Bojan A. Marinkovic

Negative Thermal Expansion (Thermomiotic) Materials

Whereas most materials expand when heated, some shrink, i.e., show negative thermal expansion (NTE, also known as thermomiotic behavior). The excitement about NTE materials is that, in principle, they could compensate for positive thermal expansion, presenting materials that would not experience thermal stress fracture. We summarize the atomic-level mechanisms of NTE, synthetic routes to NTE materials, experimental techniques to investigate NTE, and types of NTE materials and their applications.

Processing of bulk Bi-2223 high-temperature superconductor

The Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3 O10+x (Bi-2223) is one of the main high temperature superconductors for applications. One of these applications is the Superconductor Fault Current Limiter (SCFCL), which is a very promising high temperature superconducting device. SCFCLs can be improved by using bulk superconductors with high critical currents, which requires a sufficiently dense and textured material. In the present work, a process for improving the microstructure of Bi-2223 bulk samples is investigated. Pressed precursor blocks are processed by sintering with a further partial melting step, in order to enhance the Bi-2223 grain texture and to healing cracks induced by pressing. In order to improve the microstructure, the precursor is mixed with silver powder before pressing. Samples with and without silver powder have been studied, with the aim of investigating the influence of silver on the microstructure evolution. The phase contents and the microstructure obtained have been analyzed through XRD and SEM/EDS. The electromagnetic characterization has been performed by Magnetic Susceptibility Analysis. We present and discuss the process and the properties of the superconducting blocks. High fractions of textured Bi-2223 grains have been obtained.

Prototyping of meso- and microfluidic devices with embedded TiO2 photocatalyst for photodegradation of an organic dye

AbstractWe present prototyping of meso- and microfluidic photocatalytic devices, functionalized through incorporation of TiO2 nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and comparison of their efficiencies for the degradation of rhodamine B (10−5 mol/L). The prototyping of the photocatalytic devices involves simple and low-cost procedures, which includes microchannels fabrication on PDMS, deposition and impregnation of TiO2 on PDMS, and, finally, plugging on the individual parts. For the microfluidic device with 13 μL internal volume, photocatalytic TiO2—PDMS composite was sealed by another PDMS component activated by O2 plasma (PDMS—TiO2—PDMS). For the mesofluidic device, a homemade polyetheretherketone (PEEK) flow cell with 800 μL internal volume was screwed on a steel support with a glass slide and the photocatalytic composite. The photocatalytic activities of the devices were evaluated using two different pumping flow systems: a peristaltic pump and a syringe pump, both at 0.05 mL/min under the action of 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) light. The characterization of TiO2—PDMS composite was performed by confocal Raman microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The photocatalytic microreactor was the most efScient, showing high organic dye photodegradation (88.4% at 12.5 mW/cm2).

PROTOTIPAGEM DE MICRORREATORES FOTOCATALÍTICOS E TESTES DE FOTODEGRADAÇÃO DE CORANTES ORGÂNICOS

A photocatalytic microreactor is defined as a microfluidic device which is integrated with a photocatalytic nanometer coating (ex.: TiO2 nanoparticles) deposited on the inner surface of microchannels. This device is capable of degradation of organic dye solution in water in a continuous flow under the action of ultraviolet (UV) light. The specific goals of this work are the presentation of a rapid and economically viable way for the prototyping of photocatalytic microfluidic devices and the evaluation of their capability for photodegradation of organic dyes dissolved in water by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS).A photocatalytic microreactor is defined as a microfluidic device, which is integrated with a photocatalytic coating of TiO2 deposited on the inner surface of microchannels. This device is capable of degradation of organic dye solution in water in a continuous flow under the action of ultraviolet light. The objectives of this work were to present a rapid and economically viable approach for the prototyping photocatalytic microfluidic devices and to evaluate their photodegradation capability for organic dyes by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. Prototyping of polydimethylsiloxane PDMS/TiO2/glass microreactors includes several procedures such as mold preparation, microchannel confection on PDMS surface, deposition of TiO2 on these microchannels, O2 plasma treatment of PDMS/TiO2 and glass surface for sealing these two parts. The efficiency of the photocatalytic microreactors was evaluated by fluxing two organic dye solutions, rhodamine B and methylene blue, with different flow rates of between 2 and 4 mL h-1. When the flow rate at 2 mL h-1was applied, discoloration of ~ 65% was achieved for both dye solutions, while PDMS/glass microchannels, without TiO2 film, demonstrated much lower discoloration of between 24 and 42% for rhodamine B and methylene blue, respectively. This confirmed that TiO2 was successfully deposited onto PDMS microchannels.

Reformation of (Bi, Pb)-2223 Superconducting Phase after Complete Peritectic Melting

Considerable fractions of (Bi, Pb)-2223 were recovered after the complete peritectic melting of that phase. The minimization of Pb-losses was a key-feature, so that only about 1.57 wt % of total Pb content was lost over the whole process. Therefore the system remained within the 2223 single-phase region. The new route employed here, including the participation of a stable liquid, should overcome some microstructural problems nowadays present in sintered 2223/Ag tapes, such as voids, cracks and bad grain connectivity. Further optimization of the complete melting-reformation process may reduce the fraction of secondary superconducting phases, which can act as weak-links.

One-step synthesis of amino-functionalized up-converting NaYF4:Yb,Er nanoparticles for in vitro cell imaging

The emerging up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer a wide range of biotechnology applications, from biomarkers and deep tissue imaging, to single molecule tracking and drug delivery. Their successful conjugation to biocompatible agents is crucial for specific molecules recognition and usually requires multiple steps which may lead to low reproducibility. Here, we report a simple and rapid one-step procedure for in situ synthesis of biocompatible amino-functionalized NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNPs that could be used for NIR-driven fluorescence cell labeling. X-ray diffraction showed that UCNPs synthesized through chitosan-assisted solvothermal processing are monophasic and crystallize in a cubic α phase. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the obtained crystals are spherical in shape with a mean diameter of 120 nm. Photoluminescence spectra indicated weaker green (2H11/2, 4S3/2 → 4I15/2) and stronger red emission (4F9/2 → 4I15/2), as a result of enhanced non-radiative 4I11/2 → 4I13/2 Er3+ relaxation. The presence of chitosan groups at the surface of UCNPs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This provides their enhanced internalization in cells, at low concentration of 10 μg ml−1, without suppression of cell viability after 24 h of exposure. Furthermore, upon 980 nm laser irradiation, the amino-functionalized NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNPs were successfully used in vitro for labeling of two human cell types, normal gingival and oral squamous cell carcinoma.

TiO2 anatase nanorods with non-equilibrium crystallographic {001} facets and their coatings exhibiting high photo-oxidation of NO gas

ABSTRACT Development of highly active photocatalysts is mandatory for more widespread application of this alternative environmental technology. Synthesis of photocatalysts, such as anatase TiO2, with more reactive, non-equilibrium, crystallographic facets is theoretically justified by a more efficient interfacial charge transfer to reactive adsorbed species, increasing quantum efficiency of photocatalyst. Air and vacuum calcinations of protonated trititanate nanotubes lead to their transformation to anatase nanorods. The nanorods synthesized by air calcination demonstrate photo-oxidation of NO gas more than three times superior to the one presented by the benchmark P-25 photocatalyst. This performance has been explained in terms of 50% higher specific surface area and, more importantly, through the predominance of more reactive, non-equilibrium, {001} crystallographic facets of the anatase nanorods. These facets present a high density of undercoordinated Ti cations, which favors adsorption of reactant species, and strained Ti–O–Ti bonds, leading to more efficient photo-oxidation reactions. Reduced Ti species, such as Ti3+, were not observed in the as-obtained nanorods, while reactive adsorbed molecules are scarce on the nanorods obtained through vacuum calcination. Dip-coating of TiO2 anatase nanorods (air calcined) over soda-lime glass plates was used to prepare visible light transparent, superhydrophilic and highly adherent photocatalytic coatings with homogenously distributed nanopores.