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This study explores the impact of plasma treatment on Lavandin Grosso flowers and its influence on the extraction of essential oils (EOs) via hydrodistillation. Short plasma treatment times enhance the yield of EO extraction from 3.19% in untreated samples to 3.44%, corresponding to 1 min of plasma treatment, while longer treatment times (10 min) show diminishing returns to 3.07% of yield extraction. Chemical characterization (GC/MS and ATR-FTIR) indicates that plasma treatments do not significantly alter the chemical composition of the extracted EOs, preserving their aromatic qualities. Investigations into plasma–surface interactions reveal changes at the nanometer level, with XPS confirming alterations in the surface chemistry of Lavandin Grosso flowers by reducing surface carbon and increasing oxygen content, ultimately resulting in an increased presence of hydrophilic groups. The presence of hydrophilic groups enhances the interaction between the surface membrane of the glandular trichomes on Lavandin Grosso flowers and water vapor, consequently increasing the extraction of EOs. Furthermore, microscopic SEM examinations demonstrate that plasma treatments do not affect the morphology of glandular trichomes, emphasizing that surface modifications primarily occur at the nanoscale. This study underscores the potential of plasma technology as a tool to enhance EO yields from botanical sources while maintaining their chemical integrity.

Strain engineering, as a powerful strategy to tune the optical and electrical properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials by deforming their crystal lattice, has attracted significant interest in recent years. 2D materials can sustain ultra-high strains, even up to 10%, due to the lack of dangling bonds on their surface, making them ideal brittle solids. This remarkable mechanical resilience, together with a strong strain-tunable band structure, endows 2D materials with a broad optical and electrical response upon strain. However, strain engineering based on 2D materials is restricted by their nanoscale and strain quantification troubles. In this study, we have modified a homebuilt three-points bending apparatus to transform it into a four-points bending apparatus that allows for the application of both compressive and tensile strains on 2D materials. This approach allows for the efficient and reproducible construction of a strain system and minimizes the buckling effect caused by the van der Waals interaction by adamantane encapsulation strategy. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of introducing compressive strain on 2D materials and the potential for tuning their optical and physical properties through this approach.

The morphology of numerous nanocolumnar thin films deposited by the magnetron sputtering technique at oblique geometries and at relatively low temperatures has been analyzed for materials as different as Au, Pt, Ti, Cr, TiO₂, Al, HfN, Mo, V, WO₃ and W. Despite similar deposition conditions, two characteristic nanostructures have been identified depending on the material: a first one defined by highly tilted and symmetric nanocolumnar structures with a relatively high film density, and a second one characterized by rather vertical and asymmetric nanocolumns, with a much lower film density. With the help of a model, the two characteristic nanostructures have been linked to different growth dynamics and, specifically, to different surface relaxation mechanisms upon the incorporation of gaseous species with kinetic energies above the surface binding energy. Moreover, in the case of Ti, a smooth structural transition between the two types of growths has been found when varying the value of the power used to maintain the plasma discharge. Based on these results, the existence of different surface relaxation mechanisms is proposed, which quantitatively explains numerous experimental results under the same conceptual framework.

A new scintillator based fast-ion loss detector (FILD) system has been designed for the Wendelstein 7-X (W7- X) stellarator. The mechanical design of the system is presented here along with engineering analyses of the system. This includes an assessment of the structural loads which also considers electromagnetic forces calculated for possible disruption scenarios as well as a mode frequency analysis of the system. Furthermore, an analysis of the thermal characteristics of the actively cooled probe head under prescribed steady state and transient heat loads is presented. Finally, the optical relay system is described and its properties used to forward model synthetic camera signals using the FILDSIM code and based on theoretical fast-ion losses incident on the probe head calculated using the ASCOT5 code.

