Effect of samarium oxide on structural, optical and electrical properties of some alumino-borate glasses with constant copper chloride

High-resolution particle size and shape analysis of the first Samarium nanoparticles biosynthesized from aqueous solutions via cyanobacteria Anabaena cylindrica

Samarium (Sm) is one of the most sought-after rare earth metals. Price trends and dwindling resources are making recovery increasingly attractive. In this context, the use of cyanobacteria is highly promising. For Sm it was unclear whether Anabaena cylindrica produces particles through metabolically active Sm³⁺ uptake. High-resolution (HR) imaging now clearly demonstrates microbe generated biosynthesis of Sm nano-sized particles (Sm NPs) in vivo. Furthermore, a simple method to determine particle size and shape with high accuracy is presented. Digital image analysis with ImageJ of HR-TEMs is used to characterize Sm NPs revealing a nearly uniform local size distribution. Assuming round particles, the overall average area size is 135.5 nm², resp. 11.9 nm diameter. In HR, where different cell sections of the same cell are averaged, the mean particle is smaller, 76.7 nm² resp. 8.9 nm diameter. The reciprocal aspect ratio is 0.63. The Feret major axis ratio is calculated as shape factor, with 35% of the particles between 1.2 and 1.4. A roundness classification shows that 38% of particles are fairly round and 41% are very round. Consequently, A. cylindrica represents a suitable microorganism for possible Sm recovery and biosynthesis of roundish nano-sized particles.

Interface Optimization and Transport Modulation of Sm2O3/InP Metal Oxide Semiconductor Capacitors with Atomic Layer Deposition-Derived Laminated Interlayer

In this paper, the effect of atomic layer deposition-derived laminated interlayer on the interface chemistry and transport characteristics of sputtering-deposited Sm₂O₃/InP gate stacks have been investigated systematically. Based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, it can be noted that ALD-derived Al₂O₃ interface passivation layer significantly prevents the appearance of substrate diffusion oxides and substantially optimizes gate dielectric performance. The leakage current experimental results confirm that the Sm₂O₃/Al₂O₃/InP stacked gate dielectric structure exhibits a lower leakage current density than the other samples, reaching a value of 2.87 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm². In addition, conductivity analysis shows that high-quality metal oxide semiconductor capacitors based on Sm₂O₃/Al₂O₃/InP gate stacks have the lowest interfacial density of states (D_it) value of 1.05 × 10¹³ cm⁻² eV⁻¹. The conduction mechanisms of the InP-based MOS capacitors at low temperatures are not yet known, and to further explore the electron transport in InP-based MOS capacitors with different stacked gate dielectric structures, we placed samples for leakage current measurements at low varying temperatures (77–227 K). Based on the measurement results, Sm₂O₃/Al₂O₃/InP stacked gate dielectric is a promising candidate for InP-based metal oxide semiconductor field-effect-transistor devices (MOSFET) in the future.

Exploring the FTIR, Optical and Nuclear Radiation Shielding Properties of Samarium-Borate Glass: A Characterization through Experimental and Simulation Methods

(Tl₂O₃)₃₀-(Li₂O)₁₀-(B₂O₃)_(60−y)-(Sm₂O₃)_y glass system with various Sm₂O₃ additives (y = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) was studied in detail. The vibrational modes of the (Tl₂O₃)₃₀-(Li₂O)₁₀-(B₂O₃)_(60−y) network were active at three composition-related IR spectral peaks that differed from those mixed with Samarium (III) oxide at high wavenumber ranges. These glass samples show that their permeability increased with the Samarium (III) oxide content increase. Additionally, the electronic transition between localized states was observed in the samples. The MAC, HVL, and Zeff values for radiation shielding parameters were calculated in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV using the FLUKA algorithm. In addition, EBF, EABF, and Σ_R values were also determined for the prepared glasses. These values indicated that the parameters for shielding (MAC, HVL, Z_eff, EBF, EABF, and Σ_R) are dependent upon the Samarium (III) oxide content. Furthermore, the addition of Samarium (III) oxide to the examined glass samples greatly reinforced their shielding capacity against gamma photon. The findings of the current study were compared to analyses of the XCOM software, some concretes, and lead. In the experiment, it was found that the SMG0.6 glass sample was the strongest shield.