Scientific Papers in SCI

In this study, an investigation about the oxygen sensing properties of lanthanum orthoferrite (LaFeO3) ceramics is reported. LaFeO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by using tartaric sol-gel route and annealed in air at different temperatures (500, 700 and 900 degrees C). The samples have been characterized by using thermal analysis (TA), BET surface area and porosity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results of sensing tests indicate that LaFeO3 nanoparticles exhibit good response to oxygen at mild temperatures (300-450 degrees C). The effect of annealing temperature on gas sensing performance was investigated, demonstrating that LaFeO3 ceramics obtained after annealing at 500 degrees C display better characteristics with respect to others. The oxygen sensor developed shows also high stability in humid environment and excellent selectivity to oxygen over other interfering gases such as CO, NO2, CO2, H-2 and ethanol.

Mesoporous silica particles of type MCM-41 (Mobile Composition of Matter No. 41), exhibiting highly ordered mesoporosity (pores with diameter between 2 and 50 nm) and surface roughness, are developed and used as a functional coating on bioactive glass-based scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The degradability and the mesostructure stability of these novel MCM-41 particles were evaluated. The particles are immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for up to 28 days at 37 degrees C, and the variation of the ordered porosity, surface characteristics, and chemical composition of the particles are assessed by SEM-EDX, HRTEM, FTIR, ICP-OES, and pH measurements. The results indicate that the MCM-41 particles are affected by immersion in SBF only during the first few days; however, the surface and the mesopore structure of the particles do not change further with increasing time in SBF. The pore channel diameter increased slightly, confirming the stability of the developed material. The release of dissolved Si-species, which reached a maximum of 260 mg SiO2 per gram of material, could play a key role in gene activation of osteoblast cells and in inducing new bone matrix formation. 

A series of gold-palladium catalysts supported in a mesoporous surface functionalized silica SBA-15 was studied for H2O2 direct synthesis. Support functionalization was performed using different organic groups (namely-SO3H, -NH2 and-SH) while metal was then supported by an ion exchanged method. Different Au-Pd/SBA-15 catalysts were tested in the Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide (DSHP). Organic functional groups (-SH, -SO3H and-NH2) with acid-base properties acted as anchoring sites controlling both the dispersion of the metallic active phase and the chemical state of gold and palladium species as Au+ and Pd2+, respectively. Compared to a Au-Pd/SBA-15 system prepared by incipient wetness impregnation over non-functionalized SBA-15, catalytic performance is improved upon functionalization, increasing hydrogen peroxide rate in sulfonic-SBA-15 systems and reducing the hydrogenation/decomposition activity by adding amine groups. The occurrence of amine groups clearly suppresses the support microporosity and probably condition the metal cluster size. The analysis of particle size by TEM showed that sulfonated samples lead to a Pd size compromise which improves the H2O2 production hindering the competitive side reactions, particularly suppressed by the presence of amine groups.

Biomorphic Silicon Carbide (bioSiC) has been recently introduced in the scope of porous ceramic substrates for hot gas filtration applications, where it has demonstrated to have good thermal and mechanical properties, and a high potential to meet the requirements for current Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF). In this experimental study, a small wall-flow bioSiC diesel filter was characterized using a soot generator, the particle size distribution of which being similar to the one generated by a diesel engine. The bioSiC samples were manufactured from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) following a general manufacturing procedure for bioSiC ceramics, but paying special attention in the mechanizing stage to the geometry and optimal design of the honeycomb structure required for diesel engine applications. The samples had a cell density of 57.59 cell/cm(2) (371.6 cpsi), a square cross section of 9.2 x 9.2 mm, and a length of 31 mm. To generate the particle laden stream and perform the filtration tests, a synthetic Soot Generator (SG) was used. Tests were performed under controlled and reproducible conditions, with a fixed gas flow rate of 5 LPM and a soot mass flow rate of 4 mg/h. The filtration efficiency was determined with the aid of a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) from the measurements of the particle concentration upstream and downstream the filter samples. During the soot loading process, the pressure drop was also monitored. The results show that, in the initial stage (clean filter), bioSiC wall-flow DPFs may have a filtration efficiency between 0.7 and 0.85 and a pressure drop of around 2 kPa for a normalized wall velocity of 0.01 m/s at ambient temperature. The filtration performance of wall-flow bioSiC particle filters showed in this work can help us to better understand their real potential for automotive applications. 

