News

Optical Plasmon Excitation in Transparent Conducting SrNbO3 and SrVO3 Thin Films

Written by Jags on .

Título : Optical Plasmon Excitation in Transparent Conducting SrNbO3 and SrVO3 Thin Films
Autores: Mathieu Mirjolet, Mikko Kataja, Tommi K. Hakala, Philipp Komissinskiy, Lambert Alff, Gervasi Herranz, Josep Fontcuberta
Citation: Adv. Optical Mater. 2021, 2100520. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202100520
PlumX: Optical Plasmon Excitation in Transparent Conducting SrNbO3 and SrVO3 Thin Films

From catalysis and flat panel displays to photovoltaics, transparent and conducting transition metal oxides are gaining momentum toward more sustainable and cost-efficient applications.

Here it is shown that, without using phase-matching arrangements, bulk plasmons can be excited in continuous epitaxial films of metallic SrVO3 and SrNbO3, with plasma absorption edges at visible range, and tuned mainly by electron correlations and phonon dressing. Films can be made reflective or transparent at whish.

Oxides

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Supervisor Josep Fontcuberta and Doctor Mathieu Mirjolet

Congratulations Dr. Mathieu Mirjolet, new ICMAB Graduate

Written by Artur on .

Doctor Mathieu Mirjolet from the Laboratory of Multifunctional Thin Films and Complex Structures (MULFOX) group at ICMAB, defended his PhD thesis titled "Transparent Conducting Oxides Based on Early Transition Metals: From Electrical and Optical Properties of Epitaxial Thin Films, to Integration in All-Oxide Photoabsorbing Heterostructures." on Friday, 23 July 2021 in an online session. Congrats!

PhD Congrats

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A collection of strontium and vanadium oxide (SrVO3) metallic films of increasing thickness.| ICMAB-CSIC

A new theory to explain the transparency of metallic oxides

Written by Anna on .

Press Links:

The electrons of some metal oxides, due to their large effective mass when coupled with the ionic lattice of the material, cannot follow the electric field of light and allow it to pass through the material. Transparent and conductive materials are used in smartphone touch screens and solar panels for photovoltaic energy.

Press Release, Top Science Results, 2021

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Watercolor sketch of the Table Tennis Tournament by Alejandro Santos

The 2021 ICMAB Summer Party celebrates the Institute’s 35 years!

Written by Artur on .

After last year’s party being cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, we were stoked to be able to finally celebrate again!

The 2021 ICMAB Party was celebrated after more than a year without live events due to the collective efforts to stop the spread of COVID. The party was not without changes, as it was celebrated entirely at ICMAB’s terrace to avoid concentrations of people inside. We celebrated on 16 July 2021 with many events, including the first CRYSTALMATCH contest, the awards ceremony for the FOTICMAB contest, the BEFORE&NOW photo activity, a tie dye workshop by Sara Ruiz, Nerea González and Lídia Ballell, a sketching workshop by Alejandro Santos, and the final of the Tennis Table tournament!

Commemorations, Meetings Organization, Breaking News, 2021

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Bias-Polarity-Dependent Direct and Inverted Marcus Charge Transport Affecting Rectification in a Redox-Active Molecular Junction

Written by Jags on .

Título : Bias-Polarity-Dependent Direct and Inverted Marcus Charge Transport Affecting Rectification in a Redox-Active Molecular Junction
Autores: Yingmei Han, Cameron Nickle, Maria Serena Maglione, Senthil Kumar Karuppannan, Javier Casado-Montenegro, Dong-Chen Qi, Xiaoping Chen, Anton Tadich, Bruce Cowie, Marta Mas-Torrent, Concepció Rovira, Jérôme Cornil, Jaume Veciana, Enrique del Barco, Christian A. Nijhuis
Citation: Adv. Sci. 2021, 2100055. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202100055
PlumX: Bias-Polarity-Dependent Direct and Inverted Marcus Charge Transport Affecting Rectification in a Redox-Active Molecular Junction
This paper describes the transition from the normal to inverted Marcus region in solid-state tunnel junctions consisting of self-assembled monolayers of benzotetrathiafulvalene (BTTF), and how this transition determines the performance of a molecular diode. Temperature-dependent normalized differential conductance analyses indicate the participation of the HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) at large negative bias, which follows typical thermally activated hopping behavior associated with the normal Marcus regime.

Biomaterials

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Electron–Phonon Coupling and Electron–Phonon Scattering in SrVO3

Written by Jags on .

