In the last couple of years, fusion processes triggered by heavy ions (HIs) have been a primary focus of study in low-energy nuclear physics. Recent experiments have confirmed that complete fusion (CF) and incomplete fusion (ICF) are the most prevalent modes in heavy ion (HI) interactions at energies above the Coulomb barrier. The purpose of the present work is to exclusively explore and measure the excitation functions (EF) of the evaporation residues (ERs) populated in 16O +89Y systems at energies approximate to 4-7 MeV / nucleon. A standard stacked foil activation technique followed by offline 1-ray spectroscopy with a high-resolution HPGe detector has been used. The theoretical predictions obtained from the statistical code have been assigned to scrutinise the experimentally measured EFs. In this present work, xn, pxn, a xn and 2a xn channels are investigated. Whereas, the measured excitation function of ERs populated via some xn (n = 2 and 3) channels has been observed to show a high-energy tail portion deviating from the trends of excitation functions as obtained by the statistical code at higher energies. This signifies the presence of pre-equilibrium (PE) emission for these reaction channels. A noticeable enhancement was observed in the production of reaction residues involving a particle(s) in the exit channels, even at energies close to the Coulomb barrier. This enhancement in the cross-section clearly demonstrates the incomplete fusion of the projectile with the target. The incomplete fusion probability has been calculated to better understand the reaction dynamics. The present findings and analysis of the data for various projectile-target combinations strongly suggest that entrance channel parameters like mass asymmetry (mu A), Coulomb factor (ZPZT) and the variation in neutron excess in the target nucleus (N-Z) play a significant role in the onset of incomplete fusion.

In the present work, experimental study of incomplete fusion in the 19F + 93Nb system has been carried out in the energy range of approximate to 3-6 MeV/nucleon. The off-line gamma -ray spectrometry was used to measure the cross sections of evaporation residues populated in this system. The analyses of experimentally measured excitation functions have been performed with theoretical predictions from the statistical model code PACE4 to probe the associated reaction mechanism. The imitation of xn/pxn channels data grossly by the statistical model confirms the production of these residues via complete fusion process. However, the noticeable enhancement observation in alpha-channel cross sections hints at the signatures of breakup fusion in addition to the dominant complete fusion. Furthermore, the present study, in light of literature data involving the interaction of 13C, 16O, and 18O projectiles with the same target 93Nb, imparts the reliance of projectile structure on incomplete fusion, and the results may be understood on the basis of the projectile Q alpha value. An attempt has also been made to discuss the trend of incomplete fusion fraction through the Coulomb factor and total asymmetry of the interacting partners. For the present studied system, the fusion function calculated from the experimentally measured fusion cross section data is compared with the universal fusion function to get information about fusion supression.

The present work is an exclusive attempt to study the incomplete fusion (ICF) dynamics in heavyion(HI) reactions induced by both alpha cluster and non-alpha cluster projectiles as these studies are considered to be more complex and challenging, even at energies as low as near to coulomb barrier. More experimental studies across a wide range of energies with different projectile and target combinations are needed to fully comprehend the various process in these nuclear reactions. The present study show the measurements of residual cross sections resulting from alpha cluster projectiles viz,12C, 16O and 20Ne induced reactions and non-alpha cluster projectiles viz., 13C, 14N, 18O and 19F induced reactions on various low, medium, and high - Z targets covering the energy range of 4-7 MeV/nucleon. The off-line γ-ray spectroscopy associated with high purity HPGe detector method was used for the investigations. The data analysis was performed using statistical model codes . A noticeable contribution of incomplete fusion process was observed even at energies close to the Coulomb barrier. The incomplete fusion strength function has been analyzed in terms of projectile energy, mass asymmetry, projectile structure. A strong projectile structure effect has been observed on incomplete fusion reactions.

