Conveners
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- Ramogohlo Diale (Mintek)
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- Rosinah Modiba (CSIR)
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- Edwin Mapasha (University of Pretoria)
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- Wendy Mdlalose (UKZN)
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- Chinedu Christian Ahia (University of Fort Hare Institute of Technology)
Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Track 2
- There are no conveners in this block
Tetragonal $A$Co$_2$$Pn_2$ ($A$: alkali or alkaline earth metals, $Pn$: pnictides) compounds are known for their exotic structure-property relationships [1-4]. Some of these compounds have also been reported to exhibit unusual behaviors, like the recently observed positive curvature in electrical resistivity of highly pure single crystals of $K$Co$_2$$As_2$ [5]. In the present work, we...
The one-dimensional spin chain system CoV2O6 is known to show unique magnetic properties such as metamagnetism characterized by a 1/3 magnetic plateau [1–3], and magnetocaloric properties [3]. CoV2O6 crystallizes in two structurally distinct but chemically identically phases, α–CoV2O6 and γ–CoV2O6. Several studies have explored the magnetic properties of these two phases in bulk single...
Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stable spin systems that cannot be smoothly deformed into any other spin configuration that differs topologically or possesses a different integer topological invariant, the Skyrme number. Their robustness has generated interest in using them as a resource for low power, information storage and computing. Recently topologically equivalent configurations...
Monazite-(Ce) is an orthophosphate mineral of the monazite group with the formula A[PO4], where A represents Ce and other light rare earth elements (LREE) in place of Ce. Studying the structural stability of monazite-(Ce) is of vital importance in the storage of radioactive waste application. A first-principle calculation based on density functional theory was used to study the structural,...
The study of the surface chemical behaviour of sulphides and arsenides is very crucial in the field of mineral processing and ore beneficiation. The dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D) and atomistic simulations were employed to investigate the adsorption behaviour and mechanism of methanoic acid on arsenopyrite (001) and sperrylite (100) surfaces. It was found that methanoic...
B Phale1, RR Maphanga2, 3 and PS Ntoahae1
1Department of Physics, University of Limpopo, Private Bag x 1106, Sovenga, 0727
2Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001
3National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences, NITheCS, Gauteng, 2000
Abstract
The structural, mechanical, electronic and...
Anion doping is considered an effective way to enhance the stability of Li-rich Mn-based cathode materials as it mitigates oxygen loss and enlarge the inter-slab spacing of these materials. In this study we investigate the effects of fluorine doping on Li1.2Mn0.8O2 cathode material which was constructed from Li2MnO3 that is well known for its high energy density and high specific capacity. We...
KM Monareng1, RR Maphanga2,3 and PS Ntoahae1
1Department of Physics, University of Limpopo, Private bag x 1106, Sovenga, 0727 2Next Generation Enterprises and Institutions, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001
3National Institute of Theoretical Physics, NITheCS, Gauteng, 2000
Abstract
Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is a...
The O3-type Li2MnO3 is one of the potential replacements of the expensive nickel and toxic cobalt-based cathode materials for the portable, high power and high energy density lithium-ion batteries. However, Li2MnO3 suffers structural instability during cycling. Surface coating of cathode materials has sparked attention and has modified most of the commonly used cathode materials. The O3-type...
Lithium-ion batteries have gained a lot of interest as a result of the increased demand for renewable energy sources, with LiNiO2 (monoclinic) being an ideal choice to be used as the cathode material. This is due to its high specific capacity (275 mAhg–1) and energy density (629 Whkg-1). However, LiNiO2 has low cycling stability and voltage fading, which restricts its usefulness. In this work...
Li2MnO3 has been considered as one of the promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity, nontoxicity, and natural abundance of Mn. However, it has not been commercialized due to poor structural stability and low conductivity during cycling. To ameliorate the electrochemical performance of Li2MnO3, we...
Abstract
Pentlandite is the primary source of nickel as well as a major carrier of platinum group elements (PGEs). Nickel mining is popular in many nations, contributing to a variety of industrial applications such as stainless steel, coinage, and rechargeable batteries, which contribute to the ever-increasing demand for nickel, which is expected to run out by 2030. The flotation in...
Tanzanite is a rare gem mineral of high commercial value and sensitive to optical and thermal stimulation of luminescence. Kinetic analysis and dosimetric features of thermoluminescence from tanzanite are reported. A glow curve measured at 1 °C/s following beta irradiation to 70 Gy reveals a high intensity peak at 74 °C and two distinct lower intensity peaks at 138 and 186 °C. The peaks are...
Solid phase reaction studies induced by heat treatment processes on Sn-Ti bimetals often lead to changes in microstructural features and enhanced properties and give new insight on the performance of these systems for industry applications. In this study, thin layers of tin and titanium with varying thicknesses of 15 nm and 25 nm were deposited by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on a silicon...
Tin oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using hydrothermal process, tin tetrachloride was dissolved in distilled water, and ammonia was used as a precursor to control pH. Zinc and zinc oxide were used as dopants to modify the structural properties of tin oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission...
