National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Powder mixtures of MgB2 and B4C with composition ((MgB2) + (B4C) x, x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.03) were consolidated by Spark Plasma Sintering at 1150 degrees C for 3 min. The average particle size of B4C raw powder was relatively high of 4 mm. Despite this, it is shown that processing processes are fast and, as in the case of the in-situ routes, for our ex-situ method carbon substitutes for the boron in the crystal lattice of MgB2. Specifics of microstructure are discussed based on electron microscopy observations. Carbon substitution and microstructure contribute to enhancement of the critical current density J(c) at high magnetic fields and of the irreversibility field H-irr. Samples are shown to be in the point pinning limit with some tendency toward the grain boundary pinning depending on B4C doping amount and temperature. An optimum composition is found for x = 0.01: for this sample, at 20 K, a J(c) of 100 A/cm(2) is obtained at 5.35 T. This value is higher than for the pristine MgB2 sample and for an optimum ex-situ nano-SiC-doped sample obtained for the same SPS processing conditions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhancement at low temperatures of the Raman scattering excited by laser light situated near the edge of the fundamental absorption band is often encountered when studying nanoscale structures. Theory devoted to this phenomenon has established that it originates in an exciton-phonon interaction process, known as the Frohlich interaction, Such a phenomenon was observed in PbI2. The experimental data conclude that the enhancement of the Raman emission results from: (i) an optical excitation near edge of fundamental absorption band; (ii) it is conditioned by the existence of excitonic PL; (iii) its occurrence is different over stokes and anti-stokes Raman branches as result of the different overlapping of the Raman spectral range and the excitonic PL band profile; and (iv) it appears more intense in micrometric powders or in bulk crystalline material. These data are interpreted as stimulated Raman effect resulting from the mixing of the pump laser light and the excitonic light. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, PL decays, Raman spectrum, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and nuclear magnetic resonance of heteroleptic Ir-compound IrQ(ppy)(2) compound with two phenylpyridine (ppy) ligands and one quinoline (Q) ligand have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Two very weak absorption bands due to the transitions to the triplet states are found at about 560 and 595 nm in IrQ(ppy)(2) doped in CH2Cl2 solution. IrQ(ppy)(2) exhibits a dual emission of red and green phosphorescence bands. The red emission intensity is much higher than the green one in IrQ(ppy)(2) powder, but much lower than the green one in lightly IrQ(ppy)(2)-doped CH2Cl2 solution and PMMA film. The intensity ratio of the red emission to the green emission, however, is observed to increase with increasing the IrQ(ppy)(2) concentration in CH2Cl2 solution and PMMA film. The enhancement of the red emission is suggested to be caused by the Forester energy transfer from Ir-ppy component to Ir-Q components between two neighboring IrQ(ppy)(2) molecules. The HOMO energy is estimated to be -4.865 eV from the CV measurement, which is close to the HOMO energy of -4.844 eV calculated using the time dependent density function theory (TD-DFT). The LUMO energy is estimated as -2.856 eV from the HOMO energy and the long-wavelength absorption edge found at 617 nm in the absorption spectrum. The absorption spectrum of IrQ(ppy)(2) is calculated by the TD-DFT. Discussion is given on a deviation of the calculated spectrum from the measured spectrum. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We present the synthesis of tungsten nanoparticles using a gas aggregation cluster source based on a magnetron sputtering discharge. The nanoparticles have sizes between 70 and 100 nm and a dendritic morphology, with branches emerging from the center and evolving in a flower-like pattern. Structural investigations revealed the presence of alpha-W and residual beta-W crystalline phases. Post deposition oxidation of the nanoparticles is also investigated.