Título : Electron–Phonon Coupling and Electron–Phonon Scattering in SrVO3
Autores: Mathieu Mirjolet, Francisco Rivadulla, Premysl Marsik, Vladislav Borisov, Roser Valentí, Josep Fontcuberta
Citation: Adv. Sci. 2021, 2004207. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202004207
PlumX: Electron–Phonon Coupling and Electron–Phonon Scattering in SrVO3
The nature of electron-electron and electron-lattice interactions in metallic oxides is revised. The common wisdom is that the strong correlations among electrons determine their properties. Here we argue that the unavoidable coupling between free electrons and the lattice in ionic materials leads to the formation of polarons. These are carriers dressed by a lattice distortion that travel with them and largely determine the transport and some optical properties.

Oxides

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Judit Tomsen holding her PhD

Congratulations Dr. Judit Tomsen, new ICMAB Graduate

Written by Artur on .

Doctor Judit Tomsen from the Molecular Nanoscience and Organic Materials (NANOMOL) Group at ICMAB, defended her PhD thesis titled "Study of new liposomes for the delivery of enzymes through biological membranes" on Thursday, 15 July 2021 in an online session. Congrats!

PhD Congrats

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Ru(II) and Ir(III) phenanthroline-based photosensitisers bearing o-carborane: PDT agents with boron carriers for potential BNCT

Written by Jags on .

Título : Ru(II) and Ir(III) phenanthroline-based photosensitisers bearing o-carborane: PDT agents with boron carriers for potential BNCT
Autores: Sylvia M. Draper, Robert Conway-Kenny, Albert Ferrer-Ugalde, Oriol Careta, Xiaoneng Cui, Jianzhang Zhao, Carme Nogues, Rosario Nunez and Justo Cabrera-González
Citation:

Biomater. Sci., 2021, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/D1BM00730K
PlumX: Ru(II) and Ir(III) phenanthroline-based photosensitisers bearing o-carborane: PDT agents with boron carriers for potential BNCT
Four novel transition metal-carborane photosensitisers were prepared by Sonogashira cross-coupling of 1-(4-ethynylbenzyl)-2-methyl-o-carborane (A-CB) with halogenated Ru(II)- or Ir(III)-phenanthroline complexes. The resulting boron-rich complexes with one (RuCB and IrCB) or two carborane cages (RuCB2 and IrCB2) were spectroscopically characterised, and their photophysical properties investigated. RuCB displayed the most attractive photophysical properties in solution (λem 635 nm, τT 2.53 μs, and φp 20.4 %).

Biomaterials

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Welcome Josep Llobet at ICMAB!

Written by Jags on .

Nombre y apellidos: Josep Llobet
Hello, My name is Josep. I am graduated in Biotechnology and currently studying a Master Degree in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics. I will be in the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites Group, developing a program for the image analysis of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. My hobbies are music, art, and go out! See you there

Spain

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A new density-modification procedure extending the application of the recent |ρ|-based phasing algorithm to larger crystal structures

Written by Jags on .

Título : A new density-modification procedure extending the application of the recent |ρ|-based phasing algorithm to larger crystal structures
Autores: Jordi Rius* and Xavier Torrelles
Citation: Acta Cryst. (2021). A77, 339-347
PlumX: A new density-modification procedure extending the application of the recent |ρ|-based phasing algorithm to larger crystal structures
The incorporation of the new peakness-enhancing fast Fourier transform compatible ipp procedure (ipp = inner-pixel preservation) into the recently published SM algorithm based on |ρ| [Rius (2020). Acta Cryst A76, 489–493] improves its phasing efficiency for larger crystal structures with atomic resolution data. Its effectiveness is clearly demonstrated via a collection of test crystal structures (taken from the Protein Data Bank) either starting from random phase values or by using the randomly shifted modulus function (a Patterson-type synthesis) as initial ρ estimate.

Oxides

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Welcome Yaiza Martínez at ICMAB!

Written by Jags on .

Nombre y apellidos: Yaiza Martínez
Hi there! My name is Yaiza and I'm from Barcelona. I'm currently finishing a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in UB. I came to develop my final year external practices at the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group. I'm looking forward to learn a lot from them! In my free time, I always like to do some sport or read a good book. See you at ICMAB!

Spain

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Welcome Manel Serrano at ICMAB!

Written by Jags on .

