Chemical synthesis of CdS nanoparticles and their optical and dielectric studies

Cadmium sulphide nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical displacement reaction method using cadmium nitrate as cadmium source and ammonium sulphide as sulphur source. The CdS samples are characterized using X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. CdS nanoparticles are found to possess cubic structure with the crystallite size ~10 nm. The absorption spectra of synthesized CdS nanoparticles revealed the blue shift in excitonic transitions with respect to CdS bulk material, clearly confirming the formation of nanoparticles. The dielectric properties of CdS nanoparticles are studied in the frequency range 10³–10⁷ Hz at room temperature. The dielectric properties of CdS nanoparticles are found to be significantly enhanced specially in the low frequency range due to confinement.     

Structural and optical characterization of Ni-doped CdS quantum dots

Ni-doped CdS quantum dots have been prepared by chemical precipitation technique. The X-diffraction results indicated that the particle size of Ni-doped CdS nanoparticles is smaller than that of undoped CdS and no secondary phase was observed. The average grain size of the nanoparticles is found to lie in the range of 2.7–4 nm. The compositional analysis results show that Cd, Ni, and S are present in the samples. HRTEM studies reveal that the average particle size of undoped and Ni-doped CdS quantum dots is 2 and 3 nm, respectively. Raman spectra shows that 1LO, 2LO, and 3LO peaks of the Ni-doped CdS samples are slightly red shifted when compared to that of undoped CdS. The absorption edge of Ni-doped CdS nanoparticles is found to shift towards the higher-wavelength (red shift) side when compared to that of undoped CdS and the band gap is observed to lie in the range of 3.79–3.95 eV. This band gap is higher than that of the bulk CdS and is due to quantum confinement effect present in CdS nanoparticles.     

Quantum confinement effects in Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles prepared by chemical precipitation technique

CdS and Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical precipitation technique. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the CdS and Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles exhibit hexagonal structure. The high resolution transmission electron microscope image shows that CdS and Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles have particle size lying in the range of 3.5 to 4.0 nm. Raman spectra show that 1LO, 2LO and 3LO peaks of the Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles are slightly shifted to lower wavenumber side when compared to that of CdS. Optical absorption spectra of Gd-doped CdS nanoparticles shows that absorption edge is slightly shifted towards longer wavelength side (red shift) when compared to that of CdS and this shift is due to the quantum confinement effect present in the samples.     

Synthesis,structural and optical properties of CdS nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activities by photodegradation of organic dye molecules

CdS nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using co-precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to confirm the structures and morphologies of CdS NPs. X-ray diffraction data confirmed the crystal structure of the CdS NPs. Raman spectrum exhibited the Raman modes of LO and 2LO of CdS at 290 and 595 cm^?1 respectively. The evaluated band gap was 3.15 eV, this value was shifted compared with the bulk value and this could be a significance of a size quantization effect in the sample. The CdS nanoparticles showed higher photocatalytic activity for the discoloration of methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation for 90 min. The highest photocatalytic activity was obtained with the sample containing 0.3 wt % CdS nanoparticles, in which more than 98 % of the MO was discolored within 90 min.     

Raman spectra of intrinsic and doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films

Raman scattering characteristics of intrinsic and doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films which prepared by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system are investigated. Results indicate that Raman spectra depend intensively on microstructure and impurity in the films. Taking into account phonon confinement effect and tensile strain effect in Si nanocrystals, peak redshift of measured transverse optical modes in Raman spectra of intrinsic films can be well interpreted. With respect to Raman scattering from doped samples, besides phonon confinement effect, the peak of experimental transverse optical mode further downshifts with heightening doping level, which can be primarily assigned to impurity effect from doping. In addition, the increase in relative integral intensity ratio of transverse acoustic branch to transverse optical mode and that of longitudinal acoustic branch to transverse optical mode with decreasing mean dimension of nanocrystals and heightening doping ratio, respectively, can be ascribed to disorder. Furthermore, at the same doping level, incorporation of boron can induce higher disorder than incorporation of phosphorus in nc-Si:H films.     

