Highly efficient blue OLEDs based on diphenylaminofluorenylstyrenes end-capped with heterocyclic aromatics

In this paper, we have designed four diphenylaminofluorenylstyrene derivatives end-capped with heterocyclic aromatic groups, such as 9-phenylcabazole, 4-dibenzofuran, 2-benzoxazole, 2-quinoxaline, respectively. These materials showed blue to red fluorescence with maximum emission wavelengths of 476–611 nm, respectively, which were dependent on the structural and electronic nature of end-capping groups. To explore the electroluminescent properties of these materials, multilayer OLEDs were fabricated in the following sequence: ITO/DNTPD (40 nm)/NPB (20 nm)/2% doped in MADN (20 nm)/Alq₃ (40 nm)/Liq. (1 nm)/Al. Among those, a device exhibited a highly efficient blue emission with the maximum luminance of 14,480 cd/m² at 9 V, the luminous efficiency of 5.38 cd/A at 20 mA/cm², power efficiency of 2.77 lm/W at 20 mA/cm², and CIE_x,y coordinates of (0.147, 0.152) at 8 V, respectively.     

Morphological control of ZnO particles synthesized via a new and facile aqueous solution route

Zinc oxide with a diversity of well-defined morphologies was synthesized via a simple aqueous solution route by decomposing Zn_xO_y(OH)_z precursor at suitable reaction conditions. Flower-like ZnO composed of rods was obtained by treating Zn_xO_y(OH)_z precursor in the reaction solution at 90 °C for 6 h. The precipitate of layer-like Zn_xO_y(OH)_z precursor was decomposed by drying at 90 °C for 24 h in air, resulting in the formation of ZnO microtubes.     

Organic light-emitting devices based on solution-processible quinolato-complex supramolecules

This paper discusses a new type of supramolecular material tris{5-N-[3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)propyl]-N-(4-methylphenyl)aminesulfonyl-8-hydroxyquinolato} aluminum(III), Al(SCarq)₃, which we synthesized using three 5-N-[3-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)propyl]-N-(4-methylphenyl)aminesulfonyl-8-hydroxyquinoline as bidentate ligands. The peak photoluminescence in the solid phase appears at 488 nm. In cyclic voltammetric measurement, two oxidation peaks, which were obtained at ?5.6 and ?5.9 eV, correspond to HOMO sites of carbazoyl and aluminum quinolates, respectively. In the investigation of solid morphological thin film, the flat surface was investigated using an atomic force microscope. The root mean square (rms) and mean roughness (R_a) were respectively measured to be 0.427 and 0.343 nm. For the fabrication of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) using spin-coating techniques, the turn-on voltage and maximum luminescence of the optimized electroluminescence device, glass/ITO (20 nm)/PEDOT:PSS (75 nm)/Al(SCarq)₃ (85 nm)/BCP (8 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (200 nm), were respectively 9.6 V and 35.0 cd m^?2. Due to the electroplex formation between the carbazole (electron-donor) and the aluminum quinolates (electron-acceptor) moieties under an applied DC bias, the chromaticity of electroluminescence shifted to green-yellow with 1931 CIE_x,y (0.40, 0.47).     

Luminescence properties of Sn2P2Se6 crystals

A large family of Sn_2yPb_2(1−y)P₂S_6xSe_6(1−x) semiconductor-ferroelectric crystals were obtained by the Bridgman technique. The photoluminescence properties of the Sn_2yPb_2(1−y)P₂S_6xSe_6(1−x) family crystals strongly depend on their chemical composition, excitation energy and temperature. The influence of the Pb → Sn and S → Se isovalent substitutions on the luminescence properties of a crystal with the Sn₂P₂Se₆ basic composition was investigated. A broad emission band observed in the Sn₂P₂Se₆ crystal with a maximum roughly at 600 nm (at T = 8.6 K) was assigned to a band-to-band electron-hole recombination, whereas broad emission bands, peaked near 785 nm (at T = 8.6 K) and 1025 nm (at T = 44 K) were assigned to an electron-hole recombination from defect levels localised within the bandgap. Possible types of recombination defect centres and specific mechanisms of luminescence in the Sn₂P₂Se₆ semiconductor-ferroelectric crystals were considered and discussed on the basis of the obtained results and the referenced data.     

