The current pandemic has had a powerful impact on our lives, both personal and professional. In the meantime, we’ve learned to adapt and do our best to carry out the planned activities, aiming to achieve our goals.
This is what we did in the framework of the NanoMedTwin project, when organizing the student visits in the research intensive institutions, which are part of the consortium. Careful analysis of the situation, detailed preparations and efficient coordination have led to 5 productive and impactful study visits of PhD students and young researchers from Moldova to the University of Bristol, UK and the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Find below the snapshots from each of the visits.
PhD student Vlad Ciobanu (National Center for Materials Study and Testing)
10 Feb 2020 – 05 Jun 2020
University of Bristol, UK
Vladimir had trainings for Clean Room activities, trainings on different instruments for investigation of optical and structural properties of nanomaterials, like Raman Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence, Cathodoluminescence, Scanning electron microscopy; training on Displacement Talbot Lithography for fabrication of SPR sensors. He also attended lectures focused on Technology Transfer, Nano-Optics, Nanomaterials Standardization for Biomedicine.
PhD student Irina Plesco (National Center for Materials Study and Testing)
16 Mar 2020 – 31 Jul 2020
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Irina was working on testing of photocatalytic activity of 2D and 3D nanostructured materials as TiO2 nanotubes, aero-ZnS, aero-ZnO-ZnS, aero-GaN, aero-Ga2O3. The experimental work was focused on degradation of organic pollutants in water catalyzed by semiconductive materials activated by UV and visible light. Irina participated in various activities in Functional Materials group leaded by prof. J. Dutta, including group meetings and seminars with participation of international specialists. As well Irina gave a talk on aero-material’s syntesis and applications developed by prof. Tighineanu group at the KTH Applied Physics department meeting. Irina completed the course with topic SK2774 “Colloids and Colloidal Principles for Applications” and sucessfully passed the examination. Basing on the results of studies held in the labarotories of KTH Applied Physics department in collaboration with professor’s Dutta group was already prepared article “Photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes using TiO2 nanotube arrays and aero-ZnO-ZnS under UV and visible light illumination” (I. Plesco, V. Ciobanu, T. Braniste, J. Dutta, I. Tiginyanu) and presented at the International Semiconductor Conference CAS2020 in Romania.
PhD student Vlad Ciobanu (National Center for Materials Study and Testing)
4-18 Oct 2020
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Vladimir had trainings on sample preparation and structural investigation of nanomaterials by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy. He had investigated the crystalline structure of GaN nanomembranes fabricated at Technical University of Moldova by the so-called Surface Charge Lithography technique. After calcination of GaN nanomembranes at different conditions, it was possible to transform the GaN ultrathin nanomembranes into Ga2O3. He found that when the material is calcinated at intermediate temperatures, a mixture of different phases of Ga2O3 is present in the crystalline structure. A good quality beta phase Ga2O3 nanomembranes are obtained when the calcination takes place at temperatures higher than 800 0C. A more detailed data investigation he is going to do in the next days.
Also, in this period Vladimir had the opportunity to present a seminar during the Photonics Group monthly meeting entitled “2D and 3D GaN nanostructures and their potential applications”.
PhD student Andrei Tiron (National Center for Materials Study and Testing)
10 Sep 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Andrei attended two courses that are related to his field of interest: Laser Spectroscopy and Photonics. These courses improved his understanding of fundamental processes that take place in semiconductor materials and gave him the possibility to learn new measurement technics for optical properties of semiconductor materials. Integrating sphere transmittance, reflectance, haze and quantum yield; MicroPL and time-resolved PL measurements were performed during Andrei’s visit to KTH.
PhD student Nicolae Magariu from the Technical University of Moldova
1 Sep 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
University of Bristol, UK
The visit was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Andrei Sarua. During the visit, Nicolae participated in various courses and seminars, and under the guidance of Dr. Andrei Sarua he learned various measurement techniques: such as Raman measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained experience is highly valuable for writing the doctoral thesis in the next year. Also under the training of Dr. Andrew Murray were obtained various heterostructures based on zinc oxide which will later be tested on various gases such as hydrogen, ethanol and other gases.
Thanks to the NanoMedTwin project, the young researchers had the opportunity to be trained at some of the best universities in Europe, improving their skills and gaining valuable experience for their future research.