Enhancing the visible light absorption of titania nanoparticles by S and C doping in a single-step process

International audienceWe report the synthesis of carbon coated and sulfur doped titania nanoparticles using a continuous, single-step laser pyrolysis technique. We employed air as oxidant and C2H4 as laser energy transfer agent (sensitizer)/carbon donor, both carrying the TiCl4 vapors as a titania precursor. The volatile (CH3)(2)S-2 was used to introduce sulfur as dopant in the nanopowders. The incorporation of C and S atoms in nanopowders with anatase dominant phase and with average particle diameter between 18 and 25 nm was performed through the addition of S-2(CH3)(2) and C2H4 to the reactive precursor mixtures. The samples were characterized by: EDX, XRD, TEM, XPS and UV-Vis spectroscopy. By the introduction of the sulfur precursor, the anatase-to-rutile ratio within the resulted TiO2-based nanoparticles decreased, as well as their bandgap energy values which are also lower than those of commercial TiO2 Degussa P2

A 4 tonne demonstrator for large-scale dual-phase liquid argon time projection chambers

A 10 kilo-tonne dual-phase liquid argon TPC is one of the detector options considered for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The detector technology relies on amplification of the ionisation charge in ultra-pure argon vapour and offers several advantages compared to the traditional single-phase liquid argon TPCs. A 4.2 tonne dual-phase liquid argon TPC prototype, the largest of its kind, with an active volume of 3 × 1 × 1 m3 has been constructed and operated at CERN. In this paper we describe in detail the experimental setup and detector components as well as report on the operation experience. We also present the first results on the achieved charge amplification, prompt scintillation and electroluminescence detection, and purity of the liquid argon from analyses of a collected sample of cosmic ray muons.peerReviewe