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Diamond and graphene are carbon allotropes with starkly different physical characteristics. Their combination into graphene-on-diamond heterostructures could benefit from the complementary properties of both components. Graphitization of single-crystalline diamond surfaces is a promising synthesis route, but a clear understanding of the growth of graphene or graphite from solid carbon sources is so far missing. Using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and electrical transport measurements, we provide detailed insight in the mechanisms of structural changes of nickel-catalyzed graphitization of diamond. We propose competing atomistic processes occurring at contact sites of diamond and Ni, depending on diamond surface terminations. One-dimensional etching process dominates on (111) diamond surfaces that remain almost atomically flat during graphitization. Two-dimensional etching of (110) and (100) diamond surfaces results in Ni drilling into the diamond substrate. Our findings also provide evidence on the reaction rates of the catalysis. The most reactive diamond surface in the (100) orientation is covered with the largest amount of well-crystallized graphite, whereas the (111) surface shows the highest stability against catalytic etching. In the latter case, only a thin disordered graphite layer is formed, yielding the lowest electric conductance. By clarifying these etching mechanisms, our results can improve the synthesis of graphene-on-diamond heterostructures.

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films grown on Si substrates by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MWPECVD) were subjected to Ni-mediated graphitization to cover them with a conductive layer. Results of transmission electron microscopy including electron energy-loss spectroscopy of cross-sectional samples demonstrate that the oxide layer on Si substrates (∼5 nm native SiO2) has been damaged by microwave plasma during the early stage of NCD growth. During the heat treatment for graphitizing the NCD layer, the permeability or absence of the oxide barrier allow Ni nanoparticles to diffuse into the Si substrate and cause additional solid-state reactions producing pyramidal crystals of NiSi2 and SiC nanocrystals. The latter are found impinged into the NiSi2 pyramids but only when the interfacial oxide layer is absent, replaced by amorphous SiC. The complex phase morphology of the samples is also reflected in the temperature dependence of electrical conductivity, where multiple pathways of the electronic transport dominate in different temperature regions. We present models explaining the observed cascade of solid-state reactions and resulting electronic transport properties of such heterostructures.

The GaAs1–xBix semiconductor alloy allows one to achieve large bandgap reduction and enhanced spin–orbit splitting energy at dilute Bi quantities. The bismide is currently being developed for near- to mid-infrared lasers, multi-junction solar cells, and photodetectors. In this structure–property relationship study of GaAsBi alloys, we report polarization dependent photoluminescence that reaches a polarization ratio up to 2.4 at room temperature. Polarization dependence is also presented using transmittance spectra, birefringence, and linear dichroism. The optical anisotropy observations agree with the predictions of point symmetry reduction in the CuPtB-type ordered GaAsBi phase. The structural ordering is investigated experimentally from the atomic scale in molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) grown samples on exact and miscut (001) GaAs substrates, as well as on (001) Ge. The latter sample is composed of anti-phase domains in which the ordering axes are rotated by 90° angles. Since the conditions stabilizing the CuPtB ordered phase fall within the typical MBE growth regime of dilute bismides, the optical anisotropy in GaAsBi alloys is expected to be ubiquitous. These findings are important for the future development of GaAsBi-based optoelectronics and also provide new means to analyze structurally complex bismide alloys.

The dilute bismide alloy GaAs1-xBix has drawn significant attention from researchers interested in its fundamental properties and the potential for infrared optoelectronics applications. To extend the study of bismides, molecular-beam heteroepitaxy of nominally 1.0 eV bandgap bismide on Ge substrates is comprehensively investigated. Analysis of atomic-resolution anti-phase domain (APD) images in the direct-epitaxy revealed a high-density of Ga vacancies and a reduced Bi content at their boundaries. This likely played a key role in the preferential dissolution of Bi atoms from the APD interiors and Bi spiking in Ge during thermal annealing. Introduction of GaAs buffer on offcut Ge largely suppressed the formation of APDs, producing high-quality bismide with single-variant CuPtB-type ordered domains as large as 200 nm. Atomic-resolution X-ray imaging showed that 2-dimensional Bi-rich (111) planes contain up to x = 9% Bi. The anomalously early onset of localization found in the temperature-dependent photoluminescence suggests enhanced interactions among Bi states, as compared to non-ordered samples. Growth of large-domain single-variant ordered GaAs1-xBix films provides new prospects for detailed analysis of the structural modulation effects and may allow to further tailor properties of this alloy for optoelectronic applications.

