SiO2 nanoparticles doped nematic liquid crystal system: An experimental investigation on optical and dielectric properties

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) on optical and dielectric properties of BBEA nematic liquid crystal (NLC). For optical analysis the photoluminescence (PL) and UV-absorbance experiments have been performed. The doped system is showing enhancement in the intensity of photoluminescence with varying concentration of nanoparticles. A red shift is observed in the emission spectra of NLC doped with silica nanoparticles. The PL emission peak of NLC is observed at 377.3 nm which is shifted to 379.7 nm in the presence of silica nanoparticles. We have also observed the enhancement in the value of UV absorption for silica doped systems in comparison to the pure system. Energy band gap of pure and doped systems has been calculated and it is found that the energy band gap is decreasing with concentration which is a promising result of this study. The dielectric parameters of the pure and doped NLC systems were carried out as a function of frequency and temperature. Different dielectric parameters such as relative permittivity, loss factor and dielectric conductivity have been measured. The pure and silica nanoparticles doped systems has shown decreased value of dielectric permittivity and loss factor at lower frequency region and at higher frequency regions these values became constant. The value of relative permittivity also decreases with concentration. The increased value of a.c. conductivity for doped systems can be utilized in device designing. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the birefringence (Δn) was determined from the transmitted intensity of light for pure and doped systems and the improvement in its value for both composites has been observed. Improved value of birefringence has pronounced applications in optical devices.     

Photoluminescence study of pure and Li-doped ZnO thin films grown by sol-gel technique

The effect of annealing atmosphere, temperature and aging on the photoluminescence of pure and Li-doped ZnO thin films has been investigated. Annealing the pure ZnO in N₂ and He above 800 °C results in green emission centered at ca. 500 nm; however annealing in air red-shifts the green emission to 527 nm. The visible emission of the Li-doped ZnO is found to be largely dependent on the annealing atmosphere. Warm-white photoluminescence with a broad emission band covering nearly the whole visible spectrum is obtained for the Li-doped ZnO films annealed in helium. The substitutional and interstitial extrinsic point defects created by lithium doping may mediate the relative concentration of the intrinsic defects and thereby tune the intrinsic-defect-related visible emission. The enhanced intensity ratio of near-band-edge ultraviolet emission to deep-level visible emission with aging time may be ascribed to both in-diffusion of oxygen from air and self-diffusion of oxygen interstitials to heal the oxygen vacancies during the aging process.     

X-ray spectroscopic study of the electronic structure of visible-light responsive N-, C- and S-doped TiO2

The electronic origins of the visible-light response of N-, C- and S-doped TiO₂ have been studied using X-ray absorption, X-ray emission, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. New electronic states are observed in the bulk band gap, above the valence band edge of pure TiO₂, which can be directly related to the visible-light absorption of the N-, C- and S-doped TiO₂ materials.     

Enhancement of optical properties and donor-related emissions in Y-doped ZnO

The Zn_1−xY_xO nanoparticles with good optical properties have been prepared by sol–gel method. The yttrium doping effect on the structures and optical properties were investigated by XRD, SEM, XPS and low temperature photoluminescence. The UV emission intensity of yttrium doped ZnO was over 300 times stronger than that of pure ZnO, which was an exciting result in enhancing the ultraviolet near band edge emission in photoluminescence from ZnO nanoparticles. The UV emission band of doped ZnO nanoparticles exhibits a red shift from 388 to 398 nm, indicating a shallow energy level near valence band has been formed due to the yttrium doping into ZnO lattices. The defect-related band is suppressed (I_D/I_UV = 1–0.83) considerably in Zn_1−xY_xO nanoparticles, revealing the quenching of the broad yellow-orange emission. The doping effect on the optical properties is investigated by temperature dependent photoluminescence. The experimental results indicated that the donor level of yttrium is deeper than that of undoped ZnO.     

