Papers by Author: Martin Jansen

Abstract: A set of macros for the powerful least squares and global optimization program TOPAS has been written in order to create a user friendly interface to the maximum entropy method (MEM) program BayMem. As a case study, the crystal structures of pure strontium hydroxyl apatite and strontium hydroxyl apatite with approximately 10% of the hydroxyl anions substituted by peroxide anions were analyzed by TOPAS and BayMem. Although the concentration of peroxide is relatively small, distinct differences in the two crystal structures could be made visible by the MEM.

Abstract: A new program to perform fast sequential and parametric whole powder profile refinement of in situ time-resolved powder diffraction data is presented. The program interacts with the launch mode kernel of the total powder pattern analysis software suite Topas® for doing the refinements. The program provides a graphical interface platform, upon which the huge Topas input command files necessary to perform sequential and parametric refinements can be easily prepared and executed. This program requires the user license dongle for Topas academic version 3 or higher.

Abstract: The first order phase transition of CsFeO2 was investigated using synchrotron powder diffraction data as a function of temperature. Two alternative approaches were used to describe the deviation of the framework crystal structure relative to the high-symmetry parent structure: symmetry (a.k.a. distortion) modes and polyhedral-tilt parameters. In both cases, the relevant parameters were refined as a function of temperature using the method of parametric Rietveld refinement. We demonstrate a semi-automated and generally applicable method for the determination of spontaneous lattice strain variations, order parameters and power-law exponents as derived from Landau theory.

Abstract: The prediction of the existence and stability of (meta)-stable phases in a chemical system is realized via a two-step process: identification of structure candidates through global exploration of the classical empirical energy landscape, followed by a local optimization of the candidates on ab-initio level employing a heuristic algorithm. From the computed energy/volume curves, one can then calculate the thermodynamically stable phase at a given pressure and the transition pressures among the phases. In order to gain insight into the kinetic stability of the structure candidates, one computes estimates of the energy and enthalpy barriers around the structures with the so-called threshold algorithm, yielding a tree graph representation of the chemical system. In this work we perform a theoretical and experimental study of the LiI energy landscape. We determine the structure candidates, construct the tree graph representation and compute the abinitio energy/volume curves for the hypothetical structures. We find that the thermodynamically preferred modifications at standard pressure should exhibit the rock salt and the wurtzite structure, respectively. In order to validate our predictions by experiments, we have employed the newly developed ´Low-Temperature - Atomic Beam Deposition` (LT-ABD) technique, which allows to disperse the components of the desired product at an atomic level and in an appropriate ratio. After depositing LiI at T = 77 K, the first crystallization occurs at T » 173 K in the wurtzite-type structure followed by a transition to the more stable rock salt-type structure at T » 273 K. At room temperature only the cubic phase remains.