Electrical and optical properties of light-emitting field-effect transistors based on MEH-PPV polymer composite films with ZnO nanoparticles

The optical and electrical properties of light-emitting field-effect transistor structures with an active layer based on nanocomposite films containing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles dispersed in the matrix of the soluble conjugated polymer MEH-PPV have been investigated. It has been found that the current-voltage characteristics of the field-effect transistor based on MEH-PPV: ZnO films with a composite component ratio of 2: 1 have an ambipolar character, and the mobilities of electrons and holes in these structures at a temperature of 300 K reach high values up to ～1.2 and ～1.4 cm²/V s, respectively, which are close to the mobilities in fieldeffect transistors based on ZnO films. It has been shown that the ambipolar field-effect transistor based on MEH-PPV: ZnO films emits light at both positive and negative gate bias voltages. The mechanisms of injection, charge carrier transport, and radiative recombination in the studied structures have been discussed.     

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence in MEH-PPV blend films

The temperature dependence of the optical properties in poly [2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) blending with 2-(4-biphenyl)-5-(4-tertbutylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) has been investigated. The blending influence on the chain conformation and exciton energy migration in blend film is described. The PL emission from the pure and blend films are all blue shifted with increasing temperature. An addition of PBD in MEH-PPV films suppresses the relative intensity of 0-1 vibronic peaks at lower temperature. This phenomenon will not be promoted with increasing temperature, attributed to a temperature-dependent migration process of singlet excitons.     

Blue shift in the luminescence spectra of MEH-PPV films containing ZnO nanoparticles

Luminescence properties of nanocomposites consisting of ZnO nanoparticles in a conjugated polymer, poly [2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl hexyloxy)-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV), were investigated. Photoluminescence measurements reveal a blue shift in the emission spectrum of MEH-PPV upon incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles into the polymer film while the emission is increasingly quenched with increasing ZnO concentration. In contrast, the structure of the polymer and its conjugation length are not affected by the presence of ZnO nanoparticles (up to 16 wt% ZnO) as revealed by Raman spectroscopy. The blue shift and photoluminescence quenching are explained by the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs at the MEH-PPV/ZnO interface and the charging of the nanoparticles.     

Switching effects in composite films based on the conjugated polymer polyfluorene and ZnO nanoparticles

The S- and N-shaped current—voltage characteristics have been studied for composite films of the conjugated polymer polyfluorene and ZnO nanoparticles deposited onto Al and In₂O₃/SnO₂ electrodes with and without an intermediate sublayer of the conducting polymer PEDT/PSS. The differences in the current— voltage characteristics of the systems (the N- and S-types, respectively) are interpreted using the electro-thermal switching model, which takes into account the structural and electric properties of PEDT/PSS. The switching provides both alignment of polymer molecules and tunneling of charge carriers, which leads to an increase in conductivity. The current flow in this structure causes an increase in temperature of conducting channels; when the temperature reaches certain levels, the conductivity of the channels decreases because the alignment of polymer molecules is upset, which creates an N-shaped form of the current—voltage characteristics.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence study on ZnO/Graphene nanocomposite films

We report observation of both free and defect-mediated excitonic emissions from temperature-dependent PL study on ZnO/graphene oxide (G-O) nanocomposite grown by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis (UASP). From the temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the ZnO/G-O nanocomposite, new graphene-related peak was observed at 372 nm along with the exciton transition bound to neutral acceptors or deep donors. The PL intensity of new graphene-related peaks (3.33 eV) become more prominent with increasing G-O concentration, and it was saturated or decreased with the addition of >7.0 wt% of G-O. This feature indicates that new graphene-related states were created below conduction band of ZnO, which supports the excitonic PL enhancement by graphene-embedding is contributed not by charge transfer, but by vacancy filling effect of G-O.     

Stable aqueous ZnO nanoparticles with green photoluminescence and biocompatibility

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) as a kind of biological labeling material have many unique fluorescence properties relative to conventional organic dyes, which can be used for long-term fluorescence tracking. In this work, a facile method was developed for synthesizing water-stable ZnO nanoparticles with green emission. The as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were shown to be highly stable and soluble in water. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) as well as UV–vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry (PL) were employed to investigate the structures and properties of ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, hemolysis assay was performed to evaluate the biocompatibility of these ZnO nanoparticles in vitro. The results indicate that the as-prepared ZnO nanoparticles have biocompatibility, which make them a promising cell label.     

Yellowish-white photoluminescence from ZnO nanoparticles doped with Al and Li

ZnO nanoparticles codoped with Al and Li were chemically synthesized with a low temperature drying process. They are crystalline and can be made as small as 5 nm. Intense yellowish white photoluminescence was observed from smaller ZnO nanoparticles with a higher concentration of Al and Li. The photoluminescence peak consists of yellow and green emission bands. Both peak intensities increase with increasing the Al and Li concentrations and with decreasing the size of ZnO nanoparticles. The green and yellow emission bands were attributed to donor–acceptor-pair recombination involving Zn vacancies and lithium as the acceptor state, respectively, and the donor responsible for both emissions to oxygen vacancies. Both enhanced emissions by codoping may be explained by an increase in the number of electrons occupying the deep donor level on account of doping with Al. Although the yellowish white emission decays with time, passivation of the crystallite surface with poly(p-phenylene vinylene) suppresses the degradation. The observed high-intensity and stable yellowish white emission makes PPV-passivated ZnO nanoparticles, codoped with Al and Li, more attractive as a candidate for “white” phosphor.     