The current–voltage characteristics of heterostructures formed by MEH-PPV spin-coated on n-type GaAs and n-type porous GaAs

P–N heterostructures are formed by depositing the poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) MEH-PPV on n-type GaAs(100) substrate and on n-type porous GaAs. The elaborated heterostructures are studied by current–voltage measurements. Thermionic emission is used to model the heterostructures behaviors and to extract parameters as ideality factor and zero bias barrier high. Such model also appears to be useful as a new approach for calculating hole concentration in MEH-PPV deposited on n-type GaAs (N_a = 2.2 × 10¹⁷ cm^− 3). The zero bias barrier height in both heterostructures were found to be close to the ionization energy difference of isolated MEH-PPV and n-type GaAs and the ideality factor values are found to be high. Such high values are suggested to be due to the existence of high density of trap. This is preliminary evidenced by calculating the trap density using space charge limited conductivity (SCLC) characterized by an exponential distribution of trapping levels in both heterostructures.     

Fluorine intercalation in the n = 1 and n = 2 layered manganites Sr2MnO3.5+x and Sr3Mn2O6

Fluorine insertion into the oxygen defect superstructure manganite Sr₂MnO_3.5+x has been shown by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to result in two levels of fluorination. In the higher fluorine content sections, the fluorine anions displace oxygen anions from their apical positions into the equatorial vacancies, thus destroying the superstructure and reverting to a K₂NiF₄-type structure (a = 3.8210(1) Å and c = 12.686(1) Å). Conversely, lower fluorine content sections retain the Sr₂MnO_3.5+x defect superstructure, crystallising in the P2₁/c space group. Fluorine intercalation into the reduced double-layer manganite Sr₃Mn₂O₆ occurs in a step-wise fashion according to the general formula Sr₃Mn₂O₆F_y with y = 1, 2, and 3. It is proposed that the y = 1 phase (a = 3.815(1) Å, c = 20.29(2) Å) is produced by the filling of all the equatorial oxygen vacancies by fluorine atoms whilst the y = 2 phase (a = 3.8222(2) Å, c = 21.2435(3) Å) has a random distribution of fluorine anions throughout both interstitial rocksalt and equatorial sites. Neutron powder diffraction data suggest that the fully fluorinated y = 3 phase (a = 3.8157(6) Å, c = 23.666(4) Å) corresponds to the complete occupation of all the equatorial oxygen vacancies and the interstitial sites by intercalated fluorine.     

Structure and microwave dielectric characteristics of lithium-excess Ca0.6Nd0.8/3TiO3/(Li0.5Nd0.5)TiO3 ceramics

Compositions based on (1−x)Ca_0.6Nd_8/3TiO₃−x(Li_1/2Nd_1/2)TiO₃ + yLi (CNLNTx + yLi, x = 0.30–0.60, y = 0–0.05), suitable for microwave applications have been developed by systematically adding excess lithium in order to tune the microwave dielectric properties and lower sintering temperature. Addition of 0.03 excess-Li simultaneously reduced the sintering temperature and improved the relative density of sintered CNLNTx ceramics. The excess Li addition can compensate the evaporation of Li during sintering process and decrease the secondary phase content. The CNLNTx (x = 0.45) ceramics with 0.03 Li excess sintered at 1190 °C have single phase orthorhombic perovskite structure, together with the optimum combination of microwave dielectric properties of ɛ_r = 129, Q × f = 3600 GHz, τ_f = 38 ppm/°C. Obviously, excess-Li addition can efficiently decrease the sintering temperature and improve the microwave dielectric properties. The high permittivity and relatively low sintering temperatures of lithium-excess Ca_0.6Nd_0.8/3TiO₃/(Li_0.5Nd_0.5)TiO₃ ceramics are ideal for the development of low cost ultra-small dielectric loaded antenna.     

Dielectric characteristics of Ga doped TbMnO3

Low-frequency (0.1–200 kHz) dielectric properties of Tb_1?xGa_xMnO₃ and TbGa_yMn_1?yO₃ (x, y = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) ceramic composites, which were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction, were investigated in the temperature range from 77 to 350 K. Both dielectric constants and loss tangent (tan δ) increase with increasing temperature and decrease with increasing frequency, respectively. Interestingly, the dielectric constants of Tb_1?xGa_xMnO₃ are as large as that of the parent TbMnO₃, while the loss tangent reduces remarkably and less than 1 at high frequencies. These improvements demonstrate that Ga doped TbMnO₃ may have potential applications.     

