National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

In this work, the effects of graphene oxide (GO) concentrations (1.5 wt.%, 2.5 wt.%, and 5 wt.%) on the structural, morphological, optical, and luminescence properties of zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs)/GO nanocomposites, synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process, were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of NRs revealed the hexagonal wurtzite structure for all composites with an average coherence length of about 40-60 nm. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study confirmed the presence of transparent and wrinkled, dense GO nanosheets among flower-like ZnO nanorods, depending on the GO amounts used in preparation. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed the impact of GO concentration on the optical and luminescence properties of ZnO NRs/GO nanocomposites. The energy band gap of the ZnO nanorods was independent of GO concentration. Photoluminescence spectra of nanocomposites showed a significant decrease in the intensities in the visible light range and red shifted suggesting a charge transfer process. The nanocomposites' chromaticity coordinates for CIE 1931 color space were estimated to be (0.33, 0.34), close to pure white ones. The obtained results highlight the possibility of using these nanocomposites to achieve good performance and suitability for optoelectronic applications.

The negative-capacitance effect in devices based on combined ferroelectric-dielectric gate oxides is thought to be a potential solution to break free from the so-called Boltzmann tyranny. To lower the power consumption in field-effect transistors, the subthreshold swing factor S should be reduced below the ther-modynamic limit of 60 mV per decade. Yet, despite numerous studies dedicated to this effect in the past decade, its origin in ferroelectric capacitors or ferroelectric-based superlattices remains unclear, being considered either a transitory product of polarization switching or an intrinsic phenomenon related to the presence of ferroelectric polarization. In this study it is shown, starting from simple electrostatic con-siderations, that negative capacitance is present during polarization switching and is accompanied by a significant increase of the current flowing through the ferroelectric capacitor. Coupled with piezo-force microscopy results, it is shown that the polarization orientation suddenly changes at the coercive voltage, accompanied by a complete reconfiguration of the potential barriers at the Schottky-like contacts present at the electrode-ferroelectric interfaces. A method to estimate the polarization-switching time, as the time associated with the presence of the negative-capacitance effect, is proposed. Values in the range from 100 to 1000 ns are obtained for epitaxial PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 films. These findings suggest that negative capacitance may be an intrinsic effect in ferroelectrics but that it is a transitory effect, present only when ferroelectric polarization passes through zero (switching).

This work is focused on investigation of thermal, structural, optical, magnetic, and magneto-optical properties of novel titanium phosphate-tellurite glass applied as Faraday rotators. The glass belonging to the system 35Li(2)O-10Al(2)O(3)-5TiO(2)-45P(2)O(5)-5TeO(2) was prepared by a nonconventional wet route of raw materials processing, followed by melting-quenching-annealing steps. Some important physical properties of the investigated glass have been measured and calculated, providing knowledge related to glass compactness, electronic structure, glass forming capability, etc. XRD analysis evidenced an amorphous network structure of the investigated glass. The optical absorption in the Vis domain is mainly due to Ti3+ ions and Te-2 clusters formed during the glass melting process. A relatively low optical absorption is noticed over 600 nm that activates a significant Faraday magneto-optical effect. Photoluminescence bands in the blue, red, and infrared domains are observed, caused by Te-2 clusters formed during the glass melting process. The magnetization in dependency on applied magnetic field reveals a complex behavior of the glass, depending on temperature. Thus, it is found a ferromagnetic behavior up to 2000 Oe, a paramagnetic component up to 40 000 Oe, followed by a diamagnetic one over 40 000 Oe. Faraday rotation angle and Verdet constant values in the visible domain are correlated with the reduced TeO2 content of the glass.

This study reports on the results obtained after doping the [CH3NH3](0.94)[C3N2H5](0.06)PbI2.6Cl0.4 mixt halide perovskite with europium or antimony (Eu3+/Sb3+) at the 'B site'. This way two new complex compounds were obtained, [CH3NH3](0.94)[C3N2H5](0.06)Pb1-yByI2.6Cl0.4 (B = Eu or Sb and y = 0-0.05) as perovskite precursor solutions and deposited as thin films. The properties of the perovskite films were investigated by various characterization techniques: x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy while the photovoltaic parameters were determined by measuring the IV curves of the corresponding solar cells. We find that doping the mixt halide perovskite with very small quantities of Sb improves the quality of the perovskite films and further improves the stability of perovskite solar cells.

Aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of an improved processing thermal method of calcium phosphates obtained from a natural source of high availability (i.e. cyprinids bones). Thereby, the sinterability of the naturally-derived ceramics has been explored. The samples were characterized before and after sintering in terms of surface features (morphology, roughness, wettability and surface energy), weight loss, shrinking, composition, structure, and mechanical properties. The results showed that the initial processing has a significant effect on the sintering outcomes: the morphology and mechanical features were clearly influenced by the processing temperature, while minor effects were observed on the surface and structure properties. Therefore, the study unveils suitable strategies for controlling the characteristics of cost-effective bioceramics and opens up new perspectives for the sustainable manufacturing of highly valuable biomedical products from abundant carp fish bones.

