Electronic structure and phase stability of A15 transition metals and alloys

Direct observation of incommensurate structure in Mo3Si

Z-contrast imaging, electron diffraction, atom-probe tomography (APT) and density functional theory calculations were used to study the crystal structure of the Mo₃Si phase which was previously reported to have an A15 crystal structure. The results showed that Mo₃Si has an incommensurate crystal structure with a non-cubic unit cell. The small off-stoichiometry in composition of the sample which was revealed by APT and atomic resolution Z-contrast imaging suggested that site substitution caused the development of split atomic positions, disorder and vacancies.

Cornucopia of Nanoscale Ordered Phases in Sphere-Forming Tetrablock Terpolymers

We report the phase behavior of a series of poly(styrene)-b-poly(isoprene)-b-poly(styrene)'-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SIS'O) tetrablock terpolymers. This study was motivated by self-consistent field theory (SCFT) calculations that anticipate a rich array of sphere-forming morphologies with variations in the molecular symmetry parameter τ = NS/(NS + NS'), where N is the block degree of polymerization and the volume fraction of O is less than about 0.22. Eight SIS'O samples, with τ ranging from 0.21 to 0.73, were synthesized and investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy, yielding evidence of nine different spherical phases: hexagonal, FCC, HCP, BCC, rhombohedral (tentative), liquid-like packing, dodecagonal quasicrystal, and Frank-Kasper σ and A15 phases. At temperatures close to the order-disorder transition, these tetrablocks behave as pseudo-[SIS']-O diblocks and form equilibrium morphologies mediated by facile chain exchange between micelles. Transition from equilibrium to nonequilibrium behavior occurs at a temperature (Terg) several tens of degrees below the order-disorder transition temperature, speculated to be coincident with the loss of ergodicity, as chain exchange is arrested due to increased segregation strength between the core (O) and corona (SIS') blocks. Nonequilibrium ordered structures form when T < Terg; these are interpreted using SCFT calculations to elucidate the free energy landscape driving ordering in the S and I block matrix. These experiments demonstrate a profound dependence on phase stability with variations in τ and temperature, providing insights into the formation of ordered phase symmetry in this class of asymmetric multiblock polymers.

How Far to Use Tight-Binding Potentials for Bimetallic Surface Modelling?

Modelling in a realistic way both equilibrium and dynamical processes on bimetallic surfaces requires the availability of interatomic potentials sufficiently simple (i.e. analytical) although derived from the electronic structure. This is possible in the framework of Tight-Binding formalism. We present here a review of the applications of such potentials, together with some reflexions about their limitations.