National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Cotton fabrics were coated with arrays of ZnO hexagonal prisms using an electroless (catalytic/auto-catalytic) deposition process. A typical three step method, similar to those used for electroless deposition of metals on insulating substrates, consisting of pre-activation, activation and deposition steps was employed. The low-dimensional ZnO particles were grown from an aqueous solution containing zinc nitrate as source of zinc ions and dimethylamineborane as reducing agent. The as-obtained ZnO-coated cotton fabrics were characterized from the point of view of structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD studies demonstrate that the ZnO particles have a hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure. The SEM observations prove that the cotton fibers are homogeneously covered by hexagonal prisms which have uniform base size of approximately 500 nm and height of 1 mu m. Optical spectroscopy measurements show that the functionalization with ZnO strongly decreases the transmittance in the UV vis region of the cotton fabrics. An important characteristic is that the ZnO-functionalized cotton fabrics exhibit superhydrophobicity, with water contact angles exceeding 150 degrees. The technique described is highly reproducible, easy scalable and cheap, allowing a wide range of applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly textured ZnO thin films were implanted with Co ions at fluences of 1 x 10(16) and 1 x 10(17) ions cm(-2). Although their microstructure observed by analytical high-resolution electron microscopy was very different, SQUID magnetometer measurements showed qualitatively similar magnetic properties. In the low-fluence film, only small modifications, such as a slight amorphization, planar defects or very small (<1-1.5 nm) Co clusters, were hardly observable. Implantation at a higher fluence led to important changes in the film structure: heavy amorphization and metallic Co precipitates were identified by electron diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron energy loss spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy spectrum imaging. EDS microanalysis additionally revealed the presence of similar to 2 at% Co atoms that were likely dissolved in the ZnO lattice at the atomic level. No Co oxides or other secondary oxide phases were detected. For both implanted samples, the dimensions of Co precipitates were below the superparamagnetic limit at room temperature. Thermo-magnetization curves and magnetic hysteresis loops measured in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K indicated two superimposed magnetic regimes, one predominant above 50 K and the other below 50 K. We analysed the possible mechanisms and quantitative contributions to explain the observed magnetic behaviour at low and room temperature.

Composites based on polydiphenylamine (PDPA) doped with heteropolyanions of H3PW12O40 and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of diphenylamine (DPA) on carbon nanotube films deposited onto Pt electrodes. HRTEM studies reveal that the electrochemical polymerization leads to the filling the spaces between tubes which compose the bundles, creating a monolithic film on the Pt electrode. The resulting composites were tested as active materials in supercapacitors. Resonant Raman scattering studies showed that the electropolymerization of DPA in the presence of H3PW12O40 and SWNTs leads to the covalent functionalization of SWNTs with doped PDPA. The covalent functionalization of SWNTs with PDPA doped with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions was revealed by FTIR spectroscopy, based on the changes in the vibrational features of PDPA and H3PW12O40. These changes included i) a down-shift of the PDPA IR bands, which was attributed to the C-H bending vibrational mode of benzene (B), C-aromatic-N, C-C stretching (B) + C-H bending (B) and C-C stretching vibrations of the B ring, from 1174, 1321, 1495 and 1603 cm(-1) to 1165, 1313, 1487 and 1599 cm-1, respectively; ii) a change in the peak positions of IR bands associated with the W = O and P-O-W vibration modes of H3PW12O40; and iii) a down-shift of the IR band situated in the spectral range 650-725 cm(-1), which was assigned to the inter-ring deformation vibration mode. The characterization of symmetric solid-state supercapacitors was performed for electrodes prepared from i) SWNTs functionalized with PDPA doped with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions, ii) SWNTs electrochemically decorated with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions, and iii). PDPA doped with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions. Preliminary results indicate high discharge capacitance values of up to 157.2 mF/cm(2) for SWNTs functionalized with PDPA doped with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions. The discharge capacitance of this material is superior to those recorded for SWNTs electrochemically decorated with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions (similar to 18.2 mF/cm(2)) and PDPA doped with H3PW12O40 heteropolyanions (similar to 62.1 mF/cm(2)). (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A combined chemical-electrochemical method was used for covalent functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) with polydiphenylamine (PDPA) doped with heteropolyanions of H3PMo12O40 center dot xH(2)O. The functionalization process induces in Raman spectra of SWNTs the following changes: (i) an increase in