Crystals — Open Access Journal

Topological insulators (TIs) have a bulk bandgap and gapless edge or surface states that host helically spin-polarized Dirac fermions. Theoretically, it has been predicted that gapless states could also be formed along dislocations in TIs. Recently, conductivity measurements on plastically deformed bismuth antimony (Bi_1−xSb_x) TIs have revealed excess conductivity owing to dislocation conduction. For further application of them, fundamental study on dislocations in TIs is indispensable. Dislocations controlled based on fundamental studies could potentially be useful not only for experimental investigations of the dislocation properties but also for diverse device applications. In the present study, Bi_1−xSb_x TI single crystals were fabricated by a zone-melting method. The crystals were plastically deformed at room temperature. The resultant dislocations were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that high-density dislocations with the Burgers vector satisfying the condition for the formation of gapless states were successfully introduced. The dislocations were mostly of edge type with lengths on the order of more than a few micrometers. Full article

The crystal structure of the polymeric spin crossover compound Fe(3,4-dimethyl-pyridine)₂[Ag(CN)₂]₂ has been solved and its temperature dependence followed by means of single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. This compound presents a two-step spin transition with relatively abrupt steps centred at ca. 170 K and 145 K and a plateau at around 155 K. The origin of the two-step transition is discussed in light of these structural studies. The observations are compatible with a mostly disordered state between the two steps, consisting of mixing of high-spin and low-spin species, while weak substructure reflections in the mixed phase could indicate some degree of long-range order of the high-spin and low-spin sites. Full article

Van der Waals heterojunctions based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) show promising potential in optoelectronic devices, due to the ultrafast separation of photoexcited carriers and efficient generation of the photocurrent. Herein, this study demonstrated a high-responsivity photovoltaic photodetector based on a MoTe₂/MoSe₂ type-II heterojunction. Due to the interlayer built-in potential, the MoTe₂/MoSe₂ heterojunction shows obvious photovoltaic behavior and its photoresponse can be tuned by the gate voltage due to the ultrathin thickness of the heterojunction. This self-powered photovoltaic photodetector exhibits an excellent responsivity of 1.5 A W⁻¹, larger than previously reported TMDs-based photovoltaic photodetectors. Due to the high-efficiency separation of electron-hole pairs and ultrafast charge transfer, the light-induced on/off ratio of current switching is larger than 10⁴ at zero bias, and the dark current is extremely low (~10⁻¹³ A). These MoTe₂/MoSe₂ type-II heterojunctions are expected to provide more opportunities for future nanoscale optoelectronic devices. Full article

Conventional display applications of liquid crystals utilize thin layers of mesogenic materials, typically less than 10 µm. However, emerging non-display applications will require thicker, i.e., greater than 100 µm, layers of liquid crystals. Although electro-optical performance of relatively thin liquid crystal cells is well-documented, little is known about the properties of thicker liquid crystal layers. In this paper, the electro-optical response of dual-frequency nematic liquid crystals is studied using a broad range (2–200 µm) of the cell thickness. Two regimes of electro-optical switching of dual-frequency nematics are observed and analyzed. Full article

We show that topological interface mode can emerge in a one-dimensional elastic string system which consists of two periodic strings with different band topologies. To verify their topological features, Zak-phase of each band is calculated and reveals the condition of topological phase transition accordingly. Apart from that, the transmittance spectrum illustrates that topological interface mode arises when two topologically distinct structures are connected. The vibration profile further exhibits the non-trivial interface mode in the domain wall between two periodic string composites. Full article

This paper aims to understand the effect of local recrystallization (RX) on the low cycle fatigue fracture of a turbine-blade single crystal nickel-based superalloy. The fatigue life of the single crystal superalloy was evidently decreased by local recrystallization. In single crystal specimens, casting porosity is the preferential fatigue crack initiation site, which is followed by crystallographic crack propagation along one or several octahedral slip planes. For all RX specimens, fatigue cracks preferred to initiate from local recrystallized grains and propagated through the recrystallized grains in a transgranular manner, followed by crystallographic crack propagation in the substrate single crystal superalloy. Moreover, fatigue tests indicated that locally recrystallized specimens exhibited temperature dependent fracture modes, i.e., transgranular cracking dominated at 550 °C, whereas intergranular cracking was preferred at 850 °C. Evident oxidation of fracture surfaces and strength degradation of grain boundaries at 850 °C was evidenced by scanning electronic microscopic observations. The present study emphasized the need to evaluate the effect of recrystallization according to the working conditions of turbine components, i.e., the local temperature. Full article

