National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Silver doped hydroxyapatite [AgHAp, Ca10-xAg(PO4)(6)(OH)(2)], due to its antimicrobial properties, is an advantageous material to be used for various coatings. The AgHAp thin films with x(Ag) = 0.05 and x(Ag) = 0.1 were achieved using the spin-coating method. The resulting samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD analysis revealed that the particles of both samples are ellipsoidal. Also, in agreement with the results obtained by XRD measurements, the results of the SEM studies have shown that the particles shape is ellipsoidal. Optical properties of silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films deposited on Si substrate were investigated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The results obtained by the two complementary techniques highlighted that the molecular structure of the studied samples is not influenced by the increase of the silver concentration in the samples. Our studies revealed that the surface morphology of the obtained samples consist of uniform and continuous layers. The biocompatibility of the obtained thin films was also evaluated with the aid of human osteosarcoma MG63 (ATCC CRL 1427) cell line. Moreover, the in vitro antifungal activity against Candida albicans fungal strain of the AgHAp thin films was studied and the obtained results revealed their antifungal effect. The results of the biological assays showed that the AgHAp thin films are a very promising material for biomedical applications.

In this work, the thermally stimulated current (TSC) technique has been used to investigate the properties of the radiation-induced interstitial boron and interstitial oxygen defect complex by 23-GeV (E-kin) protons, including activation energy, defect concentration, as well as the annealing behavior. At first isothermal annealing (at 80 degrees C for 0-180 min) followed by isochronal annealing (for 15 min between 100 degrees C and 190 degrees C in steps of 10 degrees C), studies had been performed in order to get information about the thermal stability of the interstitial boron and interstitial oxygen defect in 50-Omega cm material after irradiation with 23-GeV protons to a fluence of 6.91 x 10(13) p/cm(2). The results are presented and discussed. Furthermore, the extracted data from TSC measurements are compared with the macroscopic properties derived from current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics. In addition, the introduction rate of interstitial boron and interstitial oxygen defect as a function of the initial doping concentration was determined by exposing diodes with different resistivities (10, 50, 250, and 2 k Omega cm) to 23-GeV protons. These results are compared with data from TSC and deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements achieved by the team of the CERN-RD50 "Acceptor removal project."

In this work, thermoelectric properties of the nanocomposite materials produced via ball milling followed by spark plasma sintering from In0.2Yb0.2Co4Sb12 double filled skutterudite (SKT) with silicon and tungsten carbide inclusions are investigated. The nanocomposites with low volume ratios of beta-SiC and '-WC have a significantly increased power factor, while the lattice thermal conductivity is lowered only for beta-SiC composites. The power factor enhancement in '-WC/SKT composite compensates the increase of its thermal conductivity, and as a consequence, the maximum value of the figure of merit, 0.97, is attained for 0.33 v% 'WC at 450 degrees C, with 15% higher than that of the simple skutterudite sample. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Luminescent nanocrystals embedded into silica microspheres were shown to be useful for silica labeling for biological applications, ensuring mechanical and chemical stability, nontoxicity, biocompatibility and optical properties. We used sol-gel technology to prepare silica nanospheres embedded with fluorescent and magnetic Eu3+(1 mol%)-doped CeO2 nanocrystals. The X-ray diffraction pattern analysis and transmission electron microscopy investigations showed CeO2:Eu3+(1 mol%) nanocrystals of about 9 nm size and Ce3+ ions substitution by the Eu3+ ions; the nanocrystals dispersed inside the nanosized silica spheres of about 400 nm diameters. The photoluminescence spectra recorded under UV-light excitation showed Eu3+ ions luminescence peaks (D-5(0)-F-7(J), J = 0-4) accompanied by a weaker 425 nm luminescence due to the silica matrix; the quantum yield was 0.14. The weak hysteresis loop and magnetization curves recorded up to 20,000 Oe showed dominantly paramagnetic behavior associated with the silica matrix; a slight opening of the hysteresis loop to a very small magnetic field (about 0.005 Oe) was due to the presence of the two rare earth ions. The photonic crystal properties of SiO2-CeO2:Eu3+(1 mol%) silica nanospheres deposited as films on quartz plates were revealed by the two weak attenuation peaks at 420 and 500 nm and were associated with the reflection from different planes. The SiO2-CeO2:Eu3+(1 mol%) nanospheres are attractive potential candidates for photonics-related applications or for multifunctional bio-labels by combining the luminescence and magnetic properties of the nanocrystals.

Zr0.8Sn0.2TiO3 (ZST) powders synthesized by solid-state reaction were subject to processing by spark plasma sintering (SPS). A single-phase ceramic with a high relative density of 95.7% and 99.6% was obtained for sintering temperatures of 1150 degrees C and 1200 degrees C, respectively, and for a dwell time of 3 min. In order to reduce the oxygen vacancies, as-sintered discs were annealed in air at 1000 degrees C. The dielectric loss of the annealed samples, expressed by the Q x f product, measured in the microwave (MW) domain, varied between 35 THz and 50 THz. The intrinsic losses (Q x f ~ 60 THz) were derived by using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS).

