NIMP| Bogdana BORCA, Author at NIMP

Positions

Dr. Bogdana Borca is currently a researcher at the National Institute of Materials Physics (NIMP), Romania, since the end of 2015.

She received her PhD degree in Physics in 2007 in a binational program at the Joseph Fourier University, Grenoble, France and at the Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The research activity was carried out at the Institut Néel, France and was focused on the investigation of the growth methods of nanostructures for developing strategies to control their magnetic properties.

Before assuming her current position, Dr. Borca was a postdoctoral research fellow at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain (2007-2011) and at Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany (2011-2015), investigating the electronic properties and functionalities of graphene on metals and of different organic molecules and nanostructures.

After joining NIMP, Dr. Borca has been a visiting scientist at the Institute for Applied Physics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany; Physics of Interfaces and Nanomaterials (PIN) laboratory, University of Twente, Netherlands; Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany and Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany.

Research interests

Characterizing and gaining control on electronic and magnetic properties of nanoscale systems; nanostructures; heterostructures; thin films; 2D materials; organic molecules and biomolecules, metal-organic systems; self-assembly; electronics/spintronics; nanomagnetism; interface interactions.

Expertize

Surface science; Nanoscience;

Ultra-high-vacuum; cryogenics; Physical and chemical vapor deposition; Scanning Probe Microscopy; Magnetometry...

Projects

1. Memristive multiferroic junctions (MMs)

Project Type: PED, Start Date: 2022-06-21 End Date: 2024-06-21

Publications

1. Advances in Organic Multiferroic Junctions

Authors: Borca, B

Published: JUN 2024, COATINGS, 14, 682, DOI: 10.3390/coatings14060682

Typically, organic multiferroic junctions (OMFJs) are formed of an organic ferroelectric layer sandwiched between two ferromagnetic electrodes. The main scientific interest in OMFJs focuses on the magnetoresistive properties of the magnetic spin valve combined with the electroresistive properties associated with the ferroelectric junction. In consequence, memristive properties that couple magnetoelectric functionalities, which are one of the most active fields of research in material sciences, are opening a large spectrum of technological applications from nonvolatile memory to elements in logic circuits, sensing devices, energy harvesting and biological synapsis models in the emerging area of neuromorphic computing. The realization of these multifunctional electronic elements using organic materials is presenting various advantages related to their low-cost, versatile synthesis and low power consumption functioning for sustainable electronics; green disintegration for transient electronics; and flexibility, light weight and/or biocompatibility for flexible electronics. The purpose of this review is to address the advancement of all OMFJs including not only the achievements in the charge and spin transport through OMFJs together with the effects of electroresistance and magnetoresistance but also the challenges and ways to overcome them for the most used materials for OMFJs.

2. Image potential states of 2D materials

Authors: Borca, B; Zandvliet, HJW

Published: AUG 2024, APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY, 39, 102304, DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2024.102304

Two-dimensional materials are currently among the most intensively studied topics in condensed matter physics because of their intriguing properties and the possibilities of integration in future electronic device applications. Image potential states, i.e. two-dimensional unoccupied electronic states that are confined in front of a surface, can provide detailed information on work function, electric field effects, charge transfer, charge injection, and charge dynamics at surfaces. This information is essential to understand and tailor the properties of twodimensional materials for electronic device applications. In this work, we briefly review recent developments in the detection and analysis of image potential states in single- and multilayered two-dimensional materials, heterostructures thereof, and nanostructures, such as nanoislands and nanoribbons. We also address several issues that can have an effect on image potential states, such as the preparation method, quality of the material, defects, interfacial interactions, and interactions with the substrate.