Nanocrystal and interface defects related photoluminescence in silicon-rich Al2O3 films

In this study, silicon nanocrystal-rich Al₂O₃ film has been prepared by co-sputtering a silicon and alumina composite target and subsequent annealing in N₂ atmosphere. The microstructure of the film has been characterized by infrared (IR) absorption, Raman spectra and UV-absorption spectra. Typical nanocrystal and interface defects related photoluminescence with the photon energy of 1.54 (IR band) and 1.69 eV (R band) has been observed by PL spectrum analysis. A post-annealing process in oxygen atmosphere has been carried out to clarify the emission mechanism. Despite the red shift of the spectra, enhanced emission of the 1.69 eV band together with the weak emission phenomenon of the 1.54 eV band has been found after the post-annealing. The R band is discussed to originate from silicon nanocrystal interface defects. The IR band is concluded to be a coupling effect between electronic and vibrational emissions.     

Fast luminescence processes in KI : In caused by excitation in the a absorption band

The temperature dependence of the decay time (τ) of the luminescence pulses from the 440 nm emission band as well as the rise time (τ_R) of luminescence pulses from the 575 nm emission band has been investigated for KI : In by pulsed light excitation in the A absorption band. From the agreement of τ and τ_R independent of the temperature it can be concluded that the X minimum on the ³T₁₄ adiabatic potential energy surface (APES) is mainly populated by a radiationless transition from the tetragonal T minimum of the same APES.Furthermore, a comparison of parameters for the impurity centre luminescence corresponding to the tetragonal emission band in KI : In and KI : Tl has been drawn.     

Vibronic resonance in spectra of frozen solutions of the C60 fullerene derivatives

This paper reports on a study by site-selective laser spectroscopy of low-temperature broadband fluorescence spectra of N-methyl-2-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-[C₆₀] fulleropyrrolidine (N-MBHPhFP fullerene) molecules embedded in the crystalline toluene matrix. It has been shown that monochromatic laser excitation in the region of vibrational satellites of the pure electronic absorption band initiates structurization of the emission band of a pure electronic transition, which suggests the existence of a set of impurity centers in the crystalline host matrix. An analysis has been made of the factors accounting for replacement of the wide, inhomogeneously broadened band by a series of narrow bands, with the most essential of them being the weakness of electron-phonon coupling in the impurity center, the absence of electronic excitation transfer between the centers, and the vibronic resonance in the excited state of the set of centers. Vibration frequencies of the N-MBHPhFP fullerene in the excited electronic state have been determined.     

Thermoluminescence and recovery processes in pure and doped NaCl after 20 K irradiation

The thermoluminescence (TL) spectra after X-ray irradiation at 20 K have been investigated for pure as well as divalent cation doped NaCl. The F-centre decay has also been determined in pure and Ca and Mg doped NaCl for comparison purposes. A clear decrease in F-centre concentration appears to correlate with glow peaks at 44 and 50 K for pure and Ca-doped samples. Main glow peak appearing at 69 K is not associated to any appreciable F-centre decay step. Below liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT) all peaks show both σ and π exciton emission bands. Above LNT, the glow peaks for doped samples show the σ emission together with another band at 410 nm, whereas pure samples still present the intrinsic emission bands.     

A model for the ∼ 1.10eV emission band in InP

A study of the emission band present in InP has been made at temperatures between 4.2 and 280 K. The emission spectrum has phonon-structure at lower temperatures. The observed band shape and band-peak position are well explained by the configuration coordinate model. The coupling strength S, a measure of the lattice-localized center interaction, ranges from 1.7 to 3.5. A nearest-neighbor molecular-like defect center (Fe)_In—(V)_p appears to be responsible for the 1.10eV emission band.     

Characterization of an intermediate case exciton in the emission of Cd-doped and pure AgBr

Abstract

Pulsed emission data and ODMR spectra of the 580 nm band provide evidence for an intermediate case exciton in pure and Cd²⁺-doped AgBr. This interpretation is based on the observed g-factor and the absence of a wavelength shift of the emission after pulsed excitation in pure AgBr. It is supported by the response of the ODMR spectra as the microwave modulation frequency is changed. The two central ODMR lines observed in AgBr (g = 1. 78) are assigned to transitions from the m_s=±1 levels to the m_s = 0 level of an intermediate case triplet exciton, which has an exchange coupling (singlet-triplet splitting) of -1. 9 ± 0. 2 cm^?1.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by dc magnetron sputtering

