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Gavin Vaughan

Publications and source records attributed to Gavin Vaughan.

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Linking the pressure dependence of the structure and thermal stability to {\alpha}- and \b{eta}-relaxations in metallic glasses

Glasses derive their functional properties from complex relaxation dynamics that remain enigmatic under extreme conditions. While the temperature dependence of these relaxation processes is well-established, their behavior under high-pressure conditions remains poorly understood due to significant experimental difficulties. In this study, we employ cutting-edge experimental techniques to probe the pressure evolution of the relaxation spectrum in a Zr46.8Ti8.2Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 metallic glass across gigapascal pressure ranges. Our findings reveal two distinct relaxation mechanisms under high pressure: In the \b{eta}-relaxation regime, compression drives the system with reduced atomic mobility and enhanced structural disorder, without significant density changes. Conversely, {\alpha}-relaxation under pressure promotes density-driven structural ordering that improves thermal stability. Notably, the transition between these regimes occurs at a constant T/Tg,P ratio, independent of applied pressure. These results provide crucial insights for decoupling the competing structural and relaxation contributions to glass stability, establishing a systematic framework for tailoring glass properties through controlled thermo-mechanical processing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

The intriguing mechanism of phosphorus anodes for sodium ion batteries revealed by operando pair distribution function and X-ray diffraction computed tomography

Phosphorus is one of the most promising anodes for sodium ion batteries (SIBs). Little is known about the structural mechanism of Na/P cycling due to the fact that only one of the structures involved (Na3P) is crystalline. Using operando X-ray diffraction computed tomography (XRD-CT) analysed by Rietveld and pair distribution (PDF) methods combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations we show that the sodiation and desodiation mechanisms of phosphorus are very different. Sodiation follows the thermodynamic path of lowest energy from P via NaP to Na3P while desodiation follows a kinetically controlled deintercalation mechanism in which the layered Na3-xP type structure is maintained until P nanoclusters form. Using XRD-CT allows analysis of the 3D structure of the anode, but most importantly, removes the contributions from the sample container and other battery components, particularly important for PDF analysis.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci