Kristina E. Lipinska-Kalita

Equation of state of TiH2 up to 90 GPa: A synchrotron x-ray diffraction study and ab initio calculations

We performed high-pressure studies and ab initio calculations of titanium hydride (TiH2), an important compound in hydrogen storage research. In situ, synchrotron x-ray diffraction studies were carried out in two separate compression runs: the first up to 19 GPa in quasihydrostatic conditions and the second up to 90 GPa in nonhydrostatic conditions, and followed by the subsequent decompression to ambient conditions. The pressure evolution of the diffraction patterns revealed a cubic [face-centered-cubic (fcc), Fm-3m] to tetragonal (body-centered-tetragonal (bct), I4/mmm) phase transition in TiH2 occurring at or below 0.6 GPa. The high-pressure tetragonal phase persisted up to 90 GPa. Upon decompression to ambient conditions the observed phase transition appeared irreversible. A third order Birch–Murnaghan fit of the unit cell volume as a function of pressure for all experimental points, yielded a zero pressure bulk modulus K0=142(7) GPa, and its pressure derivative K0′=3.3(0.2) for the high-pressure tetra...

Synthesis and characterization of metal-dielectric composites with copper nanoparticles embedded in a glass matrix: A multitechnique approach

The precipitation and growth of copper nanoparticles in an optically transparent aluminosilicate glass matrix was investigated. The size of particles in this heterophase glass-based composite was modified in a controlled manner by isothermal heat treatments. A multitechnique approach, consisting of Raman scattering spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction technique, and optical absorption spectroscopy, has been used to study the nucleation and crystallization processes. Optical absorption spectroscopy revealed the presence of intense absorption bands attributed to oscillations of free electrons, known as the surface-plasmon resonance band of copper particles, and confirmed a gradual increase of the particles’ mean size and density with annealing time. The Raman scattering on acoustical phonons from Cu quantum dots in the glass matrix measured for off-resonance conditions demonstrated the presence of intense, inhomogeneously broadened peaks that have been assigned t...

Temperature effects on luminescence properties of Cr3+ ions in alkali gallium silicate nanostructured media

We have investigated the optical properties of Cr3+ ions in an alkali gallium silicate glass system and in two glass-based nanocomposites with nucleated β-Ga2O3 nanocrystals. The nucleation and growth of the nanocrystalline phase in the host glass matrix were monitored by Raman scattering spectroscopy and angle-dispersive x-ray diffraction. A broadband luminescence, associated with the T24-A24 transition from the weak crystal field of octahedral Cr3+ sites, dominated the emission of the precursor as-quenched glass. The luminescence spectra of the synthesized glass-ceramic nanocomposites revealed a crystal-like E2-A24 strong emission and indicated that the major fraction of Cr3+ ions was located within the nanocrystalline environment. The variable-temperature studies of the nanocomposites demonstrated that the fluorescence of Cr3+ ions can be transformed from sharp R lines of the E2-A24 transition to a combination of R lines and of the broad band of the T24-A24 transition. We propose a simple distribution ...

Application of Infrared Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy to In Situ Analysis of Atheromatous Plaques in Aorta

Ex vivo infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopic studies have been carried out to observe the accumulation of cholesterol ester in atheromatous plaques. It has been found that ATR spectra can be successfully obtained from the intima side of aorta and give the same information as the transmission spectra. This means, the ATR spectra include information about the chemical composition of atheromatous plaques together with the degree of eventual lesions. We have demonstrated that ATR microspectroscopic measurements can give images of atheromatous plaques distribution and enable in situ observation of the relative amount of accumulated cholesterol ester. The results clearly indicate that the ATR spectroscopy enables spectroscopic diagnoses in vivo as well as in vitro.