Graphene oxide is a complex material whose synthesis is still incompletely understood. To study the time evolution of structural and chemical properties of oxidized graphite, samples at different temporal stages of oxidation were selected and characterized through a number of techniques: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for the content and bonding of oxygen, X-ray diffraction for the level of intercalation, Raman spectroscopy for the detection of structural changes, electrical resistivity measurements for probing charge localization on the macroscopic scale, and scanning transmission electron microscopy for the atomic structure of the graphene oxide flakes. We found a nonlinear behavior of oxygen uptake with time where two concentration plateaus were identified: Uptake reached 20 at % in the first 15 min, and after 1 h a second uptake started, reaching a highest oxygen concentration of >30 at % after 2 h of oxidation. At the same time, the interlayer distance expanded to more than twice the value of graph...

As long as the carbon family materials are pristine, powerful methods for their individual characterization have been established and well understood. However, as soon as these materials contain a mixture of sp2 and sp3 hybridized carbons, the spectroscopic characterization becomes challenging. In this paper we present on some aspects of multiply spectroscopic characterizations of sp2-sp3 carbon heterosystems, which can play an important role for their correct structural assignment. We study a composite of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) with diamond nanoparticles and a SWCNT paper coated with nanocrystalline diamond films. The SWCNT paper serves here as a reference. We evaluate the surface free energy measured by contact angle technique, morphology imaged by scanning electron microscopy and the chemical composition determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy at different excitation wavelengths and by attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) using different ZnSe ATR prisms. We demonstrate that, because of the resonant nature of Raman process in SWCNTs, the particular conditions at Raman measurement (laser excitation wavelength, laser intensity) strongly influence the measured spectra of the sp2-sp3 hybridized heterosystems. We also show how the dimensions of the ATR prism affect the results of the FTIR measurements of the SWCNT papers.

Carbon nanomaterials such as nanodiamond (ND) and graphene oxide (GO) attract increasing attention for biomedical applications due their unique and adjustable properties. Here we report on antibacterial activity of NDs and GO as evaluated by bacterial colony counting. ND and GO were used in oxidized (O-ND, GO) or reduced (H-ND, rGO) forms. ND or GO are mixed in Mueller–Hinton (MH) broth with Escherichia coli at the concentration of 1 mg ml−1. The resulting suspensions were cultivated for 5 and 24 h at 37 °C in a shaker. After each period, a sample of the suspension was spread on the MH agar and cultivated for 24 h at 37° C. The effect of nanomaterials on colony forming ability (CFA) of E. coli was evaluated and compared with the negative control sample. The most noticeable effect was that after 5 h H-ND decreased the CFA of E. coli in the MH broth by 60% and GO by 50%. After 24 h, H-ND decreased CFA by 50%. Other nanomaterials had no statistically significant antibacterial effect. Factors influencing ND and GO antibacterial activity against the E. coli and possibly against other bacteria are discussed.

The paper deals with the study of optical properties of graphene oxide (GO) by inkjet printing. Defined structure of GO can be obtained by reducing of prepared layers either by heating or by UV radiation (rGO). The dispersion function for refractive index and extinction coefficient of GO and both rGO thin films were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the wavelength range of 200 – 850 nm. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was used characterize the optical response of layer of GO reduced by UV and thermal reduction GO in visible range.

