Blue-green and red photoluminescence in CaTiO3 : Sm

Blue-green and red photoluminescence (PL) emission in structurally disordered CaTiO3:Sm (CT:Sm) powders was observed at room temperature with laser excitation at 350.7 nm. The perovskite-like titanate CT:Sm powders prepared by a soft chemical processing at different temperatures of annealing were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). The results indicate that the generation of the broad PL band is related to order-disorder degree in the perovskitelike structure. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low temperature annealing of amorphous gallium arsenide films

This work reports the changes in the optical properties produced by annealing of amorphous GaAs at temperatures smaller than or just sufficient to produce crystallization of the material. The films were grown by the flash evaporation technique on glass substrates at room temperature. Optical and structural changes of our samples were monitored through photothermal deflection spectroscopy, optical transmittance and reflectance and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structural results from XRD detected no crystallization of the films for temperatures up to 240 degreesC. We have observed consistent changes in the optical gap and Urbach energy of the annealed film. The optical gap increases with increasing annealing temperature from 1.17 to 1.32 eV. The Urbach energy decrease from 120 meV (as-grown film) to 105 meV (anneal at 200 degreesC). We propose that these changes are due to a diminution of the tail state defects and/or the relaxation of strained bonds. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Low temperature synthesis and electrical properties of PbTiO3 thin films prepared by the polymeric precursor method

Ferroelectric PbTiO3 thin films were successfully prepared on a Pt(111)Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate for the first time by spin coating, using the polymeric precursor method. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that they are polycrystalline in nature. This method allows low temperature (500 degrees C) synthesis and high electrical properties. The multilayer PbTiO3 thin films were granular in structure with a grain size of approximately 110-120 nm. A 380-nm-thick film was obtained by carrying out four cycles of the spin-coating/heating process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses showed the surface of these thin films to be smooth, dense and crack-free with low surface roughness (=3.4 nm). At room temperature and at a frequency of 100 kHz, the dielectric constant and the dissipation factor were, respectively, 570 and 0.016. The C-V characteristics of perovskite thin film prepared at low temperature show normal ferrolectric behavior. The remanent polarization and coercive field for the films deposited were 13.62 mu C/cm(2) and 121.43 kV/cm, respectively. The high electrical property values are attributed to the excellent microstrutural quality and chemical homogeneity of thin films obtained by the polymeric precursor method. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. S.A. All rights reserved.

Photoluminescent property of mechanically milled BaWO4 powder

Crystalline BaWO4 (BWO) powder obtained by the polymeric precursor method was structurally disordered by means of high-energy mechanical milling. For the first time a strong and broad photoluminescence (PL) has been measured at room temperature for mechanically milled BWO powder and interpreted by ground-state quantum mechanical calculations in the density functional theory framework. Two periodic models have been studied; one representing the crystalline form and the other one representing the disordered BWO powder. These models allowed the calculation of electronic properties, which are consistent with the experimental results, showing that structural disorder in the lattice is an important condition to generate an intense and broad PL band. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ferroelectric materials with photoluminescent properties

Amorphous LiNbO3 thin films processed by polymeric precursor method exhibited efficient luminescence at room temperature. The films were deposited on silicon substrates and treated at 200degreesC for different times. The photoluminescence emission yield decreases with the increase of the treatment time and disappears for crystalline films. A theoretical-experimental study was performed on amorphous and crystalline materials to understand the influence of the defects on the photoluminescence properties. The theoretical band gap obtained by the difference of energy between the HOMO and LUMO levels is larger for crystalline structure when compared with amorphous material. This result, which is in agreement with experimental band gaps obtained from optical measurements, revealed the emergence of new electronic levels for the amorphous material, which are localized in the wide band gap of the crystalline structure. These new electronic levels may explain the photoluminescence observed at room temperature for LiNbO3 amorphous films.