Stainless steel (SS) alloys are prevalent in many industries, household appliances or other commodities, where a strict control of surface properties is required to tailor their interaction with the environment. In this work we report a new procedure of stainless steel surface processing that provides a multifunctional response including superhydrophobicity, omniphobicity, self-cleaning, anti-fouling and effective anti-icing capacity, while still preserving a corrosion resistance similar to that of this material in compact form. The method consists of a first nanostructuration step followed by a low fluorination. The nanostructured surfaces presented a dual scale roughness of hierarchical character. The liquid free approach developed in this work to get this singular surface nanostructuration entails a first laser treatment of stainless steel flat substrates, followed by the deposition of a nanostructured thin layer of this material by electron beam evaporation in an oblique angle configuration. The resulting hierarchical surfaces were subjected to fluorination by: (i) the plasma-assisted deposition of a thin Teflon-like coating or (ii) the grafting of fluorinated molecules. The self-cleanable, anti-adherent and ice repellent character of the resulting low fluorinated surfaces outperformed the behaviour of classical slippery surfaces obtained by the infusion of high amounts of fluorinated liquids. These hierarchical SS surfaces withstood mild abrasion tests and the effect of water jets. Moreover, the corrosion behaviour of the fluorinated surfaces determined through their potentiodynamic analysis revealed a similar corrosion resistance than the flat SS substrates. Outstandingly, after these corrosion tests, the fluorinated samples obtained by grafting preserved their surface functionalities without significant degradation. The high mechanical and chemical stability of these low fluorinated samples support their usage for a large variety of applications.

Although titanium is widely used as biomaterial, the control of the interface properties between its surface and the surrounding physiological environment (like bone, other tissues or biofluids) results crucial to achieve a successful osseointegration and good biomechanical and functional performance. In this work, commercially pure titanium (Grade IV) discs obtained by conventional powder metallurgy were coated with 1–3 µm of Ti6Al4V (Grade V) alloy using DC-pulsed or high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technique with the aim of improving their biomedical performance. SEM, confocal microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nanoindentation and wetting measurements are used to evaluate the bio-interface role of the titanium-coated implants. Conformal Ti6Al4V coatings with controlled nano-roughness can be deposited with enhanced mechanical (H = 5–8 GPa; E = 140–160 GPa) and hydrophobic properties thanks to a dense columnar structure. The increased Ti-O bonding at the interface helps to prevent the corrosion due to the formation of a surface passivation layer. Particularly in the case of the HiPIMS process, the surface modification of titanium implants (chemistry, morphology and structure) appears as an effective strategy for satisfying the biomedical requirements and functionality, with enhanced mechanical properties and nanostructuration for prevention of bacteria colonization.

Most of the present and future magnetic fusion devices rely on high power mm-waves injection for a variety of applications like plasma breakdown, heating and control. Since under specific operating conditions the mm-waves might not be fully absorbed, potentially damaging in-vessel components, the detection of the non-absorbed radiation is recommended. Among the options for stray radiation detection, we consider here the possibility to exploit the solid body bolometer and its use for JT-60SA. Analysis of the residual power fraction expected for low absorption plasma conditions is presented, considering the dependence on the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) system and plasma parameters of JT-60SA. The residual power hitting the wall is evaluated looking at direct illumination and cross-polarization effects. The possibility to integrate a sensor for EC stray radiation, adapting the solution of the detector developed for ITER, is the main outcome of this study. In the ITER bolometer the differential thermocouple principle is considered to single out the nuclear heating and the microwave loads. A key component of the detector is the metal body with a ceramic coating layer, optimized for 170 GHz and 60 GHz. Mm-waves characterization of different coating samples has been performed to identify the optimal solution for JT-60SA considering its multi-frequency ECRH system (138 GHz, 110 GHz, 82 GHz), and will be here presented. The experience from JT-60SA equipped with these sensors will be also useful for their future use in ITER.

