| 1. |
- Coucheron, David A., et al.
(författare)
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Laser recrystallization and inscription of compositional microstructures in crystalline SiGe-core fibres
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Glass fibres with silicon cores have emerged as a versatile platform for all-optical processing, sensing and microscale optoelectronic devices. Using SiGe in the core extends the accessible wavelength range and potential optical functionality because the bandgap and optical properties can be tuned by changing the composition. However, silicon and germanium segregate unevenly during non-equilibrium solidification, presenting new fabrication challenges, and requiring detailed studies of the alloy crystallization dynamics in the fibre geometry. We report the fabrication of SiGe-core optical fibres, and the use of CO2 laser irradiation to heat the glass cladding and recrystallize the core, improving optical transmission. We observe the ramifications of the classic models of solidification at the microscale, and demonstrate suppression of constitutional undercooling at high solidification velocities. Tailoring the recrystallization conditions allows formation of long single crystals with uniform composition, as well as fabrication of compositional microstructures, such as gratings, within the fibre core.
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| 2. |
- Risinggård, Helene Kjær, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil on medical-grade silver surfaces
- 2018
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Ingår i: Applied Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-4332. ; 435, s. 1213-1219
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The degradation of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil by a non-pristine metal surfaces is studied. Using density functional theory, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy we show that the drug is entirely degraded by medical-grade silver surfaces, already at body temperature, and that all of the fluorine has left the molecule, presumably as HF. Remarkably, this degradation is even more severe than that reported previously for 5-fluorouracil on a pristine monocrystalline silver surface (in which case 80% of the drug reacted at body temperature) [1]. We conclude that the observed reaction is due to a reaction pathway, driven by H to F attraction between molecules on the surface, which results in the direct formation of HF; a pathway which is favoured when competing pathways involving reactive Ag surface sites are made unavailable by environmental contamination. Our measurements indicate that realistically cleaned, non-pristine silver alloys, which are typically used in medical applications, can result in severe degradation of 5-fluorouracil, with the release of HF – a finding which may have important implications for the handling of chemotherapy drugs.
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