Preparation and photoluminescence properties of silica-coated CuO nanowires

We have fabricated cupric oxide (CuO)-core/silica (SiO _x )-shell nanowires by using a two-step process: thermal oxidation and sputtering. The structure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the core/shell nanowires has been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and PL analysis techniques. The CuO cores and the SiO _x shells of the as-synthesized nanowires have crystalline monoclinic CuO and amorphous SiO _x structures, respectively. The PL emission intensity of the CuO-core/SiO _x -shell nanowires has been increased but the emission peak position has not been nearly shifted by annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere, whereas the emission peak position has been shifted a lot from 510 to around 650 nm as well as the emission intensity has been increased by annealing in an oxygen atmosphere. In addition, the origin of the PL enhancement in the CuO-core/SiO _x -shell nanowires by annealing and the growth mechanism of the CuO nanowires have been discussed.     

Co-sheathed SiOx nanowires

We fabricated Co-coated SiO_x nanowires and investigated the effects of thermal annealing on their properties. The sputtering process resulted in the formation of a relatively smooth Co shell layer, whereas subsequent thermal annealing generated the Co₃O₄ phase. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum was not changed by the Co-coating, whereas the thermal annealing induced new peaks in the yellow and ultraviolet regions. Possible emission mechanisms were discussed. Based on the magnetization measurements of the SiO_x-core/Co-shell nanowires, we obtained small and negligible hysteresis loops for the as-fabricated and thermal annealed samples, respectively.     

Effects of annealing on the structure and photoluminescence of ZnO-sputtered coaxial nanowires

We reported the preparation and annealing effects of Zinc oxide ZnO/SiO_x core-shell nanowires, in which ZnO shell layers were deposited by sputtering. Based on scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence (PL) investigations, we monitored structural and optical changes with respect to the post-annealing process. The samples were mostly amorphous with some crystalline ZnO structure, whereas annealing at 900-1000 °C reduced the amount of Zn elements. Thermal annealing induced change in the shape of the PL emission spectra.     

Enhancement in the photoluminescence of ZnS nanowires by TiO2 coating and thermal annealing

Influences of the TiO₂ coating and thermal annealing on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnS nanowires were investigated. ZnS nanowires were synthesized by thermal evaporation of ZnS powder and then coated with TiO₂ by using the sputtering technique. The PL emission of ZnS nanowires can be significantly enhanced without nearly changing the wavelength of the emission by coating them with a TiO₂ layer with an appropriate thickness and then annealing them in an Ar atmosphere. The optimum TiO₂ coating layer thickness for the highest PL emission enhancement was found to be about 6.5 nm. The PL emission of the ZnS-core/TiO₂-shell coaxial nanowires is degraded by annealing in an oxygen atmosphere whereas it is enhanced by annealing in an argon atmosphere.     

Influence of SnO2 coating and thermal annealing on the structure and luminescence properties of CuO nanorods

CuO-core/ SnO₂-shell one-dimensional nanostructures have been fabricated by thermal oxidation of a copper foil and then atomic layer deposition of SnO₂. The structure and optical properties of the nanostructures have been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis techniques. The nanostructures are found to have the form of nanorods, with the diameter of the CuO cores being in the range from a few tens to a few hundreds of nanometers, the thickness of the SnO₂ shells being ～15 nm, and with a length of a few tens of micrometers. The CuO cores and the SnO₂ shells of the as-synthesized nanorods have crystalline monoclinic CuO and amorphous SnO₂ structures, respectively, but the SnO₂ shells are found to crystallize to tetragonal SnO₂ on thermal annealing. The PL emission intensity of the CuO nanorods has been slightly increased by SnO₂ coating. The PL emission of the SnO₂-coated CuO nanorods is somewhat increased and the emission peak position is red-shifted from 550 to 580 nm by annealing in a reducing atmosphere. On the other hand, the PL emission is significantly increased and the emission peak position is shifted from 550 nm further to around 595 nm by annealing in an oxidative atmosphere. In addition, the origins of the PL enhancements in the nanorods by coating and annealing are discussed.     

