Enhanced electroluminescence of ZnO nanocrystalline annealing from mesoporous precursors

An improved sol-gel method was used to prepare ZnO nanoparticles. EL results showed that slowing the addition of LiOH solution and heating in vacuum to obtain gel precipitation made the final ZnO samples’ emission peak blue shift to 520 nm. Simultaneously, the peak value of the sample processed with no templates was enhanced 4.68 times and that of the sample processed with ODA was enhanced 0.71 times. Two copolymers Pluronic P123 (P123) and Pluronic F-127 (F-127) were adopted respectively as template reagents. The obtained mesoporous ZnO precursors exhibited a surface area of 69.21 m²/g and 103.57 m²/g and an average pore size of 6.61 nm and 5.70 nm, respectively. After calcining in a muffle furnace in air, the obtained ZnO nanocrystalline samples from these precursors revealed stronger green emission than the samples dealt with ODA. Compared to the magnification multiple of 0.89 times of the sample processed with ODA, the peak intensity of the sample processed with P123 was 2.03 times higher than that of the sample processed with no template reagents, and the intensity of the sample processed with F-127 was 3.3 times higher. This may be due to the larger surface area of samples from the longer molecule chains of the two template reagents.     

Effect of annealing atmosphere on the photoluminescence of ZnO nanospheres

ZnO nanospheres were synthesized by a wet-chemical method. X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of wurtzite-structured ZnO with regular sphere shape. Two Raman modes located at 333 cm⁻¹ and 437 cm⁻¹ with two additional Raman humps centered at 577 cm⁻¹ and 1077 cm⁻¹ were observed. Photoluminescence spectra showed ultraviolet, green, orange and red emissions, which changed significantly after the samples were annealed in air, oxygen, argon and forming gas four different ambiences. All the evidence indicates that surface states are responsible to orange and red emissions in addition to excitonic recombination (3.18 eV) and oxygen vacancy (2.25 eV) emission.     

Preparation,characterization and photocatalytic performance of noble metals (Ag,Pd, Pt,Rh) deposited on sponge-like ZnO microcuboids

Novel sponge-like ZnO microcuboids with a hierarchical structure were fabricated via an alcoholic thermal process. Then a series of noble metals (Ag, Pd, Pt, Rh) was loaded onto the microcuboids. The samples obtained were characterized by nitrogen physical adsorption, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the ZnO microcuboids have a high surface area and a sponge-like hierarchical structure. Activity tests for the degradation of acid orange II dye showed that the noble metals enhanced the activity of ZnO to different extents. For loading of 0.5 wt.%, the activity enhancement decreased in the order Pd>Ag>Pt>Rh. Co-loading of Pd and Ag had a detrimental effect on activity compared to single loading. The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be attributed to an increase in the rate of separation of photogenerated e^–/h⁺ pairs induced by the noble metals.     

The crystallinity and the photoluminescent properties of spray pyrolized ZnO phosphor containing Eu and Eu ions

A europium doped ZnO (ZnO:Eu) particle was directly synthesized by the spray pyrolysis method. The crystal structure of samples was designated by the europium ion and the synthesis temperature. We identified the coexistence of Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions in the as prepared ZnO, which was strongly influenced by the doping concentration and the synthesis temperature. With addition of a 0.5 mol% concentration of europium ions, only the Eu²⁺ ion existed in particles, while both Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions existed in sample using 1 mol% or higher concentration of europium ions. Changing the wavelength of the excitation source, we also found that both the blue and red luminescence can be obtained.     

湿法刻蚀对Si基片孔点阵及ZnO外延薄膜周期形貌的影响

利用射频等离子体辅助分子束外延法,在刻有周期性孔点阵结构的Si衬底上生长了ZnO二维周期结构薄膜,系统研究了湿法化学刻蚀对孔形点阵Si(100),Si(111)基片表面形貌的影响,以及两种初底上ZnO外延薄膜的结晶质量与周期形貌的差异.X射线衍射及扫描电子显微测试结果表明：Si (111)衬底上生长出的ZnO二维周期结构薄膜具有较好的结晶质量与较好的周期性表面形貌.该研究结果为二维周期结构的制备提供了一种新颖的方法. 关键词： ZnO 分子束外延 Si 湿法刻蚀     

Effect of Fe doping on the structural and gas sensing properties of ZnO porous microspheres

