National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

The hydrophilicity of RF sputtered thin films of: (a) pure TiO2 and (b) TiO2 doped with 0.3% Ce, 0.4% Nb, and 0.4% N (atomic percents) was investigated macroscopically by measurements of the contact angle between water and film surface. The results are discussed in terms of the connection of the hydrophilic and photocatalytic properties of the materials with their structure, morphology and optical characteristics. The 280 nm thick films were deposited on optical glass substrates at 250 degrees C. Film structure and surface morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The surface roughness was derived from atomic force microscopy and ellipsometric data. The contact angle of de-ionized water with film surface was monitored during photo-activation and after irradiating with near-UV light. The surface super-hidrophilicity of all the investigated samples decays, when samples are kept in darkness for 48 h after irradiation. The hydrophilic behavior of the doped TiO2 thin films is discussed in terms of the effects of surface roughness, phase transformations enhanced by doping and charge carrier recombination. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Three novel mu(3)-oxo trinuclear carboxylates [Fe2CaO(CCl3COO),(THF)(4)] center dot THF (1), [Fe2SrO(CCl3COO)(6)(THF)(6)] center dot 0.5H(2)O center dot 0.5THF (2) and [Fe2BaO(CCl3COO)(6)(THF)(6)] center dot 0.5H(2)O center dot 0.5THF (3) have been synthesised and subsequently characterised by X-ray structure analysis, thermal gravimetry (TG), infra red (IR) spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. Compounds I and 3 are molecular complexes with s- and d-metals displayed in the apexes of isosceles triangles with a triply bridging oxygen atom at its centre. The Ca center dot center dot center dot Fe and Ba center dot center dot center dot Fe separations have the values 3.750(1) and 4.177(1) angstrom, respectively. In comparison with these. Fe center dot center dot center dot Fe separations, 3.229(2) angstrom in 1 and 3.201(1) angstrom in 3, appear much shorter. The molecular complexes obey C-2 symmetry with the twofold axis passing through s metal and mu(3)-oxo atom. The coordination numbers are 6, 7 and 9 for iron. calcium and barium correspondingly. Magnetic studies reveal the presence of an antiferromagnetic exchange in the isosceles triangular skeletons of the trinuclear species. Using the spin Hamiltonian H = -2J(12)[S1S2], the fitting parameters g(Fe) = 2.00. J(Fe-Fe) = -58.90 cm(-1) for 1 and -60.40 cm(-1) for 3; g(Fe) = 2.14, J(Fe-Fe) = -75.40 cm(-1) for 2 have been estimated. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We investigate the order parameter of noncentrosymmetric superconductors Li2Pd3B and Li2Pt3B via the behavior of the penetration depth lambda(T). The low-temperature penetration depth shows BCS-like behavior in Li2Pd3B, while in Li2Pt3B it follows a linear temperature dependence. We propose that broken inversion symmetry and the accompanying antisymmetric spin-orbit coupling, which admix spin-singlet and spin-triplet pairing, are responsible for this behavior. The triplet contribution is weak in Li2Pd3B, leading to a wholly open but anisotropic gap. The significantly larger spin-orbit coupling in Li2Pt3B allows the spin-triplet component to be larger in Li2Pt3B, producing line nodes in the energy gap as evidenced by the linear temperature dependence of lambda(T). The experimental data are in quantitative agreement with theory.

We report successful growth of high-quality thin films with clean and completely precipitate-free surface, suitable for device applications, by applying a new concept and method to the substrates. The concept consists in generation of artificial steps of controlled height and width, and desired shape on the surface of the substrate. The width of the step is chosen so that it is equal to the double of the migration (surface diffusion) length of the atomic species in the growth process of the film. If precipitates occur, they will be selectively gathered to the step edge where the free energy is lowest. Using this new method, we have successfully obtained by MOCVD high-quality precipitate-free Bi-2223 and Bi-2223/Bi-2212-superlattice thin films on (100) SrTiO3 substrates with artificial steps of controlled width and height. These as-grown films have been further used to fabricate patterned intrinsic Josephson junctions. Completely precipitate-free films offer a strong advantage for integration, and generate new possibilities for the device fabrication.

