Structure-dependent optical and electrical transport properties of nanostructured Al-doped ZnO

The structure-property relation of nanostructured Al-doped ZnO thin films has been investigated in detail through a systematic variation of structure and morphology, with particular emphasis on how they affect optical and electrical properties. A variety of structures, ranging from compact polycrystalline films to mesoporous, hierarchically organized cluster assemblies, are grown by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature at different oxygen pressures. We investigate the dependence of functional properties on structure and morphology and show how the correlation between electrical and optical properties can be studied to evaluate energy gap, conduction band effective mass and transport mechanisms. Understanding these properties opens up opportunities for specific applications in photovoltaic devices, where optimized combinations of conductivity, transparency and light scattering are required.     

Nonlinear optical properties of the PbS nanorods synthesized via surfactant-assisted hydrolysis

PbS nanorods were synthesized by surfactant-assisted homogenous hydrolysis. The products were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). PbS nanorods were measured by the Z-scan technique to investigate the third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. The result of the NLO measurements shows that the PbS nanorods have the third-order nonlinear optical properties of both NLO absorption and NLO refraction with self-focusing effects. The nonlinear absorption coefficient and refractive index of the PbS nanorods are 2.16 × 10^− 9 m/W and 3.52 × 10^− 16 m²/W respectively.     

Structural,electrical and electrochemical properties of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using dry and wet chemical methods

The effect of particle size and morphological structure on the electrical and electrochemical properties of ZnO (nanowires, nanorods, and nanospheres) prepared by two various routes: soft-wet and dry methods were investigated. The electrochemical performance is analyzed by cyclic voltammetric and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements in 1 M KOH, whereas their electrical conductivity, and dielectric constant are measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a temperature range 293–383 K and frequencies from 10² to 10⁷ Hz. All samples showed semiconducting behavior with conductivity values depending on the particle size and the morphological structure of the sample. The prepared samples showed supercapacitance behavior with capacitance values lie between 77 and 330 F g⁻¹ and depend upon the morphological structure. The nanowire's structure showed the highest capacitance and good cycling stability. The high performance depends on the nanocrystalline size and the high surface area of the nanowire sample.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of Zn-doped SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized by the co-precipitation technique

Nanometric size Zn-doped SnO₂ particles with Zn concentration varying from 1 to 6 % were prepared using the co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction patterns show for all samples a typical rutile-type tetragonal structure of SnO₂ without any additional peaks from spurious phases. These results together with transmission electron microscopy analyses have shown that the size of the nanoparticles decreases with Zn doping down to 4 nm. According to UV–visible absorption measurements this decrease of particle size is accompanied by a decrease of the band gap value from 3.34 eV for SnO₂ down to 3.28 eV for 6 % Zn doping. The electrical conductivity of the system has been investigated between 473 and 718 K, in the 200 Hz–5 MHz frequency range, by means of impedance spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the bulk conductivity was found to obey the Arrhenius law with activation energies of 0.74 eV for SnO₂ and 0.69 eV for 6 % Zn doping.     

Nonresonant optical nonlinearity of ZnO composite nanoparticles with different interfacial chemical environments

 ZnO nanoparticles coated by surfactant molecules were synthesized by microemulsion method. Under proper thermal treatment, a new ZnO/surfactant composite nanoparticles were formed and exhibited an unique optical property. The third-order optical nonlinearity χ⁽³⁾ of ZnO composite nanoparticles with different interfacial chemical environment were measured by single-beam Z-scan technique, the sign and magnitude of both the real and imaginary parts of χ⁽³⁾ at 790 nm were measured to be: –5.2×10^–16 m²/W and 11.6 cm/Gw for ZnO/DBS composite nanoparticles (DBS, dodecyl benzene sulfonate, anionic surfactant); and –2.2x10^–17 m²/W, 0.45 cm/Gw for ZnO/CTAB composite nanoparticles (CTAB, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, cationic surfactant). The ultrafast nonlinear response time (∼250 fs) measured by time-resolved pump-probe technique at excitation wavelength of 647 nm suggests that the optical nonlinearity below band-gap originate mainly from a rapid electronic polarization process or virtual process such as the optical Stark effect. Received: 19 December 1997 / Accepted: 22 December 1997     