Fe-doped ZnO porous microspheres composed of nanosheets were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method combined with post-annealing, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller N₂ adsorption–desorption measurements and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. In this paper we report Fe doping induced modifications in the structural, photoluminescence and gas sensing behavior of ZnO porous microspheres. Our results show that the crystallite size decreases and specific surface area increases with the increase of Fe doping concentration. The PL spectra indicate that the 4 mol% Fe-doped ZnO has higher ratio of donor (V_O and Zn_i) to acceptor (V_Zn) than undoped ZnO. The 4 mol% Fe-doped ZnO sample shows the highest response value to ppb-level n-butanol at 300 °C, and the detected limit of n-butanol is below 10 ppb. In addition, the 4 mol% Fe -doped ZnO sample exhibits good selectivity to n-butanol. The superior sensing properties of the Fe-doped porous ZnO microspheres are contributed to higher donor defects contents combined with larger specific surface area.     

Fabrication and application of highly ordered mesoporous Co3O4, NiO, and their metals

Highly ordered mesoporous Co₃O₄, NiO, and their metals were synthesized by nanocasting method using there corresponding mesoporous SBA-15 silica as a template. The obtained porous metal oxides have high surface areas, large pore volume, and a narrow pore size distribution. The N₂-adsorption data for mesoporous metal oxides have provided the BET area of 257.7 m² g⁻¹ and the total pore volume of 0.46 cm³ g⁻¹. The mesoporous metals were employed as a catalyst in the synthesis of (S)-3-pyrrolidinol from chiral (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyronitrile, and a high yield to (S)-3-pyrrolidinol-salt was obtained on the mesoporous Co metal catalyst.     

Effects of S incorporation on Ag substitutional acceptors in ZnO:(Ag, S) thin films

Ag–S codoped ZnO thin films have been fabricated on Si substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering using a thermal oxidation method. XRD and SEM measurements showed that the sample has hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferential (002) orientation and the surface is composed of compact and uniform grains. Ag_Zn–nS_O defect complexes were observed in the Ag–S codoped ZnO films by XPS analysis. Low temperature PL spectra showed neutral acceptor bound exciton emission related to Ag_Zn–nS_O. The corresponding acceptor ionization energy of 150 meV is much lower than that of monodoped Ag (246 meV), which is favorable for p-type doping of ZnO.     

High UV absorption efficiency of nanocrystalline ZnO synthesized by ultrasound assisted wet chemical method

Ultrasound assisted wet-chemical method has been carried out to incorporate different metal and non-metal ions such as; Li, S and Ag into ZnO. Characteristic studies on the structural and optical properties of the samples especially; the ultra-violet (UV) light absorption have been carried out. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows the formation of hexagonal crystal structure of ZnO along with changes in crystallinity and micro-strain with impurity doping. The morphology of the doped samples changes from particle like structure to flower and rod like structures showing the influence of dopant ions on nano ZnO growth. Infra-red (IR) transmittance spectra give information about the presence of metal–oxygen bond along with other stretching and bending modes. UV–visible absorption studies show the narrowing and sharpening of UV absorption band along with a blue shift for the doped samples. This shows the intensification in the excitonic absorption in ZnO after doping specific elements which will find application in UV blocking agents. Photoluminescence (PL) measurement shows the presence of excitonic emission and emissions due to intrinsic defects and external impurities in UV and visible regions respectively. These emission bands show a change in their position and intensity which has been explained on the basis of the existence of impurity levels in the band gap of ZnO.     

蓝宝石R面上ZnO薄膜的NH3掺杂研究

以NH₃为掺杂源,利用金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)系统在蓝宝石R面上生长出掺氮ZnO薄膜。通过XRD,SEM测量优化了其生长参数,在610℃和在80sccm的NH₃流量下生长出了〈1120〉单一取向的ZnO薄膜。经Hall电阻率测量,得知该薄膜呈现弱p型或高电阻率,并对其光电子能谱进行了研究。     

多孔ZnO微米球的制备及其优异的丙酮敏感特性

以六水合硝酸锌、尿素为原料,以六亚甲基四胺为表面活性剂,利用水热法合成了多孔氧化锌微米球.通过X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜和吸附仪对样品的结构、形貌、比表面积和孔径进行了表征.利用所得多孔微米球氧化锌制备了气敏元件,并对其气敏特性进行了测试.结果表明:在280℃的工作温度下,表面多孔氧化锌微米球气敏元件对50 ppm的丙酮气体的灵敏度为26.8,响应时间和恢复时间分别约为4 s和10 s,并具有良好的选择性.     

