Abstract: The rapid progress in materials science that enables the design of materials down to the nanoscale also demands characterization techniques able to analyze the materials down to the same scale, such as transmission electron microscopy. As Belgium’s foremost electron microscopy group, among the largest in the world, EMAT is continuously contributing to the development of TEM techniques, such as high-resolution imaging, diffraction, electron tomography, and spectroscopies, with an emphasis on quantification and reproducibility, as well as employing TEM methodology at the highest level to solve real-world materials science problems. The lab’s recent contributions are presented here together with specific case studies in order to highlight the usefulness of TEM to the advancement of materials science.

Abstract: Quasi phase-pure (>98 wt %) MAX phase solid solution ceramics with the (ZryTi)(2)(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C stoichiometry and variable Zr/Ti ratios were synthesized by both reactive hot pressing and pressureless sintering of ZrH2, TiH2, Al, Sn, and C powder mixtures. The influence of the different processing parameters, such as applied pressure and sintering atmosphere, on phase purity and microstructure of the produced ceramics was investigated. The addition of Sn to the (Zr,Ti)(2)AlC system was the key to achieve phase purity. Its effect on the crystal structure of a 211-type MAX phase was assessed by calculating the distortions of the octahedral M6C and trigonal M(6)A prisms due to steric effects. The M(6)A prismatic distortion values were found to be smaller in Sn-containing double solid solutions than in the (Zr,Ti)(2)AlC MAX phases. The coefficients of thermal expansion along the < a > and < c > directions were measured by means of Rietveld refinement of high-temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction data of (Zr1-x,Ti-x)(2)(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C MAX phase solid solutions with x = 0, 0.3, 0.7, and 1. The thermal expansion coefficient data of the Ti-2(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C solid solution were compared with those of the Ti2AlC and Ti2SnC ternary compounds. The thermal expansion anisotropy increased in the (Zr,Ti)(2)(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C double solid solution MAX phases as compared to the Zr-2(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C and Ti-2(Al-0.5,Sn-0.5)C end-members.

Abstract: A transition-metal-only MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 polycrystalline oxide was prepared by a reaction of starting materials MnO, MnO2, Fe2O3, RuO2 at 6 GPa and 1873 K for 30 minutes. A combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction refinements indicated that MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 adopts the corundum (alpha-Fe2O3) structure type with space group R (3) over barc, in which all metal ions are disordered. The centrosymmetric nature of the MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 structure is corroborated by transmission electron microscopy, lack of optical second harmonic generation, X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy, and Mossbauer spectroscopy. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy of MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 showed the oxidation states of Mn, Fe, and Ru to be 2+/3+, 3+, and similar to 4+, respectively. Resistivity measurements revealed that MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 is a semiconductor. Magnetic measurements and magnetic structure refinements indicated that MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 orders antiferromagnetically around 400 K, with magnetic moments slightly canted away from the c axis. Fe-57 Mossbauer confirmed the magnetic ordering and Fe3+ (S = 5/2) magnetic hyperfine splitting. First principles calculations are provided to understand the electronic structure more thoroughly. A comparison of synthesis and properties of MnFe0.5Ru0.5O3 and related corundum Mn2BB'O-6 derivatives is discussed.

Abstract: Two novel lithium nickel boride polymorphs RT-LiNiB and HT-LiNiB with layered crystal structures are reported. This family of compounds was theoretically predicted by using the adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA) and subsequently synthesized via a hydride route with LiH precursor as a lithium source. Being unique among the known ternary transition metal borides, the LiNiB structures feature Li layers alternating with nearly planar [NiB] layers, composed of Ni hexagonal rings centered by B-B pairs. A comprehensive study using a combination of single crystal/synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data, solid-state 7Li and 11B NMR, scanning transmission electron microscopy, quantum chemistry calculations, and magnetism has shed light on the intrinsic features of these polymorphic compounds. The unique layered structures of LiNiB compounds make them ultimate precursors to further study their exfoliation, paving a way toward two-dimensional transition metal borides, MBenes.

