Biography:

In 1987, Josep Vives received his Ph.D. in chemical from University Autònoma de Barcelona. For last 30 years, he is working in surface treatment processes in several companies: Diversey (Novamax) , Chemetall and Proquimia. He has worked in processes on aluminum, cold roll steel, galvanized steel, …. prior to paint for architectural, car body, and general industry. Last years, in Proquimia, he has developed several R&D projects concerning new treatments based on nanoceramics coatings.

Abstract:

Last century, the state of the art of surface treatment prior to paint was the phosphating process. This has undergone continuous improvement and is nowadays still used on all relevant materials. Nevertheless, phosphating process has serious drawbacks: high amount of sludge is generated which needs to be removed and disposed of as special waste; large volume of water and great expense of energy. Proquimia has been working for the last years on new environmentally friendly treatments. These new processes which work at room temperature do not yield sludge. They use the technology of Liquid Phase Deposition to get ceramic coats on metal surface. The coat which is uniform and thin, 50-200 nm, can be based on zirconium oxide, zirconium phosphate, or a binary zirconium, calcium or manganese phosphate depending on the metal to treat and the properties required. Actually new developments and projects involve amphiphilic silanes as precursor of the nanocoats. In this case, the technology used to get the coat is sol-gel and does not content any metal.

Biography:

Hanumantha Rao Kota obtained his BSc in 1971 from Andhra Christian College, Guntur, at Andhra University and his MSc and PhD degrees in Applied Chemistry from the Faculty of Engineering at Jabalpur University, in 1974 and 1980, respectively. He worked at Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad; Government Engineering College, Rewa; Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar, before joining the Division of Mineral Processing of Luleå University of Technology in Sweden in 1985. He became Docent and Full Professor in Mineral Processing at the Luleå University of Technology in 1992 and 2003, respectively. He has authored more than 165 scientific papers published in various international peer-reviewed high-impact journals and conference proceedings.

Abstract:

Recent studies reveal the formation of reactive, oxidizing oxygen species and H2O2 by sulfides interacting with water due to the catalytic activity of sulfide surfaces. The formation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by sulfide minerals during grinding was investigated by us1-5. It was found that pyrite (FeS2), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), sphalerite (ZnS), and galena (PbS), which are the most abundant sulfide minerals on Earth, generated H2O2 in pulp liquid during wet grinding in the presence and absence of dissolved oxygen in water and also when the freshly ground solids were placed in water immediately after dry grinding. Pyrite generated more H2O2 than the other sulphide minerals and the order of H2O2 production by the minerals was found to be pyrite > chalcopyrite > sphalerite > galena. The amount of H2O2 formed also increases with increasing sulfide mineral loading and grinding time due to increased surface area and its interaction with water. The sulfide surfaces are highly catalytically active due to surface defects capable of breaking down the water molecule leading to hydroxyl free radicals. The type of grinding medium on formation of hydrogen peroxide by pyrite revealed that the mild steel produced more H2O2 than stainless steel grinding medium, where Fe2+ and/or Fe3+ ions played a key role in producing higher amounts of H2O2. The results of the amount of H2O2 production corroborate with the rest potential of the sulfide minerals; higher the rest potential, more is the formation of H2O2. Most likely H2O2 is responsible for the oxidation of sulfide minerals and dissolution of non-ferrous metal sulfides in the presence of ferrous sulfide besides the galvanic interactions reported in the literature. Studies have also been carried out to build correlation between percentage of pyrite in the concentrate, grinding conditions and concentration of OH•/ H2O2 in the pulp and as well of controlling the formation of these species through known chemical means for depressing the generation of the oxidant. The results demonstrate that the selectivity of metal sulphides against pyrite increases with increasing generation of H2O2 in the pulp liquid. These studies highlight the necessity of revisiting the electrochemical and/or galvanic interactions between the grinding medium and sulphide minerals, and interaction mechanisms between pyrite and other sulphide minerals in terms of their flotation behaviour, leaching and environmental degradation in the context of inevitable H2O2 existence in the pulp liquid.

Biography:

Yuko S Yamamoto is growing as a spectroscopist particularly based on Raman spectroscopy and plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy. She studied chemistry and completed PhD (2011) from Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan. After Post-doctoral work at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST, Japan), she received the research fellowship for young scientists position of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in Kagawa University, Japan (2014). Her specialties are Raman spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Her current research interests are single-molecule spectroscopy based on SERS, Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) and surface-enhanced coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (SE-CARS).

