Publications

In melt-spun FePtB-based ribbons, the addition of Ag has been proven to decrease the temperature of phase transformation from the A1 fcc FePt phase to the hard magnetic tetragonal L1(0) phase. Alloys with 6 and 9 at.% Ag added to the initial FePtB have been synthesized by rapid solidification from the melt. The samples have been laser irradiated and submitted to nitriding procedure. This procedure has been proven beneficial for inducing complete transformation of A1 to L1(0) phase and a strong (001) texturing. Ag segregation combined to mechanisms of creation of vacancies and diffusion of N give rise to the formation of an intergranular disordered region and due to an improved interfacial coupling between FePt grains, enhanced coercivity and two-phase magnetic behavior is obtained.

Thin films of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi-2212) with the non-c-axis (117) orientation were grown by MOCVD on (110) LaAlO3 single crystal substrate. XRD theta - 2 theta scans show that films contain also (119) and (011) Bi-2212 impurity grains. We propose and report characterization of the non-c-axis films by XRD phi-psi scans. By this approach, the assumed theoretical film-substrate relationship of the (117) Bi-2212 grains is demonstrated experimentally. The result also confirms twinning in the span rooflike (117) Bi-2212 grains. The impurity (119) and (011) Bi-2212 grains are also rooflike and in-plane aligned according to film-substrate relation and AFM images so that the film can be considered in-plane epitaxial.

By means of a combination of surface-science spectroscopies and theory, we investigate the mechanisms ruling the catalytic role of epitaxial graphene (Gr) grown on transition-metal substrates for the production of hydrogen from water. Water decomposition at the Gr/metal interface at room temperature provides a hydrogenated Gr sheet, which is buckled and decoupled from the metal substrate. We evaluate the performance of Gr/metal interface as a hydrogen storage medium, with a storage density in the Gr sheet comparable with state-of-the-art materials (1.42 wt %). Moreover, thermal programmed reaction experiments show that molecular hydrogen can be released upon heating the water-exposed Gr/metal interface above 400 K. The Gr hydro/dehydrogenation process might be exploited for an effective and eco-friendly device to produce (and store) hydrogen from water, i.e., starting from an almost unlimited source.

Dense bulk samples, with relative density of 88-99%, of MgB2 added with Ge2C6H10O7 were obtained by ex situ Spark Plasma Sintering. The critical current density of the added samples is improved at high magnetic fields when compared to a pristine reference sample. The optimum composition was found for MgB2(Ge2C6H10O7)(0.0014), where J(c)(20 K) = 10(2) A/cm(2) is obtained at 5.8 T, versus 3.9 T for the reference sample. This sample has also the highest product J(c0) center dot H-irr among the added samples, and values are similar to those for the pristine MgB2 sample. There is no significant Ge substitution in the crystal lattice of MgB2, while C substitutes for B. Pinningmechanism shifts from point to grain boundary type with increasing of addition amount. The pinning shift tendency is higher at lower temperatures (5 K).

Modern medicine is still struggling to find new and more effective methods for fighting off viruses, bacteria and fungi. Among the most dangerous and at times life-threatening fungi is Candida albicans. Our work is focused on surface and structural characterization of hydroxyapatite, silver doped hydroxyapatite and zinc doped hydroxyapatite deposited on a titanium substrate previously coated with polydimethylsiloxane (HAp-PDMS, Ag:HAp-PDMS, Zn:HAp-PDMS) by different techniques:Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The morphological studies revealed that the use of the PDMS polymer as an interlayer improves the quality of the coatings. The structural characterizations of the thin films revealed the basic constituents of both apatitic and PDMS structure. In addition, the GD depth profiles indicated the formation of a composite material as well as the successful embedding of the HAp, Zn:HAp and Ag:HAp into the polymer. On the other hand, in vitro evaluation of the antifungal properties of Ag:HAp-PDMS and Zn:HAp-PDMS demonstrated the fungicidal effects of Ag:HAp-PDMS and the potential antifungal effect of Zn:HAp-PDMS composite layers against C. albicans biofilm. The results acquired in this research complete previous research on the potential use of new complex materials produced by nanotechnology in biomedicine.