Nanosized pure and Cr doped Al2−xScx(WO4)3 solid solutions

Nanosized solid solutions of the formula Al_2?x?ySc_xCr_y(WO₄)₃, where x varies from 0 to 2 and y from 0.02 to 0.1 are synthesized for the first time by the co-precipitation method. X-ray powder diffraction, DTA/TG and TEM analyses demonstrate that the powders are pure solid solution compounds with orthorhombic structure, space group Pnca. Particle sizes between 10 and 70 nm are obtained after thermal treatment of the precipitates at 550 °C for 1 h for all compositions except in the case of Sc_1.9Cr_0.1(WO₄)₃. For the last one mean particle size of 64 nm was obtained after thermal treatment at 500 °C. The influence of the concentrations of Sc and Cr as well as of the temperature and duration of the thermal treatment on the particle size and size distribution are established and discussed.     

Compositional variation of photoluminescence from Mn doped MgAl2O4 spinel

Spinel (MgAl₂O₄) crystals doped with 1.0% Mn have been grown by floating zone (FZ) technique with various Mg compositions, x = MgO/Al₂O₃, from 0.2 to 1.0. Compositional variations of photoluminescence are evaluated for a fluorescence thermometer application using crystals grown. Strong photoluminescence (PL) peak is observed at λ from 512 to 520 nm from the crystals grown from compositions, x, from 0.3 to 1.0. Peak wavelength of PL increases linearly from 512 to 520 nm with x. Weak PL peaking at λ = 750 nm is also observed from the specimens. Compositional variations of PL are considered to be due to the variation of crystal field surrounding the Mn²⁺ ions. The variation of crystal field strength agrees with the compositional variation of lattice constant.     

Development of refractory ohmic contact materials for gallium arsenide compound semiconductors

Recent strong demands for optoelectronic communication and portable telephones have encouraged engineers to develop optoelectronic devices, microwave devices, and high-speed devices using hetero-structural GaAs-based compound semiconductors. Although the GaAs crystal growth techniques had reached a level to control the compositional stoichiometry and crystal defects on a nearly atomic scale by the advanced techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition techniques, development of ohmic contact materials (which play a key role to inject external electric current from the metals to the semiconductors) was still on a trial-and-error basis.Our research efforts have been focused to develop low resistance, refractory ohmic contact materials to n-type GaAs using the deposition and annealing techniques, and it was found the growth of homo-or hetero-epitaxial intermediate semiconductor layers (ISL) on the GaAs surface was essential for the low resistance ohmic contact formation. In this paper, two typical examples of ohmic contact materials developed by forming ISL were given. The one was refractory NiGe-based ohmic contact material, which was developed by forming the homo-epitaxial ISL doped heavily with donors. This heavily doped ISL was discovered to be formed through the regrowth mechanism of GaAs layers at the NiGe/GaAs interfaces during annealing at elevated temperatures. To reduce the contact resistance further down to a value required by the device designers, an addition of small amounts of third elements to NiGe, which have strong binding energy with Ga, was found to be essential. These third elements contributed to increase the carrier concentration in ISL. The low resistance ohmic contact materials developed by forming homo-epitaxial ISL were Ni/M/Ge where a slash ‘/’ denotes the deposition sequence and M is an extremely thin (∼5 nm) layer of Au, Ag, Pd, Pt or In. The other was refractory In_xGa_1−xAs-based ohmic contact materials which were developed by forming the hetero-epitaxial ISL with low Schottky barrier to the contacting metals by growing the In_xGa_1−xAs layers on the GaAs substrate by sputter-depositing In_xGa_1−xAs targets and subsequently annealing at elevated temperatures. To reduce the contact resistance, it was found that this In_xGa_1−xAs (ISL) layer had to have In compositional gradient normal to the GaAs surface: the In concentration being rich at the metal/In_xGa_1−xAs interface and poor close to the In_xGa_1−xAs/GaAs interface. This concentration graded ISL reduced both the barrier heights at the metal/ISL and ISL/GaAs interfaces and reduced the contact resistance. The ohmic contact materials developed by forming hetero-epitaxial ISL was In_0.7Ga_0.3As/Ni/WN₂/W. These contact materials formed refractory compounds at the interfaces, which was also found to be essential to improve thermal stability of ohmic contacts used in the GaAs devices.     