With the growing demand for driving safety and convenience, Head-Up Displays (HUDs) have gained more and more interest in recent years. In this paper, we propose a HUD system with the ability to adjust the relative brightness of ambient light and virtual information light. The key components of the system include a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) film, a geometric phase (GP) liquid crystal lens, and a circular polarizer. By controlling the voltage applied to the GP lens, the contrast ratio of the virtual information light to ambient light could be continuously tuned, so that good visibility could always be obtained under different driving conditions. Full article

Low emissivity glass (low-e glass), which is often used in energy-saving buildings, has high thermal resistance and visible light transmission. Heavily doped wide band gap semiconductors like aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) have these properties, especially after certain treatment. In our experiments, in-line sputtered AZO and ITO bilayer (AZO/ITO) films on glass substrates were prepared first. The deposition of AZO/ITO films was following by annealing in hydrogen/nitrogen (H₂/N₂) plasma with different N₂ flows. The structure and optical and electrical properties of AZO/ITO films were surveyed. Experiment results indicated that N₂ flow in H₂/N₂ plasma annealing of AZO/ITO films slightly modified the structure and electrical properties of AZO/ITO films. The X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to zinc oxide (002) crystal plane slightly shifted to a higher angle and its full width at half maximum decreased as the N₂ flow increased. The electrical resistivity and the emissivity reduced for the plasma annealed AZO/ITO films when the N₂ flow was raised. The optimum H₂/N₂ gas flow was 100/100 for plasma annealed AZO/ITO films in this work for low emissivity application. The emissivity and average visible transmittance for H₂/N₂ = 100/100 plasma annealed AZO/ITO were 0.07 and 80%, respectively, lying in the range of commercially used low emissivity glass. Full article

We have prepared a series of pyridinium-based gemini amphiphiles. They exhibit thermotropic liquid–crystalline behavior depending on their alkyl chain lengths and anion species. By adjusting the alkyl chain lengths and selecting suitable anions, we have obtained an ionic amphiphile that exhibits a normal-type bicontinuous cubic phase from 38 °C to 12 °C on cooling from an isotropic phase. In the bicontinuous cubic liquid–crystalline assembly, the pyridinium-based ionic parts align along a gyroid minimal surface forming a 3D continuous ionic domain while their ionophobic alkyl chains form 3D branched nanochannel networks. This ionic compound can form homogeneous mixtures with a lithium salt and the resultant mixtures keep the ability to form normal-type bicontinuous cubic phases. Ion conduction measurements have been performed for the mixtures on cooling. It has been revealed that the formation of the 3D branched ionophobic nanochannels does not disturb the ion conduction behavior in the ionic domain while it results in the conversion of the state of the mixtures from fluidic liquids to quasi-solids, namely highly viscous liquid crystals. Although the ionic conductivity of the mixtures is in the order of 10^–7 S cm^–1 at 40 °C, which is far lower than the values for practical use, the present material design has a potential to pave the way for developing advanced solid electrolytes consisting of two task-specific nanosegregated domains: One is an ionic liquid nano-domain with a 3D continuity for high ionic conductivity and the other is ionophobic nanochannel network domains for high mechanical strength. Full article

Indium-incorporation with In_xGa_1-xN layers on GaN-microdisks has been systematically studied against growth parameters by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The indium content (x) of In_xGa_1-xN layer increased to 44.2% with an In/(In + Ga) flux ratio of up to 0.6 for a growth temperature of 620 °C, and quickly dropped with a flux ratio of 0.8. At a fixed In/(In + Ga) flux ratio of 0.6, we found that the indium content decreased as the growth temperature increased from 600 °C to 720 °C and dropped to zero at 780 °C. By adjusting the growth parameters, we demonstrated an appropriate In_xGa_1-xN layer as a buffer to grow high-indium-content In_xGa_1-xN/GaN microdisk quantum wells for micro-LED applications. Full article

The formation, dissociation, and reformation of cyclopentane (CP) hydrate in a sub-millimeter-sized capillary were conducted in this work, and the morphology of CP hydrate was obtained during above processes, respectively. The influences of the supercooling degree, i.e., the hydrate formation driving force, on CP hydrate crystals’ aspect and growth rate were also investigated. The results demonstrate that CP forms hydrate with the water melting from ice at the interface between the CP and melting water at a temperature slightly above 273.15 K. With the action of hydrate memory effect, the CP hydrate in the capillary starts forming at the CP-water interface or CP–water–capillary three-phase junction and grows around the CP–water interface. The appearance and growth rate of CP hydrate are greatly influenced by the supercooling degree. It indicates that CP hydrate has a high aggregation degree and good regularity at a high supercooling degree (or a low formation temperature). The growth rate of CP hydrate crystals greatly increases with the supercooling degree. Consequently, the temperature has a significant influence on the formation of CP hydrate in the capillary. That means the features of CP hydrate crystals in a quiescent system could be determined and controlled by the temperature setting. Full article