This study presents the synthesis of High Entropy Alloy (HEA) films starting from elemental Cu and binary alloy CoFe and CrNiO multilayers, followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP). By that, the HEA films (HEAFs) were formed by phase formation via short-range and fast diffusion processes. Multilayers with a total thickness of 760 nm consisting of 16 repetitions of a Cu (11 nm)/CrNiO (16.5 nm)/CoFe (20 nm) sequence were annealed at temperatures from 600 °C to 1000 °C for 5 min. The reaction products were then analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), in order to identify the phase transformations and elemental distributions. A duplex FCC structure containing CrCoFeNiO HEA and pure Cu phase was successfully synthesized at 600 °C and 800 °C by the solid-state reaction. CuCrCoFeNiO HEA formed within in a Cu nanocrystalline matrix. As the annealing temperature increased, the oxygen content in the films decreased, Both HEA and Cu possess significant 〈111〉 preferred orientation. The HEA phase demonstrated a typical microstructure of alloys with intensive nano-twins. Moreover, the grain growth kinetics of the HEA phase was evaluated, and the activation energy was found to be 185(10) kJ/mol. This is comparable to that of conventional stainless steel (~150 kJ/mol) and less than half of the value for CrCoFeNi bulk (434 kJ/mol). A surface energy-driven grain growth mechanism of the HEAFs via multilayer alloy formation is proposed in this study. The mechanical properties, hardness and Young's modulus, were measured via nanoindentation, and the strengthening mechanism was proposed and compared with current literature.

We present a simple and effective alternative which optimizes electrodes based on low-cost carbons for high-performance supercapacitors. The combination with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) greatly improves the operation of microporous carbons easily produced by one-pot activation of grape seeds. The use of composite electrodes with rGO lowers the supercapacitor resistance and enables a much higher rate capability. The mixture of rGO flakes and particles of a highly porous carbon obtained by KOH activation allows retaining the high capacitance of 260 F g−1 of the standard electrodes at 1 mA cm−2 in aqueous H2SO4 whereas the value at 200 mA cm−2 is increased by around 2.4 times. Consequently, at high current density, the capacitor assembled with these composites stores eight times more energy and the power density is multiplied by four. The synergy between rGO and an ultramicroporous carbon produced by CO2-activation results extremely profitable, the cell assembled with composite electrodes reaching three times more energy and power at 200 mA cm−2 than the best performance of the standard counterpart. More importantly, the higher density of the composite electrodes leads to a capacitance of around 200 F cm−3 which translates into a remarkable improvement in the supercapacitor operation normalized to volume., T.A.C. gratefully acknowledges the funding from CSIC [Proyecto Intramural Especial 2016 8 0E035]. V.V. and V.S. thank the support by Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract APVV-16-0319.

The paper deals with the study of optical and electrical properties of inkjet-printed graphene oxide (GO) layers, which can be used e.g. for the preparation of various types of electronic devices. To ensure stable inkjet printing conditions of GO solution, mixture was thoroughly stirred for 1 h at room temperature or sonicated in the bath for 30 min. The thicknesses of prepared layers were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry and profilometry. An electrical conductivity of GO was increased by the multistep reduction (due to annealing) – the conductivity was changed by these processes about seven orders of magnitude (GO is an isolator and reduced GO is a conductor). For electrical and dielectric measurements, samples with GO and mixture of GO with PEDOT were prepared. All current-voltage characteristics have a diode character. From AC measurements the bulk electrical conductivity and geometric capacity of prepared layers were determined.

Due to their properties, carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide are highly promising materials for obtaining low-resistance ohmic contacts to p-GaN with good optical transparency for visible light. In this contribution we designed a combination of these two materials, along with a cap layer, to be used as structures for ohmic contacts to p-GaN. Carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene oxide (GO) layers were deposited by spray coating using an off-the-shelf airbrush on p-GaN layers. The metallic layers of Au/Pd were vapour deposited. The structures for ohmic contacts were prepared in two configurations, namely as Au/Pd/r-GO/CNT/p-GaN and Au/Pd/CNT/r-GO/CNT/p-GaN. The prepared structures provide a low resistivity ohmic contact after subsequent annealing in air ambient at 600 °C for 3 minutes. The contact containing the sandwich CNT/r-GO/CNT interstructure exhibits lower values of contact resistance in comparison with the r-GO/CNT interstructure.