3. Chiral and Catalytic Effects of Site-Specific Molecular Adsorption

Authors: Borca, B; Michnowicz, T; Aguilar-Galindo, F; Petuya, R; Pristl, M; Schendel, V; Pentegov, I; Kraft, U; Klauk, H; Wahl, P; Arnau, A; Schlickum, U

Published: 2023 FEB 17 2023, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03575

The changes of properties and preferential interactions based on subtle energetic differences are important characteristics of organic molecules, particularly for their functionalities in biological systems. Only slightly energetically favored interactions are important for the molecular adsorption and bonding to surfaces, which define their properties for further technological applications. Here, prochiral tetracenothiophene molecules are adsorbed on the Cu(111) surface. The chiral adsorption configurations are determined by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy studies and confirmed by first-principles calculations. Remarkably, the selection of the adsorption sites by chemically different moieties of the molecules is dictated by the arrangement of the atoms in the first and second surface layers. Furthermore, we have investigated the thermal effects on the direct desulfurization reaction that occurs under the catalytic activity of the Cu substrate. This reaction leads to a product that is covalently bound to the surface in chiral configurations.

4. Molecular sensitised probe for amino acid recognition within peptide sequences

Authors: Wu, X; Borca, B; Sen, S; Koslowski, S; Abb, S; Rosenblatt, DP; Gallardo, A; Mendieta-Moreno, JI; Nachtigall, M; Jelinek, P; Rauschenbach, S; Kern, K; Schlickum, U

Published: DEC 14 2023, NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 14, 8335, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43844-5

The combination of low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy with a mass-selective electro-spray ion-beam deposition established the investigation of large biomolecules at nanometer and sub-nanometer scale. Due to complex architecture and conformational freedom, however, the chemical identification of building blocks of these biopolymers often relies on the presence of markers, extensive simulations, or is not possible at all. Here, we present a molecular probe-sensitisation approach addressing the identification of a specific amino acid within different peptides. A selective intermolecular interaction between the sensitiser attached at the tip-apex and the target amino acid on the surface induces an enhanced tunnelling conductance of one specific spectral feature, which can be mapped in spectroscopic imaging. Density functional theory calculations suggest a mechanism that relies on conformational changes of the sensitiser that are accompanied by local charge redistributions in the tunnelling junction, which, in turn, lower the tunnelling barrier at that specific part of the peptide. Chemical identification of the building blocks of biopolymers often considerably relies on the presence of markers, extensive simulations, or is not possible at all. Here, the authors report a molecular probe-sensitisation approach addressing the identification of a specific amino acid within different peptides.

5. Chiral and Catalytic Effects of Site-Specific Molecular Adsorption

Authors: Borca, B; Michnowicz, T; Aguilar-Galindo, F; Petuya, R; Pristl, M; Schendel, V; Pentegov, I; Kraft, U; Klauk, H; Wahl, P; Arnau, A; Schlickum, U

Published: FEB 2023, JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03575

6. Advances of Nanoparticles and Thin Films

Authors: Borca, B; Bartha, C

Published: AUG 2022, COATINGS, 12, 1138, DOI: 10.3390/coatings12081138

7. Magnetic Properties of Nanosized Fe and FeCo Systems on Trenched Mo Templates

Authors: Stanciu, AE; Schinteie, G; Kuncser, AC; Locovei, C; Trupina, L; Iacob, N; Leca, A; Borca, B; Kuncser, V

Published: SEP 2022, COATINGS, 12, 1366, DOI: 10.3390/coatings12091366

The manipulation of magnetic anisotropy represents the fundamental prerequisite for the application of magnetic materials. Here we present the vectorial magnetic properties of nanostructured systems and thin films of Fe and FeCo prepared on linearly trenched Mo templates with thermally controlled periodicity. The magnetic properties of the nanosystems are engineered by tuning the shape, size, thickness, and composition parameters of the thin films. Thus, we control coercivity, magnetization, orientation of the easy axis of magnetization, and the long-range magnetic order of the system in the function of the temperature. We distinguish magnetic components that emerge from the complex morpho-structural features of the undulating Fe or FeCo nanostructured films on trenched Mo templates: (i) assembly of magnetic nanowires and (ii) assembly of magnetic islands/clusters. Uniaxial anisotropy at room temperature was proven, characterized, and explained in the case of all systems. Our work contributes to the understanding of magnetic properties necessary for possible further applications of linear systems and undulated thin films.

