Spin glasses(SGs),generally defined as disordered systems with randomized competing interactions,are widely investigated complex phenomena.Discovering the ground states of spin glasses is crucial for understanding the nature of disordered magnets and many other physical manifestations,while also helping to solve some hard combinatorial optimization problems across multiple disciplines.However,the intrinsic cause of SG has always been elusive,especially in spinel oxide systems.Herein,we report the SG behavior observed in the cubic spinel oxides CoCrGaO_(4),and provide a comprehensive understanding of its intrinsic source.Magnetic results indicate a frustrated state under multi-magnetic competition,and the features of SG are confirmed by susceptibility tests.The fitting parameters ofτ0,T0,and zv of isothermal remanent magnetization further reveal the relaxation behavior and strong spin frustration.Furthermore,the varying exchange coupling under different temperatures and magnetic fields is unveiled,which should be responsible for the disordered state.Our studies unravel the underlying mechanism responsible for doping-induced magnetic frustration and introduce CoCrGaO_(4)as a potential platform for investigating spin glass behavior,thereby advancing fundamental research on frustrated magnetism within the spinel system.
In gemmology,the term“Alexandrite effect”is used to describe colour change phenomenon when a gemstone is observed under different light sources,usually between daylight and incandescent light.The definition of the Alexandrite effect is constantly being broadened with new discovery of gem resource.The traditional definition of the Alexandrite effect attributing the colour change phenomenon to the presence of two maximum transmission regions and a maximum absorption region in the absorption spectra.In this study,7 blue spinels and 5 blue gemstones(including tanzanite,kyanite,fluorite,and 2 sapphires)showing the Alexandrite effect were investigated.The goal is to explain the cause of blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect and the spectral features causing such colour change.In the UV-Vis spectra,all samples showed a maximum absorption peak in the range of 534-610 nm,within the green region to orange region.The traditional explanation of green to red Alexandrite effect required a transmission window in the red region;however,some of our samples did not show this transmission window and the blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect was still visible.Therefore,it is incomplete to explain the mechanism of the Alexandrite effect according to their characteristic absorption spectra,a systematic study based on modern colour science and colour perception in human vision is required to elucidate the blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect.
Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.
Spinel-type cathodes are considered an optimal substitute for conventional layered oxide cathodes owing to their use of inexpensive and earth-abundant manganese as the redox-active element.Moreover,the introduction of cation disorder can effectively suppress the detrimental two-phase reaction to realize high capacities in a wide voltage range.However,the continuous capacity decay during cycles has hindered the widespread application of these cathode materials.Inorganic fluorides exhibit excellent electrochemical stability at high voltage;therefore,in this study,the direct F2 gas reaction with a partially disordered spinel cathode(Li_(1.6)Mn_(1.6)O_(3.7)F_(0.3,)LMOF1.6)was initially applied to investigate the impacts of fluorination on the surface structure and electrochemical performances.The inorganic fluorinated layer,mainly containing LiF,was distributed uniformly on the surface of LMOF1.6nanoparticles after fluorination for an appropriate time without the turbulence caused by the valency of manganese cation,which improved the capacity retention and rate capability by the suppression of structural damage,parasitic reaction,and cation dissolution.The LMOF1.6cathode fluorinated for 0.5 h exhibited a capacity of283.6 mAh·g^(-1)at 50 mA·g^(-1)and an enhanced capacity retention of 29.6%after 50 cycles in the voltage range of1.5-4.8 V,as compared to the pristine LMOF1.6 with only27.9%capacity retention.
The lamellar hydrates of CAC were designed with the introduction of nano CaCO_(3)or Mg-Al hydrotalcite(M-A-H),and the effects on the green strength,pore structures,and high-temperature fracture behavior of alumina-spinel castables were investigated.The results show that nano CaCO_(3)or M-A-H stimulates rapidly the hydration of CAC and the formation of lamellar C_(4)AcH_(11)or coexistence of C_(2)AH_(8)and C_(4)AcH_(11)at 25℃.The formation of lamellar hydrates can contribute to a more complicated pore structure,especially in the range of 400-2000 nm.Meanwhile,the incorporation of well-distributed CaO or MgO sources from nano CaCO_(3)or M-A-H also regulates the distribution of CA_(6)and spinel(pre-formed and in-situ).Consequently,the optimized microstructure and complicated pore structure can induce the deflection and bridging of cracks,thus facilitating the consumption of fracture energy and enhancing the resistance to thermal stress damage.
We present a one-pot colloidal synthesis method for producing monodisperse multi-metal(Co,Mn,and Fe)spinel nanocrystals(NCs),including nanocubes,nano-octahedra,and concave nanocubes.This study explores the mechanism of morphology control,showcasing the pivotal roles of metal precursors and capping ligands in determining the exposed crystal planes on the NC surface.The cubic spinel NCs,terminated with exclusive{100}-facets,demonstrate superior electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in alkaline media compared to their octahedral and concave cubic counterparts.Specifically,at 0.85 V,(CoMn)Fe_(2)O_(4) spinel oxide nanocubes achieve a high mass activity of 23.9 A/g and exhibit excellent stability,highlighting the promising ORR performance associated with{100}-facets of multi-metal spinel oxides over other low-index and high-index facets.Motivated by exploring the correlation between ORR performance and surface atom arrangement(active sites),surface element composition,as well as other factors,this study introduces a prospective approach for shapecontrolled synthesis of advanced spinel oxide NCs.It underscores the significance of catalyst shape control and suggests potential applications as nonprecious metal ORR electrocatalysts.
Can LiJinfong PanXiaobo ChenLihua ZhangAnna DennettPrabhu BharathanDouglas LeeGuangwen ZhouJiye Fang
Magnesia-chrome porous purging plugs are crucial functional components to remove inclusions and stabilize the flow field during iron and steel smelting.However,practical applications of magnesia-chrome porous purging materials are stil hampered by the poor scouring resistance to molten steel and unstable air permeability owing to their low mechanical properties and uncontrollable pore structure.Therefore,the particle-packing type magnesiachrome porous purging materials reinforced by in situ formed spinel were prepared using fused magnesia-chrome particles and Al powders as major raw materials.The results show that in situ formed spinel solid solutions in bonding phase led to the decreased median pore size and increased pore surface fractal dimension from the reactions between Al powders and magnesia-chrome particles and along with high-temperature sintering,bonding between magnesia-chrome particles and the resultant mechanical properties of materials were greatly elevated.Besides,the results of air permeability tests and polynomial ftting indicated that the formation of spinel solid solutions was the main contributing factor for controllable air permeability,and pressure drop of porous purging materials was positively correlated with surface fractal dimension of pores.Moreover,the as-prepared porous purging materials added with 6 wt.%Al powders obtained the maximum cold crushing strength(54.2 MPa)and hot modulus of rupture(12.9 MPa)with median pore size of 24.06μm and ftting non-Darcian permeability coefficient of 0.97×10^(-6)m.
