National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

This study aims to obtain uniform and homogeneous bismuth germanate oxides thin films by spin coating and using the sol-gel technique with different precursors, followed by low-temperature annealing at 560 degrees C. By using Bi(NO3)(3) precursors, we have obtained transparent, yellowish thin films with a 200 nm thickness. The structural analysis of the initial sol-gel powder has shown the presence of two crystalline structures, the cubic Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) and monoclinic Bi2GeO5 crystallites, which evolves towards the BGO structure after annealing. The elemental analysis confirmed the composition of the desired compound Bi4Ge3O12 with 60 wt % GeO2 and 40 wt % Bi2O5. On the other hand, by changing the precursor to (Bi(CH3COO)(2), the film thickness increased to 500 nm thicker due to the high viscosity of the sol, and a dominant monoclinic Bi2GeO5 crystalline structure appeared. The elemental analysis revealed a nonstoichiometric composition with 38 wt % GeO2 and 62 wt % Bi2O3. Due to the low GeO2 phase content that reacted with metastable Bi2GeO5, we obtained cubic Bi4Ge3O12 as a secondary phase, with Bi2GeO5 as a dominant crystalline phase. The redshifts of both absorptions and emissions spectra peaks confirmed a different disorder structure as an interplay between the cubic Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) and monoclinic Bi2GeO5 phases.

Hybrid organic-inorganic thin films based on zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and ZnO nanoparticles were deposited by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE). Synthesized by a simple wet chemical precipitation method, the ZnO nanoparticles were featured by a hexagonal wurtzite structure, a band-gap value of similar to 3.3 eV and emission bands typical for this semiconductor. The hybrid films containing ZnPc and various amounts of ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated from morphological, compositional, structural, optical and electrical point of view. No chemical decomposition of the organic compound was observed in the FTIR spectra of the deposited layers. The transmittance and photoluminescence spectra recorded on hybrid films disclose the optical signature of both organic (ZnPc) and inorganic (ZnO) components. The electrical measurements carried out under illumination emphasized the importance of the quantity of the inorganic component on the performance parameters of the structures prepared with the hybrid films. Our study provides new insight in the MAPLE deposition of the organic-inorganic hybrid films with potential applications in the photovoltaic cells area.

This work reports the use of electrospun conductive gold covered polycaprolactone fibers for the quantification of dissolved O-2. The morphologies of the electrospun fibers obtained at a static and a dynamic drum collector were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The reduction process of O-2 at negative potentials is analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in sodium phosphate buffer (NaPB) pH 7.0 and in cellular media pH 7.4. The electrochemical sensing performance of Au/PCL towards O-2 quantification in NaPB and cellular media is compared by using three electrochemical techniques: cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry and EIS. Measurements are done in a two electrode configuration, using a silver wire as reference, to show the applicability of the method for O-2 quantification in cellular culture media.

Three-dimensional (3D) fibrous networks based on metal oxides were obtained by a bio-inspired approach: the replication of an ecological daily-waste, the eggshell membrane (ESM). The biomorphic process consists in the immersion of the ESM into aqueous solutions containing the metal salt precursors followed by the calcination of the metal ions impregnated ESM. Biomorphic ZnO, CuO and ZnO-CuO composite networks were obtained, their morphological, structural, compositional, optical, photocatalytical and electrical properties being evaluated. The scanning electron microscopy investigations proved that the hierarchical structure of the original organic template is perfectly replicated into inorganic architectures consisting of interconnected fibers containing metal oxide nanoparticles as building blocks. The photocatalytical properties of the metal oxide networks under solar simulator irradiation were tested through the degradation of methylene blue. Using Si/SiO2 patterned with interdigitated metallic electrodes as substrates during the calcination step, the electrical properties of the selfcontacted metal oxide networks were investigated. Thus, by replicating the unique architecture of the ESM, 3D metal oxide interwoven meshwork can be easily developed for various applications in fields such as photocatalysis, sensing, optoelectronic devices, etc.

There is significant research showing that essential oils extracted from the plants have antibacterial effects. The purpose of this study was to develop a biocomposite based on hydroxyapatite coated with Artemisia absinthium essential oil and to highlight its antibacterial activity. Therefore, present studies are aimed at developing new materials combining hydroxyapatite with Artemisia absinthium essential oil, in order to avoid postoperative infections. The purpose of this work is to highlight the antimicrobial properties of the Artemisia absinthium essential oil-hydroxyapatite composites obtained by a simple method and at low costs. The structural properties and antimicrobial efficiency of the Artemisia absinthium essential oil-hydroxyapatite composite have been studied. The samples based on Artemisia absinthium essential oil analyzed in this study showed that wormwood essential oil presented the highest efficacy against the fungal strain of C. parapsilosis. It has been shown that wormwood essential oil has a strong antimicrobial effect against the microbial strains tested in this study. Furthermore, the antimicrobial properties of the biocomposites based on hydroxyapatite and essential oil are due to the presence of the essential oil in the samples.