Near infrared laser ablation of metals, specifically aluminum, has been systematically applied to generate surface roughness. Very high laser fluences may even lead to a so called “explosive” ablation regime where roughness becomes dramatically enhanced. In the present work we have developed an alternative methodology that, utilizing milder laser irradiation conditions (i.e. laser fluences from 0.37 to 0.72 J/cm²), renders aluminum surfaces with a dual-scale roughness character and Sp parameter values twice or even trice the value found in reference samples. This has been possible for aluminum substrates coated with a highly transparent aluminum oxynitride capping layer. The resulting surfaces, consisting of very rough partially oxidized aluminum with negligible amounts of nitrogen species, resulted highly hydrophobic and depicted long icing delay times as required for anti-icing applications. A correlation has been found between the wetting and anti-icing behaviors, the use of a capping layer and the laser irradiation conditions. To account for this exalted roughening phenomenon, we propose that the transparent capping layer confines the laser energy within the aluminum shallow zones, delays the formation of the plasma plume and produces an enhancement in the aluminum ablation, even at relatively low laser fluences.

Observations of enhanced fast-ion losses during edge localized modes (ELMs) have been reported in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, revealing losses above the injection energy. This suggests that fast ions can be accelerated and lost due to the ELMs. Recent analysis of the ELM-induced losses suggests that the fast ions are lost due to a resonant interaction with the electromagnetic perturbation during the ELM crash. The fast-ion transport and acceleration during ELMs is modelled using electromagnetic fields computed using the hybrid kinetic-MHD code MEGA, while fast-ion full orbits are tracked with the ASCOT code. Time-evolving 3D electromagnetic fields have been implemented in ASCOT to compute fast-ion orbits in the presence of fast MHD events such as ELMs. The simulations successfully reproduce a field-aligned pattern of the losses on the tokamak wall and the formation of an accelerated population in the lost fast-ion distribution, while they predict an accelerated population in the confined distribution. A parametric study of the fast-ion constants of motion suggests a resonant interaction between the fast-ions and the electromagnetic fields arising during the ELM crash. In the case of fast-ion acceleration, the perpendicular electric perturbation, with scales smaller than the fast-ion gyroradius, breaks magnetic moment conservation and resonantly modifies the fast-ion energy.

Two-dimensional materials present exceptional crystal elasticity and provide an ideal platform to tune electrical and optical properties through the application of strain. Here we extend recent research on strain engineering in monolayer molybdenum disulfide using an adamantane plasma polymer pinning layer to achieve unprecedented crystal strains of 2.8%. Using micro-reflectance spectroscopy, we report maximum strain gauge factors of −99.5 meV/% and −63.5 meV/% for the A and B exciton of monolayer MoS2, respectively, with a 50 nm adamantane capping layer. These results are corroborated with photoluminescence and Raman measurements on the same samples. Taken together, our results indicate that adamantane polymer is an exceptional capping layer to transfer substrate-induced strain to a 2D layer and achieve higher levels of crystal strain.

Nanogenerators and self-powered nanosensors have shown the potential to power low-consumption electronics and human-machine interfaces, but their practical implementation requires reliable, environmentally friendly and scalable processes for manufacturing and processing. Furthermore, the emerging flexible and wearable electronics technology demands direct fabrication onto innovative substrates such as paper and plastics typically incompatible with high process temperatures. This article presents a plasma synthesis approach for the fabrication of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) and self-powered sensors on paper substrates. Polycrystalline ZnO nanocolumnar thin films are deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on common paper supports using a microwave electron cyclotron resonance reactor working at room temperature yielding high growth rates and low structural and interfacial stresses. Applying Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, we elucidate the basic shadowing mechanism behind the characteristic microstructure and porosity of the ZnO thin films, relating them to an enhanced piezoelectric response to periodic and random inputs. The piezoelectric devices are assembled by embedding the ZnO films in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and using Au thin layers as electrodes in two different configurations, namely laterally and vertically contacted devices. We present the response of the laterally connected devices as a force sensor for low-frequency events with different answers to the applied force depending on the impedance circuit, i.e. load values range, a behaviour that is theoretically analyzed. The characterization of the vertical devices in cantilever-like mode reaches instantaneous power densities of 80 nW/cm2 with a mean power output of 20 nW/cm2. Besides, we analyze their actual-scenario performance by activation with a fan and handwriting. Overall, this work demonstrates the advantages of implementing plasma deposition for piezoelectric films to d