Nombre y apellidos: Manel Serrano
Hi there! My name is Manel and I'm from Barcelona. I'm currently studying a Bachelor's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at UAB. I joined Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) group to develop my final year external practices. I'm delighted to join this group and learn about them! I really love quantum mechanics. In my free time, I play video games, read crime novels and spend time with my dog. See you on ICMAB!

Spain

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Welcome Marc Solans Díaz at ICMAB!

Written by Jags on .

Nombre y apellidos: Marc Solans Díaz
HELLO! My name is Marc and I am a student who will start college this year. I'm from Sant Cugat and I play tennis. I came to do a month-long stay at ICMAB to research with Ana M. Lopez’s research group. I love science and I hope to learn a lot during these days.

Spain

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Observation of second sound in a rapidly varying temperature field in Ge

Written by Jags on .

Título : Observation of second sound in a rapidly varying temperature field in Ge
Autores: Albert Beardo, Miquel López-Suárez, Luis Alberto Pérez, Lluc Sendra, Maria Isabel Alonso, Claudio Melis, Javier Bafaluy, Juan Camacho, Luciano Colombo, Riccardo Rurali, Francesc Xavier Alvarez and Juan Sebastián Reparaz,*
Citation: Science Advances  30 Jun 2021:
Vol. 7, no. 27, eabg4677
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4677
PlumX: Observation of second sound in a rapidly varying temperature field in Ge
Second sound is known as the thermal transport regime where heat is carried by temperature waves. Its experimental observation was previously restricted to a small number of materials, usually in rather narrow temperature windows. We show that it is possible to overcome these limitations by driving the system with a rapidly varying temperature field. High-frequency second sound is demonstrated in bulk natural Ge between 7 K and room temperature by studying the phase lag of the thermal response under a harmonic high-frequency external thermal excitation and addressing the relaxation time and the propagation velocity of the heat waves. These results provide a route to investigate the potential of wave-like heat transport in almost any material, opening opportunities to control heat through its oscillatory nature.

Energy

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ICMAB Annual Report, 1987-1989

ICMAB Celebrates its 35th anniversary!

Written by Artur on .

The Institute was one of the four Materials Science CSIC Research Centers founded in 1986.

This year is the 35th anniversary of the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona! It was put together in 1986 through the union of different research groups from different local institutions, all coming together in a singular building which was, on its own, a collaboration between the CSIC and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, who conceded some of its territory so the ICMAB could be built near the Centro Nacional de Microelectrónica (the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM)).

Commemorations, Breaking News, 2021

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Welcome Mariona Aguilera at ICMAB!

Written by Jags on .

Nombre y apellidos: Mariona Aguilera
Hello! My name is Mariona Aguilera and I'm a last year physics student at UAB. I'm here at ICMAB to do final year practics of my degree. I have joined the DRX group to do a protocol laboratory study. I'm so happy to be here! I like to spend time with my family and my dogs, going to the mountain and read.

Spain

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Oxidation processes at the surface of BaTiO3 thin films under environmental conditions

Written by Jags on .

Título : Oxidation processes at the surface of BaTiO3 thin films under environmental conditions
Autores: I. Spasojević, G. Sautier, J. Caicedo, A. Verdaguer, N. Domingo
Citation: Applied Surface Science, 2021, 150288, ISSN 0169-4332,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.150288
PlumX: Oxidation processes at the surface of BaTiO3 thin films under environmental conditions
Dissociation and adsorption of water on ferroelectric oxide surfaces play important role in the processes of screening and switching dynamics of ferroelectric polarization, as well as in catalytic processes which can be additionally coupled with light, temperature or vibration stimuli. In this work, we present XPS study of ferroelectric BaTiO3 thin films and determine the entanglement between surface chemistry, polarization direction and stability, by observing changes upon time exposure to environmental conditions, heating in O2 atmosphere and irradiation in vacuum.

Molecular

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Amplified frequency-domain thermoreflectance setup used to study the existence of second sound in germanium. | ICMAB, CSIC

Thermal waves observed in semiconductor materials

Written by Anna on .

Press Links:
A study published in Science Advances reports on the unexpected observation of thermal waves in germanium, a semiconductor material. This phenomenon may allow a significant improvement in the performance of our electronic devices in a near future. The study is led by researchers from the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB, CSIC) in collaboration with researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and the University of Cagliari.