Morphology and photoluminescence study of electrodeposited ZnO films

ZnO films on ITO substrates and Au coated ITO substrates were fabricated by using electrodeposition technique. We carried out the experiments by adjusting the concentration of solution, potential, substrate, and temperature. The effect of temperature on the growth of the film has been examined. SEM images have shown that there are several kinds of grown competitions for the deposition of ZnO films, but three kinds of them are dominant. One is the discrete hexagonal column structure, the other is the pentagonal structure, and the third one is of well-oriented hexagonal columns with well-aligned structure. The explanation on the grown competition is discussed. ZnO hexagonal column structures with well-aligned and well-perpendicular to the surface were successfully obtained on Au/ITO substrate in aqueous solvent of electrolyte. Clearly the main columns in the film were obtained by increasing the temperature. Its photoluminescence (PL) study at low temperature exhibited the optical properties as wurtzite ZnO and indicated the existence of macrocrystalline ZnO. A better quality of ZnO columnar structures after annealing was demonstrated from PL analysis and discussion on the existence of 370 nm, 384 nm and 639 nm in the emission bands before and after annealing.     

退火对多晶ZnO薄膜结构与发光特性的影响

用射频反应溅射法在Si（111）衬底上制备了C轴取向的多晶ZnO薄膜，通过不同温度的退火处理，研究了退火对多晶ZnO薄膜结构和发光特性的影响.由x射线衍射得知，随退火温度的升高，晶粒逐渐变大，薄膜中压应力由大变小至出现张应力.光致发光测量发现，样品在430nm附近有一光致发光峰, 峰的强度随退火温度升高而减弱，联合样品电阻率随退火温度升高而逐渐变大的测量及能级图，推测出ZnO薄膜中的蓝光发射主要来源于锌填隙原子缺陷能级与价带顶能级间的跃迁. 关键词： ZnO薄膜 退火 光致发光 射频反应溅射     

退火对ZnO薄膜的结构和光学性质的影响

采用射频磁控溅射法在Si衬底上制备了高c轴择优取向的ZnO薄膜,研究了退火对ZnO薄膜的晶粒尺度和发光光谱的影响。XRD结果显示退火可以改善ZnO薄膜的结构特性,PL谱结果显示退火对ZnO薄膜的发光强度产生很大影响。     

Structure and photoluminescence of VAC-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles by plasma polymerization

A plasma polymerization method was used to modify the surfaces of ZnO nanoparticles, and the effects of plasma surface modification on photoluminescence (PL) property of ZnO nanoparticles were studied. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images revealed that a thin film of vinyl acetate (VAC) polymer layer (∼4 nm) was uniformly deposited on the surfaces of the ZnO nanoparticles. The chemical structure of the polymer layer was identified by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) experiments. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the ZnO nanoparticles was found to be significantly decreased by the deposited plasma films. For the particle of smaller size, the ultrathin film indicated better ultraviolet (UV) shielding ability.     

Structural and photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanoparticles on silicon oxide

Isolated, self assembled ZnO nanoparticles are grown in two steps: by the electron beam evaporation of Zn on oxidised silicon wafers, during which isolated Zn nanodots are grown, and a subsequent annealing in oxygen that results in the desired ZnO nanodots. Low temperature PL measurements of the ZnO nanodots show that the near band edge part of the spectra is dominated by a zero phonon line near 3.36 eV which is an overlap of two emitting lines near 3.363 eV and 3.367 eV. Characterization by TEM and EELS shows that the nanoparticles are zinc oxide single crystals grown with their c-axis perpendicular to the substrate; their distribution, size and crystallinity depend on the deposition parameters of zinc and the growth substrate. We discuss the effect of these parameters on the morphology of the resulting material. Our approach demonstrates a simple method for the growth of high purity isolated ZnO nanodots of similar sizes, distributed uniformly on a large surface. PACS 61.46.Df; 81.05.Dz; 81.07.-b     

Time-resolved photoluminescence on the stimulated emission in polycrystalline ZnO nanoparticles

The detailed room temperature stimulated emission including its optical characteristics from ZnO nanoparticles, which were prepared by a homogenous precipitation method, has been investigated by the time-resolved spectroscopy. The light emission originates from a free exciton recombination at a lower excitation level; the amplified spontaneous emission appears at a moderate excitation level, in which the threshold excitation intensity is 0.65 GW cm⁻². The resonant stimulated emission was observed in ZnO nanoparticles at a higher excitation intensity. Also, the emission lifetime is drastically reduced. Compared to the fluorescence decay curves, the time-resolved spectrum of the stimulated emission suggests the Gaussian-like decay time with only a few of picoseconds. The dynamic processes of lasing behavior and the characteristics of lasing emission in ZnO nanoparticles could provide the information on the crystal quality, the exciton and the lasing action in the particles.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence processes in ZnO thin films grown on sapphire by pulsed laser deposition

