Publications

Electrically conductive and highly hydrophobic surface layers are attractive for many practical applications. In this work the functional, wetting and electrical properties of titanium dioxide (TiO2), TiO2/silver (Ag), and TiO2/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Ag nanocomposite coatings layers are reported. The functional properties of the layers were correlated with their chemical composition and bonding states between the constituent elements, determined in turn by the synthesis and immobilization process parameters. The nanocomposite coatings were obtained by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation, a laser-based environmental friendly thin film deposition technique. The synthesized ternary TiO2/rGO/Ag coatings has optimum performances, highly hydrophobic character and low electrical resistance, attributed to the presence of Ag nanoparticles and to the reduction of the oxygen containing functional groups of the GO platelets during laser irradiation and transfer processes leading to the formation of graphene-like material. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Vapor transport growth of atomically thin MoS2 layers on patterned substrates is investigated, as it is a step towards the self-aligned growth and formation of heterojunctions, which could be useful in future applications. Enhanced formation of MoS2 flakes at the pattern edges is observed on both the substrates examined, namely, patterned thermal SiO2 on Si(100) and graphene flakes on SiO2. The diffusion driven growth leads to the formation of MoS2 monolayers (MLs) with sizes of tens of micrometers around the edges of SiO2 patterns. The growth mode and the optical quality of the MoS2 flakes can be controlled by varying the substrate temperature. Besides the lateral growth, 3R-type pyramids are obtained on prolonging the growth. Lateral MoS2-graphene heterostructures are obtained by using graphene flakes on SiO2 as a substrate.

We investigate band bending effects occurring at the interface between atomically clean Ge(001) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) deposited copper and platinum. Low energy electron diffraction(LEED) confirmed the crystallinity of the surface, evidenced the formation of (2 x 1) and (1 x 2) reconstructions, and revealed that it is strongly affected with metal deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data let us assume a Stranski-Krastanov growth mechanism and confirmed that the observed band bending is associated to an ohmic contact in both cases. For the platinum contact, the high values of the apparent inelastic mean free path (IMFP) derived from the evolution of the XPS intensities indicate a prevalence of mixture of Pt with Ge nearby the interface. Pt deposited on Ge(001) does not behave like a Schottky contact, as one may have expected due to the higher work function of platinum. The observed effect is similar to the ease where interfacial Pt had a lower work function by 2.25/1.96 eV than that of metallic Pt. We propose a model to explain this fact by the effective mass variation or to the conduction band broadening due to the strong intermixing of platinum with germanium under the surface. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neodymium and gallium codoped barium titanate (Ba1-x-yNdxGayTiO3, x = 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1 and y = 0.03) were prepared by sol-gel method in order to investigate its dielectric and photoluminescence properties. The structure and morphology of Ba1-x-yNdxGayTiO3 powders calcined at 1100 A degrees C and sintered ceramics by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The photoluminescence and dielectric properties of Nd doped Ba0.97Ga0.03TiO3, (y = 0.03) as a function of Nd3+ concentration and sintering temperature were also investigated. The influence of Ga3+ and Nd3+ dopants on the crystalline phases, sintering process by SPS and macroscopic properties of Ba1-x-yNdxGayTiO3 ceramics was analyzed, as well as a weak hot emission from the 4F5/2 level. The sintered ceramics showed high dielectric constant and moderate dielectric losses. The highest value of the permittivity obtained for Ba1-x-yNdxGayTiO3 ceramics was E >(r) = 5890 at room temperature, 1 kHz and x = y = 0.03. This study shown that Nd3+ decreases the density of the pellets, increases the dielectric losses and decreases the dielectric constant of Ba0.97Ga0.03TiO3 ceramics. Therefore, the values of dielectric properties, at room temperature, of BaTiO3 doped with 3 at.% Ga and aecurrency sign7 at.% Nd are higher than those of undoped BaTiO3 ceramic.

