National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Microemulsions are nanocolloidal systems composed of water, an oil, and a surfactant, sometimes with an additional co-surfactant, which have found a wide range of practical applications, including the extractive removal of contaminants from polluted water. In this study, microemulsion systems, including a nonionic surfactant (Brij 30), water, and esters selected from two homologous series of C-1-C-6 alkyl acetates and ethyl C-1-C-4 carboxylates, respectively, were prepared by the surfactant titration method. Phase transitions leading to the formation of Winsor II and Winsor IV microemulsions were observed and phase diagrams were constructed. The dependences of phase transitions on the salinity and pH and the addition of isopropanol as a co-surfactant were also investigated. Some physical properties, namely density, refractive index, electrical conductivity, dynamic viscosity, and particle size, were measured for a selection of Winsor IV microemulsions, providing further insight into some other phase transitions occurring in the monophasic domains of phase diagrams. Finally, Winsor II microemulsions were tested as extraction solvents for the removal of four tricyclic antidepressant drugs from aqueous media. Propyl acetate/Brij 30/H2O microemulsions provided the best extraction yields (>90%), the highest Nernst distribution coefficients (similar to 40-88), and a large volumetric ratio of almost 3 between the recovered purified water and the resulting microemulsion extract. Increasing the ionic strength (salinity) or the pH of the aqueous antidepressant solutions led to an improvement in extraction efficiencies, approaching 100%. These results could be extrapolated to other classes of pharmaceutical contaminants and suggest ester- and nonionic surfactant-based microemulsions are a promising tool for environmental remediation.

Three random D-A copolymers containing thienopyrroledione (TPD) and benzodithiophene (BDT) named P-HBT-T, P-FBT-T, and P-FBT-O were synthesized. The effects of side chains on BDT and fluorination to benzothiadiazole on the photovoltaic performances of fabricated solar cells were investigated. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of the polymers were -5.57, -5.51, and -5.65 eV for PHBT-T, P-FBT-T, and P-FBT-O, respectively, suggesting low-lying HOMO energy levels. The optimized weight ratios of the polymer to PC71BM were determined as 1:2 with 24 mg/mL blend concentration for all polymers, and the maximum power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the devices were 7.35%, 7.76%, and 9.21% for P-HBT-T, P-FBT-T, and P-FBT-O, respectively, after optimizations with 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) and 1-chloronaphthalene (CN). Trap-assisted recombination and bimolecular recombination loss mechanisms, which are PCE limiting mechanisms, were examined for all devices. The morphological and topographical properties were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Our findings demonstrate that P-FBT-O-bearing organic solar cells (OSCs) emerged as the best-performing device due to their deeper HOMO level, high molecular weight, lower trap-assisted and bimolecular recombination, and superior morphology. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Zeolite Y samples with microporous and hierarchical structures containing Ti-Ni and Ti-Co oxides were obtained as active photocatalysts. Different Ti amounts (5, 10% TiO2) were supported, followed by the loading of Ni or Co oxides (5%). X-ray diffraction evidenced the presence of TiO2 as an anatase. N-2 adsorption-desorption results showed type IV isotherms for hierarchical zeolite Y samples, and a combination of type IV and I isotherms for zeolite Y samples. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra showed a shift in the absorption band to visible with increasing Ti loading and especially after Co and Ni addition. A significant effect of the support was evidenced for Ti and its interaction with Co/Ni species. The zeolite Y support stabilized Ti in the 4+ oxidation state while hierarchical zeolite Y support favored the formation of Ti3+ species, Ni-0 and Ni2+ and the oxidation of Co to 3+ oxidation state. Photocatalytic activity, under UV and visible light irradiation, was evaluated by the degradation of amoxicillin, used as a model test. The photocatalytic mechanism was investigated using ethanol, p-benzoquinone and KI as & BULL;OH and & BULL;O-2(-) radicals and hole (h(+)) scavengers. The best results were obtained for the immobilized Ni-Ti species on the hierarchical zeolite Y support.

Personal and industrial use of internal combustion engines (ICEs) is projected to continue until 2050 and beyond. Yet demands to reduce global dependence on petrochemicals and fossil fuel-derived lubricants are increasing and environmentally necessary. New strategies for maintaining and enhancing ICE performance by reducing friction, wear, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions will reduce the depletion of mineral and fossil fuel reserves and environmental pollution. This paper reports the tribological enhancement of nano-bio lubricants formulated using 2D nanocomposites of Al2O3/graphene as novel additives in coconut oil, whose performance as a lubricant compares favorably with the mineral-based engine oil 15W40. Structural, compositional, and morphological characterization of the Al2O3/graphene nanocomposite revealed an ultra-fine particle size (< 10 nm) with spherical/laminar morphology and a rich sp2 domain, exhibiting a consistent colloidal stability when formulated as nanofluid. Through the use of various characterization techniques, including friction and wear analysis we gained valuable insight into the tribological mechanism. Our optimization of this 2D tribological system using coconut oil formulation resulted significant reductions in the coefficient of friction (28 %), specific fuel con-sumption (8 %), and exhaust pollutant emissions (CO, SO2, and NOx). This work demonstrates the benefits of using nano-bio lubricant formulated using coconut oil and 2D-based hybrids as base stock and additives, delivering solutions to global challenges such as improving fuel consumption while reducing environmental pollution; solutions that can be transferred to other areas where lubricants are a necessity.

Correction for 'Gd-Er interaction promotes NaGdF4:Yb, Er as a new candidate for high-power density applications' by Daniel Avram et al., J. Mater. Chem. C, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3tc01391j.

