National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Curcumin (CR) is a natural antioxidant compound extracted from Curcuma longa (turmeric). Until now, researches related to the incorporation of CR into layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were focused only on hybrid structures based on a MgxAl-LDH matrix. Our studies were extended towards the incorporation of CR in another type of LDH-matrix (Zn3Al-LDH) which could have an even more prolific effect on the antioxidant activity due to the presence of Zn. Four CR-modified Zn3Al-LDH solids were synthesized, e.g., PZn3Al-CR(Aq), PZn3Al-CR(Et), RZn3Al-CR(Aq) and RZn3Al-CR(Et) (molar ratio CR/Al = 1/10, where P and R stand for the preparation method (P = precipitation, R = reconstruction), while (Aq) and (Et) indicate the type of CR solution, aqueous or ethanolic, respectively). The samples were characterized by XRD, Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transformed IR (ATR-FTIR) and diffuse reflectance (DR)-UV-Vis techniques and the CR-release was investigated in buffer solutions at different pH values (1, 2, 5, 7 and 8). XRD results indicated a layered structure for PZn3Al-CR(Aq), PZn3Al-CR(Et), RZn3Al-CR(Aq) impurified with ZnO, while RZn3Al-CR(Et) contained ZnO nano-particles as the main crystalline phase. For all samples, CR-release revealed a decreasing tendency towards the pH increase, and higher values were obtained for RZn3Al-CR(Et) and PZn3Al-CR(Et) (e.g., 45% and 25%, respectively at pH 1).

The molecular structure of the 8-hydroxyquinoline-bis (2-phenylpyridyl) iridium (IrQ(ppy)(2)) dual emitter organometallic compound is determined based on detailed 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), to identify metal-ligands coordination, isomerization and chemical yield of the desired compound. Meanwhile, the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) was used to determine the interatomic distances around the iridium ion. From the NMR results, this compound IrQ(ppy)(2) exhibits a trans isomerization with a distribution of coordinated N-atoms in a similar way to facial Ir(ppy)(3). The EXAFS measurements confirm the structural model of the IrQ(ppy)(2) compound where the oxygen atoms from the quinoline ligands induce the splitting of the next-nearest neighboring C in the second shell of the Ir3+ ions. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), as a part of the detailed molecular analysis, confirms the purity of the desired IrQ(ppy)(2) organometallic compound as being more than 95%, together with the progress of the chemical reactions towards the final compound. The theoretical model of the IrQ(ppy)(2), concerning the expected bond lengths, is compared with the structural model from the EXAFS and XRD measurements.

Superconductors are key materials for shielding quasi-static magnetic fields. In this work, we investigated the shielding properties of an MgB2 cup-shaped shield with small aspect-ratio of height/outer radius. Shape and aspect-ratio were chosen in order to address practical requirements of both high shielding factors (SFs) and space-saving solutions. To obtain large critical current densities (J(c)), which are crucial for achieving high magnetic-mitigation performance, a high-purity starting MgB2 powder was selected. Then, processing of the starting MgB2 powder into high density bulks was performed by spark plasma sintering. The as-obtained material is fully machinable and was shaped into a cup-shield. Assessment of the material by scaling of the pinning force showed a non-trivial pinning behaviour. The MgB2 powder selection was decisive in enlarging the range of external fields where efficient shielding occurs. The shield's properties were measured in both axial- and transverse-field configurations using Hall probes. Despite a height/outer radius aspect ratio of 2.2, shielding factors higher than 10(4) at T = 20 K up to a threshold field of 1.8 T were measured in axial-field geometry at a distance of 1 mm from the closed extremity of the cup, while SFs > 10(2) occurred in the inner half of the cup. As expected, this threshold field decreased with increased temperature, but SFs still exceeding the above mentioned values were found up to 0.35 T at 35 K. The shield's shape limits the SF values achievable in transverse-field configuration. Nevertheless, the in-field J(c) of the sample supported SFs over 40 at T = 20 K up to a field of 0.8 T, 1 mm away from the cup closure.

Over the last decades, zinc oxide nanostructures (NSs) have been studied due to outstanding chemical and physical properties, able to serve a plethora of applications. The growth of NSs on different substrates coated with ITO film allow their direct implementation in various micro-/nano-devices. The microwave-assisted hydrothermal method is a new hybrid approach used for synthesis of oxide NSs due to unique advantages in energy efficiency/high reaction rate and possibility of obtaining different morphologies with size and shape-controlled, which are relevant for some applications. In this paper, we present a simple one step synthesis of ZnO 1D and 2D NSs with homogeneous distribution and orientation perpendicular to substrates covered with ITO film, using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. The effect of seed layer treatment on the structure, morphology and optical properties of the obtained NSs have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV/VIS/NIR and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The obtained ZnO NSs with 1D and 2D morphologies show high visible transmittance between 80-90 % and band gap energy values between 3.27 and 3.22 eV. The I-V curves and photoluminescence spectra indicate good ohmic contacts on both sides (ITO and Au-top electrodes) and highlight the effect of the thermal treatment of seed layer on the photoluminescence emission and electrical conductivity of the obtained NSs.