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous Ti1−xTaxO2+x/2 (x = 0.025, 0.05, and 0.075) nanoparticles: Preparation and enhanced photocatalytic activity

Anatase phase, three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3 DOM) Ti_1−xTa_xO_{2 + x / 2} (x = 0.025, 0.05, and 0.075) nanoparticles with macropore diameter 290 to 310 nm, wall thickness 50 to 80 nm, and particle size 10 to 12 nm were prepared by combination of the sol–gel chemistry and polystyrene (PS) templating procedure. The products exhibited relatively narrower band gaps and larger BET surface areas than those of the starting solitary 3 DOM metal oxides, and their photocatalytic activities for the degradation of an aqueous 4-nitrophenol remarkably enhanced compared with 3 DOM anatase TiO₂, Ta₂O₅, and Degussa P-25.     

Electrochemical properties of LiNi1−yTiyO2 and LiNi0.975M0.025O2 (M = Zn,Al, and Ti) synthesized by the solid-state reaction method

LiNi_1?yTi_yO₂ (y = 0.000, 0.012, 0.025, 0.050, 0.100, and 0.150) and LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn, Al, and Ti) were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. The voltage vs. discharge capacity curves for y = 0.012 and y = 0.025 exhibit four distinct plateaus corresponding to phase transitions. Among LiNi_1?yTi_yO₂, LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ has the largest first discharge capacity, 154.8 mAh/g, at a rate of 0.1 C, and a relatively good cycling performance (77% at n = 10). Among LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn, Al, and Ti) samples, the LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ sample had the largest first discharge capacity. The LiNi_0.975Ti_0.025O₂ sample has sharper peaks for the ?dx/|dV| vs. V curves than the LiNi_0.975M_0.025O₂ (M = Zn and Al). The LiNi_0.975Al_0.025O₂ sample, with the first discharge capacity of 128.5 mAh/g at a rate of 0.1 C, has the best cycling performance (98% at n = 10).     

Giant magnetoimpedance in nanocrystalline Fe90.3−xZr7B2.7Cux (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) as-spun ribbons

The nanocrystalline ribbons Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x with low Cu contents can be directly obtained through melt-spinning technique with an appropriate low quenching speed such as 22 m/s. Sizes of bcc-Fe grains precipitated in Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x as-spun ribbons were 17 nm for x = 0.75, 15 nm for x = 1 and 12 nm for x = 1.25. The addition of Cu reduces grain size of bcc-Fe in as-spun nanocrystalline Fe_90.3−xZr₇B_2.7Cu_x ribbons. Among the investigated samples (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.5), the largest magnetoimpedance can be obtained in the nanocrystalline Fe_80.3Zr₇B_2.7Cu₁ as-spun ribbon with x = 1. The value of magnetoimpedance (Z(H) − Z(0)) / Z(0) under H = 90 Oe for Fe_80.3Zr₇B_2.7Cu₁ as-spun ribbon reaches − 28.2% at a frequency of 1 MHz.     

EPR and optical absorption studies of Cr3+ doped lithium potassium sulphate single crystals

X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies of Cr³⁺ doped lithium potassium sulphate single crystals have been done at room temperature. The Cr³⁺ crystal field and spin Hamiltonian parameters have been evaluated by employing resonance line positions observed in the EPR spectra for different orientations of external magnetic field. The evaluated g, D and E values are: g_x = 2.0763 ± 0.0002, g_y = 1.9878 ± 0.0002, g_z = 1.8685 ± 0.0002 and D = 549 ± 2 × 10^?4 cm^?1, E = 183 ± 2 × 10^?4 cm^?1. Using EPR data the site symmetry of Cr³⁺ ion in the crystal is discussed. Cr³⁺ ion enters the lattice substitutionally replacing K⁺ site. The optical absorption study of the single crystal is also done in 195–925 nm wavelength range at room temperature. By correlating optical and EPR data the nature of bonding in the crystal is discussed. The calculated values of Racah parameters (B and C), crystal field parameter (D_q) and nephelauxetic parameters (h and k) are obtained as: B = 697, C = 3247, D_q = 2050 cm^?1, h = 1.146 and k = 0.21.     

Enhancement of ferromagnetic and dielectric properties of lanthanum doped bismuth ferrite nanostructures

Cylindrical-shaped multiferroic Bi_1?xLa_xFeO₃ (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15) were synthesized successfully by hydrothermal method. All samples were found to be rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure. Diameter of the cylindrical particles reduces from ～450 nm for x = 0.0 to ～100 nm for x = 0.1 prepared under the same conditions. The Neél temperature as well as the dielectric constant was also found to increase with the increase in lanthanum content. Lanthanum doping also enhanced the magnetic properties. Magnetization measurements above room temperature show a significant increase in magnetization at around 400 °C. Enhanced magnetic properties due to lanthanum doping are caused by the breakage of spin cycloid as observed by electron spin resonance study.     

