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Amri C, Liu SF, Najar A. Elaboration of Silicon Nanostructures with Vapor-Phase Silver Assisted Chemical Etching: Correlation between Structural and Optical Properties. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:nano13101602. [PMID: 37242020 DOI: 10.3390/nano13101602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Based on the widely used wet metal-assisted electroless etching, we develop in this work a novel vapor-phase silver-assisted chemical etching (VP-Ag-ACE) suitable for the elaboration of highly doped p-silicon (Si) nanostructures with strong, visible, and multi-peak photoluminescence (PL) emissions. The lateral and vertical etching rates (LER and VER) were discussed based on the etching mechanism of the VP-Ag-ACE. The antireflective suitability of the vapor-etched layer has been evaluated by a reflectivity measurement and exhibits reflectivity values lower than 3%. The PL emission at both room and low temperatures emissions were deeply discussed and correlated with the structural properties of the Si morphologies and their surface states based on the FTIR results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chohdi Amri
- Department of Physics, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
- Laboratoire de Photovoltaïque, Centre de Recherches et des Technologies de l'Energie, Technopole de Borj Cedria, BP: 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia
| | - Shengzhong Frank Liu
- Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, iChEM, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Engineering Lab for Advanced Energy Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Adel Najar
- Department of Physics, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
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Highly Efficient Silicon Nanowire Surface Passivation by Bismuth Nano-Coating for Multifunctional Bi@SiNWs Heterostructures. NANOMATERIALS 2020; 10:nano10081434. [PMID: 32717921 PMCID: PMC7466647 DOI: 10.3390/nano10081434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A key requirement for the development of highly efficient silicon nanowires (SiNWs) for use in various kinds of cutting-edge applications is the outstanding passivation of their surfaces. In this vein, we report on a superior passivation of a SiNWs surface by bismuth nano-coating (BiNC) for the first time. A metal-assisted chemical etching technique was used to produce the SiNW arrays, while the BiNCs were anchored on the NWs through thermal evaporation. The systematic studies by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX), and Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopies highlight the successful decoration of SiNWs by BiNC. The photoluminescence (PL) emission properties of the samples were studied in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) spectral range. Interestingly, nine-fold visible PL enhancement and NIR broadband emission were recorded for the Bi-modified SiNWs. To our best knowledge, this is the first observation of NIR luminescence from Bi-coated SiNWs (Bi@SiNWs), and thus sheds light on a new family of Bi-doped materials operating in the NIR and covering the important telecommunication wavelengths. Excellent anti-reflectance abilities of ~10% and 8% are observed for pure SiNWs and Bi@SiNWs, respectively, as compared to the Si wafer (50–90%). A large decrease in the recombination activities is also obtained from Bi@SiNWs heterostructures. The reasons behind the superior improvement of the Bi@SiNWs performance are discussed in detail. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of Bi as a novel surface passivation coating, where Bi@SiNWs heterostructures are very promising and multifunctional for photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and telecommunications.
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Xu Z, Zhang H, Chen C, Aziz G, Zhang J, Zhang X, Deng J, Zhai T, Zhang X. A silicon-based quantum dot random laser. RSC Adv 2019; 9:28642-28647. [PMID: 35529661 PMCID: PMC9071192 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra04650j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, a quantum dot random laser was achieved using a silicon nanowire array. The silicon nanowire array was grown by a metal-assisted chemical etching method. A colloidal quantum dot solution was spin-coated on silicon nanowires to form the random laser. The performance of the random laser was controlled by the resistivity of silicon wafers and the length of silicon nanowires. A transition from incoherent random lasing to coherent random lasing was obtained by increasing the resistivity of the silicon wafers. The random lasing threshold increased with an increase in the length of the silicon nanowires. These results may be useful to explore high-performance silicon-based random lasers. A silicon-based quantum dot random laser fabricated by a metal-assisted chemical etching method.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyang Xu
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Chao Chen
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Gohar Aziz
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Xiaoxia Zhang
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Jinxiang Deng
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Tianrui Zhai
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
| | - Xinping Zhang
- Institute of Information Photonics Technology, College of Applied Sciences, Beijing University of Technology Beijing 100124 China
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Ghosh J, Ghosh R, Giri PK. Strong Cathodoluminescence and Fast Photoresponse from Embedded CH 3NH 3PbBr 3 Nanoparticles Exhibiting High Ambient Stability. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:14917-14931. [PMID: 30924637 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b21050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the strong cathodoluminescence (CL), photoluminescence (PL), and photoresponse characteristics of CH3NH3PbBr3 nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a mesoporous nanowire (NW) template. Our study revealed a direct correlation between the CL and PL emissions from the perovskite NPs (Per NPs), for the first time. Per NPs are fabricated by a simple spin-coating of a perovskite precursor on the surface of metal-assisted chemically etched mesoporous Si NW arrays. The Per NPs confined in the mesopores show blue-shifted and enhanced CL emission as compared to the bare perovskite film, while the PL intensity of Per NPs is dramatically high compared to that of their bulk counterpart. A systematic analysis of the CL/PL spectra reveals that the quantum confinement effect and ultralow defects in Per NPs are mainly responsible for the enhanced CL and PL emissions. Low-temperature PL and time-resolved PL analysis confirm the high