Abstract:

Plasmonics, which is a new branch of photonics, is based on the interaction of light with surface plasmon in nanostructured free-electron-rich metallic structures. Surface plasmon is a collective excitation of the electrons within the conduction band of a metal. Localized surface plasmon resonances occurring in metallic nanoparticles generates confined light fields, which enables enhancement of Raman scattering and nonlinear processes. Enhancement of signal amplification by localized surface plasmon was first discovered as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS, in 1974) then made another techniques, tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS, in 2000) and surface-enhanced coherent anti-stokes Raman scattering (SE-CARS, in 1994). These three types of plasmon-enhanced vibrational spectroscopies have certain potential for the detection of any types of molecules at single-molecule level along with refinement of metallic nanostructures, however, only few specific molecules were reported as target molecules at single-molecule level. In this talk, the reported experiments which already succeeded plasmon-enhanced single-molecule detections using SERS, TERS and SE-CARS will be introduced and what is needed more will be discussed for universal detection of molecules using plasmon-enhanced single-molecule spectroscopy.

Biography:

Devki N Talwar graduated from Allahabad University in India in 1976 with a PhD degree in Condensed Matter Physics. From 1977-80, he worked as a Visiting Scientist at the Commissariat a’l Energie Atomic, Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France with Professor M. Vandevyver. While at Saclay he collaborated with theoretical /experimental group of Professor M. Balkanski, including Karel Kunc, M. Zigone, and G. Martinez and supervised 3 PhD theses. In January 1980, he joined the Physics Department, University of Houston as a Visiting Professor and collaborated with Professor C. S. Ting on problems related to the electronic properties of defects in Semiconductors and supervised a PhD student. From 1982-87, he was a faculty at Texas A&M University. He joined the Physics Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1987, supervised 20 MS theses. Since 2007-2014, he served as a Chairperson of the Physics Department.

Abstract:

Comprehensive results of theoretical calculations are reported to probe the optical, phonon, thermal and defect properties of 3C-SiC/Si (001). By exploiting Raman scattering (RS) spectroscopy we have recently recognized amongst the conventional optical modes (~794 cm-1, 973 cm-1) in 3C-SiC, two extra phonons near ~ 625 cm-1 and 670 cm-1– possibly falling between the forbidden gap of the acoustic and optical branches. Accurate assessments of the lattice dynamical, thermal and defect properties are achieved by exploiting phonons from a rigid-ion model fitted to the inelastic x-ray scattering data and expending apposite group-theoretical selection rules. Lattice relaxations around Si/C atoms attained by the first-principles bond-orbital model for isolated defects in 3C-SiC has helped us evaluating the necessary force constant variations to construct perturbation matrices for intrinsic “complex-defect-centers”. For a nearest-neighbor “anti-site-pair” CSi–SiC defect, our methodical Greens function simulations of the gap modes have provided not only a strong support to the observed phonon features of DI-center but also afforded validation for a broad band observed near ~ 670 cm-1 in RS experiments.

Biography:

Abstract:

Understanding the action of organic additives on hydrated cement phases is essential to develop novel admixtures and alternative cements with low carbon footprint. Due to the indirect nature of available experimental information the true nanoscale morphologies of the hydrated cement surface and its interaction with additives have remained elusive. Atomistic simulations with thoroughly validated PCFF-INTERFACE force field allow the first quantitative insight into the interactions of polyacrylate oligomers containing polyethylene side chains with tobermorite 14 A (h k l) surfaces in the aqueous solution. The results show that the acrylate backbone is more attracted to the surface than to the polyethylene oxide side chains. In particular, we found that carbonate ions of oligomers approach calcium ions on the tobermorite surface to form ion pairs. The adsorption energy on tobermorite facets per mole of acrylate monomer is in the range of 0~4 Kcal/mol. Detailed results for a range of different polymers and tobermorite facets will be reported and potential implications for hydration and setting properties will be discussed.

Biography:

Claudio Cason is at the second year of his PhD and he works in the laboratory of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua. The PhD project involves the study of the gold alloys and the optimization of the industrial production processes used to make gold chains. All the study was done in collaboration with the goldsmith company Filk S.p.A. He has published 1 paper in reputed journal.

