Spinodal peak effect

Fig. 39. Micro-EDX analysis of Ndl23 crystals grown by the modified TSSG method in low-Po, atmosphere from contamination-firee Nd Oj crucibles with different post-growth heat treatments. In all the cases final oxygenation at 340°C in oxygen was applied. The picture demonstrates (a) tweed structure formation and (b) nanoscale composition fluctuations in crystals with the anomalous peak effect on a magnetization curve. Note that the composition profile for heavy atoms (Ba/Nd ratio) is similar to wave-like fluctuations typical for demixing behavior or a spinodal homophase decomposition rather than for a heterophase decomposition with the formation of a boundary between the crystal matrix and the precipitated phase (M. Nakamura et al. 1996c).

Fig. 42. (a c) The anomalous peak effect on the magnetization curves of Nsingle crystals subjected to different post-growth heat-treatment, and (d) its possible relationship with a spinodal decomposition phenomenon (M. Nakamura et al. 1996d). values in all cases were measured to be high (about 95 K). 

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