In an experimental approach to investigate the role of projectile structure in above barrier fusion suppression, complete and incomplete fusions are studied using the ^18 O + ^165 Ho system at E_lab ≈ 78–104 MeV. Off-line γ -ray measurement technique is utilized for the measurement of excitation function of the populated evaporation residues. Complete and incomplete fusion reaction channels have been identified in the light of statistical model code PACE4. Extending the approach of Mukeru et al. (Nucl Phys A 996:121700, 2020) to fusion reaction induced by tightly bound projectile ^18 O over different targets, cutoff angular momentum is extracted from experimentally measured complete fusion cross section data at different beam energies. Degree of fusion suppression is estimated by exposing the extracted fusion function to universal fusion function. Sum-rule model-based critical angular momentum and incomplete fusion fraction are found to be strongly driven by Coulomb repulsion and reduced mass of the projectile–target system.

Research into heavy-ion fusion, a key area of modern nuclear reaction physics, has flourished in recent decades pursuant to developments in accelerator technology. The primary goal of studying heavy-ion reactions is to gain knowledge about the underlying processes and how they are affected by entrance channel parameters, such as beam energy, angular momentum and mass asymmetry. The fusion mechanism of non-alpha-cluster projectiles, such 14N and 19F, has been studied in the low-energy zone. It has been challenging to analyze the contributing degrees of freedom in such reactions due to the absence of experimental data. The present study reports the measurement of residual cross-sections from the 19F induced reaction on 93Nb within the energy range of 3-6 MeV/A. The stack foil activation technique followed by offline gamma spectroscopy was employed to measure the cross-sections of residues populated in the reaction. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions from statistical model code PACE4 to probe the underlying reaction dynamics. The imitation of xn and pxn channel data grossly by model code suggests the production of residues via the complete fusion (CF) mode, while the enhancement observation in alpha-channel cross-sections hints at the signatures of incomplete fusion (ICF) in addition to the dominant CF. Thus, the ICF strength fraction (FICF) was calculated. Moreover, the estimated incomplete fusion fraction has been used to study the effect of several entrance channel parameters on incomplete fusion reaction dynamics. The present analysis shows the presence of strong clustering in the 19F projectile as alpha and 15N.

An outstanding problem in the heavy-ion (HI)-induced nuclear reactions is understanding the role of incomplete fusion (ICF) and its dependence on various entrance channel parameters relatively at energies slightly above the Coulomb barrier. For this purpose, the excitation functions (EFs) of reaction residues populated in ^14 N+ ^51 V system have been measured at energies ≈ 3–6 MeV/nucleon. The stacked foil activation technique followed by an off-line γ -ray spectrometer with a high-resolution HPGe detector has been employed. The measured excitation functions are compared with the theoretical predictions, obtained from statistical model codes PACE4 and ALICE-91. The analysis of the present work suggests that the experimental excitation functions for xn and/or pxn channels are grossly reproduced by the theoretical predictions. However, for α -emitting-channels, the measured EFs are found to be underestimated by the statistical predictions which may be attributed to the breakup fusion of the projectile with the target nucleus. For a better understanding of ICF reaction dynamics, the percentage of ICF fraction has been deduced. The present study in light of the literature data provides insight into the dependence of ICF processes on the projectile structure. Further, some physical parameters such as mass asymmetry of interacting partners, Coulomb interaction between projectile and target ( Z_P Z_T ), and the target deformation parameter ( β _2 ) are also found liable for projectile breakup prior to fusion.

Measurements of the excitation function (EF) of the observed evaporation residues (ERs) populated in the 20Ne + 93Nb reaction at E lab approximate to 91-145 MeV are carried out to explore the systematic of fusion suppression and its dependency on projectile breakup threshold energy, by employing the offline gamma-ray detection method. The EF of the observed ERs populated through complete and/or incomplete fusion processes are analysed in the framework of statistical mode code PACE4. The fusion function, derived from the experimentally measured fusion cross section data, is compared with the universal fusion function (UFF) to estimate the degree of fusion incompleteness. Based on the observed results, an empirical formula is proposed to interrelate the degree of fusion suppression and breakup threshold energy of the incident projectile.

