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1. Corrosion Behavior and Hardness of Binary Mg Alloys Produced via High-Energy Ball-Milling and Subsequent Spark Plasma Sintering

   https://doi.org/10.5006/3633  

   Farooq Khan, Mohammad Umar; Larimian, Taban; Borkar, T.; Gupta, R.K. (November 2020, Corrosion)

   null (Ed.)

   In this work, nine nanocrystalline binary Mg alloys were synthesized by high-energy ball milling. The compositions, Mg-5 wt% M (M-Cr, Ge, Mn, Mo, Ta, Ti, V, Y, and Zn), were milled with the objective of achieving non-equilibrium alloying. The milled alloys were consolidated via cold compaction (CC) at 25°C and spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 300°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated grain refinement below 100 nm, and the scanning electron microscopy revealed homogeneous microstructures for all compositions. XRD analysis revealed that most of the alloys showed a change in the lattice parameter, which indicates the formation of a solid solution. A significant increase in the hardness compared to unmilled Mg was observed for all of the alloys. The corrosion behavior was improved in all of the binary alloys compared to milled Mg. A significant decrease in the cathodic kinetics was evident due to Ge and Zn additions. The influence of the alloying elements on corrosion behavior has been categorized and discussed based on the electrochemical response of their respective binary Mg alloys. 

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2. Nowotny Chimney Ladder Phases with Group 5 Metals: Crystal and Electronic Structure and Relations to the CrSi2 Structure Type

   https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10080670  

   Likhanov, Maxim S.; Sytov, Nikita V.; Wei, Zheng; Dikarev, Evgeny V.; Shevelkov, Andrei V. (August 2020, Crystals)

   null (Ed.)

   Nowotny chimney ladder (NCL) phases are intermetallic compounds formed by transition metals and metals of groups 13 and 14. This family can be expanded by combining two p-elements from different groups with those transition metals, for which the corresponding binary NCL phases are unknown. In this paper, we present three new compounds in the V-Al-Ge, Nb-Al-Ge, and Nb-Ga-Ge systems related to the TiSi2 structure type (Sp. Gr. Fddd) obtained with the standard ampule technique. The crystal structures of the new compounds were determined using synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data. A transition to the CrSi2 structure type was detected upon changing the composition from VAl0.72(2)Ge1.28(2) to VAl1.534(3)Ge0.466(3). According to the 18–n rule, all the compounds are metallic conductors, which was supported by the electronic structure calculations. It was shown that the expected energy gap located above the Fermi level in the vanadium-based NCL compound collapsed into a pseudogap upon the replacement of V by Nb. 

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3. Sulfur Vacancy Related Optical Transitions in Graded Alloys of Mo _x W _1‐x S ₂ Monolayers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202302326  

   Ghafariasl, Mahdi; Zhang, Tianyi; Ward, Zachary_D; Zhou, Da; Sanchez, David; Swaminathan, Venkataraman; Terrones, Humberto; Terrones, Mauricio; Abate, Yohannes (February 2024, Advanced Optical Materials)

   Abstract Engineering electronic bandgaps is crucial for applications in information technology, sensing, and renewable energy. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) offer a versatile platform for bandgap modulation through alloying, doping, and heterostructure formation. Here, the synthesis of a 2D Mo_xW_1‐xS₂graded alloy is reported, featuring a Mo‐rich center that transitions to W‐rich edges, achieving a tunable bandgap of 1.85 to 1.95 eV when moving from the center to the edge of the flake. Aberration‐corrected high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of sulfur monovacancy, V_S, whose concentration varied across the graded Mo_xW_1‐xS₂layer as a function of Mo content with the highest value in the Mo‐rich center region. Optical spectroscopy measurements supported by ab initio calculations reveal a doublet electronic state of V_S, which is split due to the spin‐orbit interaction, with energy levels close to the conduction band or deep in the bandgap depending on whether the vacancy is surrounded by W atoms or Mo atoms. This unique electronic configuration of V_Sin the alloy gave rise to four spin‐allowed optical transitions between the V_Slevels and the valence bands. The study demonstrates the potential of defect and optical engineering in 2D monolayers for advanced device applications. 

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4. Ca ₂ Ga ₄ Ge ₆ and Ca ₃ Ga ₄ Ge ₆ : Synthesis, Structure, and Electronic Properties

   https://doi.org/10.1002/zaac.202100342  

   Hodge, Kelsey L; Davis, H Olivia; Koster, Karl G; Windl, Wolfgang; Moore, Curtis E; Goldberger, Joshua E (August 2022, Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie)

   Abstract During the search for transition metal‐free alkyne hydrogenation catalysts, two new ternary Ca−Ga−Ge phases, Ca₂Ga₄Ge₆(Cmc2₁, a=4.1600(10) Å, b=23.283(5) Å, c=10.789(3) Å) and Ca₃Ga₄Ge₆(C2/m, a=24.063(2) Å, b=4.1987(4) Å, c=10.9794(9) Å, β=91.409(4)°), were discovered. These compounds are isostructural to the previously established Yb₂Ga₄Ge₆and Yb₃Ga₄Ge₆analogues, and according to Zintl‐Klemm counting rules, consist of anionic [Ga₄Ge₆]⁴⁻and [Ga₄Ge₆]⁶⁻frameworks in which every Ga and Ge atom would have a formal octet with no Ga−Ga or Ga−Ge π‐bonding. These compounds are metallic, based on temperature dependent electrical resistivity and thermopower measurements for Ca₃Ga₄Ge₆, along with density functional theory calculations for both phases. Unlike the highly active 13‐layer trigonal CaGaGe phase, these new compounds exhibit minimal activity in the semi/full alkyne hydrogenation of phenylacetylene, which is consistent with previous observations that the lack of a formal octet for framework atoms is essential for catalysis in these Zintl‐Klemm compounds. 

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5. Point defect creation by proton and carbon irradiation of α-Ga ₂ O ₃

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0100359  

   Polyakov, Alexander Y.; Nikolaev, Vladimir I.; Meshkov, Igor N.; Siemek, Krzysztof; Lagov, Petr B.; Yakimov, Eugene B.; Pechnikov, Alexei I.; Orlov, Oleg S.; Sidorin, Alexey A.; Stepanov, Sergey I.; et al (July 2022, Journal of Applied Physics)

   Films of α-Ga 2 O 3 grown by Halide Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) were irradiated with protons at energies of 330, 400, and 460 keV with fluences 6 × 10 15  cm −2 and with 7 MeV C 4+ ions with a fluence of 1.3 × 10 13  cm −2 and characterized by a suite of measurements, including Photoinduced Transient Current Spectroscopy (PICTS), Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC), Microcathodoluminescence (MCL), Capacitance–frequency (C–f), photocapacitance and Admittance Spectroscopy (AS), as well as by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS). Proton irradiation creates a conducting layer near the peak of the ion distribution and vacancy defects distribution and introduces deep traps at E c -0.25, 0.8, and 1.4 eV associated with Ga interstitials, gallium–oxygen divacancies V Ga –V O , and oxygen vacancies V O . Similar defects were observed in C implanted samples. The PAS results can also be interpreted by assuming that the observed changes are due to the introduction of V Ga and V Ga –V O . 

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