A novel approach to enhancement of surface properties of CdO films by using surfactant: dextrin

We studied the effect of an organic surfactant, dextrin, concentration on structural, morphological and optical properties of nanostructured CdO films deposited on glass substrates by using an easy and low-cost SILAR method. Microstructures of the nanostructured CdO films were optimized by adjusting dextrin concentration. XRD, SEM and UV–Vis Spectroscopy were used to study phase structure, surface morphology and optical properties of CdO films. Furthermore, effects of dextrin concentration on the surface roughness characteristics of CdO samples were reported. The results showed that the presence of organic surfactant highly affected the physical properties of CdO nanomaterials.     

Near infrared transparent conducting CdO nanocrystallite films codoped with boron and hydrogen

Thin films of boron and hydrogen-codoped CdO (B&H-codoped CdO) oxide with different boron content have been prepared on glass and silicon substrates. The effects of codoping on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of the host CdO films were systematically studied. The structural study shows that doped boron ions occupied locations in interstitial positions and/or Cd²⁺-ion vacancies of CdO lattice. The bandgap of B-doped CdO shrinks by 25-38% compare to hydrogenated CdO. Such bandgap narrowing was phenomenological studied in the framework of the available models. The electrical behaviours show that all the prepared B&H-doped CdO films are degenerate semiconductors. However, the hydrogenated 7.9% boron doped CdO has resistivity of 1.52 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, mobility of 47.5 cm²/V s, and carrier concentration of 8.6 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. The optoelectronic measurements in visible and NIR spectral range demonstrate the utility of the oxide/p-Si heterojunction in photodetection applications.     

Formation of CdO films from chemically deposited Cd(OH)2 films as a precursor

Formation of cadmium hydroxide at room temperature onto glass substrates from an aqueous alkaline cadmium nitrate solution using a simple soft chemical method and its conversion to cadmium oxide (CdO) by thermal annealing treatment has been studied in this paper. The as-deposited film was given thermal annealing treatment in oxygen atmosphere at 450 °C for 2 h for conversion into cadmium oxide. The structural, surface morphological and optical studies were performed for as-deposited and the annealed films. The structural analyses revealed that as-deposited films consists of mixture of Cd(OH)₂ and CdO, while annealed films exhibited crystalline CdO. From surface morphological studies, conversion of clusters to grains after annealing was observed. The band gap energy was changed from 3.21 to 2.58 eV after annealing treatment. The determination of elementals on surface composition of the core-shell nanoparticles of annealed films was carried out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

Optimize the thermoelectric performance of CdO ceramics by doping Zn

The thermoelectric performance of CdO ceramics was enhanced by simultaneously optimizing the electrical and thermal transport properties via a small amount of Zn doping(≤3%). The introduction of Zn can obviously increase the electrical conductivity of CdO due to the simultaneous increase of carrier concentration and mobility, and eventually results in an improvement in power factor. Zn doping is also effective in suppressing the thermal conductivity of CdO because of stronger phonon scatterings from point defects, Zn-riched second phase, and grain boundaries. A best ZT of about 0.45 has been achieved in the Cd_(1-x)Zn_xO systems at about 1000 K, which is comparable to the highest values reported for other n-type oxide TE materials.     

Electrical and thermal transport properties of CdO ceramics

High temperature electrical and thermal transport properties, that is, electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity, of CdO ceramics have been investigated. Because of the good electrical properties and low thermal conductivity, the dimensionless figure-of-merit ZT of the CdO ceramics reaches 0.34 at 1023 K. This value is comparable to the best reported ZT for the n-type oxide ceramic thermoelectric materials and remains as potential to be further improved by porosity controlling or nanostructuring.     

