Structural and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates and silica-supported Eu3+-doped zirconium carbonate nanoparticles

The synthesis, morphology and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates prepared as bulk materials and as silica-supported nanoparticles with differing calcination treatments are reported. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses have, respectively, been used to study the morphology and to quantify the atomic amount of europium present in the optically active phases of the variously prepared nanomaterials. Rietveld analysis was used to quantify the constituting phases and to determinate the europium content. Silica particles with an approximate size of 30 nm were coated with 2 nm carbonate nanoparticles, prepared in situ on the surface of the silica core. Luminescence measurements revealed the role of different preparation methods and of europium-doping quantities on the optical properties observed.     

Comparison of Eu(NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Eu(acac)<Subscript>3</Subscript> precursors for doping luminescent silica nanoparticles

In this study, we report the comparison between Eu³⁺-doped silica nanoparticles synthesized by Stöber method using Eu(NO₃)₃ or Eu(acac)₃ as precursors. The impact of different europium species on the properties of the final silica nanospheres is investigated in details in terms of size, morphology, reachable doping amount, and luminescence efficiency. Moreover, the results obtained for different thermal treatments are presented and discussed. It is shown that the organic complex modify the silica growing process, leading to bigger and irregular nanoparticles (500–800 nm) with respect to the perfectly spherical ones (400 nm) obtained by the nitrate salt, but their luminescence intensity and lifetime is significantly higher when 800–900 °C annealing is performed.     

CONFORMATIONAL INVESTIGATION OF SOME SYMMETRICALLY SUBSTITUTED DIALKYL MONO-SULFIDES AND DISULFIDES BY IR SPECTROSCOPY

Abstract

Several infrared and Raman studies have been performed on compounds containing the disulfide group in the region of C-S and S-S stretching modes (1–4) in order to get a better insight of the correlations between molecular conformation and peculiar geometry parameters of the dihedral angle CS-SC.     

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging with a laser-plasma source and a color center detector

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging of thin foils with known thickness is observed using an ultrafast laser-plasma source and a LiF crystal as detector. Measurements are well reproduced by a simple theoretical model. This technique can be exploited for high spatial resolution, wide field of view imaging in the soft x-ray region, and it is suitable for the characterization of thin objects with thicknesses ranging from hundreds down to tens of nanometers.     

Millijoule-level phase-stabilized few-optical-cycle infrared parametric source

Ultrabroadband self-phase-stabilized near-IR pulses have been generated by difference-frequency generation of a filament broadened supercontinuum followed by two-stage optical parametric amplification. Pulses with energy up to 1.2 mJ and duration down to 17 fs are demonstrated. These characteristics make such a source suited as a driver for high-order harmonic generation and isolated attosecond pulse production.     

Resolving surface details with reflection and fluorescence video-confocal profilometry

Video-confocal profilometry has been exploited to characterize reflecting and non-reflecting surfaces in materials with tilted and corrugated areas. An alternative method based on fluorescence detection has been developed and tested to characterize metal surfaces modified by intense laser irradiation. Combined representations of surface topography have been obtained on the basis of both reflectance and fluorescence signals. A discussion of results and problems encountered in reflection and fluorescence based techniques is provided.     

FT-IR analysis of single human normal and leukemic lymphocytes

The infrared spectra of single human normal and leukemic lymphocytes have been obtained by means of the microscope-FT-IR system. Substantial differences between the two kinds of cells have been observed at level of the O-P-O vibrations of the DNA and of the proteic components. This determination opens up the possibility in determining the early stages of leukemia, in following the course of patients under therapy, and in evaluation of the residual neoplastic disease.     

Conformational analysis of hydrazones. 1H dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance and solvent effects in aryl- and 2-furylaldehyde ethylaminoacetylhydrazones

Aryl- and 2-furylaldehyde ethylaminoacetylhydrazones were examined in different solvents and over a wide temperature range with ¹H NMR in order to study their conformational properties. Nearly equal amounts of the E/Z isomers, relative to the C?N bond, are present, even when the solvents and the substituents on the aldimino carbon produce small changes in the isomeric mixture. The activation parameters of the thermal isomerization process were measured, and the results are in the line with a lateral-shift type mechanism, also supported by theoretical calculations on a model compound. No other internal process was noted from the low-temperature spectral behaviour, and this was interpreted in terms of a highly biased equilibrium concerning the rotation around the C(O)? N bond. Chemical shifts obtained in different solvents also enable the most stable arrangement of the whole molecule of these compounds to be postulated.     

The topology of two-dimensional real algebraic varieties

Sunto È noto che ogni spazio analitico reale è localmente omeomorfo al cono su un poliedro con caratteristica di Eulero-Poincaré pari. Si dimostra che questa condizione è anche sufficiente affinchè un poliedro (compatto) di dimensione due P sia omeomorfo ad una varietà algebrica reale affine P. Segue inoltre dalla costruzione che la P ottenuta ha, in un certo senso, un insieme di singolarità algebriche minimale, compatibilmente con la topologia di P.

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The authors are members of the G.N.S.A.G.A.