0000000000164385
AUTHOR
R. Boscaino
Structural relaxation of E_gamma centers in amorphous silica
We report experimental evidence of the existence of two variants of the E' gamma centers induced in silica by gamma rays at room temperature. The two variants are distinguishable by the fine features of their line shapes in paramagnetic resonance spectra. These features suggest that the two E' gamma differ for their topology. We find a thermally induced interconversion between the centers with an activation energy of about 34 meV. Hints are also found for the existence of a structural configuration of minimum energy and of a metastable state.
Irradiation induced defects in fluorine doped silica
International audience
O2 trapping in silica nano-structures with high specific surfaces
We report an experimental investigation regarding the entrapping of O2 molecules inside various silica nano– structured systems having specific surfaces from 50 to 1000 m2/g. By recording Raman spectra and Near Infrared O2 emission we studied the O2 content per mass unit. Our data show that the internal voids of these nanostructured systems can trap O2 molecules diffusing from the surrounding air or from a pure O2 atmosphere, whereas the concentration of O2 that can be trapped in the silica near–surface layer is at least one order of magnitude lower. This low ability is consistently observed in non–porous and porous silica nanoparticles and in mesoporous silica systems. Furthermore, we obse…
Graphene oxide and Fumed silica graphene oxide nanocomposites modification by thermal treatments
In the present study we investigate post synthesis thermal treatments up to 400 °C of graphene oxide (GrO) prepared from commercial graphite and of GrO–silica nanocomposites prepared by a solution of commercial Fumed silica nanoparticles (average diameter 7 nm or 40 nm) and the GrO. The thermal treatments were carried out in air, vacuum or He atmosphere to highlight tunable changes. Two GrO batches with small differences in the D (~1350 cm–1) and G (~1580 cm–1) Raman bands have been employed to evaluate effects depending on preparation. Thermal effects have been monitored through the Raman spectroscopy focusing on D, G and 2D (2500–3500 cm–1) bands spectral ranges. The experiments evidenced…
The Effect of Spectral Diffusion on the Saturation Transient Regime
Saturation kinetics of inhomogeneous resonance lines has been investigated in very dilute ruby samples at T=4.2°K by the saturation transient technique. Experimental evidence of the effectiveness of intraline spectral diffusion is reported. Satisfactory agreement is found between the experimental results and a theoretical model in which spectral diffusion is ascribed to the time fluctuations of the hyperfine field. Spectral diffusion times of the order of 10-5 sec are determined.
Influence of fluorine on the fiber performance studied through the NBOHC-related 1.9 eV microluminescence
International audience; The distribution of Non Bridging Oxygen Hole Centers (NBOHC) in Fluorine doped optical fibers was investigated by confocal microluminescence spectroscopy monitoring the characteristic 1.9 eV luminescence band. The results show that these defects are generated by the fiber drawing and their concentration further increases after γ irradiation. The NBOHC profile along the fiber is anticorrelated to the fluorine content. This finding agrees with the role of fluorine in the fiber toughness and is discussed from the microscopic point of view on the basis of previous works.
Radiation Effects on Silica-Based Preforms and Optical Fibers - II: Coupling Ab Initio Simulations and Experiments
International audience; Both experimental and theoretical approaches are combined to study the nature of precursor sites and radiation-induced point defects in pure and germanium-doped amorphous silica-based glasses.