Structural characterization of boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films

Structural properties of boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method were mainly characterized with Raman and X-ray diffraction methods. The experimental Raman data were fitted better by Fano effect profiles than those by phonon confinement effect line shapes chiefly due to high efficiency doping in grown films. The measured Raman spectra were deconvoluted into three-Gaussian profile components: around the peak positions 520 and 480 cm⁻¹ which contribute from crystalline and amorphous tissues separately, as well as a curve centered at about 500 cm⁻¹, which is attributed to the presence of grain boundaries. The average crystalline grain size and crystalline volume fraction were valued with Raman and X-ray diffraction techniques, respectively, while the error derived from different methods was elucidated. Accordingly, the structural changes including crystallites, grain boundaries and amorphous matrices in doped films with boron doping level were analyzed.     

Morphology and size dependent optical properties of CdS nanostructures

CdS nanoparticles with different sizes ranging from 2.5 nm to 300 nm and nanorods with aspect ratio -32 were synthesized by simple solvothermal process with a view to explore the effect of size and shape on the optical properties of these nanoforms. Solvent, temperature and the Cd source played important role in determining the morphologies and sizes of the nanocrystals. Comparative study of the optical properties of these nanoforms showed systematic changes in the optical absorption spectra with the reduction in particle size. Nanorods showed bulk like properties. Photoluminescence and Raman studies were carried out to explore the size and morphology dependent optical properties of the CdS nanoforms.     

Tuning of optical,thermal and antimicrobial capabilities of CdS nanoparticles with incorporated Mn prepared by chemical method

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles with different amounts of incorporated Manganese (Mn: 10, 15 and 20 mol%) has been prepared by chemical method. In optical properties the UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectra of all samples showed blue shift compared with the bulk CdS and decrease in band gap with Mn concentration. The presence of functional groups was identified by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. It confirmed presence of metal sulfur bonding and weak interaction between anions (S^2?) and cations (Mn²⁺). The Photoluminescence spectra showed two emission peaks at 397 and 541 nm corresponding to the electron-hole recombination of CdS and surface trap induced emission respectively. In thermal properties thermogravimetric curve indicated increase in weight loss with Mn incorporation suggesting that pure CdS nanoparticles are thermally more stable than Mn incorporated CdS nanoparticles. The antimicrobial activities of Mn incorporated CdS were studied against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as test microorganisms using agar plating-spot inoculation method.     

One- and two-phonon Raman scattering from hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films

One- and two-phonon Raman scattering from intrinsic and boron as well as phosphorus doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique were investigated. With regard to one-phonon Raman measurements of intrinsic films, redshifts attending by asymmetrical broadening of one-phonon transverse optical (TO) mode with diminishing mean dimension of Si nanocrystals can be ascribed to incorporating effects of phonon confinement and tensile strain. Photoluminescence behavior of these intrinsic specimens can be interpreted by a consistent way when recombination of quantum-confined excitons in Si nanocrystals is assumed. As to one-phonon Raman signals of doped nc-Si:H materials, besides joint effects of phonon confinement and tensile strain, additional redshifts accompanying with asymmetrical broadening of one-phonon TO band with increasing doping level can be assigned to carrier effect and disorder from doping. With diminishing average size of Si nanocrystals or increasing dopants, the decay of two-phonon Raman amplitudes of intrinsic and doped samples can be attributed to disorder. Raman experiments indicate that all the energies of the two-phonon TO branches are different from twice the energies of the one-phonon TO active bands, which reveal that the two-phonon TO modes do not come from the Raman active phonons at wavevector k=0. The peak shift of two-phonon transverse optical (2TO) modes relates to phonon confinement and disorder. Negligible peak shift in TO (2TO) modes of intrinsic and doped films on temperature indicates that the interface strain in nc-Si:H/c-Si can be ignored.     

Augmentation of band gap and photoemission in ZnO by Li doping

The monovalent impurity Lithium is chosen to dope with Zinc oxide (ZnO) in four concentrations by auto-combustion route. The influence of Li on the structural and optical properties of ZnO are discussed. The Li incorporation happens both as substitution and interstitial doping with an increase of grain size and the optical band gap of ZnO. The optical phonon modes are identified from Raman spectra that also gives information about the stress in the samples. The UV and visible emission characteristics of the samples are found from the fluorescence spectra. The origin of the visible emission is explained by defect chemistry. When Li lodges Zn site new acceptor levels of Li are created that causes the yellow emission that is absent in undoped ZnO. Li interstitial creates Zn interstitials that are responsible for blue emission. The green emission is explained as the outcome of the transition between Zn_i and oxygen vacancies.     

