National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

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518 articles found

391. Fabrication of Superconducting MgB2-Based Nanocomposites with Magnetic Inclusions by Spark Plasma Sintering

Authors: Sandu, V; Ion, I; Litra-Cristian, P; Sandu, E

Published: 2012, ADVANCED MATERIALS DESIGN AND MECHANICS, 569, +, DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.569.3

We present the fabrication, structural, and transport properties of MgB2-based ceramic composites with magnetic nanospheres fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The nanospheres are either carbon encapsulated iron or iron oxide. The former nanospheres have been prepared by laser pyrolysis whereas the iron oxide was obtained by the pyrolysis of the polysiloxane-based copolymers embedded into MgB2 matrix during the sintering process. The structural data show the shrinkage of the a-axis lattice constant as a result of the partial carbon substitution for boron. However, the transport data suggest that carbon diffusion is limited to the outer layer of the MgB2 grains in both cases.

392. Silicon detectors for the sLHC

Authors: Affolder, A; Aleev, A; Allport, PP; Andricek, L; Artuso, M; Balbuena, JP; Barabash, L; Barber, T; Barcz, A; Bassignana, D; Bates, R; Battaglia, M; Beimforde, M; Bemardini, J; Betancourt, C; Bilei, GM; Bisello, D; Blue, A; Bohm, J; Bolla, G; Borgia, A; Borrello, L; Bortoletto, D; Boscardin, M; Bosma, MJ; Bowcock, TJV; Breindl, M; Broz, J; Bruzzi, M; Brzozowski, A; Buhmann, P; Buttar, C; Campabadal, F; Candelori, A; Casse, G; Charron, S; Chren, D; Cihangir, S; Cindro, V; Collins, P; Gil, EC; Costinoaia, CA; Creanza, D; Cristobal, C; Dalla Betta, GF; de Boer, W; De Palma, M; Demina, R; Dierlamm, A; Diez, S; Dobos, D; Doherty, F; Kittelmann, ID; Dolezal, Z; Dolgolenko, A; Dragoi, C; Driewer, A; Dutta, S; Eckstein, D; Eklund, L; Eremin, I; Eremin, V; Erfle, J; Fadeeva, N; Fahrer, M; Fiori, F; Fleta, C; Focardi, E; Forshaw, D; Fretwurst, E; Frey, M; Bates, AG; Gallrapp, C; Garcia, C; Gaubas, E; Genest, MH; Giolo, K; Glaser, M; Goessling, C; Golubev, A; Gorelov, I; Gregoire, G; Gregori, P; Grigoriev, E; Grillo, AA; Grinstein, S; Groza, A; Guskov, J; Hansen, TE; Harkonen, J; Hartjes, FG; Hartmann, F; Hoeferkamp, M; Horisberger, R; Houdayer, A; Hynds, D; Ilyashenko, I; Junkes, A; Kadys, A; Kaminski, P; Karpenko, A; Kaska, K; Kazuchits, N; Kazukauskas, V; Kharchuk, A; Khivrich, V; Kierstead, J; Klanner, R; Klingenberg, R; Kodys, P; Koffeman, E; Kohler, M; Kohout, Z; Korjenevski, S; Korolkov, I; Kozlowski, R; Kozubal, M; Kramberger, G; Kuhn, S; Kuleshov, S; Kuznetsov, A; Kwan, S; La Rosa, A; Lacasta, C; Lange, J; Lassila-Perini, K; Lastovetsky, V; Lazanu, I; Lazanu, S; Lebel, C; Lefeuvre, G; Lemaitre, V; Leroy, C; Li, Z; Lindstrom, G; Litovchenko, A; Litovchenko, P; Lozano, M; Luczynski, Z; Luukka, P; Macchiolo, A; Macraighne, A; Maenpaa, T; Makarenko, LF; Mandic, I; Maneuski, D; Manna, N; Marco, R; Garcia, SII; Marunko, S; Masek, P; Mathieson, K; Matysek, M; Mekki, J; Messineo, A; Metcalfe, J; Mikestikova, M; Mikuz, M; Militaru, O; Minano, M; Miyamoto, J; Moll, M; Monokhov, E; Mori, R; Moser, HG; Muenstermann, D; Sanchez, FJM; Naletko, A; Nisius, R; Oshea, V; Pacifico, N; Pantano, D; Parkes, C; Parzefall, U; Passeri, D; Pawlowski, M; Pellegrini, G; Pernegger, H; Petasecca, M; Piemonte, C; Pignatel, GU; Pintilie, I; Pintilie, L; Piotrzkowski, K; Placekett, R; Pohlsen, T; Polivtsev, L; Popule, J; Pospisil, S; Preiss, J; Radicci, V; Radu, R; Raf, JM; Rando, R; Richter, R; Roeder, R; Roger, R; Rogozhkin, S; Rohe, T; Ronchin, S; Rott, C; Roy, A; Rummler, A; Ruzin, A; Sadrozinski, HFW; Sakalauskas, S; Samadashvili, N; Scaringella, M; Schumm, B; Seidel, S; Seiden, A; Shipsey, I; Sibille, J; Sicho, P; Slavicek, T; Solar, M; Soldevila-Serrano, U; Son, S; Sopko, V; Sopko, B; Spencer, N; Spiegel, L; Srivastava, A; Steinbrueck, G; Stewart, G; Stolze, D; Storasta, J; Surma, B; Svensson, BG; Tan, P; Tomasek, M; Toms, K; Tsiskaridze, S; Tsvetkov, A; Tuboltsev, Y; Tuominen, E; Tuovinen, E; Tuuva, T; Tylchin, M; Uebersee, H; Ullan, M; Vaitkus, JV; van Beuzekom, M; Verbitskaya, E; Alvarez, IV; Visser, J; Vossebeld, J; Vrba, V; Walz, M; Weigell, P; Wiik, L; Wilhelm, I; Wunstorf, R; Zaluzhny, A; Zavrtanik, M; Zelazko, J; Zen, M; Zhukov, V; Zontar, D; Zorzi, N

