National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Publications

849 articles found

421. Intrinsic energy band alignment of functional oxides

Authors: Li, SY; Chen, F; Schafranek, R; Bayer, TJM; Rachut, K; Fuchs, A; Siol, S; Weidner, M; Hohmann, M; Pfeifer, V; Morasch, J; Ghinea, C; Arveux, E; Gunzler, R; Gassmann, J; Korber, C; Gassenbauer, Y; Sauberlich, F; Rao, GV; Payan, S; Maglione, M; Chirila, C; Pintilie, L; Jia, LC; Ellmer, K; Naderer, M; Reichmann, K; Bottger, U; Schmelzer, S; Frunza, RC; Ursic, H; Malic, B; Wu, WB; Erhart, P; Klein, A

Published: JUN 2014, PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS, 8, 576, DOI: 10.1002/pssr.201409034

The energy band alignment at interfaces between different materials is a key factor, which determines the function of electronic devices. While the energy band alignment of conventional semiconductors is quite well understood, systematic experimental studies on oxides are still missing. This work presents an extensive study on the intrinsic energy band alignment of a wide range of functional oxides using photoelectron spectroscopy with in-situ sample preparation. The studied materials have particular technological importance in diverse fields as solar cells, piezotronics, multiferroics, photoelectrochemistry and oxide electronics. Particular efforts have been made to verify the validity of transitivity, in order to confirm the intrinsic nature of the obtained band alignment and to understand the underlying principles. Valence band offsets up to 1.6 eV are observed. The large variation of valence band maximum energy can be explained by the different orbital contributions to the density of states in the valence band. The framework provided by this work enables the general understanding and prediction of energy band alignment at oxide interfaces, and furthermore the tailoring of energy level matching for charge transfer in functional oxides. (C) 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

422. Evaluation of the complex material constants of piezoelectric ceramics in the thickness vibration mode

Authors: Amarande, L

Published: JUN 2014, JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, 34, 1552, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2013.12.033

A new noniterative method, for determining the dielectric, piezoelectric and elastic constants, in complex form, for piezoceramic materials, in the thickness extensional mode, was proposed. This method is very flexible, as it is based on the standard approach to determine the elastic stiffness, followed by the measurement of the impedance at two frequencies to calculate the dielectric and piezoelectric constants, by solving a system of two equations. The new method was tested on materials with various thickness coupling factors (k(t) = 4.5-60%) and mechanical quality factors (Q(m) = 20-1600), proving very good accuracy for all of them. The accuracy of standard method was also evaluated for the same materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

423. Schottky barrier versus surface ferroelectric depolarization at Cu/Pb(Zr, Ti)O-3 interfaces

Authors: Stoflea, LE; Apostol, NG; Chirila, C; Trupina, L; Negrea, R; Pintilie, L; Teodorescu, CM

Published: MAY 2014, JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE, 49, 3351, DOI: 10.1007/s10853-014-8041-6

The band bending at Cu/PZT(001) interfaces is investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for a PZT(001) layer which exhibits initial outwards ferroelectric polarization. Two competitive processes are identified: (a) formation of the Schottky barrier between the ferroelectric and unconnected Cu islands, and (b) coalescence of the Cu islands, realisation of an electrical contact to the ground of the system, inducing the apparent loss of the component of the ferroelectric polarization perpendicular to the sample surface, at least as it manifests in band bending. Three mechanisms are proposed to explain this loss of band bending when a full metal layer connected to ground is formed on the surface: (i) over-compensation of depolarization field in the sub-surface region, (ii) formation of domains with in-plane orientation of the polarization vector and (iii) loss of polarization in the near-surface layers of the ferroelectric due to electrons provided by the metal. These result in a non-monotonous variation of binding energies with the amount of Cu deposited. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and piezoresponse force microscopy confirmed these hypotheses. The XPS data allowed also to derive the surface PZT composition, its evolution with the deposition of copper and the formation of surface compounds.

