Publications

We have investigated the superconducting properties of Ag/YBa2Cu3O7-x thick multilayers grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition, and found that the artificial pinning centres induced by Ag nanodots lead to a significant increase in critical current, especially in high applied magnetic fields. Transmission Electron Microscopy showed a columnar growth of YBa2Cu3O7-x, induced by Ag nanodots, while angle-dependent transport measurements revealed the existence of strong, both isotropic and c-axis correlated, artificial pinning centres. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A FePt-based hard-magnetic nanocomposite of exchange spring type was prepared by isothermal annealing of melt-spun Fe52Pt28Nb2B18 (atomic percent) ribbons. The relationship between microstructure and magnetic properties was investigated by qualitative and quantitative structural analysis based on the x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fe-57 Mossbauer spectrometry on one hand and the superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry on the other hand. The microstructure consists of L1(0)-FePt hard-magnetic grains (15-45 nm in diameter) dispersed in a soft magnetic medium composed by A1 FePt, Fe2B, and boron-rich (FeB)PtNb remainder phase. The ribbons annealed at 700 degrees C for 1 h exhibit promising hard-magnetic properties at room temperature: M-r/M-s=0.69; H-c=820 kA/m and (BH)(max)=70 kJ/m(3). Strong exchange coupling between hard and soft magnetic phases was demonstrated by a smooth demagnetizing curve and positive delta M-peak in the Henkel plot. The magnetic properties measured from 5 to 750 K reveals that the hard characteristics remains rather stable up to 550 K, indicating a good prospect for the use of these permanent magnets in a wide temperature range. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3504245]

In core-shell systems with non-magnetic core and magnetic shell the electron transport and magnetic properties are expected to show enhanced behavior due to the particular morpho structural features of the conductive and magnetic regions This may lead to novel advanced GMR materials and spin valves This is the case of core-shell Ag-Co colloidal nanoscale particles that organize into regular arrays An insight on the structure and morphology of the newly synthesized Ag-Co nanoparticles deposited on different substrates will be presented The influence of the substrate on different morphologies and organization dynamics is discussed It is shown that the magnetic behavior of the Ag-Co nanoparticles is highly influenced by the corona-like morphology of Co shell chemical environment of the magnetic atoms and by the fact that they exhibit strongly reduced coordination due to the surface states (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS All rights reserved

The synthesis of the chalcogenide glass (Ge5As2S13) doped by Nd3+ has been carried out. The bulk glass develops a small amount of Nd2O3 and As2O3 crystallites besides some amount of (NdCl3)*6H(2)O crystalline phase initially introduced during synthesis. The optical absorption spectra demonstrate the presence of the Nd3+ both in the amorphous phase and in crystalline combinations. The formation of Nd2O3 crystallites was explained by the reaction of water with neodymium chloride. The presence of As2O3 is due to the oxidation of As from the glass during preparation.

In this study the Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique was used to prepare thin films from a low melting point (< 100 degrees C) organic compound (benzil). Optical properties of the films have been investigated by UV-VIS, FTIR and PL spectroscopy. Details about crystallinity were obtained by XRD measurements. FTIR spectra have confirmed the preservation of the chemical structure of the compound during the deposition process. SEM and AFM investigation have evidenced a topography of the MAPLE deposited films characterized by different grain size depending on the deposition conditions. Second harmonic generation measurements have revealed that the MAPLE deposited benzil films have preserved the optical nonliniar properties of the bulk crystalline benzil.

As2S3 on Ag heterostructures deposited onto microscope glass substrates have been prepared. The quality of the hetero-structures has been investigated by careful analysis of the scanning electron microscope pictures taken on the native cross-sections, produced after the vacuum deposition sequence and various green laser irradiation times. The As2S3 layer is not uniformly grown, but reveals a columnar-like structure and multi-scale aggregation.

The effects of an organic additive, polyoxyethylene sorbitan trioleate (Tween 85), on the induction time for the precipitation of calcium carbonate are experimentally and theoretically investigated. Calcium carbonate was precipitated from aqueous solutions of K2CO3 and Ca(NO)(3) at moderate supersaturations ranging between 5 and 16 with and without the organic additive. Experimentally it has been noticed that the induction period for CaCO3 precipitation increases at low supersaturation and is also influenced by temperature. An increase of the induction time was noticed when Tween 85 was added in the system. The "cluster coagulation model" proposed by Qian and Botsaris (1997), which combines nucleation models and coagulation theory, was used to explain the effects of operating parameters on the induction time in terms of interfacial energy and cluster sizes. (C) 2009 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rutile doped hematite xTiO(2) (1-x)alpha Fe2O3 (x=0 0-10) nanostructures were synthesized using mechanochemical activation by ball milling Their complex structural magnetic and thermal properties were characterized by X ray diffraction Mossbauer spectroscopy and simultaneous DSC-TGA XRD patterns yielded the dependence of lattice parameters and grain size as a function of ball milling time For the molar concentrations x=0 1 and 03 the Mossbauer spectra were fitted with one two three or four sextets corresponding to the degree of Ti ion substitution of Fe ions in hematite lattice After 12 h of ball milling the completion of Ti ion substitution of Fe ions in hematite lattice occurs for x=0 1 and 03 For x=0 5 and 07 Mossbauer spectra fitting required sextets and a quadrupole split doublet representing Fe ions substituting Ti ions in the rutile lattice The completion of Fe ion substitution of Ti ions in rutile lattice was not observed as indicated by XRD patterns and Mossbauer spectra for these two molar concentrations Simultaneous DSC-TGA measurements revealed that the mechanochemical activation by ball milling has a strong effect on the thermal behavior of this nanostructure system The enthalpy dropped dramatically after 2 h of milling time indicating the strong solid-solid interactions between TiO2 and a Fe2O3 after ball milling The change in weight loss of hematite was caused by the decrease of grain size and ion substitutions between Fe and Ti after mechanochemical activation (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the different media, e.g. air, water, CCl4 (carbon tetrachloride) and C2Cl3F3 (tricloro-trifluoro-ethane), when irradiating a Si (100) substrate, with a 200 femtosecond (fs) laser pulses of a Ti:sapphire laser operating at 775 nm. Various micro and nanomorphologies could be achieved by changing the media, the laser pulse energy and the number of pulses. It is shown that the resulting Si (100) surface presents a regulated morphology in air consisting of parallel ripples and the formation of regular arrays of submicrometer spikes on Si (100) in CCl4 and C2Cl2F3, respectively. Irradiation of a Si (100) substrate immersed in water creates a regularly structured surface but it doesn't facilitate the spikes formation. The potential use of the patterned Si substrates as model scaffolds for the systematic exploration of the role of 3D micro/nano morphology on cell adhesion and growth is envisaged.

A new procedure for the production of infrared lenses and prisms based on As(2)S(3) chalcogeniude glass has been devised. Infrared components are obtained with the size in the range 100-1500 micrometers. The procedure allows for getting various curvature radii of the micrometer lenses, ranging from planno-convex to spherical ones.