Multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of Pb0.99[Zr0.45Ti0.47(Ni1/3Sb2/3)0.08]O3–CoFe2O4 multilayer composites fabricated by tape casting

A 2-2 type multiferroic composite device encompassing three CoFe2O4 (CFO) layers confined between four Pb0.99[Zr0.45Ti0.47(Ni1/3Sb2/3)0.08]O3 (PZT) layers was fabricated by tape casting. X-ray diffraction data showed good chemical compatibility between the two phases, whereas Scanning Electron Microscopy imaging also revealed an intimate contact between CFO and PZT layers. Under an applied electric field of 65 kV/cm, this multilayer device shows a saturated polarisation of 7.5 C/cm2 and a strain of 0.12%, whereas under a magnetic field of 10 kOe it exhibits a typical ferromagnetic response and a magnetic moment of 33 emu/g. These devices can be electrically poled, after which they exhibit magnetoelectric coupling

Light-induced strain and its correlation with the optical absorption at charged domain walls in polycrystalline ferroelectrics

Photostrictive materials have a growing interest because of their great potential as light-driven actuators, among other optomechanical applications. In this context, the optical control of macroscopic strain in ferroelectrics has recently attracted remarkable attention as an effective alternative to the conventional electric control of strain. Here, a clear correlation between optical absorption and light-induced strain in polycrystalline BaTiO3 is shown. Specifically, the grain size and the sample thickness dependence of optical absorption when the material is irradiated with energy photons lower than the band gap evidence that light absorption at charged domain walls is the core of the observed photo-response in ferroelectrics. The photoinduced electronic reconstruction phenomenon is proposed as the primary physical mechanism for light absorption at charged domain walls. Results open a new pathway to designing ferroelectric-based devices with new functionalities like thickness gradient-based photo-controlled nanoactuators

Light-induced strain and its correlation with the optical absorption at charged domain walls in polycrystalline ferroelectrics

Photostrictive materials have a growing interest because of their great potential as light-driven actuators, among other optomechanical applications. In this context, the optical control of macroscopic strain in ferroelectrics has recently attracted remarkable attention as an effective alternative to the conventional electric control of strain. Here, a clear correlation between optical absorption and light-induced strain in polycrystalline BaTiO3 is shown. Specifically, the grain size and the sample thickness dependence of optical absorption when the material is irradiated with energy photons lower than the band gap evidence that light absorption at charged domain walls is the core of the observed photo-response in ferroelectrics. The photoinduced electronic reconstruction phenomenon is proposed as the primary physical mechanism for light absorption at charged domain walls. Results open a new pathway to designing ferroelectric-based devices with new functionalities like thickness gradient-based photo-controlled nanoactuators.Postprint (published version

Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs are present in ~4% of uninfected individuals over 70 years old and account for ~20% of COVID-19 deaths

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved.Circulating autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing high concentrations (10 ng/ml; in plasma diluted 1:10) of IFN-alpha and/or IFN-omega are found in about 10% of patients with critical COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pneumonia but not in individuals with asymptomatic infections. We detect auto-Abs neutralizing 100-fold lower, more physiological, concentrations of IFN-alpha and/or IFN-omega (100 pg/ml; in 1:10 dilutions of plasma) in 13.6% of 3595 patients with critical COVID-19, including 21% of 374 patients >80 years, and 6.5% of 522 patients with severe COVID-19. These antibodies are also detected in 18% of the 1124 deceased patients (aged 20 days to 99 years; mean: 70 years). Moreover, another 1.3% of patients with critical COVID-19 and 0.9% of the deceased patients have auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations of IFN-beta. We also show, in a sample of 34,159 uninfected individuals from the general population, that auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations of IFN-alpha and/or IFN-omega are present in 0.18% of individuals between 18 and 69 years, 1.1% between 70 and 79 years, and 3.4% >80 years. Moreover, the proportion of individuals carrying auto-Abs neutralizing lower concentrations is greater in a subsample of 10,778 uninfected individuals: 1% of individuals 80 years. By contrast, auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-beta do not become more frequent with age. Auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs predate SARS-CoV-2 infection and sharply increase in prevalence after the age of 70 years. They account for about 20% of both critical COVID-19 cases in the over 80s and total fatal COVID-19 cases.Peer reviewe

The risk of COVID-19 death is much greater and age dependent with type I IFN autoantibodies

SignificanceThere is growing evidence that preexisting autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) are strong determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia. It is important to estimate their quantitative impact on COVID-19 mortality upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, by age and sex, as both the prevalence of these autoantibodies and the risk of COVID-19 death increase with age and are higher in men. Using an unvaccinated sample of 1,261 deceased patients and 34,159 individuals from the general population, we found that autoantibodies against type I IFNs strongly increased the SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality rate at all ages, in both men and women. Autoantibodies against type I IFNs are strong and common predictors of life-threatening COVID-19. Testing for these autoantibodies should be considered in the general population

Obtenção, propriedades e fenomenologia de materiais ferroelétricos com estrutura tungstênio bronze

