National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

A series of bis(imidazolium) salts with different mesogenic groups (cyanobiphenyl or cholesteryl) and their silver carbene complexes with Br- anion has been designed and prepared. The liquid crystalline behaviour of these ionic liquids and their corresponding silver-carbene complexes was investigated by polarised optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and powder X-ray diffraction while their thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The silver complexes are thermally stable on a broad temperature range with accessible transition temperatures close to ambient temperature. The compounds with cholesteryl groups show higher transition temperatures than the compounds possessing cyanobiphenyl mesogenic groups, but their thermal stability is limited by a slight decomposition before reaching the isotropic state. Interestingly, the bis(imidazolium) salt with two cyanobiphenyl groups at each side shows an enantiotropic nematic phase on a short range, being one of the few examples of ILC displaying nematic phase.

We report on the synthesis by PLD of bioactive glass (BG) films onto ultra high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular cups, and their preliminarily characterization after immersion in simulated body fluid. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra evidenced the strong depolymerization of the BG coatings. Scanning Electron Microscopy evidenced that the typical PLD film surface was converted after soaking in SBF to a rough one consisting of acicular crystals. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analysis demonstrated a remarkable conservation of the targets stoichiometry. The functionalization of acetabular cups with BG films by PLD should allow for the fabrication of implant coatings with improved osteoinductive characteristics.

The high intensity and high repetition rate of the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser, presently under construction in Hamburg, will require pixel sensors which can stand X-ray doses up to 1 GGy for 3 years of operation. Within the AGIPD Collaboration the Hamburg group has systematically studied X-ray damage in silicon sensors for the dose range between 1 kGy and 1 GGy using strip sensors and test structures fabricated on high-ohmic n-type silicon from four different vendors. The densities of oxide charges, interface traps and surface current as function of dose and annealing conditions have been determined. The results have been implemented in TCAD simulations, and the radiation performance of strip sensors and guard-ring structures has been simulated and compared to experimental results. Finally, with the help of detailed TCAD simulations, the layout and technological parameters of the AGIPD pixel sensor have been optimized. It is found that the optimization for silicon sensors exposed to high X-ray doses is significantly different from that for non-irradiated sensors, and that the specifications of the AGIPD sensor can be met. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Epitaxial Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O-3 layers of good structural quality were grown on single crystal SrTiO3 substrates. The pyroelectric coefficient was estimated from the signal generated by the ferroelectric film working as a pyroelectric detector in the voltage mode, without pre-poling procedure. The obtained value is as high as 1.9 x 10(-3) C/m(2) K. The large value is attributed to the presence of 90 degrees ferroelectric domains and to the compressive misfit strain, leading to an enhanced ferroelectric polarization. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

A systematic experimental study of the main challenges for silicon-pixel sensors at the European XFEL is presented. The high instantaneous density of X-rays and the high repetition rate of the XFEL pulses result in signal distortions due to the plasma effect and in severe radiation damage. The main parameters of X-ray-radiation damage have been determined and their impacton p(+)n sensors is investigated. These studies form the basis of the optimized design of a pixel-sensor for experimentation at the European XFEL. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radiation damage in silicon, caused by the creation of point and cluster defects due to energetic charged hadrons and neutrons, results in a serious degradation of silicon-sensor performance and limits their lifetime. So far not all the defects are understood. The work presented here focuses on the study of radiation damage by electrons of different kinetic energies, from 1.5 MeV to 15 MeV, in order to study the differences between point- and cluster-related defects. The introduction rate of vacancy-related point defects and of so-called clustered regions was investigated as a function of electron energy. It is shown that the ratio between cluster dominated and point defect formation increases with increasing electron energy. 1.5 MeV electrons create only point defects, and the formation of cluster defects starts already at 3.5 MeV. To study the defect kinetics, isothermal annealing at 80 degrees C and isochronal annealing measurements were performed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adhesion to substrate and antimicrobial efficiency of pulsed laser-deposited ZnO nanostructures were significantly increased by interposing a buffer nano-layer of hydrophobin. The hydrophobin interlayer increased by eight times the ZnO film resilience to wash in water, while in alkaline or acidic artificial sweat, it increased by 2 and 1.2 times, respectively, as compared to textiles covered with ZnO films only. Hydrophobin boosted the biocide effect of ZnO nanostructured films in case of Candida albicans and mold mix inoculum cultures by 50 and 30 %, respectively. An interpretation of these phenomena is advanced based upon the results of the structural investigations.

Radio-frequency Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (in different methane dilutions) was used to synthesize adherent and haemocompatible diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on medical grade titanium substrates. The improvement of the adherence has been achieved by interposing a functional buffer layer with graded composition TixTiC1-x (x = 0-1) synthesized by magnetron co-sputtering. Bonding strength values of up to similar to 67 MPa have been measured by pull-out tests. Films with different sp(3)/sp(2) ratio have been obtained by changing the methane concentration in the deposition chamber. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were employed for the physical-chemical characterization of the samples. The highest concentration of sp(3)-C (similar to 87 %), corresponding to a lower DLC surface energy (28.7 mJ/m(2) ), was deposited in a pure methane atmosphere. The biological response of the DLC films was assayed by a state-of-the-art biological analysis method (surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy), in conjunction with other dedicated testing techniques: Western blot and partial thromboplastin time. The data support a cause-effect relationship between sp(3)-C content, surface energy and coagulation time, as well as between platelet-surface adherence properties and protein adsorption profiles.

A high-performance polymeric nanostructured sensing layer for a surface acoustic wave sensor, deposited using a modified matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation direct write technique, exhibited improved performance in terms of response time and frequency deviation. In the present work, we assessed the factors and mechanisms that account for the layer's increased sensing capabilities. The increase in the sensing performance was attributed to an increased diffusion constant, due to greater molecular mobility of polymeric chains caused by the nanoparticles embedded in the polymer matrix.