National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Arsenic is the main component of many chalcogenide glasses. Due to its triple co-ordination arsenic has the tendency to form two-dimensional networks in both crystalline and amorphous state. Besides the layered form of arsenic it exists molecular arsenic. Small molecules are characteristic to this form of arsenic. Large arsenic clusters have been not identified up to now in amorphous films. A modelling study was carried out in order to demonstrate the possibility to find or to prepare fullerene-like configurations based on arsenic as well as nanotubes (or nanowires) of various diameters.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) under a moderate non-hydrostatic pressure, of 0.58 GPa, undergo a non-reversible transformation. Due to the plastic deformations, structural defects and carbon nanotube fragments of different size are produced. Short fragments of spherical or ellipsoidal form, behaving as closed-shell fullerenes are observed both by Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL). The main vibrational indicative of the fragments of shorter length is the band at similar to 1458 cm(-1) that is regularly observed in the Raman spectra of fullerene. Similar to fullerenes self assemblies, the interaction between the nanotube fragments is noticed in the Raman spectrum by the band at similar to 94 cm(-1) that reveals an inter-particle vibration mode. When the nanotubes are dispersed into host matrix, as aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) with isolated or condensed phenyl rings, supplementary mechanico-chemical reactions take place. For AHs with isolated phenyl rings, like biphenyl or p-terphenyl, a chemical functionalization of SWNT fragments is demonstrated by the appearance of a new Raman band at 1160 cm(-1). In PL spectra, the interaction of SWNTs with AHs, is noticed by a detailed vibronic structure appearing in the high energy side of the emission spectrum, that increase with the weight of SWNTs in the AHs/SWNTs mixtures.

We use the Landauer-Buttiker formalism to study the mesoscopic Fano effect in Aharonov-Bohm rings with an embedded two-dimensional noninteracting dot. The magnetic field dependence of the dot levels leads to a global shift of the Fano lines which becomes important for small ring/dot area ratios. As the magnetic field is varied the Fano dips move periodically from one side of the peak to the other, as reported by Kobayashi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 256806 (2002)]. We show that this effect appears due to a specific magnetic control of the difference between the phase of the single nonresonant path via the free arm of the ring and the global phase of all trajectories involving resonant tunnelings through the dot.

In this article the obtaining and characterization of a mixture of copper sulfide (CuS, Cu9S, CuS2) is presented. The characterization was made by IR Spectroscopy, X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The sulfide mixture represents an aggregate of small particles with an average diameter of 20-30 nm and particles with the diameter of about 500 nm. The smaller particles have the cuboidal morphology and correspond to CuS2; the bigger ones have the hexagonal morphology and correspond to CuS, and Cu9S8.

In this paper we present the experimental proofs that in KCl:In+ and KCl:Ga+ crystals, after non-standard electrolytical colouring, all impurity ions are converted in negative species and occupy anionic positions. The optical absorption and emission, electron paramagnetic resonance, thermal treatment in a flux of N-2 or H-2 and the electrons migration from negative metal species of coloured part to uncoloured part drived by an electric field, have been used as experimental methods for the demonstration of the conversion of In+ and Ga+-ions in negative exotic ions. The last two methods are very important for proving the existence of negative metal ions in crystals. The first one was improved by our team in [1], and the second one reported here for the first time, was used as an indubitable test for the evidence of In and Ga negative metal ions in anionic sites, in electrolytical coloured samples.

Exchange-coupled Fe/FeSn2(001) bilayer systems consisting of a polycrystalline ferromagnetic Fe layer grown on an epitaxial antiferromagnetic FeSn2 layer have been prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and investigated by Fe-57 conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. The systems show a significant exchange bias effect at low temperatures. Tracer layers of Fe-57 (in the Fe layer) and (FeSn2)-Fe-57 (in the FeSn2 layer) have been placed in the samples in order to probe the spontaneous spin orientation at different distances from the Fe/FeSn2 interface. The Fe spins in the ferromagnetic layer are preferentially oriented in the interfacial plane. In as-prepared samples the presence of the Fe top layer induces a striking out-of-plane component of the interfacial Fe spins in the antiferromagnetic FeSn2 film. This perpendicular component decreases in magnitude at a larger distance from the interface. A reorientation transition from out-of-plane toward in-plane spin orientation was observed in the interfacial FeSn2 layer with increasing age of the sample. This effect is correlated with an increased magnitude of the exchange bias field for the aged samples.

Multiharmonic ac-magnetic susceptibility chi(1) chi(2), chi(3), of neutron irradiated Li-doped YBa2CU3O7-x, has revealed a nonmonotonic dependence of all harmonics on the neutron fluence. The irradiation has a strongly depressive influence on the intergrain connection suggesting an increase of the effective thickness of the intergranular Josephson junction at a neutron fluence of 0.98 x 10(17) cm(-2). Less damaged are the intragrain properties. A spectacular enhancement of the superconducting intragranular properties reflected in the characteristics of all harmonics was observed at highest fluence phi = 9.98 X 10(17) cm(-2). We assume that this effect results from the development of a space inhomogeneous distribution with alternating defectless and defect-rich regions.

The sintering-sublimation technics was conceived for increasing the reliability of the photoconductive devices, by decreasing the concentration of mobiles donors, which are utilised for photoconductive material sensibilisation. The technics combines three different technics: the vapor phase deposition; the vacuum vaporising; the ceramic sinterisation. This special technics gives stoichiometric layers. The technics avoids dissociation (the flash sublimation technic), sublimates the compounds from two different sources, on heated support, or sublimates the compound, with Cd excess. It was investigated, by mass spectrometry and optical absorption studies, the presence, in gaseous state, of the A(II)B(VI) molecules. The condensation on the substrate of the vapors is difficult because the Cd, Zn and Hg elements have difficulties in the condensation process. The Frenkel model, of the condensation, can be successfully used for describing the process. This model uses the observations concerning the difficulty of the condensation on supports of those elements, at higher temperatures than 90 - 195 K. It is supposed that the support surface is a potential surface, with holes and potential walls, whose dimensions can not overcome the interatomic distances, for polished surfaces.

The structure of a glassy sample of Ge30As4S66 has been measured by means of synchrotron radiation. X - ray diffraction data were processed and the atomo-electronic radial function (AERDF) was calculated. The high resolution AERDF curve allowed for an accurate determination of the first order distances between the atoms and the coordination numbers. A model of spatial structure, based on the concept of raft configuration was tested. An other model of the structure based on the continuous random network concept (CRN) was tried. The general conclusion drawn from this study supports the idea that raft and disordered configurations interlinked so that the dangling bonds in the structure be minimized, is the best model for such type of glass.

Detailed stiffness and internal friction (Q(-1)) versus temperature curves were obtained for liquid-phase-sintered silicon carbides using advanced resonant beam analysis up to 1400 degrees C. As-sintered materials display a stable Q(-1)-peak near 1100 degrees C, superimposed on an increasing background. The change of stiffness associated with the damping peak is quantitatively related to the amount of matter in pockets of the amorphous intergranular phase in which the refractory SiC matrix grains are embedded. The successful removal of the amorphous pockets by annealing at 1900 degrees C is deduced from the disappearance of the damping peak and confirmed with transmission electron microscopy.