Search SciRate

Understanding the interaction between two bodies in a liquid metal is important for developing metals with high stiffness, strength, plasticity, and thermal stability. We conducted atomic force microscopy measurements in liquid Ga and performed a theoretical calculation in which the statistical mechanics of a simple liquid containing a quantum effect was used. The experiment and theory showed unusual behaviours in the interactions between the probe and substrate in the liquid metal. In the interactions, there were relatively numerous oscillations and large amplitudes. Furthermore, the interaction ranges were relatively long. From the theoretical calculations, we found an asymmetric property that when the probe is solvophilic and the substrate is solvophobic, the interaction tends to be repulsive; when the solvation affinities are exchanged, the interaction tends to be attractive in the close position. Our findings will be useful for understanding and controlling dispersion stabilities of nanoparticles and chemical reactions in liquid metals.

Superconductors with persistent zero-resistance currents serve as permanent magnets for high-field applications requiring a strong and stable magnetic field, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The recent global helium shortage has quickened research into high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) materials that can be used without conventional liquid-helium cooling to 4.2 K. Herein, we demonstrate that 40-K-class metallic HTS magnesium diboride (MgB2) makes an excellent permanent bulk magnet, maintaining 3 T at 20 K for 1 week with an extremely high stability (<0.1 ppm/h). The magnetic field trapped in this magnet is uniformly distributed, as for single-crystalline neodymium-iron-boron. Magnetic hysteresis loop of the MgB2 permanent bulk magnet was detrmined. Because MgB2 is a simple-binary-line compound that does not contain rare-earth metals, polycrystalline bulk material can be industrially fabricated at low cost and with high yield to serve as strong magnets that are compatible with conventional compact cryocoolers, making MgB2 bulks promising for the next generation of Tesla-class permanent-magnet applications.

Resistivity and Hall effect measurements of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ up to 3.2\u2009GPa indicate no divergence of quasiparticle effective mass at the pressure $P_\mathrm{c}$ where the magnetic and structural transition disappears. This is corroborated by analysis of the temperature ($T$) dependence of the upper critical field. $T$-linear resistivity is observed at pressures slightly above $P_\mathrm{c}$. The scattering rates for both electrons and holes are shown to be approximately $T$-linear. When a field is applied, a $T^2$ dependence is recovered, indicating that the origin of the $T$-linear dependence is spin fluctuations.

We have completely determined the Fermi surface in KFe$_2$As$_2$ via de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements. Fundamental frequencies $\epsilon$, $\alpha$, $\zeta$, and $\beta$ are observed in KFe$_2$As$_2$. The first one is attributed to a hole cylinder near the X point of the Brillouin zone, while the others to hole cylinders at the $\Gamma$ point. We also observe magnetic breakdown frequencies between $\alpha$ and $\zeta$ and suggest a plausible explanation for them. The experimental frequencies show deviations from frequencies predicted by band structure calculations. Large effective masses up to 19 $m_e$ for $B \parallel c$ have been found, $m_e$ being the free electron mass. The carrier number and Sommerfeld coefficient of the specific heat are estimated to be 1.01 -- 1.03 holes per formula unit and 82 -- 94 mJmol$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$, respectively, which are consistent with the chemical stoichiometry and a direct measure of 93 mJmol$^{-1}$K$^{-2}$ [H. Fukazawa \textitet al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. \textbf80SA, SA118 (2011)]. The Sommerfeld coefficient is about 9 times enhanced over a band value, suggesting the importance of low-energy spin and/or orbital fluctuations, and places KFe$_2$As$_2$ among strongly correlated metals. We have also performed dHvA measurements on Ba$_{0.07}$K$_{0.93}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ and have observed the $\alpha$ and $\beta$ frequencies.

We have observed hysteresis in superconducting resistive transition curves of Ba$_{0.07}$K$_{0.93}$Fe$_2$As$_2$ ($T_c\sim$8 K) below about 1 K for in-plane fields. The hysteresis is not observed as the field is tilted away from the $ab$ plane by 20$^{\circ}$ or more. The temperature and angle dependences of the upper critical field indicate a strong paramagnetic effect for in-plane fields. We suggest that the hysteresis can be attributed to a first-order superconducting transition due to the paramagnetic effect. Magnetic torque data are also shown.

We have developed disk-shaped MgB2 bulk superconducting magnets (20, 30 mm in diameter, 10 mm in thickness) using the in-situ process from Mg and B powders and evaluated the temperature dependence of trapped magnetic field. A pair of two disc-shaped bulks of 30 mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness magnetized by field-cooling condition showed trapped fields of 1.2, 2.8 and 3.1 T at 30, 20 and 17.5 K, respectively. High trapped field over 3 T was recorded for the first time.

