Mechanochemical Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of the Mixed-Valent Binary Silver(I,II) Fluorides, AgAgF and AgAgF.

Fluoridoargentates(II) represent a fascinating class of silver(II) compounds with structural and magnetic similarities to cuprate superconductors. However, their synthesis is challenging, leaving their properties largely underexplored and hindering the discovery of new phases. This study introduces mechanochemistry as a novel approach for the synthesis of fluoridoargentates(II), avoiding the use of anhydrous HF or elemental fluorine and employing readily available equipment.

Higher-Magnesium-Doping Effects on the Singlet Ground State of the Shastry-Sutherland SrCu(BO).

Doping of quantum antiferromagnets is an established approach to investigate the robustness of their ground state against the competing phases. Predictions of doping effects on the ground state of the Shastry-Sutherland dimer model are here verified experimentally on Mg-doped SrCu(BO). A partial incorporation of Mg on the Cu site in the SrCu(BO) structure leads to a subtle but systematic lattice expansion with the increasing Mg-doping concentration, which is accompanied by a slight decrease in the spin gap, the Curie-Weiss temperature, and the peak temperature of the susceptibility.

Reactive Noble-Gas Compounds Explored by 3D Electron Diffraction: XeF-MnF Adducts and a Facile Sample Handling Procedure.

Recent advances in 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) have succeeded in matching the capabilities of single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), while requiring only submicron crystals for successful structural investigations. One of the many diverse areas to benefit from the 3D ED structural analysis is main-group chemistry, where compounds are often poorly crystalline or single-crystal growth is challenging. A facile method for loading and transferring highly air-sensitive and strongly oxidizing samples at low temperatures to a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for 3D ED analysis was successfully developed and tested on xenon(II) compounds from the XeF-MnF system.

Origins of the large piezoelectric response of samarium-doped lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate ceramics.

The recent discovery of the large piezoelectric response of Pb(MgNb)O-PbTiO (PMN-PT) ceramics induced by samarium doping has provided a substantially improved functionality to the group of lead-based relaxor-ferroelectric materials. Different mechanisms have been so far proposed for the large piezoelectricity; however, the explanations are contradictory and focused on a unified description. Here, we use nonlinear harmonic piezoelectric measurements combined with multiscale structural analysis to clarify the origins of the ultrahigh piezoelectric response of samarium-doped PMN-PT.

Crystal structure reinvestigation of silver(I) fluoride, AgF.

A crystal structure reinvestigation of AgF based on a low-temperature high-resolution single-crystal X-ray diffraction data is reported. Silver(I) fluoride crystallizes in the rock salt structure type ( ) with a unit-cell parameter of 4.92171 (14) Å at 100 K, resulting in an Ag-F bond length of 2.

Vanishing nematic order beyond the pseudogap phase in overdoped cuprate superconductors.

During the last decade, translational and rotational symmetry-breaking phases-density wave order and electronic nematicity-have been established as generic and distinct features of many correlated electron systems, including pnictide and cuprate superconductors. However, in cuprates, the relationship between these electronic symmetry-breaking phases and the enigmatic pseudogap phase remains unclear. Here, we employ resonant X-ray scattering in a cuprate high-temperature superconductor [Formula: see text] (Nd-LSCO) to navigate the cuprate phase diagram, probing the relationship between electronic nematicity of the Cu 3 orbitals, charge order, and the pseudogap phase as a function of doping.

Structure and Dynamics of Ferroelectric Domains in Polycrystalline Pb(FeNb)O.

A complex domain structure with variations in the morphology is observed at ambient temperature in monoclinic Pb(FeNb)O. Using electron microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy, it is possible to reveal micrometre-sized wedge, lamellar-like, and irregularly shaped domains. By increasing the temperature, the domain structure persists up to 80 °C, and then starts to disappear at around 100 °C due to the proximity of the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition, in agreement with macroscopic dielectric measurements.

Quenching of Long Range Order and the Mn Ordered Moment in the Layered Antiferromagnet, Ba SrLaMnO. A Polarized Neutron Scattering Study.

SrLaMnO is a layered antiferromagnetic (AF) oxide with the tetragonal ( I4/ mmm) n = 1 Ruddlesden-Popper phase structure (also known as the KNiF structure) with T = 128 K. Remarkably, substitution of Sr by Ba, forming the solid solution BaSr LaMnO, results in the destruction of long-range magnetic order and of the ordered moment on Mn for x > 0.35, although the effective paramagnetic moment remains unchanged, an unprecedented behavior for this class of magnetic materials.

Room-Temperature Synthesis and Optical Properties of NdVO4 Nanoneedles.

Tetragonal NdVO4 nanoneedles were prepared via a simple room-temperature precipitation method in the absence of any surfactant or template, starting from simple inorganic salts, NdCl3 and Na3VO4, as raw materials. The nanoneedles were characterized by XRPD, SEM, Raman, PL, and lifetime spectroscopy. The particles have a length of about 100 nm and a diameter of 20 nm and grow along <112> direction.