To improve the catalytic performance of an active layered double hydroxide (LDH)-derived CuCeMgAlO mixed oxide catalyst in the total oxidation of methane, it was promoted with different transition-metal cations. Thus, two series of multicationic mixed oxides were prepared by the thermal decomposition at 750 degrees C of their corresponding LDH precursors synthesized by coprecipitation at constant pH of 10 under ambient atmosphere. The first series of catalysts consisted of four M(3)CuCeMgAlO mixed oxides containing 3 at.% M (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni), 15 at.% Cu, 10 at.% Ce (at.% with respect to cations), and with Mg/Al atomic ratio fixed to 3. The second series consisted of four Co(x)CuCeMgAlO mixed oxides withx= 1, 3, 6, and 9 at.% Co, while keeping constant the Cu and Ce contents and the Mg/Al atomic ratio. All the mixed oxides were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with X-ray energy dispersion analysis (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption at -196 degrees C, temperature-programmed reduction under hydrogen (H-2-TPR), and diffuse reflectance UV-VIS spectroscopy (DR UV-VIS), while thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses (TG-DTG-DTA) together with XRD were used for the LDH precursors. The catalysts were evaluated in the total oxidation of methane, a test reaction for volatile organic compounds (VOC) abatement. Their catalytic performance was explained in correlation with their physicochemical properties and was compared with that of a reference Pd/Al(2)O(3)catalyst. Among the mixed oxides studied, Co(3)CuCeMgAlO was found to be the most active catalyst, with a temperature corresponding to 50% methane conversion (T-50) of 438 degrees C, which was only 19 degrees C higher than that of a reference Pd/Al(2)O(3)catalyst. On the other hand, this T(50)value was ca. 25 degrees C lower than that observed for the unpromoted CuCeMgAlO system, accounting for the improved performance of the Co-promoted catalyst, which also showed a good stability on stream.

Germanium Metal-Ferroelectric-Semiconductor (MFS) capacitors based on ferroelectric Hf1-xZrxO2 (HZO) with clean, oxide free Ge/HZO interfaces emerge as an interesting layer structure for the fabrication of ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) non-volatile memory devices. It is shown that, at low temperature (<160K), a semiconductor depletion forms in Ge near the interface, resulting in an increase in coercive voltage by about 2V, accompanied by a distortion of the ferroelectric hysteresis with subloop asymmetric behavior, which becomes more severe at higher frequencies of measurement. At higher temperatures, the Ge surface near the ferroelectric is easily inverted due to the low energy gap of Ge, providing sufficient screening of the polarization charge by minority free carriers, in which case, nearly ideal, symmetric hysteresis curves are recovered. The depolarization field is experimentally extracted from the coercive voltage and the capacitance measurements, is found to be 2.2MV/cm in the low temperature range, comparable to the coercive field, then rapidly decreases at higher temperatures, and effectively diminishes at room temperature. This makes Ge MFSs good candidates for FeFETs for low voltage non-volatile memory with improved reliability.

The pyroelectric coefficient of some Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 type ceramics was estimated using two methods: a direct method, based on the temperature dependence of the charge/current generated by pyroelectric effect; an indirect method based on the frequency dependence of the pyroelectric signal generated by a pyroelectric element under modulated irradiation with infrared light. The purpose was to compare the results and to assess if the indirect method is enough accurate for rapid estimation of the pyroelectric coefficient of a material envisaged for infrared detection. The direct method is more accurate and requires accurate control of temperature and heating rate, while the indirect method is less accurate, with an error up to 20%, and requires the knowledge of quantities such as dielectric constant, electric conductance, and incident power. However, the indirect method can be more easily implemented and can provide a rapid assessment on the pyroelectric quality of a material with potential use in infrared detectors.

This work involves the synthesis and characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) layers. The films were prepared on Mo/glass substrates by single-step electrodeposition method followed by sulfurization at 500 degrees C under argon flow. The effect of boric acid concentration on the crystallographic structure, compositional and morphological properties of CZTS films was investigated, with the objective to understand the growth behavior and to enhance the film properties. Cyclic Voltammetry was used in order to estimate the adequate deposition potential for the CZT alloy. The x-ray diffraction analysis showed the formation of the kesterite phase in all the samples. The Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies confirmed the existence of the CZTS phase. The scanning electron microscopy was employed to inspect the films structure. The results indicated that increasing the concentration of boric acid affects the physico-chemical properties of the films.