National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Publications

860 articles found

601. Optical spectroscopy of heavily Ho3+-doped BaY2F8 crystals

Authors: Tsuboi, T; Jang, KH; Polosan, S; Shimamura, K; Bettinelli, M; Seo, HJ

Published: APR 2011, JOURNAL OF LUMINESCENCE, 131, 700, DOI: 10.1016/j.jlumin.2010.11.020

The ultraviolet, visible, and near IR (0.8-2.4 mu m) luminescence spectra of BaY2F8 single crystals heavily doped with Ho3+ ions (10 and 30 mol%) have been investigated at room temperature and 12 K, together with the luminescence decay curves (up to 300 mu s) of the visible emission. Excitation in the visible region gives rise to very strong emission bands originating from the first I-5(7) level and located around 2070 nm. However the I-5(7) emission is not observed upon excitation at wavelengths shorter than 300 nm. The inter-ionic processes are found to shorten the decay times of the levels emitting in the visible region with respect to the corresponding radiative lifetimes. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

602. Temperature-dependent refractive index of potassium acid phthalate (KAP) in the visible and near-infrared

Authors: Moutzouris, K; Stavrakas, I; Triantis, D; Enculescu, M

Published: APR 2011, OPTICAL MATERIALS, 33, 816, DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2010.12.021

We report an investigation of the temperature-dependence of the refractive index of potassium acid phthalate (KAP) crystal. Refractive index measurements are based on a refractometer setup operating in a temperature range from 25 degrees C to 200 degrees C and using five different laser wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared. Temperature-dependent dispersion relations are proposed, with an average fitting quality that exceeds experimental accuracy, and compared to previous room-temperature Sellmeier equations. Consequently, the new relations are employed for the calculation of various linear and nonlinear optical properties of KAP. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

603. Substrate-target distance dependence of structural and optical properties in case of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 films obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Authors: Galca, AC; Stancu, V; Husanu, MA; Dragoi, C; Gheorghe, NG; Trupina, L; Enculescu, M; Vasile, E

Published: MAR 1 2011, APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE, 257, 5943, DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2011.01.056

The paper presents the influence of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) parameters on the structural and optical properties of PZT thin films grown on platinum substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are used to determine the thin film properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are employed to get additional information. By changing the distance between target and substrate, different crystalline orientations of PZT are obtained. The thin film thickness and its roughness, as well as the refractive index are also influenced by the chosen distance. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

604. Preparation of graphene and its application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Authors: Sima, M; Enculescu, I; Sima, A

Published: MAR 2011, OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS-RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, 5, 418, DOI:

Graphene sheets were prepared using electrochemical and chemical steps followed graphite electrochemical oxidation, graphite chemical oxidation, ultrasound expholiation and chemical reduction of carbon material. Films of graphene were electrophoretically deposited from aqueous dispersion on FTO electrode. These films were tested as cathode for a dye-sensitized solar cell. The morphology of the prepared products was imaged by scanning electron microscopy; the intermediate compound, graphene oxide was characterized by IR spectroscopy.

605. Structural changes during the crystallization of the Bi4Ge3O12 glasses

Authors: Polosan, S; Nastase, F; Secu, M

Published: FEB 1 2011, JOURNAL OF NON-CRYSTALLINE SOLIDS, 357, 1113, DOI: 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2010.10.016

Bismuth-germanate glass ceramics with the composition 40% Bi2O3-60% GeO2 (in molar percents) were prepared through controlled crystallization of melt-quenched glass. The Raman and FTIR spectra recorded in the as-made glasses show broad bands at 240, 400, 780 cm(-1) and 400, 745 cm(-1) have been assigned Ge-O bonds which appear right after preparation. X-ray diffraction has shown that the as-made glasses are amorphous, but after annealing above the crystallization temperature at 558 degrees C, BGO nano-crystallites with a size of about 50 nm precipitate in the glass matrix. The Raman and FTIR spectra reveal sharp peaks associated to the "internal" and "external vibrations" of GeO4 tetrahedral groups inside the BGO nano-crystallites. In the glass ceramic sample the transparency region is shifted at longer wavelengths compared to as-made glass, due to the Rayleigh scattering on the BGO nano-crystallites. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

606. Tailoring immobilization of immunoglobulin by excimer laser for biosensor applications

Authors: Sima, F; Axente, E; Ristoscu, C; Mihailescu, IN; Kononenko, TV; Nagovitsin, IA; Chudinova, G; Konov, VI; Socol, M; Enculescu, I; Sima, LE; Petrescu, SM

Published: FEB 2011, JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH PART A, 96A, 394, DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.32991

The sheltered transfer and immobilization of rabbit anti-human antiserum immunoglobulin G (IgG) by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) are reported. The iced targets submitted to laser irradiation consisted of 0.2-2 mg/mL IgG blended or not with lipid (L-a-phosphatidylcholine dipalmitoyl) dissolved in distilled water-based saline buffer. Thin IgG coatings were obtained at room temperature onto glass, fused silica, or silicon substrates. Ten thousand subsequent laser pulses of 0.33, 0.5, or 0.67 J/cm(2) fluence were applied for the synthesis of each sample. Morphology and composition of the thin films were studied by optical, scanning, and atomic force microscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry. Optical labeling methods such as spectrofluorimetry and fluorescence microscopy were selected to verify the biosensor transduction principle because of their high sensitivity for detecting low amounts of antigen (IgG). Protein immobilization to the substrate surface was demonstrated for all obtained structures after immersion in the donkey anti-rabbit secondary antibody solution. The IgG transfer and immobilization onto substrates were improved by addition of lipid to MAPLE solutions. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 96A: 384-394, 2011.

