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Abstract: The extension of pulsed laser deposition to the synthesis on Ti substrates of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) coatings doped with manganese is reported. Targets sintered from two crystalline Mn-doped β-TCP powders (with the composition Ca2.9Mn0.1(PO4)2 and Ca2.8Mn0.2(PO4)2) were ablated with an UV KrF* (λ =248nm, τ ∼7ns) laser source. X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy investigations showed that the films, while prevalently amorphous, had a Ca/P ratio of about 1.50–1.52. Scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed a rather homogeneous aspect of the coatings which were molded to the relief of the chemically etched Ti substrate. Fluorescence microscopy was applied to test the proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells grown on the obtained biostructures. Our investigations found that, even 14 days after cultivation, the synthesized films were not cytotoxic. On the contrary, they showed excellent bioactivity, as demonstrated by the neat spread of the cells over the entire surface of Mn-doped β-TCP. When tested in osteoprogenitor cell culture, the Ca2.8Mn0.2(PO4)2 samples revealed a higher potential for proliferation and better viability compared with Ca2.9Mn0.1(PO4)2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Anatase phase titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on 〈001〉 SiO2 substrates. An UV KrF* (λ =248nm, τ FWHM ≅20ns, ν =2Hz) excimer laser was used for the irradiation of the TiO2 targets. The substrates were kept at room temperature or heated during the film deposition at values within the 100–500°C range. The crystalline quality of the films and their chemical composition were investigated by X-ray diffractometry and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The optical properties were studied by a double beam spectrophotometer in the spectral range of 400–1200nm. At substrate temperatures higher than 300°C, the structure of the deposited thin films changes from poorly to well crystallised, corresponding to the tetragonal TiO2 anatase phase. The average optical transmittance in the visible-infrared spectral range of the films is higher than 85% which makes them suitable for sensor applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We demonstrate that elemental analysis of glass with a measurement precision of about 10% can be performed via calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Therefore, plasma emission spectra recorded during ultraviolet laser ablation of different glasses are compared to the spectral radiance computed for a plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Using an iterative calculation algorithm, we deduce the relative elemental fractions and the plasma properties from the best agreement between measured and computed spectra. The measurement method is validated in two ways. First, the LIBS measurements are performed on fused silica composed of more than 99.9% of SiO 2 . Second, the oxygen fractions measured for heavy flint and barite crown glasses are compared to the values expected from the glass composing oxides. The measured compositions are furthermore compared with those obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is shown that accurate LIBS analyses require spectra recording with short enough delays between laser pulse and detector gate, when the electron density is larger than 10 17 cm − 3 . The results show that laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy based on accurate plasma modeling is suitable for elemental analysis of complex materials such as glasses, with an analytical performance comparable or even better than that obtained with standard techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report on the development of a modified gas diffusion layer for fuel cells consisting of a simple or teflonized carbon cloth pulsed laser deposited with metal oxide nanostructures designed to operate both as co-catalyst, and oxidic support for other electrochemically active catalysts. We selected TiO2, ZnO and Al2O3 doped (2wt.%) ZnO which were uniformly distributed over the surface of gas diffusion layers in order to improve the catalytic activity, stability and lifetime, and reduce the production costs of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. We evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy that our depositions consisted of TiO2 nanoparticles while in the case of ZnO and Al2O3 doped (2wt.%) ZnO transparent quasi-continuous films were synthesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]