In this work a set of mono- and bi-layered nanostructured Ni-Fe electrocatalysts prepared by magnetron sputtering deposition in an oblique angle configuration have been tested as anodes for urea assisted water electrolysis. In a three -electrode cell, it was found that an oxide/metal bilayer outperforms single metal or oxide layer configurations for the urea…
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:…
Microacoustic wave devices are essential components in the radio frequency (RF) electronics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industry with increasing impact in various sensing and actuation applications. Reliable and smart operation of acoustic wave devices at low costs will cause a crucial advancement. Herein, this study presents the enablement of temperature and mechanical sensing capabilities in…
Hydrogen is the ideal energy vector to reduce our fossil-fuels dependency and diminish the climate change consequence. However, current production is still methane based. It is possible to produce hydrogen using bioethanol from the alcoholic fermentation of organic waste by chemical looping processes, but unfortunately current redox systems generate hydrogen with significant traces of CO. In the case of proton exchange membrane…
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…
Industries around the world use active methods, which include thermal, mechanical and chemical approaches, to reduce icing on aerodynamic surfaces such as wind turbines and aircraft. However, they are often inefficient, costly, and pollute the environment. For years, new coatings with anti-icing properties (so-called icephobic coatings) have been developed to either replace or work in…
PVSkite es un proyecto multidisciplinar que tiene como principales objetivos incorporar las técnicas de plasma de deposición y de procesado de materiales y un conjunto de técnicas sintéticas de vacío al desarrollo de materiales, nanoestructuras y dispositivos basados en perovskitas de haluro. En el caso de las técnicas de plasma, buscamos explorar aproximaciones, como la…
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.…
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, uti-lizing milder laser irradiation conditions (i.e. laser fluences from…
In this work, we theoretically and experimentally study the influence of the optical environment on the radiative decay rate of rare-earth transitions in luminescent nanoparticles forming a thin film. We use electric dipole sources in finite-difference time-domain simulations to analyze the effect of modifying the effective refractive index of transparent layers made of phosphor nanocrystals…