Scientific Papers in SCI

We describe a wet chemical method for the synthesis of uniform and well-dispersed dysprosium vanadate (DyVO4) and holmium vanadate (HoVO4) nanoparticles with an almost spherical shape and a mean size of ∼60 nm and their functionalization with poly(acrylic acid). The transverse magnetic relaxivity of both systems at 9.4 T is analyzed on the basis of magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements in order to evaluate their potential for application as high-field MRI contrast agents. In addition, the X-ray attenuation properties of these systems are also studied to determine their capabilities as computed tomography contrast agent. Finally, the colloidal stability under physiological pH conditions and the cytotoxicity of the functionalized NPs are also addressed to assess their suitability for bioimaging applications.

The complex electron–phonon interaction occurring in bulk lead halide perovskites gives rise to anomalous temperature dependences, like the widening of the electronic band gap as temperature increases. However, possible confinement effects on the electron–phonon coupling in the nanocrystalline version of these materials remain unexplored. Herein, we study the temperature (ranging from 80 K to ambient) and hydrostatic pressure (from atmospheric to 0.6 GPa) dependence of the photoluminescence of ligand-free methylammonium lead triiodide nanocrystals with controlled sizes embedded in a porous silica matrix. This analysis allowed us to disentangle the effects of thermal expansion and electron–phonon interaction. As the crystallite size decreases, the electron–phonon contribution to the gap renormalization gains in importance. We provide a plausible explanation for this observation in terms of quantum confinement effects, showing that neither thermal expansion nor electron–phonon coupling effects may be disregarded when analyzing the temperature dependence of the optoelectronic properties of perovskite lead halide nanocrystals.

ZnWO4 based powder photocatalyst have been successfully prepared by calcining a co-precipitated precursor (ZnWO) obtained from aqueous Zn2+ and WO4 2− solutions at pH = 7, without surfactants addition. The as-formed sample was characterized by XRD, N2-absorption, SEM, TEM, DRS and XPS. Both techniques, XRD and XPS results showed that prepared sample corresponds to a crystalline, Zn-enriched composition, ZnWO4 indicating the formation of a ZnWO4-(ZnO) composite, whit ca. 10 wt.-% of ZnO confirmed by XRF analysis. Photocatalytic activities towards degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), Methyl Orange (MO) and Phenol, under UV-illumination, was investigated not only by monitoring the percentages of conversion of substrates, but also by estimating the corresponding percentages of mineralization that accompany the photocatalytic process. Comparative substrateconversion rates estimated per surface area unit of catalyst, showed that the activity for ZnWO4-(ZnO) composite is similar to that for TiO2(P25), at least for MO and RhB, and even higher that for TiO2(P25) in respect to phenol conversion. By adding TEA to the synthesis procedure, a composite named as ZnWO4-ZnO-(pH = 10)-600 is generated, which has a higher proportion of ZnO (ca. 39 %) and superior specific surface area than the so-called ZnWO4-(ZnO) sample. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation of MO using the former material indicates that it is superior to ZnWO4-(ZnO) and even that TiO2(P25) itself under the same operational conditions. 

The use of liquid metal as an alternative to cover the plasma-exposed areas of fusion reactors has called for the development of substrates where refilling and metal spreading occur readily and at reasonably low temperatures. In the search for common materials for this purpose, we show that nanostructured tungsten coatings deposited on stainless steel (SS) by magnetron sputtering at oblique angles (MS-OAD) is a good option, provided that the surface microstructure of substrate is properly engineered. Tungsten thin films with nominal thicknesses of 500 and 2500 nm were deposited onto SS plates subjected to conventional surface finishing treatments (sand blasting, sand paper abrasion and electrochemical polishing) to modify the surface topography and induce the appearance of different groove patterns. In the first part of this work we show how the topographical features of the SS substrates affect the typical nanocolumnar microstructure of OAD thin films of tungsten. Subsequently, we characterize the spreading behavior of liquid lithium onto these tungsten nanocolumnar surfaces and critically discuss whether nanocolumnar tungsten thin films are a suitable option for the wetting and spreading of molten lithium. As a result, we reveal that the features of the tungsten nanocolumnar coating, characterized by a given height and void spaces between nanocolumns in the order of 1–2 μm, is critical for the spreading of molten lithium, while the existence of wider channels affects it very weakly. Moreover, it is shown that tungsten films deposited by MS-OAD on SS substrates subjected to conventional finishing procedures represent a good alternative to other more complex surface engineering procedures utilized for this purpose.