Fermi surface of nanocrystalline embedded particles in materials: bcc Cu in Fe

A comprehensive theoretical study of positron binding and annihilation properties of hydrogen bonded binary molecular clusters

Small hydrogen inorganic molecules such as water have no positron binding ability. We revealed that their hydrogen bonded binary molecular clusters exhibit greater positron affinities due to the increased dipole moments and polarization effect.

Spin polarization gives rise to Cu precipitation in Fe-matrix

This article tries to uncover the physical reason of Cu precipitation from an Fe matrix at the electronic level. The general rule is obtained that the more bonds among Cu atoms, the more stable the system is. It was shown that Cu would precipitate from the matrix with Fe spin-polarization but not without spin-polarization. The partial density of states (PDOS) analysis illustrated that the d states of Fe near the Fermi level potentially have strong interaction with other atoms, but Cu d states below the Fermi level lack this potential, which results in weak covalent d orbital interaction between Fe and Cu. Furthermore, the charge density difference also confirmed the weaker bond between Fe and Cu with spin-polarization compared to without spin-polarization, due to the decreased charge between them. In addition, the {110} interface energy between Fe and Cu, estimated by the "dangling bond", is 676.3 mJ m(-2), which agrees with the DFT calculation, 414.2 mJ m(-2). Finally, this study also revealed that Ni atoms can reduce the "dangling bond" when it locates at the interface and separates Fe and Cu.

The source-sample stage of the new two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation spectrometer at Technische Universität München

Angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR) is a well established technique for the investigation of the electronic structure. A major limitation of ACAR studies is the available positron flux at a small spot on the sample. For this reason, the focus of this work is put on the discussion of a newly developed source-sample stage of the new 2D-ACAR spectrometer at Technische Universität München which uses an optimized static magnetic field configuration to guide the positrons onto the sample. The achieved spot diameter is d(FWHM) = 5.4 mm, with a high efficiency over the whole energy spectrum of the (22)Na positron source. The implications of the performance of the source-sample stage are discussed with regard to 2D-ACAR measurements of single crystalline α-quartz, which serves as a model system for the determination of the total resolution. A value of (1.53 × 1.64) mrad(2) FWHM was achieved at room temperature.

Fermi surface of an important nanosized metastable phase: Al3Li

Nanoscale particles embedded in a metallic matrix are of considerable interest as a route towards identifying and tailoring material properties. Al-Li alloys, which form ordered nanoscale precipitates of Al(3)Li for a range of concentrations, have been deployed successfully in the aerospace industry owing to their superior strength-to-weight ratio. The precipitates are metastable and their electronic structure has so far been inaccessible through conventional techniques. Here, we take advantage of the strong positron affinity of Li to probe the Fermi surface of nanoscale Al(3)Li precipitates.

Probing atomic structure in magnetic core/shell nanoparticles using synchrotron radiation

Core/shell Fe/Cu and Fe/Au nanoparticles were prepared directly by deposition from the gas phase. A detailed study of the atomic structure in both the cores and shells of the nanoparticles was undertaken by means of extended absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements. For Fe/Cu nanoparticles, a Cu shell ∼ 20 monolayers thick appears similar in structure to bulk Cu and is sufficient to cause the structure in the Fe core to switch from body centred cubic (bcc; as in bulk Fe) to face centred cubic. This is not the case for thinner Cu shells, 1-2 monolayers in thickness, in which there is a considerable contraction in nearest-neighbour interatomic distance as the shell structure changes to bcc. In Fe/Au nanoparticles, the crystal structure in the Fe core remains bcc for all Au thicknesses although there is some stretching of the lattice. In thin Au shells ∼ 2 monolayers thick, there is strong contraction in interatomic distances. There does not appear to be significant alloying at the Fe/Au interface.