National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

New aspects concerning the photodegradation (PD) of ampicillin are reported by photoluminescence (PL), Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy. The exposure of ampicillin in the absence (AM) and in the presence of the excipient (AMP) to UV light leads to an intensity diminution of the photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the emergence of a new IR band at 3450 cm(-1). The photoluminescence studies demonstrate that the AM PD is amplified in the presence of excipients and an alkaline medium. In this last case, the PD process of AM involves the emergence of new compounds, whose presence is highlighted by: (i) the emergence of the isosbestic point at 300 nm in the UV-VIS spectra; (ii) a change in the ratio between the absorbance of IR bands situated in the spectral ranges 1200-1660 and 3250-3450 cm(-1); and (iii) a change in the ratio between the intensities of the Raman lines localized in the spectral ranges 1050-1800 and 2750-3100 cm(-1). A chemical mechanism of the PD processes of AM in an alkaline medium is proposed.

The current study aims to present and discuss the results obtained by complementary archaeometric methods applied for the first time on white pigments inlaid on excised pottery of the Boian-Vidra tradition (Early Chalcolithic, c. 4900-4600 BCE). The samples came from three settlements located in Southern Romania (Sultana-Ghetarie, Vidra, and Vladiceasca). They were selected considering that the pottery was produced in approximately contemporary sites, located relatively close to each other in the same geographical region, namely the Romanian Plain. The experimental part included the analysis of local samples of carbonate concretions and prehistoric animal bone ash as reference materials. Archaeometric investigations consisted in applying "in-air" PIXE and EDX methods for the chemical composition, XRD and FTIR for mineralogical data, SEM for microstructure observation, and EPR for the characterisation of the paramagnetic centres. Calcite, bone ash, and silica rich sediments were identified as the primary decorating pigments. The mixtures of calcite and bone-ash observed in 13 samples were specific to the sites at Vidra and Vladiceasca. Silica-rich sediments from distant sources were the main whitening materials in two samples from Vladiceasca, while for the samples from Sultana-Ghetarie, calcite was the only whitening mineral. The results show with a high degree of confidence the use of both local (i.e., carbonate neo-formations and bone ash) and exotic (silica-rich sediments) raw materials to obtain the white pigment applied to Boian-Vidra pottery. Thus, the current data show the adaptability of the potters with respect to the surrounding resources and also provide new evidence for a vast trade network of raw materials and/or finished products in the Lower Danube area during the Early Chalcolithic. The deliberate mixing of two whitening materials from different sources could be a technological choice and may highlight complex symbolic behaviours.

In this work, the influence of the preparation route on the structural, morphological, and thermoelectric properties of the Mg2Si0.4Sn0.6 solid solutions is investigated. The synthesis based on melting the constituent elements in a closed graphite crucible followed by spark plasma sintering allows mixing elements with a large difference of their melting temperatures and a good control of sample stoichiometry. The optimized synthesis route is validated by the doped V and Sb samples, which yield good thermoelectric performance. The n-type doping leads to two orders of magnitude increase of the carrier concentration, and thus a subsequent increase of the electrical conductivity, which, in turn, augments greatly the power factor of the Mg1.98V0.02Si0.385Sn0.6Sb0.015 to 42.61 x10(-4) Wm(-1)K 2 at 650K. Although doping slightly enlarges the thermal conductivity, a peak value of the figure of merit ZT similar to 1.15 is obtained at 723K, which is 20 times higher than the ZT of un-doped material.

Laser-Induced Thermionic Vacuum Arc (LTVA) provides a better way to produce uniform metallic thin films than the classical Thermionic Vacuum Arc (TVA) method. In Ti-doped chromium thin films produced using LTVA, the amorphous chromium is superimposed with small bcc chromium nanoparticles. These amorphous/crystalline structures with small crystallites induce lower roughness and electrical resistivity, reducing electron-phonon scattering and increasing charge transport across LTVA thin films. A significant shift in resistivity for the LTVA samples is observed due to electron scattering on the phonon-crystalline structures in the TVA samples which exhibit larger crystallites. Meanwhile, the wettability measurements reveal a higher contact angle, resulting in a lower surface free energy and consecutively lower dissociation energy for the LTVA-produced thin films than the TVA samples.