Plasma-catalysis has been proposed as a potential alternative for the synthesis of ammonia. Studies in this area focus on the reaction mechanisms and the apparent synergy existing between processes occurring in the plasma phase and on the surface of the catalytic material. In the present study, we approach this problem using a parallel-plate packed-bed reactor with the gap between the electrodes filled with pellets of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), with this ferroelectric material modified with a coating layer of alumina (i.e., Al2O3/PZT) and the same alumina layer incorporating ruthenium nanoparticles (i.e., Ru-Al2O3/PZT). At ambient temperature, the electrical behavior of the ferroelectric packed-bed reactor differed for these three types of barriers, with the plasma current reaching a maximum when using Ru-Al2O3/PZT pellets. A systematic analysis of the reaction yield and energy efficiency for the ammonia synthesis reaction, at ambient temperature and at 190 °C and various electrical operating conditions, has demonstrated that the yield and the energy efficiency for the ammonia synthesis do not significantly improve when including ruthenium particles, even at temperatures at which an incipient catalytic activity could be inferred. Besides disregarding a net plasma-catalysis effect, reaction results highlight the positive role of the ferroelectric PZT as moderator of the discharge, that of Ru particles as plasma hot points, and that of the Al2O3 coating as a plasma cooling dielectric layer.

Electrostatic solitary waves with negative potential (ion holes) are analyzed theoretically using a generalization of the treatment recently developed for slow electron holes. It is shown that an often-cited criterion for their existence is mistaken and they can in fact exist for a wide range of ion to electron temperature ratios. Shifts of the hole velocity $v_h$ relative to the ion distributions systematically decrease the permitted hole depths, which become extremely small by $v_h/v_{ti}\sim 2$. Ion holes are usually unstably accelerated by electron reflection forces which are calculated numerically and analytically for the resulting asymmetric potential structure. The timescale of this acceleration is proportional to the ion plasma period, and generally longer than the ion bounce time in the potential well. Thus, ion holes behave like approximately rigid entities and even when unstable can survive much longer than the typical transit time of a satellite, so as to be observable.

MeV-range ions generated in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high-energy-density physics experiments carry a wealth of information, including fusion reaction yield, rate, and spatial emission profile; implosion areal density; electron temperature and mix; and electric and magnetic fields. Here, the principles of how this information is obtained from data and the charged particle diagnostic suite currently available at the major US ICF facilities for making the measurements are reviewed. Time-integrating instruments using image plate, radiochromic film, and/or CR-39 detectors in different configurations for ion counting, spectroscopy, or emission profile measurements are described, along with time-resolving detectors using chemical vapor deposited diamonds coupled to oscilloscopes or scintillators coupled to streak cameras for measuring the timing of ion emission. A brief description of charged-particle radiography setups for probing subject plasma experiments is also given. The goal of the paper is to provide the reader with a broad overview of available capabilities, with reference to resources where more detailed information can be found.

Electron-temperature (T e) measurements in implosions provide valuable diagnostic information, as T e is negligibly affected by residual flows and other non-thermal effects unlike ion-temperature inferred from a fusion product spectrum. In OMEGA cryogenic implosions, measurement of T e(t) can be used to investigate effects related to time-resolved hot-spot energy balance. The newly implemented phase-2 Particle X-ray Temporal Diagnostic (PXTD) utilizes four fast-rise (∼15 ps) scintillator-channels with distinct x-ray filtering. Titanium and stepped aluminum filtering were chosen to maximize detector sensitivity in the 10–20 keV range, as it has been shown that these x rays have similar density and temperature weighting to the emitted deuterium–tritium fusion neutrons (DTn) from OMEGA Cryo-DT implosions. High quality data have been collected from warm implosions at OMEGA. These data have been used to infer spatially integrated T e(t) with <10% uncertainty at peak emission. Nuclear and x-ray emission histories are measured with 10 ps relative timing uncertainty for x rays and DTn and 12 ps for x rays and deuterium-[Formula: see text] protons (D3Hep). A future upgrade to the system will enable spatially integrated T e(t) with 40 ps time-resolution from cryogenic DT implosions.

