Marco Salerno

Technische Universität Dresden | TUD · Materials Science and Nanotechnology

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The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ma16030993/s1, Figure S1 is FDTD simulation of two-level 3Dcolumn-like nanofilms ZY view by Lumerical Inc. software ver. 8.24.2502. Figure S2 is FDTDsimulated transmittance and reflectance spectra as a function of wavelength for the two-level 3Dcolumn-li...

The ongoing problems in western countries connected to the global energy supply urgently force the research community to strive in finding new methodologies for boosting the functional properties of earth‐abundant raw materials, for example, the largely available cupreous oxide. In this work, the authors focus on the surface sensitization of this m...

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-based films containing Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), es-terified sodium alginate (ALG-e) and polymeric additives loaded with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained by a conventional casting method. AgNPs were produced in aqueous suspension and added to polymeric gels using a phase exchange technique. Composite formation...

Iron niobates, pure and substituted with copper (Fe1−xCuxNbO4 with x = 0-0.15), were prepared by the solid-state method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. The results of the structural characterizations revealed the high solubility of Cu ions in the structure and better structural stability compar...

Molecularly imprinted membrane of β-caryophyllene (MIM–vCP) was fabricated incorporating β-caryophyllene molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (βCP–NP) into polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers via electrospinning. The βCP–NP were synthesized by precipitation polymerization using the βCP as a template molecule and acrylic acid as a functional monome...

A mechanosynthesis process aiming at producing stable particles dispersions embedded in a liquid phase is proposed, starting from spheres of a metal precursor subject to a progressive disaggregation carried out by a tribological process. The method consists in using a precursor in metal spheres of millimetric dimensions, placed in a suitable vessel...

The development and efficient production of effective bioplastics is a hot topic, required to face up to the issue of the difficult disposal of plastics derived from oil. Among the different natural sources of bioplastics, starch is one of the most promising. However, for most applications, the proper mastering of the surface properties of bioplast...

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In article number 2101807, Roman Krahne and co‐workers introduce a simple and low‐cost fabrication method to grow metal halide perovskite microcrystals directly on functional substrates. The microcrystals feature a pyramidal cavity on their top surface that provides advantageous optoelectronic properties, since its facets lead to enhanced light emi...

Supplementary Materials

We fabricated resin composites based on a standard matrix system used for dental restorations incorporating a novel concept microsized filler with passing-through nanopores. The fillers were obtained from anodic porous alumina (APA), after separation from the supporting aluminum substrate and ball milling. Bending tests were carried out on as-cured...

The current trend in nanoparticles (NPs) synthesis consists in addressing a multiobjective optimization, whose targets are maximization of product yield together with minimization of energy waste and risk factors related...

Magnetron-sputtered thin films of titanium and zirconium, with a thickness of 150 nm, were hydrogenated at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 703 K, then anodized in boric, oxalic, and tartaric acid aqueous solutions, in potentiostatic, galvanostatic, potentiodynamic, and combined modes. A study of the thickness distribution of the elements...

All‐inorganic metal halide perovskites are highly attractive materials for optoelectronics and are typically implemented as thin films, nanocrystals, and single crystals with macroscopic and millimeter‐size dimensions. Single crystals with regular shapes in the micrometer range are less explored and present an interesting alternative when a well‐de...

A green and sustainable process is proposed for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) by means of a solid disaggregation in a liquid phase. A solid metal substrate, embedded in a solution containing suitable capping agents and surfactants, undergoes comminution carried out by a rotating shaft of hardness greater than the one typical of the ero...

A polymer composite based on an innovative filler consisting of microscale powder of nanoporous alumina is modeled. The passing-through nanoscale pores in this system—roughly columnar cylindrical, with diameter of the order of 100 nm—are fully penetrated by the resin, which is not bonded to the inner pore walls by any chemical agent. This system, p...

Lapping and polishing are industrial processes sometimes used alternatively for surface finishing of hard and brittle materials. This article presents advanced image analysis of surfaces of quartz crystal blanks finished by lapping and polishing. Scanning electron micrographs were obtained from workpiece surfaces parallel to Y‐, AT‐, and Z‐cut crys...