Microstructure and electrical properties of perovskite (Pb, La)TiO3 thin film deposited at low temperature by the polymeric precursor method

High-quality (Pb, La)TiO3 ferroelectric thin films were successfully prepared on a Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrate for the first time by spin coating, using the polymeric precursor method. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the films are polycrystalline in nature. This method allows for low temperature (500 degrees C) synthesis, a high quality microstructure and superior dielectric properties. The effects on the microstructure and electrical properties were studied by changing the La content. The films annealed at 500 degreesC have a single perovskite phase with only a tetragonal or pseudocubic structure. As the La content is increased, the dielectric constant of PLT thin films increases from 570 up to 1138 at room temperature. The C-V and P-E characteristics of perovskite thin films prepared at a low temperature show normal ferroelectric behavior, representing the ferroelectric switching property. The remanent polarization and coercive field of the films deposited decreased due to the transformation from the ferroelectric to the paraelectric phase with an increased La content. (C) 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Photoluminescence in amorphous (PbLa)TiO3 thin films deposited on different substrates

Pb1-XLaXTiO3 thin films, (X = 0.0; 13 and 0.27 mol%) were prepared by the polymeric precursor method. Thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (1 1 1), Si (1 0 0) and glass substrates by spin coating, and annealed in the 200-300degreesC range in an O-2 atmosphere. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used for the microstructural characterization of the thin films. Photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature has been observed in thin films of (PbLa)TiO3. The films deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates present PL intensity greater than those deposited on glass and silicon substrates. The intensity of PL in these thin films was found to be dependent on the thermal treatment and lanthanum molar concentration. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Photoluminescent behavior of BaWO4 powders processed in microwave-hydrothermal

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Europium(III) Concentration Effect on the Spectroscopic and Photoluminescent Properties of BaMoO4:Eu

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influence of temperature on the release of plasminogen activator.

Fibrinolysis is a basic defense mechanism of the organism designed to control the deposition of fibrin in the vascular system and elsewhere. Fibrinolytic activity was measured by the fibrin plate method for three groups of rats (N = 6) that were maintained at room temperature, 20-25 degrees C, 3 degrees C or 38 degrees C for 4 h before testing. Based on measurement of fibrinolytic activity, the level of plasminogen activator released from isolated aortic segments of rats maintained at room temperature (24-28 degrees C) differed significantly from that of the 38 degrees C group. The animals maintained at 3 degrees C did not release plasminogen activator, suggesting that the fibrinolytic response was impaired at low temperature.

Investigation of temperature influence on photo-induced conductivity in n-type AlxGa1-xAs

We present conductance as function of temperature (G×T) under influence of monochromatic light in the range 0.5-1.5 μm for direct as well as indirect bandgap n-type AlxGa1-xAs. Results obtained below 60 K in indirect bandgap sample show the presence of another level of trapping, besides the DX centre, probably a X-valley effective mass state. In direct bandgap samples, these G×T curves show that above bandgap light increases conductivity to higher values than at room temperature and below bandgap light is not enough to avoid trapping. Photoconductivity spectra in indirect bandgap AlxGa1-xAs show that above ≅120 K, the absence of persistent photoconductivity contributes for a very clean spectrum. The mobility of AlxGa1-xAs is modelled considering dipole scattering. Data of transient decay of persistent photoconductivity is simulated using this approach.

