Nontrivial topology in condensed-matter systems enriches quantum states of matter to go beyond either the classification into metals and insulators in terms of conventional band theory or that of symmetry-broken phases by Landau’s order parameter framework. So far, focus has been on weakly interacting systems, and little is known about the limit of strong electron correlations. Heavy fermion systems are a highly versatile platform to explore this regime. Here we report the discovery of a giant spontaneous Hall effect in the Kondo semimetal ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{e}}_3{\mathrm{B}\mathrm{i}}_4{\mathrm{P}\mathrm{d}}_3$ that is noncentrosymmetric but preserves time-reversal symmetry. We attribute this finding to Weyl nodes—singularities of the Berry curvature—that emerge in the immediate vicinity of the Fermi level due to the Kondo interaction. We stress that this phenomenon is distinct from the previously detected anomalous Hall effect in materials with broken time-reversal symmetry; instead, it manifests an extreme topological response that requires a beyond-perturbation-theory description of the previously proposed nonlinear Hall effect. The large magnitude of the effect in even tiny electric and zero magnetic fields as well as its robust bulk nature may aid the exploitation in topological quantum devices. Significance States of matter are traditionally classified by their symmetry, as exemplified by the distinction between a solid and a liquid. Topological quantum phases, on the other hand, are harder to characterize, and still harder to identify. This is especially so in electronic systems with strong correlations. In this work, we uncover a purely electric-field-driven “giant” Hall response—orders of magnitude above expectation—in one such material and propose a mechanism whereby it is driven by strong correlations. Our results will enable the identification of electronic topological states in a broad range of strongly correlated quantum materials and may trigger efforts toward their exploitation in robust quantum electronics.

Intermetallic type-I clathrates continue to attract attention as promising thermoelectric materials. Here we present structural and thermoelectric properties of single crystalline Ba₈(Cu,Ga,Ge,□)₄₆, where □ denotes a vacancy. By single crystal X-ray diffraction on crystals without Ga we find clear evidence for the presence of vacancies at the 6c site in the structure. With increasing Ga content, vacancies are successively filled. This increases the charge carrier mobility strongly, even within a small range of Ga substitution, leading to reduced electrical resistivity and enhanced thermoelectric performance. The largest figure of merit ZT = 0.9 at 900 K is found for a single crystal of approximate composition Ba₈Cu_4.6Ga_1.0Ge_40.4. This value, that may further increase at higher temperatures, is one of the largest to date found in transition metal element-based clathrates.

This paper reports the recoveries of iron, chromium, and nickel from pickling sludge using coal-based smelting reduction. The influences of slag basicity (CaO/SiO₂, which is controlled by high phosphorus oolitic hematite iron ores), reduction temperature, reduction time, and the C/O mole ratio on the recoveries of Fe, Cr, and Ni are investigated systematically. The experimental results show that high recoveries of Fe (98.91%), Cr (98.46%), and Ni (99.44%) are produced from pickling sludge with optimized parameters for the smelting reduction process. The optimized parameters are a slag basicity of 1.5; a reduction temperature of 1550 °C, a reduction time of 90 min, and a C/O mole ratio of 2.0. These parameters can be used as technical support for the recycling of pickling sludge with pyrometallurgy.

The reduction process inside the ore pre-reduction rotary kiln involves a series of physicochemical reactions, and in-depth understanding of the reduction behavior is helpful to improve the product quality and productivity. This paper reports a three-dimensional steady state mathematical model based on computational fluid dynamics, which considers heat transfer, mass transfer and chemical reactions inside the rotary kiln. A user-defined functions (UDFs) program in C language is developed to define physical parameters and chemical reactions, and calculate the heat and mass transfer between freeboard and bed regions. The model is validated by measurement data and is then used to investigate the detailed information inside the rotary kiln. The results show that there is a temperature gradient in the bed, which is maximal near the kiln tail and decreases gradually as the reduction process progresses. The result also confirms that the reduction of FeO to Fe is the limiting step of the whole reduction process because this reaction requires a higher reduction potential. Furthermore, the influence of C/O mole ratio and fill degree are analyzed by comparing the average bed temperature, reduction potential and metallization ratio.

With an attempt to improve the thermoelectric properties of type I clathrates in the Ba-Ga-Si system, we introduce Cu into the framework of the crystal structure. Single crystals are prepared in Ga-flux and characterized by X-ray diffraction techniques and transport measurements for the structural and thermoelectric properties. Our composition analyses show that only a small amount of Cu is determined in the clathrates. The single crystal X-ray diffraction data refinements confirm that Ga atoms prefer the 6c and 24k sites and avoid the 16i sites in the crystal structure. The small amount of Cu affects the crystal structure by compressing the tetrakaidecahedral cage along the direction perpendicular to the six-atom-ring plane. This could be the reason for the high charge carrier concentration, and low electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient. We analyze the principal mechanism for our observation and conclude that the Cu substitution can adjust some subtle details of the structure, maintaining the Zintl rule in the type I clathrates.