Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Dalladay-Simpson, Philip

Publications and source records attributed to Dalladay-Simpson, Philip.

High-temperature concomitant metal-insulator and spin-reorientation transitions in a compressed nodal-line ferrimagnet Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6

Symmetry-protected band degeneracy, coupled with a magnetic order, is the key to realizing novel magnetoelectric phenomena in topological magnets. While the spin-polarized nodal states have been identified to introduce extremely-sensitive electronic responses to the magnetic states, their possible role in determining magnetic ground states has remained elusive. Here, taking external pressure as a control knob, we show that a metal-insulator transition, a spin-reorientation transition, and a structural modification occur concomitantly when the nodal-line state crosses the Fermi level in a ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 . These unique pressure-driven magnetic and electronic transitions, associated with the dome-shaped Tc variation up to nearly room temperature, originate from the interplay between the spin-orbit coupling of the nodal-line state and magnetic frustration of localized spins. Our findings highlight that the nodal-line states, isolated from other trivial states, can facilitate strongly tunable magnetic properties in topological magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase transition mechanism and bandgap engineering of Sb2S3 at gigapascal pressures

Abstract Earth-abundant antimony trisulfide (Sb 2 S 3 ), or simply antimonite, is a promising material for capturing natural energies like solar power and heat flux. The layered structure, held up by weak van-der Waals forces, induces anisotropic behaviors in carrier transportation and thermal expansion. Here, we used stress as mechanical stimuli to destabilize the layered structure and observed the structural phase transition to a three-dimensional (3D) structure. We combined in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and first-principles calculations to study the evolution of structure and bandgap width up to 20.1 GPa. The optical band gap energy of Sb 2 S 3 followed a two-step hierarchical sequence at approximately 4 and 11 GPa. We also revealed that the first step of change is mainly caused by the redistribution of band states near the conduction band maximum. The second transition is controlled by an isostructural phase transition, with collapsed layers and the formation of a higher coordinated bulky structure. The band gap reduced from 1.73 eV at ambient to 0.68 eV at 15 GPa, making it a promising thermoelectric material under high pressure.

Cui, Zhongxun (ORCID:0000000275044177)↗