Artículos SCI

Previous studies have indicated that long-chain linear carboxylic acids form commensurate packed crystalline monolayers on graphite even at temperatures above their melting point. This study examines the effect on the monolayer formation and structure of adding one or more secondary hydroxyl, functional groups to the stearic acid skeleton (namely, 12-hydroxystearic and 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid). Moreover, a comparative study of the monolayer formation on recompressed and monocrystalline graphite has been performed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), respectively. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and XRD data were used to confirm the formation of solid monolayers and XRD data have provided a detailed structural analysis of the monolayers in good correspondence with obtained STM images. DSC and XRD have demonstrated that, in stearic acid and 12-hydroxystearic acid adsorbed onto graphite, the monolayer melted at a higher temperature than the bulk form of the carboxylic acid. However, no difference was observed between the melting point of the monolayer and the bulk form for 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid adsorbed onto graphite. STM results indicated that all acids on the surface have a rectangular p2 monolayer structure, whose lattice parameters were uniaxially commensurate on the a-axis. This structure does not correlate with the initial structure of the pure compounds after dissolving, but it is conditioned to favor a) hydrogen bond formation between the carboxylic groups and b) formation of hydrogen bonds between secondary hydroxyl groups, if spatially permissible. Therefore, the presence of hydroxyl functional groups affects the secondary structure and behavior of stearic acid in the monolayer.

Highly oriented CrO₂ thin films have been heteroepitaxially grown on TiO₂ rutile (110), (100) and (001) single crystalline substrates, by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition from CrO₃ as precursor and flowing oxygen as carrier gas, under a pressure of 67 Pa. The experimental conditions were fine tuned by depositing on polycrystalline Ti foils, to improve the purity of the films and the deposition rate. A maximum deposition rate of 175 nm h^− 1 was obtained.

The composition and texture of films, up to 2 μm thick, have been determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Micro Raman, while their microstructure has been examined by Scanning Electron Microcopy and Atomic Force Microscopy, and their magnetic behavior has been tested by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. These techniques reveal that the phase purity, texture, microstructure and thickness of these films are dependent on the crystalline face of the rutile substrate and the deposition temperature. Thus, microscopy techniques, XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirm that highly textured CrO₂ films were always obtained on the three rutile substrate faces when deposition temperature ranges between 616 K and 636 K. But these techniques also show that CrO₂ films are unpurified with inclusions or patches of Cr₂O₃, for the most of the substrates and especially at high deposition temperatures. Magnetic measurements conclusively demonstrate that pure CrO₂ films are only obtained when TiO₂ (110) is used as a substrate.