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A pressure-induced triclinic-to-monoclinic phase transition has been caught `in the act over a wider series of high-pressure synchrotron diffraction experiments conducted on a large, photoluminescent organo-gold(I) compound. Here, we describe the mechanism of this single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transition, the onset of which occurs at ∼0.6 GPa, and we report a high-quality structure of the new monoclinic phase, refined using aspherical atomic scattering factors. Our case illustrates how conducting a fast series of diffraction experiments, enabled by modern equipment at synchrotron facilities, can lead to overestimation of the actual pressure of a phase transition due to slow transformation kinetics.

A new polymorph of 1,3-diacetylpyrene has been obtained from its melt and thoroughly characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, steady-state UV-Vis spectroscopy and periodic density functional theory calculations. Experimental studies covered the temperature range from 90 to 390 K and the pressure range from atmospheric to 4.08 GPa. Optimal sample placement in a diamond anvil cell according to our previously presented methodology ensured over 80% data coverage up to 0.8 Å for a monoclinic sample. Unrestrained Hirshfeld atom refinement of the high-pressure crystal structures was successful and anharmonic behavior of carbonyl oxygen atoms was observed. Unlike the previously characterized polymorph, the structure of 2°AP-β is based on infinite π-stacks of antiparallel 2°AP molecules. 2°AP-β displays piezochromism and piezofluorochromism which are directly related to the variation in interplanar distances within the π-stacking. The importance of weak intermolecular interactions is reflected in the substantial negative thermal expansion coefficient of -55.8 (57) MK-1 in the direction of C-H...O interactions.

A pressure-induced triclinic-to-monoclinic phase transition has been caught `in the act' over a wider series of high-pressure synchrotron diffraction experiments conducted on a large, photoluminescent organo-gold(I) compound. Here, we describe the mechanism of this single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transition, the onset of which occurs at ∼0.6 GPa, and we report a high-quality structure of the new monoclinic phase, refined using aspherical atomic scattering factors. Our case illustrates how conducting a fast series of diffraction experiments, enabled by modern equipment at synchrotron facilities, can lead to overestimation of the actual pressure of a phase transition due to slow transformation kinetics.

In this work, regenerated cellulose textile fibers, Ioncell-F, dry-wet spun with different draw ratios, have been investigated by scanning wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) using a mesoscopic X-ray beam. The fibers were found to be homogeneous on the 500 nm length scale. Analysis of the azimuthal angular dependence of a crystalline Bragg spot intensity revealed a radial dependence of the degree of orientation of crystallites that was found to increase with the distance from the center of the fiber. We attribute this to radial velocity gradients during the extrusion of the spin dope and the early stage of drawing. On the other hand, the fiber crystallinity was found to be essentially homogeneous over the fiber cross section.

A new polymorph of 1,3-diacetylpyrene has been obtained from its melt and thoroughly characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, steady-state UV–Vis spectroscopy and periodic density functional theory calculations. Experimental studies covered the temperature range from 90 to 390 K and the pressure range from atmospheric to 4.08 GPa. Optimal sample placement in a diamond anvil cell according to our previously presented methodology ensured over 80% data coverage up to 0.8 Å for a monoclinic sample. Unrestrained Hirshfeld atom refinement of the high-pressure crystal structures was successful and anharmonic behavior of carbonyl oxygen atoms was observed. Unlike the previously characterized polymorph, the structure of 2°AP-β is based on infinite π-stacks of antiparallel 2°AP molecules. 2°AP-β displays piezochromism and piezofluorochromism which are directly related to the variation in interplanar distances within the π-stacking. The importance of weak intermolecular interactions is reflected in the substantial negative thermal expansion coefficient of −55.8 (57) MK−1 in the direction of C—H...O interactions.

From its conception, X-ray crystallography has provided a unique understanding of the structure, bonding and electronic state of materials, which, in turn, unlocks a means of examining the properties and function of crystalline systems. Using state-of-the-art single-crystal X-ray diffraction, along with UV–Vis spectroscopy and DFT calculations, Zwolenik et al. [(2024). IUCrJ, 11, 519–527] have provided a comprehensive study of the structure–optical property relationship of 1,3-diacetylpyrene with methodologies that are increasingly accessible to non-specialist laboratories.