The processing of lead metaniobate (PN) ferroelectric ceramics was optimized, therefore, in this work, the main details to obtain PN ceramics with density higher than 96 % of the ideal density are presented and discussed. Taking into account the potential of the lead metaniobate for different applications, mainly for high temperatures, the phase transition characteristics of this material, in both undoped and doped compositions, were detaily investigated. It was verified that the addition of Ti4+ enhances the densification and increase the Curie temperature. Nevertheless, the ferro-paraelectric phase transition is affected by an electric conductive process, which appears in temperatures below and above the Curie temperature. The double ionized oxygen vacancies are proposed to be the charge carriers responsible for this conductive process. The undoped and Ti4+-doped PN ceramics show low values of the mechanical quality factor and high piezoelectric anisotropy, which are desired characteristics for the fabrication of broad band electro-mechanical transducers, mainly to operate in the thickness mode. The addition of Ba2+ to the PN (PBN) considerably decreases the Curie temperature, but it induces a phase transition, leading to the formation of a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) around the composition with 37 % of Ba2+, in which some properties are enhanced. In this way, the characteristics of the ferro-paraelectric phase transition, for compositions around the MPB, were investigated for Ba2+-doped PN ceramics, textured by hot forging. It was found that the MPB extends towards a wide composition range, in which both tetragonal 4mm and orthorhombic m2m tungsten bronze (TB) phases coexist. In addition, with the increasing temperature, two phase transitions were observed for this composition range. First, the material portion with orthorhombic (m2m) symmetry transforms into the tetragonal (4mm) phase and, second, the 4mm phase (that represents the material in its totality) transforms into the paraelectric phase with the tetragonal 4/mmm TB symmetry. These results helped to complete the reported PBN phase diagram. Moreover, it was found that the La3+ addition to the PBN, for the composition with 56 % of Pb2+, induces the formation of the orthorhombic (m2m) phase. All the (doped and undoped) PN ceramics showed two dielectric dispersion processes at low temperatures, i.e. from 30 to 300 K, which seems to be an inherent feature of all materials with TB structure and ((A1)x(A2)5-xNb10O30) structural formula. The two processes were associated to a phase transition and the formation of incommensurate structures, respectively. The influence of such incommensurate structures on the relaxor behavior and diffusivity of the ferro-paraelectric phase transition was also analyzed.Universidade Federal de Sao CarlosO processo de obtenção de cerâmicas ferroelétricas de metaniobato de chumbo (PN) foi otimizado, de forma que este trabalho oferece os detalhes necessários para a obtenção de cerâmicas de PN com densidades superiores aos 96 % da densidade ideal. Levando-se em consideração a potencialidade do metaniobato de chumbo para diferentes tipos de aplicações, principalmente em altas temperaturas, foi realizada uma investigação detalhada das características da transição de fase nesse material puro e dopado. Verificou-se que a adição de Ti4+ favorece a densificação das cerâmicas e aumenta a temperatura de Curie. Contudo, a transição de fase ferro-paraelétrica é afetada por um processo de condutividade elétrica que se manifesta tanto em temperaturas inferiores quanto superiores à temperatura de Curie. Por outro lado, determinou-se que o portador de carga responsável por tal processo condutivo são as vacâncias de oxigênio duplamente ionizadas. As cerâmicas de PN, puras e dopadas com Ti4+, apresentaram baixos valores do fator de qualidade mecânico e uma alta anisotropia piezoelétrica. Tais características são desejáveis para a fabricação de transdutores eletro-mecânicos de banda larga, principalmente para operar no modo de espessura. A adição de Ba2+ ao PN (PBN) diminui consideravelmente a sua temperatura de Curie, mas induz uma transição de fase, formando um contorno de fase morfotrópico (CFM), ao redor da composição com 37 % de Ba2+, na qual algumas propriedades são maximizadas. Assim, utilizando cerâmicas texturadas de PN dopadas com Ba2+, obtidas por forjamento a quente, foi possível investigar as características da transição de fase ferro-paraelétrica para composições ao redor do CFM. Verificou-se que a região do CFM se estende em uma ampla faixa de composições onde coexistem as estruturas tungstênio bronze (TB) com simetria tetragonal 4mm e ortorrômbica m2m. Observou-se também que, nessa região de composições, ocorrem duas transições de fase com o aumento da temperatura. Inicialmente a fração de fase ortorrômbica se transforma em tetragonal e, posteriormente, todo o material com simetria 4mm passa ao estado paraelétrico, onde adota a estrutura TB com simetria tetragonal 4/mmm. Com esses resultados foi possível complementar o diagrama de fases do PBN existente na literatura. A adição de La3+, na cerâmica de PBN com 56 % de chumbo, favoreceu a formação da estrutura TB com simetria ortorrômbica. Em todas as cerâmicas de PN (puro e dopado), foram observados dois processos de dispersão dielétrica em baixas temperaturas, entre 30 e 300 K, aparentemente são inerentes a todos os materiais com estrutura TB e fórmula estrutural ((A1)x(A2)5-xNb10O30), e estão relacionados com uma transição de fase e com a formação de superestruturas incomensuráveis respectivamente. Foi analisada também a influência de tais superestruturas no comportamento relaxor e na difusividade da transição de fase ferro-paraelétrica das cerâmicas estudadas

Study of Static Converters related Ripple Currents Effects on Supercapacitors Ageing within DC Networks

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