A. N. Medina

Optical band-gap determination of nanostructured WO3 film

The optical band-gap energy of a nanostructured tungsten trioxide film is determined using the photoacoustic spectroscopy method under continuous light excitation. The mechanism of the photoacoustic signal generation is discussed. The band-gap energy is also computed by other methods. The absorption coefficient as well as the band-gap energy of three different crystal structures of tungsten trioxide is calculated by a first-principles Green’s function approach using the projector augmented wave method. The theoretical study indicates that the cubic crystal structure shows good agreement with the experimental data.

A step forward toward smart white lighting: Combination of glass phosphor and light emitting diodes

We present our recent achievements of a glass able to produce smart white light combining a glass phosphor with light emitting diodes (LEDs). The combined emissions of Ce3+-doped calcium aluminosilicate glass and the 405 nm LED using the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage 1931 chromatic diagram showed that this system presents an emission close to the ideal white light and allows tunability. In addition, the glass blue emission overlaps with the spectral range of the retinal photoreceptors involved in circadian responses. This glass combined with UV LED emission is suitable for circadian lights and therefore may contribute to improve environmental lighting and human well being.

Thermal properties of natural nanostructured hydroxyapatite extracted from fish bone waste

In a previous study, natural hydroxyapatite (HAp) from the bones of Brazilian river fish was calcined at 900 °C (4–12 h), and optical characterization using the near infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy technique enabled the establishment of 8 h as the best calcination time for nanostructure stabilization when milled in a high-energy milling device [T. M. Coelho, E. S. Nogueira, W. R. Weinand, W. M. Lima, A. Steimacher, A. N. Medina, M. L. Baesso, and A. C. Bento, J. Appl. Phys. 100, 094312 (2006)]. The fish wastes used were from species such as pintado (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), jau (Paulicea lutkeni), and cachara (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum). In this study, the characterization of the thermal properties of the same natural HAp is discussed for samples milled from 0 to 32 h, with nanostructures from 80 to 24 nm. The powders were pressed into disks at 350 MPa and sintered for 4 h at 1000 °C. Thermophysical parameters were obtained by thermal wave interferometry and nonadiabatic relaxation calorimetry. ...

Characterization of natural nanostructured hydroxyapatite obtained from the bones of Brazilian river fish

In this study, the characterization of the optical properties of natural hydroxyapatite (HAp) [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2] is discussed. In the first stage of the experiment, natural HAp was processed from the bones of Brazilian river fish such as pintado (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans), jau (Paulicea lutkeni), and cachara (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum). The bones were calcined at 900°C for different amounts of time (4–12h) and reduced to powder using two different milling times (2 and 4h) in a high-energy ball mill, in order to determine the best procedure for obtaining natural nanostructured HAp powder for the study. In the second stage, material calcined for 8h was milled for 2, 4, 8, and 16h. The techniques of photoacoustic spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and flame atomic absorption spectrometry were applied to characterize these samples. The O–H stretching shown by photoacoustic spectroscopy was correlated to the HAp nanostructure. Structural analysis indicated a Ca∕P ratio close to 1.67 (∼1.64±0.04) an...

Thermal lens scanning of the glass transition in polymers

In this article we discuss the use of the thermal lens technique for investigating the thermal properties of polymers as a function of temperature. It is also discussed how the experimentally determined thermal lens parameters can be used to locate the glass transition in polymers. The methodology is tested using a solution casted films of poly(vinyl chloride) as a testing sample. A comparison with conventional differential scanning calorimetry data is made. It is proposed that the current transient thermal lens methodology, with minor changes in its experimental configuration, could be adapted to develop a new methodology called differential thermal lens scanning especially designed for the investigation of the phase transitions in polymers. It is shown that this new methodology could be equally used for the measurement of the thermal expansion coefficient, above and below the glass transition.

Spectroscopic properties, concentration quenching, and laser investigations of Yb 3+ -doped calcium aluminosilicate glasses

“Calcium aluminosilicate” (CAS) and “low silica calcium aluminosilicate” (LSCAS) OH− free glasses have demonstrated a good potential for solid-state laser media and luminophore hosts due to good thermal, optical, and mechanical properties. Some examples have already been shown with Nd3+, Er3+, Ce3+, and Ti3+ luminescent ions. In this work, Yb3+ rare-earth laser ions have been introduced into the two series of CAS and LSCAS glasses melted at 1600 °C in a vacuum furnace and have been optically characterized and compared. Special attention has been devoted to both structural characterization in relationship with spectroscopic properties and concentration quenching phenomenon in relationship with laser parameters. Laser measurements at 1037 nm have been successfully performed under laser diode pumping.

Relations among nonbridging oxygen, optical properties, optical basicity, and color center formation in CaO–MgO aluminosilicate glasses

In this study the relations among nonbridging oxygen (NBO), optical properties, optical basicity, and color center formation in CaO–MgO aluminosilicate glasses were studied. Samples containing (in mol %) 35.9–57.5 of CaO, 16–27.7 of Al2O3, 7.9–41.6 of SiO2, and 6.5–6.9 of MgO were measured by optical absorption and excitation, luminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that when the SiO2 content was increased, the absorption edge shifted toward lower wavelengths and the bonds between O2− ions and cations became more covalent. These observations were confirmed by Raman results that showed a decrease in the number of NBO per silicon tetrahedron as a function of SiO2 content. The results indicate that the effects of higher NBO concentration are the narrowing of the band gap energy and the delocalization of O2− electrons, which facilitates the O2− electrons to be trapped by anion vacancies and, consequently, forming color centers. The relationship between color center formation and SiO2 content ...

Long fluorescence lifetime of Ti3+-doped low silica calcium aluminosilicate glass.

This Letter reports the formation of Ti3+ in OH- free aluminosilicate glass melted under vacuum condition, with a very long lifetime (170 micros) and broad emission band shifted towards the visible region. This lifetime value was attributed to the trapping of the excited electrons by the glass defects and detrapping by thermal energy, and it is 2 orders of magnitude higher than those published for Ti3+ doped materials. Our results suggest that this glass is a promising system to overcome the challenge of extending the spectral range of traditional tunable solid state lasers towards the visible region.

On the application of the photoacoustic methods for the determination of thermo-optical properties of polymers

In this paper, the application of photoacoustic methods to study thermo-optical and spectroscopic properties of polymers is described. The Photoacoustic Spectroscopy, the Two-Beam Phase-Lag and also the so-called Open Photoacoustic Cell methods will be presented. The theoretical basis for quantitative measurements is discussed together with the advantages and limitations of the methods as compared with conventional measurements. Applications for spectroscopic and depth profile analysis and also for thermal properties measurements in several polymers samples are discussed.

Soret effect and photochemical reaction in liquids with laser-induced local heating

We report a theoretical model and experimental results for laser-induced local heating in liquids, and propose a method to detect and quantify the contributions of photochemical and Soret effects in several different situations. The time-dependent thermal and mass diffusion equations in the presence and absence of laser excitation are solved. The two effects can produce similar transients for the laser-on refractive index gradient, but very different laser-off behavior. The Soret effect, also called thermal diffusion, and photochemical reaction contributions in photochemically reacting aqueous Cr(VI)-diphenylcarbazide, Eosin Y, and Eosin Y-doped micellar solutions, are decoupled in this work. The extensive use of lasers in various optical techniques suggests that the results may have significance extending from physical-chemical to biological applications.