Catalyst efficiency, photostability and reusability study of ZnO nanoparticles in visible light for dye degradation

Polydispersed ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO1000 and ZnO600) with two different windows of particle size distributions (∼120 and 30 nm) were synthesized using citrate gel route and different annealing treatments (1000 and 600 °C, respectively). Photocatalytic efficiency of these samples was compared with TiO₂ in its commercial form-P25, on two dyes, Methylene blue (MB) and Methyl orange (MO). The X-ray diffraction data showed wrutzite ZnO and anatase and rutile phases of P25. UV-visible absorbance spectra of ZnO1000 showed broad absorption range from UV-to-visible (from 382 to 700 nm), as against sharp absorption peaks in UV range for both ZnO600 and P25. The microstructural morphology as seen through scanning electron micrographs showed ZnO1000 with tetrapod-like structures while the ZnO600 showed almost spherical morphologies. Upon subjecting these catalysts to dye solutions in sunlight it was found that both the dyes were completely decolorised within 20 min by ZnO1000, as against partial decolorisation by ZnO600 and P25 ( 53% and 78% for MO and 77% and 88% for MB samples). The effect of catalyst loading (from 125 mg to 1 g) on decolorisation showed that ZnO1000 had good efficiency for all concentrations which was followed by P25 and then by ZnO600. Small perturbations are attributed to the competition between sunlight scattering-induced, reduced irradiation field and the exposed surface area offered by catalyst, which work as active sites for decolorisation. The reusability of the catalysts when studied on fresh dye samples (4 trials), the decolorisation efficiency decreased merely from 99.2% to 99.12% for ZnO1000 as compared to ZnO600 (53.3% to 19.94%) and P25 (78.3% to 31.42%), indicating the efficient reusability of ZnO1000. The effective half life of the catalysts, in terms of number of reuses, were calculated and found to be ∼3 for both ZnO600 and P25 and was >3000 for ZnO1000, which justifies its extremely high reuse. The byproduct analysis (compared with standards prescribed by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB)) showed cleavage of the chromophore and of other bonds with opening of benzene rings, indicating degradation of the dyes in concurrence with decolorisation, in the stipulated time. Further, cytotoxicity studies performed on SiHa cell lines showed non-toxicity of the byproducts with ZnO1000 as compared to ZnO600 and P25.     

ZnO薄膜微结构变化对光电特性的影响

使用脉冲激光淀积(PLD)技术在n型Si衬底上沉积氧化锌(ZnO)薄膜,在O2气氛下对样品进行了500℃(Sample1,S1),600℃(Sample2,S2),700℃(Sample3,S3)和800℃(Sample4,S4)退火,随后进行了X射线衍射(XRD)谱,椭偏光折射率,热激电流(TSC)和电容-电压(C-V)的测量。研究发现:S1中晶界的电子陷阱由高浓度的深能级杂质(Zni)提供的电子填充,该能级位于ET=EC-0.24±0.08eV。S3中出现与中性施主(D0)有关的深能级中心,其ET=EC-0.13±0.03eV,推测D0的出现与高温氧气条件退火下晶界处形成的复合体缺陷有关。XRD和椭偏光折射率测量结果表明:氧气对ZnO薄膜微结构的修饰是改变ZnO/Si结构光电特性的主要因素。     

Effect of annealing temperature on optical and electrochemical properties of chitosan–ZnO nanostructure

Chitosan–ZnO nanostructures were prepared by chemical precipitation method using different concentration of zinc chloride and sodium hydroxide solutions. Nanorod-shaped grains with hexagonal structure for samples annealed at 300 °C and porous structure with amorphous morphology for samples annealed at 600 °C were revealed in SEM analysis. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the hexagonal phase ZnO with crystallite size found to be in the range of ~24.15–34.83 nm. Blue shift of UV–Vis absorption shows formation of nanocrystals/nanorods of ZnO with marginal increase in band gap. Photoluminescence spectra show that blue–green emission band at 380–580 nm. The chitosan–ZnO nanostructures used on surface of a glassy carbon electrode gives the oxidation peak potential at ~0.6 V. The electrical conductivity of chitosan–ZnO composites were observed at 2.1?×?10^?5 to 2.85?×?10^?5?S/m. The nanorods with high surface area and nontoxicity nature of chitosan–ZnO nanostructures observed in samples annealed at 300 °C were suitable as a potential material for biosensing.     

