National Institute Of Materials Physics - Romania

Typically, organic multiferroic junctions (OMFJs) are formed of an organic ferroelectric layer sandwiched between two ferromagnetic electrodes. The main scientific interest in OMFJs focuses on the magnetoresistive properties of the magnetic spin valve combined with the electroresistive properties associated with the ferroelectric junction. In consequence, memristive properties that couple magnetoelectric functionalities, which are one of the most active fields of research in material sciences, are opening a large spectrum of technological applications from nonvolatile memory to elements in logic circuits, sensing devices, energy harvesting and biological synapsis models in the emerging area of neuromorphic computing. The realization of these multifunctional electronic elements using organic materials is presenting various advantages related to their low-cost, versatile synthesis and low power consumption functioning for sustainable electronics; green disintegration for transient electronics; and flexibility, light weight and/or biocompatibility for flexible electronics. The purpose of this review is to address the advancement of all OMFJs including not only the achievements in the charge and spin transport through OMFJs together with the effects of electroresistance and magnetoresistance but also the challenges and ways to overcome them for the most used materials for OMFJs.

The European Fusion Reactor (DEMO, Demonstration Power Plant) relies significantly on joining technologies in its design. Current research within the EUROfusion framework focuses on developing materials for the first wall and divertor applications, emphasizing the need for suitable joining processes, particularly for tungsten. The electric field-assisted sintering technique (FAST) emerges as a promising alternative due to its high current density, enabling rapid heating and cooling rates for fast sintering or joining. In this study, FAST was employed to join tungsten and EUROFERE97 steel, the chosen materials for the first wall, using 50-mu m-thick Cu foils as interlayers. Three distinct joining conditions were tested at 980 degrees C for 2, 5, and 9 min at 41.97 MPa to optimize joint properties and assess FAST parameters influence. Hardness measurements revealed values around 450 HV0.1 for tungsten, 100 HV0.1 for copper, and 390 HV0.1 for EUROFER97 under all joining conditions. Increasing bonding time improved joint continuity along the EUROFER97/Cu and W/Cu interfaces. Notably, the 5 min bonding time resulted in the highest shear strength, while the 9 min sample exhibited reduced strength, possibly due to Kirkendall porosity accumulation at the EUROFER97/Cu interface. This porosity facilitated crack initiation and propagation, diminishing interfacial adhesion properties.

In this study, we report on the development of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and samarium-doped hydroxyapatite (SmHAp) nanoparticles using a cost-effective method and their biological effects on a bone-derived cell line MC3T3-E1. The physicochemical and biological features of HAp and SmHAp nanoparticles are explored. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that no additional peaks were observed after the integration of samarium (Sm) ions into the HAp structure. Valuable information regarding the molecular structure and morphological features of nanoparticles were obtained by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The elemental composition obtained by using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of the HAp constituent elements, Ca, O, and P, as well as the presence and uniform distribution of Sm3+ ions. Both HAp and SmHAp nanoparticles demonstrated biocompatibility at concentrations below 25 mu g/mL and 50 mu g/mL, respectively, for up to 72 h of exposure. Cell membrane integrity was preserved following treatment with concentrations up to 100 mu g/mL HAp and 400 mu g/mL SmHAp, confirming the role of Sm3+ ions in enhancing the cytocompatibility of HAp. Furthermore, our findings reveal a positive, albeit limited, effect of SmHAp nanoparticles on the actin dynamics, osteogenesis, and cell migration compared to HAp nanoparticles. Importantly, the biological results highlight the potential role of Sm3+ ions in maintaining cellular balance by mitigating disruptions in Ca2+ homeostasis induced by HAp nanoparticles. Therefore, our study represents a significant contribution to the safety assessment of both HAp and SmHAp nanoparticles for biomedical applications focused on bone regeneration.

Curcumin, an important bioactive compound and natural photosensitizer, which exhibits various biological properties, was loaded into inorganic carriers MgAl/ZnAl layered double hydroxides (LDH). The supporting matrices were obtained by co-precipitation, and a surfactant was used for including the organic drug. The structural, morphological, and spectral properties of the obtained composites were followed by X-ray diffraction, FTIR, SEM, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy in solid state and in different solvents. The prepared formulations, the curcumin-loaded carriers, were introduced in alcohol-aqueous mixtures and the effect of solvent on the spectral properties of the formulations was investigated. Interactions between the keto-enol group of the pigment and the metals in LDHs laminates as well as inter-molecular bonds between alcohols and curcumin were evidenced. As a consequence, it was concluded that the composition of the carrier as well as the nature of the solvent determine the structural changes of the formulations. MgAl-LDH in powder has better spectral characteristics in the low-energy range (UV-Vis and fluorescence) than ZnAl-LDH. Their spectra are altered when methanol and water are present in the solvent mixture. The released curcumin concentration is in the range for photosensitization applications. The results have potential utilizations in many fields such as food, pharmaceutical, and biology.