Published: DEC 1 2011, NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION A-ACCELERATORS SPECTROMETERS DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT, 658, 16, DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2011.04.045

In current particle physics experiments, silicon strip detectors are widely used as part of the inner tracking layers. A foreseeable large-scale application for such detectors consists of the luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the super-LHC or sLHC, where silicon detectors with extreme radiation hardness are required. The mission statement of the CERN RD50 Collaboration is the development of radiation-hard semiconductor devices for very high luminosity colliders. As a consequence, the aim of the R&D programme presented in this article is to develop silicon particle detectors able to operate at sLHC conditions. Research has progressed in different areas, such as defect characterisation, defect engineering and full detector systems. Recent results from these areas will be presented. This includes in particular an improved understanding of the macroscopic changes of the effective doping concentration based on identification of the individual microscopic defects, results from irradiation with a mix of different particle types as expected for the sLHC, and the observation of charge multiplication effects in heavily irradiated detectors at very high bias voltages. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

393. X-ray absorption fine structure investigations on heat-treated Cr-doped titania thin films

Authors: Mardare, D; Nica, V; Pohoata, V; Macovei, D; Gheorghe, N; Luca, D; Teodorescu, CM

Published: DEC 1 2011, THIN SOLID FILMS, 520, 1352, DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2011.04.124

Chromium-doped titanium oxide thin films were investigated in the as-deposited state and after thermal treatment (723 K for 3 h in air). X-ray diffraction data revealed an improvement in film crystallinity induced by the thermal treatment. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure data revealed similar atomic neighboring around Cr atoms in both as-deposited and annealed samples. A lattice contraction of similar to 2% is observed in the annealed samples. The 67% enhancement of the amplitude of the Cr 1 s X-ray absorption fine structure pre-edge peak after thermal treatment, which is a sign of "dipole-forbidden" 1 s -> 3 d transitions, suggests strong alteration in the number of Cr 3 d vacancies, in spite of similar Cr local environment in the two kinds of investigated samples. We discuss here the Cr+ -> Cr4+ and Cr2+ -> Cr6+ changes induced by thermal treatment, and/or the evolution in local structures without inversion center. Refractive index dispersion spectra in the visible wavelength domain allowed us to compute the values of the dispersion energy, the single-oscillator energy and the coordination number of Ti atoms in both as-deposited and annealed samples. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