Abstract: La3Ni2-xCuxB'O-9 (x = 0.25; B' = Sb, Ta, Nb: x = 0.5; B' = Nb) have been synthesized and characterised by transmission electron microscopy, neutron diffraction and magnetometry. Each adopts a perovskite-like structure (space group P2(1)/n) with two crystallographically-distinct six-coordinate sites, one occupied by a disordered arrangement of Ni2+ and Cu2+ and the other by a disordered similar to 1:2 distribution of Ni2+ and B'(5+), although some Cu2+ is found on the latter site when x = 0.5. Each composition undergoes a magnetic transition in the range 90 <= T/K <= 130 and shows a spontaneous magnetisation at 5 K; the transition temperature always exceeds that of the x = 0 composition by >= 30 K. A long-range ordered G-type ferrimagnetic structure is present in each composition, but small relaxor domains are also present. This contrasts with the pure relaxor and spin-glass behaviour of x = 0, B' = Ta, Nb, respectively.

Abstract: Ferroelectric lead-free thin films of the composition (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O-3 (BCZT) were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates using a ceramic BCZT target prepared by a conventional solid state reaction. The target material itself shows a piezoelectric coefficient of d(33)=640pm/V. The (111) textured thin films possess a thickness of up to 1.1 mu m and exhibit a clamped piezoelectric response f of up to 190pm/V, a dielectric coefficient of (r)=2000 at room temperature, and a pronounced relaxor behavior. As indicated by transmission electron microscopy, the thin films are composed of longitudinal micrometersized columns with similar to 100nm lateral dimension that are separated at twin- and antiphase boundaries. The superposition phenomena according to this columnar growth were simulated based on suitable supercells. The major structural component is described as a tetragonal distorted variant of the perovskite parent type; however, frequently coherently intergrown nanodomains were observed indicating a much more complex structure that is characterized by a 7-layer modulation along the growth direction of the films.

Abstract: Co-containing fluoride-phosphates are of interest in sense of delivering high electrode potentials and attractive specific energy values as positive electrode materials for rechargeable batteries. In this paper we report on a new Co-based fluoride-phosphate, LiNaCoPO4F, with a layered structure (2D), which was Rietveld-refined based on X-ray powder diffraction data [P2(1)/c, a = 6.83881(4) angstrom, b = 11.23323(5) angstrom, c = 5.07654(2) angstrom, beta = 90.3517(5) degrees, V = 389.982(3) angstrom(3)] and validated by electron diffraction and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The differential scanning calorimetry measurements revealed that 2D-LiNaCoPO4F forms in a narrow temperature range of 520-530 degrees C and irreversibly converts to the known 3D-LiNaCoPO4F modification (Pnma) above 530 degrees C. The non-carbon-coated 2D-LiNaCoPO4F shows reversible electrochemical activity in Li-ion cell in the potential range of 3.0-4.9 V vs. Li/Li+ with an average potential of approximate to 4.5 V and in Na-ion cell in the range of 3.0-4.5 V vs. Na/Na+ exhibiting a plateau profile centered around 4.2 V, in agreement with the calculated potentials by density functional theory. The energy barriers for both Li+ and Na+ migration in 2D-LiNaCoPO4F amount to 0.15 eV along the [001] direction rendering 2D-LiNaCoPO4F as a viable electrode material for high-power Li- and Na-ion rechargeable batteries. The discovery and stabilization of the 2D-LiNaCoPO4F polymorph indicates that temperature influence on the synthesis of A(2)MPO(4)F fluoride-phosphates needs more careful examination with perspective to unveil new structures.

