National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Publications

847 articles found

281. Enhanced photoconductivity of SiGe nanocrystals in SiO2 driven by mild annealing

Authors: Sultan, MT; Manolescu, A; Gudmundsson, JT; Torfason, K; Nemnes, GA; Stavarache, I; Logofatu, C; Teodorescu, VS; Ciurea, ML; Svavarsson, HG

Published: MAR 1 2019, APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE, 469, 878, DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.11.061

Photosensitive films based on finely dispersed semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) in dielectric films have great potential for sensor applications. Here we report on preparation and characterization of photosensitive Si1-xGex NCs sandwiched between SiO2 matrix. A radio-frequency magnetron sputtering was applied to obtain a multilayer-structures (MLs) by depositing SiO2/SiGe/SiO2 films on Si (0 0 1) substrate. The Si1-xGex NCs were formed by a post-deposition annealing at 100-700 degrees C for 1-5 min. The effect of annealing temperature and time on MLs morphology and NCs size and density was studied using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and measurements of spectral distribution of photocurrent. It is demonstrated how the photoconductive properties of the MLs can be enhanced and tailored by controlling the NCs formation conditions and the presence of stress field in MLs and defects acting as traps and recombination centers. All these features can be adjusted/controlled by altering the annealing conditions (temperature and time). The MLs photosensitivity was increased of more than an order of magnitude by the annealing process. A mechanism, where a competition between crystallization process (NCs formation and evolution i.e. size and shapes) and stress field appearance determines the peak position in the photocurrent spectra, was identified.

282. Bimodal mesoporous NiO/CeO2-delta-YSZ with enhanced carbon tolerance in catalytic partial oxidation of methane-Potential IT-SOFCs anode

Authors: Somacescu, S; Cioatera, N; Osiceanu, P; Calderon-Moreno, JM; Ghica, C; Neatu, F; Florea, M

Published: FEB 2019, APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL, 241, 406, DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.09.065

In the present study we report on the activity, selectivity and stability of the bimodal mesoporous NiO/CeO2-delta-YSZ anodes for IT-SOFCs applications. These materials present high concentration of C3+ ions stably retained in the lattice, which proved to be efficient for the catalytic partial oxidation of CH4 to syngas in the temperature range 600-800 degrees C. The excellent carbon tolerance was proved by a comprehensive XPS analysis, which monitored the amount of carbon before and after catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) tests. The mesoporous anodes templated by hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and tripropylamine (TPA) were obtained using a hydrothermal synthesis route. The effect of Ni and Ce incorporation on the yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) structure, texture, morphology and surface chemistry was discussed and correlated with catalytic and electrochemical behavior. The exhaustive characterization of the bulk and surface properties of the catalysts have been accomplished by means of complementary methods: XRD, SEM / EDX / HR TEM, TGA / TPR, XPS. The electrochemical and catalytic performance were improved when the surface contains more reduced ceria and NiO was formed as secondary phase. These features lead to a large number of vacancies and consequently a better oxygen migration, which facilitate the carbon removal.

283. Growth of SrTiO3 Single Crystals with a Diameter of about 30 mm by the Verneuil Method

Authors: Tateno, Y; Endo, K; Arisawa, S; Vlaicu, AM; Nedelcu, L; Preda, N; Secu, M; Iordanescu, R; Kuncser, AC; Badica, P

Published: FEB 2019, CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN, 19, 612, DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.8b01004

The work demonstrates growth by the Verneuil method of SrTiO3 single crystals of 30 mm in diameter. Experiments are performed under an industrial environment. Growth was for 4.75 h, i.e., within one production shift. The optimum growth conditions for which the length of the region with bubbles D is zero and the effective length EL (i.e., the crystal length of commercial value) is maximized are for the amount of SrCO3 additive of similar to 3 wt % and for H-2 outer flow rate of similar to 35 L/min. These two parameters show the strongest influence on the bubble-free growth, but other growth parameters (H-2 inner flow rate, O-2 flow rate increase, rotation speed) were also optimized. Selected crystals are characterized from the structural, microstructural, optical, and THz spectroscopy viewpoints, and they are compared with a commercial substrate and with crystals reported in the literature. This work opens the possibility for the industrial growth of large SrTiO3 single crystals and commercialization of large area substrates.

