Zoisite-(Pb), a New Orthorhombic Epidote-Related Mineral from the Jakobsberg Mine, Värmland, Sweden, and Its Relationships with Hancockite

The new mineral zoisite-(Pb), ideally CaPbAl3(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH), was discovered in a sample from the Jakobsberg manganese-iron oxide deposit, Värmland, Sweden. Zoisite-(Pb) is found as pale pink subhedral prisms elongated on [010], up to 0.3 mm in size, associated with calcite, celsian, diopside, grossular, hancockite, hyalophane, native lead, phlogopite, and vesuvianite. Associated feldspars show one of the highest PbO contents (~7–8 wt%) found in nature. Electron-microprobe analysis of zoisite-(Pb) point to the empirical formula (Ca1.09Pb0.86Mn2+0.01Na0.01)∑1.97(Al2.88Fe3+0.10Mn3+0.04)∑3.02Si3.00O12(OH)1.00. The eight strongest diffraction lines [dobs, Iobs, (hkl)] are 8.63 s (101), 8.11 mw (200), 4.895 m (011), 4.210 m (211), 3.660 s (112, 311), 3.097 mw (312), 2.900 s (013), and 2.725 m (511). Zoisite-(Pb) is isostructural with zoisite and its crystal structure was refined up to R1 = 0.0213 for 2013 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo). Pb shows a stereochemically active lone pair leading to a lopsided distribution of its coordinating oxygens. A full chemical and Raman characterization of zoisite-(Pb) and of the Pb-bearing epidote hancockite is reported, together with an improved crystal structural model of hancockite, refined up to R1 = 0.0254 for 2041 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo). The effects of the incorporation of Pb in the crystal structure of zoisite-(Pb), hancockite, and related synthetic and natural phases are described and discussed.

MBE growth of AlGaAs/Ge/AlGaAs core-shell nanowire

Heterostructured AlGaAs/Ge/AlGaAs core-multishell nanowires having hexagonal crystal structure were synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy. Formation of 2-3 nm Ge quantum well structure was demonstrated. Raman characterization revealed a 200 cm−1 peak corresponded to hexagonal phases of germanium.

ZrN Phase Formation, Hardening and Nitrogen Diffusion Kinetics in Plasma Nitrided Zircaloy-4

Plasma nitridation was conducted to modify the surfaces of Zircaloy-4. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman analysis were used to characterize microstructures and phases. Surface indentation and cross-sectional indentation were performed to evaluate mechanical property changes. Nitridation forms a thin layer of ZrN phase, followed by a much deeper layer affected by nitrogen diffusion. The ZrN phase is confirmed by both TEM and Raman characterization. The Raman peaks of ZrN phase show a temperature dependence. The intensity increases with increasing nitridation temperatures, reaches a maximum at 700 °C, and then decreases at higher temperatures. The ZrN layer appears as continuous small columnar grains. The surface polycrystalline ZrN phase is harder than the bulk by a factor of ~8, and the nitrogen diffusion layer is harder by a factor of ~2–5. The activation energy of nitrogen diffusion was measured to be 2.88 eV. The thickness of the nitrogen-hardened layer is controllable by changing the nitridation temperature and duration.