Dithienylethenes (DTEs) are a promising class of organic photoswitches that can be used to create crystalline solids with properties controlled by light. However, the ability of DTEs to adopt multiple conformations, only one of which is photoactive, complicates the rational design of these materials. Herein, the synthesis and structural characterization of 19 crystalline solids containing a single DTE molecule are described. A novel D–D analysis of the molecular geometries obtained from rotational potential energy surface calculations and the ensemble of experimental structures were used to construct a crystal landscape for DTE. Of the 19 crystal structures, 17 contained photoinactive DTE rotamers and only 2 were photoactive. These results highlight the challenges associated with the design of these materials. Overall, the D–D analysis described herein provides rapid, effective and intuitive means of linking the molecular structure to photoactivity that could be applied more broadly to afford a general strategy for producing photoactive diarylethene-based crystalline solids.

A total of 87 new monoclinic silicon allotropes are systematically scanned by a random strategy combined with group and graph theory and high-throughput calculations. The new allotropes include 13 with a direct or quasi-direct band gap and 12 with metallic characteristics, and the rest are indirect band gap semiconductors. More than 30 of these novel monoclinic Si allotropes show bulk moduli greater than or equal to 80 GPa, and three of them show even greater bulk moduli than diamond Si. Only two of the new Si allotropes show a greater shear modulus than diamond Si. The crystal structures, stability (elastic constants, phonon spectra), mechanical properties, electronic properties, effective carrier masses and optical properties of all 87 Si monoclinic allotropes are studied in detail. The electron effective masses ml of five of the new allotropes are smaller than that of diamond Si. All of these novel monoclinic Si allotropes show strong absorption in the visible spectral region. Taken together with their electronic band gap structures, this makes them promising materials for photovoltaic applications. These investigations greatly enrich the current knowledge of the structure and electronic properties of silicon allotropes.

Symmetry is an essential concept in physics, chemistry and materials science. Comprehensive, authoritative and accessible symmetry theory can provide a strong impetus for the development of related materials science. Through the sustained efforts of physicists and crystallographers, researchers have mastered the relationship between structural symmetry and ferroelectricity, which demands crystallization in the 10 polar point groups. However, the symmetry requirement for antiferroelectricity is still ambiguous, and polar crystals possessing antiferroelectricity seem contradictory. This work systematically and comprehensively studies the transformation of dipole moments under symmetry operations, using accessible geometric methods and group theory. The results indicate crystals that crystallize in polar point groups 2 (C2), m (C1h), mm2 (C2v), 4 (C4), 4mm (C4v), 3m (C3v), 6 (C6) and 6mm (C6v) also possess anti-polar structure and are capable of Kittel-type antiferroelectricity. The anti-polar direction of each point group is also highlighted, which could provide a straightforward guide for antiferroelectric property measurement. Like ferroelectric crystals, antiferroelectric crystals belonging to polar point groups have great potential to become a family of important multifunctional electroactive and optical materials. This contribution refines antiferroelectric theory, will help facilitate and stimulate the discovery and rational design of novel antiferroelectric crystals, and enrich the potential functional applications of antiferroelectric materials.

A series of aromatic organic molecules functionalized with different halogen atoms (I/ Br), motion-capable groups (olefin, azo or imine) and molecular length were designed and synthesized. The molecules self-assemble in the solid state through halogen bonding and exhibit molecular packing sustained by either herringbone or face-to-face π-stacking, two common motifs in organic semiconductor molecules. Interestingly, dynamic pedal motion is only achieved in solids with herringbone packing. On average, solids with herringbone packing exhibit larger thermal expansion within the halogen-bonded sheets due to motion occurrence and molecular twisting, whereas molecules with face-to-face π-stacking do not undergo motion or twisting. Thermal expansion along the π-stacked direction is surprisingly similar, but slightly larger for the face-to-face π-stacked solids due to larger changes in π-stacking distances with temperature changes. The results speak to the importance of crystal packing and intermolecular interaction strength when designing aromatic-based solids for organic electronics applications.

