties of Al2Ca and Al4Sr Phases in Mg-Al-Ca（Sr） Alloy

First-principles calculations have been carried out to investigate the structural stabilities, electronic structures and elastic properties of Mg17Al12, Al2Ca and Al4Sr phases. The optimized structural parameters are in good agreement with the experimental and other theoretical values. The calculated formation enthalpies and cohesive energies show that Al2Ca has the strongest alloying ability, and Al4Sr has the highest structural stability. The densities of states （DOS）, Mulliken electronic populations, and electronic charge density difference are obtained to reveal the underlying mechanism of structural stability. The bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young＇s modulus, and Poisson＇s ratio are estimated from the calculated elastic constants. The mechanical properties of these phases are further analyzed and discussed. The Gibbs free energy and Debye temperature are also calculated and discussed.     

Structure and Electrical Properties of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 Ceramicwith0.5wt% of MnO

The structure and electrical properties of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic doped with 0.5 wt% of MnO were investigated in comparison with those of （Na0.5Bi0.5）0.94Ba0.06TiO3 ceramic. It was ascertained that the MnO addition did not cause remarkable change in crystal structure and microstructure. The MnO addition mainly displayed a hard effect on the electrical properties, an increase of coercive field （E） and mechanical quality factor （Qm） together with a decrease of dielectric constant （εr） and piezoelectric constant （d33）. An enhancement of electromechanical coupling factor （kp） with the MnO addition was obtained too. An essential relation between the piezoelectric properties and ferroelectric nature of the ceramics was detected. It was found that the piezoelectric properties of the ceramics highly depended on the corporative contribution of remanent polarization （Pt） and coercive field.     

Structure and Mixed Electronic-ionic Conducting Properties of La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yFeyO3（y= 0-1.0） Ceramics Made by a Citrate Method

La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yFeyO3（y= 0-1.0） powders were synthesized by a citrate method, and the structure and mixed electronic-ionic conducting properties of the resulting ceramics were investigated. The synthesized La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yFeyO3 powders have a pure perovskite structure and consist of uniform and fine particles. A perovskite struciure with rhombohedral symmetry was certified for the La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yFeyO3 ceramics. The increase of Co/Fe ratio significantly promoted the grain growth and microstructural densification. The La0.6Sr0.4Co1-yFeyO3 compositions with relatively higher Co/Fe ratio exhibit superior mixed conducting properties. The electronic structure and microstructure of the ceramics are responsible for the variation of the mixed conducting properties with Co/Fe ratio.     

Hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of nanocrystalline and amorphous MgzNi1-xMnx （x=0-0.4） alloys prepared by melt spinning

A partial substitution of Ni by Mn was implemented in order to improve the hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of the Mg2Ni-type alloys.The nanocrystalline and amorphous Mg2Ni-type Mg2Ni1-xMnx(x=0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4) alloys were synthesized by the melt-spinning technique.The structures of the as-cast and spun alloys were studied by X-ray diffractometry(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM).The hydrogen absorption and desorption kinetics of the alloys ...