exciton binding energy and radiative recombination in Per NPs. The room temperature PL quantum yield of the Per NP film on the NW template was found to be 40.5%, while that of Per film was 2.8%. The Per NPs show improved ambient air stability than the bare film due to the protection provided by the dense NW array, since a dense NW array can slow down the lateral diffusion of oxygen and water molecules in Per NPs. Interestingly, the Si NW/Per NP junction shows superior visible light photodetection and the prototype photodetector shows a high responsivity (0.223 A/W) with response speeds of 0.32 and 0.28 s of growth and decay in photocurrent, respectively, at 2 V applied bias, which is significantly better than the reported photodetectors based on CH3NH3PbBr3 nanostructures. This work demonstrates a low-cost fabrication of CH3NH3PbBr3 NPs on a novel porous NW template, which shows excellent photophysical and optoelectronic properties with superior ambient stability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramesh Ghosh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy , Seoul National University , Seoul 151747 , Republic of Korea
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Multifunctional Ag nanoparticle decorated Si nanowires for sensing, photocatalysis and light emission applications. J Colloid Interface Sci 2018; 532:464-473. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.07.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Saxena SK, Yogi P, Mishra S, Rai HM, Mishra V, Warshi MK, Roy S, Mondal P, Sagdeo PR, Kumar R. Amplification or cancellation of Fano resonance and quantum confinement induced asymmetries in Raman line-shapes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2017; 19:31788-31795. [PMID: 29170785 DOI: 10.1039/c7cp04836j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Fano resonance is reported here to be playing a dual role by amplifying or compensating for the quantum confinement effect induced asymmetry in Raman line-shape in silicon (Si) nanowires (NWs) obtained from heavily doped n- and p-type Si wafers respectively. The compensatory nature results in a near symmetric Raman line-shape from heavily doped p-type Si nanowires (NWs) as both the components almost cancel each other. On the other hand, the expected asymmetry, rather with enhancement, has been observed from heavily doped n-type SiNWs. Such a system (p- & n-) dependent Raman line-shape study has been carried out by theoretical line-shape analysis followed by experimental validation through suitably designed experiments. A dual role of Fano resonance in n- and p-type nano systems has been observed to modulate Raman spectra differently and reconcile accordingly to enhance and cease the Raman spectral asymmetry respectively. The present analysis will enable one to be more careful while analyzing a symmetric Raman line-shape from semiconductor nanostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailendra K Saxena
- Material Research Laboratory, Discipline of Physics & MEMS, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol-453552, India.
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Le Borgne V, Agati M, Boninelli S, Castrucci P, De Crescenzi M, Dolbec R, El Khakani MA. Structural and photoluminescence properties of silicon nanowires extracted by means of a centrifugation process from plasma torch synthesized silicon nanopowder. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:285702. [PMID: 28585522 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa7769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report on a method for the extraction of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) from the by-product of a plasma torch based spheroidization process of silicon. This by-product is a nanopowder which consists of a mixture of SiNWs and silicon particles. By optimizing a centrifugation based process, we were able to extract substantial amounts of highly pure Si nanomaterials (mainly SiNWs and Si nanospheres (SiNSs)). While the purified SiNWs were found to have typical outer diameters in the 10-15 nm range and lengths of up to several μm, the SiNSs have external diameters in the 10-100 nm range. Interestingly, the SiNWs are found to have a thinner Si core (2-5 nm diam.) and an outer silicon oxide shell (with a typical thickness of ∼5-10 nm). High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations revealed that many SiNWs have a continuous cylindrical core, whereas others feature a discontinuous core consisting of a chain of Si nanocrystals forming a sort of 'chaplet-like' structures. These plasma-torch-produced SiNWs are highly pure with no trace of any metal catalyst, suggesting that they mostly form through SiO-catalyzed growth scheme rather than from metal-catalyzed path. The extracted Si nanostructures are shown to exhibit a strong photoluminescence (PL) which is found to blue-shift from 950 to 680 nm as the core size of the Si nanostructures decreases from ∼5 to ∼3 nm. This near IR-visible PL is shown to originate from quantum confinement (QC) in Si nanostructures. Consistently, the sizes of the Si nanocrystals directly determined from HRTEM images corroborate well with those expected by QC theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Le Borgne
- Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Centre-Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650 Blvd. Lionel Boulet, Varennes, QC, J3X 1S2, Canada
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Ghosh R, Giri PK. Silicon nanowire heterostructures for advanced energy and environmental applications: a review. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:012001. [PMID: 27893437 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/28/1/012001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Semiconductor nanowires (NWs), in particular Si NWs, have attracted much attention in the last decade for their unique electronic properties and potential applications in several emerging areas. With the introduction of heterostructures (HSs) on NWs, new functionalities are obtained and the device performance is improved significantly in many cases. Due to the easy fabrication techniques, excellent optoelectronic properties and compatibility of forming HSs with different inorganic/organic materials, Si NW HSs have been utilized in various configurations and device architectures. Herein, we review the recent developments in Si NW HS-based devices including the fabrication techniques, properties (e.g., light emitting, antireflective, photocatalytic, electrical, photovoltaic, sensing etc) and related emerging applications in energy generation, conversion, storage, and environmental cleaning and monitoring. In particular, recent advances in Si NW HS-based solar photovoltaics, light-emitting devices, thermoelectrics, Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen generation, artificial photosynthesis, photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in water treatment, chemical and gas sensors, biomolecular sensors for microbial monitoring etc have been addressed in detail. The problems and challenges in utilizing Si NW HSs in device applications and the key parameters to improve the device performance are pointed out. The recent trends in the commercial applications of Si NW HS-based devices and future outlook of the field are presented at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Ghosh