Effect of indium doping in CdO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

Preparation of transparent and conducting indium doped CdO thin films by spray pyrolysis on glass substrate is reported for various concentration of indium (2-8 wt%) in the spray solution. The electrical, optical and structural properties of indium doped CdO films were investigated using different techniques such as Hall measurement, optical transmission, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. X-ray analysis shows that the undoped CdO films are preferentially orientated along (2 0 0) crystallographic direction. Increase of indium doping concentration increases the films packing density and reorient the crystallites along (1 1 1) plane. A minimum resistivity of 4.843×10⁻⁴ Ω cm and carrier concentration of 3.73×10²⁰ cm⁻³ with high transmittance in the range 300-1100 nm were achieved for 6 wt% indium doping. The band gap value increases with doping concentration and reaches a maximum of 2.72 eV for 6 wt% indium doping from 2.36 eV of that of undoped film. The minimum resistivity achieved in the present study is found to be the lowest among the reported values for In-doped CdO films prepared by spray pyrolysis method.     

Ca2+掺杂对CdO多晶热电性能的影响

以CaCO₃作为Ca²⁺源, 利用传统固相烧结法制备了Cd_1-xCa_xO (x=0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05) 多晶块体样品并研究了Ca²⁺掺杂对CdO高温热电性能的影响. CaCO₃的掺入会导致CdO多晶载流子浓度降低, 使Cd_1-xCa_xO的电阻率ρ和塞贝克系数的绝对值|S|增大、电子热导率κ_e减小. 同时, 在CdO中掺入CaCO₃会引入点缺陷和气孔并可抑制CdO晶粒长大、晶界增多, 从而增加了对声子的散射, 使样品的声子热导率κ_p减小. 由于总热导率的大幅降低, Cd_0.99Ca_0.01O多晶样品在1000 K时的热电优值ZT可达0.42, 比本征CdO提高了约27%, 为迄今n型氧化物热电材料报道的最好结果之一.     

Facile synthesis of group-I elements (K,Li and Na)-doped nanostructured CdO films

In this study, we report an application of facile and low-cost successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method to investigate nanostructured CdO films. We have tried to enhance some physical properties of nanostructured CdO films by group-I (K, Li and Na) elements doping. The crystal structures, morphology, absorption, transmittance, reflectance behaviour and optical band gap values of CdO films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy techniques. XRD analysis reveals formation of CdO cubic crystalline structure. From these characterizations, it was seen that there are important distinctions in the structural, morphological and optical properties of undoped and K-, Li- and Na-doped nanostructured CdO films.     

Structural,morphological and optical properties of PEDOT:PSS/QDs nano-composite films prepared by spin-casting

This paper describes the structural, morphological and optical properties of the nano-composite of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and quantum dots (QDs). The ZnSe and CdSe QDs have been synthesized, with the aid of Mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), by a colloidal method with an average size of ~5 to 7 nm. QDs have been embedded in PEDOT:PSS using a simple solution processing approach and has been deposited as thin films by spin coating technique. The QDs embedded PEDOT:PSS enhances the light absorption spectra of samples, prominently in terms of absorption intensity which may consequently improve sensitivity of the optoelectronic devices.     

Investigation of chemical bath deposition of CdO thin films using three different complexing agents

Chemical bath deposition of CdO thin films using three different complexing agents, namely ammonia, ethanolamine, and methylamine is investigated. CdSO₄ is used as Cd precursor, while H₂O₂ is used as an oxidation agent. As-grown films are mainly cubic CdO₂, with some Cd(OH)₂ as well as CdO phases being detected. Annealing at 400 °C in air for 1 h transforms films into cubic CdO. The calculated optical band gap of as-grown films is in the range of 3.37-4.64 eV. Annealed films have a band gap of about 2.53 eV. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy of as-grown films reveals cadmium to oxygen ratio of 1.00:1.74 ± 0.01 while much better stoichiometry is obtained after annealing, in accordance with the X-ray diffraction results. A carrier density as high as 1.89 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and a resistivity as low as 1.04 × 10⁻² Ω-cm are obtained.     

