Publications

xRuO(2)-(1-x)alpha-Fe2O3 (x=0.1, 0.3,0.5 and 0.7) nanoparticle systems were successfully synthesized by mechanochemical activation of RuO2 and alpha-Fe2O3 mixtures for 0-12 h of ball milling. Mossbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic measurements, simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to investigate the phase evolution of xRuO(2)- (1-x)alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticle systems under the mechanochemical activation process. The Mossbauer studies showed that the spectrum of the mechanochemically activated composites evolved from a sextet for alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite) to four sextets and a doublet upon duration of the milling process with ruthenium oxide. Rietveld refinement of the XRD patterns yielded the values of lattice parameters as function of composition and milling times. The presence of Ru-substituted hematite and Fe-doped ruthenium oxide was evidenced and correlated with differences between ionic radii of Fe3+ and Ru4+. Magnetic measurements recorded at 5 and 300 K in applied magnetic fields of 50,000 and 100,000 Oe showed that the estimated saturation magnetization of the milled samples increased with ball milling time while preserving a multidomain magnetic structure. The Morin transformation was evidenced by zero-field cooling-field cooling (ZFC-FC) measurements in 200 Oe and 1 T, for samples milled for 0 and 8 h of mechanochemical activation. These results correlate well with the DSC-TGA measurements, which support the formation of mixedoxide solid solutions in the system under investigation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

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.

Chromium substituted cobalt ferrites (CoFe2-xCrxO4, 0 <= x <= 2) were synthesized through solution combustion method using glycine as fuel, named glycine-nitrates process (GNP). As evidenced by X-ray diffraction data (XRD), single cubic spinel phase was formed for all CoFe2-xCrxO4 (0 <= x <= 2) series. The cubic lattice parameter (a) decreases with increasing chromium content. Room temperature Fe-57 Mossbauer spectra revealed the Fe3+ and Cr3+ site occupancy, the local hyperfine magnetic fields and the substitution of Fe3+ by Cr3+ in the lattice. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a refinement of particle size with the increase of Cr3+ content. Magnetic measurements from 5 K to 120 K have shown a dropping in the saturation magnetization as the chromium content increases. This behaviour has been explained in terms of substitution of Fe3+ by Cr3+ in the cubic lattice of cobalt ferrite.

The chemical modification of the niobium (Nb) surface after irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses was investigated by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The physical-chemical analyses indicated that the laser treatment results in oxidation of the Nb surface, as well as in the formation of Nb hydrides. Remarkably, after the samples' washing in ethanol, a strong Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) signal originating from the toluene residual traces was evidenced. Further, it was observed that the laser irradiated Nb surface is able to provide a SERS enhancement of similar to 1.3 x 10(3) times for rhodamine 6G solutions. Thus, for the first time it was shown that Nb/Nb oxide surfaces could exhibit SERS functionality, and so one can expect applications in biological/biochemical screening or for sensing of dangerous environmental substances. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

The effect of thermal treatments on the martensitic transformation in three representative Ni-Fe-Ga alloys with or without Co substitutions has been studied by calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and magnetometry. The alloys were prepared as ribbons, by the melt spinning technique. The thermal treatments promote a reduction of the martensitic transformation temperature in all investigated samples, with the most pronounced decrease for the alloys with lower Ga content. Three different mechanisms induced by specific thermal treatments and responsible for the characteristic behaviour of the martensitic transformation, with respect to temperature and heat of transition, were observed and discussed in details. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spherical aberration corrected transmission electron microscopes offer unprecedented capabilities in materials structural characterization down to atomic resolution. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) - spectrum imaging (SI) and annular bright field (ABF) imaging allow to simultaneously identify both the position and nature of the atomic species in a crystalline material. These techniques, along with conventional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy are particularly useful in heterostructures interfaces like epitaxial multilayers characterization, for identifying possible atomic interdiffusion at sub-nanometric scale. This paper presents the structural and compositional microanalysis down to atomic resolution of an epitaxial BaTiO3/SrRuO3/SrTiO3 ferroelectric heterostructure using complex complementary analytical electron microscopy techniques. The atomic arrangement of both heavy and light atomic species across the interfaces in the BaTiO3/SrRuO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures is revealed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A polycrystalline graphite target was irradiated using infrared (800 nm) femtosecond (120 fs) laser pulses of different energies. Increase of sp(3) bonds percentage and possible diamond crystal formation were investigated 'in-depth' and on the irradiated surfaces. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction pattern have shown the presence of a diamond peak in one of the irradiated zones while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations have shown an increasing tendency of the sp(3) percent in the low power irradiated areas and similarly 'in the depth' of the higher power irradiated zones. Multiple wavelength Micro-Raman investigations have confirmed this trend along with an 'in-depth' (but not on the surface) increase of the crystallite size. Based on the wavelength dependent photon absorption into graphite, the observed effects are correlated with high density photon per atom and attributed to the melting and recrystallization processes taking place tens of nanometers below the target surface. (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A combination of chemical and thermal annealing techniques was used to prepare an array of ZnO/Zn1-xMNxO/BaTiO3 nanorods. ZnO nanorod arrays were obtained by hydrothermal-electrochemical processes. The precursors for Zn1-xMnxO and BaTiO3, prepared by sol-gel technique were deposited by spin coating on the surface of ZnO nanorods. Each deposition stage was accompanied by thermal treatment stages. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal the presence of a film of Zn1-xMnxO with wurtzite structure on the surface of ZnO nanorods. Transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate that a layer of BaTiO3 is deposited on the surface of each ZnO/Zn1-xMnxO core shell nanorod. BaTiO3 film onto the ZnO/Zn1-xMnxO core shell nanorods is also evidenced in Raman scattering by broadening of the Raman band situated in the spectral range 500-750 cm(-1). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CoxFe3-xO4 (x=0.5-2.5) magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized via redox reaction between cobalt nitrate, iron nitrate and 1-4-butanediol using five Co/Fe molar ratios, followed by calcination at 1000 degrees C. Single phase nanoscaled cobalt ferrite was obtained at x=1.0 and at slight Co excess (x=1.5), while at high Co/Fe molar ratios (x=2.0 and x=2.5) the prevailing phase was CoO accompanied by CoFe2O4 traces. The highest values of coercive field and saturation magnetization were obtained for the sample at x=1.0, while the lowest values were obtained in the sample with the highest Co excess (x=2.5). The results indicated that the used synthesis route was suitable for the synthesis of cobalt ferrite with moderate saturation magnetization and high coercive field values. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Light confinement in a two dimensional photonic crystal (2D PhC) with hexagonal symmetry is studied using infra-red reflectance spectromicroscopy and numerical calculations. The structure has been realized by laser ablation, using a pulsed laser (lambda = 775 nm), perforating an In-doped Ge wafer and creating a lattice of holes with well-defined symmetry. Correlating the spectral signature of the photonic gaps recorded experimentally with the results obtained in the finite difference time domain and finite difference frequency domain calculations, we established the relationship between the geometric parameters of the structure (lattice constants, shape of the hole) and its efficiency in trapping and guiding the radiation in a well-defined frequency range. Besides the gap in the low energy range of transversal electric modes, a second one is identified in the telecommunication range, originating in the localization of the leaky modes within the radiation continuum. The emerging picture is of a device with promising characteristics as an alternative to Si-based technology in photonic device fabrication with special emphasize in energy storage and conversion. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.