The structural investigations of SrFe11.9In0.1O19 compound synthesized by solid-state method have been carried by neutron diffraction method in a wide temperature range. The appearace of spontaneous polarization that coexists with ferrimagnetic ordering has been found out at room temperature in strontium hexaferrite partially substituted with In ions. In order to explaine the presence of ferroelectric properties in SrFe11.9In0.1O19 compound, its crystal structure has been refined within the framework of both centrosymmetric P6(3)/mmc (No. 194) and non-centrosymmetric P6(3)mc (No. 186) space groups. The analysis of refinement results allows to understand microscopic mechanism of appearance ferroelectric properties in strontium hexaferrites.

In this work, the effect of aliovalent substitution of Pb2+ by Eu3+ on structural, morphological and optical properties of CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI(3)) was studied, aiming to improve the properties of perovskite films used in solar cells application. The surface morphology, the microstructure and the optical properties of the obtained films containing different Europium (Eu) concentrations were characterized by atomic force microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy.

EIS and XPS investigations on the interaction of hemin with p- and n-doped GaAs(100) electrodes in PBS solution revealed significant differences concerning both the adsorbed species and the mechanism of the redox process caused by dopant nature. XPS data show that hemin is adsorbed on p-GaAs(100) by its carboxyl groups and adopts a vertical position favorable to a polymeric film formation whereas on n-GaAs(100), the adsorbed hemin is monomeric and has a rather planar configuration involving mainly the OH groups of the organic molecule. Hemin gives rise to a reversible redox process at the p-GaAs(100) electrode whereas at n-GaAs(100), there is only one reduction wave of a considerably lower current density appearing at a more negative potential. The effects of the applied potential on the phase angle measured at p-GaAs(100) point out major changes not only in the insulating properties of the adsorbed layer, as found at n-GaAs(100), but also in the electronic properties of the semiconductor triggered by the hemin redox process. Analysis of the experimental data points to a mechanism of charge transfer through surface states, the observed differences being related to the location of the surface states with respect to the formal potential of the hemin redox couple.

Bovine hydroxyapatite (BHA) and BHA blended with clinoptilolite (CLIN) and alumina (Al2O3) coatings were synthesized using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with a KrF* excimer laser source (lambda = 248 nm, tau(FWHM) <= 25 ns). Physical-chemical characteristics and the potential use of coatings for preventing bacteria adhesion and biofilm formation were investigated. Optimized PLD conditions were selected for coatings with rough morphologies, suitable for good cell adhesion and implant anchorage and good replication of the source target composition. The crystallinity of composite coatings was progressively decreasing with the augment of the Al2O3 and CLIN contents, which in turn can facilitate an efficacious release of active components. Al2O3- and CLIN-containing coatings exhibited high cytocompatibility and specific antibiofilm profiles, preventing the initiation and maturation of bacterial biofilms. Optimum biological activity profiles associated with the use of sustainable and/or inexpensive materials are, in our opinion, of key importance for the future development of performant implant coatings, which should he perfectly compatible with the surrounding tissue while preventing postsurgical endogenous or nosocomial infections.

Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST) ferroelectric thick films were grown on MgO(001) and Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) single-crystal substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition method. Structural, morphological, optical, and terahertz characterization of the BST films were performed by X-ray Diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE), and Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS). Single-phase samples with strong preferred (1 1 1) orientation and surface roughness lower than 1.5% of their thicknesses have been obtained for both types of substrates. SE was employed to extract the thickness and optical properties by using a 3-layer optical model (substrate/thin film/roughness). The inferred refractive index @630 nm is around 2.05, while the optical interference is visible until 3.3 eV. The THz-TDS measurements in transmission set-up were carried out one after the other on substrates before and after the BST film deposition. The standard THz-TDS analysis of double-layer samples proved difficult to complete in the cases in which a thin or thick film is deposited on a much thicker substrate of known dielectric properties. However, we have been able to extract the complex dielectric permittivity in the THz domain for BST samples with thicknesses of few microns, by developing a specific procedure of data analysis.

A complex investigation of the morpho-structural, magnetic, magneto-optical and magneto-transport properties of amorphous Fe-Gd thin films crossing the magnetization compensation point is reported and the unexpected observed magneto-functionalities are discussed. A tendency of magnetic domain formation with increasing the Fe content over the compensation concentration is observed. The switch from a reversed Magneto-optical Kerr Effect loop to a direct loop when increasing the Fe content over the compensation point is explained via the specific contribution to the rotation of the polarization vector from each magnetic sublattice, belonging to Fe and Gd, respectively. Local atomic configurations and magnetic interactions ascertained the amorphous character and revealed an out-ofplane orientation of the magnetic moment of Fe above the compensation point. The thermomagnetic curves prove a concentration dependent behavior, explained by weakly coupled magnetization relaxation processes of the two magnetic sub-lattices. On the other hand, the magnetic hysteresis loops gave evidence of two exchange coupled magnetic phases with different coercive fields. According to structural and Fe-57 Mossbauer Spectroscopy results, the two phases correspond to definite nanosized volumes of two different average concentrations (one of them closer to the compensation point) which are randomly distributed in the film. The unexpected single step-like behavior of the magneto-resistivity curves was explained by dissimilar switching of the spins in these two magnetic phases distributed in nano-sized volumes.