M Ssbauer Spectroscopy

Rudolph Mossbauer discovered the phenomenon of recoil-free nuclear resonance fluorescence in 1957-58 and the first indications of hyperfine interactions in a chemical compound were obtained by Kistner and Sunyar in 1960. From these beginnings the technique of Mossbauer spectroscopy rapidly emerged and the astonishing versatility of this new technique soon led to its extensive application to a wide variety of chemical and solid-state problems. This book reviews the results obtained by Mossbauer spectroscopy during the past ten years in the belief that this will provide a firm basis for the continued development and application of the technique to new problems in the future. It has been our aim to write a unified and consistent treatment which firstly presents the basic principles underlying the phenomena involved, then outlines the experimental techniques used, and finally summarises the wealth of experimental and theoretical results which have been obtained. We have tried to give some feeling for the physical basis of the Mossbauer effect with out extensive use of mathematical formalism, and some appreciation of the experimental methods employed without embarking on a detailed discussion of electronics and instrumentation. However, full references to the original literature are provided and particular points can readily be pursued in more detail if required.

When presented with a new compound or material, the inorganic chemist will usually have several questions in mind about its composition and structure. Although a simple elemental analysis may answer many questions about its composition, the chemist will still have questions about its structure, and, ifthe material contains a metal atom, he will often want to know its oxidation state, coordination number and geometry. Further, at an increasingly frequent rate, the chemist may need details of the spin state, magnetic and perhaps dynamic properties of the material. If the investigator is fortunate, the material or compound may contain an ele ment such as iron, tin, antimony, iodine, gold, or one of several of the rare earth metals which are amenable to study by the Mossbauer effect. Often the Mossbauer effect can, sometimes with quite simple experiments, provide the answers to all of these questions. The goal of this book is to illustrate the effectiveness of the Mossbauer effect in providing the answers to the many questions that arise in char acterizing new materials and, indeed, in studying known materials in more detail. Several chapters introduce the effect to the novice and provide details about the various hyperfine interactions that are the "bread and butter" of the Mossbauer spectroscopist. Three chapters deal specifically with the experimental aspects of the technique and the increasing impor tance of sophisticated computer analysis of the resulting data.

This book presents an overview of the latest Mössbauer spectroscopy research. It sheds light on various cutting-edge research subjects: (i) nuclear resonance scattering experiments implemented at synchrotron radiation facilities, e.g., ESRF, DESY and Spring-8; (ii) multidisciplinary materials research related to chemistry, biology, geoscience, molecular magnetism of metal complexes, batteries, and magnetism; (iii) novel imaging techniques based on probing diffusion in solids using Mössbauer spectroscopy. The first three chapters introduce recent research on modern Mössbauer spectroscopy, including nuclear resonant scattering experiments and development of related techniques at synchrotron accelerator facilities. Chapters 4 and 5 then demonstrate the applications of such pioneering techniques to chemistry, biology and geoscience. Chapters 6 and 7 describe the applications to new functional materials, i.e., metal complexes and Li- and Na-ion batteries, while the final two chapters are devoted to two important measuring techniques: Mössbauer spectroscopy under external magnetic fields, and microscopic Mössbauer techniques on diffusion in solids, which are expected to play an essential role in the investigation and characterization of magnetic structures and microstructures in materials. The cutting-edge content provides readers with quick updates on the latest research topics in the field, while the tutorial-style descriptions allow readers unfamiliar with Mössbauer spectroscopy to learn and implement the techniques. As such, the book is especially useful for advanced undergraduate and early graduate students who have recently been assigned to a laboratory.

The past twenty five years - roughly the period from 1960 to 1985 - have been by all measures among the most exciting and challenging times of our science. The increasing sensitivity of chemical instrumentation, the introduction of the routine use of computers for data reduction and of microprocessors for instrumental control, the wide-spread utilization of lasers, and the disappearance of traditional disciplinary boundaries between scientific fields are but a few of the examples one could cite to support the introductory contention. Almost all of these developments have had their impact on the development of Mossbauer Effect Spectroscopy into a technique par excellence for the elucidation of problems in all areas of chemistry and its associated sister sciences. Indeed, because this spectroscopy is based on fundamental phenomena in nuclear physics, is described in terms of the theory of the solid state and structural chemistry, is useful in the understanding of chemical reactivity and biological phenomena, and can serve to supplement information developed by many other experimental techniques, it has provided an unparalleled opportunity for the exchange of ideas among practitioners of a very wide variety of subfields of the physical and biological sciences. The present collection of contributions is the direct result of such an interaction.

