In this paper, we investigate the Casimir-Lifshitz free energy mechanism that governs both ice growth and melting near metal surfaces, with a particular focus on the role of oxidation. Our study reveals that metals such as gold, iron, and aluminum induce incomplete premelting, resulting in micron-sized liquid water layers when in contact with ice. These…
Thin films of ice and water on soil particles play crucial roles in environmental and technological processes. Understanding the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying their formation is essential for advancing scientific knowledge and engineering practices. Herein, we focus on the role of the Casimir-Lifshitz force, also referred to as dispersion force, in the formation and behavior…
We demonstrate that the coupling between light emitters in extended polymer layers and modes supported by arrays of plasmonic particles can be selectively enhanced by accurate positioning of the emitters in regions where the electric field intensity of a given mode is maximized. The enhancement, which we measure to reach up to 70%, is due…
The effects of a high ion dose irradiation on TiO2 thin films under different conditions of temperature and ion nature are discussed. We have shown that anatase TiO2 thin films irradiated with N+ ions at room temperature develop a typical microstructure with mounds and voids open to the surface whereas irradiations at 700 K generate…
An analysis of the diffracted beams emerging from three-dimensional photonic crystals is herein presented. The wave vectors of nonspecular beams are calculated for a triangular two-dimensional lattice and the change in their directions as a function of the wavelength is confirmed experimentally for the case of face-centered-cubic colloidal crystals illuminated under normal incidence. A fluctuating…
An analysis of the diffracted beams emerging from three-dimensional photonic crystals is herein presented. The wave vectors of nonspecular beams are calculated for a triangular two-dimensional lattice and the change in their directions as a function of the wavelength is confirmed experimentally for the case of face-centered-cubic colloidal crystals illuminated under normal incidence. A fluctuating…
An electron reaching the detector after being backscattered from a solid surface in a reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) experiment follows a so-called V-type trajectory if it is reasonable to consider that it has only one large elastic scattering event along its total path length traveled inside the solid. V-type trajectories are explicitly assumed…
We report the Ni 2p x-ray photoelectron spectra of NiO thin films grown on different oxide substrates, namely, SiO2, Al2O3, and MgO. The main line of the Ni 2p spectra is attributed to the bulk component, and the shoulder at 1.5 eV higher binding energies to the surface component. The spectra of the NiO thin…
We report the Ni 2p x-ray photoelectron spectra of NiO thin films grown on different oxide substrates, namely, SiO2, Al2O3, and MgO. The main line of the Ni 2p spectra is attributed to the bulk component, and the shoulder at 1.5 eV higher binding energies to the surface component. The spectra of the NiO thin…