Lu~(3+)掺杂对CdO陶瓷电、热输运性能的影响

利用传统固相烧结法制备了Cd1-xLuxO(x=0%,0.1%,0.5%,0.75%,1.0%,1.25%,1.5%,2%)陶瓷样品并研究了Lu3+掺杂对其电、热输运性能的影响.随着Lu3+掺杂浓度的增大,Cd1-xLuxO样品的室温载流子浓度持续增大而其迁移率表现出先增大后减小的趋势.在300—1000 K测试温度区间内,Cd1-xLuxO的电导率表现出金属电导行为且其电导率和热导率均随着Lu3+掺杂浓度的增大而升高;塞贝克系数在整个测试区间内均为负值,其随温度和载流子浓度的变化关系可用自由电子模型描述.     

Synthesis and Raman signature for the formation of CdO/MnO2 (core/shell) nanostructures

In the present report, bare CdO and CdO/MnO₂ core/shell nanostructures of various cores and different shell sizes were synthesized using co‐precipitation method. The phase, size, shape and structural details of the bare CdO and CdO/MnO₂ nanostructures were investigated by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy measurements. TEM micrographs confirm the formation of core/shell nanostructures. The presence of CdO (core) and MnO₂ (shell) crystal phases was determined by analyzing the Raman data of bare CdO and CdO/MnO₂ core/shell nanostructures. The Raman spectra of bare CdO nanostructures contain one broad intense convoluted envelop of three bands in the spectral range of 200–500 cm⁻¹ and a weaker band located at ~940 cm⁻¹. The intensity of these two Raman bands is decreased with the increase of shell size and disappeared completely for the shell size 5.3 ± 1 nm. Further, two new Raman bands appeared at ~451 and ~665 cm⁻¹ for the shell size 1.3 ± 0.1 nm. These two Raman bands are assigned to the deformation of Mn–O–Mn and Mn–O stretching modes of MnO₂. The intensity of these two Raman bands is enhanced with the increase of shell size and attains a maximum value for the shell size 5.3 ± 1 nm. The disappearance of characteristics Raman bands of CdO phase and the appearance of characteristics Raman bands corresponding to MnO₂ phase for nanostructures of shell size 5.3 ± 1 nm authenticate the presence of CdO as core and MnO₂ as shell in the core/shell nanostructures. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxide films of copper prepared by the oxidation of copper sulphide films

Copper sulphide films prepared by reactive evaporation, when heated in air at 500 K, oxidized to Cu₂O after a series of intermediate chemical transitions. Golden yellow coloured Cu₂O films showed a large absorption before the fundamental absorption edge. The optical band gap was found to be (2.29±0.02)eV. When these Cu₂O films were further heated they got converted to CuO and the optical band gap was found to be (2.17±0.02)eV.     

The optical properties of thin erbium films

The effective dielectric constant, ε′₂, of very thin films of erbium on sodium chloride substrates was determined from measurements of normal incidence reflectance and transmittance in the visible spectrum. ε′₂ showed a maximum which moved to longer wavelengths as the film thickness increased. Electron microscopy revealed that the film islands grew flatter and more irregular with thickness. The shape factor of the islands, F, was calculated by a modified Maxwell-Garnett method and became smaller as the film thickness increased.     

Structural and optical properties of chromotrope 2R thin films of different thicknesses