284. Complex exchange coupling mechanisms in SRO/BFO/Fe heterostructures

Authors: Greculeasa, SG; Schinteie, G; Hrib, LM; Stancu, V; Pasuk, I; Kuncser, A; Kuncser, V

Published: JAN 30 2019, JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS, 773, 345, DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2018.09.208

Temperature dependent interfacial coupling mechanisms in SRO/BFO/Fe layered structures were investigated. The BFO/Fe heterostructures were prepared by PLD and sputtering, respectively, on the STO(0 0 1) substrate with a 20 nm SRO buffer layer. An annealing treatment in external magnetic field was further applied. Complex characterizations with X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Mossbauer spectroscopy, magneto-optic Kerr effect and SQUID magnetometry were performed. Before annealing, the films show good crystallization and epitaxy of the SRO and BFO layers with smooth interfaces. Two coupling mechanisms of the ferromagnetic layers (top Fe and bottom SRO, respectively) to the epitaxial BFO film with mainly antiferromagnetic structure were evidenced in the as deposited samples at low temperatures. Negative exchange bias fields of up to 67(10) Oe and 37(5) Oe at low temperatures were observed for the two ferromagnetic components, respectively, depending on the thickness of the Fe layer. The field annealing treatments induce a specific morphology and magnetic spin structure at both interfaces of the BFO spacer layer, giving rise to a long range magnetostatic coupling between the two ferromagnetic films, in addition to the interfacial couplings. Moreover, the experimentally evidenced Fe clusters penetrating the BFO/Fe interface toward the BFO layer give support for this interaction. As an additional consequence, a considerable enhancement of both uniaxial and unidirectional anisotropies as well as an increased blocking temperature of exchange bias were obtained. The involved exchange coupling mechanisms were discussed in detail. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

285. Pd-Cu catalysts supported on anion exchange resin for the simultaneous catalytic reduction of nitrate ions and reductive dehalogenation of organochlorinated pollutants from water

Authors: Bradu, C; Capat, C; Papa, F; Frunza, L; Olaru, EA; Crini, G; Morin-Crini, N; Euvrard, E; Balint, I; Zgura, I; Munteanu, C

Published: JAN 25 2019, APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL, 570, 129, DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2018.11.002

The present work proposes the simultaneous removal of these classes of pollutants by a catalytic hydrotreatment processes. For this purpose, bimetallic Pd-Cu catalysts (with mass ratio Pd:Cu of 4:1) supported on macroporous strong base anion resin were prepared by different methods. The catalysts were characterized (by XRD, SEMEDX, XPS, AAS and H-2 chemisorption) and tested in a continuous flow system. The selected catalyst preparation protocol consists in a two-step method, which implies the deposition of palladium by ion exchange and the subsequent deposition of copper by controlled reaction on the surface of the pre-reduced palladium. The effectiveness of the catalyst in the simultaneous reduction of nitrate and hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol was demonstrated. By adjusting the initial pH and the flow rate of the aqueous solution, nearly complete hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol can occur together with selective nitrate reduction at a conversion of 95% and a selectivity to N-2 of 92% (this value contains the contribution of all gaseous products, including the eventually formed NOx). The bimetallic catalyst was found to remains relatively stable after 100 h of test time.

286. Unveiling the double-well energy landscape in a ferroelectric layer

Authors: Hoffmann, M; Fengler, FPG; Herzig, M; Mittmann, T; Max, B; Schroeder, U; Negrea, R; Pintilie, L; Slesazeck, S; Mikolajick, T

Published: JAN 24 2019, NATURE, 565, +, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0854-z

The properties of ferroelectric materials, which were discovered almost a century ago(1), have led to a huge range of applications, such as digital information storage(2), pyroelectric energy conversion(3) and neuromorphic computing(4,5). Recently, it was shown that ferroelectrics can have negative capacitance(6-11), which could improve the energy efficiency of conventional electronics beyond fundamental limits(12-14). In Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory(15-17), this negative capacitance is directly related to the double-well shape of the ferroelectric polarization-energy landscape, which was thought for more than 70 years to be inaccessible to experiments(18). Here we report electrical measurements of the intrinsic double-well energy landscape in a thin layer of ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2. To achieve this, we integrated the ferroelectric into a heterostructure capacitor with a second dielectric layer to prevent immediate screening of polarization charges during switching. These results show that negative capacitance has its origin in the energy barrier in a double-well landscape. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ferroelectric negative capacitance can be fast and hysteresis-free, which is important for prospective applications(19). In addition, the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 used in this work is currently the most industry-relevant ferroelectric material, because both HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films are already used in everyday electronics(20). This could lead to fast adoption of negative capacitance effects in future products with markedly improved energy efficiency.