ZnO and Al-doped ZnO(ZAO) thin films have been prepared on glass substrates by direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering from 99.99% pure Zn metallic and ZnO:3 wt%Al₂O₃ ceramic targets, the effects of substrate temperature on the crystallization behavior and optical properties of the films have been studied. It shows that the surface morphologies of ZAO films exhibit difference from that of ZnO films, while their preferential crystalline growth orientation revealed by X-ray diffraction remains always the (0 0 2). The optical transmittance and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of both ZnO and ZAO films are obviously influenced by the substrate temperature. All films exhibit a transmittance higher than 86% in the visible region, while the optical transmittance of ZAO films is slightly smaller than that of ZnO films. More significantly, Al-doping leads to a larger optical band gap (E_g) of the films. It is found from the PL measurement that near-band-edge (NBE) emission and deep-level (DL) emission are observed in pure ZnO thin films. However, when Al was doped into thin films, the DL emission of the thin films is depressed. As the substrate temperature increases, the peak of NBE emission has a blueshift to region of higher photon energy, which shows a trend similar to the E_g in optical transmittance measurement.     

16 μm emission from a chemical hydrogen fluoride TE laser

A number of emission lines within the wavelength range from 12.7 to 17 μm originating from pure rotational transitions in hydrogen fluoride have been observed in a chemical HF-TE laser. The operational conditions have been optimized for the 16.02 μm line which is due to the rotational J(16→15) transition in the vibrational ground state of the HF molecules. This line is in the near vicinity of the v₃ UF₆ absorption band.     

Unique combination of zero–one–two dimensional carbon–titania hybrid for cold cathode application

A unique multi-dimensional hybrid system has been developed by incorporating titania nanoparticle into chemically synthesized amorphous carbon nanotubes (a-CNTs)-amorphous graphene composites. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy; Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The microscopic studies confirm the attachment of the TiO₂ nanoparticles on carbon structures. The performance of the both the pure and hybrid samples as cold cathode emitter has been investigated and it has been found that cold emission performance of the pure carbon system improves considerably after TiO₂ nanoparticles being added to it giving a turn on field as low as 2.1 V/μm and enhancement factor 2746. The enhancement of field emission characteristic after TiO₂ addition was justified from the ‘ANSYS- Maxwell’ software based simulation study.     

X-ray stimulated luminescence in MgO

Studies have been made of the emission spectrum of MgO crystals induced by X-irradiation at 90 K. Two bands (half-widths ～0.8 eV) were observed to peak at 4.95 and 3.2 eV, respectively, in high purity crystals. Doping with 100 ppm or greater of Fe, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, and Ni suppressed the luminescence, though in the MgO:Ni crystal the 2.3 eV Ni²⁺ band due to the ¹T_2g→³A_2g transition was observed. In deuterium-doped crystals the ratio of the intensity of 3.2–4.95 eV emission was found to be 1.2 as compared to 8 for the undoped crystals. Prior exposure of the pure crystals to ionizing radiation enhances the 4.95 eV band by a factor of three while not affecting the 3.2 eV band. This enhancement of intensity decays in several stages upon standing at room temperature in a way that reflects the thermal stability of the various components of the composite V-band absorption. These facts together with the observation that the 210 K thermoluminescence peak is composed entirely of 4.95 eV emission indicate that this luminescence band is associated with the recombination of an electron with a hole located in a V-type center, i.e. O?□ + e → (O²?□)1 → O²?□ + 4.95 eV, where the square indicates that the perturbing positive ion vacancy is adjacent to the oxugen ion which has captured the hole. In MgO:Li⁺, which exhibits no V-type centers upon irradiation, the 4.95 eV band was absent and a 2.9 eV emission which may be associated with recombination at the [Li]⁰ center was observe.     

Enhancement in UV emission and band gap by Fe doping in ZnO thin films

Enhancement of the optical band gap of ZnO from 3.14 to 3.29 eV has been obtained using Fe dopant. Undoped and doped ZnO films are deposited by sol-gel spin coating. XRD patterns indicate polycrystalline nature and hexagonal wurtzite structure of Zn_1?xFe_xO films. EDX analysis confirms the presence of iron dopant. The photoluminescence spectra show an ultraviolet emission peak at 398 nm (NBE emission) and defect emission peak at 485 nm. Intensity of the NBE emission is much higher for the doped samples with its ratio to defect emission intensity highest for 2 at. %doping. The NBE emission shifts to higher energy with increasing dopant concentration in a manner similar to that exhibited by the band gap. Surface morphology has been studied using FESEM.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of MnO2 nanowires: structural characterizations,optical and magnetic properties