This paper presents results obtained for biconical tapered fibers surrounded/immersed in liquid crystal mixtures. The phenomenon of light propagating in the whole structure of a tapered fiber allows the creation of a sensor where the tapered region represents a core whereas the surrounding medium becomes a cladding. Created devices are very sensitive to changing refractive index value in a surrounding medium caused by modifying external environmental parameters like temperature, electric or magnetic field. For this reason, the properties of materials used as cladding should be easily modified. In this investigation, cells have been filled with two different nematic liquid crystals given as 1550* and 6CHBT (4-(trans-4-n-hexylcyclohexyl) isothiocyanatobenzoate), as well as with the same mixtures doped with 0.1 wt% gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Optical spectrum analysis for the wavelength range of 550–1150 nm and time-courses performed for a wavelength of 846 nm at the temperature range of T = 25–40 °C were provided. For all investigations, a steering voltage in the range of 0–200 V which allows establishing the dopes’ influence on transmitted power and time response at different temperatures was applied. Full article

AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures are the base of many semiconductor devices. The fabrication of new types of devices demands heterostructures with special features, such as large total thickness (~20 μm), ultrathin layers (~1 nm), high repeatability (up to 1000 periods) and uniformity, for which a conventional approach of growing such heterostructures is insufficient and the development of new growth procedures is needed. This article summarizes our work on the metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) growth of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures for modern infrared devices. The growth approaches presented allow for the improved output characteristics of different emitting devices such as multi active region lasers, epitaxially integrated via highly doped tunnel junctions (emission wavelength λ ~ 1 μm), quantum cascade lasers (λ ~10 μm) and THz laser (λ ~100 μm), based on short-period superlattice with 500–2000 layers. Full article

Measurements of the solubility and metastable zone width (MSZW) of borax decahydrate (disodium tetraborate decahydrate) within chloride, sulfate and carbonate solutions were carried out. The MSZW was measured by the conventional polythermal method with turbidity technology. The results showed that the addition of impurities decreased solubility. The main factor reducing solubility is the common ion effect, but the salt effect is also significant in the complex system. The addition of impurities broadened the MSZW. The MSZW was wider at first, then decreased with the addition of NaCl, yet the MSZW widened with the addition of Na₂SO₄ within the concentration range studied. This can be explained by adsorption and diffusion. The data of solubility and MSZW were analyzed by applying the Van’t Hoff equation and the classical 3D nucleation theory approach, respectively. By calculating the corresponding parameters, the experimental phenomena are further explained from the perspective of thermodynamics and dynamics. Full article

The first Ce(III)-based coordination polymer ICR-9 (ICR stands for Inorganic Chemistry Řež), with the formula Ce₂(C₈H₁₀P₂O₄)₃, containing ditopic phenylene-1,4-bis(methylphosphinic acid) linker, was synthetized under solvothermal conditions. The crystal structure, solved using electron diffraction tomography (EDT), revealed 2D layers of octahedrally coordinated cerium atoms attached together through O-P-O bridges. The structure is nonporous, however, the modification of synthetic conditions led to unconventional metal–organic framework (or defective amorphous phase) with a specific surface area up to approximately 400 m² g^-1. Full article

Liquid crystals (LCs) can always reflect variable optical properties in a broad terahertz (THz) band under external electric or magnetic fields. Based on the measurements of these varying properties, we can realize electric and magnetic field sensing with very high sensitivity. Here, we theoretically and numerically demonstrate a type of electric field sensor in the THz frequency range based on the defect mode arising in a periodically corrugated waveguide with liquid crystals. The Bragg defect structure consisting of periodically corrugated metallic walls and a defect in the middle can provide a narrow transmitted peak with controllable bandwidth, which can be used for external field sensing when it is filled with LCs. The molecular orientation of nematic LCs (E7) is not only very sensitive to the applied DC electric field but also very crucial to the effective refractive index of E7. Changing the effective index can efficiently shift the frequency of the transmitted peak in the THz spectrum. The simulated results show that the sensitivity can reach as high as 9.164 MHz/(V/m) and the smallest resolution is 0.1115 V/m. The proposed sensor and its significant performance could benefit electric field sensing and extend the applications of THz technology. Full article