We report measured cross-section data of the residues produced in the C-13-induced reaction on Nb-93 within the 63.7-87.1-MeV energy range. The off-line gamma-ray spectroscopy method has been used to measure the cross sections of the radionuclides produced in this system. The analysis of present measured cross-section data has been carried out within the light of well-established statistical model code PACE4. The excitation function of residues populated via xn and/or pxn channels are found to be in fair agreement with those estimated by the theoretical model code, which confirms the assembly of these residues via complete fusion process. A considerable enhancement in the measured cross-section data has been observed for the residues involving alpha-emitting channels as compared to the theoretical predictions. The observed enhancement in the cross sections has been assigned to the incomplete fusion processes. Furthermore, in order to have a better insight into the onset and strength of incomplete fusion, termed as the incomplete fusion fraction has been deduced for the present paper and is compared with O-16 and O-18 beams on the same target Nb-93. This suggests that the incomplete fusion fraction is strongly influenced by the entrance channel, which may be understood in terms of the projectile Q(alpha) value. The comparison of this paper with literature data also shows that the incomplete fusion probability increases with various entrance channel parameters, such as projectile structure, projectile energy, and mass asymmetry of interacting partners.

We report measured cross-section data of the residues produced in the $^{13}\mathrm{C}$-induced reaction on $^{93}\mathrm{Nb}$ within the 63.7--87.1-MeV energy range. The off-line $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectroscopy method has been used to measure the cross sections of the radionuclides produced in this system. The analysis of present measured cross-section data has been carried out within the light of well-established statistical model code pace4. The excitation function of residues populated via $xn$ and/or $pxn$ channels are found to be in fair agreement with those estimated by the theoretical model code, which confirms the assembly of these residues via complete fusion process. A considerable enhancement in the measured cross-section data has been observed for the residues involving $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-emitting channels as compared to the theoretical predictions. The observed enhancement in the cross sections has been assigned to the incomplete fusion processes. Furthermore, in order to have a better insight into the onset and strength of incomplete fusion, termed as the incomplete fusion fraction has been deduced for the present paper and is compared with $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{18}\mathrm{O}$ beams on the same target $^{93}\mathrm{Nb}$. This suggests that the incomplete fusion fraction is strongly influenced by the entrance channel, which may be understood in terms of the projectile ${Q}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ value. The comparison of this paper with literature data also shows that the incomplete fusion probability increases with various entrance channel parameters, such as projectile structure, projectile energy, and mass asymmetry of interacting partners.

The incomplete fusion dynamics in the $^{18}\mathrm{O}+^{93}\mathrm{Nb}$ system at energies above the Coulomb barrier has been investigated. The experimentally measured cross sections have been compared with the theoretical predictions of the statistical model code pace4. To examine the effect of entrance channel parameters on the onset and strength of incomplete fusion, relative contributions of complete and incomplete fusion have been deduced from the analysis of measured excitation functions. The contribution of incomplete fusion deduced from the analysis of excitation functions has been studied in terms of various entrance channel parameters, namely, entrance channel mass asymmetry (${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{A}$) of interacting projectile and target combination, Coulomb factor (${Z}_{P}{Z}_{T}$), ground state $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}Q$ value of the reaction, and neutron skin thickness of target nuclei. It has been found that the probability of incomplete fusion depends strongly on entrance channel parameters. Further, the incomplete fusion contribution for the $^{18}\mathrm{O}$ projectile with two excess neutrons is noticed to be relatively larger as compared to $^{16}\mathrm{O}$. This may be due to the larger probability of breakup for the $^{18}\mathrm{O}$ projectile resulting in rather weak binding forces as compared to $^{16}\mathrm{O}$. The existence of incomplete fusion below critical angular momentum (${\ensuremath{\ell}}_{\mathrm{crit}}$), i.e., $\ensuremath{\ell}\ensuremath{\leqslant}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\ell}}_{\mathrm{crit}}$, has also been observed for the studied system.

