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P Piseri

Publications and source records attributed to P Piseri.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The role of gas dynamics in operation conditions of a Pulsed Microplasma Cluster Source for nanostructured thin films deposition.

This study intends to explain the fluid dynamic characteristics of a Pulsed Microplasma Cluster Source (PMCS). An axially symmetric steady state simulation is performed for modeling the real-life three-dimensional unsteady flow of hypersonic helium inside our PMCS. Hypersonic helium flow is simulated using Realizable k-epsilon turbulent model. We obtained the jet velocity, density, and pressure field inside our PMCS for the conditions considered and discussed them with respect to our experimental observations. We also presented a qualitative discussion on the formation-termination process of this hypersonic jet. In particular, simulation, in agreement with the experiment, indicates that the middle stage of the injection process, where the Mach disk stands close to the ablation target and at the same time the mass flow rate is relatively high, is almost the appropriate time for firing the electric discharge. We simulated the jet-electrode impingement and tracked the trajectory of the ablated carbon clusters, considered as rigid spheres, inside the PMCS. We noticed that the spatial distribution of the clusters inside PMCS is highly conserved during the free expansion of the cluster beam out of the nozzle (in the vacuum chambers) and is recognizable in the deposited carbon film. This indicates that the geometry of PMCS plays a significant role in the uniformity of the deposited film.

Computer Simulation↗

Nanocrystalline metal/carbon composites produced by supersonic cluster beam deposition.

In this work we show that supersonic cluster beam deposition is a viable method for the synthesis of nanocrystalline metal/carbon composites. By assembling carbon and metallic clusters seeded in a supersonic beam, we have grown films consisting of metal nanoparticles embedded in a nano-structured carbon matrix. Samples containing 3d transition metals (Ti, Ni) and noble metals (Au, Pd, Pt) with different metal abundances, particle size and dilution have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The influence of different metals on the structure of the carbon matrix has been investigated. Spatially resolved ultraviolet photoemission electron spectroscopy showed substantial surface oxidation of 3d transition metal clusters. On a micrometric scale, the spatial distribution of the metallic nanoparticles appeared to be homogeneous.

Carbon↗

Hugoniot data for carbon at megabar pressures.

We present an experimental point for the carbon equation of state (EOS) at megabar pressures, obtained by laser-driven shock waves. The rear side emissivity of "two-materials two-steps" targets (Al-C) was recorded with space and time resolution and, by applying the impedance mismatch method, allowed a direct determination of relative EOS points. Experiments were performed at the PALS and LULI laboratories using carbon samples with two different values of initial density, in order to explore a wider region of the phase diagram. Previously unreached pressures were obtained. The results are compared with previous experiments and with available theoretical models and seem to show a high compressibility of carbon at megabar pressures.

Journal Article↗

Cluster-beam deposition and in situ characterization of carbyne-rich carbon films.

Nanostructured carbon films produced by supersonic cluster beam deposition have been studied by in situ Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra show the formation of a sp2 solid with a very large fraction of sp-coordinated carbyne species with a long-term stability under ultrahigh vacuum. Distinct Raman contributions from polyyne and cumulene species have been observed, as well as different stabilities under gas exposure. Our experiments confirm theoretical predictions and demonstrate the possibility of producing a carbyne-rich pure carbon solid. The stability of the sp2-sp network has important implications for astrophysics and for the production of novel carbon-based systems.

Journal Article↗

Fractal analysis of sampled profiles: systematic study.

A quantitative evaluation of the influence of sampling on the numerical fractal analysis of experimental profiles is of critical importance. Although this aspect has been widely recognized, a systematic analysis of the sampling influence is still lacking. Here we present the results of a systematic analysis of synthetic self-affine profiles in order to clarify the consequences of the application of a poor sampling (up to 1000 points) typical of scanning probe microscopy for the characterization of real interfaces and surfaces. We interpret our results in terms of a deviation and a dispersion of the measured exponent with respect to the "true" one. Both the deviation and the dispersion have always been disregarded in the experimental literature, and this can be very misleading if results obtained from poorly sampled images are presented. We provide reasonable arguments to assess the universality of these effects and propose an empirical method to take them into account. We show that it is possible to correct the deviation of the measured Hurst exponent from the "true" one and give a reasonable estimate of the dispersion error. The last estimate is particularly important in the experimental results since it is an intrinsic error that depends only on the number of sampling points and can easily overwhelm the statistical error. Finally, we test our empirical method calculating the Hurst exponent for the well-known 1+1 dimensional directed percolation profiles, with a 512-point sampling.

Journal Article↗