ENEA is the second
governmental Research Institution of Italy (3500 employees) with the mission to
develop research and innovation for sustainable growth, aiming at promoting
competitiveness in Italy, with particular attention to the technology transfer
to SMEs. In order to fulfill its tasks inside BONSAI, ENEA will design, realize
and test a system for the collection of nanopowders in liquids by up-grading a
pioneering system that is actually in operation on its set-up for laser
synthesis of ceramic nanopowders. Nanopowder dispersibility in water and
biocompatible solvents will be checked by the DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering)
set-up after high-power sonication and chemical etching. Surface modifications
of NP will be detected by Raman spectroscopy. Optical detection methods of NP
will be developed by up-grading of the laboratory for linear and non linear
optical spectroscopy of nanopowders, actually equipped with fs, ps, ns and c.w.
laser tunable sources and a complete set of optical instruments for emission and
absorption spectroscopy from the UV to the NIR range. The responsible of the
optical laboratory is Dr. M. Falconieri, with considerable expertise in the
characterization of linear and non.linear optical properties of nanostructured
materials. ENEA will also contribute to structural characterization of
nanopowders by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). ENEA researchers involved in the
Project (1 senior scientist, three staff researchers and a technician) have well
documented expertise in nanomaterial synthesis and characterization (optical and
structural).
Some selected publications:
M. Falconieri, E. Borsella, L. De Dominicis
et al.
Probe of the Si nanoclusters to Er3+ energy transfer
dynamics by double-pulse excitation
Appl. Phys.Lett. 87 (2005) 61109
E. Trave, V. Bello, F. Enrichi, G.
Mattei, E. Borsella, M. Carpanese, M. Falconieri, C. Abate,
N. Herlin-Boime
Towards controllable optical
properties of silicon-based nanoparticles for applications in opto-electronics
Optical Materials 27,(2005),
1014-1019.
M. Falconieri, E. Palange, H. L. Fragnito
Achievement of λ/4000
phase sensitivity in the measurement of optical nonlinearities by using a
modulated Z-scan technique
J. Opt. A: Pure Appl. Opt.4,
404, (2002) |
