Congratulation to Alba Garzón for obtaining her PhD!
Tittle: SYNTHESIS OF METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR SUPERCONDUCTING NANOCOMPOSITES AND OTHER APPLICATIONS
Abstract: Thermal and microwave methodologies are used to synthesize different metal oxides nanoparticles such as magnetite (Fe3O4) and cerium oxide (CeO2). By modifying the precursors (Fe(R2diket)3 (R= Ph, tBu and CF3), Ce(acac)3 and Ce(OAc)3), and following the same synthetic route, it is possible to control the size and shape of the nanocrystals obtained. The general route is carried out in triethylene glycol (TREG) or benzyl alcohol (BnOH) media, due to its high boiling point and, which acts also as a capping ligand of the nanoparticles, stabilizing them in polar solvents.
Nanoparticles have been characterized by several common physical laboratory techniques: High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), magnetometry via Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (RMN), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). With all these techniques, the final size, shape, composition, crystal structure, magnetic behaviour and capping ligand interaction have been studied, showing the high quality crystals generated. In addition, we demonstrate the high efficiency of all two one-pot methodologies optimized to synthesize different families of nanoparticles in a reproducible way.
The stable colloidal solutions obtained in methanol have been used to generate new nanocomposite YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) superconducting layers by the preformed nanoparticles (ex-situ) approach. The YBCO nanocomposite layers present enhanced magnetic properties.
Finally, a new application as an antioxidant behaviour in human cells is tested for the case of CeO2 nanoparticles due to their specifically properties that make them really interested in this new field.
Date and place: 4th November 2016. Sala de Graus Dept. Química UAB
Albert Queraltó*, Angel Pérez del Pino, María de la Mata, Jordi Arbiol, Mar Tristany, Xavier Obradors, and Teresa Puig; Chem. Mater., 2016, 28 (17), pp 6136–6145. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b01968
The crystallization process and physical properties of different functional oxide thin films (Ce0.9Zr0.1O2-y, LaNiO3, Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3, and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3) on single crystal substrates (Y2O3:ZrO2, LaAlO3, and SrTiO3) are studied by pulsed laser annealing (PLA). A Nd:YAG laser source (λ = 266 nm, 10 Hz and τ ∼ 3 ns) is employed to crystallize chemical solution deposited (CSD) amorphous/nanocrystalline films under atmospheric conditions. We provide new insight on the influence of photochemical and photothermal interactions on the epitaxial crystallization kinetics of oxide thin films during the transformation from amorphous/polycrystalline material (i.e., atomic diffusion, epitaxial growth rates, and activation energies of nucleation and crystallization). The epitaxial growth is investigated by varying the laser fluence and the applied number of pulses. The morphology, structure, and epitaxial evolution of films are evaluated by means of atomic force and transmission electron microscopies and X-ray diffraction. Highly epitaxial oriented films of 20–40 nm in thickness are obtained by PLA. The crystallization kinetics of laser treatments is determined to be orders of magnitude faster than thermal treatments with similar activation energies (1.5–4.1 eV), mainly due to the large temperature gradients inducing modified atomic diffusion mechanisms derived mainly from photothermal interactions, as well as a minor contribution of photochemical effects. The fast heating rates achieved by PLA also contribute to the fast epitaxial growth due to reduced coarsening of polycrystalline material. The measurement of the physical properties (electrical resistivity and magnetism) of laser processed CSD films has revealed significantly good functionalities, close to those of thermally grown films, but with much shorter processing times.
¡Hola todos, Soy Pengmei Yu de China, y un placer conoceros!
My background is light chemical engineering, and I’ll be working here for my PhD degree for the next 4 years, under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll.
In my spare time, I like to do some readings, listening to music, playing badminton and hiking.
The PhD candidate Ferran Vallès has been visiting the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC) in Tallahassee (Florida, USA) from the 3rd of August until the 5th of October under the supervision of Jan Jaroszynski, Dmytro Abraimov, Chiara Tarantini and David Larbalestier. During his stay, he has been able to evaluate CSD YBCO nanocomposites at very high magnetic fields and has had the opportunity to perform experiments up to 35T in a DC magnet in the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), also located in the same campus.
