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Highly Stable Epitaxially Crystallized Ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Films

Cooling conditions are critical in the crystallization of polycrystalline films of ferroelectric HfO2 because the energy of the HfO2 polymorphs is very sensitive to oxygen vacancies and because of the role of kinetics in the stabilization of the metastable orthorhombic phase. Here, we investigate the relevance of cooling conditions in the pulsed laser deposition of epitaxial Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films. The orthorhombic phase crystallized in epitaxial Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 films does not change when highly reducing or oxidizing cooling conditions are used.

Oxides

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A sulfurization method for creating the buffer-layers current flow diverter architecture in REBa2Cu3O7 coated conductors

The current flow diverter (CFD) is a known concept that has proven to effectively reduce the probability of destructive hot spots in REBa2Cu3O7 (REBCO; RE = rare earth) coated conductors (CCs) by boosting the normal zone propagation velocity. However, the implementation of the CFD concept requires additional steps in a fabrication process that is already complex and has struggled to find a simple reel-to-reel fabrication method.

Superconductors

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Laboratorio del Instituto Cajal del CSIC. / César Hernández.

El CSIC actualiza el ranking de investigadores españoles en Google Scholar con 10.000 nuevos perfiles

Entre las instituciones, el CSIC es la más representada con más de 6400 perfiles. Entre los centros que forman parte del organismo, destacan el Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), el Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC) o el Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC). Le siguen las Universidades Complutense de Madrid con 5973 perfiles, Granada con 4563, Sevilla con 4141 y Barcelona con casi 4.000 perfiles. Entre las instituciones privadas destaca la Universidad de Navarra con más de 1.000 investigadores registrados.

ICMAB Awards, timeline

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Roadmap on ferroelectric hafnia- and zirconia-based materials and devices

  • Título : Roadmap on ferroelectric hafnia- and zirconia-based materials and devices
  • Autores: José P. B. Silva ; Ruben Alcala ; Uygar E. Avci ; Nick Barrett ; Laura Bégon-Lours ; Mattias Borg ; Seungyong Byun ; Sou-Chi Chang ; Sang-Wook Cheong ; Duk-Hyun Choe ; Jean Coignus ; Veeresh Deshpande ; Athanasios Dimoulas ; Catherine Dubourdieu ; Ignasi Fina ; Hiroshi Funakubo ; Laurent Grenouillet ; Alexei Gruverman ; Jinseong Heo ; Michael Hoffmann ; H. Alex Hsain ; Fei-Ting Huang ; Cheol Seong Hwang ; Jorge Íñiguez ; Jacob L. Jones ; Ilya V. Karpov ; Alfred Kersch ; Taegyu Kwon ; Suzanne Lancaster ; Maximilian Lederer ; Younghwan Lee ; Patrick D. Lomenzo ; Lane W. Martin ; Simon Martin ; Shinji Migita ; Thomas Mikolajick ; Beatriz Noheda ; Min Hyuk Park ; Karin M. Rabe ; Sayeef Salahuddin ; Florencio Sánchez ; Konrad Seidel ; Takao Shimizu ; Takahisa Shiraishi ; Stefan Slesazeck ; Akira Toriumi ; Hiroshi Uchida ; Bertrand Vilquin ; Xianghan Xu ; Kun Hee Ye ; Uwe Schroeder
  • Citation and DOI:
    APL Mater. 11, 089201 (2023)
  • PlumX: Roadmap on ferroelectric hafnia- and zirconia-based materials and devices
Ferroelectric hafnium and zirconium oxides have undergone rapid scientific development over the last decade, pushing them to the forefront of ultralow-power electronic systems. Maximizing the potential application in memory devices or supercapacitors of these materials requires a combined effort by the scientific community to address technical limitations, which still hinder their application.

Oxides

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Welcome Yingjie Zhu at ICMAB!

  • Nombre y apellidos: Yingjie Zhu
Hi, everybody! This Yingjie, I come from China. My master's research direction was Materials Science and Engineering, I am currently pursuing a PhD in Ligh-Matter Interactions in MULFOX group under the supervision of Dr. Gervasi Herranz and Dr. Gabriele De Luca, the objective is to explore spin-orbit entanglement in correlated Jahn-Teller systems. I love Chinese poetry, if you are interested, we can enjoy it together!

China

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PhD Open position on: Electrodes functionalisation with electroactive molecules for electrocatalysis

  • Deadline: 2024-02-29

We offer a three-year PhD position in the framework of the project “Towards Efficient Hydrogen Production with New Hybrid Electrocatalysts (HYDROCAT).”  This project will be developed in close collaboration with a theoretical group at University of Barcelona and a group expert in electrocatalysis at the Catalan Institute of Nanonoscience and Nanotechnology.