By their unique compositions and microstructures, recently developed high-entropy materials (HEMs) exhibit outstanding properties and performance above the threshold of traditional materials. Wear- and erosion-resistant materials are of significant interest for different applications, such as industrial devices, aerospace materials, and military equipment, related to their capability to tolerate heavy loads during sliding, rolling, or impact events. The high-entropy effect and crystal lattice distortion are attributed to higher hardness and yield stress, promoting increased wear and erosion resistance in HEMs. In addition, HEMs have higher defect formation/migration energies that inhibit the formation of defect clusters, making them resistant to structural damage after radiation. Hence, they are sought after in the nuclear and aerospace industries. The concept of high-entropy, applied to protective materials, has enhanced the properties and performance of HEMs. Therefore, they are viable candidates for today’s demanding protective materials for wear, erosion, and irradiation applications.

We present a technique to measure the time-resolved velocity and ion sound speed in magnetized, supersonic high-energy-density plasmas. We place an inductive (“b-dot”) probe in a supersonic pulsed-power-driven plasma flow and measure the magnetic field advected by the plasma. As the magnetic Reynolds number is large ( R M > 10), the plasma flow advects a magnetic field proportional to the current at the load. This enables us to estimate the flow velocity as a function of time from the delay between the current at the load and the signal at the probe. The supersonic flow also generates a hydrodynamic bow shock around the probe, the structure of which depends on the upstream sonic Mach number. By imaging the shock around the probe with a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, we determine the upstream Mach number from the shock Mach angle, which we then use to determine the ion sound speed from the known upstream velocity. We use the sound speed to infer the value of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the average ionization and T e is the electron temperature. We use this diagnostic to measure the time-resolved velocity and sound speed of a supersonic ( M S ∼ 8), super-Alfvénic ( M A ∼ 2) aluminum plasma generated during the ablation stage of an exploding wire array on the Magpie generator (1.4 MA, 250 ns). The velocity and [Formula: see text] measurements agree well with the optical Thompson scattering measurements reported in the literature and with 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations in GORGON.

Charged particle spectrometry is a critical diagnostic to study inertial-confinement-fusion plasmas and high energy density plasmas. The OMEGA Laser Facility has two fixed magnetic charged particle spectrometers (CPSs) to measure MeV-ions. In situ calibration of these spectrometers was carried out using 241Am and 226Ra alpha emitters. The alpha emission spectrum from the sources was measured independently using surface-barrier detectors (SBDs). The energy dispersion and broadening of the CPS systems were determined by comparing the CPS measured alpha spectrum to that of the SBD. The calibration method significantly constrains the energy dispersion, which was previously obtained through the measurement of charged particle fusion products. Overall, a small shift of 100 keV was observed between previous and the calibration done in this work.

High field side launch of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) has improved accessibility and penetration over low field side launch on DIII-D. Simulations predict single pass absorption under a wide range of plasma conditions. Hard x-ray (HXR) measurement of LHCD generated fast electron bremsstrahlung (50–250 keV) will validate wave propagation and absorption. Emissivity profiles are recovered from one-dimensional inversion of HXR brightness to determine LH damping location, fast electron slowing down time, and some indication of the fast electron energy. The camera will be implemented by populating 32 tangential sightlines of the existing Gamma Ray Imager with Kromek SPEARTM Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors sensitive to 10–1000 keV photons with 10 keV energy resolution. Expected count rates allow for <0.5 ms time resolution. Pulses are processed using 50 ns shaping time Cremat CR-200 Gaussian shaping modules and are digitized by 25 MHz D-TACQ ACQ216 digitizers. The performance of the HXR camera is evaluated by comparing predicted fast electron density profiles and inverted synthetic brightnesses obtained from the ray-tracing/Fokker–Planck codes GENRAY/CQL3D. Inversions closely matched predicted fast electron profiles for a range of experimental parameters.