The evaporation residues, populated through complete and incomplete fusion processes in the reaction of O-18+ Ho-165, have been analyzed via excitation function measurements at projectile energies approximate to 4-7 MeV/nucleon. The cross-sections measured experimentally have been compared with the predictions of the compound nucleus model code PACE-4 calculations which only considers complete fusion (CF) reaction cross-sections. The experimental cross-section of the reaction residues populated through xn and pxn channels matches well with the theoretical model code PACE-4 predictions. On the other hand, alpha-emitting channels show an enhancement in the measured cross-section over PACE-4 calculations which reveals the occurrence of incomplete fusion (ICF) at the studied energy range. The relative percentage of incomplete fusion has been calculated from the experimental data and its dependence on various entrance channel parameters like projectile energy, mass-asymmetry, alpha-Q value and Coulomb factor (Z(P)Z(T)) has been studied. The strength of incomplete fusion function obtained in the O-18+ Ho-165 interaction has been compared with the previously studied systems. Results of the present study indicate that O-18 (two neutron excess) projectile shows more incomplete fusion contribution as compared to C-12,C-13 and O-16 projectiles due to its relatively small negative alpha-Q value.

To accomplish a systematic study of incomplete fusion, verification of more experimental data of different projectile-target combinations is required. For this purpose, the excitation functions for several evaporation residues formed in $^{16}\mathrm{O}+^{51}\mathrm{V}$ interaction at energy $\ensuremath{\approx}4$--7 MeV/$A$ were measured. The experimentally measured excitation functions were compared with the theoretical predictions obtained from statistical model code alice-91. The measured excitation functions for $xn$ and/or $pxn$ channels are found to be in good agreement with theoretical predictions. However, a significant enhancement has been observed for $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-breakup fusion modes. This enhancement in the cross section gives clear indication of incomplete fusion of the projectile with the target. To gain insightin to the reaction dynamics, incomplete fusion probability has been deduced. This shows that the incomplete fusion process gradually increases in importance with increasing incident energy. The present results have also been compared with the results obtained in the interaction of $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ and $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ with $^{51}\mathrm{V}$ where a strong projectile structure effect has been observed, which can be explained in terms of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-decay $Q$ value of the projectile. It is also observed that the probability of breakup of a projectile prior to fusion depends on mass asymmetry of the interacting partners as well as on the deformation of the target nucleus.

In order to investigate the systematic of fusion incompleteness in reactions induced by a cluster projectiles, a detailed study was carried out using the Ne-20 + Ho-165 system at energies above the barrier. Measurements of the excitation function (EF) of the observed evaporation residues (ERs) were carried out by employing the offline characteristic. gamma-ray detection method. The EFs of the ERs populated through xn/pxn channels were found to be in good agreement with the prediction of the statistical model code PACE4, whereas the EF of the ERs populated through the a emitting channels shows an enhancement over the PACE4 prediction. The degree of fusion incompleteness in the Ne-20 + Ho-165 reaction is estimated by comparing the fusion EF with coupled channels calculations and the extracted fusion function with the universal fusion function. The influence of input angular momentum on fusion reaction dynamics is explored in light of the sum-rule model. An attempt has also been made to examine the dependence of incomplete fusion probability on various entrance channel parameters.

A composite of MIL-125 (MIL=Material from Institute Lavoisier, a Ti based metal-organic framework) and single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) has been synthesized via one-pot solvothermal reaction method. The successful formation of the MIL-125/SWCNT composite has been verified with electron microscopy technique. A thin film of the above composite material was used to modify a FTO/TiO2 slide and this photoanode then sensitized with MK-2 dye (2-Cyano-3-[5??-(9-ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)-3?, 3?, 3??,4-tetra-n-hexyl-[2, 2?,5?, 2?, 5?, 2??]-quater thiophen-5-yl] acrylic acid). A dye sensitized solar cell has been assembled using the above photosensitized photoanode. Due to porous nature of MOF, the MIL-125/SWCNT composite based photoanode has contributed toward a good dye absorption and lower charge recombination, which resulted favorable values of short circuit current density (J(SC)=17.6 mA cm(?2)) and open circuit voltage (V-OC=603 mV). The power conversion efficiency of the MIL-125/SWCNT thin layer modified solar cell is estimated as 5.26%.