Nanoparticles of zerovalent Gallium have been produced by surface disaggregation carried out by means of mechanical abrasion in aqueous phase where capping agents have been dissolved. The particles have been characterized in diameter by dynamic light scattering. At a constant grinding force acting on metal surface, it has been observed that the dim...

This paper deals with the interfacial adhesion properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrates, prepared by using different treatment protocols selected on the basis of their different effectiveness, and bonded using a structural, high-strength epoxy adhesive. The alternative pre-bonding treatments were sodium hydroxide anodization and low-pressure-plasma...

The wide interest in developing green energy technologies stimulates the scientific community to seek, for devices, new substitute material platforms with a low environmental impact, ease of production and processing and long-term stability. The synthesis of metal oxide (MO) semiconductors fulfils these requirements and efforts are addressed toward...

The volumetric growth, composition, and morphology of porous alumina films fabricated by reduced temperature 280 K galvanostatic anodizing of aluminum foil in 0.4, 1.0, and 2.0 M aqueous sulfuric acid with 0.5–10 mA·cm−2 current densities were investigated. It appeared that an increase in the solution concentration from 0.4 to 2 M has no significan...

Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1 944/14/4/767/s1: Figures S1–S27: X-ray diffraction analysis results of the porous alumina films obtained at 1.5, 2.0, 4.05, 4.25, 4.5, 6.1, 5.0, 8.0, 8.7 mA·cm−2 current densities and 0.4, 1.0, 2.0 M SA solution concentrations.

All-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals exhibit excellent optical properties, which make them promising for optoelectronic devices. However, the insulating organic ligands at the nanocrystals’ surface represent a major issue in their effective application in devices. To decrease the effect of the ligands on carrier transport in perovskite...

Highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), i.e., the 3D stack of sp²-hybridized carbon sheets, is an attractive material thanks to its high electrical conductivity, chemical inertness, thermal stability, atomic-scale flatness, and ease of exfoliation. Despite an apparently ideal and uniform material, freshly cleaved HOPG shows domains in Kelvin pro...

Commercialization of lead halide perovskite-based devices is hindered by their instability towards environmental conditions. In particular, water promotes fast decomposition, leading to a drastic decrease in device performance. Integrating water-splitting active species within ancillary layers to the perovskite absorber might be a solution to this,...

We considered Class II dental cavities in critical tooth areas concerned with vital pulp therapy, and evaluated the marginal gap after treatment with Biodentine and Geristore, and one composite after either etching and adhesive (V2) and after use of a self-etching system (iBond Universal). We measured the surface morphology at the marginal gap by o...

PurposeThe morphological stability of silicon single crystal wafers was investigated, after performing cleaning surface treatments based on moderate temperature annealing and plasma sputtering.Methods The wafer surfaces were measured by Tapping mode atomic force microscopy in air, before and after the different treatments. The 3D images were segmen...

We fabricated nanoparticles of Zn ferrite of the chemical formula ZnFe2O4 using the auto-combustion technique, and investigated their magnetic spin distribution and frequency response to optical excitation. Optical absorption and magnetic characterization of the nanoparticles were carried out in the UV-Vis and IR range, and extended on the low freq...

A synthesis of carbon nanoparticles from hydrothermal dissociation of sugars of different composition is proposed in the present experimental study. The process has been carried out in a stirred batch reactor at a fixed temperature, using precursors dissolved in aqueous solvent in the presence of NaOH. The use of surface passivation agents has been...

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals (NCs) have received plenty of attention in the latest years, owing to their excellent color purity and easily tunable emission color. However, the efficiency of LHP NC-based LEDs generally lags behind that of polycrystalline LHP thin-film-based LEDs, especially for blue...

Fabricating biodegradable and insoluble nanoscale structures

Reducing plastic pollution is a critical challenge in photonics. Here, pure cellulose and derivatives from agro-waste were used to produce high-quality photonic architectures at the micro- and nanoscales. We demonstrate their use for dielectric and plasmonic colors and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

We observed exceptionally large pores (1-2 μm diameter) on aluminum electrochemically treated at relatively low voltage bias (50 V) under cathodic polarization. The pore spacing and size did not correlate with the proportionality law of nanoporous aluminum oxide, and appeared at least one order of magnitude higher. We did no inquire the mechanism o...

