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Gong Q, Tao S, Zhao C, Hang Y, Zhu S, Ma L. Structures and Properties of High-Concentration Doped Th:CaF 2 Single Crystals for Solid-State Nuclear Clock Materials. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:3807-3814. [PMID: 38345921 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c04009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Thorium-doped vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) transparent crystals is a promising candidate for establishing a solid-state nuclear clock. Here, we report the research results on high-concentration doping of 232Th:CaF2 single crystals. The structures, defects, and VUV transmittance performances of highly doped Th:CaF2 crystals are investigated by theoretical and experimental methods. The defect configurations formed by Th and the charge compensation mechanism (Ca vacancy or interstitial F atoms) located at its first nearest neighbor position are mainly considered and studied. The preferred defect configuration is identified according to the doping concentration dependence of structural changes caused by the defects and the formation energies of the defects at different Ca or F chemical potentials. The cultivated Th:CaF2 crystals maintain considerable high VUV transmittance levels while accommodating high doping concentrations, showcasing an exceptional comprehensive performance. The transmittances of 1-mm-thick samples with doping concentrations of 1.91 × 1020 and 2.76 × 1020 cm-3 can reach ∼62% and 53% at 150 nm, respectively. The VUV transmittance exhibits a weak negative doping concentration dependence. The system factors that may cause distortion and additional deterioration of the VUV transmittance are discussed. Balancing and controlling the impacts of various factors will be of great significance for fully exploiting the advantages of Th:CaF2 and other Th-doped crystals for a solid-state nuclear optical clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaorui Gong
- Research Center of Laser Crystal, Key Laboratory of High-Power Laser Materials, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Siliang Tao
- Research Center of Laser Crystal, Key Laboratory of High-Power Laser Materials, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Chengchun Zhao
- Research Center of Laser Crystal, Key Laboratory of High-Power Laser Materials, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Yin Hang
- Research Center of Laser Crystal, Key Laboratory of High-Power Laser Materials, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Shining Zhu
- National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210093, China
| | - Longsheng Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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Kraemer S, Moens J, Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis M, Bara S, Beeks K, Chhetri P, Chrysalidis K, Claessens A, Cocolios TE, Correia JGM, Witte HD, Ferrer R, Geldhof S, Heinke R, Hosseini N, Huyse M, Köster U, Kudryavtsev Y, Laatiaoui M, Lica R, Magchiels G, Manea V, Merckling C, Pereira LMC, Raeder S, Schumm T, Sels S, Thirolf PG, Tunhuma SM, Van Den Bergh P, Van Duppen P, Vantomme A, Verlinde M, Villarreal R, Wahl U. Observation of the radiative decay of the 229Th nuclear clock isomer. Nature 2023; 617:706-710. [PMID: 37225880 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05894-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The radionuclide thorium-229 features an isomer with an exceptionally low excitation energy that enables direct laser manipulation of nuclear states. It constitutes one of the leading candidates for use in next-generation optical clocks1-3. This nuclear clock will be a unique tool for precise tests of fundamental physics4-9. Whereas indirect experimental evidence for the existence of such an extraordinary nuclear state is substantially older10, the proof of existence has been delivered only recently by observing the isomer's electron conversion decay11. The isomer's excitation energy, nuclear spin and electromagnetic moments, the electron conversion lifetime and a refined energy of the isomer have been measured12-16. In spite of recent progress, the isomer's radiative decay, a key ingredient for the development of a nuclear clock, remained unobserved. Here, we report the detection of the radiative decay of this low-energy isomer in thorium-229 (229mTh). By performing vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy of 229mTh incorporated into large-bandgap CaF2 and MgF2 crystals at the ISOLDE facility at CERN, photons of 8.338(24) eV are measured, in agreement with recent measurements14-16 and the uncertainty is decreased by a factor of seven. The half-life of 229mTh embedded in MgF2 is determined to be 670(102) s. The observation of the radiative decay in a large-bandgap crystal has important consequences for the design of a future nuclear clock and the improved uncertainty of the energy eases the search for direct laser excitation of the atomic nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Kraemer
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium.
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Garching, Germany.
| | - Janni Moens
- KU Leuven, Quantum Solid State Physics, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Silvia Bara
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kjeld Beeks
- Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Arno Claessens
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - João G M Correia
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, Portugal
| | - Hilde De Witte
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rafael Ferrer
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sarina Geldhof
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Niyusha Hosseini
- Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Huyse
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Yuri Kudryavtsev
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mustapha Laatiaoui
- Department Chemie, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Scherionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Razvan Lica
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
- Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Vladimir Manea
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | - Sebastian Raeder
- Helmholtz-Institut Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Scherionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Thorsten Schumm
- Institute for Atomic and Subatomic Physics, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon Sels
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Piet Van Duppen
- KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern- en Stralingsfysica, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Ulrich Wahl
- Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares, Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Nucleares, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, Portugal
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Kim JY, Liu G, Ardhi REA, Park J, Kim H, Lee JK. Stable Zn Metal Anodes with Limited Zn-Doping in MgF 2 Interphase for Fast and Uniformly Ionic Flux. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2022; 14:46. [PMID: 35064848 PMCID: PMC8783935 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-021-00788-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The practical applications of aqueous Zn metal batteries are currently restricted by the inherent drawbacks of Zn such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, sluggish kinetics, and dendrite formation. To address these problems, herein, a limitedly Zn-doped MgF2 interphase comprising an upper region of pure, porous MgF2 and a lower region of gradient Zn-doped MgF2 is achieved via radio frequency sputtering technique. The porous MgF2 region is a polar insulator whose high corrosion resistance facilitates the de-solvation of the solvated Zn ions and suppression of hydrogen evolution, resulting in Zn metal electrodes with a low interfacial resistance. The Zn-doped MgF2 region facilitates fast transfer kinetics and homogeneous deposition of Zn ions owing to the interfacial polarization between the Zn dopant and MgF2 matrix, and the high concentration of the Zn dopant on the surface of the metal substrate as fine nuclei. Consequently, a symmetric cell incorporating the proposed Zn metal exhibits low overpotentials of ~ 27.2 and ~ 99.7 mV without Zn dendrites over 250 to 8000 cycles at current densities of 1.0 and 10.0 mA cm-2, respectively. The developed Zn/MnO2 full cell exhibits superior capacity retentions of 97.5% and 84.0% with average Coulombic efficiencies of 99.96% after 1000 and 3000 cycles, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Young Kim
- Energy Storage Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Guicheng Liu
- Department of Physics, Dongguk University, Seoul, 04620, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ryanda Enggar Anugrah Ardhi
- Energy Storage Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihun Park
- APC Technology, 108 68 Gangbyeonyeok-ro-4-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05116, Republic of Korea
| | - Hansung Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Joong Kee Lee
- Energy Storage Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Energy and Environmental Engineering, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
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