The technique of Mössbauer spectroscopy is important in the study of the bonding, structural, magnetic, nuclear and dynamical properties of various systems. Although used mainly by physicists and chemists, the method has also become a common means of investigation for materials scientists, geologists, biologists, surface scientists and others. This book describes the principles of the technique, and discusses its applications in various fields. It will be invaluable for anyone using the technique of Mössbauer spectroscopy for the first time.

Two decades have passed since the original discovery of recoilless nuclear gamma resonance by Rudolf Mossbauer; the spectroscopic method based on this resonance effect - referred to as Mossbauer spectroscopy - has developed into a powerful tool in solid-state research. The users are chemists, physicists, biologists, geologists, and scientists from other disciplines, and the spectrum of problems amenable to this method has become extraordinarily broad. In the present volume we have confined ourselves to applications of Mossbauer spectroscopy to the area of transition elements. We hope that the book will be useful not only to non-Mossbauer special ists with problem-Oriented activities in the chemistry and physics of transition elements, but also to those actively working in the field of Mossbauer spectroscopy on systems (compounds as well as alloys) of transition elements. The first five chapters are directed to introducing the reader who is not familiar with the technique to the principles of the recoilless nuclear resonance effect, the hyperfme interactions between nuclei and electronic properties such as electric and magnetic fields, some essential aspects about measurements, and the evaluation of Moss bauer spectra. Chapter 6 deals with the interpretation of Mossbauer parameters of iron compounds. Here we have placed emphasis on the information about the electronic structure, in correlation with quantum chemical methods, because of its importance for chemical bonding and magnetic properties.

Tutorials on Mössbauer Spectroscopy Since the discovery of the Mössbauer Effect many excellent books have been published for researchers and for doctoral and master level students. However, there appears to be no textbook available for final year bachelor students, nor for people working in industry who have received only basic courses in classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, chemistry and materials science. The challenge of this book is to give an introduction to Mössbauer Spectroscopy for this level. The ultimate goal of this book is to give this audience not only a scientific introduction to the technique, but also to demonstrate in an attractive way the power of Mössbauer Spectroscopy in many fields of science, in order to create interest among the readers in joining the community of Mössbauer spectroscopists. This is particularly important at times where in many Mössbauer laboratories succession is at stake. This book will be used as a textbook for the tutorial sessions, organized at the occasion of the 2011 International Conference on the Application of Mössbauer Spectroscopy (ICAME2011) in Tokyo.

Material science is one of the most evolving fields of human activities. Invention and consequent introduction of new materials for practical and/or technological purposes requires as complete knowledge of the physical, chemical, and structural properties as possible to ensure proper and optimal usage of their new features. In order to understand the macroscopic behaviour, one has to search for their origin on a microscopic level. A good deal of microscopic information can be obtained through hyperfine interactions. Mossbauer spectroscopy offers a unique possibility for hyperfine interaction studies via probing the nearest order of resonant atoms. Materials which contain the respective isotope as one of the constituent elements (e.g., iron, tin, ... ) but also those which even do not contain them can be investigated. In the latter case, the probe atoms are incorporated into the material of interest in minor quantities (ca. 0.1 at. %) to act as probes on a nuclear level. This Workshop has covered the most evolving topics in the field of Mossbauer spectroscopy applied to materials science. During four working days, SO participants from 19 countries discussed the following areas: Chemisliy, Mineralogy and Metallurgy, Artificia/~y Structured Materials, Nanosized Materials and Quasicrvstals. and Experimental Techniques and Data Processing. A total of 42 contributions (30 keynote talks) reviewed the current state of art of the method, its applications for technical purposes, as well as trends and perspectives. A total of 39 papers are included in the present volume. Applications in Chemisfr\'.