In this article we show for the first time the formation of magnetic supported organic nanowires (ONWs) driven by self-assembly of a nonplanar Fe(III) phthalocyanine chloride (FePcCl) molecule. The ONWs grow by a crystallization mechanism on roughness-tailored substrates. The growth methodology consists of a vapor deposition under low vacuum and mild temperature conditions. The structure, microstructure, and chemical composition of the FePcCl NWs are thoroughly elucidated and compared with those of Fe(II) phthalocyanine NWs by a consistent and complementary combination of advanced electron microscopies and X-ray spectroscopies. In a further step, we vertically align the NWs by conformal deposition of a SiO2 shell. Such orientation is critical to analyze the magnetic properties of the FePcCl and FePc supported NWs. A ferromagnetic behavior below 30 K with an easy axis perpendicular to the phthalocyanine plane was observed in the two cases with the FePcCl nanowires presenting a wider hysteresis. These results open the path to the fabrication of nanostructured one-dimensional small-molecule spintronic devices.

This work reports the Calcium-Looping (CaL) multicycle performance under energy storage and CO2 capture conditions of different Al-composites prepared by milling mixtures of nanoalumina and natural limestone powders. The micro-and nanostructure of the composites have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy as affected by the type of CaL conditions employed, either for energy storage in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants or for post-combustion CO2 capture. Two types of calcium aluminates are formed under these diverse CaL conditions. A calcium aluminate with ratio Ca/Al < 1 (Ca4Al6O13) is formed under CaL-CSP conditions, which helps stabilize the CaO microstructure and mitigate pore-plugging. On the other hand, a crystalline phase Ca3Al2O6 is formed (Ca/Al > 1) under CaL-CO2 capture conditions presumably due to the higher calcination temperature, which withdraws from the sorbent a relatively higher amount of active Ca. Moreover, the addition of nano-alumina, and the consequent generation of calcium aluminate, affects in a diverse way the microstructure and morphology of the CaO particles as depending on the CaL application, which critically modifies the performance of the composites.

In this work we investigate by in-situ near-ambient pressure photoemission (NAPP) spectroscopy the phenomenon of Electrochemical Promotion of Catalysis (EPOC). We studied the reduction and diffusion kinetics of alkaline ions in a solid electrolyte cell formed by a nickel electrode supported on K+-beta-alumina electrolyte. Experiments in ultra-high vacuum and in the presence of steam showed that the amount of potassium atoms supplied to the surface is probably affected by nickel electronic modifications induced by adsorbed OH- groups. It was also deduced that part of the segregated potassium would be adsorbed at inner interfaces where it would be inaccessible to the photoelectron analyzer. A migration mechanism of the promoter is proposed consisting in: (i) the electrochemical reduction of the alkali ions (potassium) at the Ni/solid electrolyte/gas interface; (ii) the spillover of potassium atoms onto the Ni gas-exposed surface; and (iii) the diffusion of potassium atoms to Ni inner grain boundary interfaces.

High temperature compressive creep of SiC-HfB2 UHTCs up to 2000 °C has been studied. Microstructural analysis after deformation reveals formation of new phases in the Hf-B-Si and Hf-B-Si-C systems, which are responsible for the poor creep resistance. RE oxide additions have a negative effect reducing the creep resistance of SiC-HfB2 UHTCs. A simplistic analysis for the required creep resistance is described, indicating that only SiC-HfB2 UHTCs could withstand re-entry conditions for 5 min in a single use. However, RE oxide addition to SiC-HfB2UHTCs does not provide the required creep resistance for them to be candidate materials for hypersonic applications.