The 48M consortium meeting of EUROTAPES has been taken place on the 4th-6th of October in Karlsruhe (Germany) hosted by the KIT (Karlruhe Insititute of Technology).
Participants have discussed scientific activities such as high througput, scaling and nanocomposites but also quality control and life cycle approach of the project.
From ICMAB: X. Obradors (EUROTAPES’ coordinator), T. Puig, S. Ricart, A. Palau, M. Tristany, C. Pop, B. Mundet, Z. Li have been participated.
IFW Dresden Leibniz Medal price to Prof. Xavier Obradors for his task as a Scientific Advisory Board of this institution.
This price, that was also award to other members of this organization, was presented during the last SAB meeting, the 10 -11 th October.
In the picture (from left to right): Prof. Philippe M. Fauchet, Vanderbilt Univ., Prof. Eberhard Umbach, KIT, Prof. Xavier Obradors Berenguer, ICMAB-CSIC, Prof. Alan Lindsay Greer, Univ. of Cambridge.
“Hello everyone! My name is Marijn van de Putte and I am a student from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. After completing my Bachelor in Advanced Technology I am now following a Master in Nanotechnology. Here at ICMAB I am doing an internship for this master program and together with Dr. Narcis Mestres I will be doing research into barium manganese nanowires. I am looking forward to work here and enjoy my time here to the fullest!”
Sebastiaan de Vrieze, master student of Ghent University. From february to june 2016 he has been doing a short stay in “Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures” group at ICMAB (in collaboration with UAB) untitled “Synthesis , deposition and characterization of ex-situ nanocomposite YBCO layers containing ZrO2 and HfO2 Nanoparticles” under the supervision of Dr. Susagna Ricart.
Alejandro Fernández Rodríguez, student of the master “Advanced nanoscience and nanotechnology” at Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB). From January to July 2016 he had been doing his master thesis in “Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures” group at ICMAB. The title is “Tuning the electronic structure in high temperature superconducting films” and it was directed by Dr. Anna Palau.
Juan Carlos Martin Romano, from Madrid, He is a chemist graduated as of last year. He is currently doing the UAB Master on Advanced Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, which has given me the opportunity to get to know Barcelona. He has been doing his master thesis under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll in the group of Superconducting Materials. The theme is the engineering of perovskite materials to be applied in the field of photovoltaic energy.
Isabel García Poncet , 4th-year-student of Nanocsience and Nanotechnology degree at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She has been doing her final degree thesis thesis in the group of Supercondu cting Materials and Nanostructure at Large Scale at ICMAB under the supervision of Dr. Susagna Ricart concerning the synthesis and characterization of YBCO superconductor layers.
Pamela Machado is in her last year of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology degree in the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She has been doing her final degree thesis in the group of Superconducting Materials and Nanostructure at Large Scale under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll. She worked with a perovskite ferroelectric material and studied its electrical and optical properties to apply it to photovoltaic devices.
In the beginning of 2016 the group has integrated new members:
Jukka Malinen, he comes from Finland and he is joining us as a Lab engineer in instrumentation. His main task here will be LabVIEW-programming.
Orjan Artursson, he comes from Sweden and he is Project Engineer. He will be in charge of the installation of the new lab of the group in MATGAS building.
Roger Guzman, after a first postdoc in Zaragoza he comes back to the group to work as a postdoc in STEM and EELS characterization of YBCO nanocomposites samples.
Flavio Pino, he comes from Italy and he is joining us as a postdoc to work on the inkjet deposition and UV curing of superconducting thick films.
Juri Banchewsky, he comes from Germany and he is starting his PhD in the group concerning Vortex pinning studies in YBCO nanocomposites samples.
Congratulation to Alba Garzón for obtaining her PhD!
Tittle: SYNTHESIS OF METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR SUPERCONDUCTING NANOCOMPOSITES AND OTHER APPLICATIONS
Abstract: Thermal and microwave methodologies are used to synthesize different metal oxides nanoparticles such as magnetite (Fe3O4) and cerium oxide (CeO2). By modifying the precursors (Fe(R2diket)3 (R= Ph, tBu and CF3), Ce(acac)3 and Ce(OAc)3), and following the same synthetic route, it is possible to control the size and shape of the nanocrystals obtained. The general route is carried out in triethylene glycol (TREG) or benzyl alcohol (BnOH) media, due to its high boiling point and, which acts also as a capping ligand of the nanoparticles, stabilizing them in polar solvents.