Preparation and characterization of SiO2 nanowires using a SnO2 catalyst

SiO₂ nanowires have been successfully synthesized on the surface of the silicon substrate via a thermal evaporation method using SnO₂ powders as the catalysts. The final synthesized product was systematically studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), UV-Visible absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results reveal that in the reaction and growth process, the real catalytic effect is Sn and SnO_x, and the growth of SiO₂ nanowire is most likely controlled by VLS mechanism. The PL spectral results indicate the obtained products have a stable yellow-green emission range. The products have improved performance and can be used in optoelectronic semiconductor devices.     

The photoluminescence properties of TiO2-sheathed ZnSe nanowires

ZnSe nanowires have been synthesized by thermal evaporation of ZnSe powders on gold-coated Al₂O₃(0 0 0 1) substrates and then sheathed with TiO₂ by sputtering. Our results show that sheathing Zn nanowires with thin TiO₂ layers can significantly enhance the photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity. XPS analysis results suggest that the PL enhancement is attributed to increases in the concentrations of deep levels such as oxygen and titanium interstitials as well as the density of interface states. The PL emission of ZnSe nanowires is also enhanced by thermal annealing. Annealing in an argon atmosphere is more efficient in enhancing the PL emission than annealing in an oxygen atmosphere.     

不同气氛下SiOx纳米线的制备及形貌、红外、光致发光研究

以N₂/H₂、N₂或NH₃为载气,利用碳辅助化学气相沉积法,常压1140℃下在石英衬底上制备了大量直径为20—300 nm,长数百微米的非晶SiO_x纳米线.制备得到的纳米线具有高度定向生长的特性.利用透射电子显微镜、扫描电子显微镜及电子能谱对SiO_x纳米线的形貌及组分进行了分析,Si与O原子之比为1∶18.傅里叶红外吸收谱显示了非晶氧化硅的三个特征峰（482,806和1095 cm^-1）及1132 cm^-1无序氧化硅结构的强吸收峰.SiO_x纳米线光致发光光谱（PL）在440 nm（283 eV）处具有较强的荧光峰;N₂为载气生长的SiO_x纳米线的PL峰强比NH₃为载气生长的SiO_x纳米线峰强大四个数量级. 关键词： x纳米线')" href="#">SiO_x纳米线 碳辅助化学气相沉积法 傅里叶红外吸收 光致发光     

Synthesis and characterization of Mn-doped Zn2SiO4/SiO2 phosphor particles in core-shell structure

Manganese-doped zinc silicate (Zn₂SiO₄:Mn) is a kind of phosphor material that has a photo-luminescent (PL) and cathode-luminescent (CL) properties with intensive green light emission at 520 nm. The particles consisting of SiO₂@Zn₂SiO₄:Mn (SiO₂ core-Zn₂SiO₄:Mn shell) were synthesized via colloidal process and forced precipitation. After drying, the Zn/Mn precipitates were coated on the surface of SiO₂ particles. The Zn/Mn precipitates reacted with SiO₂ and transformed to Zn₂SiO₄:Mn by suitable calcination. The microstructure, crystalline phase, and luminescent characteristics of the products were studied. Besides, a CL device consisting of the core-shell powder was characterized.     

镶嵌在氧化硅薄膜中纳米晶硅的可见光荧光谱与发光机制的研究

采用对非晶氧化硅薄膜退火处理方法，获得纳米晶硅与氧化硅的镶嵌结构．室温下观察到峰位为2.40eV光致发光．系统地研究了不同退火温度对薄膜的Raman谱、光荧光谱及光电子谱的影响．结果表明，荧光谱可分成两个不随温度变化的峰位为1.86和2.30eV的发光带．Si2p能级光电子谱表明与发光强度一样Si⁴⁺强度随退火温度增加而增加．Si平均晶粒大小为4.1—8.0nm，不能用量子限制模型解释蓝绿光的发射．纳米晶硅与SiO₂界面或SiO₂中与氧有关的缺陷可能是蓝绿光发射的主要原因 关键词：     