PhD Fellows

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Single─Not Double─3D-Aromaticity in an Oxidized Closo Icosahedral Dodecaiodo-Dodecaborate Cluster

3D-aromatic molecules with (distorted) tetrahedral, octahedral, or spherical structures are much less common than typical 2D-aromatic species or even 2D-aromatic-in-3D systems. Closo boranes, [BnHn]2– (5 ≤ n ≤ 14) and carboranes are examples of compounds that are singly 3D-aromatic, and we now explore if there are species that are doubly 3D-aromatic.

Cover, Molecular

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Towards the Application of Purely Inorganic Icosahedral Boron Clusters in Emerging Nanomedicine

Traditionally, drugs were obtained by extraction from medicinal plants, but more recently also by organic synthesis. Today, medicinal chemistry continues to focus on organic compounds and the majority of commercially available drugs are organic molecules, which can incorporate nitrogen, oxygen, and halogens, as well as carbon and hydrogen.

Biomaterials

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Alumnat de 4t curs del EUSS Enginyeria visiten l'ICMAB

El passat divendres 3 de novembre, l’alumnat de 4t curs del grau en Enginyeria en Energies Renovables i Eficiència Energètica i l’alumnat del grau en Enginyeria d’Automoció van visitar les instal·lacions del Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC-ICMAB), centre de recerca ubicat al campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (a Bellaterra).

Visits and open doors

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Welcome Sara Otín at ICMAB!

  • Nombre y apellidos: Sara Otín
Hello! I'm Sara and I'm doing an internship thanks to the JAE intro scholarship. I am working with Judith Guasch's group. Besides science I love hiking and cats. See you around!

Spain

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Welcome MªÀngels Vilella Illa at ICMAB!

  • Nombre y apellidos: MªÀngels Vilella Illa
Hello everyone! My name is Mª Àngels Vilella and I am from Sabadell. I studied Philosophy at UAB, but I have never worked in it. I am sharing my day between ICMAB and Illustration, so I only work in the mornings. I have had a cover published in Angewandte, and I dedicate part of my time to scientific illustration. Apart from drawing, I like movies, reading and spending time with the people I love! I hope to meet you soon!

Spain

  • Hits: 381

High-Temperature Synthesis of Ferromagnetic Eu3Ta3(O,N)9 with a Triple Perovskite Structure

Europium tantalum perovskite oxynitrides were prepared by a new high-temperature solid-state synthesis under N2 or N2/H2 gas. The nitrogen stoichiometry was tuned from 0.63 to 1.78 atoms per Eu or Ta atom, starting with appropriate N/O ratios in the mixture of the reactants Eu2O3, EuN and Ta3N5, or Eu2O3 and TaON, which was treated at 1200 °C for 3 h.

Oxides

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Projecte dirigit per Albert Verdaguer podria reduir en un 40% el consum d’aigua en producció de neu

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), que gestiona sis estacions d’esquí catalanes, desenvolupa actualment una tecnologia pionera en producció de neu que provarà els propers tres anys a les seves instal·lacions i que podria suposar un estalvi del consum d’aigua i energia d’un 40%. El president de FGC, Toni Segarra, i el responsable de la divisió de turisme, Toni Sanmartín, han avançat aquesta informació durant la presentació de la temporada d’hivern. Sanmartín ha explicat que el projecte s’anomena Laboratori de la neu i ha detallat que es tracta d’un estudi únic a Europa per millorar l’eficiència en aquest àmbit, clau actualment per a la viabilitat de les estacions d’esquí.

Top Science Results, timeline, ICMAB in the media

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Nora Ventosa, nou membre del Consell per a la Recerca i la Innovació de Catalunya (CORICAT)

El Ple del Parlament ha aprovat avui la designació en representació de la cambra catalana de set nous membres del Consell per a la Recerca i la Innovació de Catalunya (CORICAT), l’òrgan consultiu del Govern per prendre les grans decisions estratègiques de país en aquests àmbits. Aquests nomenaments s’afegeixen als set membres designats per part del Govern el passat mes de juliol i permeten seguir donant compliment al calendari previst de desplegament de la Llei de la ciència de Catalunya (LCC), aprovada per ampli consens parlamentari el desembre de 2022.

Staff Awards, Breaking News, timeline, ICMAB in the media, Institutional

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Welcome Gabriel de Araújo Masanti at ICMAB!

