Irina Zgura

Irina was born in Pitesti, Romania. She studied Optics, Spectroscopy, Plasma and Lasers Physics at the Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, graduating in 2000 and in 2002 she obtained Master of Science degree. She is working at National Institute of Material Physics, form 2001, place where you can still find her today. After the Master, she continued the studies for a PhD degree at the same Faculty in the field of Condensed Matter. During the PhD she studied Confinement Effects in composite systems containing liquid crystals.

Now, her work is specially oriented on: (a) Wet synthesis of ZnO and Ag composites obtained by ecological methods; (b) Investigation of the watering properties of coatings applicable in the medical field and determination of the free energy of the deposited layers based on the Owens-Wendt method for two test fluids.; (c) Investigations of composite systems containing liquid crystals.

She is in charge of one project: Obtaining and investigations of biocomposite materials with bio-medical applications by means of neutron scattering and complementary methods.

Some recent publications:

[1] I. Zgura, N. Preda, D. Ghica, G. Socol, C. Ghica, M. Enculescu, I. Negut, L. Nedelcu, L. Frunza, C. P. Ganea, S. Frunza, Wet chemical synthesis of ZnO-CdS composites and their photocatalytic activity, Materials Research Bulletin, 99, 174–181, 2018.

[2] M. E.Barbinta-Patrascu, N. Badea, M. Bacalum, C. Ungureanu, I. R. Suica-Bunghez, S. M. Iordache, C. Pirvu, I. Zgura, V.  A. Maraloiu, 3D hybrid structures based on biomimetic membranes and Caryophyllus aromaticus – “green” synthesized nano-silver with improved bioperformances, Materials Science and Engineering: C, 101, 120-137, 2019.

[3] S. Frunza, C. P. Ganea, I. Zgura, L. Frunza, A. Schönhals, Molecular dynamics in bulk and surface species of cyanophenyl alkyl benzoates with 2, 3 and 7 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain: Comparison in the whole homologous series, Liquid Crystals, 47, 908-917, 2020.

[4] I. Zgura, N. Preda, M. Enculescu, L. Diamandescu, C. Negrila, M. Bacalum, C. Ungureanu, M. E. Barbinta-Patrascu, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Photocatalytic Activities of ZnO–CdS Powders, Materials, 13, 182, 2020.

[5] M. Tudorache, C. Lite, S. Ion, I. Zgura, A. Galca, V. Parvulescu, Alternative lignopolymer-based composites useful as enhanced functionalized support for enzymes immobilization, Catalysis Today, in press 2020.

[6] M. E. Barbinta-Patrascu, C. Ungureanu, N. Badea, M. Bacalum, A. Lazea-Stoyanova, I. Zgura, C. Negrila, M. Enculescu, C. Burnei, Novel ecogenic plasmonic biohybrids as multifunctional bioactive Coatings, Coatings, 10, 659, 2020.

[7] A.T. Buruiana; F. Sava; E. Matei; I. Zgura; M. Burdusel; C. Mihai; A. Velea, Simple and clean method for obtaining Sn nanoparticles for hydrophobic coatings, Materials Letters, 278, 128419, 2020.

[8] I. Zgura, M. Enculescu, C. Istrate, R. Negrea, M. Bacalum, L. Nedelcu, M. E. Barbinta-Patrascu, Performant composite materials based on oxide semiconductors and metallic nanoparticles generated from cloves and mandarin peel extracts, Nanomaterials, 10, 2146, 2020