In this work, the impulsive stimulated scattering technique, in a heterodyne diffraction detection configuration (ISS-HD), was used to study the dependence of the speed of sound and the thermal diffusivity on the concentration of silver nanoparticles in water, to which also d-glucose and carboxymethyl cellulose were added, in order to reduce sedimentation. The ISS-HD results, which show a slight increase of thermal diffusivity with increasing concentration, were cross-validated with results obtained by the inverse photopyroelectric method and the hot ball technique.

Recently the physical model for the temperature field generated by thermophysical single-probe sensor in a shape of planar disc has been derived. The model accounts cylindrical sample having final radius and infinite length. The prototype of measuring electronics RTA was build that operates with auto balancing bridge. For the measurements the single-transition method is used. While the measurement error of the temperature response measured by thermocouple was 1% at the height of temperature response 1°C, the sensitivity of the measurement with the automatically balanced bridge is better and the signal to noise ratio is improved about 10 times. The measuring electronics was tested for measuring the temperature response using a single-sensor. This sensor generates the heat pulse and sense the temperature response in the same time. The next advantage is that the temperature response to the generated step-wise pulse is much smaller and it can be reduced to the level of 1-8° C compared to stationary method like guarded hot plate method. The effect of the temperature field generated by the probe is much smaller, which in the case of measurement of porous materials at the presence of moisture is beneficial, as the resulting redistribution of moisture under the created temperature gradient is negligible. There were derived basic models for the evaluation of this type of experiment. The probe should be in form of full cylinder or an annulus. The derived temperature function counts the outer and inner diameter of annulus. Putting the inner radius to zero we get the solution for full circle probe, so the model is universal. The model counts also the heat losses from the outer surface of the sample, when the time of measurement exceed the time when the penetration depth of generated heat pulse rich the outer radius of sample. The estimated output parameters from single measurement are the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat. The heat transfer coefficient is additional parameter fitted as free parameter of the model.

We have examined new structures for ohmic contacts to p-GaN, mainly for applications in light emitting devices, based on a layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and metallic layers of Au/Cr, Au/Ni–Mg(–O) namely in configurations Au/Cr/SWCT/p-GaN and Au/Ni–Mg(–O)/SWCT/p-GaN. The layer of carbon nanotubes was deposited on p-GaN by spraying a solution of synthesized SWCTs, the layers of Au/Cr were vapor deposited and the layers of Au/Ni–Mg(–O) were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering in an atmosphere with and without a low concentration of oxygen (approx. 0.2 at%). It has been found that the contact structures provide a low resistivity ohmic contact after subsequent annealing in N 2 ambient at 700 °C for 1 min. It has also been found that the structure containing the SWCNT interlayer exhibits lower values of contact resistance in comparison with an otherwise identical contact without the SWCNT interlayer.

In this work we investigate the growth of diamond film on a porous single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) paper by employing three different Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) systems: plasma-assisted hot filament, focused microwave plasma and linear antenna microwave plasma. We observe that the diamond growth is strongly affected by the different conditions in each of the CVD processes resulting in different SWNT/diamond composite structures. It is also found that only the linear antenna microwave plasma CVD process allows penetration of the activated growth species into the volume of the SWNT paper, whereas using the other methods, the diamond grains are formed on the SWNT paper surface only. Moreover, the growth of diamond structures within the substrate volume is strongly influenced by the CH4/CO2/H2 gas content ratio. A key factor influencing the formation of a compact SWNT/diamond composite is keeping the equilibrium between two competitive processes: establishing conditions where the diamond structure can grow while etching/damage of the SWNT paper is still kept at a minimum. The morphology and chemical composition of formed composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

The preparation of continous three-dimensional carbon foam composed of a few-layer graphene film decorated with carbon nanowalls standing perpendicular to its surface is presented. The synthesis is done by the direct-current PECVD method using nickel foam as a catalyst substrate. Variable curvature of the surface of the Ni foam causes a variation in electric field during the dcPECVD synthesis, which results in forming the foam of hybrid carbon structures. The material was characterized by scanning electron microscope images and by Raman spectra. The effect of plasma penetration depth on growth of carbon nanowalls is also discussed. Macropores and nanopores coexisting in the structure might offer new functionalities particularly for charge storage applications.

