Bismuth fundamental properties

There are several fundamental experiments on the magnetic properties of materials that become possible as a result of the low-temperature environment of cryogenics. The first of these was discovered by deHaas and Van Alphen in 1930. They found that at low temperatures, the susceptibility of bismuth single crystals rose and fell periodically as the magnetic field was increased. Later work shows that the periodicity occurs in all metals at low temperatures and is the result of quantization of electron motion perpendicularly to the applied field. This effect was used to determine the Fermi surface of metals. 

As a catalyst for propylene oxidation, Bi203 itself has fairly low activity and yields primarily the products of complete oxidation. Pure molybdenum trioxide has an even lower activity, but is fairly selective. In combination, however, remarkable activity and selectivity for propylene oxidation is obtained. Although industrial catalysts contain silica and phosphate as well as Bi203 and Mo03, many fundamental studies have employed catalysts containing only bismuth and molybdenum oxides in an attempt to determine the structure of the catalytically active phase. As a result of such studies, it is now known that bismuth molybdate catalysts display their superior properties only if the catalyst composition lies within the composition range of Bi/Mo = f to f (atomic ratio). 

Nanowire systems have attracted a great deal of attention recently due to their technological potential They are of fundamental interest because they exhibit unique quantum confinement effects. In this article, advances in the fabrication of nanowires via template-assisted and laser-assisted approaches are reviewed. The structure and characteristics of different nanowire systems are discussed. To understand and predict the unusual properties of nanowires, we have developed a generalized theoretical model for the band structure of these onedimensional systems. A unique semimetal-semiconductor transition that occurs in bismuth nanowires is described. Transport measurements on bismuth and antimony nanowires illustrate that these novel materials are very different from their bulk counterparts. A transport... 

Most HTSC oxides have the structure of perovskite (though some of them have the spinel-type structure), which pertains to more than 35 structural classes [14], and includes more than a hundred typical unit cells [15]. Along with cuprates, certain bismuthates also exhibit HTSC properties. For fundamental studies of superconductivity in oxides, both the absolute Tc values and the variety of properties and structures are essential. Therefore, the titanium compounds with relatively low Tc values are also actively studied. 

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