Highest-Tc Single-Component Homochiral Organic Ferroelectrics†

Strong glass formers with a low fragility are highly sought-after because of the technological importance of vitrification. In the case of organic molecules and polymers, the lowest fragility values have been reported for single-component materials. Here, we establish that mixing of organic molecules can result in a marked reduction in fragility. Individual bay-substituted perylene derivatives display a high fragility of more than 70. Instead, slowly cooled perylene mixtures with more than three components undergo a liquid-liquid transition and turn into a strong glass former. Octonary perylene mixtures display a fragility of 13 ± 2, which not only is a record low value for organic molecules but also lies below values reported for the strongest known inorganic glass formers. Our work opens an avenue for the design of ultrastrong organic glass formers, which can be anticipated to find use in pharmaceutical science and organic electronics.

Download Full-text

Homodimer and heterodimer subunits of human prostate acid phosphatase

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2770759 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 277 (3) ◽

pp. 759-765 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

H Lee ◽

T M Chu ◽

S S L Li ◽

C L Lee

Keyword(s):

Acid Phosphatase ◽

Molecular Mass ◽

Prostatic Acid Phosphatase ◽

Single Component ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Antigenic Determinants ◽

Human Seminal Plasma ◽

Sds Page ◽

The Common ◽

Alpha Beta

Human prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) isoenzymes, designated PAP-A and PAP-B, were isolated from human seminal plasma by sequential affinity chromatography on concanavalin A and L(+)-tartrate, a classic inhibitor of PAP. Both the major PAP-A and the minor PAP-B isoenzymes exhibited a similar molecular mass (100 and 105 kDa respectively), multiple pI values (5.05-5.35 and 5.05-5.12), and substrate and inhibitor specificity. Immunological characterization revealed that PAP-B possesses distinct antigenic determinants, in addition to the common sites shared with PAP-A. SDS/PAGE indicated that both isoenzymes are composed of two subunits of 50 kDa each. At high salt concentration, PAP-B dissociated completely into single subunits of 50 kDa, whereas PAP-A remained intact at 100 kDa. PAP-B was resolved by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. into three components, designated alpha, beta and gamma, each of 50 kDa, at a molar ratio of approx. 2:1:1. PAP-A contained a single component of molecular mass 50 kDa. The single component of PAP-A and the alpha component of PAP-B possessed identical amino acid compositions and N-terminal sequences, which were different from those of the beta and gamma components. These results indicate that human PAP contains three isoforms, alpha 2, alpha beta and alpha gamma. PAP-A, the major isoenzyme, is a homodimer consisting of two identical subunits (alpha 2), and PAP-B, the minor isoenzyme, is a mixture of two heterodimers, consisting of non-identical subunits (alpha beta and alpha gamma).

Download Full-text

In search of a new design strategy for solid single-component organic ferroelectrics: Polar crystalline phases formed by bent-core molecules

Journal of Materials Chemistry ◽

10.1039/c0jm00322k ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (29) ◽

pp. 6057 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

W. Weissflog ◽

G. Pelzl ◽

H. Kresse ◽

U. Baumeister ◽

K. Brand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Design Strategy ◽

Single Component ◽

Crystalline Phases ◽

Organic Ferroelectrics

Download Full-text

High resolution STEM imaging study on high Tc superconductor YBa2CuaO7-x

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100106478 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 882-883

Author(s):

H.-J. Ou ◽

J. M. Cowley

Keyword(s):

Crystal Structure ◽

High Resolution ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Strong Field ◽

Imaging Study ◽

Structure Defects ◽

High Tc ◽

High Tc Superconductor ◽

Diffraction Patterns ◽

Lattice Planes

Using the dedicate VG-HB5 STEM microscope, the crystal structure of high Tc superconductor of YBa2Cu3O7-x has been studied via high resolution STEM (HRSTEM) imaging and nanobeam (∽3A) diffraction patterns. Figure 1(a) and 2(a) illustrate the HRSTEM image taken at 10' times magnification along [001] direction and [100] direction, respectively. In figure 1(a), a grain boundary with strong field contrast is seen between two crystal regions A and B. The grain boundary appears to be parallel to a (110) plane, although it is not possible to determine [100] and [001] axes as it is in other regions which contain twin planes [3]. Following the horizontal lattice lines, from left to right across the grain boundary, a lattice bending of ∽4° is noticed. Three extra lattice planes, indicated by arrows, were found to terminate at the grain boundary and form dislocations. It is believed that due to different chemical composition, such structure defects occur during crystal growth. No bending is observed along the vertical lattice lines.

Download Full-text

The many faces of STEM in materials science

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100086507 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 440-441

Author(s):

John Silcox

Keyword(s):

Materials Science ◽

Auger Spectroscopy ◽

Dark Field ◽

High Tc Superconductors ◽

High Tc ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Electromagnetic Vibration ◽

The Many ◽

Serial Mode

Determination of the microstructure and microchemistry of small features often provides the insight needed for the understanding of processes in real materials. In many cases, it is not adequate to use microscopy alone. Microdiffraction and microspectroscopic information such as EELS, X-ray microprobe analysis and Auger spectroscopy can all contribute vital parts of the picture. For a number of reasons, dedicated STEM offers considerable promise as a quantitative instrument. In this paper, we review progress towards effective quantitative use of STEM with illustrations drawn from studies of high Tc superconductors, compound semiconductors and metallization of H-terminated silicon.Intrinsically, STEM is a quantitative instrument. Images are acquired directly by detectors in serial mode which is particularly convenient for digital image acquisition, control and display. The VG HB501A at Cornell has been installed in a particularly stable electromagnetic, vibration and acoustic environment. Care has been paid to achieving UHV conditions (i.e., 10-10 Torr). Finally, it has been interfaced with a VAX 3200 work station by Kirkland. This permits, for example, the acquisition of bright field (or energy loss) images and dark field images simultaneously as quantitative arrays in perfect registration.