The purpose of the present study is to develop novel nanocomposites based on diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) combined with diglycidylether-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (DG-PDMS), reinforced with 10 wt.% (mono-/octa) epoxy POSS nanocages (MEP or OEP-POSS). DG-PDMS and POSS compounds were covalently incorporated into DGEBA resin via copolymerization of epoxy groups. The effect of both DG-PDMS and POSS nanoparticles on the curing reaction, glass transition temperature (T-g), thermal stability, hardness and morphology of DGEBA/DG-PDMS +/- POSS nanocomposites were studied by DSC, FTIR, DMA, TGA, SEM/EDX, AFM and contact angle measurements. SEM/EDX and AFM results prove that OEP-POSS is well dispersed within DGEBA/DG-PDMS polymer matrix, while MEP-POSS forms large POSS aggregates. The thermo-mechanical properties of POSS based nanocomposites are also in good correlation with morphology features. MEP-POSS based nanocomposite with heterogeneous dispersion of FOSS aggregates exhibits lower T-g value and thermal stability in comparison with OEP-POSS nanocomposite which exhibits a nanoscale dispersion of the PUSS cages. The obtained T-g of OEP-POSS based nanocomposite increases with 31 degrees C in comparison with the unreinforced matrix. Moreover, this nanocomposite shows the highest storage modulus (E') and hardness. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High aspect ratio CuO nanowires are synthesized by a simple and scalable method, thermal oxidation in air. The structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the semiconducting nanowires were studied. Au-Ti/CuO nanowire and Pt/CuO nanowire electrical contacts were investigated. A dominant Schottky mechanism was evidenced in the Au-Ti/CuO nanowire junction and an ohmic behavior was observed for the Pt/CuO nanowire junction. The Pt/CuO nanowire/Pt structure allows the measurements of the intrinsic transport properties of the single CuO nanowires. It was found that an activation mechanism describes the behavior at higher temperatures, while a nearest neighbor hopping transport mechanism is characteristic at low temperatures. This was also confirmed by four-probe resistivity measurements on the single CuO nanowires. By changing the metal/semiconductor interface, devices such as Schottky diodes and field effect transistors based on single CuO p-type nanowire semiconductor channel are obtained. These devices are suitable for being used in various electronic circuits where their size related properties can be exploited. (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Although a great number of antibiotics are currently available, they are often rendered ineffective by the ability of microbial strains to develop genetic resistance and to grow in biofilms. Since many antimicrobial agents poorly penetrate biofilms, biofilm-associated infections often require high concentrations of antimicrobial agents for effective treatment. Among the various strategies that may be used to inhibit microbial biofilms, one strategy that has generated significant interest involves the use of bioactive surfaces that are resistant to microbial colonization. In this respect, we used matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) involving a pulsed KrF* excimer laser source (lambda = 248 nm, tau = 25 ns, nu = 10 Hz) to obtain thin composite biopolymeric films containing natural (flavonoid) or synthetic (antibiotic) compounds as bioactive substances. Chemical composition and film structures were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Films morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The antimicrobial assay of the microbial biofilms formed on these films was assessed by the viable cell counts method. The flavonoid-containing thin films showed increased resistance to microbial colonization, highlighting their potential to be used for the design of anti-biofilm surfaces. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The inhibiting action of O-ethyl-S-2-(2-hydroxy-3,5-diiodophenyl)-2-oxoethylxantogenate (EHDO) on the oxidation of FeS in air-saturated solutions at pH 1.3 and 25 degrees C was studied using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The uninhibited and inhibited surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that EHDO acts as an anodic inhibitor. Also, it was found that the corrosion of Fe(0) is slower than the oxidative dissolution of uninhibited FeS but faster than the oxidative dissolution of inhibited FeS. This behavior makes EHDO a potential inhibitor of the corrosion of Fe(0) when covered by FeS. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This paper presents some studies about the preparation by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique of heterostructures with single layer of arylene based polymer, poly[N-(2-ethylhexy1)2.7-carbazoly1 vinylene]/AMC16 and poly[N-(2-ethylhexy1)2.7-carbazolyl 1.4-phenylene ethynylene]/AMC22, and with layers of these polymers mixed with Buckminsterfullerene/C-60 in the weight ratio of 1:2 (AMC16: C60) and 1:3 (AMC22: C60). The deposited layers have been characterized by spectroscopic (UV-Vis-NIR, PL, FTIR) and microscopic (SEM, AFM) methods. The effect of the polymer particularities on the optical and electrical properties of the structures based on polymer and polymer: C-60 mixed layer has been analyzed. The study of the electrical properties has revealed typical solar cell behavior for the heterostructure prepared by MAPLE on glass/ITO/PEDOT-PSS with AMC16, AMC22 and AMC22: C-60 layer, confirming that this method is adequate for the preparation of polymeric and mixed active layers for solar cells applications. The highest photovoltaic effect was shown by the solar cell structure realized with single layer of AMC16 polymer: g1a55/ITO/PEDOT-PSSIA1VIC16/A1. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We investigate the properties of Dirac electrons in a finite graphene sample under a perpendicular magnetic field that emerge when an in-plane electric bias is also applied. The numerical analysis of the Hofstadter spectrum and of the edge-type wave functions evidence the presence of shortcut edge states that appear under the influence of the electric field. The states are characterized by a specific spatial distribution, which follows only partially the perimeter, and exhibit ridges that connect opposite sides of the graphene plaquette. Two kinds of such states have been found in different regions of the spectrum, and their particular spatial localization is shown along with the diamagnetic moments that reveal their chirality. By simulating a four-lead Hall device, we investigate the transport properties and observe unconventional plateaus of the integer quantum Hall effect that are associated with the presence of the shortcut edge states. We show the contributions of the novel states to the conductance matrix that determine the new transport properties. The shortcut edge states resulting from the splitting of the n = 0 Landau level represent a special case, giving rise to nontrivial transverse and longitudinal resistance.