Temperature dependence of the photoluminescence (PL) transitions in the range of 10–300 K was studied for ZnO thin films grown on sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. The low temperature PL spectra were dominated by recombination of donor bound excitons (B_X) and their phonon replicas. With increasing temperature, free exciton (F_X) PL and the associated LO phonon replicas increased in intensity at the expense of their bound counterparts. The B_X peak with line width of ∼6 meV at 10 K exhibited thermal activation energy of ∼17 meV, consistent with the exciton-defect binding energy. The separation between the F_X and B_X peak positions was found to reduce with increasing temperature, which was attributed to the transformation of B_X into the shallower donor bound exciton complexes at consecutive lower energy states with increasing temperature, which are possible in ZnO. The energy separation between F_X peak and its corresponding 1-LO phonon replica showed stronger dependence on temperature than that of 2-LO phonon replica. However, their bound counterparts did not exhibit this behavior. The observed temperature dependence of the energy separation between the free exciton and it is LO phonon replicas are explained by considering the kinetic energy of free exciton. The observed PL transitions and their temperature dependence are consistent with observations made with bulk ZnO crystals implying high crystalline and optical quality of the grown films.     

Temperature and concentration dependences of the plutonium-americium alloy resistivity at high temperatures

A many-band model of conductivity is stated in terms of which it is shown qualitatively and quantitatively that interference scattering of conduction electrons may be the main reason for the negative temperature coefficient of resistance in actinide alloys at high temperatures (T > Θ_D). The temperature run of the resistivity in such alloys is completely determined by the balance between coherent and incoherent contributions to electron-impurity-phonon scattering. The model is used to analyze the concentration and temperature dependences of the plutonium and americium alloy resistivity.     

Effect of Ag doping on the photoluminescence properties of ZnO films

ZnO:Ag films were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at various substrate temperatures. The effect of deposition temperature on the structural and the room temperature photoluminescence (RT-PL) properties of ZnO:Ag films was studied. With the deposition temperature rising to 550 °C, the intensity of the near-band edge (NBE) emission at 378 nm decreased and a new emission peak at 399 nm was observed. On the basis of the X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), the X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectra of ZnO:Ag films, and the effects of annealing on the PL, we suggest that the 399 nm emission should be attributed to the electron transition from the conduction band to Ag_Zn-related complexes defects radiative centers above the valence band.     

退火温度对ZnO薄膜结构和发光特性的影响

采用反应射频磁控溅射法在 Si(100)基片上制备了高c轴择优取向的ZnO薄膜，研究了退火温度对ZnO薄膜的晶粒尺度、应力状态、成分和发光光谱的影响，探讨了ZnO薄膜的紫外发光光谱和可见发光光谱与薄膜的微观状态之间的关系.研究结果显示,在600—1000℃退火温度范围内，退火对薄膜的织构取向的影响较小，但薄膜的应力状态和成分有比较明显的变化.室温下光致发光光谱分析发现，薄膜的近紫外光谱特征与薄膜的晶粒尺度和缺陷状态之间存在着明显的对应关系；而近紫外光谱随退火温度升高所呈现的整体峰位红移是各激子峰相对比例变 关键词： ZnO薄膜 退火 光致发光 射频反应磁控溅射 可见光发射     

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence from mono-dispersed Si nanoparticles

The temperature dependence of photoluminescence (PL) from mono-dispersed Si nanoparticles was studied from 4 to 300 K. Si nanoparticles produced by pulsed laser ablation in He background gas were sorted into the 6 nm size range by a differential mobility analyzer (DMA). The spread of the size distribution was narrowed to a geometrical standard deviation _g = 1.05. On decreasing the temperature from 300 to 4 K, the intensity of the PL spectra increased gradually, peaked at about 60 K, and then decreased rapidly. The temperature dependences of the intensity and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) on the PL spectra are discussed in terms of radiative and nonradiative decay rates.     

Density-controlled growth of ZnO nanorods using ZnO nanocrystals-embedded polymer composite

This work focuses on novel synthesis of ZnO nanorods for their potential applications to optoelectronic and electronic nanodevices. The growth density of ZnO nanorods was modulated through controlling of the density of ZnO nanocrystals dispersed on Si substrate. For this, ZnO nanocrystals synthesized via a polyol process were blended with a polymer matrix. ZnO nanocrystals-embedded polymer composite film was generated by spin-coating the mixed solution. Subsequent heat treatment of composite film removed a polymer matrix and left ZnO nanocrystals on the substrate, serving as seeds for the following ZnO nanorod growth. The density of grown ZnO nanorods was well controllable, depending on the density of dispersed ZnO nanocrystals on the substrate, which was varied by the concentration of ZnO nanocrystal-polymer solution.