Websites News, Radio, Newspapers, Press Release, Top Science Results, Breaking News, 2021

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Current-Induced Magnetization Control in Insulating Ferrimagnetic Garnets

Written by Jags on .

Título : Current-Induced Magnetization Control in Insulating Ferrimagnetic Garnets
Autores: Can Onur Avci
Citation:

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 90, 081007 (2021) 10.7566/JPSJ.90.081007
PlumX: Current-Induced Magnetization Control in Insulating Ferrimagnetic Garnets
The research into insulating ferrimagnetic garnets has gained enormous momentum in the past decade. This is partly due to the improvement in the techniques to grow high-quality ultrathin films with desirable properties and the advances in understanding the spin transport within the ferrimagnetic garnets and through their interfaces with conducting materials. In recent years, we have seen remarkable progress in controlling the magnetization state of ferrimagnetic garnets by electrical means in suitable heterostructures and device architectures.

Oxides

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Tuning the architectures and luminescence properties of Cu(I) compounds of phenyl and carboranyl pyrazoles: the impact of 2D versus 3D aromatic moieties in the ligand backbone

Written by Jags on .

Título : Tuning the architectures and luminescence properties of Cu(I) compounds of phenyl and carboranyl pyrazoles: the impact of 2D versus 3D aromatic moieties in the ligand backbone
Autores: Joan Soldevila-Sanmartín, Eliseo Ruiz, Duane Choquesillo-Lazarte, Mark E. Light, Clara Viñas, Francesc Teixidor, Rosario Núñez, * Josefina Pons and  José G. Planas *
Citation: J. Mater. Chem. C, 2021, Advance Article
PlumX: Tuning the architectures and luminescence properties of Cu(i) compounds of phenyl and carboranyl pyrazoles: the impact of 2D versus 3D aromatic moieties in the ligand backbone
Incorporation of one or two o-carborane moieties at the backbone of the pyrazole ring was achieved by lithiation and nucleophilic addition onto the corresponding 3,5-dimethyl-1-(2-toluene-p-sulfonyloxyethyl)pyrazole. Two monosubstituted carboranyl pyrazoles (L2 and L3) and one disubstituted carboranyl pyrazole (L4) were synthesized and fully characterized. All new compounds, and the corresponding monosubstituted phenylderivative (L1) behave as N-type ligands upon coordination with CuI to afford different polynuclear Cu(I) compounds 1–4. Compounds 1–4 were fully characterized and their molecular structures were determined by X-ray diffraction. It is noteworthy that whereas the pyrazolylphenyl ligand L1, without o-carborane, provides a 1D coordination polymer (1), ligands containing carborane, L2–L3, affords 0D coordination compounds 2 and 3, and disubstituted carboranyl pyrazole ligand L4 gives rise to a 3D coordination polymer.

Energy

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Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor/Quatsome Nanoconjugates: A Robust Topical Delivery System for Complex Wound Healing

Written by Jags on .

Título : Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor/Quatsome Nanoconjugates: A Robust Topical Delivery System for Complex Wound Healing
Autores: Lidia Ferrer-Tasies, Hector Santana, Ingrid Cabrera-Puig, Elisabet González-Mira, Lídia Ballell-Hosa, Carla Castellar-Álvarez, Alba Córdoba, Josep Merlo-Mas, Haydee Gerónimo, Glay Chinea, Viviana Falcón, Evelyn Moreno-Calvo, Jan Skov Pedersen, Jessica Romero, Claudia Navarro-Requena, Calixto Valdés, Miladys Limonta, Jorge Berlanga, Santiago Sala, Eduardo Martínez, Jaume Veciana, Nora Ventosa
Citation: Adv. Therap. 2021, 2000260. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.202000260
PlumX: Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor/Quatsome Nanoconjugates: A Robust Topical Delivery System for Complex Wound Healing
A multitude of microparticles and nanoparticles is developed to improve the delivery of different small drugs and large biomolecules, which are subject to several hindering biological barriers that limit their optimal biodistribution and therapeutic effects. Here, a soft, reliable, and scalable method based on compressed CO2 is reported for obtaining nanoconjugates of recombinant human epidermal growth factor and nanovesicles called quatsomes, where the latter consists of cholesterol and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.These nanoconjugates exhibit appropriate values of the major critical quality attributes of colloidal nanomedicines, such as controlled and narrow nanoscopic particle size distribution (which play important roles in determining their stability), drug loading, drug release, drug protection, targeting ability, and bioactivity.

Biomaterials

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