We investigate the impact of relativistic effects on upper hybrid (UH) waves in plasmas with thermal electrons, particularly focusing on modifications of the conditions under which UH wave trapping and related low-threshold parametric decay instabilities (PDIs) may occur. A moderately relativistic (MR) dispersion relation for UH waves, valid for electron temperatures up to 25 keV and wave frequencies up to twice the electron cyclotron frequency, is obtained from previous results and shown to reduce to the warm non-relativistic result commonly used for PDI studies at low electron temperatures. The conditions under which MR UH waves propagate are then determined and compared with warm and cold plasma theory, showing a general increase in the electron density and background magnetic field strength at which the UH resonance occurs for finite electron temperatures. We next investigate the impact of the MR corrections on the possibility of UH wave trapping for X-mode electron cyclotron resonance heated (ECRH) plasmas at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and scaled versions of the ASDEX Upgrade parameters with core electron temperatures resembling those expected in ITER X-mode ECRH plasmas. The MR UH wave trapping conditions are virtually unchanged for ASDEX Upgrade relative to warm theory, due to the low electron temperatures, while potentially important differences between warm and MR theory exist for ITER-like core electron temperatures; cold theory is found to be insufficient in both cases. Finally, the MR dispersion relation is shown to qualitatively reproduce the PDI thresholds from warm theory for previously studied ASDEX Upgrade cases.

An imaging neutral particle analyser (INPA) diagnostic has been installed and commissioned at the ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) tokamak. The AUG INPA diagnostic provides energy and radially resolved measurements of the fast-ion (FI) distribution, complementing the existing set of diagnostic which measure the confined FI population. To this end, it analyses charge exchange (CX) neutrals produced in reactions between FI and neutrals injected by a neutral beam injector. These CX neutrals are ionised by a 20 nm carbon foil and deflected towards a scintillator by the machine magnetic field. The use of a scintillator as active component allows us to cover the whole plasma radial range with an energy resolution of 9 keV and a spatial of 3 cm for 93 keV deuterons. First measurements demonstrate the high sensitivity of the INPA diagnostic to different AUG fast-ion distribution functions, from NBI and ion-cyclotron resonance heating origin, and show good agreement with the synthetic diagnostic.

We introduce herein the advanced application of low-pressure plasma procedures for the development of piezo and triboelectric mode I hybrid nanogenerators. Thus, plasma assisted deposition and functionalization methods are presented as key enabling technologies for the nanoscale design of ZnO polycrystalline shells, the formation of conducting metallic cores in core@shell nanowires, and for the solventless surface modification of polymeric coatings and matrixes. We show how the perfluorinated chains grafting of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) provides a reliable approach to increase the hydrophobicity and surface charges at the same time that keeping the PDMS mechanical properties. In this way, we produce efficient Ag/ZnO convoluted piezoelectric nanogenerators supported on flexible substrates and embedded in PDMS compatible with a contact–separation triboelectric architecture. Factors like crystalline texture, ZnO thickness, nanowires aspect ratio, and surface chemical modification of the PDMS are explored to optimize the power output of the nanogenerators aimed for harvesting from low-frequency vibrations. Just by manual triggering, the hybrid device can charge a capacitor to switch on an array of color LEDs. Outstandingly, this simple three-layer architecture allows for harvesting vibration energy in a wide bandwidth, thus, we show the performance characteristics for frequencies between 1 Hz and 50 Hz and demonstrate the successful activation of the system up to ca. 800 Hz.

It is demonstrated that, besides classical nanocolumnar arrays, the oblique angle geometry induces the growth of singular structures in the nanoscale when using wisely designed patterned substrates. Well-ordered array of crosses, cylindrical nanorods or hole structures arranged in square or hexagonal regular geometries are reported as examples, among others. The fundamental framework connecting substrate topography and film growth at oblique angles is presented, allowing the use of substrate patterning as a feasible thin film nanostructuring technique. A systematic analysis of the growth of TiO2 thin films on 4 different lithographic patterned substrates in 4 different scale lengths is also presented. A first conclusion is the existence of a height-based selective growth in the initial stages of the deposition, by which the film preferentially develops on top of the tallest substrate features. This behavior is maintained until the film reaches a critical thickness, the so-called Oblivion Thickness, above which the film topography becomes gradually independent of the substrate features. A general formula relating the spatial features of the pattern, the coarsening exponent and the Oblivion Thickness has been deduced.