We have designed and verified a new structure for ohmic contacts to p-GaN, mainly for applications in light emitting devices based on a layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and metallic layers of Cr and Au, namely in configuration Au/Cr/SWCNT/p-GaN. The layer of carbon nanotubes was deposited on p-GaN by spraying a solution of synthesized SWCNTs, while the layers of Cr and Au were vapour deposited. The effects of the annealing temperature and time upon the electrical properties of Au/Cr/SWCNT/p-GaN contacts have been studied. It has been found that the contact structure provides a low resistivity ohmic contact after subsequent annealing in N2 ambient at 700 °C for 1 minute.

A new principle of a sensor for monitoring of moisture in porous materials is presented. The sensor utilizes changes of the thermal conductivity of a porous structure when pores are filled with the air/vapor, water, or ice depending on thermodynamic conditions. A hot-ball method is used for measuring the thermal conductivity. The moisture sensor is made of the cylindrical core drilled from the parent material. The signal of the sensor is not sensitive to ionic radicals of the pore medium. The method of sensor calibration is presented, as well. Then the moisture sensor (hot ball) is inserted back into the drilled hole of the material to ensure that the porous structure of both the sensor and the investigated material are identical. Sensors can be made of porous materials in the range of porosities from 0.3 % up to 70 %. A simple device is constructed that allows monitoring of moisture in real conditions.

The measurement of thermal properties of materials that do not keep the form is problematic, because usually, the basic condition of the most models predicts constant dimensions. The plastic materials like clay or loam in natural condition always contain some water and thus are viscous and squeeze out of specimen holder when clamped even at weak force produced by specimen holder. Thus, the specimen dimensions are changing in during the measurement when it is not placed in a solid container. Even at this arrangement the shrinkage of material at the measurements causes the lowering the specimen thickness when using two probe method like pulse transient technique. This effect problem could be lowered or neglected at single probe techniques like the planar hot disk or this newly derived hot tube method. Hot tube method is derived for the probe made as the rectangular plane bended around the solid cylinder or tube made of thermally low conducting material. The probe generates the heat and the rate of temperatu...

Carbon nanowalls (CNWs) were grown by atmospheric dc plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition method. Maintaining plasma at atmospheric pressure give us possibility to synthetize CNWs at high rate. By using two different liquid carbon sources we can control CNWs density. Growth of sparsely distributed CNWs can be achieved by using ethanol, while hexane gives densely packed CNWs films.

In this article, we investigate the nanocomposite material formation, particularly the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanowalls (CNWs) on single-wall carbon nanotubes buckypaper (BP). One part of the buckypaper substrate was nucleated by nanodiamond powder. The growth was carried out in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system. Contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were used for the surface morphology analysis and characterization of carbon phases. Due to a different surface pretreatment, different carbon nanostructures were formed: diamond film was grown on the nucleated BP area; non-treated area of the BP was covered with a dense field of CNWs. Covering a part of the BP surface prevented an access of the HF-plasma and so the growth of any carbon structures.

Epoxy resins are materials capable of polymerizing under certain conditions, i.e., a temperature and the presence of a hardener, yielding a three-dimensional net formed by the crosslinking of the chains. This polymerization is also called the curing process. During the curing, different physical processes can be detected, namely, formation of polymer chains and their crosslinking. Thermodynamic and transport characteristics change markedly. A new thermal-conductivity sensor was used for monitoring of the curing process. The principle of the sensor is based on the hot-ball method for measuring the thermal conductivity. The sensor recognizes the processes operating during polymerization. This paper deals with the monitoring of the curing process of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGBA) epoxy resin modified with aromatic reactive diluent, where the curing rate is controlled by the temperature and boron trifluoride (BTF) hardener. A short description of the measurement method is given.