There is still a need for active, selective and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel. In this work, magnesium-aluminium hydrotalcites with Mg/Al molar ratios within the 1.5-5 range were synthesized by coprecipitation and used as transesterification catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel. The mixed oxides obtained after calcination recovered the hydrotalcite structure in the form of meixnerite after rehydration in boiling water. The solids were characterized by XRD, TGA, N-2 adsorption-desorption, and SEM. Basic properties were assessed by means of Hammett indicators and CO2-TPD. Rehydrated materials with the highest Mg/Al ratios showed some distinctive features: low surface area, well defined flake-like crystals, high basicity and strong basic sites with H_ values above 11. They were also the most active catalysts allowing to achieve 51-75% sunflower oil methanolysis conversion after 8 h of reaction under mild conditions (60 degrees C, 1 atm), methanol/oil molar ratio of 12 using between 2 and 6 wt% of catalyst. The conversion increased up to 96% (92% fatty acid methyl esters yield) using 2 wt% catalyst and methanol/oil molar ratio of 48. Catalyst leaching was not a serious problem with these solids that could be reutilized maintaining very good activities. A general accordance between solids basic properties and their catalytic performance has been observed. These results are among the best reported in the literature for heterogeneous methanolysis catalysts and have been attributed to the high basicity of the rehydrated solids and the presence of strong and accessible basic sites probably consisting in interlayer hydroxide anions at the edges of the crystals.

Surface-fluorinated TiO2 materials with high {001} facet exposure were prepared by a simple and high-yield preparation procedure. Faceted/fluorinated samples showed a high photocatalytic performance not only in oxidation processes, tested in phenol and methyl orange degradation, but also in a reduction process as Cr(VI) photoreduction. Reaction rates for these materials greatly exceeded the ones obtained for materials prepared without fluorine addition and for commercial TiO2 Degussa (Evonik) P25 used as reference photocatalyst. A broad characterisation of the samples allowed us to estimate the percentages of different facets and the amount and form in which the fluorine is found on the surfaces. Good photocatalytic behaviour can be ascribed to both high {001} facet exposure and adsorbed fluorine on the photocatalysts surfaces.

A series of four Ni catalysts supported on SBA-15 and on a high SiO2 surface area have been prepared by modified impregnation (ImU) and deposition-precipitation (DP) methods. The catalysts have been extensively characterized, including in situ XAS (bulk sensitive) and XPS (surface sensitive) techniques, and their catalytic activities evaluated in the dry reforming reaction of methane (DRM). The combined use of XPS and XAS has allowed us to determine the location of nickel particles on each catalyst after reduction at high temperature (750 degrees C). Both Ni/SiO2-DP and Ni/SBA-15-DP catalysts yield well-dispersed and homogeneous metallic phases mainly located in the mesoporosity of both supports. On the contrary, the Ni/SiO2-ImU and Ni/SBA-15-ImU catalysts present a bimodal distribution of the reduced nickel phase, with nickel metallic particles located out and into the mesoporous structure of SiO2 or the SBA-15 channels. The Ni/SBA-15-DP catalyst was found the most stable and performing system, with a very low level of carbon deposition, about an order of magnitude lower than the equivalent ImU catalyst. This outstanding performance comes from the confinement of small and homogeneous nickel particles in the mesoporous channels of SBA-15, which, in strong interaction with the support, are resistant to sintering and coke deposition during the demanding reaction conditions of DRM.

Self-assembled monolayers of n-octadecylamine (ODA-SAMs) on mica have been prepared and studied by contact and jumping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). Adhesion and friction data show that the compactness of the monolayers spontaneously increases as they are allowed to ripen. Molecular packing can also be induced by the controlled mechanical perturbation exerted by the probe when getting into and out of contact intermittently. Under these conditions, defects and vacancies aggregate giving rise to detectable pinholes uniformly distributed in AFM images. Created pinhole density was found to decrease with ripening time, thus confirming the proposed spontaneous self-healing mechanism. Pinhole density is also suggested as a parameter characterizing the packing degree of ODA-SAMs, and it has been related to their tribological properties. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulations were used to corroborate the compatibility between the packing degree and the observed topography of ODA-SAMs on mica.