Abstract:

Gold alloys, used in the production of both hollow and solid gold chains, affect the optical and mechanical properties of various gold products because the corrosion resistance and the workability of the chains depend on these properties. It is important that gold alloys with high corrosion resistance do not degrade during the production process. The microstructure of the alloys strongly influences the mechanical properties, which have a key role in both the machinability and quality of the plates. In the present work, different compositions of gold alloys and various industrial deformation processes (annealing and rolling steps) were analyzed and optimized. In particular, the choice of the suited grain refiner is very important to avoid particular unwanted behaviors of the gold alloys. The changing of the production parameters and the compositions of the alloys leads to the formation of different levels of residual stresses within the material, which can generate a variation in the behavior of gold sheets. The microstructures were analyzed by OM and SEM observation, whereas the variation of mechanical properties by micro-hardness test. The residual stresses were evaluated using XRD analysis and the corrosion resistance by potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results showed that a high homogeneity of the microstructure and a suitable recrystallization process, with an increase of the quality of semi-finished products was obtained. Moreover, to improve the weldability of the final chains, a different gold welding alloy with a lower melting point was developed and optimized.

Biography:

L Pezzato is at the third year of his PhD and he works in the laboratory of metallurgy of the department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua. He mainly works on corrosion and coatings on light alloys. He has published about 10 papers in reputed journals.

Abstract:

Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) is a very promising process that can enhance the corrosion and wear resistance by producing a relatively thick, dense and hard oxide ceramic coating on light alloys. The corrosion and wear behaviour of the treated samples strongly depends on some process parameters: current density, voltage, treatment time and electrolyte composition. In particular, the addiction of additives in the electrolyte produces significant changes in the resistance of the obtained coatings. In literature several works can be found concerning the addiction of silicon carbide or graphite particles in PEO coatings, in order to improve the wear resistance on aluminium alloys. However, there is little knowledge regarding the improvement of wear resistance of PEO treated magnesium alloys. In this work, 3g/l of graphite nanoparticles were added to an electrolyte containing sodium phosphates and sodium silicates in order to improve the wear resistance of the coatings produced on AZ91 and AZ80 magnesium alloy. Treatments were conducted at high current densities and short treatment times (two different treatment times were tested). The thickness, the morphology and the composition of the coatings were studied with SEM-EDS and XRD. The wear resistance was analyzed with a tribometer and the corrosion resistance of the samples was studied with potentiodynamic polarization tests and EIS tests. The results showed that the graphite nanoparticles seal the pores that characterize the typical surface of a PEO treated magnesium alloy. This fact produced an improvement both in the corrosion resistance and in the wear resistance.

Biography:

Aybike Nil Olcay has completed her MSc from Izmir Institute of Technology and she continued her Doctoral studies with Prof. Dr. Mehmet Polat at Izmir Institute of Technology.

Abstract:

Elucidating the mechanisms of ultrafiltration for wastewater treatment in the presence of surface active molecules and aggregates: Ultrafiltration (UF) is a pressure-driven process that removes emulsified oils, metal hydroxides, colloids, emulsions, dispersed material and suspended solids from waste water and other solutions. Surfactants are also invariably present in these waste waters, or added intentionally. In this study, methylene blue (MB), a dye widely employed in textile, paper and chemical industries, was chosen as the model contaminant. Surfactants selected were anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cationic hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and non-ionic ethoxylated octylphenol (TX-100). Surface tension, size, charge, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and contact angle measurements were conducted to investigate dye-surfactant interactions. Cellulose nitrate filters were employed to determine the effect of these interactions in filtration efficiency. It was aimed to elucidate the effects of the surface active agents on the mechanism and efficiency of ultrafiltration. In general, surfactants decreased the efficiency of MB removal. In the absence of surfactants, the removal efficiency is high, due to the attachment of MB on the negatively charged cellulose nitrate filter. The presence of surfactants in the monomer range had a significant effect on the filtration depending on their charge. In the micellar range, on the other hand, the filtration efficiencies were low for all the surfactants. The interaction between filter surface and the surfactants molecules were found to be as important as those between the filter surface and the contaminant.

Biography:

P Marín is Assistant Professor of Magnetism in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid at the Materials Science Department. She is Researcher of the Instituto de Magnetismo Aplicado (Applied Magnetism Institute) at the same University since 1997. She is the author of more than one hundred scientific publications, in SCI journals and author of 18 patents. Her scientific publications, which have been cited around 2.000 times, combine both basic research and its applications. The outstanding characteristic of her activity has been the ability to combine the results from fundamental research in the field of materials' magnetism with applications, as seen by the large number of patents and contracts with both Spanish and international companies. In 2000, she created Micromag S.L. Company, dedicated to shielding radar. This company has the customer and /or contributors to the Spanish Armada, the French and American and large multinationals. More recently the company has signed a contract with a Southeast Asia country government. She has worked in the Max-Planck Institute, Stuttgart. MASPEC Institute (Parma – Italia), Sheffield University (United Kingdom), IFW Dresden (Germany).