Effect of Ni on reactive diffusion between Au and Sn at solid-state temperatures

Influence of Ni on the kinetics of the reactive diffusion between Au and Sn was experimentally studied at solid-state temperatures. Binary Sn–Ni alloys with Ni concentrations of 1, 3 and 5 mass% were used to prepare sandwich (Sn–Ni)/Au/(Sn–Ni) diffusion couples by a diffusion bonding technique. The diffusion couples were isothermally annealed at temperatures of T = 433, 453 and 473 K for various times in an oil bath with silicone oil. After annealing, AuNiSn₈, AuSn₄, AuSn₂ and AuSn compound layers were observed to form at the (Sn–Ni)/Au interface in the diffusion couple. The total thickness l of the compound layers monotonically increases with increasing annealing time t according to the equation l = k(t/t₀)ⁿ, where t₀ is unit time, 1 s. The exponent takes values between n = 0.29 and 0.37 under the present annealing conditions. Such values of n < 0.5 indicate that the grain boundary diffusion contributes to the rate-controlling process and the grain growth occurs at certain rates. The higher the Ni concentration of the Sn–Ni alloy is, the faster the overall growth of the compound layers occurs. This means that Ni is an accelerator for the reactive diffusion between Au and Sn at solid-state temperatures. The acceleration effect of Ni becomes more remarkable at higher annealing temperatures. Such influence of Ni on the kinetics is mainly attributed to the dependencies of the growth rate of the AuNiSn₈ layer on the composition of the Sn–Ni alloy and the annealing temperature.     

Mechanical and transport properties of low-temperature negative thermal expansion material Mn3CuN co-doped with Ge and Si

Anti-perovskite manganese nitrides Mn₃CuN co-doped with Ge and Si show good negative thermal expansion properties at cryogenic temperatures and thus have great potential for cryogenic applications. In this work, Mn₃(Cu_0.6Si_xGe_0.4?x)N (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) were prepared by reactive sintering under pressure. Their structures, densities, electrical resistivities, thermal conductivities and mechanical properties were studied at room and cryogenic temperatures. The results show that the values of electrical resistivities and thermal conductivities of Mn₃(Cu_0.6Si_xGe_0.4?x)N (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) are in the range of 2.5–4.3 × 10^?6 Ω m and 1.9–3.6 W(m K)^?1, respectively. Compression tests indicate the compressive strength and Young’s modulus are about 700 MPa and 110 GPa, respectively.     

Processing and electrical properties of (1 − x)[(1 − y)(Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3)–y(Pb(Yb1/2Nb1/2)O3)]–xPbTiO3 ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramics in the vicinity of morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) with compositions represented as (1 ? x)[(1 ? y)(Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃)–y(Pb(Yb_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃)]–xPbTiO₃ were prepared by solid state reaction. The addition of PYbN to PMN–PT decreased the sintering temperature from 1200 °C (y = 0.25) to 1000 °C (y = 0.75). The PT content, where the MPB was observed, increased with the PYbN addition. A remanent polarization value of 28.5 µC/cm² and a coercive field value of 11 kV/cm were measured from 0.62[0.25PMN–0.75PYbN]–0.38PT ceramics, which were close to the ones measured from PMN–0.32PT ceramics. In addition, the Curie temperature was found to increase with PYbN additions.     

Crystal growth and characterization of Tm doped mixed rare-earth aluminum perovskite

In this work, we present results of structural characterization and optical properties including radio luminescence of (Lu_xGd_yY_0.99?x?yTm_0.01)AP single crystal scintillators for (x, y) = (0.30, 0.19), (0, 0.19) and (0, 0) grown by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. The grown crystals were single phase materials with perovskite structure (Pbnm) as confirmed by XRD and had a good crystallinity. The distribution of the crystal constituents in growth direction was evaluated, and significant segregation of Lu and Gd was detected in (Lu_0.30Gd_0.19Y_0.50Tm_0.01)AP sample. The crystals demonstrated 70% transmittance in visible wavelength range and some absorption bands due to Tm³⁺, Gd³⁺ and color centers were exhibited in 190–900 nm. The radioluminescence measurement under X-ray irradiation demonstrated several emission peaks ascribed to 4f–4f transitions of Tm³⁺ and Gd³⁺. The ratio of emission intensity in longer wavelength range was increased when Y was replaced by Lu or Gd.