Abstract: We report an innovative method to explore the optimal experimental settings to detect light atoms from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images. Since light elements play a key role in many technologically important materials, such as lithium-battery devices or hydrogen storage applications, much effort has been made to optimize the STEM technique in order to detect light elements. Therefore, classical performance criteria, such as contrast or signal-to-noise ratio, are often discussed hereby aiming at improvements of the direct visual interpretability. However, when images are interpreted quantitatively, one needs an alternative criterion, which we derive based on statistical detection theory. Using realistic simulations of technologically important materials, we demonstrate the benefits of the proposed method and compare the results with existing approaches.

Abstract: We report crystal structure, electronic structure, and magnetism of manganese tetraboride, MnB4, synthesized under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions. In contrast to superconducting FeB4 and metallic CrB4, which are both orthorhombic, MnB4 features a monoclinic crystal structure. Its lower symmetry originates from a Peierls distortion of the Mn chains. This distortion nearly opens the gap at the Fermi level, but despite the strong dimerization and the proximity of MnB4 to the insulating state, we find indications for a sizable paramagnetic effective moment of about 1.7 mu(B)/f.u., ferromagnetic spin correlations, and, even more surprisingly, a prominent electronic contribution to the specific heat. However, no magnetic order has been observed in standard thermodynamic measurements down to 2 K. Altogether, this renders MnB4 a structurally simple but microscopically enigmatic material; we argue that its properties may be influenced by electronic correlations.

Abstract: A major revolution for electron microscopy in the past decade is the introduction of aberration correction, which enables one to increase both the spatial resolution and the energy resolution to the optical limit. Aberration correction has contributed significantly to the imaging at low operating voltages. This is crucial for carbon-based nanomaterials which are sensitive to electron irradiation. The research of carbon nanomaterials and nanohybrids, in particular the fundamental understanding of defects and interfaces, can now be carried out in unprecedented detail by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM). This review discusses new possibilities and limits of AC-TEM at low voltage, including the structural imaging at atomic resolution, in three dimensions and spectroscopic investigation of chemistry and bonding. In situ TEM of carbon-based nanomaterials is discussed and illustrated through recent reports with particular emphasis on the underlying physics of interactions between electrons and carbon atoms.

Abstract: The interaction between evaporated gold and pristine or oxygen plasma treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is investigated. Experimental and theoretical results indicate that gold nucleation occurs at defect sites, whether initially present or introduced by oxygen plasma treatment. Uniform gold cluster dispersion is observed on plasma treated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and associated with the presence of uniformly dispersed oxidized vacancy centres on the CNT surface.

Abstract: The far-infrared dielectric response of superlattices (SL) composed of superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) and ferromagnetic La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) has been investigated by ellipsometry. A drastic decrease of the free-carrier response is observed which involves an unusually large length scale of d(crit)approximate to20 nm in YBCO and d(crit)approximate to10 nm in LCMO. A corresponding suppression of metallicity is not observed in SL's where LCMO is replaced by the paramagnetic metal LaNiO3. Our data suggest that either a long-range charge transfer from the YBCO to the LCMO layers or alternatively a strong coupling of the charge carriers to the different and competitive kind of magnetic correlations in the LCMO and YBCO layers is at the heart of the observed metal-insulator transition. The low free-carrier response observed in the far-infrared dielectric response of the magnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8 is possibly related to this effect.

Abstract: In this work, GaN growth on porous Si(111) will be reported. The porosity of the substrates was 30% or 50%. In the latter case, various thicknesses, from 0.6 mu m to 10 mu m, were investigated. The morphology of the GaN surfaces was analyzed by optical interference microscopy. The crystalline quality of the epitaxial layers was characterized by High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction (HR-XRD) and cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). A Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray symmetric rocking curve (0002) 2 theta – omega scan of 290 arc see was obtained for a 1 mu m thick GaN layer, which is comparable with that of GaN grown on bulk Si(111) substrates. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Abstract: A combination of new thermoresponsive statistical polyoxazolines, poly[(2-butyl-2-oxazoline)-stat-(2-isopropyl-2-oxazoline)] [pBuOx-co-piPrOx], with different hydrophobic moieties and F127 surfactant as a template system for the creation of thermosensitive nanoparticles for radionuclide delivery has recently been tested [Pánek, Filippov, Hrubý, Rabyk, Bogomolova, Kučka Stěpánek (2012). Macromol. Rapid Commun.33, 16831689]. It was shown that the presence of the thermosensitive F127 triblock copolymer in solution reduces nanoparticle size and polydispersity. This article focuses on a determination of the internal structure and solution properties of the nanoparticles in the temperature range from 288 to 312 K. Here, it is demonstrated that below the cloud point temperature (CPT) the polyoxazolines and F127 form complexes that co-exist in solution with single F127 molecules and large aggregates. When the temperature is raised above the CPT, nanoparticles composed of polyoxazolines and F127 are predominant in solution. These nanoparticles could be described by a spherical shell model. It was found that the molar weight and hydrophobicity of the polymer do not influence the size of the outer radius and only slightly change the inner radius of the nanoparticles. At the same time, molar weight and hydrophobicity did affect the process of nanoparticle formation. In conclusion, poly(2-oxazoline) molecules are fully incorporated inside of F127 micelles, and this result is very promising for the successful application of such systems in radionuclide delivery.

