It is a fundamental truth in solid compounds that the physical properties follow the symmetry of the crystal structure. Nowhere is the effect of symmetry more pronounced than in the electronic and magnetic properties of materials—even the projection of the bulk crystal symmetry onto different crystal faces is known to have a substantial impact on the surface electronic states. The effect of bulk crystal symmetry on the properties...

In this work, PdO/TiO2 and Eu2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites (NCs), were synthesized using a new facile, template-free and one-step solvothermal approach, and characterized by several instrumentation techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies revealed the presence of oxidised form of the Pd and Eu nanoparticles within the nanocomposite materials (PdO and Eu2O3). The two catalysts exhibited remarkable activity for the HER...

We present the crystallographic analysis, superconducting and spectroscopic characterization, and theoretical modeling of CeIr3. Lattice parameters a = 5.2945(1) Å and c = 26.219(1) Å are found for the R-3m symmetry crystal structure, which are close to the literature values. CeIr3 is a moderate type-II superconductor (κ GL = 17, λ e–p = 0.65) below 2.5 K. Ce ions exhibit a strongly intermediate valence character as evidenced by...