To elucidate the mechanism as to why alcoholic beverages can induce superconductivity in Fe_1+dTe_1-xS_x samples, we performed component analysis and found that weak acid such as organic acid has the ability to induce superconductivity. Inductively-coupled plasma spectroscopy was performed on weak acid solutions post annealing. We found that the mechanism of inducement of superconductivity in Fe_1+dTe_1-xS_x is the deintercalation of excess Fe from the interlayer sites.

We have constructed a pressure$-$temperature ($P-T$) phase diagram of $P$-induced superconductivity in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals, via resistivity ($\rho$) measurements up to 3.2 GPa. As hydrostatic pressure is applied, an antiferromagnetic (AF) transition attributed to the FeAs layers at $T_\mathrm{0}$ shifts to lower temperatures, and the corresponding resistive anomaly becomes undetectable for $P$ $\ge$ 2.5 GPa. This suggests that the critical pressure $P_\mathrm{c}$ where $T_\mathrm{0}$ becomes zero is about 2.5 GPa. We have found that the AF order of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments survives up to 3.2 GPa without significant changes in the AF ordering temperature $T_\mathrm{N}$. The superconducting (SC) ground state with a sharp transition to zero resistivity at $T_\mathrm{c}$ $\sim$ 30 K, indicative of bulk superconductivity, emerges in a pressure range from $P_\mathrm{c}$ $\sim$ 2.5 GPa to $\sim$ 3.0 GPa. At pressures close to but outside the SC phase, the $\rho(T)$ curve shows a partial SC transition (i.e., zero resistivity is not attained) followed by a reentrant-like hump at approximately $T_\mathrm{N}$ with decreasing temperature. When nonhydrostatic pressure with a uniaxial-like strain component is applied using a solid pressure medium, the partial superconductivity is continuously observed in a wide pressure range from 1.1 GPa to 3.2 GPa.

We show that the Fermi surface (FS) in the antiferromagnetic phase of BaFe$_2$As$_2$ is composed of one hole and two electron pockets, all of which are three dimensional and closed, in sharp contrast to the FS observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Considerations on the carrier compensation and Sommerfeld coefficient rule out existence of unobserved FS pockets of significant sizes. A standard band structure calculation reasonably accounts for the observed FS, despite the overestimated ordered moment. The mass enhancement, the ratio of the effective mass to the band mass, is 2--3.

We have carried out high-field resistivity measurements up to 27\u2009T in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ at $P$\,=\u20092.5\u2009GPa, a virtually optimal pressure for the $P$-induced superconductivity, where $T_\mathrm{c}$\,=\u200930\u2009K. The $B_\mathrm{c2}-T_\mathrm{c}$ phase diagram has been constructed in a wide temperature range with a minimum temperature of 1.6 K ($\approx 0.05 \times T_\mathrm{c}$), for both $B \parallel ab$ ($B_\mathrm{c2}^\mathrm{ab}$) and $B \parallel c$ ($B_\mathrm{c2}^\mathrm{c}$). The upper critical fields $B_\mathrm{c2}^\mathrm{ab}$(0) and $B_\mathrm{c2}^\mathrm{c}$(0), determined by the onset of resistive transitions, are 25 T and 22 T, respectively, which are significantly smaller than those of other Fe-based superconductors with similar values of $T_\mathrm{c}$. The small $B_\mathrm{c2}(0)$ values and the $B_\mathrm{c2}(T)$ curves with positive curvature around 20 K can be explained by a multiple pair-breaking model that includes the exchange field due to the magnetic Eu$^{2+}$ moments. The anisotropy parameter, $\Gamma=B_\mathrm{c2}^{ab}/B_\mathrm{c2}^{c}$, in EuFe$_2$As$_2$ at low temperatures is comparable to that of other "122" Fe-based systems.

High-pressure electrical resistivity measurements up to 3.0GPa have been performed on EuFe2As2 single crystals with residual resistivity ratios RRR=7 and 15. At ambient pressure, a magnetic / structural transition related to FeAs-layers is observed at T0 =190K and 194K for samples with RRR=7 and 15, respectively. Application of hydrostatic pressure suppresses T0, and then induces similar superconducting behavior in the samples with different RRR values. However, the critical pressure 2.7GPa, where T0=0, for the samples with RRR=15 is slightly but distinctly larger than 2.5GPa for the samples with RRR=7.

We present the magnetic and superconducting phase diagram of EuFe$_2$As$_2$ for $B \parallel c$ and $B \parallel ab$. The antiferromagnetic phase of the Eu$^{2+}$ moments is completely enclosed in the superconducting phase. The upper critical field vs. temperature curves exhibit strong concave curvatures, which can be explained by the Jaccarino-Peter compensation effect due to the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the Eu$^{2+}$ moments and conduction electrons.