Abstract: This study describes the influence of annealing temperature on the structure and luminescence properties of KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) (0 <= x <= 1). Compounds with the general formula (A ', A '')(n)[(W, Mo)O-4](m) are investigated as luminescent materials for photonic applications such as phosphor-converted LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Herein, the KGd0.8Eu0.2(MoO4)(2) light-rose crystal was grown by the Czochralski technique. Moreover, three polymorphs of KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) were present in the 923-1223 K range of annealing temperatures under ambient pressure: a triclinic alpha-phase, a disproportionately modulated monoclinic beta-phase and an orthorhombic gamma-phase with a KY(MoO4)(2)-type structure. The different behaviors of KGd(MoO4)(2) and KEu(MoO4)(2) were revealed by DSC studies. The number and the character of phase transitions for KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) depended on the elemental composition. The formation of a continuous range of solid solutions with the triclinic alpha-KEu(MoO4)(2)-type structure and ordering of K+ and Eu3+/Gd3+ cations were observed only for alpha-KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) (0 <= x <= 1) prepared at 923 K. The structures of gamma-KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) (x = 0 and 0.2) were studied using electron diffraction and refined using the powder X-ray diffraction data. The luminescence properties of KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) prepared at different annealing temperatures were studied and related to their different structures. The maxima of the D-5(0) -> F-7(2) integral emission intensities were found under excitation at lambda(ex) = 300 nm and lambda(ex) = 395 nm for triclinic scheelite-type alpha-KGd0.6Eu0.4(MoO4)(2) and monoclinic scheelite-type beta-KGd0.4Eu0.6(MoO4)(2) prepared at 1173 K, respectively. The latter shows the brightest red light emission among the KGd1-xEux(MoO4)(2) phosphors. The maximum and integral emission intensity of beta-KGd0.4Eu0.6(MoO4)(2) in the D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transition region is similar to 20% higher than that of the commercially used red phosphor Gd2O2S:Eu3+. Thus, beta-KGd0.4Eu0.6(MoO4)(2) is very attractive for application as a near-UV convertible red-emitting phosphor for LEDs.

Abstract: Tubular ZnO – Co3O4 nanofibers were co-electrospun from polymer solution containing zinc and cobalt acetates. Phase composition, cobalt electronic state and element distribution in the fibers were investigated by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM with EDX mapping, and XPS. Bare ZnO has high selective sensitivity to NO and NO2, while ZnO-Co3O4 composites demonstrate selective sensitivity to H2S in dry and humid air. This effect is discussed in terms of transformation of cobalt oxides into cobalt sulfides and change in the acidity of ZnO oxide surface upon cobalt doping. Reduction in response and recovery time is attributed to the formation of a tubular structure facilitating gas transport through the sensitive layer.

Abstract: Neutron diffraction experiments conducted at 5 K in a magnetic field 0 < H/kOe < 50 have shown that the monoclinic perovskite La3Ni2TaO9 behaves as a relaxor ferromagnet. Compositions in the series La3Ni2SbxTayNb1–x–yO9 have been synthesized in polycrystalline form. Electron microscopy, X–ray diffraction and neutron diffraction have shown that the solid solutions are largely homogeneous and monophasic. Magnetometry and neutron diffraction have shown that the relaxor magnetisation persists in low fields when x + y = 1 but is rapidly diminished by the introduction of niobium. This change in magnetic behaviour is ascribed to the differences in the d–orbital energies of Sb5+, Nb5+ and Ta5+.

Abstract: In the present work, the Cu-poor and Sn-rich CZTS thin films were prepared in order to study the volatility of Sn with respect to other components. Thin film compositions were kept intentionally Sn-rich to understand the behaviour of loss and segregation of Sn during sulphurization. The homogeneous composition distribution in precursor thin films turns heterogeneous with a change in morphology after sulphurization. The inability of identifying nanoscale secondary phases in CZTS thin film by conventional analytical techniques such as XRD and Raman, can be fulfilled by employing HAADF-STEM analysis. XPS and HAADF-STEM analyses provide the quantification of nanoscale secondary phases across the thin film and surface, respectively. The volatility of Sn was revealed in the form of segregation in the middle layer of CZTS cross-sectional lamella rather than loss to annealing atmosphere. It was observed that among the cations of CZTS, Sn segregates more than Cu, while Zn segregates least. The nanoscale spurious phases were observed to vary across different regions in the sulphurized CZTS sample. The reactive annealing lead to grain growth and formation of grain boundary features in the CZTS thin films, where annealing significantly modifies the potential difference and band bending at grain boundaries with respect to intra-grains.

Abstract: Topochemical reduction of La0.9Ba0.1MnO3 with NaH at 225 degrees C yields the brownmillerite phase La0.9Ba0.1MnO2.5. However, reduction with CaH2 at 435 degrees C results in the formation of La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 via the deintercalation of both oxide anions and manganese cations from the parent perovskite phase. Electron and neutron diffraction data reveal La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 adopts a complex noncentrosymmetric structure, described in space group I23, confirmed by SHG measurements. Low-temperature neutron diffraction data reveal La0.9Ba0.1Mn0.96O2.43 adopts an ordered magnetic structure in which all the nearest neighbor interactions are antiferromagnetic. However, the presence of ordered manganese cation-vacancies results in a net ferrimagnetic structure with net saturated moment of 0.157(2) mu B per manganese center.