Nanoparticles have been characterized by several common physical laboratory techniques: High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), magnetometry via Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (RMN), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). With all these techniques, the final size, shape, composition, crystal structure, magnetic behaviour and capping ligand interaction have been studied, showing the high quality crystals generated. In addition, we demonstrate the high efficiency of all two one-pot methodologies optimized to synthesize different families of nanoparticles in a reproducible way.
The stable colloidal solutions obtained in methanol have been used to generate new nanocomposite YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) superconducting layers by the preformed nanoparticles (ex-situ) approach. The YBCO nanocomposite layers present enhanced magnetic properties.
Finally, a new application as an antioxidant behaviour in human cells is tested for the case of CeO2 nanoparticles due to their specifically properties that make them really interested in this new field.
Date and place: 4th November 2016. Sala de Graus Dept. Química UAB
¡Hola todos, Soy Pengmei Yu de China, y un placer conoceros!
My background is light chemical engineering, and I’ll be working here for my PhD degree for the next 4 years, under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll.
In my spare time, I like to do some readings, listening to music, playing badminton and hiking.
The PhD candidate Ferran Vallès has been visiting the Applied Superconductivity Center (ASC) in Tallahassee (Florida, USA) from the 
In the picture (from left to right): Prof. Philippe M. Fauchet, Vanderbilt Univ., Prof. Eberhard Umbach, KIT, Prof. Xavier Obradors Berenguer, ICMAB-CSIC, Prof. Alan Lindsay Greer, Univ. of Cambridge.
“Hello everyone! My name is Marijn van de Putte and I am a student from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. After completing my Bachelor in Advanced Technology I am now following a Master in Nanotechnology. Here at ICMAB I am doing an internship for this master program and together with Dr. Narcis Mestres I will be doing research into barium manganese nanowires. I am looking forward to work here and enjoy my time here to the fullest!”
Sebastiaan de Vrieze, master student of Ghent University. From february to june 2016 he has been doing a short stay in “Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures” group at ICMAB (in collaboration with UAB) untitled “Synthesis , deposition and characterization of ex-situ nanocomposite YBCO layers containing ZrO2 and HfO2 Nanoparticles” under the supervision of Dr. Susagna Ricart.
Alejandro Fernández Rodríguez, student of the master “Advanced nanoscience and nanotechnology” at Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB). From January to July 2016 he had been doing his master thesis in “Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures” group at ICMAB. The title is “Tuning the electronic structure in high temperature superconducting films” and it was directed by Dr. Anna Palau.
Juan Carlos Martin Romano, from Madrid, He is a chemist graduated as of last year. He is currently doing the UAB Master on Advanced Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, which has given me the opportunity to get to know Barcelona. He has been doing his master thesis under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll in the group of Superconducting Materials. The theme is the engineering of perovskite materials to be applied in the field of photovoltaic energy.
Isabel García Pon
cet , 4th-year-student of Nanocsience and Nanotechnology degree at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She has been doing her final degree thesis thesis in the group of Supercondu cting Materials and Nanostructure at Large Scale at ICMAB under the supervision of Dr. Susagna Ricart concerning the synthesis and characterization of YBCO superconductor layers.
Pamela Ma
chado is in her last year of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology degree in the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She has been doing her final degree thesis in the group of Superconducting Materials and Nanostructure at Large Scale under the supervision of Dr. Mariona Coll. She worked with a perovskite ferroelectric material and studied its electrical and optical properties to apply it to photovoltaic devices.
Orjan Artursson, he comes from Sweden and he is Project Engineer. He will be in charge of the installation of the new lab of the group in MATGAS building.
Roger Guzman, after a first postdoc in Zaragoza he comes back to the group to work as a postdoc in STEM and EELS characterization of YBCO nanocomposites samples.
Flavio Pino, he comes from Italy and he is joining us as a postdoc to work on the inkjet deposition and UV curing of superconducting thick films.
Juri Banchewsky, he comes from Germany and he is starting his PhD in the group concerning Vortex pinning studies in YBCO nanocomposites samples.