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, India
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Aliev GN, Amonkosolpan J, Wolverson D. Observation of oxygen dimers via energy transfer from silicon nanoparticles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:690-3. [PMID: 26659201 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp04192a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Energy transfer from photo-excited excitons confined in silicon nanoparticles to oxygen dimers adsorbed on the nanoparticle surfaces is studied as a function of temperature and magnetic field. Quenching features in the nanoparticle photoluminescence spectrum arise from energy transfer to the oxygen dimers with and without the emission of Si TO(Δ) phonons and, also, with and without the vibrational excitation of the dimers. The dependence of the quenching on magnetic field shows that energy transfer is fast when a dimer is present, allowing an estimate of the proportion of the nanoparticles with adsorbed dimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gazi N Aliev
- Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
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Ghosh R, Giri PK. Efficient visible light photocatalysis and tunable photoluminescence from orientation controlled mesoporous Si nanowires. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra05339d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient visible light photocatalysis and visible photoluminescence from orientation controlled mesoporous Si nanowires grown by Ag assisted chemical etching of Si have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Ghosh
- Department of Physics
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- Guwahati-781039
- India
| | - P. K. Giri
- Department of Physics
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- Guwahati-781039
- India
- Centre for Nanotechnology
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11
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Ghosh R, Imakita K, Fujii M, Giri PK. Effect of Ag/Au bilayer assisted etching on the strongly enhanced photoluminescence and visible light photocatalysis by Si nanowire arrays. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:7715-27. [PMID: 26907170 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp07161e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Array of Si nanowires fabricated by Au/Ag bilayer metal assisted etching exhibit strongly enhanced photoluminescence and efficient visible light photocatalysis and are primarily attributed to plasmon enhancement and Schottky barrier effect, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Ghosh
- Department of Physics
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- Guwahati-781039
- India
| | - Kenji Imakita
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Kobe University
- Kobe 657-8501
- Japan
| | - Minoru Fujii
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Graduate School of Engineering
- Kobe University
- Kobe 657-8501
- Japan
| | - P. K. Giri
- Department of Physics
- Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
- Guwahati-781039
- India
- Centre for Nanotechnology
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Pavlenko M, Coy EL, Jancelewicz M, Załęski K, Smyntyna V, Jurga S, Iatsunskyi I. Enhancement of optical and mechanical properties of Si nanopillars by ALD TiO2 coating. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra21742g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanical and optical properties of Si and TiO2–Si nanopillars (NPl) were investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Pavlenko
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
- Department of Experimental Physics
| | - E. L. Coy
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
| | - M. Jancelewicz
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
| | - K. Załęski
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
| | - V. Smyntyna
- Department of Experimental Physics
- Odessa I.I. Mechnikov National University
- Odessa
- Ukraine
| | - S. Jurga
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
| | - I. Iatsunskyi
- NanoBioMedical Centre
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan
- Poznan
- Poland
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Cosentino S, Mio AM, Barbagiovanni EG, Raciti R, Bahariqushchi R, Miritello M, Nicotra G, Aydinli A, Spinella C, Terrasi A, Mirabella S. The role of the interface in germanium quantum dots: when not only size matters for quantum confinement effects. NANOSCALE 2015; 7:11401-11408. [PMID: 26077313 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01480h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantum confinement (QC) typically assumes a sharp interface between a nanostructure and its environment, leading to an abrupt change in the potential for confined electrons and holes. When the interface is not ideally sharp and clean, significant deviations from the QC rule appear and other parameters beyond the nanostructure size play a considerable role. In this work we elucidate the role of the interface on QC in Ge quantum dots (QDs) synthesized by rf-magnetron sputtering or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Through a detailed electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis we investigated the structural and chemical properties of QD interfaces. PECVD QDs exhibit a sharper interface compared to sputter ones, which also evidences a larger contribution of mixed Ge-oxide states. Such a difference strongly modifies the QC strength, as experimentally verified by light absorption spectroscopy. A large size-tuning of the optical bandgap and an increase in the oscillator strength occur when the interface is sharp. A spatially dependent effective mass (SPDEM) model is employed to account for the interface difference between Ge QDs, pointing out a larger reduction in the exciton effective mass in the sharper interface case. These results add new insights into the role of interfaces on confined systems, and open the route for reliable exploitation of QC effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Cosentino
- MATIS IMM-CNR and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Catania, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy.
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