This article deals with the theory and performance of a sensor for measuring thermal conductivity. The sensor, in the form of a small ball, generates heat and simultaneously measures its temperature response. An ideal model of the hollow sphere in an infinite medium furnishes a working equation of the hot-ball method. A constant heat flux through the surface of the ball generates the temperature field. The thermal conductivity of the surrounding medium is to be determined by the stabilized value of the temperature response, i.e., when the steady-state regime is attained. Error components of the sensor are discussed due to analysis of the deviations of the real hot-ball construction from the ideal model. The functionality of a set of hot balls has been tested, and the calibration for a limited range of thermal conductivities was performed. A working range of thermal conductivities of tested materials has been estimated to be from 0.06 W· m−1 · K−1 up to 1 W· m−1 · K−1.

The present paper deals with the application of the transient techniques for thermophysical analysis of the structural changes in materials. The technique has been applied for study of equilibrium transitions as well as for kinetic transitions. A special methodology has been developed to study kinetic transitions like crystallization, melting, etc. in a “pseudo-equilibrium states” by the help of porous structures. The paper includes three different issues: the transient methods for measuring thermodynamic and transport parameters, data analysis and application of the pulse transient method for measurements of materials in thermodynamic equilibrium, pseudoequilibrium and in non-equilibrium (quasi-equilibrium) states. Equilibrium transitions in CsPbCl3 and CsPbBr3 single crystals, kinetic transitions of freezing and thawing water in porous stones and non-equilibriums states in E-glass and Al2O3 ceramics during sintering have been studied.

The problem of the measurement of clay loam materials in plastic consistency is more or less difficult as they can change the shape during the long time measurements. The specimen thickness is expected as the constant during all the experiment measured by transient pulse method. In a case of plastic clay loam, it can change the form during the measurement because of the squeeze of the material even under the gravity condition. Thus the specimen surface wall should be reinforced by special dimensionally well-defined thin wall container. In this paper the special container in a form of thin tube rings bounded by central annular ring was constructed and used for the measurements. The heat source was inserted into the tube rings through the nozzle in the middle part and the thermocouple was inserted through the drilled openings at defined distance from the heat source. System clamped the heat source together with the rings at desired distance from the thermocouple. This distance represents the thickness of te...

Measurements of the thermophysical properties of Gioia marble in the temperature range from −20 to 60 ◦ C are presented. Thermophysical properties, namely, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat, were measured by the pulse transient technique. The data were compared for dry and water-saturated states. Despite the very low porosity of marble of about 0.6 vol%, an increase of the transport property parameters (thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity) up to 20% after water saturation was found. To verify the differences in the transport parameters, the ultrasonic pulse velocity method was employed. A detailed analysis of thermophysical property data during the freeze/thaw process for dry and water-saturated marble was carried out in the temperature range from − 8t o 1 ◦ C, where an anomaly in the water freezing process was observed. In order to study artificial aging of Gioia marble, up to 60 freeze/thaw cycles were performed. No significant changes in the thermophysical properties of Gioia marble were observed during the artificial aging process.

We have examined electrical properties and concentration depth profiles of contact structures Au/Ni-Mg-(O)/SWCNT/pGaN and Au/Ni-Mg-O/p-GaN, thus with and without an interlaying layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). The metallization layers were deposited on p-GaN by DC reactive magnetron sputtering in an atmosphere with and without a low concentration of oxygen (cca 0.2 at%). The contacts were annealed in N2. We have found that the structure containing the SWCNT interlayer exhibits lower values of contact resistivity in comparison with an otherwise identical contact without the SWCNT interlayer. K e y w o r d s: p-GaN, Au/Ni-Mg-O/p-GaN, Au/Ni-Mg-(O)/SWCNT/p-GaN, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), ohmic contact, specific contact resistance, circular transmission line method (CTLM)

The theory and the measurement regime of the pulse transient method are discussed by considering an ideal model, sensitivity coefficients, and their dependence. Difference analysis is used to estimate the time window in which the fitting procedure should be applied to the experimental data. The results of the analysis are verified for Perspex and A310 stainless steel by intercomparison measurements. Differences in the data obtained for the thermophysical parameters are within the accuracy of the instrument used for the measurements.