We fabricated by solid-state ceramic technique single-phase mixed spinel ZnxMg0.3-xCu0.7Al0.3Fe1.7O4 with x index from 0.05 to 0.25, step 0.05 for the first time. The goal was to study the effect of cation doping on internal structure and magnetic properties of the material. The ferrites were first characterized by X-ray diffraction to confirm thei...

The replacement of plastic with eco-friendly and biodegradable materials is one of the most stringent environmental challenges. In this respect, cellulose outstands as a biodegradable polymer. However, a significant challenge is to obtain biodegradable materials for high-end photonics that are robust in humid environments. Here, we demonstrate the...

Lead halide perovskite-based photoactive layers are nowadays employed for a large number of optoelectronic applications, from solar cells to photodetectors and light-emitting diodes, because of their excellent absorption, emission and charge-transport properties. Unfortunately, their commercialization is still hindered by an intrinsic instability t...

We investigated the doping of the spinel structure Mn-Cr ferrite with cations of the rare-earth Ce. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and saturation magnetization. The magneto-impedance showed a step-like drop in impedance that ranges from 10% to 45% at the high...

The presence of pharmaceutical residues in aquatic environments represents a risk for the equilibrium of the ecosystem and may seriously affect human safety itself in the long term. To address this issue, we have synthesized functional materials based on highly-reduced graphene oxide (HRGO), sulfonated graphene (SG), and magnetic sulfonated graphen...

We compared the proliferation and differentiation of mouse neuroblastoma Neuro 2A cell line on single layer graphene and glass substrates. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cell proliferation and differentiation were performed, considering also the effect of a common adhesion factor, namely polylysine. We observed that on graphene substr...

Oceans and seas are of paramount importance to the health of planet Earth and human kind. Marine ecosystems should be defended against attack of polluting agents by continuous monitoring; the means of such monitoring should be as green as possible, i.e. based on sensors manufactured by biocompatible and easily disposable raw materials. In this stud...

Light emitting diodes (LED) based on halide perovskite nanocrystals (NC) have received widespread attention in recent years. In particular, LEDs based on CsPbBr3 NCs were the object of special interest. Here, we report for the first time green LED based on CsPbBr3 NCs treated with ammonium thiocyanate solution before purification with polar solvent...

We present an advanced image analysis study of the 3D surfaces of silver/diamond-like carbon nanocomposite films prepared by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Atomic force microscopy data were analysed, with the goal to provide image analysis tools allowing for a better understanding of the structure–property correlation,...

A low-energy, magnetically-driven milling technique for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles is proposed, where the grinding medium and the metal precursor consisting of silver spheres have the same shape and size, belonging to a millimetric scale. The process is carried out at room temperature in aqueous solvent, where different types of capping...

In this work we investigated the possibility of using living cells as stress sensing material in biosensors. This approach requires the necessity to cultivate them on biocompatible electrical conducting substrate and to insert the circuit into a culture chamber that must assure both the transport of oxygen and the diffusion of the medium containing...

Skeletal muscle differentiation was proven to be influenced by changes in the substrate stiffness. However, a lack of knowledge features this field, concerning skeletal muscle tissues obtained from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Here we report the fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane-based substrates in a range of stiffness values from 3.5 to...

Full-text view-only version available at: https://rdcu.be/bl3vj This work reports a systematic and quantitative evaluation of the effects induced on the adhesive properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates by various vacuum cold-plasma treatments. In particular, surface activation of the CFRP substrates was performed using sever...

The bone-implant interface influences peri-implant bone healing and osseointegration. Among various nano-engineering techniques used for titanium surface modification, anodization is a simple, high-throughput and low-cost process, resulting in a nanoporous oxide coating which can promote osseointegration and impart antimicrobial and immunomodulator...

A process concerning bismuth nanoparticle synthesis by an eco-fiendly reductant in mixed solvents is proposed. The method relies upon a redox reaction carried out at mild operative conditions using tin salts as electron donors. The reaction is performed in the presence of polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium dodecyl-sulphate (SDS) as capping agen...

Air abrasion is used in dentistry for cavity opening, post-endodontic cavity cleaning, and removal of hard deposits or stains. Different applications may require different settings. We aimed to gain better understanding of the effect of some operating parameters on the efficiency of air abrasion on a model dental material. We abraded lithium disili...

