National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Up-conversion luminescence and thermoluminescence properties of LaF3 nanocrystals, with sizes of about 20 nm, were studied and discussed in relation to -size and surface related effects. XPS spectra have evidenced the presence of oxidized Er and La ions within a thin layer (of about 1 nm thickness) at the nanocrystals surface, as well as Yb ions bonded with fluorine ions. The green ((H-2(11/2), S-4(3/2)) -> I-4(15/2)) and red (F-4(9/2) -> I-4(15/2)) up-conversion emissions of Er3+ ions are influenced by the relative dominance of Erions that reside within the thin oxidized layer. The broad thermoluminescence curves are assigned to the recombination of trap defects associated with surface states and within the oxidized surface layer. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The work describes the development of a flexible, hydrogel embedded pH-sensor that can be integrated in inexpensive wearable and non-invasive devices at epidermal level for electrochemical quantification of H+ ions in sweat. Such a device can be useful for swift, real time diagnosis and for monitoring specific conditions. The sensors' working electrodes are flexible poly(methyl methacrylate) electrospun fibers coated with a thin gold layer and electrochemically functionalized with nanostructured palladium/palladium oxide. The response to H+ ions is investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy while open circuit potential measurements show a sensitivity of aprox. -59 mV per pH unit. The modification of the sensing interface upon basic and acid treatment is characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and the chemical composition by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In order to demonstrate the functionality of the pH-sensor at epidermal level, as a wearable device, the palladium/palladium oxide working electrode and silver/silver chloride reference electrode are embedded within a pad of polyacrylamide hydrogel and measurements in artificial sweat over a broad pH range were performed. Sensitivity up to -28 mV/pH unit, response time below 30 s, temperature dependence of approx. 1 mV/degrees C as well as the minimum volume to which the sensor responses of 250 nanoliters were obtained for this device. The proposed configuration represents a viable alternative making use of low-cost and fast fabrication processes and materials.

The present work describes a new simple procedure for the direct immobilization of biomolecules on Ni electrodes using magnetic Ni nanoparticles (NiNPs) as biomolecule carriers. Ni electrodes were fabricated by electroplating, and NiNPs were chemically synthesized. The chemical composition, crystallinity, and granular size of Ni electrodes, NiNP, and NiNP-modified Ni electrodes (NiNP/Ni) were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical characterization of Ni electrodes by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed the existence of nickel oxides, hydroxides, and oxohydroxide films at the surface of Ni. Magnetic characterization and micromagnetic simulations were performed in order to prove that the magnetic force is responsible for the immobilization process. Further, Ni electrodes were employed as amperometric sensors for the detection of hydrogen peroxide because it is an important performance indicator for a material to be applied in biosensing. The working principle for magnetic immobilization of the enzyme-functionalized NiNP, without the use of external magnetic sources, was demonstrated for glucose oxidase (GOx) as a model enzyme. XPS results enabled to identify the presence of GOx attached to the NiNP (GOx-NiNP) on Ni electrodes. Finally, glucose detection and quantification were evaluated with the newly developed GOx-NiNP/Ni biosensor by amperometry at different potentials, and control experiments at different electrode materials in the presence and absence of NiNP demonstrated their importance in the biosensor architecture.

Powders of molybdenum disulfide platelets strongly grafted on graphene have been prepared by pyrolysis of ammonium alginate containing adsorbed various proportions of (NH4)(2)MoS4. After pyrolysis, formation of MoS2 supported on graphene was determined by XRD and electron microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. MoS2/G exhibits catalytic activity for the methanation of CO2, the performance being optimal at intermediate loadings. The catalytic activity of sharply contrasts with that of bulk MoS2 that promotes the reverse water gas shift, affording CO as the main product. Characterization of the spent MoS2/G catalyst shows the partial conversion of external MoS2 into MoO3. Comparison of the catalytic activity of MoS2/G with that of MoO3/G shows that the latter is less efficient, but more selective for CO2 methanation.

A hard templating method, using SBA-15 in combination with glucose solution and different heteroatom precursors, has been employed to investigate the influence of the different heteroatom dopants nitrogen, boron, sulfur, and phosphorus on carbon electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Samples were synthesized under the same conditions and resulted in a similar morphology and surface areas around 1000 m(2)/g. Incorporating nitrogen into the carbon matrix was found to be easier than for boron or phosphorus, while sulfur doping proved problematic and only yielded 2 at% of sulfur or less. Different dopant concentrations as well as a combination of dopants suggested that nitrogen was the only heteroatom exerting an actual influence on the catalytic activity, resulting in higher electron transfer numbers. The other dopants exhibited a similar performance regardless of the dopant content, though slightly improved when compared to an undoped control sample. These findings indicate that incorporated nitrogen can act as catalytic sites, while boron, sulfur and phosphorus can enhance the catalytic activity by possibly creating defects in the carbon matrix.