8. Cyclophane with eclipsed pyrene units enables construction of spin interfaces with chemical accuracy

Authors: Metzelaars, M; Schleicher, S; Hattori, T; Borca, B; Matthes, F; Sanz, S; Burgler, DE; Rawson, J; Schneider, CM; Kogerler, P

Published: JUN 28 2021, CHEMICAL SCIENCE, 12, 8437, DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01036k

Advanced functionality in molecular electronics and spintronics is orchestrated by exact molecular arrangements at metal surfaces, but the strategies for constructing such arrangements remain limited. Here, we report the synthesis and surface hybridization of a cyclophane that comprises two pyrene groups fastened together by two ferrocene pillars. Crystallographic structure analysis revealed pyrene planes separated by similar to 352 pm and stacked in an eclipsed geometry that approximates the rare configuration of AA-stacked bilayer graphene. We deposited this cyclophane onto surfaces of Cu(111) and Co(111) at submonolayer coverage and studied the resulting hybrid entities with scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). We found distinct characteristics of this cyclophane on each metal surface: on non-magnetic Cu(111), physisorption occurred and the two pyrene groups remained electronically coupled to each other; on ferromagnetic Co(111) nanoislands, chemisorption occurred and the two pyrene groups became electronically decoupled. Spin-polarized STM measurements revealed that the ferrocene groups had spin polarization opposite to that of the surrounding Co metal, while the pyrene stack had no spin polarization. Comparisons to the non-stacked analogue comprising only one pyrene group bolster our interpretation of the cyclophane's STM features. The design strategy presented herein can be extended to realize versatile, three-dimensional platforms in single-molecule electronics and spintronics.

9. Electro-active properties of nanostructured films of cytosine and guanine nucleobases

Authors: Socol, M; Trupina, L; Galca, AC; Chirila, C; Stan, GE; Vlaicu, AM; Stanciu, AE; Boni, AG; Botea, M; Stanculescu, A; Pintilie, L; Borca, B

Published: OCT 8 2021, NANOTECHNOLOGY, 32, DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac10e4

The discovery of multifunctional properties related to electro-activity of organic systems of biomolecules is important for a variety of applications, especially for devices in the realm of biocompatible sensors and/or bioactuators. A further step towards such applications is to prepare thin films with the required properties. Here, the investigation is focused on the characterization of films of guanine and cytosine nucleobases, prepared by thermal evaporation-an industrial accessible deposition technique. The cytosine films have an orthorhombic non-centrosymmetric structure and grow in two interconnected nanostructured fractal patterns, of nearly equal proportion. Piezoresponse force microscopy images acquired at room temperature on the cytosine films display large zones with antiparallel alignment of the vertical components of the polarization vector. Guanine films have a dense nano-grained morphology. Our studies reveal electrical polarization switching effects which can be related to ferroelectricity in the films of guanine molecules. Characteristic ferroelectric polarization-electric-field hysteresis loops showing large electrical polarization are observed at low temperatures up to 200 K. Above this temperature, the guanine films have a preponderant paraelectric phase containing residual or locally induced nano-scopic ferroelectric domains, as observed by piezoresponse force microscopy at room temperature.

10. Image potential states of germanene

Authors: Borca, B; Castenmiller, C; Tsvetanova, M; Sotthewes, K; Rudenko, AN; Zandvliet, HJW

Published: JUL 2020, 2D MATERIALS, 7, DOI: 10.1088/2053-1583/ab96cf

We have measured the two-dimensional image potential states (IPS) of a germanene layer synthesized on a Ge2Pt crystal using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy. The IPS spectrum of germanene exhibits several differences as compared to the IPS spectrum of pristine Ge(001). First, then = 1peak of the Rydberg series of the IPS spectrum of germanene has two contributions, labelledn = 1(-)andn = 1(+), respectively. The peak at the lower energy side is weaker and is associated to the mirror-symmetric state with opposite parity. The appearance of this peak indicates that the interaction between the germanene layer and the substrate is very weak. Second, the work function of germanene is about 0.75 eV lower in energy than the work function of Ge(001). This large difference in work function of germanene and pristine Ge(001) is in agreement with first-principles calculations.