Sufficiently high completeness of diffraction data is necessary to correctly determine the space group, observe solid-state structural transformations or investigate charge density distribution under pressure. Regrettably, experiments performed at high pressure in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) yield inherently incomplete datasets. The present work systematizes the combined influence of radiation wavelength, DAC opening angle and sample orientation in a DAC on the completeness of diffraction data collected in a single-crystal high-pressure (HP) experiment with the help of dedicated software. In particular, the impact of the sample orientation on the achievable data completeness is quantified and proved to be substantial. Graphical guides for estimating the most beneficial sample orientation depending on the sample Laue class and assuming a few commonly used experimental setups are proposed. The usefulness of these guides has been tested in the case of luminescent 1,3-diacetylpyrene, suspected to undergo transitions from the α phase (Pnma) to the γ phase (Pn21a) and δ phase (P1121/a) under pressure. Effective sample orientation has ensured over 90% coverage even for the monoclinic system and enabled unrestrained structure refinements and access to complete systematic extinction patterns.

Defective half-Heusler systems X1−xYZ with large amounts of intrinsic vacancies, such as Nb1−xCoSb, Ti1−xNiSb and V1−xCoSb, are a group of promising thermoelectric materials. Even with high vacancy concentrations they maintain the average half-Heusler crystal structure. These systems show high electrical conductivity but low thermal conductivity arising from an ordered YZ substructure, which conducts electrons, while the large amounts of vacancies in the X substructure effectively scatters phonons. Using electron scattering, it was recently observed that, in addition to Bragg diffraction from the average cubic half-Heusler structure, some of these samples show broad diffuse scattering indicating short-range vacancy order, while other samples show sharp additional peaks indicating long-range vacancy ordering. Here it is shown that both the short- and long-range ordering can be explained using the same simple model, which assumes that vacancies in the X substructure avoid each other. The samples showing long-range vacancy order are in agreement with the predicted ground state of the model, while short-range order samples are quenched high-temperature states of the system. A previous study showed that changes in sample stoichiometry affect whether the short- or long-range vacancy structure is obtained, but the present model suggests that thermal treatment of samples should allow controlling the degree of vacancy order, and thereby the thermal conductivity, without changes in composition. This is important as the composition also dictates the amount of electrical carriers. Independent control of electrical carrier concentration and degree of vacancy order should allow further improvements in the thermoelectric properties of these systems.

Although a plethora of metal complexes have been characterized, those having multifunctional properties are very rare. This article reports three isotypical complexes, namely [Cu(benzoate)L2], where L = 4-styrylpyridine (4spy) (1), 2′-fluoro-4-styrylpyridine (2F-4spy) (2) and 3′-fluoro-4-styrylpyridine (3F-4spy) (3), which show photosalient behavior (photoinduced crystal mobility) while they undergo [2+2] cycloaddition. These crystals also exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion when heated from room temperature to 200°C. The overall thermal expansion of the crystals is impressive, with the largest volumetric thermal expansion coefficients for 1, 2 and 3 of 241.8, 233.1 and 285.7 × 10−6 K−1, respectively, values that are comparable to only a handful of other reported materials known to undergo colossal thermal expansion. As a result of the expansion, their single crystals occasionally move by rolling. Altogether, these materials exhibit unusual and hitherto untapped solid-state properties.

From its conception, X-ray crystallography has provided a unique understanding of the structure, bonding and electronic state of materials, which, in turn, unlocks a means of examining the properties and function of crystalline systems. Using state-of-the-art single-crystal X-ray diffraction, along with UV-Vis spectroscopy and DFT calculations, Zwolenik et al. [(2024). IUCrJ, 11, 519-527] have provided a comprehensive study of the structure-optical property relationship of 1,3-diacetylpyrene with methodologies that are increasingly accessible to non-specialist laboratories., (open access.)

In this work, regenerated cellulose textile fibers, Ioncell-F, dry-wet spun with different draw ratios, have been investigated by scanning wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) using a mesoscopic X-ray beam. The fibers were found to be homogeneous on the 500 nm length scale. Analysis of the azimuthal angular dependence of a crystalline Bragg spot intensity revealed a radial dependence of the degree of orientation of crystallites that was found to increase with the distance from the center of the fiber. We attribute this to radial velocity gradients during the extrusion of the spin dope and the early stage of drawing. On the other hand, the fiber crystallinity was found to be essentially homogeneous over the fiber cross section., (open access.)