Size-tunable near-infrared PbS nanoparticles synthesized from lead carboxylate and sulfur with oleylamine as stabilizer

High quality PbS nanocrystals are synthesized reproducibly through lead stearate and sulfur stabilized by oleylamine in a non-coordinating solvent. The morphology, crystalline form and phase composition of PbS nanocrystals are examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-synthesized PbS nanocrystals have strong absorption and photoluminescence emissions in the near-infrared region. The size of PbS nanocrystals from 5 to 13?nm can be adjusted through the optimization of the synthesis conditions. The smaller PbS nanoparticles are obtained at the lower reaction temperature, lower precursor concentration, larger oleylamine quantity and larger lead precursor/sulfur ratio. The basic oleylamine enhances the reactivity of both lead stearate precursor and sulfur precursor in the reaction.     

镍基Ni-Ag复合纳米粒子直流电弧等离子体法制备及其烧结电学性能

采用直流电弧等离子体法,在氢/氩气氛下蒸发高Ni含量的Ni-Ag块体靶材,获得以Ni为主相的复合纳米粉体产物,Ni和Ag元素之间形成各自固溶体相,其中Ni含量为70.54%(质量分数),纳米粒子产物平均尺寸在30~70 nm范围。将纳米粉体压制成片,其室温电学性能测试结果表明:25 MPa压力下的样品电阻率为5.36×10^-5Ω·cm。利用纳米粉体作为导电组分,配制成液态导电墨水,在聚酰亚胺薄膜基体上绘制导电线路,在Ar气氛下完成烧结处理。烧结样品电学性能测试结果表明:在300℃以上温度,烧结体结构致密,导电性能良好。随温度提高,烧结样品的电阻率逐渐下降,450℃时烧结体的电阻率达1.83×10^-3Ω·cm,明显优于纯Ni纳米粉体墨水的烧结体电阻率。     

Microstructural,electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation method

In the present study, the synthesis of Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) nanopowder at different compositions (In/Sn = 0, 5, 10, 15 at %) was carried out by co-precipitation method. The decomposition of precipitated indium tin acetylacetonate precursor to form In₂O₃–SnO₂ (Sn_1?xIn_xO₂) at 400 °C was confirmed by the thermal and FTIR studies. The changes in strain and grain size of the synthesized particle with respect to dopant concentration were determined from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images support to confirm the grain size. The optical properties on ITO nanoparticles were analyzed with UV–visible spectroscopy, and band gap was found to vary from 3.62 to 3.89 eV with Sn dopant concentration. This variation was ascribed to the quantum confinement effect.     

Structural, optical and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO microrods prepared by spray pyrolysis

Al-doped ZnO thin films were obtained on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis in air atmosphere. The molar ratio of Al in the spray solution was changed in the range of 0-20 at.% in steps of 5 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films showed that the undoped and Al-doped ZnO films exhibited hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with a preferred orientation along (002) direction. Surface morphology of the films obtained by scanning electron microscopy revealed that pure ZnO film grew as quasi-aligned hexagonal shaped microrods with diameters varying between 0.7 and 1.3 μm. However, Al doping resulted in pronounced changes in the morphology of the films such as the reduction in the rod diameter and deterioration in the surface quality of the rods. Nevertheless, the morphology of Al-doped samples still remained rod-like with a hexagonal cross-section. Flower-like structures in the films were observed due to rods slanting to each other when spray solution contained 20 at.% Al. Optical studies indicated that films had a low transmittance and the band gap decreased from 3.15 to 3.10 eV with the increasing Al molar ratio in the spray solution from 0 to 20 at.%.     