In this work, a novel amorphous-nanocrystalline titanium-niobium-manganese solid solution ternary alloy with a Ti-33Nb-4Mn (at.%) nominal composition was developed by a High-Energy Mechanical Alloying. Nb and Mn were added to the elemental Ti as a beta-phase (bcc) stabilizer and an amorphization promoter, respectively. The system evolved from the elemental Ti, Nb and Mn raw materials to a body centred cubic (bcc) TiNbMn alloy and, finally, to the formation of an original and stable face centred cubic (fcc) nanocrystalline TiNbMn alloy, not reported until now, at short milling time (20 h). This alloy remains invariant until 120 h. In turn, the partial amorphization of the system occurs and increases until at intermediate milling time (80 h). The production of both original fcc and the amorphous TiNbMn alloy may be beneficial for reducing the Young's modulus and improving the mechanical strength pursued for the Ti alloy. The optimal milling time respect to the amorphization, nanocrystalline size and Fe mount from milling media was 60 h and 80 h (TiNbMn60h and TiNbMn80h), with > 50 wt% of an amorphous phase and a crystalline domain size of approximately 5 nm.

This work reports about the performance of a Ni/Cu-modified screen printed electrodes (SPE/Ni/Cu), prepared by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in an oblique angle configuration (OAD), for non-enzymatic glucose sensing applications. SPE/Ni/Cu electrodes showed an excellent reversibility and a catalytic behavior for detection of glucose that were controlled by the diffusion of reactants up to the active sites at the electrode surface. The study with a flow injection analysis (FIA) setup of the main experimental variables affecting the detection process has shown that the developed electrode system had an excellent glucose sensitivity of 1.04AM(-1)cm(-2) (R-2:0.999), a linear response up to 1mM, a limit of detection of 0.33M and a time of analysis of ca. 30s per sample. The selectivity of the sensor was checked against various interferences, including ascorbic acid, uric acid, acetaminophen and other sugars, in all cases with excellent results. The feasibility of using this sensor for practical applications was successfully confirmed by determining the glucose concentration in different commercial beverages.

The effect of the morphology of Ir particles supported on.-Al2O3, 8 mol% Y2O3-stabilized -ZrO2 (YSZ), 10 mol%Gd2O3-doped CeO2 (GDC) and 80 wt%Al2O3-10 wt%CeO2-10 wt%ZrO2 (ACZ) on their stability on oxidative conditions, the associated metal-support interactions and activity for catalytic decomposition of N2O has been studied. Supports with intermediate or high oxygen ion lability (GDC and ACZ) effectively stabilized Ir nanoparticles against sintering, in striking contrast to supports offering negligible or low oxygen ion lability (gamma-Al2O3 and YSZ). Turnover frequency studies using size-controlled Ir particles showed strong structure sensitivity, de-N2O catalysis being favoured on large catalyst particles. Although metallic Ir showed some de-N2O activity, IrO2 was more active, possibly present as a superficial overlayer on the iridium particles under reaction conditions. Support-induced turnover rate modifications, resulted from an effective double layer [O delta--delta(+)](Ir) on the surface of iridium nanoparticles, via O2- backspillover from the support, were significant in the case of GDC and ACZ.

