An excitation function of one- and two-neutron transfer channels for the ^{60}Ni+^{116}Sn system has been measured with the magnetic spectrometer PRISMA in a wide energy range, from the Coulomb barrier to far below it. The experimental transfer probabilities are well reproduced, for the first time with heavy ions, in absolute values and in slope by microscopic calculations which incorporate nucleon-nucleon pairing correlations.

We performed a γ-particle coincidence experiment for the 60 Ni + 116 Sn system to investigate whether the population of the two-neutron pickup channel leading to 62 Ni is mainly concentrated in the ground-state transition, as has been found in a previous work [D. Montanari et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 052501 (2014)]. The experiment has been performed by employing the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer coupled to the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA) demonstrator. The strength distribution of excited states corresponding to the inelastic, one-and two-neutron transfer channels has been extracted. We found that in the two-neutron transfer channel the strength to excited states corresponds to a fraction (less than 24%) of the total, consistent with the previously obtained results that the 2n channel is dominated by the ground-state to ground-state transition.

Theory reveals how 2D aluminum could be synthesized.

Electrochemical energy storage has been at the center of interest over the past years due to the ever-faster technological development and the need for high-capacity batteries with high voltages and energy densities. Alkali batteries show the greatest potential for improving current characteristics, and this work examines several hexagonal boron nitride configurations as electrodes for ion batteries. First-principles calculations based on density functional theory have been used to study structural, electronic, and electrochemical properties of a graphenelike hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer for various point defects. The maximum theoretical capacities for alkali earth metal ions adsorbed on the h-B9N8 monolayer are 762.264, 571.698, and 127.044 mAh/g, and average electrode potentials are 0.188, 0.009, and 5.735 V for the adsorption of Li+, Na+, and K+, respectively. Studied structures have been explored for the use as anode materials to hold alkali metal ions, namely, Li+, K+, and Na+, and we have found that for some cases, the alkali metal–h-BN structure shows metallic character, which leads to good electrical conductivity, without the change of structural geometry. Our results show that studied materials have characteristics suitable for the electrode-based ion batteries.

Nuclei produced via multineutron transfer channels have been studied in 90Zr + 208Pb close to the Coulomb barrier energy in a fragment-γ coincident measurement employing the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer coupled to the CLARA γ-array. The selective properties of the reaction mechanism have been discussed in terms of states and their strength excited in the neutron transfer channels leading to 89-94Zr isotopes. A strong population of yrast states, with energies up to ~7.5 MeV has been observed. © 2015 Elsevier B.V

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Optical properties of 2D materials can be effectively modulated by employing multilayer structures with different number of layers. Using the theoretical approach based on density functional theory we simulated relevant optical spectra of antimony and indium mono-and multilayers. We showed that the electronic band structures of antimonene and indiene possess numerous tracking bands enhancing the transition probability. Therefore, high absorption coefficients are found. Modelled multilayer nanostructures of antimonene and indiene experience a red-shift of absorption bands. Antimonene exhibits an optical directional anisotropy regarding the absorbance coefficient and reflectance spectrum for different nanolayer thicknesses. Indiene possesses very high reflectance and refractive index in the visible and IR spectrum which can be effectively modulated by the number of layers. Our work shows that antimonene and indiene multilayers harbour untapped potential for the optical applications at the nanoscale.

Inorganic perovskite CaMnO 3 ${{}_{3}}$ was proposed as a substitution for the TiO 2 ${{}_{2}}$ anatase in electron transport layers of solar cells containing the hybrid perovskite CH 3 ${{}_{3}}$ NH 3 ${{}_{3}}$ PbI 3 ${{}_{3}}$ based on increased mobility of electrons and better optical matching. Due to a suitable band gap concerning the absorption of sunlight, we investigate the potential of CaMnO 3 ${{}_{3}}$ and similar manganite perovskites, where Ca is replaced by either Sr, Ba or La, as an absorber layer in inorganic perovskite solar cells. In this study, we have used optical measurements on the synthesized AMnO 3 ${{}_{3}}$ (A=Ca, Sr, Ba, La) samples to aid density functional theory calculations (DFT) in order to accurately simulate the electronic and optical properties of AMnO 3 ${{}_{3}}$ compounds and gauge their potential for the role of absorber layer. Both experimental measurements and theoretical calculations show suitable band gap of 1.1‐1.5 eV, depending on the compound, and absorption coefficients of the order of 105 ${{10}^{5}}$ cm -1 ${{}^{-1}}$ in the visible part of the spectrum.