394. Highly adherent bioactive glass thin films synthetized by magnetron sputtering at low temperature

Authors: Stan, GE; Pasuk, I; Husanu, MA; Enculescu, I; Pina, S; Lemos, AF; Tulyaganov, DU; El Mabrouk, K; Ferreira, JMF

Published: DEC 2011, JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN MEDICINE, 22, 2710, DOI: 10.1007/s10856-011-4441-1

Thin (380-510 nm) films of a low silica content bioglass with MgO, B2O3, and CaF2 as additives were deposited at low-temperature (150A degrees C) by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering onto titanium substrates. The influence of sputtering conditions on morphology, structure, composition, bonding strength and in vitro bioactivity of sputtered bioglass films was investigated. Excellent pull-out adherence (similar to 73 MPa) was obtained when using a 0.3 Pa argon sputtering pressure (BG-a). The adherence declined (similar to 46 MPa) upon increasing the working pressure to 0.4 Pa (BG-b) or when using a reactive gas mixture (similar to 50 MPa). The SBF tests clearly demonstrated strong biomineralization features for all bioglass sputtered films. The biomineralization rate increased from BG-a to BG-b, and yet more for BG-c. A well-crystallized calcium hydrogen phosphate-like phase was observed after 3 and 15 days of immersion in SBF in all bioglass layers, which transformed monotonously into hydroxyapatite under prolonged SBF immersion. Alkali and alkali-earth salts (NaCl, KCl and CaCO3) were also found at the surface of samples soaked in SBF for 30 days. The study indicated that features such as composition, structure, adherence and bioactivity of bioglass films can be tailored simply by altering the magnetron sputtering working conditions, proving that this less explored technique is a promising alternative for preparing implant-type coatings.

395. Ba(Ti1-xSnx)O-3 (x=0.13) nanomaterials produced by low-temperature aqueous synthesis

Authors: Cernea, M; Trusca, R; Radu, R; Valsangiacom, C

Published: OCT 13 2011, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 509, 9937, DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2011.07.101

BaTi0.87Sn0.13O3 (BTS13) nanopowder was prepared by low-temperature aqueous synthesis (LTAS) method. The evolution of the structure and microstructure of the precursor precipitate, heated at temperatures up to 1000 degrees C was studied by TGA, FT-IR, SEM and XRD techniques. The dried precipitate showed a microstructure consisting of nano-sized grains (similar to 40 nm) with great tendency to agglomeration. BaTi0.87Sn0.13O3 single phase was obtained at 800 degrees C. The ceramics prepared from as-obtained BTS13 powders (60-70 nm) show good dielectric and ferroelectric characteristics. The dielectric constant was about 4800 and the dielectric loss (tan delta) was 0.229 at 1 kHz and at the Curie temperature (31 degrees C). The remanent polarization (P-r) and the coercive field (E-C) of Ba0.97Ho0.03TiO3 ceramics, at 1 kHz, were P-r = 13 mu C/cm(2) and E-C = 0.89 kV/cm. The ferroelectric parameters E-C and P-r decrease with increasing frequency in the domain 100 Hz to 10 kHz. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

396. Morphology and chemical state of PVP-protected Pt, Pt-Cu, and Pt-Ag nanoparticles prepared by alkaline polyol method

Authors: Papa, F; Negrila, C; Miyazaki, A; Balint, I

Published: OCT 2011, JOURNAL OF NANOPARTICLE RESEARCH, 13, 5064, DOI: 10.1007/s11051-011-0486-9

Well-dispersed, uniform monometallic Pt and bimetallic Pt-Cu, and Pt-Ag nanoparticles protected with PVP have been synthesized by a modified-protocol alkaline polyol method. The nanoparticles were characterized by various methods (TEM, XPS, and XRD) to elucidate the relationship between morphology and preparation variables. The average of monodispersed nanoparticles ranged between 4.1 and 4.9 nm. Core-shell structure was obtained in the case of bimetallic nanoparticles. The core of bimetallic nanoparticles was found to be rich in platinum, whereas the shell contained mostly copper or silver. The final structure of bimetallic nanoparticles was found to be determined by the morphology particles resulted in the first reduction step. Explanations are advanced on the light of experimental results.