Se describe aquí una propuesta de ciclo de mejora en el aula para la asignatura de Física I de primer curso del Grado en Ingeniería Química Industrial de la Universidad de Sevilla, centrado en la docencia del tema de Dinámica I: Leyes de Newton. El trabajo en el diseño de contenidos, tareas metodológicas y herramientas de evaluación del nivel de aprendizaje alcanzado se ha inspirado en la aplicación del método científico-deductivo, basado en pautas de investigación docente. Para ello se ha intentado involucrar activamente al alumnado haciéndolo consciente de sus ideas previas y enfrentándolo a actividades de contraste antes y después de recibir información en el formato típico de lección magistral, cuya frecuencia se ha pretendido minimizar. Además, se han incorporado al ciclo de mejora las sesiones prácticas de laboratorio, que se integran temporalmente con las de teoría intentando coordinar y armonizar la metodología., A proposal for a teaching improvement cycle is described here for the Physics I subject of the first course of the Degree in Industrial Chemical Engineering at the University of Seville, focused on the Dynamics I: Newton’s laws subject. Work on the design of contents, methodological tasks and evaluation tools of the achieved learning level has been inspired by the application of the scientific-deductive method, based on teaching research guidelines. For this purpose, an attempt has been made to actively involve the students, making them aware of their previous ideas and confronting them with contrasting activities before and after receiving information in the typical lecture format, the frequency of which has been tried to minimize. In addition, practical laboratory sessions have been incorporated into the cycle, which are temporarily integrated with the theory ones trying to coordinate and harmonize the methodology.

The opto-electronic properties of small-molecules and functional dyes usually differ when incorporated into solid matrices with respect to their isolated form due to an aggregation phenomenon that alters their optical and fluorescent properties. These spectroscopic modifications are studied in the framework of the exciton theory of aggregates, which has been extensively applied in the literature for the study of molecular aggregates of the same type of molecules (homoaggregation). Despite the demonstrated potential of the control of the heteroaggregation process (aggregation of different types of molecules), most of the reported works are devoted to intramolecular aggregates, complex molecules formed by several chromophores attached by organic linkers. The intramolecular aggregates are specifically designed to hold a certain molecular structure that, on the basis of the exciton theory, modifies their optical and fluorescent properties with respect to the isolated chromophores that form the molecule. The present article describes in detail the incorporation of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) and 800 (Rh800) into polymeric matrices of poly-(methyl methacrylate), PMMA. The simultaneous incorporation of both dyes results in an enhanced fluorescent emission in the near-infrared (NIR), originating from the formation of ground-state Rh6G–Rh800 intermolecular heteroaggregates. The systematic control of the concentration of both rhodamines provides a model system for the elucidation of the heteroaggregate formation. The efficient energy transfer between Rh6G and Rh800 molecules can be used as wavelength shifters to convert effectively the light from visible to NIR, a very convenient wavelength range for many practical applications which make use of inexpensive commercial detectors and systems.

Polarizers are ubiquitous components in current optoelectronic devices as displays or photographic cameras. Yet, control over light polarization is an unsolved challenge, since the main drawback of the existing display technologies is the significant optical losses. In such a context, organometal halide perovskites (OMHP) can play a decisive role given their flexible synthesis with tunable optical properties such as bandgap and photoluminescence, and excellent light emission with a low non-radiative recombination rate. Therefore, along with their outstanding electrical properties have elevated hybrid perovskites as the material of choice in photovoltaics and optoelectronics. Among the different OMHP nanostructures, nanowires and nanorods have lately arisen as key players in the control of light polarization for lighting or detector applications. Herein, the fabrication of highly aligned and anisotropic methylammonium lead iodide perovskite nanowalls by glancing-angle deposition, which is compatible with most substrates, is presented. Their high alignment degree provides the samples with anisotropic optical properties such as light absorption and photoluminescence. Furthermore, their implementation in photovoltaic devices provides them with a polarization-sensitive response. This facile vacuum-based approach embodies a milestone in the development of last-generation polarization-sensitive perovskite-based optoelectronic devices such as lighting appliances or self-powered photodetectors.

