Author: Mar Tristany

Welcome to Diana and Lavinia, new PhD students!

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in ERC projects (ULTRASUPERTAPE and IMPACT), Welcome.

Hola! We are Diana and Lavinia, the new PhD students. We are both chemists and we recently started our work in the field of superconductivity in SUMAN group. Even though one of us is from Barcelona (Diana) and the other one is from Rome (Lavinia), we got to know each other last year during our Master Thesis carried out in the same research group in UAB. We are happy to be part of the group and looking forward to working with all of you!

Welcome to Jordi Alcalà, our new PhD student!

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in Welcome.

Hi! My name is Jordi and I am from Reus. Last year I did an internship here at ICMAB for my Master Thesis working on Hybrid Magnetic-Superconducting devices under the supervision of Dr. Anna Palau. Now I have joined the SUMAN group as a Project PhD student working on the advanced physical and structural characterizations of the YBCO films in Resisitive Switching and in the EUROFUSION project under the supervision of Dr. Anna Palau and Dr. Narcís Mestres. I like science, playing all kind of sports but basketball in particular and going to the mountain in order to relax and enjoy the nature. I am really glad to be part of this team and I hope to learn, help and have fun with you!

Faceted‐Charge Patchy LnF3 Nanocrystals with a Selective Solvent Interaction

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in Methodologies for materials science and nanotechnology, Scientific Highlights.

Martínez‐Esaín, J. , Puig, T. , Obradors, X. , Ros, J. , Yáñez, R. , Faraudo, J. and Ricart, S. (2018)  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.

doi:10.1002/anie.201806273

A fast and single‐step preparation of patchy LnF3 faceted‐charge nanocrystals are described. These hexagonal faceted nanocrystals allow the spontaneous selective adsorption of cations or anions in the different faces, producing stable and well‐defined patches of different charge. The mechanism for the formation of the patches and the properties of the obtained nanocrystals were characterized by a combination of experimental techniques and all‐atomic molecular dynamics simulations. The spontaneous dual‐charged surface as well as the luminescence effects that can be achieved by doping host–LaF3 systems make these new nanocrystals interesting both from a fundamental point of view and for a wide range of applications.

Electrochemical Tuning of Metal Insulator Transition and Nonvolatile Resistive Switching in Superconducting Films

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in Materials for energy and enviroment, Scientific Highlights.

Anna Palau*,Alejandro Fernandez-Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Rosillo, Xavier Granados, Mariona Coll, Bernat Bozzo, Rafael Ortega-Hernandez, Jordi Suñé, Narcís Mestres, Xavier Obradors, and Teresa Puig. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2018, 10 (36), pp 30522–30531.

DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b08042

Modulation of carrier concentration in strongly correlated oxides offers the unique opportunity to induce different phases in the same material, which dramatically change their physical properties, providing novel concepts in oxide electronic devices with engineered functionalities. This work reports on the electric manipulation of the superconducting to insulator phase transition in YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films by electrochemical oxygen doping. Both normal state resistance and the superconducting critical temperature can be reversibly manipulated in confined active volumes of the film by gate-tunable oxygen diffusion. Vertical and lateral oxygen mobility may be finely modulated, at the micro- and nano-scale, by tuning the applied bias voltage and operating temperature thus providing the basis for the design of homogeneous and flexible transistor-like devices with loss-less superconducting drain–source channels. We analyze the experimental results in light of a theoretical model, which incorporates thermally activated and electrically driven volume oxygen diffusion.

Direct and Converse Piezoelectric Responses at the Nanoscale from Epitaxial BiFeO3 Thin Films Grown by Polymer Assisted Deposition

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in Materials for information science and electronics, Scientific Highlights.

José M. Vila-Fungueiriño,  Andres Gomez,  Jordi Antoja-Lleonart,  Jaume Gazquez,  César Magén,  Beatriz Noheda  and  Adrian Carretero-Genevrier. Nanoscale, 2018  

DOI:10.1039/C8NR05737K

We use an original water-based chemical method, to grow pure epitaxial BiFeO3 (BFO) ultra-thin films with excellent piezoelectric properties. Particularly, we show that this novel chemical route produces a higher natural ferroelectric domain size distribution and coercive field compared to similar BFO films grown by physical methods. Moreover, we measured the d33 piezoelectric coefficient of 60 nm thick BFO films with a direct approach, using Direct Piezoelectric Force Microscopy (DPFM). As a result, first piezo-generated charge maps of a very thin BFO layer were obtained applying this novel technology. We also performed a comparative study of the d33 coefficients between standard PFM analysis and the DPFM microscopy showing similar values i.e. 17 pm/V and 22 pC/N respectively. Finally, we proved that the directionality of the piezoelectric effect in BFO ferroelectric thin films is preserved at low thickness dimensions demonstrating the potential of chemical processes for the development of low cost functional ferroelectric and piezoelectric devices.

Teresa Puig on Terrassa Digital radio!

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in ERC projects (ULTRASUPERTAPE and IMPACT), Outreach, Press.

Teresa Puig was on November 15, 2018, on the radio! The program “La Nit Estèrica” from Terrassa Digital (95.2 FM) interviewed Teresa Puig, ICMAB researcher from Terrassa. They talked about superconducting materials and about the begining of Teresa Puig in the superconducting world, about her current projects, and many more things! Listen to the interview here, from mintue 10:00!  