The present work reports on the charge and spin density modelling of YTiO3 in its ferromagnetic state (TC = 27 K). Accurate polarized neutron diffraction and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were carried out on a single crystal at the ORPHÉE reactor (LLB) and SPRING8 synchrotron source. The experimental data are modelled by the spin resolved pseudo-atomic multipolar model (Deutsch et al., 2012). The refinement strategy is discussed and the result of this electron density modelling is compared with that from XRD measured at 100 K and with density functional theory calculations. The results show that the spin and charge densities around the Ti atom have lobes directed away from the O atoms, confirming the filling of the t2g orbitals of the Ti atom. The dxy orbital is less populated than dxz and dyz, which is a sign of a partial lift of degeneracy of the t2g orbitals. This study confirms the orbital ordering at low temperature (20 K), which is already present in the paramagnetic state above the ferromagnetic transition (100 K).

Determining vacancy in complex crystals or nanostructures represents an outstanding crystallographic problem that has a large impact on technology, especially for semiconductors, where vacancies introduce defect levels and modify the electronic structure. However, vacancy is hard to locate and its structure is difficult to probe experimentally. Reported here are atomic vacancies in the InAs/GaSb strained-layer superlattice (SLS) determined by atomic-resolution strain mapping at picometre precision. It is shown that cation and anion vacancies in the InAs/GaSb SLS give rise to local lattice relaxations, especially the nearest atoms, which can be detected using a statistical method and confirmed by simulation. The ability to map vacancy defect-induced strain and identify its location represents significant progress in the study of vacancy defects in compound semiconductors.

Enantiomeric amino acids have specific physiological functions in complex biological systems. Systematic studies focusing on the solid-state properties of d-amino acids are, however, still limited. To shed light on this field, structural and spectroscopic studies of d-alanine using neutron powder diffraction, polarized Raman scattering and ab initio calculations of harmonic vibrational frequencies were carried out. Clear changes in the number of vibrational modes are observed as a function of temperature, which can be directly connected to variations of the N—D bond lengths. These results reveal dissimilarities in the structural properties of d-alanine compared with l-alanine.

For martensitic transformations the macroscopic crystal strain is directly related to the corresponding structural rearrangement at the microscopic level. In situ optical microscopy observations of the interface migration and the change in crystal shape during a displacive single crystal to single crystal transformation can contribute significantly to understanding the mechanism of the process at the atomic scale. This is illustrated for the dehydration of samarium oxalate decahydrate in a study combining optical microscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

A deep machine-learning technique based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) is introduced. It has been used for the classification of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns in terms of crystal system, extinction group and space group. About 150 000 powder XRD patterns were collected and used as input for the CNN with no handcrafted engineering involved, and thereby an appropriate CNN architecture was obtained that allowed determination of the crystal system, extinction group and space group. In sharp contrast with the traditional use of powder XRD pattern analysis, the CNN never treats powder XRD patterns as a deconvoluted and discrete peak position or as intensity data, but instead the XRD patterns are regarded as nothing but a pattern similar to a picture. The CNN interprets features that humans cannot recognize in a powder XRD pattern. As a result, accuracy levels of 81.14, 83.83 and 94.99% were achieved for the space-group, extinction-group and crystal-system classifications, respectively. The well trained CNN was then used for symmetry identification of unknown novel inorganic compounds.

The crystal structure uniquely imparts the specific properties of a material, and thus provides the starting point for any quantitative understanding of thermoelectric properties. Cu2−xSe is an intensely studied high performing, non-toxic and cheap thermoelectric material, and here for the first time, the average structure of β-Cu2−xSe is reported based on analysis of multi-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. It consists of Se–Cu layers with additional copper between every alternate layer. The structural changes during the peculiar zT enhancing phase transition mainly consist of changes in the inter-layer distance coupled with subtle Cu migration. Just prior to the transition the structure exhibits strong negative thermal expansion due to the reordering of Cu atoms, when approached from low temperatures. The phase transition is fully reversible and group–subgroup symmetry relations are derived that relate the low-temperature β-phase to the high-temperature α-phase. Weak superstructure reflections are observed and a possible Cu ordering is proposed. The structural rearrangement may have a significant impact on the band structure and the Cu rearrangement may also be linked to an entropy increase. Both factors potentially contribute to the extraordinary zT enhancement across the phase transition.

