The structures of solid-state ionic conductors are a compromise between long-range (and hence long-term) lattice stability and short-range coordinative flexibility. To rationally design improved versions for applications such as fuel cells and batteries, we need to understand how this compromise is reached. Diffraction methods alone are inadequate – whether using X-rays or neutrons, ex situ...
Single ion magnets (SIM's), are materials that show an energy barrier to spin reorientation without long range magnetic order. Such materials have been postulated to be useful as potential materials for high density data storage or to be used as Qubits. The origin of the effect lies in the crystal field splitting of the central lanthanoid ion. The determination of crystal field splitting...
Local-scale defects and disorder are essential in the development of new advanced functional materials. However, such features are often difficult to characterize and understand without suitable probes. Powder diffraction is a powerful technique for understanding atomic structures, however, Bragg peaks alone are limited to information regarding the “average” or long-range structure. The...
Transition-metal complexes bearing labile ligands can be difficult to isolate and study in solution because of unwanted dinucleation or ligand substitution reactions. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a unique matrix that allows site isolation and stabilization of well-defined transition-metal complexes that may be of importance as moieties for gas adsorption or catalysis.
Herein we...
Rec1-resilin is a highly hydrophilic protein that exudes a vast range of multi-responsiveness, well known for its superelasticity. Self-assembly of Rec1-resilin has been studied in vitro, however, it is difficult to understand the interaction and molecular organisation of the protein with varying biological environments due to the presence of complex systems. Therefore, it is critical to...
The insulating ferrimagnets of rare-earth iron garnets (ReIG) are researched intensively owing to their strong magneto-electric responses. Proximity coupling between an insulating ReIG and a heavy metal, such as Pt has been shown to lead to an Anomalous Hall effect (AHE). Amongst the ReIG family, TbIG is less explored than the well-known YIG films. In this article, we report thin films (40 nm)...
Lead-acid batteries play a key role in the energy storage marketplace. They are often cheaper, safer and more recyclable than alternative electrochemical energy storage systems. Under traditional energy storage applications such as starting, lighting and ignition batteries, they provide a great balance of affordability, lifespan and performance to the consumer. However, as the demands placed...
Trace Na additions can enhance the reaction kinetics of Mg-5%La (wt.%) alloys, resulting in a potential hydrogen storage material. In this study, we used in-situ synchrotron Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) to examine the hydrogen sorption behaviour of the Na-modified Mg-5%La. A setup equipped with a hydrogen gas flow cell and a hot air blower at the Powder Diffraction beamline of the...
The 2xxx series Al-Cu alloys have been extensively used as engineering structures and components of lightweight vehicles due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Recent research has demonstrated that further substantial enhancement in the strength of Al-Cu alloys could be achieved by adding Sc and Zr by forming nano-sized Al3(Sc, Zr) dispersoids. However, further development and...
Self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles is of interest due to the broad range of applications in material science and biomedical engineering. Parameters that affect self-assembly in nanoparticles include particle size, the applied magnetic field profile, concentration and synthesis routines. A range of different sizes of magnetic nanoparticles between 5 and 27 nm were investigated using...
Dyett, B.; Meikle, T.G.; Yu, H.; Strachan, J.B.; Lakic, B.; White, J.; Drummond, C.J. and Conn, C.E
The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, in part due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics over the past decades, is one of the key global health challenges. Some gram-negative strains have already been found to be resistant even to last resort antibiotics. This is partially...
Complex perovskite derived oxides are an important emerging class of ionic conducting materials with potential applications in energy technologies including fuel cells, batteries, and separation membranes. The high temperature phase γ-Ba4Nb2O9 is one such complex oxide which shows proton and oxide ionic conduction.
Recently we have shown that two new compositional series with the previously...
Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has been used over the past decade for characterizing track etched nanopores in a variety of organic and inorganic materials. In the present study, synchrotron based SAXS was used to study the morphology and size variation of the nanopores in polycarbonate (PC) as a function of the etching time and ion fluence. The shape of the nanopores fabricated through...
Research on thermoelectric (TE) materials have been an active field for the past decade as TE material can potentially be used in many niche areas such as to power space probe and convert waste-heat into electricity. Continuing developments are undergoing in the search for advanced TE materials that could play significant role in sustainable technology. One of the strategies in improving the...
Controlling the vertical orientation of perovskite slabs in layered hybrid perovskite films is key for enabling further optimization of photovoltaic device performance. However, the mechanism explaining vertical orientation control in such films remains under debate. Here, we present an in-situ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) study on the formation of BA2MAn-1PbnI3n+1...
Transition metal dichalcogenides (MX2, M = Mo or W and X = S, Se or Te) recently gained research attention as electrode materials for rechargeable lithium/sodium-ion batteries. These materials are promising candidates to realize the demands for superior rate performance, long cycle life, and higher power and energy density requirements. So far, the unclear structural and electrochemical...
