Diluted magnetic semiconductors have received much attention due to their potential applications for spintronics devices. A prototypical system (Ga,Mn)As has been widely studied since the 1990s. The simultaneous spin and charge doping via hetero-valent (Ga 3 þ ,Mn 2 þ ) substitution, however, resulted in severely limited solubility without availability of bulk specimens. Here we report the synthesis of a new diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ba 1 À x K x )(Zn 1 À y Mn y ) 2 As 2 , which is isostructural to the 122 iron-based superconductors with the tetragonal ThCr 2 Si 2 (122) structure. Holes are doped via (Ba 2 þ , K 1 þ ) replacements, while spins via isovalent (Zn 2 þ ,Mn 2 þ ) substitutions. Bulk samples with x ¼ 0.1 À 0.3 and y ¼ 0.05 À 0.15 exhibit ferromagnetic order with T C up to 180 K, which is comparable to the highest T C for (Ga,Mn)As and significantly enhanced from T C up to 50 K of the '111'-based Li(Zn,Mn)As. Moreover, ferromagnetic (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn) 2 As 2 shares the same 122 crystal structure with semiconducting BaZn 2 As 2 , antiferromagnetic BaMn 2 As 2 and superconducting (Ba,K)Fe 2 As 2 , which makes them promising for the development of multilayer functional devices.

Among transition metal nitrides, tungsten nitrides possess unique and/or superior chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Preparation of these nitrides, however, is challenging because the incorporation of nitrogen into tungsten lattice is thermodynamically unfavorable at atmospheric pressure. To date, most materials in the W−N system are in the form of thin films produced by nonequilibrium processes and are often poorly crystallized, which severely limits their use in diverse technological applications. Here we report synthesis of tungsten nitrides through new approaches involving solid-state ion exchange and nitrogen degassing under pressure. We unveil a number of novel nitrides including hexagonal and rhombohedral W 2 N 3 . The final products are phase-pure and well-crystallized in bulk forms. For hexagonal W 2 N 3 , hexagonal WN, and cubic W 3 N 4 , they exhibit elastic properties rivaling or even exceeding cubic-BN. All four nitrides are prepared at a moderate pressure of 5 GPa, the lowest among high-pressure synthesis of transition metal nitrides, making it practically feasible for massive and industrial-scale production.

Self-organization of colloidal Pt nanocubes into two types of distinct ordered superlattices, simple-cubic and body-centered-tetragonal structures, has been achieved using a home-built setup. Detailed translational and orientational characteristics of these superstructures were determined using a transmission electron microscopy tomographic technique with 3D reconstruction analysis. The formation of these distinct superlattices is the result of a delicate choice of solvent (i.e., aliphatic hexane or aromatic toluene hydrocarbons), which serves as a dispersion medium to fine-tune the relative strengths of ligand-ligand and ligand-solvent interactions during the self-assembly process. This work provides important insights into the effects of ligand-solvent interactions on superlattice formation from nonspherical nanoparticles.

Topological superconductivity is one of most fascinating properties of topological quantum matters that was theoretically proposed and can support Majorana Fermions at the edge state. Superconductivity was previously realized in a Cu-intercalated Bi2Se3 topological compound or a Bi2Te3 topological compound at high pressure. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity in the topological compound Sb2Te3 when pressure was applied. The crystal structure analysis results reveal that superconductivity at a low-pressure range occurs at the ambient phase. The Hall coefficient measurements indicate the change of p-type carriers at a low-pressure range within the ambient phase, into n-type at higher pressures, showing intimate relation to superconducting transition temperature. The first principle calculations based on experimental measurements of the crystal lattice show that Sb2Te3 retains its Dirac surface states within the low-pressure ambient phase where superconductivity was observed, which indicates a strong relationship between superconductivity and topology nature.

We report experimental results of phase stability and incompressibility of CrN. The obtained bulk moduli for cubic and orthorhombic CrN are 257 GPa and 262 GPa, respectively. These results invalidate the conclusion of phase-transition induced elastic softening recently reported based on nonmagnetic simulations for cubic CrN [Nature Mater. 8, 947 (2009)]. On the other hand, they provide the only experimental evidence to support the computational models involving local magnetic moment of Cr atoms [Nature Mater. 9, 283 (2010)], indicating that atomic spin has profound influence on the material's elastic properties. We also demonstrate that nonstoichiometry in CrN x has strong effects on its structural stability.

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The effect of pressure on the crystalline structure and superconducting transition temperature (T(c)) of the 111-type Na(1-x)FeAs system using in situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and diamond anvil cell techniques is studied. A pressure-induced tetragonal to tetragonal isostructural phase transition was found. The systematic evolution of the FeAs(4) tetrahedron as a function of pressure based on Rietveld refinements on the powder X-ray diffraction patterns was obtained. The nonmonotonic T(c)(P) behavior of Na(1-x)FeAs is found to correlate with the anomalies of the distance between the anion (As) and the iron layer as well as the bond angle of As-Fe-As for the two tetragonal phases. This behavior provides the key structural information in understanding the origin of the pressure dependence of T(c) for 111-type iron pnictide superconductors. A pressure-induced structural phase transition is also observed at 20 GPa.

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