Dithienylethenes (DTEs) are a promising class of organic photoswitches that can be used to create crystalline solids with properties controlled by light. However, the ability of DTEs to adopt multiple conformations, only one of which is photoactive, complicates the rational design of these materials. Herein, the synthesis and structural characterization of 19 crystalline solids containing a single DTE molecule are described. A novel D-D analysis of the molecular geometries obtained from rotational potential energy surface calculations and the ensemble of experimental structures were used to construct a crystal landscape for DTE. Of the 19 crystal structures, 17 contained photoinactive DTE rotamers and only 2 were photoactive. These results highlight the challenges associated with the design of these materials. Overall, the D-D analysis described herein provides rapid, effective and intuitive means of linking the molecular structure to photoactivity that could be applied more broadly to afford a general strategy for producing photoactive diarylethene-based crystalline solids., (open access.)

A total of 87 new monoclinic silicon allotropes are systematically scanned by a random strategy combined with group and graph theory and high-throughput calculations. The new allotropes include 13 with a direct or quasi-direct band gap and 12 with metallic characteristics, and the rest are indirect band gap semiconductors. More than 30 of these novel monoclinic Si allotropes show bulk moduli greater than or equal to 80 GPa, and three of them show even greater bulk moduli than diamond Si. Only two of the new Si allotropes show a greater shear modulus than diamond Si. The crystal structures, stability (elastic constants, phonon spectra), mechanical properties, electronic properties, effective carrier masses and optical properties of all 87 Si monoclinic allotropes are studied in detail. The electron effective masses m l of five of the new allotropes are smaller than that of diamond Si. All of these novel monoclinic Si allotropes show strong absorption in the visible spectral region. Taken together with their electronic band gap structures, this makes them promising materials for photovoltaic applications. These investigations greatly enrich the current knowledge of the structure and electronic properties of silicon allotropes., (open access.)

Symmetry is an essential concept in physics, chemistry and materials science. Comprehensive, authoritative and accessible symmetry theory can provide a strong impetus for the development of related materials science. Through the sustained efforts of physicists and crystallographers, researchers have mastered the relationship between structural symmetry and ferroelectricity, which demands crystallization in the 10 polar point groups. However, the symmetry requirement for antiferroelectricity is still ambiguous, and polar crystals possessing antiferroelectricity seem contradictory. This work systematically and comprehensively studies the transformation of dipole moments under symmetry operations, using accessible geometric methods and group theory. The results indicate crystals that crystallize in polar point groups 2 ( C 2 ), m ( C 1h ), mm 2 ( C 2v ), 4 ( C 4 ), 4 mm ( C 4v ), 3 m ( C 3v ), 6 ( C 6 ) and 6 mm ( C 6v ) also possess anti-polar structure and are capable of Kittel-type antiferroelectricity. The anti-polar direction of each point group is also highlighted, which could provide a straightforward guide for antiferroelectric property measurement. Like ferroelectric crystals, antiferroelectric crystals belonging to polar point groups have great potential to become a family of important multifunctional electroactive and optical materials. This contribution refines antiferroelectric theory, will help facilitate and stimulate the discovery and rational design of novel antiferroelectric crystals, and enrich the potential functional applications of antiferroelectric materials., (© Pai Shan and Xifa Long 2022.)

A series of aromatic organic molecules functionalized with different halogen atoms (I/ Br), motion-capable groups (olefin, azo or imine) and molecular length were designed and synthesized. The molecules self-assemble in the solid state through halogen bonding and exhibit molecular packing sustained by either herringbone or face-to-face π-stacking, two common motifs in organic semiconductor molecules. Interestingly, dynamic pedal motion is only achieved in solids with herringbone packing. On average, solids with herringbone packing exhibit larger thermal expansion within the halogen-bonded sheets due to motion occurrence and molecular twisting, whereas molecules with face-to-face π-stacking do not undergo motion or twisting. Thermal expansion along the π-stacked direction is surprisingly similar, but slightly larger for the face-to-face π-stacked solids due to larger changes in π-stacking distances with temperature changes. The results speak to the importance of crystal packing and intermolecular interaction strength when designing aromatic-based solids for organic electronics applications., (© Xiaodan Ding et al. 2022.)

