Research activities of CinvestavQuertaro Nanoscience and Nanostructures

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Research activities of Cinvestav-QuerétaroNanosci
ence and Nanostructures

• Processing of Nanostructured Materials
• Characterization of Surfaces at Nanometric Scale
• Applications of nanostructures
• Computational Nanoscience

Libramiento Norponiente 2000, Real de Juriquilla
CP76230. Ph 52 442 2119900
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Outline Main Projects at CINVESTAV QRO

• Processing of nanostructured materials
• Physical vapour deposition or thermal spraying
• Sol-Gel Process or on Zeolites
• Reactive high energy ball milling
• Characterization of surfaces at nanometric scale
• Atomic force microscopy
• Nanoindentation
• Optical characterization (Raman and others)
• Applications of nanostructures
• Photocatalysis
• Catalysis (O2 and H2 mainly)
• Computational Nanoscience
  Prediction, characterization and experimental
  correlation
• Surface characterization and simulation
• Electronic, vibrational, thermal, elastic and
  optical characterization
• Magnetic, metallic, ionic and semiconductor
  nanostructures

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Cinvestav Queretaro Materials Science and
Engineering
Academic Staff 21 Researchers (8 SNI III, 12 SNI
II, 1 SNI I) Graduated Students PhD 6 (2004), 9
(2005), 4 (2006), 10 (2007), 8 (2008)
MSc 10(2004), 12(2005),
7(2006), 11(2007), 4 (2008) Patents 5
(2004-2008) Projects SEP-Conacyt 12 (2008),
Industry 30 (2008) Publications (ISI) 36(2004),
57(2005), 54(2006), 66(2007), 59(2008)

• Research areas
• Thin films and coatings
• Optoelectronic materials
• Ceramics and metals
• Composite materials
• Organic materials
• Materials characterization techniques
• Simulation materials processing
• Computational Nanoscience

www.qro.cinvestav.mx
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International Collaborations
TUHH,IZPF, MPI, PUL AU and KU, Germany
KTH, Chalmers Sweden
UCSB, UCSD, TAMU, NYU, ANL USA
UPC, CSIC, UV, UB Spain
CENM, UA, U. NalColombia
Cinvestav Querétaro
UCL- Belgium
PUC, USACH, UCHILE Chile
PUL, France, Cambridge, UK
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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTSProcessing
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Processing of thin films and coatings PVD DC, RF
pulsed DC sputtering

• Evaporation system
• OEM optical emission spectroscopy
• Reactive magnetron sputtering
• Pulsed arc evaporation
• Reactive dc-pulsed
• Automatization
• Coatings
• Nitrides (TiN, AlN, CrN)
• Carbides (WC, TiC, )
• Oxides (Al2O3, TiO2, ITO, BaTiO3, SrTiO3, PZT)

Window
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Sol-Gel process
PMMA-SiO2 Hybrid coatings
Dense hybrid coating
TEOSMMATMSPM
drying

• Low-roughness RMS less than 1 nm), High
  hardness 0.6 2.5 Gpa, Optical quality

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Reactive high energy ball milling
Spex 8000

• Target preparation with nanometric sized milled
  powders
• (Ti,Al)N, (Ti,Al)(B,N), (Ti,Si)N, WC,
  (Al,Si)(N,O), etc.
• Reactive magnetron sputtering
• Pulsed arc evaporation
• Hydrogen storage powders (TiH2)
• Mechanosynthesis of functional ceramics
• LaMnO3, (for solid oxide fuel cells)
• PbTiO3-PbZrO3, BaTiO3 (ferroelectrics)

Simoloyer
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Thermal Spray Process (Plasma HVOF)
Microstructure and mechanical properties
Particle behavior during flight and impact
deformation (Modeling)
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Zeolites
Mx/n (AlO2) x (SiO2) y.m H2O
PbS and PbS2 Nanoparticles in Zeolites
Metal ions in natural zeolite (Clinoptilolite)
as bactericide
CdS cluster in sodalite cage
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Characterization of surfaces at nanometric scale

