Local structure and dynamics of functional materials studied by x-ray absorption fine structure

Abstract

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) is a powerful technique used to analyze a local electronic structure, local atomic structure, and structural dynamics. In this review, I present examples of XAFS that apply to the local structure and dynamics of functional materials: (1) structure phase transition in perovskite PbTiO3 and magnetic FeRhPd alloys; (2) nano-scaled fluctuations related to their magnetic properties in Ni-Mn alloys and Fe/Cr thin films; and (3) the Debye-Waller factors related to the chemical reactivity for catalysis in polyanions and ligand exchange reaction. This study shows that the local structure and dynamics are related to the characteristic function of the materials.