In this work, ZnO-CdS composite powders synthesized by a simple chemical precipitation method were thoroughly characterized. The morphological, structural, compositional, photocatalytical, and biological properties of the prepared composites were investigated in comparison with those of the pristine components and correlated with the CdS concentration. ZnO-CdS composites contain flower-like structures, their size being tuned by the CdS amount added during the chemical synthesis. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was analyzed under UV irradiation using powders impregnated with methylene blue; the tests confirming that the presence of CdS along the ZnO in composites can improve the dye discoloration. The biological properties such as antioxidant capacity, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity of the ZnO, CdS, and ZnO-CdS composites were evaluated. Thus, the obtained composites presented medium antioxidant effect, biocidal activity against Escherichia coli, and no toxicity (at concentrations less than 0.05 mg/mL for composites with a low CdS amount) for human fibroblast cells. Based on these results, such composites can be used as photocatalytic and/or biocidal additives for photoactive coatings, paints, or epoxy floors, which in their turn can provide a cleaner and healthier environment.

A study on clay mineral polymer nanocomposites (CPN), namely polyaniline/montmorillonite-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (PANI/Mt-CTAB), poly o-anisidine/montmorillonite-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (poly(o-ANIS)/Mt-CTAB) and poly o-anisidine-co-aniline/montmorillonite-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (poly(o-ANIS-co-ANI)/Mt-CTAB), synthesized by oxidative chemical polymerization method is presented. The nanocomposites have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. By UV-vis measurements different electronic transitions for the CPNs were pointed out. The voltammograms indicate that the synthetized materials are electroactive. The FTIR analysis reveals the characteristic bands of the polymers and of the Mt-CTAB. The shift of the bands to higher/lower wavenumbers demonstrate the interaction between the pristine polymers macromolecular chains and the montmorillonite (Mt). The intercalation of the polymers inside the mineral clay was confirmed by the increased interlayer distance connected with the position of the 011 diffraction plane of the Mt., and the intercalation and exfoliation states were highlighted in the scanning and transmission electron microscopy images. The obtained results are encouraging in respect with the purpose to use them in the field of photovoltaic applications.

The dextran-thyme magnesium-doped hydroxyapatite (10MgHAp-Dex-thyme) composite layers were prepared by a dip-coating procedure from stable suspensions and further analyzed for the first time. Different characterization techniques were employed to explore the physical-chemical features of the 10MgHAp-Dex-thyme suspensions and derived coatings. Information regarding the 10MgHAp-Dex-thyme suspensions was extracted on the basis of dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and ultrasound measurements. The crystalline quality of the biocomposite powders-resulting after the centrifugation of suspensions-and the layers deposited on glass was assessed by X-ray diffraction in symmetric and grazing incidence geometries, respectively. The chemical structure and presence of functional groups were evaluated for both powder and coating by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode. The extent of the antimicrobial effect range of the biocomposite suspensions and coatings was tested against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and fungus (Candida albicans) strains with promising results.

Development of reproducible, low-cost fabrication technologies that are readily adaptable to large-scale production, is one of the main challenges in the field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). So far, for all the other layers in a solar cell, large-area deposition methods have been adapted, except for mesoporous fabrication. Herein, the fabrication of mesoporous TiO2 scaffolds using a large-area deposition technique, such as spray coating, is shown. Moreover, this technique induces the formation of a very specific reticulated structure with well-delimited, oval-shaped cavities. The cavities have irregular dimensions, with diameters in the range of 3-7 mu m, approximate to 350 nm height, resulting in an overall increase in roughness of one order of magnitude, compared with the spin-coated mesoporous scaffold. Using this rough structured mesoporous TiO2 in PSCs not only does not affect the efficiency of solar cells but actually improves it from an average of 10% to 12% in comparison with the devices containing a spin-coated mesoporous scaffold.

The main objective of this paper is to develop silver-doped hydroxyapatite suspensions (HApAg) with different concentrations of silver (x(Ag) = 0.05 and x(Ag) = 0.2) in order to obtain uniform and homogenous layers by spin-coating procedure. The colloidal properties of HApAg suspensions are evaluated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, zeta-potential (ZP), and ultrasound measurements. The ultrasound studies show that the HApAg20 sample revealed better stability than the HApAg5 sample. The structural and morphological analysis on suspensions and thin layers is also conducted. It is observed that the particles of the two samples have a similar shape and are uniform. The layers obtained present a homogeneous appearance of the surface without evidence of cracks or interruption of the coatings. The in vitro antifungal studies conducted on the two thin layers at two different time intervals (24 and 48 h) show that both HApAg5 (x(Ag) = 0.05) and HApAg20 (x(Ag) = 0.05) nanoparticles suspensions and composite layers inhibit the development of colony forming units (CFU) even after 24 h of incubation comparative to the control, represented by the Candida albicans (C. albicans) culture in a proper medium. The fungicidal effect was evident after 48 h of incubation in the case of both HApAg20 nanoparticles suspensions and composite layers.