• Atomic force microscopy
• Nanoindentation
• Optical characterization
• XPS

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Atomic Force Microscopy

• Nanoscale characterization of surfaces by atomic
  force microscpy
• Mechanical properties (AFM, AFAM,
  Nanoindentation)
• Electrical properties (Piezoresponse, EFM)
• Monitoring of nucleation sites and growth of
  crystallites during CBD of thin films
• Finite element simulation of cantilever
  vibrations at high frequency

Finite element simulation
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Characterization of mechanical properties by
nanoindentation
Ubi-1 Nanoindenter
Load penetration curve
Imaging post- indentation
hf
Characterization of mechanical properties of bulk
materials and thin films (metals, ceramics,
polymers and composites) at the nanometric scale
by depth and load sensing indentation. Properties
that can be determined

• Hardness
• Elastic Modulus
• Contact stiffness
• Elastic recovery
• Creep
• mean contact pressure related to yield stress

• Stress relaxation
• Indentation work
• Fracture toughness
• Friction coefficient
• Roughness

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Optical properties
Approach The desired information is extracted
through a based-model systematic analysis using
physical laws (i.e. Maxwell and Fresnel).
Capabilities Determination of optical constants
(nk), band gaps, film thicknesses (t), surface
and/or interfacial roughness, volume fractions of
constituents (fi) in nanocomposite thin films,
size (s) of metallic nanoparticles, etc.
Spectroscopic Ellipsometry measures the change
in the polarization state of a light beam under
reflection in the sample. This is accounted by
two parameters ? and ?. Reflectance (R) and
Transmittance (T) spectral measurements at normal
incidence.
J. Hernández-Torres and A. Mendoza-Galván. Thin
Solid Films 472 (2005), 130. J. Non-Cryst. Solids
351 (2005), 2029.

• Mendoza-Galván, et al.
• J. Vac. Sci.Technol. A 17 (1999), 1103.

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Computational NanotechnologySome Projects

• Magnetism at low dimensionality (Nanomagnetism)
• Reactivity of metallic, semiconductor and
  molecular clusters (Catalysis)
• Nanoengineering ? Absorption of molecules on
  surfaces, doping on nanostructures, build
  nanostructures with specific property
• Characterization of nanostructures such as
  nanowires, nanotubes, nanodots, nanocylinders,
  etc.
• Properties manipulation by external means.
  Electromagnetic fields, Pressure and temperature.
  Phase transitions (structure and magnetic)
• Molecular electronic transport
• Software development in GNU software. DFT and
  TDDFT.
• Granular media

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• HIGHLIGHTS APPLICATIONS

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Hybrid ceramic materials

• Processing of hybrid ceramic materials from
  nanoparticles of silica, titania and alumina for
  both bulk materials and coatings with the
  following characteristics
• Different thickness, different concentrations of
  metallic particles, of organic dyes, of polymers
  for decreasing the porosity of the ceramic
  network.
• For aesthetic or anticorrosive applications.
• As photocatalysts for destroying organic dyes in
  wastewater streams.
• As catalysts for obtaining hydrogen from methane.
  
• As catalysts for obtaining carbon nanotubes from
  methane.
• Other uses Production of electrocatalysts and
  membranes for fuel cells.

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THIN FILMS FROM NANOOXIDES TO BE USED IN
DEGRADATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Photocatalysis is the acceleration of reaction
with photons. Our group tries to use this
technique foe organic compound degradation.
Photons are absorved within a semiconductor with
no chemical changes.
Scheme of the excitation of a semiconductor
nanoparticle (we only consider oxides). After
photon adsorption, energy decays within the
nanoparticle
ZnO Nanoparticles
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Production and characterization of nanoparticles

• Processing of hybrid ceramic materials from
  nanoparticles of silica, titania and alumina for
  both bulk materials and coatings with the next
  characteristics
• Different thickness, different concentrations of
  metallic particles, different concentrations of
  organic dyes, different concentrations of
  polymers for decreasing the porosity of the
  ceramic network.
• These materials are being used
• For aesthetic or anticorrosive applications.
• As photocatalysts for destroying organic dyes in
  wastewater streams.
• As catalysts for obtaining hydrogen from methane.
  
• As catalysts for obtaining carbon nanotubes from
  methane.
• As electroctalaysts for fuel cells.