Sufficiently high completeness of diffraction data is necessary to correctly determine the space group, observe solid-state structural transformations or investigate charge density distribution under pressure. Regrettably, experiments performed at high pressure in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) yield inherently incomplete datasets. The present work systematizes the combined influence of radiation wavelength, DAC opening angle and sample orientation in a DAC on the completeness of diffraction data collected in a single-crystal high-pressure (HP) experiment with the help of dedicated software. In particular, the impact of the sample orientation on the achievable data completeness is quantified and proved to be substantial. Graphical guides for estimating the most beneficial sample orientation depending on the sample Laue class and assuming a few commonly used experimental setups are proposed. The usefulness of these guides has been tested in the case of luminescent 1,3-diacetylpyrene, suspected to undergo transitions from the α phase ( Pnma ) to the γ phase ( Pn 2 1 a ) and δ phase ( P 112 1 / a ) under pressure. Effective sample orientation has ensured over 90% coverage even for the monoclinic system and enabled unrestrained structure refinements and access to complete systematic extinction patterns., (© Tchoń and Makal 2021.)

Defective half-Heusler systems X 1- x YZ with large amounts of intrinsic vacancies, such as Nb 1- x CoSb, Ti 1- x NiSb and V 1- x CoSb, are a group of promising thermoelectric materials. Even with high vacancy concentrations they maintain the average half-Heusler crystal structure. These systems show high electrical conductivity but low thermal conductivity arising from an ordered YZ substructure, which conducts electrons, while the large amounts of vacancies in the X substructure effectively scatters phonons. Using electron scattering, it was recently observed that, in addition to Bragg diffraction from the average cubic half-Heusler structure, some of these samples show broad diffuse scattering indicating short-range vacancy order, while other samples show sharp additional peaks indicating long-range vacancy ordering. Here it is shown that both the short- and long-range ordering can be explained using the same simple model, which assumes that vacancies in the X substructure avoid each other. The samples showing long-range vacancy order are in agreement with the predicted ground state of the model, while short-range order samples are quenched high-temperature states of the system. A previous study showed that changes in sample stoichiometry affect whether the short- or long-range vacancy structure is obtained, but the present model suggests that thermal treatment of samples should allow controlling the degree of vacancy order, and thereby the thermal conductivity, without changes in composition. This is important as the composition also dictates the amount of electrical carriers. Independent control of electrical carrier concentration and degree of vacancy order should allow further improvements in the thermoelectric properties of these systems., (© Roth et al. 2020.)

Although a plethora of metal complexes have been characterized, those having multifunctional properties are very rare. This article reports three isotypical complexes, namely [Cu(benzoate) L 2 ], where L = 4-styryl-pyridine (4spy) ( 1 ), 2'-fluoro-4-styryl-pyridine (2F-4spy) ( 2 ) and 3'-fluoro-4-styryl-pyridine (3F-4spy) ( 3 ), which show photosalient behavior (photoinduced crystal mobility) while they undergo [2+2] cyclo-addition. These crystals also exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion when heated from room temperature to 200°C. The overall thermal expansion of the crystals is impressive, with the largest volumetric thermal expansion coefficients for 1 , 2 and 3 of 241.8, 233.1 and 285.7 × 10 -6  K -1 , respectively, values that are comparable to only a handful of other reported materials known to undergo colossal thermal expansion. As a result of the expansion, their single crystals occasionally move by rolling. Altogether, these materials exhibit unusual and hitherto untapped solid-state properties., (© Yadava et al. 2020.)

The present work reports on the charge and spin density modelling of YTiO 3 in its ferromagnetic state ( T C = 27 K). Accurate polarized neutron diffraction and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were carried out on a single crystal at the ORPHÉE reactor (LLB) and SPRING8 synchrotron source. The experimental data are modelled by the spin resolved pseudo-atomic multipolar model (Deutsch et al. , 2012 ▸). The refinement strategy is discussed and the result of this electron density modelling is compared with that from XRD measured at 100 K and with density functional theory calculations. The results show that the spin and charge densities around the Ti atom have lobes directed away from the O atoms, confirming the filling of the t 2g orbitals of the Ti atom. The d xy orbital is less populated than d xz and d yz , which is a sign of a partial lift of degeneracy of the t 2g orbitals. This study confirms the orbital ordering at low temperature (20 K), which is already present in the paramagnetic state above the ferromagnetic transition (100 K)., (© Ariste Bolivard Voufack et al. 2019.)