relative intensity of the D band, accompanied a gradual up-shift of the G band in the case of the semiconducting tubes and a decrease in the relative intensity of band peaked at 1540 cm(-1) is remarked in the case of the metallic tubes; (ii) in the anti-Stokes Raman spectrum an increase in the relative intensity of Raman line of metallic tubes peaked at -1560 cm(-1) is remarked when the cycles number increases. The additional down-shift of the FTIR bands belonging to H3PMo12O40 heteropolyanions (at 881, 943 and 1055 cm(-1)) and PDPA (at 688, 736 and 1016 cm(-1)) originates in hindrance steric effects induced the covalent functionalization of SWNTs with polymer molecules. Using Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy we demonstrate that chemical polymerization of diphenylamine in the presence of H3PMo12O40 center dot xH(2)O and SWNTs results in a composite of the type blend based on PDPA in un-doped state and SWNTs doped with H3PMo12O40 heteropolyanions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In this paper we report on the stability of CNW layers, synthesized by a radiofrequency plasma jet, against the chemical attack with different acid solutions (sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid). We present the changes of the morphology and structure of the CNW caused by the post-growth chemical treatments. We demonstrate that self-sustaining and transferable CNW layers can be obtained, by chemically dissolving the substrates, while the initial characteristics of the material are well preserved. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanocrystalline Tm3+(5%)-doped BaTiO3 (BT-Tm) has been synthesized by the sol-gel method. The morphology, structure, and optical properties of powders and ceramics were characterized. The average grain size of the gel precursor annealed at 700 and 900 degrees C was 20 nm and 30 nm, respectively. These powders were single phase and crystallized with a cubic structure while the BT-Tm sintered ceramics were crystallized with the tetragonal BaTiO3 structure. The photoluminescence spectra showed typical transitions of Tm3+ ions and a structure consistent with the Tm3+ ions incorporation in the BaTiO3 crystalline lattice. Thermoluminescence peaks recorded at 300 degrees C (for annealed samples) or at 230 degrees C for the ceramic sample were assigned to the recombination of the Tm2+-electron traps located mainly at the surface of the nano-crystals or inside the microcrystals, respectively. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarized Raman scattering studies on stiff layered structure of surfactant intercalated with trilayer graphene were performed at different intensities and excitation wavelengths. The D and 2D Raman bands reach the highest and lowest intensity when the polarization of laser excitation light is oriented along and perpendicular on the edges. The 2D band discloses two lorentzian components, separated by similar to 40 cm(-1), which result from the action of interplanar forces, of Casimir nature. The value of similar to 40 cm(-1) is close to the energy value associated with E-2g interplanar layer shear mode evidenced so far only by neutron spectrometry. A new result regards the opposite variation of the intensities of D and 2D bands with the increase of the wavelength of the excitation light. This originates in the different origin of the D and 2D bands; the former is dependent on disorder including also the graphene edges while the latter, results from in a double resonant mechanism combined with a Casimir effect. One demonstrates that the magnitude of Casimir force, which activates interlayer vibration modes, depends on the carrier density on the graphene sheets which can be varied both by the intensity and the wavelength of the excitation laser light. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method is employed to obtain a thick ZnO layer on a ZnO nanorod array prepared in a hydrothermal-electrochemical process. ZnO nanorods have the role to improve the mechanical stability and adherence of ZnO layer deposited by electrophoretic technique. D149 dye is used as sensitizer for ZnO semiconductor. The thus prepared ZnO layer is used for the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). Performance parameters were extracted from standard current-voltage characteristic (I-V) and charge transfer phenomena occurring at ZnO/dye/electrolyte was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

We report the film deposition of Poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) particle systems by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. PLGA+polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), PLGA+PVA+ bovine serum albumin (BSA) and PLGA+PVA+chitosan (CH) nanoparticles were prepared by an oil-in-water emulsion-diffusion-evaporation method. The average diameter of PLGA particles was between 180-250 nm. The coatings were obtained by laser evaporation of frozen targets prepared by mixing appropriate PLGA aqueous suspensions and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in three ratios. Depending on the DMSO content, we deposited PLGA particles embedded into polymeric layer mainly obtained due to the entirely or partially dissolving of nanoparticles into the initial solution. In vitro results showed that the distribution and morphology of osteoblast-like SaOs-2 cells on some PLGA particle coatings were similar with that of the positive control. The purpose of this study was to develop layers of PLGA particles for local controlled drug delivery.