Abstract: Sr2CrO2Cr2As2 and Ba2CrO2Cr2As2 with Cr2+ ions in CrO2 sheets and in CrAs layers crystallize with the Sr2Mn3Sb2O2 structure (space group I4/mmm, Z = 2) and lattice parameters a = 4.00800(2) Å, c = 18.8214(1) Å (Sr2CrO2Cr2As2) and a = 4.05506(2) Å, c = 20.5637(1) Å (Ba2CrO2Cr2As2) at room temperature. Powder neutron diffraction reveals checkerboard-type antiferromagnetic ordering of the Cr2+ ions in the arsenide layers below TN1Sr, of 600(10) K (Sr2CrO2Cr2As2) and TN1Ba 465(5) K (Ba2CrO2Cr2As2) with the moments initially directed perpendicular to the layers in both compounds. Checkerboard-type antiferromagnetic ordering of the Cr2+ ions in the oxide layer below 230(5) K for Ba2CrO2Cr2As2 occurs with these moments also perpendicular to the layers, consistent with the orientation preferences of d4 moments in the two layers. In contrast, below 330(5) K in Sr2CrO2Cr2As2, the oxide layer Cr2+ moments are initially oriented in the CrO2 plane; but on further cooling, these moments rotate to become perpendicular to the CrO2 planes, while the moments in the arsenide layers rotate by 90° with the moments on the two sublattices remaining orthogonal throughout [behavior recently reported independently by Liu et al. [Liu et al. Phys. Rev. B 2018, 98, 134416]]. In Sr2CrO2Cr2As2, electron diffraction and high resolution powder X-ray diffraction data show no evidence for a structural distortion that would allow the two Cr2+ sublattices to couple, but high resolution neutron powder diffraction data suggest a small incommensurability between the magnetic structure and the crystal structure, which may account for the coupling of the two sublattices and the observed spin reorientation. The saturation values of the Cr2+ moments in the CrO2 layers (3.34(1) μB (for Sr2CrO2Cr2As2) and 3.30(1) μB (for Ba2CrO2Cr2As2)) are larger than those in the CrAs layers (2.68(1) μB for Sr2CrO2Cr2As2 and 2.298(8) μB for Ba2CrO2Cr2As2) reflecting greater covalency in the arsenide layers.

Abstract: The development of sensor materials of which gas sensitivity activates under light illumination is of great importance for the design of portable gas analyzers with low power consumption. In the present work a ZnO/CsPbBr3 nanocomposite based on nanocrystalline ZnO and colloidal cubic-shaped perovskite CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) capped by oleic acide and oleylamine was synthesized. The individual materials and obtained nanocomposite are characterized by x-ray diffraction, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive Xray spectroscopy mapping and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The spectral dependence of the photoconductivity of the ZnO/CsPbBr3 nanocomposite reveals a well-defined peak that strongly correlates with the its optical absorption spectrum. The nanocomposite ZnO/CsPbBr3 shows enhanced photoresponse under visible light illumination (lambda(max) = 470 nm, 8 mW/cm(2)) in air, oxygen and argone, compared with pure nanocrystalline ZnO. Under periodic illumination in the temperature range of 25-100 degrees C, the ZnO/CsPbBr3 nanocomposite shows a sensor response to 0.5-3.0 ppm NO2, unlike pure nanocrystalline ZnO matrix, which demonstrates sensor sensitivity to NO2 under the same conditions above 100 degrees C. The effects of humidity on the sensor signal and photoresponse are also discussed.

Abstract: Three-dimensional topological insulators are exotic materials with unique properties. Tetradymite type binary chalcogenides of bismuth and antimony, as well as their mixed crystals, belong to prototypical TIs. Potential device applications of these materials require in-depth knowledge of their stability in the ambient atmosphere and other media maintained during their processing. Here we investigated the reactivity of mixed crystals with anion substitution, Bi-2(Se1-xTex)(3) and Sb2(Se1-xTex)(3), towards molecular oxygen using both in situ and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that, in contrast to cation substitution, partial substitution of tellurium by selenium atoms leads to anomalously high surface reactivity, which even exceeds that of the most reactive binary constituent. We attribute this effect to anion ordering that essentially modifies the bond geometry, especially the respective bond angles as modeled by DFT.