Bilayer ZnO nanostructure fabricated by chemical bath and its application in quantum dot sensitized solar cell

Chemical bath method was used to synthesize bilayer ZnO nanostructure on ITO glass in the alkaline solution. As revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the product consists of a layered structure of ZnO nanorods at the bottom and nanoflower atop. The as-prepared sample was assembled in quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSSC), which obtained the incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 15% at 400 nm and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.45%. Therefore, this novel bilayer ZnO nanostructure has the potential for application in solar cell device as the photoelectrode.     

ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic film prepared bythree-step method

<正>The hydrophobicity of the lotus leaf is mainly due to its surface micro—nano composite structure.In order to mimic the lotus structure,ZnO micro-nano composite hydrophobic films were prepared via the three-step method.On thin buffer films of SiO₂,which were first fabricated on glass substrates by the sol—gel dip-coating method,a ZnO seed layer was deposited via RF magnetron sputtering.Then two different ZnO films,micro-nano and micro-only flowerlike structures,were grown by the hydrothermal method.The prepared films have different hydrophobic properties after surface modification.The structures of the obtained ZnO films were characterized using x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy.A conclusion that a micro-nano composite structure is more beneficial to hydrophobicity than a micro-only structure was obtained through research into the effect of structure on hydrophobic properties.     

Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles in a room-temperature ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

Nanoparticles of ZnO with the wurtzite structure have been successfully synthesized via a microwave through the decomposition of zinc acetate dihydrate in an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, as a solvent. Fundamental characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were conducted for the ZnO nanostructures.To explore the growth mechanism, the samples have been prepared in different irradiation time and also cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been used as the capping reagent.     

铕掺杂纳米氧化锌晶体结构和荧光光谱的研究

以醋酸锌、氧化铕、氢氧化钠为主要原材料,利用共沉淀法制备ZnO∶Eu3+纳米晶体.在X射线衍射谱中,只观察到氧化锌的峰,没有观察到氧化铕的特征峰.比较了ZnO和ZnO∶Eu3+拉曼光谱,在ZnO∶Eu3+样品拉曼光谱中观察到新的局部振动模.这些现象表明铕离子已经进入氧化锌晶格中.SEM形貌显示Eu3+离子掺入使ZnO晶...     

Studies of structural evolution and sensing properties of ZnO nanocrystalline films

ZnO nanocrystalline films have been prepared on Si(1 0 0) substrate using direct current (D.C) magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature. The thickness of nanocrystalline films almost linearly increased with deposition duration and the sizes of crystalline grains almost kept unchanged. After deposition, thermal annealing was performed at 800 °C in atmosphere for 2 h in order to improve the qualities of ZnO thin films. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the surface roughness of the films less than 45 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the slight evolution of the crystal structures. Raman scattering spectra confirmed the data obtained from X-ray diffraction measurements.With these ZnO nanocrystalline films, prototypic gas sensors were fabricated. Both sensitivity and response of the sensors to different gases (H₂ and CH₄) were investigated. A quick response of time, less than 1 second to CH₄ gas sensor has been achieved.     

Nanoporous structures on ZnO thin films

Porous structures were formed on ZnO thin films which were grown by an electrochemical deposition (ECD) method. The growth processes were carried out in a solution of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) zinc perchlorate, Zn(ClO₄)₂, at 120 ^°C on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. Optical and structural characterizations of electrochemically grown ZnO thin films have shown that the films possess high (0002) c$c$-axis orientation, high nucleation, high intensity and low FWHM of UV emission at the band edge region and a sharp UV absorption edge. Nanoporous structures were formed via self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of hexanethiol (C₆SH) and dodecanethiol (C₁₂SH). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements showed that while a nanoporous structure (pore radius 20 nm) is formed on the ZnO thin films by hexanathiol solution, a macroporous structure (pore radius 360 nm) is formed by dodecanethiol solution. No significant variation is observed in X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements on the ZnO thin films after pore formation. However, photoluminescence (PL) measurements showed that green emission is observed as the dominant emission for the macroporous structures, while no variation is observed for the thin film nanoporous ZnO sample.