Search results for "Stability"

First-principles study of the electronic structure of cubicGaS: Metallic versus insulating polymorphs

2007

The electronic structure of different polymorphs of gallium sulphide $(\mathrm{GaS})$ with cubic structure is investigated by means of first-principles band structure calculations in connection with experimental reports on a metastable semiconducting cubic form of this material. The expected metallic character of simple cubic phases containing one $\mathrm{GaS}$ group per unit cell (rocksalt or zinc-blende) is confirmed by the calculations. A cubane-based zinc-blende structure is found to exhibit a band gap which is compatible with experimental results but the unit cell parameter is much larger than the reported ones. We have also studied cubic phases containing hydrogen. It is found that t…

Tunable Bistability in a Three-Dimensional Spin-Crossover Sensory- and Memory-Functional Material

2005

Core–Shell Nanoparticles: Design of Bistable Gold@Spin‐Crossover Core–Shell Nanoparticles Showing Large Electrical Responses for the Spin Switching (…

2019

Room-temperature electrical addressing of a bistable spin-crossover molecular system.

2011

Evidence for Graphene Edges Beyond Zigzag and Armchair

2009

The edges of nanoscopic objects determine most of their properties. For this reason the edges of honeycomb carbon--always considered either zigzag- or armchair-like--need special attention. In this report we provide experimental evidence confirming a previous unexpected prediction: zigzag is a metastable edge, as its planar reconstruction lowers energy and forms the most stable graphene edge. Our evidence is based on re-analyzing a recent experiment. Since the reconstructed edge, along with other unconventional edges we discuss, has distinct chemical properties, this discovery urges for care in experiments and theory--we must enter the realm beyond zigzag and armchair.

Unusual Magnetic State in Lithium-DopedMoS2Nanotubes

2003

We report on the very peculiar magnetic properties of an ensemble of very weakly coupled lithium-doped MoS2 nanotubes. The magnetic susceptibility chi of the system is nearly 3 orders of magnitude greater than in typical Pauli metals, yet there is no evidence for any instability which would alleviate this highly frustrated state. Instead, the material exhibits peculiar paramagnetic stability down to very low temperatures, with no evidence of a quantum critical point as T-->0 in spite of clear evidence for strongly correlated electron behavior. The exceptionally weak intertube interactions appear to lead to a realization of a near-ideal one-dimensional state in which fluctuations prevent the…

Phase separation of binary mixtures in thin films: Effects of an initial concentration gradient across the film.

2012

We study the kinetics of phase separation of a binary (A,B) mixture confined in a thin film of thickness $D$ by numerical simulations of the corresponding Cahn-Hilliard-Cook (CHC) model. The initial state consisted of 50$%$ A:50$%$ B with a concentration gradient across the film, i.e., the average order parameter profile is ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{\mathrm{av}}(z,t=0)=(2z/D\ensuremath{-}1){\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{g},\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}0\ensuremath{\leqslant}z\ensuremath{\leqslant}D$, for various choices of ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{g}$ and $D$. The equilibrium state (for time $t\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$) consists of coexisting A-rich and B-rich domains separated by interfac…

PEDOT thin films with n-type thermopower

2019

peer-reviewed Synthesis of n-type organic semiconductors is challenging as reduced states are difficult to obtain due to their instability in air. Here, we report tailoring of semiconducting behavior through control of surfactant concentration during synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were synthesized by mini-emulsion polymerization, where stable suspensions were used to produce polymer films by a simple casting technique on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. Electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficients were measured as a function of surfactant concentration. It was found that conductivity decreases three orders of magnitude as s…

Physical Cross Links in Amorphous PET, Influence of Cooling Rate and Ageing

2003

A Continuous Cooling Transformation (CCT) procedure can be used to distinguish the initial “state” of the amorphous PET samples produced upon solidification from the melt at different cooling rates. The material frozen at this stage behaves as a rubber when brought above the Tg due to the onset of physical cross links. The rubber is not a stable network, however, since physical cross links may eventually dissolve. Their size distribution, and possibly their number, depend on cooling rate and ageing. Some may be even stable above the glass transition and act as nuclei for further crystallization from the glass. Upon increasing cooling rate, size distribution becomes smaller and stability of …

Spray freeze drying as an alternative technique for lyophilization of polymeric and lipid-based nanoparticles.

2016

The use of nanoparticles for drug delivery is still restricted by their limited stability when stored in an aqueous medium. Freeze drying is the standard method for long-term storage of colloidal nanoparticles; however the method needs to be elaborated for each formulation. Spray freeze drying (SFD) is proposed here as a promising alternative for lyophilizing colloidal nanoparticles. Different types of polymeric and lipid nanoparticles were prepared and characterized. Afterwards, samples were spray freeze dried by spraying into a column of cold air with a constant concentration of different cryoprotectants, and the frozen spherules were collected for further freeze drying. Similar samples w…