Influence of damp heat on the optical and electrical properties of Al-doped zinc oxide

Accelerated ageing in damp heat (DH) can reduce the stability of chalcopyrite solar modules. The decrease in lateral conductivity of the transparent Al-doped zinc oxide (ZAO) front contact contributes significantly to this effect. We present a study on the optical and electrical properties of ZAO without encapsulation on transparent quartz glass substrates with smooth and rough morphology before and after DH. Measured transmission/reflection curves are evaluated numerically to obtain the Drude mobility and carrier concentration. Comparison of optical and electrical data is helpful in evaluating the carrier transport in inhomogeneous ZAO layers, in particular the contributions of grains, grain boundaries and, what we have termed, ‘extended grain boundaries’. The latter are perturbations in the ZAO growth caused by the substrate microstructure.After 1000 h of exposure to DH, the lateral electrical conductivity of ZAO on smooth quartz decreases only by a factor of two, whereas it changes up to two orders of magnitude on rough quartz. Carrier concentration and mobility derived from the optical analysis show a systematic but only minor degradation within the grains. We thus conclude, that the substrate morphology is the dominant factor on the extent of ZAO degradation. Due to the significant difference in the decrease of conductivity on rough and smooth substrates, we postulate that the extended grain boundaries are the prevailing source of this degradation.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of PbS and PbSe quantum dot thin films

PbS and PbSe were prepared by hot injection method. The powders were used for preparing the corresponding films by using thermal evaporation technique. The structural, optical and electrical properties of PbS and PbSe thin films were investigated. The structural properties of PbS and PbSe were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray techniques (EDX). PbS and PbSe films were found to have cubic rock salt structure. The particles size ranged from 1.32 to 2.26 nm for PbS and 1.28–2.48 nm for PbSe. EDX results showed that PbS films have rich sulphur content, while PbSe films have rich lead content. The optical constants (absorption coefficient and the refractive index) of the films were determined in the wavelength range 200–2500 nm. The optical energy band gap of PbS and PbSe films was determined as 3.25 and 2.20 eV, respectively. The refractive index, the optical dielectric constant and the ratio of charge carriers concentration to its effective mass were determined. The electrical resistivity, charge carriers concentration and carriers mobility of PbS at room temperature were determined as 0.55 Ω cm, 1.7 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 and 656 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively, and for PbSe films they were determined as 0.4 Ω cm, 9 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3 and 1735 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. These electrical parameters were investigated as a function of temperature.     

Effect of hydrolysis ratio on structural,optical and electrical properties of SnO2 nanoparticles synthesized by polyol method

Using the polyol method and a thermal post-treatment, nanoporous tin dioxide (SnO₂) were prepared at different hydrolysis ratio (h = n (H₂O)/n (Sn)). The influence of the hydrolysis ratio on the structural, textural, optical and electrical properties of SnO₂ nanopowders was investigated by employing a set of various techniques including Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Nitrogen Sorption Porosimetry and Impedance Spectroscopy. FTIR and EDX studies revealed that SnO₂ species were obtained. Nanocrystallites of cassiterite, i.e. rutile-like tetragonal SnO₂ structure, were formed after annealing in air at 700 °C and the average crystallite size increased from 12.8 to 29.1 when the hydrolysis ratio rose from 17 to 24. Moreover, TEM, SEM, and N₂ sorption porosimetry investigations indicated that the sample prepared for h = 17 was composed of an aggregated network of almost spherical nanoparticles, the morphology and sizes of which changed with the increase in the hydrolysis ratio to h = 24 and the mesoporosity of which was found to be linked to the interparticle space. Moreover, this increase in mean nanoparticle size was accompanied by a decrease in the band gap value from 3.4 eV (h = 17) to 3.16 eV (h = 24). Finally, bulk conductivity dependence with temperature was found to follow an Arrhenius law for samples annealed at 700 °C with an activation energy of 0.65 eV for h = 17, 0.69 eV for h = 20 and 0.71 eV for h = 24 that is typical of SnO₂ nanopowders.     