Growth of Ag films of up to 30 nm thickness on Si(1 1 1) 7 x 7 at room temperature is investigated by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). LEED revealed the coexistence of Ag and Si spots starting with 1 monolayer (ML) of Ag deposited. The Ag lattice constant, starting with 25 ML, is slightly higher than for bulk Ag and increase linearly with Ag thickness, reaching about 4.2 nm for the thickest films. The average terrace widths detected from LEED spot profile analysis are about 30 nm for clean Si(1 1 1) 7 x 7 and about 5.5 nm for the thickest Ag(1 1 1) film, in agreement with STM observations. The intensity variation of core levels analyzed by XPS is taken into account by a model assuming the initial formation of Ag islands with linear variation of coverage vs. the amount of Ag deposited, followed by growth in a quasi layer-by-layer mode. The interface barrier is in the range of 0.4 eV, lower than all values reported previously. Ag deposited on Si(1 1 1) 7 x 7 at room temperature provides flat Ag(1 1 1) for synthesis of 2D materials, and may be used for low barrier Schottky diodes.

ZnO-CuxO core-shell radial heterojunction nanowire arrays were fabricated by a straightforward approach which combine two simple, cost effective and large-scale preparation methods: (i) thermal oxidation in air of a zinc foil for obtaining ZnO nanowire arrays and (ii) radio frequency magnetron sputtering for covering the surface of the ZnO nanowires with a CuxO thin film. The structural, compositional, morphological and optical properties of the high aspect ratio ZnO-CuxO core-shell nanowire arrays were investigated. Individual ZnO-CuxO core-shell nanowires were contacted with Pt electrodes by means of electron beam lithography technique, diode behaviour being demonstrated. Further it was found that these n-p radial heterojunction diodes based on single ZnO-CuxO nanowires exhibit a change in the current under UV light illumination and therefore behaving as photodetectors.

The research focuses on a few key points concerning the light-driven processes taking place on TiO2 anatase and sodium titanates with tubular morphology, such as the relationship between the morphology and activity for H-2 and CO2 production, density of surface hydroxyl groups, ROS (center dot OH and center dot O-2(-)) production and photocatalytic activity, and charge separation at the interface of semiconducting domains and enhancement of activity. One key point discussed is whether the materials with peculiar morphologies (i.e. tubular) are superior to the conventional ones. The experimental evidences show that the main advantage of the tubular morphology of sodium titanate is given by its significantly higher surface area compared to parental anatase. FTIR and XPS progressive analyses evidence that the density of surface hydroxyl groups decreases with the development of the tubular morphology. The radical trapping experiments show that the variation of surface hydroxyl density is, generally, followed by activities for center dot OH and center dot O-2(-) generation, as well as by the photocatalytic production of H-2 and CO2 from water/methanol mixture. Consequently, the ROS, formed by action of photogenerated electrons and holes on adsorbed O-2 and hydroxyl groups, respectively, play an important role in determining the photocatalytic activity of titania-based materials. The other major aspect revealed by this research is that the charge separation at the interfaces formed between anatase and sodium titanate crystalline phases has remarkable effect on the activity formation rates of H-2 and CO2.

The one-pot production of HMF from glucose was investigated in pure hot water and biphasic water/methyli-sobutylketone (MIBK) solvent using mesoporous Nb(0.02 and 0.05 mol%)-Beta zeolites obtained by a post synthesis methodology. The mesoporous Nb-Beta zeolites present residual framework Al-acid sites, extra-framework isolated Nb(V) and Nb2O5 pore-encapsulated clusters in which Nb(V) O-H exhibit moderate strength Bronsted acidity. After optimization, the dehydration of glucose onto the Nb-modified Beta-zeolites occurred with a selectivity of 84.3% in HMF for a glucose conversion of 97.4%. This result has been obtained in a biphasic water/ MIBK solvent and in the presence of NaCl, at 180 degrees C, after 12 h.

We probe the local magnetic properties of interfaces between the insulating ferromagnet EuS and the topological insulator Bi2Se3 using low energy muon spin rotation (LE-mu SR). We compare these to the interface between EuS and the topologically trivial metal, titanium. Below the magnetic transition of EuS, we detect strong local magnetic fields which extend several nm into the adjacent layer and cause a complete depolarization of the muons. However, in both Bi(2)Se(3 )and titanium we measure similar local magnetic fields, implying that their origin is mostly independent of the topological properties of the interface electronic states. In addition, we use resonant soft x-ray angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SX-ARPES) to probe the electronic band structure at the interface between EuS and Bi2Se3. By tuning the photon energy to the Eu antiresonance at the Eu M-5 pre-edge we are able to detect the Bi2Se3 conduction band, through a protective Al2O3 capping layer and the EuS layer. Moreover, we observe a signature of an interface-induced modification of the buried Bi2Se3 wave functions and/or the presence of interface states.