Helical nanostructures of SiOx synthesized through the heating of Co-coated substrates

This paper presents the use of the simple annealing technique at 1000 °C to produce the helical nanostructures of SiO_x. We have employed the Co-coated Si substrates, with Co layer and Si substrate utilized as catalyst and Si source, respectively. Beside the ordinary straight nanowires, the helical nanowires such as nanosprings and nanorings were observed. The product was an amorphous structure of SiO_x. We have discussed the possible growth mechanism. Photoluminescence spectrum of the SiO_x nanostructures showed a blue emission at 428 nm and a green emission at 534 nm, respectively.     

Stimulated emission from trapped excitons in SnO2 nanowires

The pump fluence dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra of SnO₂ nanowires were investigated, which were synthesized with a high-temperature chemical reduction method. The integrated intensity of the narrower peak at 3.2 eV experiences a strong superlinear dependence on the pump fluence, and the narrowest width of the sharp peak is only 19 meV. Moreover, under high excitation fluence, an ultrafast decay time (less than 20 ps) appears in the time-resolved PL spectra. The emission of these SnO₂ nanowires shows strong apparent stimulated emission behaviors although the SnO₂ is a dipole forbidden direct gap semiconductor. The stimulated emission should relate to the localized islands on the surface of nanowire, which was observed through the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) image. The giant-oscillator-strength effect of bound exciton generated from the localized islands was considered to induce the stimulated emission of SnO₂ nanowires.     

Sol-gel growth of Gd2MoO6:Eu nanocrystalline layers on SiO2 spheres (SiO2@Gd2MoO6:Eu) and their luminescent properties

SiO₂@Gd₂MoO₆:Eu³⁺ core-shell phosphors were prepared by the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays were used to characterize the resulting SiO₂@Gd₂MoO₆:Eu³⁺ core-shell phosphors. The XRD results demonstrate that the Gd₂MoO₆:Eu³⁺ layers on the SiO₂ spheres begin to crystallize after annealing at 600 °C and the crystallinity increases with raising the annealing temperature. The obtained core-shell phosphors have a near perfect spherical shape with narrow size distribution (average size ca. 600 nm), are not agglomerated, and have a smooth surface. The thickness of the Gd₂MoO₆:Eu³⁺ shells on the SiO₂ cores could be easily tailored by varying the number of deposition cycles (50 nm for four deposition cycles). The Eu³⁺ shows a strong PL luminescence (dominated by ⁵D₀-⁷F₂ red emission at 613 nm) under the excitation of 307 nm UV light. The PL intensity of Eu³⁺ increases with increasing the annealing temperature and the number of coating cycles.     

Room temperature photoluminescence from amorphous silicon nanoparticles in SiOx thin films

Amorphous SiO_x thin films with four different oxygen contents (x=1.15, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.7) have been prepared by thermal evaporation of SiO in vacuum and then annealed at 770 or 970 K in argon for various times ?40 min. The influence of annealing conditions and the initial film composition on photoluminescence (PL) from the annealed films has been explored. Intense room temperature PL has been observed from films with x?1.5, visible with a naked eye. It has been shown that PL spectra of most samples consists of two main bands: (i) a ‘green’ band centered at about 2.3 eV, whose position does not change with annealing conditions and (ii) an ‘orange-red’ band whose maximum moves from 2.1 to 1.7 eV with increasing annealing time and temperature and decreasing initial oxygen content. These observations have been explained assuming recombination via defect states in the SiO_x matrix for the first band and emission from amorphous Si nanoparticles for the second one.     

Synthesis and characterization of spherical core-shell particles SiO2@AgEu(MoO4)2

Submicron spherical SiO₂ particles have been coated with AgEu(MoO₄)₂ phosphor layers by a sol-gel process, followed by surface reaction at high temperature, to get core/shell structured SiO₂@AgEu(MoO₄)₂ particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the resulted core-shell phosphors. The luminescent properties of the core-shell structured phosphors have also been measured at room temperature, and their photoluminescence (PL) spectra are similar to the pure AgEu(MoO₄)₂ phosphor prepared by the same sol-gel method exhibiting red emission.     