397. Preparation, characterization and catalytic behavior of Pt-Cu nanoparticles in methane combustion

Authors: Papa, F; Negrila, C; Dobrescu, G; Miyazaki, A; Balint, I

Published: SEP 2011, JOURNAL OF NATURAL GAS CHEMISTRY, 20, 542, DOI: 10.1016/S1003-9953(10)60221-6

Fine and well dispersed Pt-Cu bimetallic nanoparticles stabilized by polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were synthesized by alkaline polyol method. The molar ratio of Pt to Cu was 1 : 1. Further, the Pt-Cu bimetallic nanoparticles were supported on alumina and their catalytic behavior in methane combustion was investigated. The as-prepared as well as the supported Pt-Cu nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fractal analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The dependence of methane combustion on the morphology and surface composition of Pt-Cu nanoparticles was analyzed based on the experimental results.

398. Corrosion Inhibition of Carbon Steel in Hydrochloric Acid Solution Using a Sulfa Drug

Authors: Samide, A; Tutunaru, B; Negrila, C

Published: SEP 2011, CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING QUARTERLY, 25, 308, DOI:

The corrosion inhibition of carbon steel in 1.0 mol L(-1) HCl in the presence of an antibacterial sulfa drug Sulfathiazole, IUPAC name 4-amino-N-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl) benzene sulfonamide (TBSA) was investigated using mass loss and electrochemical measurements such as: potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Surface chemistry was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the study of the surface morphology scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) was used. The results showed that TBSA acts as a corrosion inhibitor in 1.0 mol L(-1) HCl solution by suppressing simultaneously the cathodic and anodic processes via adsorption on the carbon steel surface and that the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing concentration. XPS analysis revealed that the corrosion product consists of an oxyhydroxide/oxide mixture and that the iron oxyhydroxide proportion is higher than the iron oxide proportion.

399. Significantly different contamination of atomically clean Si(001) when investigated by XPS and AES

Authors: Gheorghe, NG; Lungu, GA; Costescu, RM; Teodorescu, CM

Published: AUG 2011, PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI B-BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, 248, DOI: 10.1002/pssb.201147220

Clean Si(001) single crystal surfaces provided different surface reconstructions: p(1 x 2) and c(n x 2) (n = 4, 6) at room temperature. The in situ oxidation of these surfaces was followed by Auger electron spectroscopy and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that, in similar ultrahigh vacuum conditions, much faster contamination (about 500 times) occurs when the samples are investigated by AES than by XPS, owing to the interaction of the electron beam with the sample surface. With the sample subject to the AES investigation, the contamination occurs by forming >Si2C=O complexes based on the Si dimers. During XPS, reaction with water molecules from the residual gas should also be taken into account.

400. Angle-resolved evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy for thin film-solid interface characterization

Authors: Cotirlan, C; Logofatu, C; Rizea, A; Lazarescu, MF

Published: JUL 2011, OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS-RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, 5, 714, DOI:

A new method, that involves Evanescent-Wave Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (EW-CRDS), is presented. This method is useful for the study of thin films on optical solid surfaces. The new design of experimental set-up incorporates a semicylindrical prism with a plane surface where the Total Internal Reflection (TIR) effect appears. The antireflex (AR) coated cylindrical surface of the prism induces the stability of resonant cavity. The evanescent wave generated at the plane surface of the prism probes the absorption by matter in the vicinity of the prism. A general discussion of design criteria is presented to quantify intrinsic losses, and then absorption spectra for Rhodamine chloride R590 from 555 to 560 nm are presented to demonstrate the sensitivity of the system. The layer of R590 on BK7 surfaces is deposited from a solution of R590 in ethanol (92% purity) with 51 mg/l concentration. After vaporization of the ethanol the dye layer on surfaces is supposed to be uniform. This implementation of TIR surface in a resonant cavity provides a powerful new spectroscopic tool especially to angle-resolved diagnostic for interfaces and thin-films. The loss spectrum can be obtained for an angular range from the TIR critical angle to a maximum angle when the resonance of system is lost.