607. Green light radiation effects on free radicals inhibition in cellular and chemical systems

Authors: Comorosan, S; Polosan, S; Jipa, S; Popescu, I; Marton, G; Ionescu, E; Cristache, L; Badila, D; Mitrica, R

Published: JAN 10 2011, JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY, 102, 44, DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2010.09.003

Free radicals generation is inhibited through green light (GL) irradiation in cellular systems and in chemical reactions. Standard melanocyte cultures were UV-irradiated and the induced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were quantified by the fluorescence technique. The same cell cultures, previously protected by a 24 h GL exposure, displayed a significantly lower ROS production. A simple chemical reaction is subsequently chosen, in which the production of free radicals is well defined. Paraffin wax and mineral oil were GL irradiated during thermal degradation and the oxidation products checked by chemiluminescence [CL] and Fourier transform infrared spectra [FT-IR]. The same clear inhibition of the radical oxidation of alkanes is recorded. A quantum chemistry modeling of these results is performed and a mechanism involving a new type of Rydberg macromolecular systems with implications for biology and medicine is suggested. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

608. Effect of aqueous comonomer solubility on the surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization of methyl methacrylate

Authors: Preda, N; Matei, E; Enculescu, M; Rusen, E; Mocanu, A; Marculescu, B; Enculescu, I

Published: JAN 2011, JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH, 18, 30, DOI: 10.1007/s10965-009-9387-3

Surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization was used to prepare methyl methacrylate-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (MMA-HEA) and methyl methacrylate-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (MMA-HPMA) latex particles. Also, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was grafted onto the surface of the preformed MMA-HPMA latex particles by seeded surfactant-free emulsion copolymerization. The copolymerization reactions were conducted at 75 A degrees C using a water-soluble initiator, potassium persulfate (KPS). The morphologies of copolymer latex particles were observed using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of different reactions parameters (the MMA saturation concentration (Sr), the KPS concentration and the aqueous solubility of the comonomers (HEA or HPMA)) on the particles average diameter and particles size dispersity was investigated. The experimental results showed that the increase of initiator concentration induces in all investigated cases the increase of particles average diameter, while the presence of HEA or HPMA as comonomers in the copolymerization reaction of MMA (1,000% Sr) lead to a decrease of particles average diameter. At small KPS concentration the latex is monodisperse, the increase of the initiator concentration leading to the formation of polydisperse latex. In the case of grafting reaction of GMA onto the monodisperse preformed MMA-HEA latex particles, although the average diameter of the final particles doubles the latex remains quasi-monodisperse.

609. Intensity parameters of Tm3+ doped Sc2O3 transparent ceramic laser material

Authors: Gheorghe, C; Lupei, A; Lupei, V; Ikesue, A; Enculescu, M

Published: JAN 2011, OPTICAL MATERIALS, 33, 505, DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2010.10.032

This work is focused on spectral investigations of Tm3+ doped Sc2O3 transparent ceramic as potential material for diode-pumped solid-state laser emitting around 2 mu m. In the context of the Judd-Ofelt J-O) theory a series of spectroscopic parameters such as J-O intensity parameters, oscillator strengths, radiative transitions probabilities, and radiative lifetimes as well as branching ratios are evaluated. The gain cross-sections which lead to an estimation of the probable operating laser wavelength for the F-3(4) -> H-3(6) Tm3+ laser transition were also calculated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

610. Band-gap correlations in Bi4Ge3O12 amorphous and glass-ceramic materials

Authors: Polosan, S; Galca, AC; Secu, M

Published: JAN 2011, SOLID STATE SCIENCES, 13, 53, DOI: 10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2010.10.007

The Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) glass materials were sintered from a mixture of oxides powders, rapidly heated and melted at 1323 K and poured on the graphite plates heated at different temperatures. Their optical properties are compared with BGO single crystals being strongly dependent by the experimental conditions, which influence the further stability of the samples. The dielectric functions of the samples reveal a clear difference between the two phases (amorphous and crystalline). The refractive index of the amorphous phase has lower values which indicate that the density of the material is diminishes. Also, a sign of disorder is seen in optical absorption (extinction coefficient). From the optical band gap determinations of those two phases, it is confirmed the disorder structure and red-shifts of the band gap value compared with crystalline phase. The absorption spectra are in good agreement with the ellipsometric measurements, regarding the transparency and the edge of the band gap. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.