287. Akermanite-based coatings grown by pulsed laser deposition for metallic implants employed in orthopaedics

Authors: Negrea, R; Busuioc, C; Constantinoiu, I; Miu, D; Enache, C; Iordache, F; Jinga, SI

Published: JAN 15 2019, SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY, 357, 1026, DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2018.11.008

The aim of the present paper is to develop ceramic thin films by laser ablation in order to improve the biological behaviour of metallic implants dedicated to hard tissue restoration. The composition of the coatings was selected within SiO2-P2O5-CaO-MgO-ZnO-CaF2 system, while their processing has gone through two stages: target preparation via a wet chemistry approach and films deposition through a physical deposition method, on titanium substrates. The characteristics of the final layered structures were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and selected area electron diffraction. In vitro investigation techniques were employed for the bioactivity and biocompatibility assessment. The results indicated the growth of nanostructured akermanite-based thin films with an excellent bioactivity and a good effect on stem-type cells, which validates the suitability of such structures for medical implant applications.

288. PHOTO-ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF THIN FILMS WITH GE NANOPARTICLES EMBEDDED IN TIO2 MATRIX

Authors: Stavarache, I; Maraloiu, VA

Published: 2019, ROMANIAN REPORTS IN PHYSICS, 71, DOI:

We present photo-electrical properties of thin films formed of Ge nanoparticles in TiO2 correlated with structure and morphology. The films co-deposited on Si using magnetron sputtering were annealed in conventional oven at 550 degrees C. We performed structure investigations by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and measured current-voltage characteristics in dark and under illumination at different temperatures. We show that the films are formed of cubic Ge nanoparticles in nanostructured anatase TiO2 matrix. Also, (TiGe)O-2 with rutile structure was observed. The films have high photosensitivity under white light as the ratio between photo- and dark currents (-1 V) is of similar to 10(2).

289. High performance NIR photosensitive films of Ge nanoparticles in Si3N4

Authors: Stavarache, I; Prepelita, P; Lalau, I; Cojocaru, O; Teodorescu, VS; Ciurea, ML

Published: 2019, 2019 INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CONFERENCE (CAS 2019), 42ND EDITION, 228, DOI:

Films of amorphous Ge nanoparticles in Si3N4 on heated Si and quartz substrates at 300 degrees C were obtained by co-sputtering Ge, and Si3N4. The films structure and photo-electrical behaviour were studied through transmission electron microscopy and, current voltage and spectral photo-current investigations, respectively. The spectral photo-current were correlated with results obtained from transmission electron microscopy. Under illumination the current present a high increase with about one order of magnitude compared with the dark one. The photo-current spectra show a widening in near infrared to 0.97eV. Internal quantum efficiency values for -1V and 0V were determined.

290. Controlling SWIR photosensitivity limit by composition engineering: from Ge to GeSi nanocrystals embedded in TiO2

Authors: Dascalescu, I; Cojocaru, O; Lalau, I; Palade, C; Slav, A; Lepadatu, AM; Lazanu, S; Stoica, T; Ciurea, ML

Published: 2019, 2019 INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CONFERENCE (CAS 2019), 42ND EDITION, 40, DOI:

The VIS-SWIR photosensing properties of Ge and GeSi NCs embedded in TiO2 films are investigated. For this, we deposit GeTiO2 and GeSiTiO2 films, respectively by magnetron sputtering and then we perform rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for Ge NCs and GeSi NCs formation, respectively. Raman studies and spectral photocurrent measurements were carried out. Ge NCs formation is evidenced in the Raman spectrum of GeTiO2 film annealed at 550 degrees C. The photocurrent spectra measured on the Ge NCs-TiO2 film present four peaks separated by deconvolution. The broad peaks at similar to 700, 890, 1010 nm are due to photo-effects in the Ge NCs-TiO2 film. More than that, the photocurrent increases exponentially with the increase of bias voltage. The cut-off wavelength is similar to 1240 nm. We achieve the extension of the photosensitivity limit to similar to 1310 nm in GeSi NCs-TiO2 films (800 degrees C RTA).