Durable biocompatible metal vascular implants are still one of the significant challenges of contemporary medicine. This work presents the preparation of ferromagnetic biomaterials with shape memory in metal strips based on FePd (30 at% Pd) that is either not doped or doped with Ga and Mn, coated with poly(benzofuran-co-arylacetic acid) or polyglutamic acid. The coating of the metal strips with polymers was achieved after the metal surface had been previously treated with open-air cold plasma. The final functionalization was performed to induce anti-thrombogenic/thrombolytic properties in the resulting materials. SEM-EDX microscopy and X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) determined the morphology and composition of the metal strips covered with polymers. In vitro tests of standardized thromboplastin time (PTT) and prothrombin time (PT) were performed to evaluate the thrombogenicity of these biofunctionalized materials for future possible monitoring of the implant in patients.

Boron powders with Mg were coated with polytrifluorochloroethylene (PCTFE, fluorine content is 52.6 wt%) and perfluoropelargonic acid (PFPA, fluorine content is 69.6 wt%). They were used to fabricate propellants that were burnt in a reaction chamber designed and fabricated in our lab. Combustion products were studied by Raman spectroscopy, powder agglomeration analysis, electron microscopy, and thermal analysis. Results indicate that surface modification of the initial powder by fluorine-containing components decrease the agglomeration of the combustion products and the strongest effect is for PCTFE. Powders microstructural features and thermal stability of the coatings are discussed as being at the origin of different behavior during combustion of the propellants.(c) 2021 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The deposition of a ferromagnetic layer can affect the properties of high-temperature superconductors underneath. We investigated the influence of ferromagnetic CaRuO3 on the properties of YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) superconducting thin films when the layers are either in direct contact or separated by a barrier layer of 5 nm SrTiO3. Detailed measurements of the magnetic moment of the superconductor and ferromagnet as a function of temperature and magnetic field have been performed using SQUID magnetometry. Magnetometry and relaxation measurements show that the modification of the superconducting properties of YBCO strongly depends on the interaction with the ferromagnetic layer on top. The barrier layer has a significant impact on both the supercon-ducting properties of the YBCO film and the ferromagnetic ordering of CaRuO3. The physical properties mentioned above were discussed in correlation with the materials' structure determined by XRD analysis.

Ferrofluids investigated along for about five decades are ultrastable colloidal suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles, which manifest simultaneously fluid and magnetic properties. Their magnetically controllable and tunable feature proved to be from the beginning an extremely fertile ground for a wide range of engineering applications. More recently, biocompatible ferrofluids attracted huge interest and produced a considerable increase of the applicative potential in nanomedicine, biotechnology and environmental protection. This paper offers a brief overview of the most relevant early results and a comprehensive description of recent achievements in ferrofluid synthesis, advanced characterization, as well as the governing equations of ferrohydrodynamics, the most important interfacial phenomena and the flow properties. Finally, it provides an overview of recent advances in tunable and adaptive multifunctional materials derived from ferrofluids and a detailed presentation of the recent progress of applications in the field of sensors and actuators, ferrofluid-driven assembly and manipulation, droplet technology, including droplet generation and control, mechanical actuation, liquid computing and robotics.

Complex ferroelectric structures with dielectric interlayers may become possible alternatives for neuromorphic computing and low-power field-effect transistors since they exhibit multiple polarization states and negative capacitance. However, the effects on the switching characteristics due to the electric properties of the nonferroelectric circuit element have not been clearly evaluated so far. A high-resistance or low-capacitance element is usually associated with an increased depolarization field and eventually with suppression of polarization but without further consideration of the electrostatic differences. Therefore, we show that switching behavior is dramatically changed if the non-FE element is a resistive component or a capacitive one. This is reflected by either an increased apparent coercive field or imprint, respectively. A negative capacitance regime was observed at different moments but strongly depends on the nature of the nonferroelectric element. The voltage on the ferroelectric component remains constant during switching, which is a fingerprint of the system passing through non-equilibrium states. Therefore, we propose an algorithm to recover the S-shape of polarization dependence on the ferroelectric internal voltage during the slowed transition between the two stable states of polarization.

Permanent localization of electrons inside a graphene quantum dot (GQD) is known to be forbidden, as a manifestation of Klein tunneling. However, an electron which scatters on a GQD may be transiently trapped inside and one known practice is the usage of magnetic field. These electronic states discussed here, called quasibound states, are scattering resonances typically characterized by a finite lifetime (trapping time). In this paper, we present a theoretical perspective concerning the opportunity to enhance the lifetime of quasibound states excited in a GQD placed in a uniform magnetic field, using circularly polarized light. Generally speaking, electron trapping inside GQDs is achievable for certain well-defined conditions, for instance, magnetic field intensity. We report here that the trapping time of an electron inside a GQD may be successfully enhanced by adjusting the light intensity while keeping the magnetic field constant.