White light emission of Eu3+-based hybrid xerogels

The luminescence spectra and extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements of a series of Eu3+-based organic/inorganic xerogels were reported and related to the local coordination of the lanthanide cations. The hybrid matrix of these organically modified silicates, classed as U(2000) ureasils, is a siliceous network to which short organic chains containing oxyethylene units are covalently grafted by means of urea bridges. The luminescent centers were incorporated as europium triflate, Eu(CF3SO3)3, and europium bromide, EuBr3, with concentrations 200≥n≥20 and n=80, 40, and 30, respectively - where n is the number of ether oxygens in the polymer chains per Eu3+ cation. EXAFS measurements were carried out in some of the U(2000)nEu(CF3SO3)3 xerogels (n=200, 80, 60, and 40). The obtained coordination numbers N ranging from 12.8, n=200, to 9.7, n=40, whereas the average Eu3+ first neighbors distance R is 2.48-2.49 Å. The emission spectra of these multiwavelength phosphors superpose a broad green-blue band to a series of yellow-red narrow 5D0→7F0-4 Eu3+ lines and to the eye the hybrids appeared to be white, even at room temperature. The ability to tune the emission of the xerogels to colors across the chromaticity diagram is achieved by changing the excitation wavelength and the amount of salt incorporated in the hybrid host. The local environment of Eu3+ is described as a continuous distribution of closely similar low-symmetry network sites. The cations are coordinated by the carbonyl groups of the urea moieties, water molecules, and, for U(2000)nEu(CF3SO3)3, by the SO3 end groups of the triflate anions. No spectral evidences have been found for the coordination by the ether oxygens of the polyether chains. A mean radius for the first coordination shell of Eu3+ is calculated on the basis of the emission energy assignments. The results obtained for U(2000)nEu(CF3SO3)3, 2.4 Å for 90 ≥n≥40 and 2.6 and 2.5 Å for n=30 and 20, respectively, are in good agreement with the values calculated from EXAFS measurements. The energy of the intraconfigurational charge-transfer transitions, the redshift of the 5D0→7F0 line, with respect to the value calculated for gaseous Eu3+, and the hypersensitive ratio between the 5D0→7F2 and 5D0→7F1 transitions, point out a rather low covalency nature of the Eu3+ first coordination shell in these xerogels, comparing to the case of analogous polymer electrolytes modified by europium bromide. ©1999 The American Physical Society.

Photoluminescence in amorphous (PbLa)TiO3 thin films deposited on different substrates

Pb1-xLaxTiO3 thin films, (X=0.0; 13 and 0.27mol%) were prepared by the polymeric precursor method. Thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(111), Si(100) and glass substrates by spin coating, and annealed in the 200-300°C range in an O2 atmosphere. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used for the microstructural characterization of the thin films. Photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature has been observed in thin films of (PbLa)TiO3. The films deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates present PL intensity greater than those deposited on glass and silicon substrates. The intensity of PL in these thin films was found to be dependent on the thermal treatment and lanthanum molar concentration. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Sol-Gel Erbium-Doped Silica-Hafnia Planar and Channel Waveguides

Erbium activated SiO2 -HfO2 planar waveguides, doped with Er3+ concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 4 mol%, were prepared by sol-gel method. The films were deposited on v-SiO2 and silica-on-silicon substrates using dip-coating technique. The waveguides show high densification degree, effective intermingling of the two film components, and uniform surface morphology. The waveguide deposited on silica-on-silicon substrates shows one single propagation mode at 1.5μm, with a confinement coefficient of 0.81 and an attenuation coefficient of 0.8 dB/cm at 632.8nm. Emission in the C-telecommunication band was observed at room temperature for all the samples upon continuouswave excitation at 980 nm or 514.5 nm. The shape of the emission band corresponding to the 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition is found to be almost independent both on erbium content and excitation wavelength, with a FWHM between 44 and 48 nm. The 4I13/2 level decay curves presented a single-exponential profile, with a lifetime ranging between 1.1 - 6.6 ms, depending on the erbium concentration. Infrared to visible upconversion luminescence upon continuous-wave excitation at 980 nm was observed for all the samples. Channel waveguide in rib configuration was obtained by etching the active film in order to have a well confined mode at 1.5 μm.

Effect of compatibilizer in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene toughened nylon 6 blends: Ductile-brittle transition temperature

The ductile-brittle transition temperatures were determined for compatibilized nylon 6/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PA6/ABS) copolymer blends. The compatibilizers used for those blends were methyl methacrylate-co-maleic anhydride (MMA-MAH) and MMA-co-glycidyl methacrylate (MMA-GMA). The ductile-brittle transition temperatures were found to be lower for blends compatibilized through maleate modified acrylic polymers. At room temperature, the PA6/ABS binary blend was essentially brittle whereas the ternary blends with MMA-MAH compatibilizer were supertough and showed a ductile-brittle transition temperature at -10°C. The blends compatibilized with maleated copolymer exhibited impact strengths of up to 800 J/m. However, the blends compatibilized with MMA-GMA showed poor toughness at room temperature and failed in a brittle manner at subambient temperatures.