Abstract: Oxygen loss is a serious problem of lithium-rich layered oxide (LLO) cathodes, as the high capacity of LLO relies on reversible oxygen redox. Oxygen release can occur at the surface leading to the formation of spinel or rock salt structures. Also, the lattice oxygen will usually become unstable after long cycling, which remains a major roadblock in the application of LLO. Here, it is shown that Zr doping is an effective strategy to retain lattice oxygen in LLO due to the high affinity between Zr and O. A simple sol-gel method is used to dope Zr4+ into the LLOs to adjust the local electronic structure and inhibit the diffusion of oxygen anions to the surface during cycling. Compared with untreated LLOs, LLO-Zr cathodes exhibit a higher cycling stability, with 94% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.4 C, up to 223 mAh g-1 at 1 C, and 88% capacity retention after 300 cycles. Theoretical calculations show that due to the strong Zr-O covalent bonding, the formation energy of oxygen vacancies has effectively increased and the loss of lattice oxygen under high voltage can be suppressed. This study provides a simple method for developing high-capacity and cyclability Li-rich cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Oxygen release can occur at the cathode surface leading to the formation of spinel or rock salt structures. Here, it is shown that Zr doping is an effective strategy to retain lattice oxygen in lithium-rich layered oxides (LLO) due to the high affinity between Zr and O. LLO-Zr exhibit higher cycling stability, with 88% capacity retention after 300 cycles at 1 C. image

Abstract: The structure-property relationship at interfaces is difficult to probe for thermoelectric materials with a complex interfacial microstructure. Designing thermoelectric materials with a simple, structurally-uniform interface provides a facile way to understand how these interfaces influence the transport properties. Here, we synthesized Bi2-xSbxTe3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) nanoflakes using a hydrothermal method, and prepared Bi2-xSbxTe3 thin films with predominantly (0001) interfaces by stacking the nanoflakes through spin coating. The influence of the annealing temperature and Sb content on the (0001) interface structure was systematically investigated at atomic scale using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Annealing and Sb doping facilitate atom diffusion and migration between adjacent nanoflakes along the (0001) interface. As such it enhances interfacial connectivity and improves the electrical transport properties. Interfac reactions create new interfaces that increase the scattering and the Seebeck coefficient. Due to the simultaneous optimization of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, the maximum power factor of the Bi1.8Sb0.2Te3 nanoflake films reaches 1.72 mW m(-1) K-2, which is 43% higher than that of a pure Bi2Te3 thin film.

Abstract: A survey is given of the application of different electron microscopic techniques to the study of structural features of high T(c)-superconducting materials. Emphasis is laid in this contribution on those structural aspects for the study of which electron microscopy has been essential or has contributed to a significant extent.

Abstract: Single crystals with two different morphologies, black and brown, of C60 with about 12% C70 have been studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Integrated intensities from 8 reflections show that the charge distribution of the C60 cluster is shell-like giving rise to an oscillatory behaviour in the diffracted intensities. From the intensities, the distance between diametrically opposite carbon atoms has been determined to be (7.24 +/- 0.22) angstrom. The thickness of the charge distribution of the shell can be estimated as 3.06 angstrom and the cavity within a C60 cluster to have a diameter of about 4.18 angstrom. The finite longitudinal width of the diffraction peaks from black crystals indicates a lack of long-range crystalline order. The rocking curves are about 7-degrees broad and depict an unusually smooth behaviour. This may be indicative of a glassy or hexatic phase. High-resolution electron microscopy allows small crystallites with a relatively well-defined orientation relationship to be identified. In contrast, brown crystals have long-range order.

Abstract: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.69.1065

Abstract: The structure of Ca0.85CuO2 was reexamined by means of electron diffraction and electron microscopy using the newly developed method of selective imaging in intergrowth structures in which the two substructures are based on different sublattices. The results of previous work are confirmed. Moreover, it is shown that two stacking variants and their twin related structures occur in the calcium substructure. The copper-oxygen substructure occurs in one variant only; it is often modulated by the various calcium arrangements, leading to phase disorder in its modulation pattern. It is shown that the ribbons of CuO4 clusters are presumably tilted with respect to the (010) plane.

Abstract: Cubic as well as hexagonal single crystals of C70 have been grown and investigated by electron diffraction, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Several phase transitions have been detected and crystallographic models are proposed. Hexagonal crystals, stable at room temperature with c/a = 1.63 will undergo two transitions, upon cooling. First the c/a ratio will increase to 1.82 owing to c-axis allignment of the molecules; at a lower temperature the molecules will orientationally order, resulting in a monoclinic structure.