Biomorphic Silicon Carbide (bioSiC) is a novel porous ceramic material with excellent mechanical and thermal properties. Previous studies have demonstrated that it may be a good candidate for its use as particle filter media of exhaust gases at medium or high temperature. In order to determine the filtration efficiency of biomorphic Silicon Carbide, and its adequacy as substrate for diesel particulate filters, different bioSiC-samples have been tested in the flue gases of a diesel boiler. For this purpose, an experimental facility to extract a fraction of the boiler exhaust flow and filter it under controlled conditions has been designed and built. Several filter samples with different microstructures, obtained from different precursors, have been tested in this bench. The experimental campaign was focused on the measurement of the number and size of particles before and after placing the samples. Results show that the initial efficiency of filters made from natural precursors is severely determined by the cutting direction and associated microstructure. In biomorphic Silicon Carbide derived from radially cut wood, the initial efficiency of the filter is higher than 95%. Nevertheless, when the cut of the wood is axial, the efficiency depends on the pore size and the permeability, reaching in some cases values in the range 70–90%. In this case, the presence of macropores in some of the samples reduces their efficiency as particle traps. In continuous operation, the accumulation of particles within the porous media leads to the formation of a soot cake, which improves the efficiency except in the case when extra-large pores exist. For all the samples, after a few operation cycles, capture efficiency was higher than 95%. These experimental results show the potential for developing filters for diesel boilers based on biomorphic Silicon Carbide.

In this work we have developed an infiltration methodology to incorporate metal nanoparticles (NPs) of controlled size and shape into the open voids available in oblique angle deposited thin films. These NPs exhibited well-defined surface plasmon resonances (SPRs). The nanometric confined space provided by their porous microstructure has been used as a template for the growth of anisotropic NPs with interesting SPR properties. The fabrication methodology has been applied for the preparation of films with embedded Ag and Au NPs with two associated plasmon resonance features that developed a dichroic behaviour when examined with linearly polarized light. A confined alloying process was induced by near IR nanosecond laser irradiation yielding bimetallic NPs with SPR features covering a large zone of the electromagnetic spectrum. The possibilities of the method for the tailored fabrication of a wide range colour palette based on SPR features are highlighted.

Fiber bonded silicon carbide ceramic materials provide cost-advantage over traditional ceramic matrix composites and require fewer processing steps. Despite their interest in extreme environment thermostructural applications no data on long term mechanical reliability other than static fatigue is available for them. We studied the high temperature compressive strength and creep behavior of a fiber bonded SiC material obtained by hot-pressing of Si Ti-C-O fibers. The deformation mechanism and onset of plasticity was evaluated and compared with other commercial SiC materials. Up to 1400 degrees C, plasticity is very limited and any macroscopic deformation proceeds by crack formation and damage propagation. A transient viscous creep stage is observed due to flow in the silica matrix and once steady state is established, a stress exponent n similar to 4 and an activation energy Q similar to 700 kJ mol(-1) are found. These results are consistent with previous data on creep of polymer derived SiC fibers and polycrystals.

A new room-temperature method has been developed that yields, for the first time in the literature, uniform and well-dispersed CaWO4 nanospindles. This method is based on the use of microemulsions consisting of aqueous solutions of Ca2+ and WO42- precursors, cyclohexane as the organic medium, Triton X-100 as the surfactant, and n-octanol as the cosurfactant. We show that the formation of uniform nanospindles requires a restrictive set of experimental conditions. These particles crystallize into the tetragonal CaWO4 phase and emit blue-green luminescence when excited by UV radiation. The reported method is also useful for doping the CaWO4 spindles with Eu3+ or Dy3+ cations, resulting in multicolor emissions (red for Eu3+; white for Dy3+). The luminescence is much stronger when excited through a WO42--Ln(3+) (Ln = Eu or Dy) energy-transfer band than through the f-f transition bands of the Ln(3+) cations. Interestingly, because of the white luminescence associated with the Dy:CaWO4 nanophosphor, it might be useful for LED technologies. Luminescence dynamics and energy-transfer efficiency have been analyzed to determine the optimum phosphors. Finally, the Eu-doped CaWO4 nanospindles also showed excellent X-ray attenuation efficacy, which confers double functionality to this material as both a luminescence bioprobe and as a contrasting agent for X-ray computed-tomography.