In this paper, 1D single-crystalline MnO₂ nanowires have been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method using KMnO₄ and (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ as raw materials. X-ray diffraction patterns and high-resolution TEM images reveal pure tetragonal MnO₂ phase with diameters of 15–20 nm. Photoluminescence studies exhibited a strong ultraviolet (UV) emission band at 380 nm, blue emission at 452 nm and an extra weak defect-related green emission at 542 nm. UV–visible spectrophotometery was used to determine the absorption behavior of nanostructured MnO₂ and a direct optical band gap of 2.5 eV was acquired by Davis–Mott model. The magnetic properties of the products have been evaluated using vibrating sample magnetometer, which showed that MnO₂ nanowires exhibited a superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. The magnetization versus temperature curve of the as-obtained MnO₂ nanowires shows that antiferromagnetic transition temperature is 99 K.     

Luminescence and energy transfer mechanisms in CaWO4 single crystals

The processes of the excitation energy transfer to the emission centers have been investigated for calcium tungstate crystals taking into account features of the electronic structure of valence band and conduction band. The calculations of the electronic structure of host lattice CaWO₄ were performed in the framework of density functional theory. The underestimation of the bandgap value in the calculations has been corrected according to the experimental data. Luminescence of two samples grown using Czochralski (cz) and hydrothermal (ht) techniques were studied. Intrinsic emission band related to excitons, self-trapped on WO₄ complexes has been observed for the both samples while the additional low-energy emission band related to the defects of crystal structure has been observed only for (ht) sample indicating the enhanced concentration of the defects in the sample. It was shown that the features of the conduction band electronic structure are reproduced in the excitation spectrum of intrinsic luminescence only for the (ht) sample while for (cz) sample the correlation is absent. The enhanced role of the competitive channels in the process of excitation energy transfer to intrinsic emission centers in (ht) sample is responsible for the observed difference.     

Chemical shifts in the x-ray emission spectra of MgB<Subscript>2</Subscript> and their correlation with the electronic structure

The x-ray emission spectra of magnesium diboride MgB₂ are measured. It is found that the Mg L_2,3 and B K_α emission lines are shifted with respect to the spectra of the pure metals toward the low-energy range. The band calculations of the MgB₂ diboride in the framework of the full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) method demonstrate that the electron populations of the shells in both components of MgB₂ are higher than those of pure metals. This increase in the electron populations is associated with the crystal contraction and manifests itself in low-energy shifts of the emission lines.     

Study of the precipitation behavior of NaCl:Pb and KCl:Pb by optical spectroscopy2

The aggregation and precipitation behavior of lead in NaCl and KCl crystals has been systematically investigated by absorption and luminescence spectroscopy. For NaCl, absorption bands at 265 and 285 nm have been identified which correspond to intermediate stages in the formation of a double band (262–266 nm) associated with PbCl₂ precipitates. The kinetics of growth during ageing as well as the thermal annihilation behavior have been obtained for all bands. The emission spectra for excitation at those absorption bands have also been determined. For KCl, absorption bands at 265 and 280 nm develop during ageing at 160 and 200°C and their growth-rate is markedly enhanced by plastic straining. Their emission spectra involve a main band at $\text{\$}\text{?}$550 nm. In contrast to NaCl, no stage has been found where those absorption bands feed into a final band, which could be associated with PbCl₂ precipitates.     

Investigation of electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films grown with O<Subscript>2</Subscript>/O<Subscript>3</Subscript> gas mixture

The electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films grown with an O₂/O₃ gas mixture are compared with samples grown with pure oxygen gas. The ZnO films were grown on sapphire(0001) by pulsed laser deposition. The residual background carrier concentration is reduced by using an O₂/O₃ gas mixture as compared to pure molecular oxygen. In particular, a one order of magnitude reduction in residual background carrier density (6.15×10¹⁶ cm^-3) is achieved by using an O₂/O₃ gas mixture. The lower donor defect density is attributed to the generation of acceptor defects compensating for the residual donor defects. Photoluminescence results show that the deep level emission increased and the band edge emission decreased for the ZnO films grown with ozone, as compared to the samples grown with pure oxygen gas. PACS 73.61.Ga; 78.55Et; 81.05 Dz; 81.15.Fg