We present a non-parametric inference of impurity transport coefficients by using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy measurements of Ne X, Ne VIII, O VIII, and C VI lines. Due to their close atomic numbers, neon, oxygen and carbon impurity ions are assumed to have the same diffusion coefficient D and convection velocity v. Unlike conventional techniques that modulate or perturb the impurity contents, we employ a quasi-stationary plasma with static impurity profiles. Since the ratio of v to D only describes the equilibrated profile of the sum of all impurity charge states, steady-state measurements can still decouple D and v if different charge states are simultaneously observed. We have formulated a non-parametric analysis framework based on the Bayesian probability theory and conducted transport coefficient measurements for a Type III ELMy H-mode plasma at ASDEX Upgrade. The charge exchange reactions with the background neutrals, which are known to affect the impurity charge state balance, are taken into account by introducing additional free parameters. While D at the pedestal is close to the neoclassical level ( < 1 m s-2), a large diffusion coefficient and a strong outward convection are inferred right inside the pedestal top.

Stainless steel (SS), widely used because of its outstanding corrosion protection properties, does not possess any particular anti-stain or anti-bacterial activity as required for household and sanitary applications. This work reports the fabrication of SS thin films that, keeping a similar corrosion resistance than the bulk material, presents hydrophobicity and anti-bacterial activity. These thin films are prepared at ambient temperature by physical vapor deposition (PVD), either electron beam evaporation (EBE) or magnetron sputtering (MS), at oblique angles (OAD). According to their scanning electron microcopy and atomic force microscopy analysis, the microstructure of the OAD-SS thin films consisted of tilted and separated nanocolumns defining a surface topology that, characterized by a high percentage of void space, varied with the deposition conditions and procedure, either EBE or MS. It has been shown that particularly the nanocolumnar MS-OAD thin films preserved and even improved the high corrosion resistance of compact SS, as determined by electrochemical analysis. Besides, all OAD-SS thin films depict hydrophobicity and a high antibacterial activity. These features, particularly remarkable for the MS-OAD thin films, have been related with their tip-like termination at the surface and the existence of large void spaces separating the nanocolumns. This topology appears to affect negatively the bacteria’s deployment onto the surface and therefore the survival rate. Differences in the corrosion and antibacterial performance between EBE and MS-OAD thin films have been related with the specificities of these two PVD methods of thin film preparation. A relatively high abrasion resistance, as determined by abrasion tests, supports the use of MS-OAD thin films for the protection of commodity materials.

Despite the youthfulness of hybrid halide perovskite solar cells, their efficiencies are currently comparable to commercial silicon and have surpassed quantum-dots solar cells. Yet, the scalability of these devices is a challenge due to their low reproducibility and stability under environmental conditions. However, the techniques reported to date to tackle such issues recurrently involve the use of solvent methods that would further complicate their transfer to industry. Herein a reliable alternative relaying in the implementation of an ultrathin plasma polymer as a passivation interface between the electron transport layer and the hybrid perovskite layer is presented. Such a nanoengineered interface provides solar devices with increased long-term stability under ambient conditions. Thus, without involving any additional encapsulation step, the cells retain more than 80% of their efficiency after being exposed to the ambient atmosphere for more than 1000 h. Moreover, this plasma polymer passivation strategy significantly improves the coverage of the mesoporous scaffold by the perovskite layer, providing the solar cells with enhanced performance, with a champion efficiency of 19.2%, a remarkable value for Li-free standard mesoporous n-i-p architectures, as well as significantly improved reproducibility.