11. Controlling Single Molecule Conductance by a Locally Induced Chemical Reaction on Individual Thiophene Units

Authors: Michnowicz, T; Borca, B; Petuya, R; Schendel, V; Pristl, M; Pentegov, I; Kraft, U; Klauk, H; Wahl, P; Mutombo, P; Jelinek, P; Arnau, A; Schlickum, U; Kern, K

Published: APR 6 2020, ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 59, 6212, DOI: 10.1002/anie.201915200

Among the prerequisites for the progress of single-molecule-based electronic devices are a better understanding of the electronic properties at the individual molecular level and the development of methods to tune the charge transport through molecular junctions. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is an ideal tool not only for the characterization, but also for the manipulation of single atoms and molecules on surfaces. The conductance through a single molecule can be measured by contacting the molecule with atomic precision and forming a molecular bridge between the metallic STM tip electrode and the metallic surface electrode. The parameters affecting the conductance are mainly related to their electronic structure and to the coupling to the metallic electrodes. Here, the experimental and theoretical analyses are focused on single tetracenothiophene molecules and demonstrate that an in situ-induced direct desulfurization reaction of the thiophene moiety strongly improves the molecular anchoring by forming covalent bonds between molecular carbon and copper surface atoms. This bond formation leads to an increase of the conductance by about 50 % compared to the initial state.

12. Thin Films Based on Cobalt Phthalocyanine:C60 Fullerene:ZnO Hybrid Nanocomposite Obtained by Laser Evaporation

Authors: Socol, M; Preda, N; Costas, A; Borca, B; Popescu-Pelin, G; Mihailescu, A; Socol, G; Stanculescu, A

Published: MAR 2020, NANOMATERIALS, 10, DOI: 10.3390/nano10030468

Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) was used to deposit hybrid nanocomposite thin films based on cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc), C60 fullerene and ZnO nanoparticles. The inorganic nanoparticles, with a size of about 20 nm, having the structural and optical properties characteristic of ZnO, were chemically synthesized by a simple precipitation method. Furthermore, ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed in a dimethyl sulfoxide solution in which CoPc and C60 had been dissolved, ready for the freezing MAPLE target. The effect of the concentration of ZnO nanoparticles on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the CoPc:C60:ZnO hybrid nanocomposite layers deposited by MAPLE was evaluated. The infrared spectra of the hybrid nanocomposite films confirm that the CoPc and C60 preserve their chemical structure during the laser deposition process. The CoPc optical signature is recognized in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra of the obtained layers, these being dominated by the absorption bands associated to this organic compound while the ZnO optical fingerprint is identified in the photoluminescence spectra of the prepared layers, these disclosing the emission bands linked to this inorganic semiconductor. The hybrid nanocomposite layers exhibit globular morphology, which is typical for the thin films deposited by MAPLE. Current-voltage (J-V) characteristics of the structures developed on CoPc:C60:ZnO layers reveal that the addition of an appropriate amount of ZnO nanoparticles in the CoPc:C60 mixture leads to a more efficient charge transfer between the organic and inorganic components. Due to their photovoltaic effect, structures featuring such hybrid nanocomposite thin films deposited by MAPLE can have potential applications in the field of photovoltaic devices.