This work reports on the influence of 5 MeV electron beam radiations on the morphological features and chemical structure of magnesium-doped hydroxyapatite/chitosan composite coatings generated by the magnetron sputtering technique. The exposure to ionizing radiation in a linear electron accelerator dedicated to medical use has been performed in a controllable manner by delivering up to 50 Gy radiation dose in fractions of 2 Gy radiation dose per 40 s. After the irradiation with electron beams, the surface of layers became nano-size structured. The partial detachment of irradiated layers from the substrates has been revealed only after visualizing their cross sections by scanning electron microscopy. The energy dispersive X-ray spectral analysis of layer cross-sections indicated that the distribution of chemical elements in the samples depends on the radiation dose. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis have shown that the physicochemical processes induced by the ionizing radiation in the magnesium doped hydroxyapatite/chitosan composite coatings do not alter the apatite structure, and Mg remains bonded with the phosphate groups.

The As2S3-Cu interface was studied by dielectric spectroscopy measurements on Cu-As2S3-Cu thin film heterostructure samples to assess the charge carriers' contribution to the electrical properties of such an interface. Three-dimensional printed masks ensured good reproducibility during the PLD deposition of heterostructure samples. The samples were tested for electrical conductivity and AC photoconductivity by dielectric spectroscopy measurements. DC bias voltages and light were applied to the samples. The electrical capacity of the thin film heterostructure can be modified electrically and optically. We observed long-term photoconductivity with a time dependency that was not exponential, and a quick change of the electrical capacity, indicating the potential of the heterostructure cells as photodetector candidates.

The present study brings developments in the area of tissue engineering of heart valves, with the design and application of a new 2D model for human heart valve. This model contains valvular interstitial cells (VIC) encapsulated in gold covered electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL/Au) fibers, the latter serving also as an electrochemical sensor that enables the monitoring of oxygen levels of cellular media. The biocompatibility of PCL and PCL/Au with VIC was evaluated after the encapsulation of VIC in both scaffolds using the lactate dehydrogenase assay. Fluorescence microscopy of the encapsulated cells was used for the investigation of cell morphology, by employing phalloidin labelled F-actin (red) and DAPI nuclear staining (blue). The electrochemical techniques allowed to investigate the effect of cell encapsulation within the PCL/Au 2D constructs and to quantify the dissolved oxygen levels in cell culture media at both PCL/Au and PCL/Au with encapsulated cells (PCL/ Au/cells). Experiments were performed in a hypoxistation, which allowed a fine control on the cellular media oxygenation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to evaluate the electrochemical behavior of the 2D constructs, PCL/Au and PCL/Au/cells, in cellular media at different O-2 concentration. Results were analyzed and both impedance values at a fixed frequency and values of the equivalent circuit elements were used to construct calibration curves for dissolved O-2 determination. The second electrochemical technique used to monitor the levels of O-2 at PCL/Au and PCL/Au/cells in the cellular media was square wave voltammetry with sensitivities of 1.5 and 2.5 mu A cm(-2) mu M-1, for PCL/Au and PCL/Au/cells, respectively.

A nanostructured samarium oxide electrode was constructed by electrodeposition onto the surface of a gold electrode on SiO2/Si wafer. The samarium oxides electrode's surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microcopy showing a quasi-monodispersed nanoplatelets like structure. X-rays diffraction analysis demonstrated a mixture of monoclinic and hexagonal phases while the X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy indicated the co-existence of both Sm2+ and Sm3+ species in a 1:3 proportion. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to investigate the charge transfer processes at the surface of the samarium oxide electrode in the absence and in the presence of redox probes. A roughness factor of 2.5 was determined from the samarium oxide electrode while the charge transfer constant was almost double when compared to the planar gold electrode. Then, the samarium oxide electrode was used for the H2O2 detection by fixed potential amperometry at -0.20 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) with a linear region between 0.01 and 1.00 mM, a sensitivity of 153 mu A cm(-2) mM(-1) and a LoD = 2.70 mu M. Glucose oxidase was used as a model enzyme in order to test the capacity of the samarium oxides electrode for biosensing. The enzyme was immobilized by physical adsorption and the optimum conditions for glucose analysis investigated. The biosensor showed a linear range for glucose detection between 0.10 and 1.20 mM with a sensitivity of 8.40 mu A cm(-2) mM(-1) and a LoD = 8.00 mu M. Selectivity was tested toward common interfering species, and the results revealed the lack of biosensor response. The glucose biosensor on samarium oxides was tested for glucose detection in serum samples with a recovery factor of 90%, and the result validated with a commercial glucometer. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The performances of 3.5 at.% Nd:LGSB bifunctional laser and nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal were investigated. A high-quality single crystal with incongruent melting, having dimensions of about 12 mm in diameter and 35 mm in length, was grown along the c-axis by the Czochralski technique. The phase-matching curve for type I second harmonic generation (SHG) was determined. Efficient laser emission at 1062 nm, along the phase-matching direction for SHG of 1062 nm radiation, was obtained under the pump at 807 nm with a fiber-coupled laser diode. The Nd:LGSB laser operated with a high slope efficiency of eta(sa) = 0.56 (with respect to the absorbed pump power), delivering the highest output power of 2.1 W for 4.04 W of absorbed pump power. Preliminary SFD experiments resulted in achieving a maximum green output power of 48 mW at 3.94 W absorbed pump power.