The series of compounds RFe11.3W0.7, where R = Dy, Ho, Er, and Lu, has been measured by Mossbauer spectroscopy between 15 and 295 K. A model which takes into account the Wigner-Seitz cell local environment of each iron site, the distribution of tungsten atoms on the 8i site, and the temperature-dependent magnetic structures of the compounds has been used to analyse the spectra. The assignment and the temperature dependencies of the hyperfine fields and the isomer shifts are in complete agreement with the Wigner-Seitz; cell analysis of the three iron sites in RFe11.3W0.7 compounds. The plausible orientations of the iron magnetic moments in the canted magnetic phase of ErFe11.3W0.7 compound have been established by a thorough Mossbauer spectral analysis. The Mossbauer spectra of DyFe11.3W0.7 clearly show the influence of the two spin re-orientations occurring in this compound and indicate the directions of the iron magnetic moments in both canted and planar magnetic arrangements. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Starting from a mean field calculation for the static capacitance of a MIS-nanostructure with a near back gate [P.N. Racec, E. R. Racec and U. Wulf, Phys. Rev. B 65, 193314, (2002)] we develop an approach to determine its ac-admittance. Mainly because of the interaction with the near back gate the inversion electron layer which forms in the considered MIS-nanostructure assumes on open character which is taken into account in the Landauer-Bilttiker formalism. For the Coulomb interaction the Hartree approximation is applied. In quantitative agreement with experiments a characteristic step in the static C-V trace results when the inversion layer is populated from the back gate. We found that this characteristic step is dominated by a particular resonance which we call intermediate resonance. Consistent with our static calculations we determine the density-density correlation function in the random phase approximation to find the ac-admittance. As an example we demonstrate that the lifetime of the static resonance induces a characteristic turnover frequency for the ac-admittance. An equivalent small-signal circuit is proposed and the dependence of its elements (capacitance and resistance) on the working point for low and high frequencies are presented. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solid solutions of the Ba1-xSrxTiO3 (BST) type are very attractive for applications in information technology, but also in microwaves for such electrically controlled devices as phase shifters, tunable filters, steerable antennas, varactors, etc. A family of solid solutions with x = 25, 50, 75, 90% was prepared by standard powder technology-solid state reaction and sintered at 1230 degrees C and 1260 degrees C. Dielectric permittivity and loss at low (1 kHz) and high frequency (1 divided by 2 GHz) were measured on a large temperature range - 200 degrees C divided by + 200 degrees C. The influence of Sr content and of I wt.% MgO and I wt.% MnO2 doping on the complex dielectric constant was studied. The dielectric permittivity at high frequencies and room temperature considerably decreases with the increase of Sr content. Similarly, low frequency measurements showed a severe and almost linear decrease of the Curie Point with the increase of Sr fraction. At low Sr content, the measured ceramic densities slowly decrease with Sr fraction and represent about 92% of the X-ray density rho(g/cm(3)) approximate to 5.99-0.99x. At x=90% Sr concentration, very low-density ceramics were obtained with both sintering temperatures. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

The microstructure of the Cr/CrN and Ti/TiN multilayers coatings deposited with the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique was studied using transmission electron microscope Philips CM20 TWIN (200 kV). It was found that the metallic buffer layers are characterized by the smallest columnar crystallite size and the highest defect density; this might rise their hardness but compromise the coating adhesion. The intermediate metallic layers showed a larger and less defected columnar structure as compared with the nitride layers, what should improve the coatings toughness. The scratch test performed with a Rockwell penetrator of 200 gm diameter loaded from 0.03 N up to 20 N indicated that the switching from a single layer to a multilayered metal/nitride coating of the same thickness improved the resistance to scratch test in case of Ti/TiN from 16.4 N for a TiN single layered to 22.9 N for a 32 layered coating and Cr/CrN from 4.4 N for a CrN single layered to 6.6 for a 32 layered ones. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A review of the evolution of the amorphous chalcogenide field of research from early times up to the present state of the art is presented. On the basis of recent achievements a bright future for these materials is predicted. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The intermediate, self-organized phase, in the As-Se system has been modeled on the basis of clusters with one or more selenium-selenium bridges. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the glass models at the limits of the 'floppy phase-stressed rigid phase' window have been calculated. The structural and optical anisotropy in a matrix of clusters containing Se-Se bonds is supposed to be a consequence of breaking and re-linking the broken clusters in the direction of the polarized light beam that acts upon the chalcogenide material. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.