NO-dosing provides a tool for extending the applicability, in SIMS depth profiling, of the widely spread fullerene ion sources. In view of the acceptable erosion rates on inorganics, obtainable with C60, the method could be of relevance also in connection with the 3D-imaging of hybrid polymer/inorganic systems.

The ionic conductivity of a polyelectrolyte membrane consisting of 30 bilayers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and p‐sulfonato‐calix[8]arene, (PAH/calix8)30, is investigated for two alkali ions, i.e., Li+ and Rb+. Two different transport pathways, a fast and a slow one, are identified for Li+ transport. By contrast, only the fast transport pathway is observed for Rb+ transport. This fast transport pathway is assigned to regular hopping through bulk material, whereas the slow transport pathway originates from retarding interaction with the calixarene rings, only operative for Li+ but not for Rb+. This observation constitutes a clear manifestation of ionic selectivity for transport in polyelectrolyte membranes.

The mobility of potassium ions in a molding compound designed for electronic device insulation has been investigated by a charge attachment induced transport (CAIT) experiment. Two different transport pathways have been identified, i.) through the bulk of the sample and ii.) along boundaries of silica grains embedded in the organic components of the molding compound. The corresponding diffusion coefficients for K+ transport are DB = 1.8 × 10−21 cm2 s−1 for the bulk and DGB = 5.4 × 10−20 cm2 s−1 for the grain boundary. The effective activation energy for charge carrier transport amounts to 1.57 eV.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

TlMnF3 was obtained from the reduction of Tl3MnF6 under liquid ammonia, in which MnIII is obviously not redox‐stable under the applied conditions. The crystal structure of TlMnF3 was determined on a single crystal using X‐ray diffraction. The previously reported structure model was deduced from powder X‐ray diffraction data only and therefore a much higher precision has been reached now. The compound crystallizes in the shape of colorless cubes with lattice parameters a = 4.2370(4) Å, V = 76.06(2) Å3 with Z = 1 at T = 140 K in the perovskite structure type (Pm3m, no. 221). At room temperature (T = 293 K), the lattice parameter of the slightly pink, almost colorless powderous compound is a = 4.2535(2) Å, V = 76.953(4) Å3. As the displacement parameter of the Tl atom was observed being rather large in comparison to the other atoms, the CAIT technique was used to demonstrate the mobility of the Tl cations. Additionally, quantum chemical calculations were carried out to further investigate the behavior of the Tl atoms. We calculate that most of the Tl atoms vibrate already at 75 K. Magnetic measurements showed that TlMnF3 is an antiferromagnet with TN = 82 K and a Weiss temperature θ of –151.2(2) K.