13. Ultra-High Vacuum Deposition of Pyrene Molecules on Metal Surfaces

Authors: Schleicher, S; Borca, B; Rawson, J; Matthes, F; Burgler, DE; Kogerler, P; Schneider, CM

Published: OCT 2018, PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI B-BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, 255, DOI: 10.1002/pssb.201800235

Interfacial properties of organic adsorbates featuring aromatic -orbitals on metal surfaces play an important role for organic electronics and spintronics. Pyrene is a flat aromatic molecule with a size between ultimately small benzene and extended graphene segments. The deposition of pyrene molecules onto clean and reactive surfaces with a sub-monolayer coverage under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions is challenging, since pyrene is a solid with a high vapor pressure. Here, a sublimation procedure under UHV and image pyrene adlayers on in situ prepared Au(111) and Fe/W(110) substrates by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy is presented. For Au(111), the molecule-surface interaction is weak as indicated by the specific herringbone reconstruction of the Au(111) surface that is visible through the self-assembled pyrene adlayer. Pyrene desorption due to weak intermolecular interaction self-limits the growth to one monolayer (ML). On the more reactive 2-4 ML thick Fe films on W(110), the molecular order of the pyrene adlayer sensitively depends on the Fe thickness-dependent dislocation pattern at the substrate surface. Irregular arrangements occur for 1 ML Fe and near substrate dislocations for 2-4 ML Fe. Self-assembled ordered arrays form predominantly for 2 ML Fe, where the dislocation pattern leaves sufficiently large unperturbed areas between the dislocation lines.

14. Electric-Field-Driven Direct Desulfurization

Authors: Borca, B; Michnowicz, T; Petuya, R; Pristl, M; Schendel, V; Pentegov, I; Kraft, U; Klauk, H; Wahl, P; Gutzler, R; Arnau, A; Schlickum, U; Kern, K

Published: MAY 2017, ACS NANO, 11, 4709, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b00612

The ability to elucidate the elementary steps of a chemical reaction at the atomic scale is important for the detailed understanding of the processes involved, which is key to uncover avenues for improved reaction paths. Here, we track the chemical pathway of an irreversible direct desulfurization reaction of tetracenothiophene adsorbed on the Cu(111) closed-packed surface at the submolecular level. Using the precise control of the tip position in a scanning tunneling microscope and the electric field applied across the tunnel junction, the two carbon-sulfur bonds of a thiophene unit are successively cleaved. Comparison of spatially mapped molecular states close to the Fermi level of the metallic substrate acquired at each reaction step with density functional theory calculations reveals the two elementary steps of this reaction mechanism. The first reaction step is activated by an electric field larger than 2 V nm(-1), practically in absence of tunneling electrons, opening the thiophene ring and leading to a transient intermediate. Subsequently, at the same threshold electric field and with simultaneous injection of electrons into the molecule, the exergonic detachment of the sulfur atom is triggered. Thus, a stable molecule with a bifurcated end is obtained, which is covalently bound to the metallic surface. The sulfur atom is expelled from the vicinity of the molecule.

15. Bipolar Conductance Switching of Single Anthradithiophene Molecules

Authors: Borca, B; Schendel, V; Petuya, R; Pentegov, I; Michnowicz, T; Kraft, U; Klauk, H; Arnau, A; Wahl, P; Schlickum, U; Kern, K

Published: DEC 2015, ACS NANO, 9, 12512, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b06000

Single molecular switches are basic device elements in organic electronics. The pentacene analogue anthradithiophene (ADT) shows a fully reversible binary switching between different adsorption conformations on a metallic surface accompanied by a charge transfer. These transitions are activated locally in single molecules in a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. The switching induces changes between bistable orbital structures and energy level alignment at the interface. The most stable geometry, the "off" state, which all molecules adopt upon evaporation, corresponds to a short adsorption distance at which the electronic interactions of the acene rings bend the central part of the molecule toward the surface accompanied by a significant charge transfer from the metallic surface to the ADT molecules. This leads to a shift of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital down to the Fermi level (E-F). In the "on" state the molecule has a flat geometry at a larger distance from the surface; consequently the interaction is weaker, resulting in a negligible charge transfer with an orbital structure resembling the highest occupied molecular orbital when imaged close to E-F. The potential barrier between these two states can be overcome reversibly by injecting charge carriers locally into individual molecules. Voltage-controlled current traces show a hysteresis characteristic of a bipolar switching behavior. The interpretation is supported by first-principles calculations.

Dr. Bogdana BORCA

Scientific Researcher I