Download Full-text

High Resolution Electron Microscopy of internal interfaces in layered materials

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100174734 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 320-321

Author(s):

Yoichi Ishida ◽

Hideki Ichinose ◽

Yutaka Takahashi ◽

Jin-yeh Wang

Keyword(s):

Grain Boundaries ◽

Mirror Symmetry ◽

Functional Materials ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Layered Materials ◽

Plane Boundary ◽

Chemical Information ◽

Layer Plane ◽

High Tc ◽

Cubic Metals

Layered materials draw attention in recent years in response to the world-wide drive to discover new functional materials. High-Tc superconducting oxide is one example. Internal interfaces in such layered materials differ significantly from those of cubic metals. They are often parallel to the layer of the neighboring crystals in sintered samples(layer plane boundary), while periodically ordered interfaces with the two neighboring crystals in mirror symmetry to each other are relatively rare. Consequently, the atomistic features of the interface differ significantly from those of cubic metals. In this paper grain boundaries in sintered high-Tc superconducting oxides, joined interfaces between engineering ceramics with metals, and polytype interfaces in vapor-deposited bicrystal are examined to collect atomic information of the interfaces in layered materials. The analysis proved that they are not neccessarily more complicated than that of simple grain boundaries in cubic metals. The interfaces are majorly layer plane type which is parallel to the compound layer. Secondly, chemical information is often available, which helps the interpretation of the interface atomic structure.

Download Full-text

Intergrowth of modulated structures in high Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100173510 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 76-77

Author(s):

A.Q. He ◽

G.W. Qiao ◽

J. Zhu ◽

H.Q. Ye

Keyword(s):

Twin Structure ◽

Modulated Structure ◽

High Tc ◽

One Dimensional ◽

Lattice Constants ◽

Superconducting Phases ◽

Modulated Structures ◽

Layer Structures

Since the first discovery of high Tc Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor by Maeda et al, many EM works have been done on it. The results show that the superconducting phases have a type of ordered layer structures similar to that in Y-Ba-Cu-O system formulated in Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4 (n=1,2,3) (simply called 22(n-1) phase) with lattice constants of a=0.358, b=0.382nm but the length of c being different according to the different value of n in the formulate. Unlike the twin structure observed in the Y-Ba-Cu-O system, there is an incommensurate modulated structure in the superconducting phases of Bi system superconductors. Modulated wavelengths of both 1.3 and 2.7 nm have been observed in the 2212 phase. This communication mainly presents the intergrowth of these two kinds of one-dimensional modulated structures in 2212 phase.

Download Full-text

Modulated structures in (Bi,Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100173443 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 62-63

Author(s):

Shozo Ikeda ◽

Hirotoshi Hayakawa ◽

Daniel R. Dietderich

Keyword(s):

Rf Magnetron Sputtering ◽

Potential Method ◽

High Tc ◽

Bscco System ◽

Heat Treated ◽

Modulated Structures ◽

High Tc Phase ◽

Deposited Films ◽

Sputtering System

Pb addition makes easier to form the high Tc phase in the BSCCO system. However, Pb easily vaporized at high temperature. A controlled Pb potential method has been applied to grow the high Tc phase in films. Initially, films are deposited on cleaved MgO substrates using an rf magnetron sputtering system. These amorphous as-deposited films are heat treated in a sealed gold capsule along with a large pellet of Pb-added BSCCO. Details of the process and characterization of the films have been reported elsewhere (1). Films trated for 0.5h at 850° C contain mainly the low Tc phase with a small amount of the high Tc phase. Hawever, films treated for 3h at 850°C consist mainly of the high Tc phase. This film is superconductive with a Tc(zero) of 106K. The Pb/Bi ratio of the films, analysed by SEM- EDS, are 0.12 and 0.18 for heat tratment times of 0.5 and 3h, respectively. The present study investigates the modulated structures of these films using HREM.

Download Full-text

Secondary electron imaging of YBa2Cu3O7-x high-Tc superconductors in Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100155396 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 684-685

Author(s):

D. R. Liu ◽

D. B. Williams

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

Secondary Electron ◽

Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope ◽

Superconducting Phase ◽

Contrast Imaging ◽

High Tc ◽

Bright Contrast ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Scanning Transmission ◽

Electron Imaging

The secondary electron imaging technique in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used first by Millman et al. in 1987 to distinguish between the superconducting phase and the non-superconducting phase of the YBa2Cu3O7-x superconductors. They observed that, if the sample was cooled down below the transition temperature Tc and imaged with secondary electrons, some regions in the image would show dark contrast whereas others show bright contrast. In general, the contrast variation of a SEM image is the variation of the secondary electron yield over a specimen, which in turn results from the change of topography and conductivity over the specimen. Nevertheless, Millman et al. were able to demonstrate with their experimental results that the dominant contrast mechanism should be the conductivity variation and that the regions of dark contrast were the superconducting phase whereas the regions of bright contrast were the non-superconducting phase, because the latter was a poor conductor and consequently, the charge building-up resulted in high secondary electron emission. This observation has since aroused much interest amoung the people in electron microscopy and high Tc superconductivity. The present paper is the preliminary report of our attempt to carry out the secondary electron imaging of this material in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) rather than in a SEM. The advantage of performing secondary electron imaging in a TEM is obvious that, in a TEM, the spatial resolution is higher and many more complementary techniques, e.g, diffraction contrast imaging, phase contrast imaging, electron diffraction and various microanalysis techniques, are available.

Download Full-text