The development of innovative technologies to modify natural textiles holds an important impact for medical applications, including the prevention of contamination with microorganisms, particularly in the hospital environment. In our study, Fe and N co-doped TiO2 nanoparticles have been obtained via the hydrothermal route, at moderate temperature, followed by short thermal annealing at 400 degrees C. These particles were used to impregnate polyester (PES) materials which have been evaluated for their morphology, photocatalytic performance, antimicrobial activity against bacterial reference strains, and in vitro biocompatibility on human skin fibroblasts. Microscopic examination and quantitative assays have been used to evaluate the cellular morphology and viability, cell membrane integrity, and inflammatory response. All treated PES materials specifically inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacilli strains after 15 min of contact, being particularly active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PES fabrics treated with photocatalysts did not affect cell membrane integrity nor induce inflammatory processes, proving good biocompatibility. These results demonstrate that the treatment of PES materials with TiO2-1% Fe-N particles could provide novel biocompatible fabrics with short term protection against microbial colonization, demonstrating their potential for the development of innovative textiles that could be used in biomedical applications for preventing patients' accidental contamination with microorganisms from the hospital environment.

Disordered Sm3+ doped Y3ScxAl5-xO12 (Sm:YS(x)AG) polycrystalline ceramics with compositional parameter x = (0.05, 0.5, 1, 2) and different Sm3+ ions concentrations were obtained by solid state reaction method. XRD investigations show the linear increase of the lattice constant with compositional parameters x. New spectroscopic data obtained from high resolution optical absorption and emission spectra of Sm3+ doped YS(x)AG ceramics reveal composition effects on Sm3+ optical spectra: modification of the shapes and shifts of the lines, presence of the additional satellites and unresolved multicenter structure, etc. The analysis of these data allowed us to establish a partial structure of Sm3+ energy levels in Sm:YS(x)AG (x = 2) ceramics. The emission kinetics of the (4)G(5/2) level for different Sm3+ concentrations and Sc content in Sm:YS(x)AG were measured and analyzed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Obtaining high-quality materials, based on nanocrystals, at low temperatures is one of the current challenges for opening new paths in improving and developing functional devices in nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics. Here we report a detailed investigation of the optimization of parameters for the in situ synthesis of thin films with high Ge content (50 %) into SiO2. Crystalline Ge nanoparticles were directly formed during co-deposition of SiO2 and Ge on substrates at 300, 400 and 500 degrees C. Using this approach, effects related to Ge-Ge spacing are emphasized through a significant improvement of the spatial distribution of the Ge nanoparticles and by avoiding multi-step fabrication processes or Ge loss. The influence of the preparation conditions on structural, electrical and optical properties of the fabricated nanostructures was studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electrical measurements in dark or under illumination and response time investigations. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of the procedure by the means of an Al/n-Si/Ge:SiO2/ITO photodetector test structure. The structures, investigated at room temperature, show superior performance, high photoresponse gain, high responsivity (about 7 AW(-1)), fast response time (0.5 mu s at 4 kHz) and great optoelectronic conversion efficiency of 900% in a wide operation bandwidth, from 450 to 1300 nm. The obtained photoresponse gain and the spectral width are attributed mainly to the high Ge content packed into a SiO2 matrix showing the direct connection between synthesis and optical properties of the tested nanostructures. Our deposition approach put in evidence the great potential of Ge nanoparticles embedded in a SiO2 matrix for hybrid integration, as they may be employed in structures and devices individually or with other materials, hence the possibility of fabricating various heterojunctions on Si, glass or flexible substrates for future development of Si-based integrated optoelectronics.

The direct synthesis from elements of tungsten semicarbide, W2C, taking place in a narrow concentration range and at high temperatures, is unsuited for some applications requiring small particle sizes. We report an efficient synthesis method for obtaining pure phase W2C at low temperatures (< 1050 degrees C), through the carbothermal reduction of tungsten oxide species in the presence of metallic palladium nanoparticles obtained in situ. A 1:5 (at.) Pd:W ratio or higher yields pure phase W2C, while increasing the Pd content decreases the carburization temperature. The resulting composite materials contain Pd(0) and W2C particles well-dispersed on carbon, with sizes between 50 and 500 nm. The samples have been tested using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry as potential anode materials for the electrooxidation of formic acid and show improved stability in comparison with commercial Pd and comparable current densities, up to 2 times higher than the commercial catalyst. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.