Phosphonate ligands demonstrate strong affinity for metal ions. However, there are several cases where the phosphonate is found non-coordinated to the metal ion. Such compounds could be characterized as salts, since the interactions involved are ionic and hydrogen bonding. In this paper we explore a number of such examples, using divalent metal ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Ni²⁺) and the phosphonic acids: p-aminobenzylphosphonic acid (H₂PABPA), tetramethylenediamine-tetrakis(methylenephosphonic acid) (H₈TDTMP), and 1,2-ethylenediphosphonic acid (H₄EDPA). The compounds isolated and structurally characterized are [Mg(H₂O)₆]·[HPABPA]₂·6H₂O, [Ca(H₂O)₈]·[HPABPA]₂, [Sr(H₂O)₈]·[HPABPA]₂, [Mg(H₂O)₆]·[H₆TDTMP], and [Ni(H₂O)₆]·[H₂EDPA]·H₂O. Also, the coordination polymer {[Ni(4,4’-bpy)(H₂O)₄]·[H₂EDPA]·H₂O}_n was synthesized and characterized, which contains a bridging 4,4’-bipyridine (4,4’-bpy) ligand forming an infinite chain with the Ni²⁺ cations. All these compounds contain the phosphonate anion as the counterion to charge balance the cationic charge originating from the metal cation. Full article

Diamond crystallization in Mg-R₂O₃-C systems (R = Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) was studied at 7.8 GPa and 1800 °C. It was found that rare-earth oxide additives in an amount of 10 wt % did not significantly affect both the degree of graphite-to-diamond conversion and crystal morphology relative to the Mg-C system. The effect of higher amounts of rare-earth oxide additives on diamond crystallization was studied for a Mg-Sm₂O₃-C system with a Sm₂O₃ content varied from 0 to 50 wt %. It was established that with an increase in the Sm₂O₃ content in the growth system, the degree of graphite-to-diamond conversion decreased from 80% at 10% Sm₂O₃ to 0% at 40% Sm₂O₃. At high Sm₂O₃ contents (40 and 50 wt %), instead of diamond, mass crystallization of metastable graphite was established. The observed changes in the degree of the graphite-to-diamond conversion, the changeover of diamond crystallization to the crystallization of metastable graphite, and the changes in diamond crystal morphology with increasing the Sm₂O₃ content attested the inhibiting effect of rare-earth oxides on diamond crystallization processes in the Mg-Sm-O-C system. The crystallized diamonds were studied by a suite of optical spectroscopy techniques, and the major characteristics of their defect and impurity structures were revealed. For diamond crystals produced with 10 wt % and 20 wt % Sm₂O₃ additives, a specific photoluminescence signal comprising four groups of lines centered at approximately 580, 620, 670, and 725 nm was detected, which was tentatively assigned to emission characteristic of Sm³⁺ ions. Full article

We combine theoretical and experimental tools to study elastic properties of Fe-Al-Ti superalloys. Focusing on samples with chemical composition Fe${}_{71}$Al${}_{22}$Ti${}_7$, we use transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to detect their two-phase superalloy nano-structure (consisting of cuboids embedded into a matrix). The chemical composition of both phases, Fe${}_{66.2}$Al${}_{23.3}$Ti${}_{10.5}$ for cuboids and Fe${}_{81}$Al${}_{19}$ (with about 1% or less of Ti) for the matrix, was determined from an Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The phase of cuboids is found to be a rather strongly off-stoichiometric (Fe-rich and Ti-poor) variant of Heusler Fe${}_2$TiAl intermetallic compound with the L2${}_1$ structure. The phase of the matrix is a solid solution of Al atoms in a ferromagnetic body-centered cubic (bcc) Fe. Quantum-mechanical calculations were employed to obtain an insight into elastic properties of the two phases. Three distributions of chemical species were simulated for the phase of cuboids (A2, B2 and L2${}_1$) in order to determine a sublattice preference of the excess Fe atoms. The lowest formation energy was obtained when the excess Fe atoms form a solid solution with the Ti atoms at the Ti-sublattice within the Heusler L2${}_1$ phase (L2${}_1$ variant). Similarly, three configurations of Al atoms in the phase of the matrix with different level of order (A2, B2 and D0${}_3$) were simulated. The computed formation energy is the lowest when all the 1st and 2nd nearest-neighbor Al-Al pairs are eliminated (the D0${}_3$ variant). Next, the elastic tensors of all phases were calculated. The maximum Young’s modulus is found to increase with increasing chemical order. Further we simulated an anti-phase boundary (APB) in the L2${}_1$ phase of cuboids and observed an elastic softening (as another effect of the APB, we also predict a significant increase of the total magnetic moment by 140% when compared with the APB-free material). Finally, to validate these predicted trends, a nano-scale dynamical mechanical analysis (nanoDMA) was used to probe elasticity of phases. Consistent with the prediction, the cuboids were found stiffer. Full article