Fifteen ERC grantees telling their story in simple words #LasCientíficasCuentan

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in ERC projects (ULTRASUPERTAPE and IMPACT), News, Outreach.

The following article appeared in the ERC Newsletter on 26 October 2018. It is about the project #LasCientíficasCuentan, which explalins complex science through the voice of fifteen female ERC grantees in Spain. From ICMAB, Teresa Puig and Marta Mas-Torrent participated in the project, funded by the FECYT and the FGCSIC. They give talks, participate in roundtables, and appear in some videos explaining their research!

Continue reading

Congratulations Dr. Jordi Martínez: new SUMAN graduate!

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in Theses.

Dr. Jordi Martínez from the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group at ICMAB, and the Chemistry Department at the UAB, successfully defended his PhD thesis on Wednesday, 31 October 2018. Congratulations!
In the photo, Jordi appears with his three supervisors, Dr. Susagna Ricart and Dr. Jordi Faraudo from the ICMAB, and Dr. Ramon Yañez from the UAB, and with the three members of the PhD Committee, Dr. Daniel Maspoch, from the ICN2, Dr. Anna Llordes,from CIC Energigune, and Prof. Maria Ibañez, from the Institute of Science and Technology (IST), Austria.

The Surface Chemistry of Metal Fluoride Nanocrystals

Date: Wednesday, 31 October 2018foto 1 Time: 11 am Venue: Sala de Graus, Facultat de Ciències, UAB

Abstract: This thesis is mainly based on the understanding the synthesis and the final behaviour of the surface of LnF3 nanocrystals. In consequence, this knowledge will allow the control and manipulation of the bridge between synthesis and applications, currently called surface chemistry. Starting from the successful synthesis of fifteen different types of inorganic nanocrystals, the general trends of metal fluoride nanocrystals is successfully unravelled. A new kind of ionic self-assembly in colloidal systems is postulated and  thermodynamically stable patchy nanocrystals also obtained. Using experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations, a self assembly mechanism also applicable to other kind of systems is postulated and we demonstrate that the different facets of the patchy nanoparticles can be modified selectively. Supervisors:
  • Dr. Susagna Ricart, ICMAB
  • Dr. Ramon Yañez, UAB
  • Dr. Jordi Faraudo, ICMAB
PhD Committee:
  • President: Dr. Daniel Maspoch, ICREA Research Professor, Supramolecular NanoChemistry & Materials Group, ICN2
  • Secretary: Dr. Anna Llordes, Solid Electrolyte Groups, Asociate Researcher (Ikerbasque Fellow) CIC Energigune, Basque Country, Spain 
  • Vocal: Prof. Maria Ibañez, Assistant Professor, Functional Nanomaterials, Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria

ICMAB Periodical Lecture_Joffre Gutiérrez High temperature nanostructured superconductors: a tool for new technologies”_29 Oct_12 pm

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in News.

 
Dear friends and colleagues,
 
It is a pleasure for us to invite you to the in-house ICMAB Periodical Lecture entitled:
 
High temperature nanostructured superconductors: a tool for new technologies
 
by Joffre GUTIÉRREZ ROYO, Institut de Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC)
 
Monday, 29 October 2018 at 12 pm
ICMAB – Sala d’Actes Carles Miravitlles
Abstract:
Upon the revolution of high temperature superconductors, nanostructured coated conductor (a thin layer of high-temperature superconductor ceramic material deposited on top of flexible metallic substrates) emerged as a smart conception to leap forward high temperature superconductors’ cost/performance to material device integration levels.The fabrication of RE(=Y,Gd)Ba2Cu3O7-x nanostructured coated conductors by the incorporation of nanosized oxide secondary phases has been shown to strongly enhance their performances, ensuring great potential for use in a broad number of applications.
 
In this seminar we will discuss the different technological areas where high temperature superconductors are ready to outperform current technologies. In particular, we will present in detail how coated conductor nanocomposites can help in developing the future circular hadron-hadron (FCC-hh) collider. The FCC-hh is a CERN study for a next generation particle accelerator aiming at 100 TeV center-of-mass collision energy in a 100 km circumference ring. A beam screen shall absorb the synchrotron radiation generated by the proton bunches and shield the 1.9 K cooled superconducting magnets used to steer the beams. State-of-the-art Cu-based technology used in the beam screen chamber of the large hadron collider operates down to 4.2K. For the FCC-hh, having the 100 km beam screen operating at 4.2K is economically and energetically not viable.
 
A more energetically efficient and greener option is to held the beam screen at around 40K – 60K. Unfortunately, Cu in this temperature range will not provide low enough beam coupling impedance. To overcome these challenges, we propose to use RE(=Y,Gd)Ba2Cu3O7-x coated conductors to overlay the beam screen chamber.
 
Hosted by Teresa Puig, Group Leader of the SUMAN group
 
 

Superconducting materials and levitation of magnets with Teresa Puig in “Els Matins de TV3

Written by Mar Tristany on . Posted in ERC projects (ULTRASUPERTAPE and IMPACT), Press.

On Thursday 11 October 2018, the programme “Els Matins de TV3”, directed by Lídia Heredia, interviewed researcher Teresa Puig about the superconducting materials, in their section devoted to science, and presented by Daniel Arbós. The section, of more than 18 minutes long, explains what superconducting materials are, what are their main applications, and shows the levitation experiment. Enjoy the view!   video

Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona ICMAB CSIC

Address

Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
+34 935 801 853 ext 371 
hr_suman@icmab.es