The Calcium Looping (CaL) process, based on the carbonation/calcination of CaO, has been proposed as a feasible technology for Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. The CaL process usually employs limestone as CaO precursor for its very low cost, non-toxicity, abundance and wide geographical distribution. However, the multicycle activity of limestone derived CaO under relevant CaL conditions for TCES in CSP plants can be severely limited by pore plugging. In this work, the alternative use of calcium-rich steel and blast furnace slags after treatment with acetic acid is investigated. A main observation is that the calcination temperature to regenerate the CaO is significantly reduced as compared to limestone. Furthermore, the multicycle activity of some of the slags tested at relevant CaL conditions for TCES remains high and stable if the treated samples are subjected to filtration. This process serves to remove silica grains, which helps decrease the porosity of the CaO resulting from calcination in the mesoporous range thus mitigating pore plugging.

Two Zr-modified alumina supports were synthetized containing the same amount of Zr but a different distribution of this modifier over the alumina surface. These supports, together with the unmodified alumina carrier, were used to prepare three cobalt-based catalysts which were characterized and tested under relevant Fischer-Tropsch conditions. The three catalysts presented very similar porosity and cobalt dispersion. The addition of Zr nor its distribution enhanced the catalyst reducibility. The catalyst activity was superior when using a carrier consisting of large ZrO2 islands over the alumina surface. The use of a carrier with a homogeneous Zr distribution had however, a detrimental effect. Moreover, a faster initial deactivation rate was observed for the Zr-promoted catalysts, fact that may explain this contradictory effect of Zr on activity. Finally, the addition of Zr showed a clear enhancement of the selectivity to long chain hydrocarbons and ethylene, especially when Zr was well dispersed.

0D nanocomposites formed by small nanoparticles embedded in a second phase are very interesting systems which may show properties that are beyond those observed in the original constituents alone. One of the main parameters to understand the behavior of such nanocomposites is the determination of the separation between two adjacent nanoparticles, in other words, the thickness of the embedding phase. However, its experimental measurement is extremely complicated. Therefore, its evaluation is performed by an indirect approach using geometrical models. The ones typically used represent the nanoparticles by cubes or spheres. 
In this paper the used geometrical models are revised, and additional geometrical models based in other parallelohedra (hexagonal prism, rhombic and elongated dodecahedron and truncated octahedron) are presented. Additionally, a hybrid model that shows a transition between the spherical and tessellated models is proposed. Finally, the different approaches are tested on a set of titanium carbide/amorphous carbon (TiC/a-C) nanocomposite films to estimate the thickness of the a-C phase and explain the observed hardness properties. 

Swelling and dehydration under minor changes in temperature and water vapor pressure is an important property that clays and clay minerals exhibit. In particular, their interlayer space, the solid-water interface and the layers' collapse and re-expansion have received much attention because it affects to the dynamical properties of interlayer cations and thus the transfer and fate of water and pollutants. In this contribution, the dehydration and rehydration mechanism of a swelling high-charge mica family is examined by in situ X-ray Diffraction. The effect of the aluminosilicate layer charge and the physicochemical properties of the interlayer cations on these processes are analyzed. The results showed that the dehydration temperature and the number of steps involved in this process are related to the layer charge of the silicate and the physicochemical properties of the interlayer cations. Moreover, the ability to adsorb water molecules in a confined space with high electric field by the interlayer cations does not only depend on their hydration enthalpy but also on the electrostatic parameters of these cations.

The synthesis of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and 9,10,16-hydroxyhexadecanoic (aleuritic) acid ester-based bioplastics was investigated through acylation in a mixed anhydride (trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)/trifluoroacetic acid anhydride (TFAA)), chloroform co-solvent system. The effects of chemical interactions and the molar ratio of aleuritic acid to the anhydroglucose unit (AGU) of cellulose were investigated. The degree of substitution (DS) of new polymers were characterized by two-dimensional solution-state NMR and ranged from 0.51 to 2.60. The chemical analysis by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) confirmed the presence of aleuritate groups in the structure induces the formation of new H-bond networks. The tensile analysis and the contact angle measurement confirmed the ductile behavior and the hydrophobicity of the prepared bioplastics. By increasing the aleuritate amounts, the glass transition temperature decreased and the solubility of bioplastic films in most common solvents was improved. Furthermore, this new polymer exhibits similar properties compared to commercial cellulose derivatives.