The current energy needs have put the focus on highly efficient energy storage systems such as supercapacitors. At present, much attention focuses on graphene-like materials as promising supercapacitor electrodes. Here we show that reduced graphite oxide offers a very interesting potential. Materials obtained by oxidation of natural graphite and subsequent sonication and reduction by hydrazine achieve specific capacitances as high as 170 F/g in H2SO4 and 84 F/g in (C2H5)4NBF4/acetonitrile. Although the particle size of the raw graphite has no significant effect on the physico-chemical characteristics of the reduced materials, that exfoliated from smaller particles (, Financial support from EU 7FP [Project Electrograph-266391], the project VEGA 1254/12 (M.H.) and MICINN [MAT 2011-25198] (T.A.C.) is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are grateful to Prof. Viera Skákalová for the useful discussions and critical remarks.

We show that the presence of electrically insulating graphite oxide (GO) within a single wall carbon nanotube network strongly enhances electrical conductivity, whereas reduced graphite oxide, even though electrically conductive, suppresses electrical conductivity within a composite network with single wall carbon nanotubes. Measurements of Young modulus and of Raman spectra strongly support our interpretation of the indirect role of the oxide groups, present in graphite oxide within the single wall carbon nanotubes/graphite oxide composite, through electronic doping of metallic single wall carbon nanotubes.

Stones belong to porous materials where water in pores plays an important role during the freeze-thaw process. A thermophysical analysis based on the pulse transient method has been used to study an ageing cycle, namely the freeze-thaw cycle. Thermophysical analysis is based on measuring the thermophysical properties under specific thermodynamic conditions. The transient method determines the specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity by a single measurement. A specimen of Sander sandstone was analyzed in both dry and water-saturated states. Typical anomalies of all thermophysical parameters at the freeze-thaw point as well as differences for the dry and saturated states were found. The changes of thermophysical parameters measured when using freeze-thaw cycles correspond to stone ageing. The freeze-thaw cycle can often be encountered in building physics, concrete construction, etc.

Composite structures have been in a center of interest for many decades. Carbon–carbon composites combine different carbon-based allotropes. Combining different carbon structures each with its unique property results in a new composite material with designed properties. In this contribution we present a technological procedure for preparation of a new flexible material consisting of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and nanocrystalline diamond (NCD). The fabrication process starts from the preparation of a paper made of SWNTs bundles followed by the CVD-growth of NCD in the interior of the SWNT paper. Keeping balance between the two competing processes during the CVD, i.e. growth of diamond particles versus etching SWNTs, is found as a key factor for the formation of a compact SWNT/NCD composite material. From a technological point of view, both processes are influenced mainly by the CVD conditions (temperature, gas composition, etc.) and/or substrate pretreatment. The essential idea of the diamond integration into the SWNT paper is demonstrated and discussed in more details. The morphology and structural aspects of the prepared composite material are further characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy.

The GaAs1–xBix semiconductor alloy allows one to achieve large bandgap reduction and enhanced spin–orbit splitting energy at dilute Bi quantities. The bismide is currently being developed for near- to mid-infrared lasers, multi-junction solar cells, and photodetectors. In this structure–property relationship study of GaAsBi alloys, we report polarization dependent photoluminescence that reaches a polarization ratio up to 2.4 at room temperature. Polarization dependence is also presented using transmittance spectra, birefringence, and linear dichroism. The optical anisotropy observations agree with the predictions of point symmetry reduction in the CuPtB-type ordered GaAsBi phase. The structural ordering is investigated experimentally from the atomic scale in molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) grown samples on exact and miscut (001) GaAs substrates, as well as on (001) Ge. The latter sample is composed of anti-phase domains in which the ordering axes are rotated by 90° angles. Since the conditions stabilizing the CuPtB ordered phase fall within the typical MBE growth regime of dilute bismides, the optical anisotropy in GaAsBi alloys is expected to be ubiquitous. These findings are important for the future development of GaAsBi-based optoelectronics and also provide new means to analyze structurally complex bismide alloys.