Abstract:

Magnetic amorphous microwires have been extensively investigated in the past two decades. The outstanding soft magnetic properties resulting from amorphous structure and small size make them suitable for a wide application. Their giant-magneto impedance (GMI) behavior has been of much research interest. Recently, these microwires have also been used as precursors for fabricating multifunctional composite materials with electromagnetic functionalities. In this work, we report an experimental study on the microwave modulated scattering intensity for a single Fe2.25Co72.75Si10B15 amorphous metallic microwire. The modulation is driven by applying a bias magnetic field that tunes the magnetic permeability of the ferromagnetic microwire. Furthermore, by using a magnetostrictive microwire, we also demonstrate that the microwave scattering is sensitive to mechanical stresses. In fact, we present a wireless microwave controlled stress sensor. As far as the composites are concerned, the tunable properties specifically refer to magnetic field, stress or temperature dependence of effective microwave permittivity. Composite samples containing magnetic microwires as sensing elements can be irradiated by electromagnetic wave and its response can be characterized by complex effective permittivity in a resonance or relaxation dispersive manner generated by the current distribution, which may depend on the microwire impedance. Due to the existence of GMI effect, the dispersion characteristic of effective permittivity also depends on the external stimuli, such as a magnetic field or stress. The mechanical, magnetic, magneto-impedance and microwave measurements and analyses indicate that our new composites are very promising candidate materials for a variety of self-sensing applications.

Biography:

Vladimir V Rumyantsev is Professor in Nanophysics Department at Donetsk National University (DonNU) and Head of Physics Technology Subdivision at A.A. Galkin Donetsk Institute for Physics and Engineering (DonPhTI). He received PhD in Physics (1988) from DonNU and Dr. Sci. in Solid State Physics (2007) from DonPhTI. He has published more than 200 scientific publications. He is Group Leader of International project in the framework of the European program FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES (2013-2016).

Abstract:

Photonic structures and metamaterials are in the focus of theoretical and experimental interdisciplinary studies, which span laser physics, condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, chemistry and information science. The important features of photonic band-gap structures under discussion are connected with ‘slow’ light, which is one of the promising fundamental physical phenomena that can be explored in the design of various quantum optical storage devices. In particular, the effective reduction of the group velocity demonstrated in the associated optical waveguide resonators. Based on the representations of the ideal photonic structures, the non-ideal systems of this class - polaritonic crystal, which is a set of spatially ordered microcavities containing ultracold atomic clusters, is considered. Moreover, the spatial distribution of cavities (microresonators) is translation invariant, and the atomic subsystem has randomly distributed defects: impurity atomic clusters (quantum dots) or a vacancies. Numerical modeling of dependence of the dispersion of polaritons in this imperfect lattice of associated microresonators on impurity concentration is completed. Using the virtual crystal approximation the analytical expressions for polaritonic frequencies, effective mass and group velocities, as a function of corresponding quantum dots and vacancies concentrations, is obtained. It turned out that even with a small number of vacancies in the lattice (one position for a thousand resonators) weight polaritons increases by three orders of magnitude. These results enable to extend the possibility of creating a new class of functional materials - polaritonic crystal systems.

Biography:

A Várez is Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at Carlos III University of Madrid. His main research is focused in the synthesis and processing of different materials (metals and ceramics) with different applications, mainly energy applications. He is co-author of more than 100 reviewed scientific publications in journals gathered (or to be incorporated) in ISI Web-of-ScienceTM; with a total number of citations in ISI Web-of-ScienceTM of +1400.

Abstract:

Powder Extrusion Molding (PEM) is a technology that combine the advantages of extrusion plastic and the conventional powder technology allowing the manufacturing of ceramic and metallic 2D pieces. On the other hand, Micro-Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (MT-SOFCs) are small tubular shaped, ceramic based, that electrochemically converts fuels, mainly those containing hydrogen in the compound such as hydrocarbons, into electrical power. In this communication we present the results we have obtained by applying the PEM technology to manufacture MT-SOFCs. In particular, by using this technology we have obtained tubes of YSZ, Ni-YSZ and ferritic Stainless Steels (430L) for being used as self-supported, anode-supported and metallic-supported SOFCs respectively. The binders developed for the manufacturing process are multicomponent systems constituted by a thermoplastic polymer as high density polyethylene or polypropylene, and several kind of wax. These binders are mixed with the metallic or ceramic powder to produce the so-called feedstock. The extrusion of this feedstock allowed obtaining micro-tubes with a wall thickness ranged between 200 and 1000 µm after sintering process. Mechanical and electrochemical properties are good enough for the final application (electrolyte, anode-support or metal-support).

