Publications

N-type P-doped silicon single crystals with resistivity higher than 8000 Omega cm were irradiated with I-127(6+) ions of 28 MeV kinetic energy. The penetration of the ions through the target and the processes of energy loss were simulated using the CTRIM Monte Carlo code, and point defect production was calculated in the frame of our diffusion-reaction model. Trapping phenomena were investigated using the method of thermally stimulated currents without applied bias. The modeling of the current-temperature curves takes into consideration both point defects and stress-type trapping centers, produced by the ions stopped into the crystal.

Mossbauer spectroscopy has (one of its most important features) the ability to simultaneously undertake bulk and surface analyses. It is a non-destructive technique that can be applied in situ to investigate surfaces of varying thickness using the secondary radiation emitted after resonant absorption of a gamma ray. A short description of the technique is presented. It allows a detailed analysis of the chemical state of Mossbauer atoms within the material, including valence state and chemical compound. Some applications of electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (CEMS), obtained in National Institute of Materials Physics are given. The experimental devices for surface studies are presented.

Improvements in automatic processing of movie frames taken on commercial Drop Shape Analysis systems are presented, regarding the use of particular edge detection algorithms that account for optical peculiarities of the drop image formed on digital video camera sensors. These improvements can lead to better measurements of contact angles for drop images that present spots of reflected light close to edge and in the case of very low contact angles.

This paper reports on the conduction mechanisms in amorphous SiO2 films with embedded Ge nanoparticles. For this, measurements of current-temperature and current-voltage were employed and correlated with the microstructure results obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images reveal that our films contain big Ge nanoparticles with low density and small Ge nanoparticles with high density, the last ones being the only responsible for the electrical transport. Two transport mechanisms were found at low and high temperature respectively, namely hopping on localized states in a band near Fermi level and charge excitation to the extended states at mobility edge.

Based on first principles electronic structure calculations using the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA) in the Blackman-Esterling-Berk (BEB) multiscattering formalism and the variable range hopping (VRH) model proposed by Mott, we evaluate the low temperature dc conductivity and its temperature dependence for n-doped wurtzite-type M:ZnO, with M = Al, Ti, Mn, at concentrations of 2, 5 and 10 at.% respectively. We theoretically determine the phenomenologic quantities in the expression of the hopping conductivity, as well as the temperature range in which the VRH model is applicable to the investigated compounds. We show that self-consistent CPA-BEB and LSDA+U calculations yield reasonable band gaps, dopant state localization and also spin magnetic moments for the Ti and Mn systems. These results are discussed in comparison with reported data obtained by supercell LSDA+U calculations for similar systems. The results in this study point to 2-5 at.% Ti and approximately 2 at.% Al codoping in wurtzite-type ZnO as an interesting option to obtain a material with an increased low temperature dc conductivity and ferromagnetic background. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.

Inhibitive properties of the antibacterial sulfa drug sulfathiazole-IUPAC name being 4-amino-N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl) benzene sulfonamide-on the corrosion of carbon steel in 1.0M HCl solution were investigated using weight loss measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Sulfathiazole is a good adsorption inhibitor, and the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing concentration. Adsorption is spontaneous and is best described by Temkin isotherm. XPS analysis showed, at this stage, that the main product of corrosion is a nonstoichiometric Fe3+ oxide/oxyhydroxide consisting of a mixture of Fe2O3, alpha, and gamma-FeO(OH) and/or Fe(OH)(3), where alpha, gamma-FeO(OH) is the main phase.

The article reports on the tilted growth of textured aluminium nitride thin films obtained by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering onto 50 mm diameter Si (111) wafers, in reactive atmosphere, in a planar sputtering system without tilting the substrate and with no additional sputtering geometry alterations. The films were investigated using, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic ellipsometry and scanning electronic microscopy, done by local measurements on the wafer surface, at different distances from the centre. A progressive increase of the tilt angle when moving away from the sample centre has been found. The maximum tilt angle of the columnar AlN crystallites, obtained near the edges of the wafer, is about 7 degrees. The results showed also that tilting is associated with smaller thickness and larger dispersion of the c axis orientation. Synthesizing inclined c axis AlN films should allow the fabrication of surface acoustic wave devices based on shear waves for liquid sensor applications.

This paper presents a new technique for investigating the modifications induced by high-density green light [GL] on water in NaCl solutions. Solutions of 0,45 g% and 0,9 g%, irradiated with green light (lambda = 527 nm, intensity 3.10(5) Lx) were used. As a receptor for measuring the irradiation effect we used red blood cell (RBC) permeability in hypotonic media, the so-called osmotic shock. After RBC lysis in hypotonic medium, the released hemoglobin was spectrophotometrically determined at lambda = 550 nm. The values of the osmotic shock for the samples obtained with GL-irradiated NaCl solutions were significantly lower than the values obtained with non-irradiated controls. This may indicate that the penetration of water inside the membranes canaliculi is hindered. This new type of result was complemented by chronoamperometry and impedance spectroscopy determinations. The current density of the irradiated solution decreases from the value of 29.5 mu A.cm(-2) in the control to 17.74 mu A.cm(-2) in the irradiated sample with a corresponding decrease of ionic mobility. The impedance value of the GL irradiated NaCl solutions were significantly lower than the control values, thus correlating well with the data recorded by chronoamperometry. All these data may indicate large water cluster formation through GL irradiation which are beyond the cellular aquaporine channels capacity. A similar process is identified by using red light, as well as blue light, though with a much smaller output.

Abnormal anti-Stokes Raman emission (AASRE) is defined by an anti-Stokes/Stokes intensity ratio much greater than expected on the basis of the equilibrium population of excited vibration states provided by the Boltzmann law. AASRE can be observed both in materials with intrinsic nonlinear optical properties as LiNbO3 or materials in which the nonlinear optical properties are induced by resonant optical excitation, as carbon nanotubes. Using a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) device, consisting from single wall carbon nanotubes deposited on a rough Au or Ag support and LiNbO3 in form of powder, we demonstrate that under continuous single beam excitation they present AASRE whose properties are similar to a single beam pumped Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering. AASRE is usually accompanied by a coherent backscattering, it can be considered as Anderson localization of light that results from a wave-mixing mechanism of the incident laser light with a Stokes shifted Raman light produced by a spontaneous Raman light scattering process. The transport of the light inside of sample, giving rise to AASRE and coherent backscattering, is done by an elastic light scattering mechanism.