In comparing a material's resistance to distort under mechanical load rather than to alter in volume, Poisson's ratio offers the fundamental metric by which to compare the performance of any material when strained elastically. The numerical limits are set by ½ and -1, between which all stable isotropic materials are found. With new experiments, computational methods and routes to materials synthesis, we assess what Poisson's ratio means in the contemporary understanding of the mechanical characteristics of modern materials. Central to these recent advances, we emphasize the significance of relationships outside the elastic limit between Poisson's ratio and densification, connectivity, ductility and the toughness of solids; and their association with the dynamic properties of the liquids from which they were condensed and into which they melt.

/pdf/poisson-s-ratio-and-modern-materials-96egici4f6.pdf

Poisson's ratio and modern materials

A modern definition for whole powder pattern decomposition WPPD methods would be that they simultaneously have to refine the unit-cell parameters and extract the best estimations of the Bragg peak intensities from a complete diffractogram. This is done very fast nowadays, irrespective of the number of Bragg peaks present in a powder diffraction pattern, but we did not attain this comfortable situation without some past efforts. The WPPD methods’ introduction occurred slowly and progressively thanks to the increase in computer power, the improvements in graphical user interfaces, the diffractometer data digitalization, the availability of synchrotron and neutron radiation, and last but not least, the proposition of new algorithms. Innovations were not instantly accepted this being true for all the whole powder pattern fitting methods including the Rietveld and the decomposition methods or could not be applied immediately to every radiation source or diffractometer the hardware before adaptations made by an essential category of crystallographers being conceivers and developers of the software. Ancestors of the WPPD methods extracted peak intensities without the cell restraint, so that each peak position was a parameter to be refined as well as the peak intensity, the peak shape and its width. This is still useful if the aim is the search for the peak positions for indexing, though derivative methods can make that peak-position-hunting job faster. Taking advantage of the indexing see a recent review paper by Bergmann et al. 2004, new WPPD methods, applying cell restraint to the peak position, opened the door to a long list of new possibilities and applications including first indexing confirmation which are detailed in this paper. However, only some selected application references will be provided because the number of papers involved is quite high and increasing more than 2000 texts specify the use of WPPD methods. Contributions from Rennes by Louer’s group from 1987 to 1993 will be especially enlightened, not forgetting the other players during that same time, restraining generally to the structure determinations by powder diffractometry SDPD applications published in the early stages of this retrospection because the subsequent activity increased too considerably, by more than 850 SDPDs in the last ten years. If only a partial review of applications can be given, the evolution of the methods will be discussed as completely as possible.

/pdf/whole-powder-pattern-decomposition-methods-and-applications-597bm0bp60.pdf

Whole powder pattern decomposition methods and applications: A retrospection

Plasma elevation of stromal cell-derived factor-1 induces mobilization of mature and immature hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells.

We show that silver(I) hexacyanocobaltate(III), Ag3[Co(CN)6], exhibits positive and negative thermal expansion an order of magnitude greater than that seen in other crystalline materials. This framework material expands along one set of directions at a rate comparable to the most weakly bound solids known. By flexing like lattice fencing, the framework couples this to a contraction along a perpendicular direction. This gives negative thermal expansion that is 14 times larger than in ZrW2O8. Density functional theory calculations quantify both the low energy associated with this flexibility and the role of argentophilic (Ag+...Ag+) interactions. This study illustrates how the mechanical properties of a van der Waals solid might be engineered into a rigid, useable framework.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/319/5864/794.full.pdf

Colossal Positive and Negative Thermal Expansion in the Framework Material Ag3[Co(CN)6]