Abstract: Using a molecular dynamics model the crystallinity of MgxAlyOz thin films with a variation in the stoichiometry of the thin film is studied at operating conditions similar to the experimental operating conditions of a dual magnetron sputter deposition system. The films are deposited on a crystalline or amorphous substrate. The Mg metal content in the film ranged from 100% (i.e. MgO film) to 0% (i.e. Al2O3 film). The radial distribution function and density of the films are calculated. The results are compared with x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses of experimentally deposited thin films by the dual magnetron reactive sputtering process. Both simulation and experimental results show that the structure of the MgAlO film varies from crystalline to amorphous when the Mg concentration decreases. It seems that the crystalline MgAlO films have a MgO structure with Al atoms in between.

Abstract: The n=2 Ruddlesden-Popper phases LaSr(2)CoMnO(7) and La(1 2)Sr(1 8)CoMnO(7) have been synthesized by a sol-gel method The O6-type phases LaSr(2)CoMnO(6) and La(1 2)Sr(1 8)CoMnO(6) were produced by reduction of the 07 phases under a hydrogen atmosphere The materials crystallize in the tetragonal I4/mmm space group with no evidence of long-range cation order in the neutron and electron diffraction data Oxygen vacancies in the reduced materials are located primarily at the common apex of the double perovskite layers giving rise to square pyramidal coordination around cobalt and manganese ions. The oxidation states Co(3+)/Mn(4+) and Co(2+)/Mn(3+) predominate in the as-prepared and reduced materials, respectively The materials are spin glasses at low temperature and the dominant magnetic interactions change from ferro- to antiferromagnetic following reduction (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

Abstract: Carbonaceous spherules of millimeter size diameter and found in the upper soils throughout Europe are investigated by TEM, including SAED, HRTEM and EELS, and Raman spectroscopy. The spherules consist primarily of carbon and have an open cell-like internal structure. Most of the carbon appears in an amorphous state, but different morphologies of nano- and microdiamond particles have also been discovered including flake shapes. The latter observation, together with the original findings of some of these spherules in crater-like structures in the landscape and including severely deformed rocks with some spherules being embedded in the fused crust of excavated rocks, points towards unique conditions of origin for these spherules and particles, possibly of exogenic origin. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: We apply neutron diffraction, high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements, electronic structure calculations, and quantum Monte-Carlo simulations to unravel the structure and magnetism of (CuCl)LaTa2O7. Despite the pseudo-tetragonal crystallographic unit cell, this compound features an orthorhombic superstructure, similar to the Nb-containing (CuX)LaNb2O7 with X = Cl and Br. The spin lattice entails dimers formed by the antiferromagnetic fourth-neighbor coupling J(4), as well as a large number of nonequivalent interdimer couplings quantified by an effective exchange parameter J(eff). In (CuCl)LaTa2O7, the interdimer couplings are sufficiently strong to induce the long-range magnetic order with the Neel temperature T-N similar or equal to 7 K and the ordered magnetic moment of 0.53 mu(B), as measured with neutron diffraction. This magnetic behavior can be accounted for by J(eff)/J(4) similar or equal to 1.6 and J(4) similar or equal to 16 K. We further propose a general magnetic phase diagram for the (CuCl)LaNb2O7-type compounds, and explain the transition from the gapped spin-singlet (dimer) ground state in (CuCl)LaNb2O7 to the long-range antiferromagnetic order in (CuCl)LaTa2O7 and (CuBr)LaNb2O7 by an increase in the magnitude of the interdimer couplings J(eff)/J(4), with the (CuCl)LaM2O7 (M = Nb, Ta) compounds lying on different sides of the quantum critical point that separates the singlet and long-range-ordered magnetic ground states.

Abstract: In this paper, the effects of prolonged bias-enhanced nucleation (prolonged BEN) on the growth mechanisms of diamond are investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) and combined MD-Metropolis Monte Carlo (MD-MMC) simulations. First, cumulative impacts of CxHy+ and Hx+ on an a-C:H/nanodiamond composite were simulated; second, nonconsecutive impacts of the dominant ions were simulated in order to understand the observed phenomena in more detail. As stated in the existing literature, the growth of diamond structures during prolonged BEN is a process that takes place below the surface of the growing film. The investigation of the penetration behavior of CxHy+ and Hx+ species shows that the carbon-containing ions remain trapped within this amorphous phase where they dominate mechanisms like precipitation of sp3 carbon clusters. The H+ ions, however, penetrate into the crystalline phase at high bias voltages (>100 V), destroying the perfect diamond structure. The experimentally measured reduction of grain sizes at high bias voltage, reported in the literature, might thus be related to penetrating H+ ions. Furthermore, the CxHy+ ions are found to be the most efficient sputtering agents, preventing the build up of defective material.

Abstract: The production of boron-doped diamond nanoparticles enables the application of this material for a broad range of fields, such as electrochemistry, thermal management, and fundamental superconductivity research. Here we present the production of highly boron-doped diamond nanoparticles using boron-doped CVD diamond films as a starting material. In a multistep milling process followed by purification and surface oxidation we obtained diamond nanoparticles of 1060 nm with a boron content of approximately 2.3 × 1021 cm3. Aberration-corrected HRTEM reveals the presence of defects within individual diamond grains, as well as a very thin nondiamond carbon layer at the particle surface. The boron K-edge electron energy-loss near-edge fine structure demonstrates that the B atoms are tetrahedrally embedded into the diamond lattice. The boron-doped diamond nanoparticles have been used to nucleate growth of a boron-doped diamond film by CVD that does not contain an insulating seeding layer.