Determining vacancy in complex crystals or nanostructures represents an outstanding crystallographic problem that has a large impact on technology, especially for semiconductors, where vacancies introduce defect levels and modify the electronic structure. However, vacancy is hard to locate and its structure is difficult to probe experimentally. Reported here are atomic vacancies in the InAs/GaSb strained-layer superlattice (SLS) determined by atomic-resolution strain mapping at picometre precision. It is shown that cation and anion vacancies in the InAs/GaSb SLS give rise to local lattice relaxations, especially the nearest atoms, which can be detected using a statistical method and confirmed by simulation. The ability to map vacancy defect-induced strain and identify its location represents significant progress in the study of vacancy defects in compound semiconductors.

Enantiomeric amino acids have specific physiological functions in complex biological systems. Systematic studies focusing on the solid-state properties of d-amino acids are, however, still limited. To shed light on this field, structural and spectroscopic studies of d-alanine using neutron powder diffraction, polarized Raman scattering and ab initio calculations of harmonic vibrational frequencies were carried out. Clear changes in the number of vibrational modes are observed as a function of temperature, which can be directly connected to variations of the N-D bond lengths. These results reveal dissimilarities in the structural properties of d-alanine compared with l-alanine.

For martensitic transformations the macroscopic crystal strain is directly related to the corresponding structural rearrangement at the microscopic level. In situ optical microscopy observations of the interface migration and the change in crystal shape during a displacive single crystal to single crystal transformation can contribute significantly to understanding the mechanism of the process at the atomic scale. This is illustrated for the dehydration of samarium oxalate decahydrate in a study combining optical microscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

A deep machine-learning technique based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) is introduced. It has been used for the classification of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns in terms of crystal system, extinction group and space group. About 150 000 powder XRD patterns were collected and used as input for the CNN with no handcrafted engineering involved, and thereby an appropriate CNN architecture was obtained that allowed determination of the crystal system, extinction group and space group. In sharp contrast with the traditional use of powder XRD pattern analysis, the CNN never treats powder XRD patterns as a deconvoluted and discrete peak position or as intensity data, but instead the XRD patterns are regarded as nothing but a pattern similar to a picture. The CNN interprets features that humans cannot recognize in a powder XRD pattern. As a result, accuracy levels of 81.14, 83.83 and 94.99% were achieved for the space-group, extinction-group and crystal-system classifications, respectively. The well trained CNN was then used for symmetry identification of unknown novel inorganic compounds.

The crystal structure uniquely imparts the specific properties of a material, and thus provides the starting point for any quantitative understanding of thermoelectric properties. Cu 2- x Se is an intensely studied high performing, non-toxic and cheap thermoelectric material, and here for the first time, the average structure of β-Cu 2- x Se is reported based on analysis of multi-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. It consists of Se-Cu layers with additional copper between every alternate layer. The structural changes during the peculiar zT enhancing phase transition mainly consist of changes in the inter-layer distance coupled with subtle Cu migration. Just prior to the transition the structure exhibits strong negative thermal expansion due to the reordering of Cu atoms, when approached from low temperatures. The phase transition is fully reversible and group-subgroup symmetry relations are derived that relate the low-temperature β-phase to the high-temperature α-phase. Weak superstructure reflections are observed and a possible Cu ordering is proposed. The structural rearrangement may have a significant impact on the band structure and the Cu rearrangement may also be linked to an entropy increase. Both factors potentially contribute to the extraordinary zT enhancement across the phase transition.

A discrete-time Markov process for directions in the plane is introduced. The random direction at any time is influenced both by the direction at the preceding time and by a target direction that depends on the current time. The deviations of the directions from their targets have a limiting distribution as time tends to infinity, and asymptotic approximations to the limiting probability density function are given both for the case of weak dependence and for the case of strong dependence. Tests of independence and of independence of increments are presented. Various types of behaviour of the process are illustrated by simulations. Some physical applications, notably concerning the commensurate versus incommensurate nature of solid materials, are discussed. The application of the process is illustrated also by the analysis of some data on semi-diurnal wind directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]