The maximum power output and minimum charging time of a lithium-ion battery depend on both ionic and electronic transport. Ionic diffusion within the electrochemically active particles generally represents a fundamental limitation to the rate at which a battery can be charged and discharged. To compensate for the relatively slow solid-state ionic diffusion and to enable high power and rapid charging, the active particles are frequently reduced to nanometre dimensions, to the detriment of volumetric packing density, cost, stability and sustainability. As an alternative to nanoscaling, here we show that two complex niobium tungsten oxides-Nb16W5O55 and Nb18W16O93, which adopt crystallographic shear and bronze-like structures, respectively-can intercalate large quantities of lithium at high rates, even when the sizes of the niobium tungsten oxide particles are of the order of micrometres. Measurements of lithium-ion diffusion coefficients in both structures reveal room-temperature values that are several orders of magnitude higher than those in typical electrode materials such as Li4Ti5O12 and LiMn2O4. Multielectron redox, buffered volume expansion, topologically frustrated niobium/tungsten polyhedral arrangements and rapid solid-state lithium transport lead to extremely high volumetric capacities and rate performance. Unconventional materials and mechanisms that enable lithiation of micrometre-sized particles in minutes have implications for high-power applications, fast-charging devices, all-solid-state energy storage systems, electrode design and material discovery.

/pdf/niobium-tungsten-oxides-for-high-rate-lithium-ion-energy-4n7wb31bzb.pdf

Niobium tungsten oxides for high-rate lithium-ion energy storage

Negative thermal expansion was found for ZrW 2 O 8 from 0.3 kelvin to its decomposition temperature of about 1050 kelvin. Both neutron and x-ray diffraction data were used to solve and refine the structure of this compound at various temperatures. Cubic symmetry persists for ZrW 2 O 8 over its entire stability range. Thus, the negative thermal expansion behavior is isotropic. Essentially the same behavior was found for isostructural HfW 2 O 8 . No other materials are known to exhibit such behavior over such a broad temperature range. These materials are finding applications as components in composites in order to reduce the composites9 overall thermal expansion to near zero.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/272/5258/90.full.pdf

Negative Thermal Expansion from 0.3 to 1050 Kelvin in ZrW2O8

Isostructural ZrW2O8 and HfW2O8 show strong negative thermal expansion from 0.3 K up to their decomposition temperatures of approximately 1050 K. This behavior is especially unusual because these compounds are apparently cubic over their entire existence range. Detailed structural studies of ZrW2O8 were conducted using high-resolution neutron powder diffraction data taken at 14 temperatures from 0.3 to 693 K. Below 428 K, ZrW2O8 adopts the acentric space group P213 and has a well-ordered structure containing corner-sharing ZrO6 octahedra and two crystallographically distinct WO4 tetrahedra. Above the phase transition at 428 K, which appears to be second order, the space group becomes centric Pa3. The structure is now disordered with one oxygen site 50% occupied, suggesting the possibility of high oxygen mobility. Oxygen motion above 428 K is also suggested by dielectric and ac impedance measurements. The negative thermal expansion of ZrW2O8 and HfW2O8 is related to transverse thermal vibrations of bridgi...

Negative Thermal Expansion in ZrW2O8 and HfW2O8

Negative Thermal Expansion in a Large Molybdate and Tungstate Family

The recent discovery of negative thermal expansion over an unprecedented temperature range in ZrW 2 O 8 (which contracts continuously on warming from below 2 K to above 1000 K) has stimulated considerable interest in this unusual phenomenon. Negative and low thermal expansion materials have a number of important potential uses in ceramic, optical and electronic applications. We have now found negative thermal expansion in a large new family of materials with the general formula A 2 (MO 4 ) 3 . Chemical substitution dramatically influences the thermal expansion properties of these materials allowing the production of ceramics with negative, positive or zero coefficients of thermal expansion, with the potential to control other important materials properties such as refractive index and dielectric constant. The mechanism of negative thermal expansion and the phase transitions exhibited by this important new class of low-expansion materials will be discussed.

T. A. Mary

Papers

Negative Thermal Expansion from 0.3 to 1050 Kelvin in ZrW2O8

Negative Thermal Expansion in ZrW2O8 and HfW2O8

Negative Thermal Expansion in a Large Molybdate and Tungstate Family

Negative thermal expansion materials

Structure of Zr2(WO4)(PO4)2 from Powder X-Ray Data: Cation Ordering with No Superstructure