Quantum confinement effect of CdS nanoparticles dispersed within PVP/PVA nanocomposites

Nanocomposite films of CdS nanoparticles within PVP/PVA blend were prepared. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The amount of Cd⁺ used strongly influenced the size of the CdS nanoparticles, which was confirmed by XRD, UV–vis absorption spectra, PL emission spectra and TEM images. Smaller sized CdS nanoparticles were formed in higher content of cadmium. The results of XRD indicate that CdS nanoparticles were formed with hexagonal phase in the polymeric matrix. PL and UV–vis spectra reveal that nanocomposite films shows quantum confinement effect. Optical band gap and particle size were calculated and is in agreement with the results obtained from TEM data. The direct energy band gap was increased up to 2.86 eV.     

Stoichiometric effects on optical properties of cadmium sulphide quantum dots

Size quantised cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanocrystalline thin films with different particle sizes and stoichiometric ratios were successfully grown on indium tin oxide substrates using an aqueous synthetic route. The effect of cadmium (Cd) to sulphur (S) ratio on the optical properties of CdS nanocrystalline films was investigated using EDAX, UV-vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. A satisfactory stoichiometric condition was achieved for 0.13 M concentration of thiourea whereas concentrations in the range of 1-1.2% of mercaptoethanol capping agents produced values much smaller than Wannier exciton diameter for CdS grain sizes, leading to quantum confinement. Photoluminescence emission bands and Raman peaks were analysed for the physical understanding of optimum growth of CdS quantum dots.     

Effect of Cr-doping on the structural and optical properties of CdS nanoparticles prepared by chemical precipitation method

Undoped and Cr doped CdS nanoparticles have been prepared by chemical precipitation method. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the undoped and Cr doped CdS nanoparticles exhibit hexagonal structure and the average particle size of the nanoparticles is in the range of 2.2–3.8 nm. The HRTEM studies show that the average particle size of undoped and Cr doped CdS nanoparticles is in the range of 2–3.7 nm. The compositional analysis results indicates that Cd, S and Cr are present in the samples. From the optical studies it is observed that the absorption edge of the prepared CdS and Cr doped CdS nanoparticles are shifted towards the shorter wavelength region (blue shift) when compared to that of bulk CdS and this shift is due to the quantum confinement effect present in the samples.     

Raman study of surface optical phonons in hydrothermally obtained ZnO(Mn) nanoparticles

Nanocrystalline samples of ZnO(Mn) were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The morphology of the samples was studied by HRTEM and SEM. X-ray diffraction was used to determine composition of the samples (ZnO and ZnMn₂O₄) and the mean crystalline size (from 16 to 99 nm). In this paper we report the experimental spectra of Raman scattering (from 100 to 1600 cm⁻¹) with surface optical phonons (SOP) in range of 497–538 cm⁻¹ as well as formation of new phases MnO, Mn₃O₄ and ZnMnO₃. The phonon of registered phase's exhibit effects connected to phase concentration, while the SOP phonon mode exhibit significant confinement effect.     

Influence of SOP modes on Raman spectra of ZnO(Fe) nanoparticles

Nanocrystaline samples of ZnO(Fe) were synthesized by traditional wet chemical method followed by calcinations. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction to determine composition of the samples (ZnO, ZnFe₂O₄ and Fe₂O₃) and the mean crystalline size (from 8 to 51 nm). In this paper we report the experimental spectra of Raman scattering (from 200 to 1600 cm⁻¹) with surface optical phonons (SOP) in range of 500–550 cm⁻¹. The phonon of registered phase’s exhibit effects connected to phase concentration, while the SOP phonon mode exhibit significant confinement effect.     

Growth and characterization of NiS and NiCoS nanoparticles in mordenite zeolite host

We report the optical and structural properties of NiS and the ternary NiCoS nanoparticles in mordenite zeolite. The samples were obtained by sulfidation of the Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺ ion-exchange zeolite in a Na₂S solution at room temperature. The optical properties of the samples were studied by UV–visible spectroscopy. Their crystalline structure and morphology were studied by XRD and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the nanoparticles are inside the zeolite channels and cavity. Exciton absorption peaks at higher energy than the fundamental absorption edge of bulk NiS and CoS indicate quantum confinement effects in nanoparticles as a consequence of their small size. The absorption spectra show that the optical band gap varies in the range 3.53–3.9 eV, depending on the semiconductor material and their relative concentration.     