Measurement of forward recoil range distribution (FRRD) of evaporation residues (ERs) populated in the O-16 + Y-89 reaction at E-lab approximate to 105 MeV have been carried out by employing the offline characteristic gamma-ray detection method. The FRRD pattern of ERs populated through xn/pxn channels comprises a single peak only whereas ERs populated through alpha emitting channel have multiple peaks in their FRRD. FRRDs of the observed ERs support the presence of the complete fusion (CF) process in the population of xn/pxn channels residues and an admixture of complete and incomplete fusion (ICF) processes in the population of alpha emitting channel residues. The observed ICF process in the population of alpha emitting channel residues is explained through the breakup fusion model. The fusion function is derived from the experimental CF cross section data and the extracted fusion function is compared with the universal fusion function to estimate the degree of ICF contribution to the total fusion cross section. An attempt has also been made to explore the dependence of ICF probability on target charge.

The disentangling of incomplete fusion dependence on various entrance channel parameters has been made from the forward recoil range distribution measurement for the 12C+175Lu system at \(\approx 88\) MeV energy. It gives the direct measure of full and/or partial linear momentum transfer from the projectile to the target nucleus. The comparison of observed recoil ranges with theoretical ranges calculated using the code SRIM infers the production of evaporation residues via complete and/or incomplete fusion process. Present results show that incomplete fusion process contributes significantly in the production of \(\alpha xn\) and \( 2\alpha xn\) emission channels. The deduced incomplete fusion probability (\(F_{ICF}\)) is compared with that obtained for systems available in the literature. An interesting behavior of \(F_{ICF}\) with \(Z_{P} Z_{T}\) is observed in the reinvestigation of incomplete fusion dependency with the Coulomb factor (\(Z_{P}Z_{T}\)), contrary to the recent observations. The present results based on (\(Z_{P}Z_{T}\)) are found in good agreement with recent observations of our group. A larger \(F_{ICF}\) value for 12C induced reactions is found than that for 13C, although both have the same \(Z_{P}Z_{T}\). A nonsystematic behavior of the incomplete fusion process with the target deformation parameter (\(\beta_{2}\)) is observed, which is further correlated with a new parameter (\(Z_{P} Z_{T} . \beta_{2}\)). The projectile \( \alpha\) -Q-value is found to explain more clearly the discrepancy observed in incomplete fusion dependency with parameters (\( Z_{P}Z_{T}\)) and (\(Z_{P} Z_{T} . \beta_{2}\)). It may be pointed out that any single entrance channel parameter (mass-asymmetry or (\(Z_{P}Z_{T}\)) or \(\beta_{2}\) or projectile \(\alpha\)-Q-value) may not be able to explain completely the incomplete fusion process.

Measurements of forward recoil range distributions (FRRDs) of the evaporation residues, populated in the 20Ne+51V reaction at \(E_{lab}\approx 145\) MeV, have been carried out using the offline characteristic \(\gamma\)-ray detection method. The observation does corroborate the presence of complete fusion (CF) process in the population of pxn channel residues and both complete as well as incomplete fusion (ICF) processes in the population of \(\alpha\) emitting channel residues. The FRRDs of pxn channel residues comprise single peak only, whereas \(\alpha\) emitting channel residues have multiple peaks in their FRRDs. CF cross section data were used to extract the fusion functions. Extracted fusion functions were found to be suppressed with respect to the universal fusion function which is used as a uniform standard reference. The observed contribution arising from the ICF process in the population of \(\alpha\) emitting channel residues is explained in terms of breakup fusion model.

A composite of europium-metal organic framework (Eu-BTB MOF, BTB = 1,3,5-tris(4-carboxyphenylbenzene) with benzoic acid functionalized graphene (BFG) has been synthesized. The successful synthesis of the Eu-BTB/BFG composite is characterized with different spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The potential application of the above composite's thin film has been demonstrated by exploring it as a photoanode of a dye sensitized solar cell. The fabricated solar cell has delivered excellent performance in the presence of 0.5 mM MK-2 dye. The Eu-MOF/BFG composite has delivered a much better power conversion efficiency of 4.5% in comparison to a reference graphene-only cell (2.35%).

Department of Physics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U. P.)-202 002, INDIA Department of Physics, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Darbhanga (Bihar)-846 001, INDIA Department of Physics, Bareilly College, Bareilly (U. P.)-243 005, INDIA NP-Group, Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi-110 067, INDIA Department of Physics, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia . * muntazirgull1@gmail.com