Yttria tetragonal zirconia ceramic composites with 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 vol% nominal contents of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were fabricated and characterized. First, the GNP dispersion in isopropanol was optimized to de-agglomerate the GNPs without damaging their structure. Then, submicrometric fully dense composites were obtained via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1250 degrees C with a 5 min holding time. The processing routine produced a nearly homogeneous GNP dispersion in the ceramic matrix, and the GNPs preferential orientation was perpendicular to the sintering compression axis. A ceramic grain refinement due to the GNPs was also detected. The Vickers hardness measured on the plane perpendicular to the sintering compression axis (basal plane) was lower than on the cross sections. This anisotropy increased with the increasing GNP content, while the average hardness decreased. The electrical conductivity was also highly anisotropic, up to seven times higher for the basal planes. The electrical percolation threshold for these composites was estimated to be between 2.2 and 4.4 vol% of the GNP measured content.

BiFeO3 attracts considerable attention for its rich functional properties, including room temperature coexistence of magnetic order and ferroelectricity and more recently, the discovery of conduction pathways along ferroelectric domain walls. Here, insights into the defect chemistry and electrical properties of BiFeO3 are obtained by in situ measurements of electrical conductivity, sigma, and Seebeck coefficient, a, of undoped, cation-stoichiometric BiFeO3 and acceptor-doped Bi1-xCaxFeO3-delta ceramics as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure pO(2). Bi1-xCaxFeO3-delta exhibits p-type conduction; the dependencies of s and a on pO(2) show that Ca dopants are compensated mainly by oxygen vacancies. By contrast, undoped BiFeO3 shows a simultaneous increase of s and a with increasing pO(2), indicating intrinsic behavior with electrons and holes as the main defect species in almost equal concentrations. The pO(2)-dependency of s and a cannot be described by a single point defect model but instead, is quantitatively described by a combination of intrinsic and acceptor-doped characteristics attributable to parallel conduction pathways through undoped grains and defect-containing domain walls; both contribute to the total charge transport in BiFeO3. Based on this model, we discuss the charge transport mechanism and carrier mobilities of BiFeO3 and show that several previous experimental findings can readily be explained within the proposed model.

Clinical contrast agents (CAs) currently used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at low fields are less effective at high magnetic fields. The development of new CAs is mandatory to improve diagnostic capabilities of the new generation of high field MRI scanners. The purpose of this study is to synthesize uniform, water dispersible LnF3 (Ln = Ho, Dy) nanoparticles (NPs) and to evaluate their relaxivity at high magnetic field (9.4 T) as a function of size and composition. Two different types of HoF3 NPs are obtained by homogeneous precipitation in ethylene glycol at 120 °C. The use of holmium acetate as holmium precursor leads to rhombus-like nanoparticles, while smaller, ellipsoid-like nanoparticles are obtained when nitrate is used as the holmium salt. To explain this behavior, the mechanism of formation of both kinds of particles is analyzed in detail. Likewise, rhombus-like DyF3 nanoparticles are prepared following the same method as for the rhombus-like HoF3 nanoparticles. We have found, to the best of knowledge, the highest transverse relaxivity values at 9.4 T described in the literature for this kind of CAs. Finally, the LnF3 NPs have shown negligible cytotoxicity for C6 rat glioma cells for concentrations up to 0.1 mg mL−1.

Herein, we demonstrate a synthetic approach producing highly crystalline methylammonium lead bromide perovskite (MAPbBr3) microcubes at room temperature by injecting a perovskite precursor solution into an environmentally friendly antisolvent (isopropyl alcohol). Confirmed by X-ray and electron diffraction, as well as electron microscopy, these MAPbBr3 microcubes are single crystals and have perfect cubic structure, with sizes varying between 1 and 15 μm depending on the synthesis conditions. The stoichiometry of the MAPbBr3 crystal is proven by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Finally, optical analysis carried out by means of laser scanning confocal microscopy evidences how the crystalline quality of the microcubes translates into a homogeneous photoluminescence throughout the cube volume.