Stability and recrystallization of PbS nanoparticles

The recrystallization and thermal stability of nanocrystalline lead sulfide have been studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. PbS nanoparticles ranging in size from 10 to 20 nm were prepared by chemical precipitation from aqueous solutions. To assess the thermal stability of the size of PbS nanoparticles, the nanocrystalline powders were annealed in air or under dynamic vacuum (10⁻³ Pa) at a temperature varied from 433 to 930 K in 50-K steps. Annealing at temperatures of up to 700 K increases the particle size only slightly but relieves the lattice strain, suggesting that the nanocrystalline state of lead sulfide is thermally stable in this temperature range. The temperature range 700–900 K, where the particle size increases by a factor of 5–10, corresponds to the secondary recrystallization of nanocrystalline PbS. The temperature 700 K is half the melting temperature of macrocrystalline PbS, indicating that PbS nanoparticles have higher thermal stability in comparison with other nanomaterials.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of solvothermally synthesized PbTe nanodisks

The present study investigates the properties of mechanically compacted pellets of nanosized lead telluride powders synthesized by using ethylene glycol as solvent and PVP as surfactant. XRD analysis indicates the formation of PbTe nanocrystals which exhibit both cubic and orthorhombic phases. Morphological study reveals that the prepared PbTe nanocrystals have disk-like shape. Electrical analysis reveals that the electrical conductivity of PbTe nanocrystals can be enhanced by the formation of nanodisks. Optical absorption and PL results show a large blue-shift which implies that the prepared PbTe nanodisks show strong quantum confinement effect. The possible formation mechanism of the PbTe nanodisks was also discussed.     

Photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by chemical method

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this study, ZnO NPs were synthesized and reporting first time using capping agent SDS with Zn (NO3)2 and KOH as precipitating agent. The...     

A scanning electron microscopic study of hybrid composite impact response

Scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces of various hybrid composite materials subjected to Charpy impact tests are presented. Macrophotographs of the failed specimens which indicate the gross failure modes, and actual impact load-time traces obtained using an instrumented tup impact test technique are also included. These data permit a direct comparison between observed microfailure modes and the gross response of each composite to failure. An all-graphite/epoxy control configuration and three hybrid configurations are considered. The third-phase fibre additions in these hybrids include glass, Kevlar 49, and Nomex nylon. Longitudinal and transverse impact tests of both notched and unnotched standard Charpy specimens are included, for both a basic unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite and a quasi-isotropic laminate orientation.     

Structural and optical studies of yttrium oxide nanoparticles synthesized by co-precipitation method

Yttrium oxide (yttria) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by co-precipitation method. As-synthesized and annealed powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-visible (UV-vis), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The XRD results show that the as-prepared sample has mixed phase of Y(OH)₃ and yttria (Y₂O₃). However, cubic yttrium oxide phase alone is found for annealed samples. The strain values are calculated from Williamson-Hall (W-H) plot for annealed samples. SEM and TEM micrographs show that the samples are composed of aggregated nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes. From the UV-vis spectra, it is found that the position of the absorption peak is shifted towards the lower wavelength side when particle size decreases. In the PL spectra, the broad emission bands are observed between 340 and 380 nm and the presence of metal oxide is confirmed by FTIR spectra.     

Structural,mechanical, and electrical properties of carbon nanoparticles synthesized from diesel

We studied the elemental analysis, structural morphology, mechanical, and electrical properties of carbon nanoparticles synthesized from diesel. The spherical carbon particle size in the range of about 10 to 80 nm in diameter was observed in scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies that were identified by Atomic force microscopy (AFM) study as an aggregation of carbon particles of average size 2.5 nm. The surface rms of carbon nanoparticle thin film (CNTF) was measured directly by AFM and found 0.22 nm. The Derjaguin–Muller–Toporov (DMT) elastic modulus of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) was measured by PeakForce QNM mode of AFM. The minimum and maximum elastic modulus was measured of 0.40 GPa and 43.89 GPa, respectively. The resistivity, conductivity, magneto resistance, mobility, and average Hall co-efficient were measured by “Ecopia Hall-effect measurement system” by four-point Van der Pauw approach at ambient condition. We demonstrated I–V characteristic at the Indium/CNTF thin film interface, which is accompanied by rectifying behavior.