424. Influence of co-dopants average valence on microstructural and electromechanical properties of lead titanate ceramics

Authors: Amarande, L; Miclea, C; Cioangher, M; Grecu, MN; Pasuk, I; Negrea, RF

Published: MAY 2014, JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, 34, 1200, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2013.12.002

Effects of Ni, Nb and Mn co-doping on microstructural, dielectric and electromechanical properties of lead titanate (PT) dense ceramics, obtained as a result of decreasing lattice anisotropy with increasing amount of co-dopants, were investigated. Different values of the average valence (AV) of Ni-Nb co-dopants were obtained by mutual valence compensation between these acceptor donor ions of various relative concentrations. Significantly higher amounts of Mn2+ (resulted by reduction of Mn4+ in presence of donor co-dopants) were found in materials with Ni-Nb AV >4+. These materials show higher coupling factors, correlated with higher mechanical quality factors, compared to the rest of materials. Hard-like piezoelectric behavior was manifested in materials with Ni-Nb AV <4+, whereas ceramics with Ni-Nb AV >4+, and without manganese, turned out to have a soft-like behavior. Electromechanical properties of PT ceramics are discussed in terms of average valence of Ni-Nb co-dopants and multivalence state of manganese. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

425. Electric-field-induced transformations in epitaxial relaxor ferroelectric PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 films

Authors: Tyunina, M; Pintilie, I; Iuga, A; Pintilie, L

Published: MAR 24 2014, PHYSICAL REVIEW B, 89, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.094106

Electric-field-induced transformations are studied experimentally in cube-on-cube-type epitaxial film of relaxor ferroelectric (FE) PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 grown on (001) MgO substrate. The dielectric response, polarization, and current are measured along the out-of-plane < 100 > direction of the film and analyzed as a function of temperature, frequency, and applied field. Compared to the < 100 > crystal, transformation of the low-temperature relaxor state to a new state in the (001) film takes place at considerably lower temperatures and larger fields. Based on the found bisigmoidal shape and the two scaling regimes of the current-voltage curves, the two corresponding electric-field-induced processes are suggested to be dipolar flips and flow of a phase boundary in the film. The field-induced state in the film is dynamic and unstable, and it differs from the field-induced FE state in the crystal. The robustness of the relaxor state to electric field in the film is discussed in relation to spatial anisotropy of the dipolar system in the (001) film.

426. Antifungal activity of Ag:hydroxyapatite thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition on Ti and Ti modified by TiO2 nanotubes substrates

Authors: Erakovic, S; Jankovic, A; Ristoscu, C; Duta, L; Serban, N; Visan, A; Mihailescu, IN; Stan, GE; Socol, M; Iordache, O; Dumitrescu, I; Luculescu, CR; Janackovic, D; Miskovic-Stankovic, V

Published: FEB 28 2014, APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE, 293, 45, DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.12.029

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a widely used biomaterial for implant thin films, largely recognized for its excellent capability to chemically bond to hard tissue inducing the osteogenesis without immune response from human tissues. Nowadays, intense research efforts are focused on development of antimicrobial HA doped thin films. In particular, HA doped with Ag (Ag:HA) is expected to inhibit the attachment of microbes and contamination of metallic implant surface. We herewith report on nano-sized HA and Ag:HA thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition on pure Ti and Ti modified with 100 nm diameter TiO2 nanotubes (fabricated by anodization of Ti plates) substrates. The HA-based thin films were characterized by SEM, AFM, EDS, FUR, and XRD. The cytotoxic activity was tested with HEp2 cells against controls. The antifungal efficiency of the deposited layers was tested against the Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger strains. The Ti substrates modified with TiO2 nanotubes covered with Ag:HA thin films showed the highest antifungal activity. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

427. Nanomechanical characterization of bioglass films synthesized by magnetron sputtering

Authors: Popa, AC; Marques, VMF; Stan, GE; Husanu, MA; Galca, AC; Ghica, C; Tulyaganov, DU; Lemos, AF; Ferreira, JMF

Published: FEB 28 2014, THIN SOLID FILMS, 553, 172, DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2013.10.104

Bioactive glasses are osteoproductive-type inorganic materials possessing the highest indices of bioactivity in both bulk and thin film forms. The prerequisites for reliable implant-type coatings are both their biological and mechanical performances. Whilst the bioglass films' structural, chemical and biological properties have been studied extensively, information about their mechanical performance is scarce. Here, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nanoindentation and pull-out measurements were employed to assess the morphological, chemical, structural and mechanical properties of the bioglass films deposited onto Ti substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS). The biological safety of the thin bioglass films was evaluated preliminarily in vitro by investigating the adherence, proliferation and cytotoxicity of fibroblast cells cultivated on their surface. Our study emphasize the versatility of RF-MS, showing how bioglass films' features such as composition, structure, bonding strength, hardness, elastic modulus and biological response can be conveniently adapted by tuning the RF-MS working conditions, and therefore demonstrating the unexplored potential of this deposition technique for preparing quality biomimetic glass coatings. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