Highly efficient photoluminescence of Er2SiO5 films grown by reactive magnetron sputtering method

E₂SiO₅ thin films were fabricated on Si substrate by reactive magnetron sputtering method with subsequent annealing treatment. The morphology properties of as-deposited films have been studied by scanning electron microscope. The fraction of erbium is estimated to be 23.5 at% based on Rutherford backscattering measurement in as-deposited Er-Si-O film. X-ray diffraction measurement revealed that Er₂SiO₅ crystalline structure was formed as sample treated at 1100 °C for 1 h in O₂ atmosphere. Through proper thermal treatment, the 1.53 μm Er³⁺-related emission intensity can be enhanced by a factor of 50 with respect to the sample annealed at 800 °C. Analysis of pump-power dependence of Er³⁺ PL intensity indicated that the upconversion phenomenon could be neglected even under a high photon flux of 10²¹(photons/cm²/sec). Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of Er₂SiO₅ was studied and showed a weak thermal quenching factor of 2. Highly efficienct photoluminescence of Er₂SiO₅ films has been demonstrated with Er³⁺ concentration of 10²²/cm³, and it opens a promising way towards future Si-based light source for Si photonics.     

Modulation of the photoluminescence of Si quantum dots by means of CO2 laser pre-annealing

Si quantum dots (QDs) embedded in SiO₂ can be normally prepared by thermal annealing of SiO_x (x < 2) thin film at 1100 °C in an inert gas atmosphere. In this work, the SiO_x thin film was firstly subjected to a rapid irradiation of CO₂ laser in a dot by dot scanning mode, a process termed as pre-annealing, and then thermally annealed at 1100 °C for 1 h as usual. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of Si QD was found to be enhanced after such pre-annealing treatment. This PL enhancement is not due to the additional thermal budget offered by laser for phase separation, but attributed to the production of extra nucleation sites for Si dots within SiO_x by laser irradiation, which facilitates the formation of extra Si QDs during the subsequent thermal annealing.     

Synthesis and optical properties of SnO2-CuO nanocomposite

SnO₂-CuO nanocomposite was synthesized by impregnating SnO₂ nanowires with CuCl₂ solution and subsequent calcination. SEM and XRD were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the product. The optical properties were analyzed by Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra at room temperature. Except the strong orange emission of SnO₂, the PL spectrum showed a red shoulder at 678 nm which originated from the interface between SnO₂ and CuO.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of SnO2/ZnO hierarchical nanostructures

SnO₂/ZnO hierarchical nanostructures were synthesized by a two-step carbon assisted thermal evaporation method. SnO₂ nanowires were synthesized in the first step and were then used as substrates for the following growth of ZnO nanowires in the second step. Sn metal droplets were formed at the surfaces of the SnO₂ nanowires during the second step and were acted as catalyst to facilitate the growth of ZnO nanowires via vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Room temperature photoluminescence measurements showed that the SnO₂/ZnO hierarchical nanostructures exhibited a strong green emission centered at about 520 nm and a weak emission centered at about 380 nm. The emissions from the SnO₂ were drastically constrained due to screen effect caused by the ZnO layer.     

Formation of silicon oxide nanowires directly from Au/Si and Pd–Au/Si substrates

Amorphous silicon oxide (SiO_x) nanowires were directly grown by thermal processing of Si substrates. Au and Pd–Au thin films with thicknesses of 3 nm deposited on Si (0 0 1) substrates were used as catalysts for the growth of nanowires. High-yield synthesis of SiO_x nanowires was achieved by a simple heating process (1000–1150 °C) in an Ar ambient atmosphere without introducing any additional Si source materials. The as-synthesized products were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The SiO_x nanowires with lengths of a few and tens of micrometers had an amorphous crystal structure. The solid–liquid–solid model of nanowire formation was shown to be valid.