Chromotrope 2R (CHR) films of different thicknesses have been prepared using spin coater. The material has been characterized using FT-IR, DTA and X-ray diffraction. The XRD of the material in powder and thin film forms showed polycrystalline structure with triclinic phase. Preferred orientation at the (1 1 4) plane is observed for the deposited films. Initial indexing of the XRD pattern was performed using “Crystalfire” computer program. Miller indices, h k l, values for each diffraction line in X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum were calculated and indexed for the first time. The DTA thermograms of CHR powder have been recorded in the temperature range 25–350 °C with different heating rates. The spectra of the infra-red absorption allow characterization of vibration modes for the powder and thin film. The effect of film thickness on the optical properties has been studied in the UV-visible-NIR regions. The films show high transmittance exceeding 0.90 in the NIR region λ > 800 nm. The intensity of the absorption peaks for λ < 800 nm are enhanced as the film thickness increase. The absorption bands are attributed to the (π–π*) and (n–π*) molecular transitions. The optical properties have been analyzed according to the single-oscillator model and the dispersion energy parameters as well as the free charge carrier concentration have been determined. The optical energy gap as well as the oscillator strength and electric dipole strength have been calculated.     

Influence of Al doping on microstructure,morphology, optical and photoluminescence properties of pyrolytic ZnO thin films prepared in an ambient atmosphere

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminium (Al) doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been fabricated by spray pyrolysis technique in normal atmospheric condition. Samples of different Al-concentrations (0–5% Al) were deposited at 350 °C onto glass substrate to study the structural, morphological, optical and photoluminescence properties. X-ray diffraction study confirms that the films are polycrystalline having hexagonal structure. SEM images show that the films have rope and tube like morphology. Optical properties, such as transmittance, optical band gap, extinction coefficient, refractive index, optical conductivity, dielectric constants and electron energy loss functions were analyzed and discussed. Results show that the optical parameters have been changed significantly with Al-doping concentration. The photoluminescence spectra indicate that the PL peaks originated from deep level emissions (DLE) with different intensities for ZnO and Al-doped ZnO films.     

Ni掺杂ZnO薄膜的结构与光学特性研究

使用射频磁控溅射法成功制备了不同掺杂浓度（0—7at.%）的ZnO:Ni薄膜.X射线衍射的θ-2θ和摇摆曲线扫描结果表明,5at.%Ni掺杂ZnO薄膜具有沿c轴方向最佳的择优取向生长特性,（002）衍射峰向大角度方向移动揭示了Ni杂质被掺入ZnO晶格中占据Zn位.ZnO:Ni薄膜具有较好的可见光透明特性,拟合发现薄膜的光学带隙随Ni掺杂量的增加由3.272 eV线性降低到3.253 eV.未掺杂薄膜在550 nm处呈现出一个绿色发光峰,掺入Ni杂质后薄膜主要表现了以430 nm为中心的蓝色发光,分析认为它们分别源于薄膜中O空位和Zn填隙缺陷发光. 关键词： ZnO:Ni薄膜 结构特性 光学带隙 光致发光     

丝网印刷FeS2（pyrite）薄膜的结构及光电性能

采用丝网印刷方法制备了FeS₂(pyrite)薄膜，用x射线衍射确定了样品FeS₂(pyrite)薄 膜的 晶体结构，并用Rietveld方法对样品的结构进行了精修，确定了样品的点阵常数、键长、键 角、硫原子占位等结构参数.研究了膜厚对方块电阻、载流子浓度、霍尔迁移率、光能隙等 光电参数的影响. 关键词： 丝网印刷 薄膜 结构 Rietveld方法 光电性能     

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnInO alloy thin films

Indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin films with different percentages of In content (In/[In+Zn]) are synthesized on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering, and the structural, electrical and optical properties of IZO thin films deposited at different In₂O₃ target powers are investigated. IZO thin films grown at different In₂O₃ target sputtering powers show evident morphological variation and different grain sizes. As the In₂O₃ sputtering power rises, the grain size becomes larger and electrical mobility increases. The film grown with an In₂O₃ target power of 100 W displays the highest electrical mobility of 13.5 cm·V^-1·s^-1 and the lowest resistivity of 2.4 × 10^-3 Ω·cm. The average optical transmittance of the IZO thin film in the visible region reaches 80% and the band gap broadens with the increase of In₂O₃ target power, which is attributed to the increase in carrier concentration and is in accordance with Burstein-Moss shift theory.