428. Polarization-Control of the Potential Barrier at the Electrode Interfaces in Epitaxial Ferroelectric Thin Films

Authors: Pintilie, I; Teodorescu, CM; Ghica, C; Chirila, C; Boni, AG; Hrib, L; Pasuk, I; Negrea, R; Apostol, N; Pintilie, L

Published: FEB 26 2014, ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 6, 2939, DOI: 10.1021/am405508k

Electrode interface is a key element in controlling the macroscopic electrical properties of the ferroelectric capacitors based on thin films. In the case of epitaxial ferroelectrics, the electrode interface is essential in controlling the leakage current and the polarization switching, two important elements in the read/write processes of nonvolatile memories. However, the relation between the polarization bound charges and the electronic properties of the electrode interfaces is not yet well understood. Here we show that polarization charges are controlling the height of the potential barriers at the electrode interfaces in the case of Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3 and BaTiO3 epitaxial films. The results suggest that the height is set to a value allowing rapid compensation of the depolarization field during the polarization switching, being almost independent of the metals used for electrodes. This general behavior open a new perspective in engineering interface properties and designing new devices based on epitaxial ferroelectrics.

429. Synthesis, structural characterization and dielectric properties of Nb doped BaTiO3/SiO2 core-shell heterostructure

Authors: Cernea, M; Vasile, BS; Boni, A; Iuga, A

Published: FEB 25 2014, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 587, 559, DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.10.228

Perovskite complex ceramic oxides, BaTiO3 doped with 0.5 mol% Nb2O5 and then nanocoated with SiO2 (abbreviated as BT-Nb-0.005/SiO2) was successful prepared using conventional sol-gel processing. Phase composition, particle morphology, structure, and electric properties of BT-Nb-0.005 core and BT-Nb-0.005/SiO2 core-shell were examined and compared, using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and, dielectric and ferroelectric measurements. Core-shell composite with well-defined perovskite tetragonal phase of BaTiO3 was achieved. Furthermore, single crystalline BT-Nb-0.005/SiO2 core-nanoshell heterostructure with similar to 34 nm shell thick was prepared, which is a novelty in ferroelectrics field. The ferroelectric quality of BT-Nb-0.005 has suffered an alteration when the (BT-Nb-0.005)/SiO2 core-shell heterostructure was realized. One-dimensional BT-Nb-0.005/SiO2 core-shell heterostructure exhibits an improvement of dielectric losses and a decrease of dielectric constant, compared to uncoated BT-Nb-0.005. The (BT-Nb-0.005)/SiO2 core-shell material could be interesting for application in the composite capacitors. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

430. Enhancement of smectic C mesophase stability by using branched alkyl chains in the auxiliary ligands of luminescent Pt(II) and Pd(II) complexes

Authors: Ilis, M; Micutz, M; Dumitrascu, F; Pasuk, I; Molard, Y; Roisnel, T; Circu, V

Published: FEB 17 2014, POLYHEDRON, 69, 39, DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2013.11.015

A novel series of Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes based on cyclometallated imine ligands and N-benzoylthiourea (BTU) derivatives as auxiliary ligands has been prepared and their liquid crystalline properties as well as photophysical properties have been investigated. The crystal structure of one cyclometallated Pt(II) complex with N-(p-F-phenyl)-N'-benzoylthiourea as a co-ligand has been solved. The liquid crystalline properties have been investigated by a combination of DSC, POM and variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction. These new metallomesogens display either a monotropic SmC phase or both SmA and SmC phases, depending on the number of alkoxy groups attached to the imine ligand, alkyl chain length or the use of branched alkoxy terminal groups. We found that the introduction of branched alkoxy terminal groups lead to lower transition temperatures and stabilization of the SmC phase in both the Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes. While the Pd(II) complexes display no emission, the Pt(II) complexes show good emission properties in solution, in the solid state and as a PMMA film at room temperature, and their investigation is reported. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.