  • Nombre y apellidos: Gabriel de Araújo Masanti
Hello! I'm Gabriel and I'm in my last year of Physics and Chemistry. I will be doing my bachelor thesis at ICMAB on computational modeling of hydrogels for cell therapy against cancer studying the interaction between adhesive proteins under the supervision of Dr. Jordi Faraudo. I like to learn new things, I love to travel, to cook and to workout.

Spain

  • Hits: 322

Low Temperatures Characterization Techniques Workshop, 9 November 2023

  • Upcoming Date : 2023-11-09

The field of materials science has emerged as a dynamic and rapidly evolving area of research. This sustained effort has yielded the creation of novel materials boasting remarkable complexity and sophistication. The comprehensive assessment of these innovative materials demands the utilization of advanced techniques and equipment.

Courses and Workshops

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Thermal Analysis Service: Approach to the technique and Access to the Service , 20 November 2023

  • Upcoming Date : 2023-11-20

The Thermal Analysis and Surface Area Analysis Service is used for the study of the behavior of materials when temperature changes under different conditions and atmospheres, and for studies of surface area and porosity. With this seminar we intend to explain when you can need the Service and how you can access it.
SPEAKER: Roberta Ceravola

Courses and Workshops

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Domain distributions in tetragonal ferroelectric thin films probed by optical second harmonic generation

Controlling the domain arrangement in a ferroelectric material is the key to accessing its functional properties. However, when a ferroelectric thin film is inserted into a multilayer device architecture, conventional characterization techniques provide limited access to the buried distribution of polar states.

Oxides

  • Hits: 267

"From spin to orbital currents in solids: the latest frontiers in electronics" by Tatiana G. Rappoport (Thursday, 30 November 2023)

  • Upcoming Date : 2023-11-30

"From spin to orbital currents in solids: the latest frontiers in electronics" by Tatiana G. Rappoport , Centro de Física, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
Opening Conference of the School on Orbital Currents

Thursday, 30 November 2023, 12 PM, ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles/ONLINE

Meetings Organization

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Experimental setup. A thin layer of cobalt nitride (CoN) in a liquid with ionic conductivity. The voltage is applied to the liquid via two platinum plates. (Credits: Zheng Ma)

First-ever wireless device developed to make magnetism appear in non-magnetic materials

Researchers at the UAB and ICMAB-CSIC have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring, published in Nature Communications, represents a paradigm shift that can facilitate the creation of magnetic nanorobots for biomedicine and computing systems where basic information management processes do not require wiring.

Newspapers, Breaking News, ICMAB in the media

  • Hits: 399

Arrhythmic Effects Evaluated on Caenorhabditis elegans: The Case of Polypyrrole Nanoparticles

Experimental studies and clinical trials of nanoparticles for treating diseases are increasing continuously. However, the reach to the market does not correlate with these efforts due to the enormous cost, several years of development, and off-target effects like cardiotoxicity.

Biomaterials

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Wireless magneto-ionics: voltage control of magnetism by bipolar electrochemistry

Modulation of magnetic properties through voltage-driven ion motion and redox processes, i.e., magneto-ionics, is a unique approach to control magnetism with electric field for low-power memory and spintronic applications. So far, magneto-ionics has been achieved through direct electrical connections to the actuated material.

Energy

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8 Nov-2023: Technical seminar on materials characterisation equipment

  • Upcoming Date : 2023-11-08

The Service-SOFT/U6 Nanbiosis together with the company NANE are organising a technical seminar on materials characterisation equipment. In this seminar, different techniques for the characterisation of particulate materials such as DLS, NTA, Laser Diffraction, Morphology will be discussed.

Courses and Workshops

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Joint CSIC-ALBA Laboratory opens to drive sustainable energy solutions

The ALBA Synchrotron and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) have opened a new laboratory addressed to study batteries and high temperature superconductors. The new facility, located at the ALBA Synchrotron premises, enables users of ALBA, including the important community of CSIC researchers, to significantly optimize experiments involving synchrotron light. The project was jointly funded by the CSIC PTI+ TransEner, funded by the European NextGeneration funds and the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, and ALBA.

Press Release, Project Results, Breaking News

  • Hits: 547

N-Doped Octagon-Containing HBC as Redox and pH Chiroptical Switch in the NIR

The optical and chiroptical properties of an aza-HBC-oct-[5]helicene have been studied and also modulated by means of protonation or oxidation. In both cases, the generated species shows a new absorption band in the NIR region that is not present in the neutral species. This result enables this N-doped nanographene to act both as optical and, remarkably, as chiroptical switch since both the CD and CPL can be modulated by external stimuli such as redox or pH changes.

The article got the Cover Feature for the September 2023 edition of Chemistry Europe

Energy

  • Hits: 393