The distribution and interaction of isolated Mn2+ impurity ions incorporated in 2.9 nm average diameter cubic ZnS quantum dots (QDs), prepared by surfactant-assisted liquid-liquid synthesis with initial impurity concentrations in the 20-50,000 ppm range, has been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The well resolved spectra, observed in the whole investigated concentration range, reflect the localization of the Mn2+ ions in the core and on the surface of the cZnS: Mn QDs at isolated sites. According to the analysis of the dependences of the concentration of incorporated isolated Mn2+ ions vs. initial impurity concentration and of the core localized Mn2+ ions spectra line-width vs. actual concentration, the isolated Mn2+ ions remain in the whole concentrations range in a diluted paramagnetic state characterized by dipolar magnetic interactions. Pulse EPR measurements of the spinespin dipolar interaction for the incorporated Mn2+ ions confirm their diluted distribution, which excludes these ions as a possible source of collective magnetism properties. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pt(0.5wt%)-Al-SBA-15 and Pt(0.5wt%)-Al-MCM-41 bifunctional catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation and investigated in the hydrogenation of anthracene and the hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation of a series of synthesized Diels-Alder adducts with anthracene and anthracene derivatives. The mesoporous texture of the investigated catalysts allowed the hydrogenation of these substrates to a large extent. In direct correlation with the size of the Pt particles, Pt-Al-SBA-15 exhibited a higher activity. Both catalysts exhibited a strong Lewis acidity associated with the presence of the Al extra-framework species. The acidity of these catalysts afforded the esterification of the reaction byproduct, that is, succinic anhydride, with methanol or ethanol, and the hydrocracking/decyclization of one hydrogenated ring to lead to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene derivatives. A good correlation with the calculated values of the reaction Gibbs free energy has been evidenced.

A new synthesis method based on the electrochemical reduction of alpha,alpha,alpha',alpha'-tetrabromo-p-xylene in the presence of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is used to obtain composites of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) functionalized with poly(para-phenyl-enevinylene) (PPV). To separate the effects of metallic and semiconducting CNTs on their interaction with PPV, the experiments are carried out with SWNTs enriched in semiconducting (S, 99%) and metallic (M, 98%) tubes. Significant changes in the relative intensity and shift of the radial breathing vibrational mode are reported in the Raman spectra of the as-prepared SWNTs samples, i.e., as mixtures of metallic (33%) and semiconducting (66%) entities and SWNTs enriched in M tubes (98%) that result from the electrofunctionalization with PPV. This different behavior originates in the noncovalent and covalent functionalization of SWNTs enriched in M and S SWNTs tubes with PPV, respectively. A gradual decrease in the absorption of the infrared (IR) bands of PPV situated in the spectral range of 750-1000 cm(-1) as a result of the increase of the polymer weight on the blank Au support is reported. The electrofunctionalization of the as-prepared SWNTs induces position changes of the PPV IR absorption bands. In the presence of S-enriched SWNTs, a significant increase in the absorbance of the two IR bands peaked at 1452 and 1471 cm(-1), which are assigned to the vibrational modes of the phenyl ring stretching and the quinoid structure of the PPV, respectively, is reported. This results from the covalent bonding of the PPV macromolecular chains onto the surface of the SWNTs enriched in S tubes. Our results also demonstrate that the photoluminescence quenching effect reported for the PPV/SWNTs composites is due to the metallic nanotubes.

Triglycine sulphate crystal (TGS) is one of the most studied ferroelectric materials, having a second order transition around 49 degrees C. The complex dielectric constant we have measured on the frequency range 1-10(7) Hz and on a large temperature range, in ferroelectric phase after the para - ferro transition. Temperature was monitored from room temperature to 65 degrees C, were for 30min it was kept constant and then was lowered down at a rate of 0.6 degrees C/min. Both component of permittivity were automatically registered. This study was focused on the dielectric relaxation processes. Three fundamental relaxation mechanisms (LF, MF, and HF) were found and analyzed with the Cole-Cole functions. The activation energy of these relaxation mechanisms have been estimated in the ferroelectric phase