Fabrication and characterization of ordered macroporous semiconductors CdS by colloidal crystal template

The synthesis and characterization of a highly ordered macroporous CdS with regular arrays of spherical pores comparable to optical wavelengths are discussed. The sample has been successfully fabricated using colloidal crystal of poly (styrene-acrylic) (PSA) spheres as templates. The pore size is tunable in the range of 100-400 nm based on the size of PSA spheres. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) show that the exactly three-dimensional structure of the template has been imprinted in the final materials. XRD pattern indicates that the walls of the macroporous material are composed of 4 nm CdS nanoparticles making the absorption spectrum shift blue. The sample was also characterized by Raman spectroscopy and photo luminescent spectra (PL).     

Effect of solvent-induced structural modifications on optical properties of CdS nanoparticles

We have investigated the effects of solvent used during synthesis on structural and optical properties of CdS quantum dots. Different methods of synthesis for the production of CdS quantum dots are presented. These are: (a) wet chemical co-precipitation in non-aqueous medium (i.e. methanol); (b) wet chemical co-precipitation in aqueous medium (deionized water) and (c) solid state reaction. It is demonstrated that the use of methanol as solvent leads to a strong enhancement of PL intensity of CdS quantum dots for use in optoelectronic devices. These products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The change in bandgap with size-quantization was investigated by UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. CdS nanocrystals prepared in non-aqueous medium have narrow size distribution than those prepared in aqueous medium and solid state reaction. Phase transformation of CdS nanocrystals from a cubic to hexagonal structure was observed in methanol solution. The formation of CdS/Cd(OH)₂ nanostructure was also confirmed using X-ray diffraction pattern. This suggests that the strong enhancement of the PL intensity may have originated from the remarkable reduction of non-radiative recombination process, due to surface defects of quantum dots. The red shift of the Raman peaks compared to that for bulk CdS may be attributed to optical phonon confinement.     

Structure induced optical properties of anodized TiO2 nanotubes

TiO₂ nanotubes were synthesized by means of anodization and investigated for their structure dependent optical properties. The anodization was conducted at operating voltages between 5 and 30 V for 3 h in a neutral, organic electrolyte consisting of 0.3 wt% NH₄F + 2 wt% H₂O + ethylene glycol and the resulting nanotubes were annealed at 450 °C for 2 h in air at atmospheric pressure. It is shown that an increase in the applied anodization voltage yielded an increase in the wall thickness, diameter and length of the nanotubes and that these varying morphologies have a direct influence on the crystallite size of the nanotubes during annealing. Photoluminescence spectra indicated that the optical bandgap of the TiO₂ nanotube film decreased with the increase in the anodization voltage, whereas supplementary Raman spectra showed a decrease in the confinement of the optical phonon modes as the crystallite sizes increased, in coherence with the phonon confinement model. These results present significant insights into the size-dependent properties of these novel nanostructured forms of TiO₂ and play an important role in their implementation in photovoltaic devices, such as the dye-sensitized solar cell.     

Third-order optical nonlinearity of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles loaded in mesostructured silica materials

Cadmium sulfide nanoparticles have been successfully incorporated in three forms of CTAB-templated mesoporous silica materials: one is the mesoporous silica spheres suspended in ethanol solution, the other is the mesoporous silica spheres spin-coated on glass slide, and the third is the dip-coated mesoporous silica thin film. The mesostructures were characterized by XRD and TEM, respectively. Linear optical properties were investigated using UV-visible spectra, and the diameter of the incorporated CdS nanoparticles was measured to be around 3.1 nm. Z-scan technique manifested that these three composites exhibited distinct third-order optical nonlinearities due to the different preparation techniques. Reverse saturation absorption could be detected in the CdS-loaded mesoporous silica spheres suspended in solution, while those dispersed on glass slide presented saturation absorption. The difference in nonlinear absorption of the two mesoporous silica sphere samples could be attributed to defect-related transitions. On the contrary, the CdS-loaded mesoporous silica thin film showed self-defocusing behavior with no nonlinear absorption signals. Compared to that of the CdS nanoparticles with larger size previously reported, the intrinsic microscopic third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility of those incorporated in CTAB-templated mesoporous thin film was increased as predicted by the quantum theory, and the third-order optical nonlinearity was further determined to arise from intraband transitions induced by quantum confinement.