Nanostructured oxides (SiO2, TiO2) were synthesized using the sol-gel method and mod-ified with noble metal nanoparticles (Pt, Au) and ruthenium dye to enhance light harvesting and promote the photogeneration of reactive oxygen species, namely singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) and hydroxyl radical (center dot OH). The resulting nanostructures were embedded in a transparent polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel. Morphological and structural characterization of the bare and modified oxides was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Additionally, electrokinetic potential measurements were conducted. Crystallinity data and elemental analysis of the investigated systems were obtained through X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence analyses, while the chemical state of the elements was determined using XPS. The engineered ma-terials, both as simple powders and embedded in the hydrogel, were evaluated for their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under visible and simulated solar light irradiation to establish a correlation with their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The generation of singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) by the samples under visible light exposure can be of significant importance for their potential use in biomedical applications.

The composites of transition metal-doped titania and carbon have emerged as promising supports for Pt electrocatalysts in PEM fuel cells. In these multifunctional supports, the oxide component stabilizes the Pt particles, while the dopant provides a co-catalytic function. Among other elements, Sn is a valuable additive. Stong metal-support interaction (SMSI), i.e., the migration of a partially reduced oxide species from the support to the surface of Pt during reductive treatment is a general feature of TiO2-supported Pt catalysts. In order to explore the influence of SMSI on the stability and performance of Pt/Ti0.8Sn0.2O2-C catalysts, the structural and catalytic properties of the as prepared samples measured using XRD, TEM, XPS and electrochemical investigations were compared to those obtained from catalysts reduced in hydrogen at elevated temperatures. According to the observations, the uniform oxide coverage of the carbon backbone facilitated the formation of Pt-oxide-C triple junctions at a high density. The electrocatalytic behavior of the as prepared catalysts was determined by the atomic closeness of Sn to Pt, while even a low temperature reductive treatment resulted in Sn-Pt alloying. The segregation of tin oxide on the surface of the alloy particles, a characteristic material transport process in Sn-Pt alloys after oxygen exposure, contributed to a better stability of the reduced catalysts.

Zn1-xFexO nanoparticles with the iron concentrations level in the dilute regime (x = 0.001---0.01) were produced by a sol-gel route from acetate precursors along with an un-doped and 3 at.% Fe-doped reference. The X-ray diffraction of the un-doped and 0.1-1 at.% Fe-doped samples reveal the reflections for only the ZnO wurtzite structure. Fe doping enhances the a-axis lattice constant, the unit cell volume and the microstrain. Iron doping reduces the average crystallite/particle size (confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy), improving the surface-to-volume ratio or the concentration of defective surface sites. XPS identifies the iron in both Fe3+ and Fe2+ states. XPS and Fe-57 Mossbauer spectroscopy indicate a broad distribution (distortion) of Fe3+ sites on the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. The blue shift and broadening of the UV emission, and quenching of defect-related photoluminescence in the Fe-doped samples verify the presence of iron in the ZnO lattice and surface intrinsic defects. 0.1-1 at.% Fe-doped ZnO show room temperature ferromagnetism, RTFM, characteristic of dilute magnetic semiconductors, DMS. The magnetization measurements with temperature evidence an antiferromagnetic alignment and an increase of ferromagnetic contribution with Fe doping up to 1 at.%. Zn0.97Fe0.3O reference is a superparamagnetic ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite with a blocking temperature of 20 K; HRTEM shows (ultra)fine ZnFe2O4 particles at the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. The analysis of experimental data of 0.1-1 at.% Fe-doped ZnO was done in terms of iron coupling with intrinsic defects, which can generate surface Fe3+ states with geometries similar to the Fe3+ in inverse spinel ZnFe2O4. The superexchange interaction (resembling that in the inverse spinel ZnFe2O4) between the Fe3+ sites with distorted configuration resulting in ferrimagnetism was hypothesised as a possible mechanism of RTFM. Experimental (structural, local chemical, magnetic, optical) and interpretation results can be used to optimize the processing conditions for Fe-doped ZnO to serve as an effective DMS, e.g. for spintronic applications.

Iron-doped Co3O4 oxides prepared by a surfactant-assisted method exhibited good catalytic activity in malic acid conversion, and the oxygen defects associated with the presence of Co2+ played a key role in catalyst activation for pyruvic acid production. The most active catalyst, for which the malic acid conversion was 70% and the pyruvic acid yield was 24%, has an inverse spinel type structure (Fe3+ replaces Co2+ from tetrahedral sites, while Fe2+ replaces Co3+ from octahedral sites) as well as a small energy difference between the highest occupied orbital and the lowest unoccupied orbital (low band-gap, E-g). The catalyst with the highest Co2+ loading showed the highest yield of pyruvic acid.

Pockels and Kerr effects are linear and nonlinear electro-opticaleffects, respectively, used in many applications. The modulation ofthe refractive index is employed in different photonic circuits. However,the greatest challenge is in photonic elements for quantum computingat room temperature. For this aim, materials with strong Pockels/Kerreffects and & chi;((2))/& chi;((3)) nonlinearsusceptibilities are necessary. Here, we demonstrate composition-modulatedstrong electro-optical response in epitaxial films of (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Zr)O-3 perovskite titanate. These films are grown by pulsed laserdeposition on SrTiO3. Depending on the ratios of Ca/Baand Ti/Zr, films show high Pockels or Kerr optical nonlinearities.We relate the variable electro-optic response to the occurrence ofnanopolar domains with different symmetries in a selected compositionrange. These findings open the route to easily implement nonlinearoptical elements in integrated photonic circuits.