Biography:

Volodymyr Gnatyuk received his M.S. in Theoretical Physics from Kharkiv National University in 1985 and Ph.D. in Physics of Semiconductors & Dielectrics from Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (ISP-NASU) in 1993. He has vast experience in characterization and laser-induced modification of semiconductors, development of high energy radiation detectors and nanosecond laser processing of solids. He is currently a Senior Scientist at ISP-NASU (Kyiv, Ukraine) and Honorable Guest Professor of Shizuoka University (Hamamatsu, Japan). He has published over 340 scientific works (3 textbooks, 3 patents, 120 articles and 215 conferences abstracts).

Abstract:

Pulsed laser processing of semiconductors with strongly absorbed light has been used for surface cleaning, oxide removal, annealing of structural imperfections, doping, formation of homo/hetero-interfaces, epitaxial recrystallization, etching of material, stress relieving, etc. We have investigated the effect of nanosecond laser pulses on photoelectric and electrical properties of semiconductors which have been used as materials for radiation sensors: GaAs, InSb and CdHgTe for infrared and CdTe, CdZnTe and CdMnTe for X/gamma-ray detectors, respectively. These properties of semiconductors are governed by the intrinsic point defect system (interstitials and vacancies) and extended defects. Application of short pulses of a ruby (694 nm, 20 ns) or YAG:Nd (532 nm, 7 ns) laser made it possible to reduce the thermal diffusion length and hence, to modify the defect structure only in the surface region of crystals and thus, to form micro- and nanolayers with desired parameters. The photoconductivity (PC) spectra and electrical characteristics of the semiconductors were studied before and after laser action. Irradiation with certain energy densities increased the photosensitivity and transformed the PC spectrum profile, in particular the short-wavelength wing rose, then the maximum and long-wavelength edge were shifted toward shorter wavelengths. This was attributed to a decrease of the surface recombination velocity and formation of a layer with wider bandgap, respectively. Irradiation of semi-insulating CdTe pre-coated with an In film resulted in heavy doping of a surface layer of crystals. The laser-based techniques of modification of semiconductor properties have been employed to form the sensor structures for infrared and X/gamma-ray radiations.

Biography:

Mohammadreza Behi was born in Iran in 1984. He received the B.Sc. Degree from the Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran, in 2008. Then, he received his M.Sc from University of Gavle/ Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden, in 2012, and Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng.) from Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e), the Netherlands, in 2014. He worked as a researcher in the NanoHex (The world’s largest collaborative nanotechnology project in EU) at Department of Energy Technology at KTH. From 2013 to late 2014, as part of his PDEng, he involved in the LIFE EU Project Called SUNCOOL to manufacture and develop solar cooling modules, at ClimateWell AB, Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, he has started his research on Nanofluidic and Nano-engineered coolants in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The University of Sydney. His main areas of research interest are Micro/Nanoscale heat transfer, Nanofluidic, and Solar thermal energy. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Association of Professional Engineers in Australia. He is also a reviewer of Journal of Energy, Elsevier and Journal of Applied Physics.

Abstract:

Over the last decade, there has been a great deal of interest and development in nanofluidic coolants. Thermophysical properties of nanofluids (NFs) have been broadly studied; however, their rheological behavior that plays a pivotal role for their application compels a thorough investigation. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of nanoparticles size on the shearing viscosity and stress behaviour of alumina NFs. The Al2O3 NFs were prepared by dispersing three different nanoparticle sizes in the basefluid (40 nm, 150 nm, and 250 nm). A mixture of distilled water and ethylene glycol (DW-EG) 50:50 weight ratio was used as a basefluid. Effect of different nanoparticle size on rheological properties of NF was measured in a constant volume concentration (2.57 Vol%). A rotational method was used to investigate the rheological behaviour of these NFs at ambient temperature. Our results demonstrated that the dispersion of the nanoparticle with different sizes did not affect the Newtonian behaviour of the basefluid. On the other hands, the shear viscosity of DW-EG was significantly increased by the addition of the nanoparticles. It was concluded that in alumina NFs system the particle size had a significant impact on shearing viscosity. The higher viscosity of NFs with smaller particles was due to their larger aspect ratios, which form stronger interplay between the cohesive-adhesive interactions in the suspension, nanoparticle–fluid, nanoparticle-nanoparticle and liquid-liquid molecules interactions. Fundamentally, it is crucial to understand the physics behind the rheological behaviour of nano-engineered coolants as it can directly affect both stability and thermal transport properties of such medium. Furthermore, several hydrothermal applications such as electronic cooling could be improved significantly by employing NFs. To achieve this goal, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive study to understand the mechanisms that elaborate the effect of particle characteristics in NFs suspensions on viscosity.