We report about the response of N2a cells, a mouse neuroblastoma cell line, cultured on inert substrates with controlled porous nanostructure. The substrate surfaces were obtained by anodization and post-fabrication etching of thin aluminum films previously deposited onto glass. The morphology of the adherent cells was assessed by scanning electron...

Localized drug delivery represents one of the most challenging uses of systems based on conductive polymer films. Typically, anionic drugs are incorporated within conductive polymers through the electrostatic interaction with the positively charged polymer. Following this approach, the synthetic glucocorticoid Dexamethasone‐phosphate is often deliv...

We investigated three bulk fill composites (Mat1, Mat2, Mat3) cured by two polywave (Poly1, Poly2) and one monowave (Mono) lamps. We used infrared spectroscopy, nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy to assess degree of conversion (DC), stiffness, and roughness after polishing, respectively. Mat2 exhibited the highest DC with Poly1 and second...

Bolas spiders of the genus Mastophora are very uncommon orb-weaver spiders, famous for their unusual predatory behavior. Being strictly nocturnal and very cryptic, they are extremely difficult to reveal, which explains their rarity in world arachnological collections. After a recent finding of an adult female of Mastophora corpulenta Banks (one of...

We investigated the viscoelastic response of direct and indirect dental restorative composites by the novel technique of AM-FM atomic force microscopy. We selected four composites for direct restorations (Adonis, Optifil, EPH, CME) and three composites for indirect restorations (Gradia, Estenia, Signum). Scanning electron microscopy with micro-anal...

We report and comment on the possible increase of application of scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) for biomaterials, biological substrates, and biological samples. First, the fundamental concepts and the practical limitations of SKPM are presented, pointing out the difficulties in proper probe calibration. Then, the most relevant literature o...

The fine control of the interfacial properties of functionalized graphene is a key point for its applications, especially in biosensing devices. We have here used an in-house developed technique to fabricate microsized patterned graphene via laser ablation and then we have functionalized the interface with poly-D-lysine, a biocompatible polyelectro...

The search for an ideal orbital implant is still ongoing in the field of ocular biomaterials. Major limitations of currently-available porous implants include the high cost along with a non-negligible risk of exposure and postoperative infection due to conjunctival abrasion. In the effort to develop better alternatives to the existing devices, two...

Iron aluminides are intermetallics with interesting applications in porous form thanks to their mechanical and corrosion resistance properties. However, making porous forms of these materials is not easy due to their high melting points. We formed FeAl foams by elemental iron and aluminum powders sintering with tartaric acid additive. Tartaric acid...

Composites of carbon nanostructures (CNSs) and biocompatible polymers are promising materials for a series of advanced technological applications, ranging from biomedicine and bioelectronics to smart packaging and soft robotics. In this work, we present three types of organic-functionalized CNSs, namely p-methoxyphenyl functionalized multi-walled c...

Incorporating enzymes into calcium alginate beads is an effective method to immobilise them and to preserve, at the same time, their catalytic activity. Sodium alginate was mixed with Aspergillus ficuum tannase in aqueous solution, and tannase-loaded calcium alginate beads were prepared using a simple droplet-based microfluidic system. Extensive ex...

The development of novel hole transporting materials (HTMs) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that can enhance device's reproducibility is a largely pursued goal, even to the detriment of a very high efficiency, since it paves the way to an effective industrialization of this technology. In this work, we study the covalent functionalization of redu...

Ion doping in crystals can result in lattice modifications triggering interesting magnetic and optical properties of the material, understood as a compensation of the crystal deformation and microstrain. We investigated the spinel structure of Mn-Cr ferrite after doping with La3+ ions. The structure was first characterized by X-Ray diffraction and...

Synthesis of Bi2ZnB2O7 nanoparticles by means of the modified Pechini method is reported. The introduced modifications are based on a proper selection of complexing and polymeric agents, as well as on an optimization of process parameters. The purpose of this optimization was to reduce process duration and temperature. A polymeric system of ethylen...

A polymer nanocomposite was produced by ultrasonic-assisted dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a polycarbonate matrix using p-xylene and dichloromethane as the solvents. The filler loading was varied from 1 to 3 wt % in order to examine the effect of MWCNTs on the structure and properties of the composites. The nanocomposites we...