Recently, a smart strategy for two-dimensional (2D) materials synthesis has emerged, namely space-confined chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Its extreme case is the microreactor method, in which the growth substrate is face-to-face stacked on the source substrate. In order to grow 2D transition metal dichalcogenides by this method, transition metal oxides, dispersed in very small amounts on the source substrate, are used as source materials in most of the published reports. In this paper, a colloidal dispersion of MoS2 in saline solution is used and MoS2 nanosheets with various shapes, sizes (between 5 and 60 mu m) and thicknesses (2-4 layers) have been synthesized. Small MoS2 flakes (regular or defective) are present on the surface of the nanosheets. Catalytic sites, undercoordinated atoms located at the edges of MoS2 flakes and nanosheets, are produced in a high number by a layer-plus-island (Stranski-Krastanov) growth mechanism. Several double-resonance Raman bands (at 147, 177, 187, 225, 247, 375 cm(-1)) are assignable to single phonon processes in which the excited electron is elastically scattered on a defect. The narrow 247 cm(-1) peak is identified as a topological defect-activated peak. These findings highlight the potential of defect engineering in material property optimization, particularly for solar water splitting applications.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is reversibly adsorbed on and desorbed from ferroelectric (001) oriented, BaO-terminated barium titanate. All processes are characterized in real time via photoelectron spectroscopy. Adsorption proceeds on different sites/geometries as a function of substrate temperature. Below room temperature, CO is adsorbed on surface Ba. At room temperature, adsorption proceeds on surface oxygen, whereas at high temperatures, "hollow" site adsorption occurs with carbon coordinated with three oxygens, one oxygen initially belonging to CO and two oxygens from the substrate. The amount of CO adsorbed is about one molecule for 10 surface unit cells, which is slightly increased at low temperatures. CO is desorbed if the substrate is heated above the Curie temperature, which is a sign of the definitory role of ferroelectric polarization. The BaTiO3(001) surface is unaffected by repeated cycles of adsorption-desorption.

The study of granularity in superconducting films by using AC susceptibility has a crucial role in the development of and improvement in the ReBCO-coated conductors, which are a constantly evolving reality in the modern power applications of superconductivity. Specifically, the study of the granularity is essential because the ReBCO superconducting wires and tapes are far from the regularity of a single crystal while they often present an inter- and intragranular contribution to the critical current density. On the other hand, the AC susceptibility is a key part of the characterization of a granular sample because this technique is very sensitive to the presence of granularity in the superconductors and, moreover, the study of its first harmonic allows for determining pivotal properties such as the pinning energy as well as the dissipation processes acting in the sample. The pinning energy values and the granularity of an YBCO thin film have been studied by means of AC susceptibility measurements as a function of the AC amplitude, temperature, and DC field. In particular, the first harmonic imaginary component of the AC susceptibility chi 1 '' related to the dissipation processes of the sample has been studied. First, starting from the Brandt approach, the critical current density J(c) and the pinning energy U of the sample have been extracted at 77 K by using the chi 1 '' measurements as a function of the AC amplitude at different AC frequencies and DC fields. From these measurements, a first signal of granularity appears. In order to confirm it, the temperature dependence of the chi 1 '' at different DC fields has been studied and a contribution deriving from the inter- and intragranular part of the sample has emerged. By taking the temperature corresponding to the crossover between the two contributions at the different DC fields, the intergranular and intragranular response has been separated. Successively, the temperature has been fixed to 77 K, together with an AC frequency equal to 1597.9 Hz, and the chi 1 '' as a function of the DC field at different AC amplitudes has been analyzed showing a clear presence of granularity in all the curves. By drawing the contour plot of the chi 1 '' with the DC and AC values, it was possible to determine the best parameters to put at 77 K in order to exploit the material for applications.

CuFeS2 is a prominent chalcogenide that possesses similar optical properties and a significantly lower cost, compared to gold. Additionally, covalent organic frameworks are a class of materials at the forefront of current research, mainly used as photoactive components and porous absorbers. Hence, in this work, hydrophilic CuFeS2 particles are coupled with multi-functional covalent organic frameworks through ionic bonding to produce a hybrid material with unique and optimized properties. To render the CuFeS2 particles negatively charged and dispersible in water, we coated them with sodium dodecyl sulfonate, shifting the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles from 472 to 492 nm. When they are electrostatically assembled with the positively charged COFs, an S-scheme is formed and the fluorescence of the hybrid materials is highly quenched, with the electron transfer happening from the networks to the nanoparticles and a simultaneous energy exchange which is dependent on the emission wavelength. Through detailed fluorescence spectroscopy, time-resolved measurements and Stern-Volmer analysis, we identified an efficient emission quenching that differs from the bulk to the exfoliated hybrid system, while detailed electron microscopy studies demonstrated the strong interaction between the two components. The quenching mechanisms and the on or off surface resonance dependent lifetime could be applied to photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications.