Laser gain by electron collisional pumping of Ar VII–V XII

Gain coefficients have been calculated for transitions of singlet levels ns–np of orbital n=4 and n=5 in magnesium-like ions with atomic numbers Z=18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. Population inversions for 4p and 5p levels in these ions were also calculated, via electron collisional excitation, for electron temperature range of 93–231 eV and electron density range of 10¹⁶–10¹⁷ cm⁻³. Under these plasma conditions, the maximum gain that occurred for 4s–4p transition was at electron temperature of 231 eV and electron density of 4×10¹⁷ cm⁻³. Scaling of the maximum gain coefficients with atomic number Z and the plasma parameters is also presented.     

Field emission and room temperature ferromagnetism properties of triangle-like ZnO nanosheets

Triangle-like ZnO nanosheets have been synthesized via conventional thermal evaporation method at a low temperature of 550 °C using CuO as catalyst. The obtained samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The great influences of Cu catalyst on the morphology of the obtained ZnO nanostructures were investigated. The field emission measurements confirmed that the ZnO nanosheets possessed good performance with a turn-on field of 3.1 V μm⁻¹ and a field enhancement factor of 3250, which have promising application as a competitive cathode material in FE microelectronic devices. Room temperatures ferromagnetism has been observed in the triangle-like ZnO nanosheets, although the products consist of only nonmagnetic elements.     

Electrical and optical characteristics of various PPV derivatives (MEH-PPV, CzEH-PPV, OxdEH-PPV)

To investigate the electrical characteristics of polymer based light emitting diode (LED) devices, we fabricated the hole transport device (HTD) and the electron transport device (ETD). The ITO and Au with high work function were used as electrodes for the HTD, and the Al and Li:Al with low work function were used for the ETD. The active layer materials were poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV), poly[2-(N-carbazolyl)-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (CzEH-PPV), and poly[2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-5(2-ethylhexoxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (OxdEH-PPV). We measured the current density–applied field (J–E) characteristics of the HTD and ETD with various thickness at different temperatures. The results of the J–E curves were analyzed by using tunneling model, space charge limited conduction (SCLC) model, etc. In the SCLC model, the mobility of the hole and the electron of MEH-PPV is 10⁻⁶ and 10⁻⁸ cm²/Vs, respectively. For CzEH-PPV and OxdEH-PPV, the hole mobility is similar to the value of the electron mobility with 10⁻¹⁰ cm²/Vs. The luminescent efficiency of CzEH-PPV or OxdEH-PPV is higher than that of MEH-PPV. The results of photoconductivity of the systems qualitatively agrees with the result of the electrical measurement. We analyze that the balance of the electron and the hole mobility plays an important role for the efficiency of the LEDs.     

Preparation of carbon nanotubes-incorporated polymeric microspheres for electrorheological fluids

Electrically conducting polymeric microspheres having an average diameter of 92 μm were prepared from composites of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and suspension-polymerized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) particles. Cetyl trimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate were selected as the surfactants to stably disperse the MWCNTs in water. Strong adhesion of MWCNTs on the surfaces of the PVC microspheres was observed from the images obtained by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The amount of MWCNTs adsorbed on the microspheres was approximately 2 wt.%, determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The electrical conductivity of these composite-microspheres was remarkably increased upto 1.5 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm compared with that of the pure PVC microspheres (less than 10⁻¹⁴ S/cm), because of the electrically conducting MWCNTs on their surfaces. These microspheres also showed an electrorheological (ER) effect under an electric field (1.8 kV/mm) owing to the interfacial polarization of the MWCNTs-adsorbed microspheres, when they were dispersed in silicone oil (20 wt.%). The MWCNT-adsorbed PVC microspheres formed linear structures by electric force; i.e. the individual microspheres were connected to neighboring microspheres.     

Modification of photonic properties in porphyrin-infiltrated opal crystals

Structural, optical and magnetic properties of porphyrin-infiltrated opal hybrid structures were investigated. Bulk samples of synthetic opal were grown by sedimentation technique from colloidal solution of SiO₂ spheres of diameter 250 nm. The structure of the samples was examined by atomic force microscopy. The photonic properties of crystals were investigated by optical measurements in transmission and reflection modes. The stop band was observed in the region 510–550 nm. The photonic properties of synthetic opal crystals were modified by infiltration with aqueous basic solution of iron–porphyrin (FeTPPS) of concentration 1.0 mM. In hybrid samples the absorption bands typical of FeTPPS were observed in the vicinity of the opal stop band. Magnetic properties of FeTPPS-infiltrated opal samples have been studied at 5–300 K in magnetic fields up to 5 T. The FeTPPS-infiltrated opal crystals can be considered as the structures perspective for magnetophotonic devices.     

The size distributions of nanoparticles of the oxides of Mg, Ba and Al in flames: Their measurement and dependence on the concentrations of free radicals in the flame

Flat, pre mixed, laminar, and very O₂-rich flames of C₂H₂ + O₂ + N₂ with [O₂]/[O₂]_stoich  2.8 and a temperature 2000 K have been burned at atmospheric pressure. Trace amounts (13 ppm) of the metals Mg, Ba or A1 were added to the unburnt gases by nebulising an aqueous solution of a halide of the metal, so that e.g., Mg formed molecules of Mg(OH)₂, MgOH and MgO, as well as free atoms of Mg. The relative abundances of these species were governed by well-characterised equilibria and consequently depended on the temperature and also the concentrations of the flame’s free radicals H, OH and O. Transmission electron microscopy showed that nanoparticles of the oxides of these metals formed from their pool of molecular species in these flames. Particle size distributions were also measured (much less tediously) with a mobility analyser (DMS 500, Cambustion) operating at 0.25 bara. The optimal way of continuously sampling the gases at a point along the flame’s axis was investigated and shown to require expanding the sample (to a pressure of 1/3 bara) supersonically through an orifice with a diameter greater than 0.4 mm. In addition, the sample had to be diluted with N₂, with a volumetric flow rate of 10–20 times that of the sample, all at 1/3 bara. The sizes of oxide nanoparticles, as measured by transmission electron microscopy, agreed with the values of 6–10 nm from the mobility analyser. With Mg all the metal appeared very rapidly as nearly spherical nanoparticles of MgO early in a flame’s reaction zone. This was also true for Ba, which, according to thermodynamic considerations at the final temperature of the flame, should not form any particles of BaO. That particles do actually form is due to the reaction zone having a relatively low temperature and super-equilibrium concentrations of the free radicals H, OH and O. Aluminium was expected to form particles of A1₂O₃. However, only a small fraction of the Al formed particles; this is attributed to the production of gas-phase molecules of Al₂O₃ (i.e., the nuclei) from AlO and AlO₂ being by a relatively slow three-body reaction, as well as Al₂O₃ being a very minor member of the gas-phase pool of molecular species containing Al.     

Dependence of flame propagation on pressure and pressurizing gas for an Al/CuO nanoscale thermite

The pressure dependence of flame propagation in an Al/CuO nanoscale thermite was studied. Experiments were performed by loosely packing the Al/CuO mixture in an instrumented burn tube, which was placed in a large volume, constant pressure chamber with optical windows. A high-speed camera was used to take photographic data, and six pressure transducers equally spaced along the length of the burn tube were used to measure the local transient pressure. Ambient pressures were varied between 0 and 15 MPa, and three different pressurizing gases were used: argon, helium, and nitrogen. Three modes of propagation were observed. The pressure at which the mode of propagation changed was similar for argon and nitrogen, however, when pressurized with helium, transition occurred at lower pressures. In the low-pressure regime (0–2 MPa) a constant velocity mode with speeds on the order of 1000 m/s was observed. In this region, a convective mode of propagation was dominant. An accelerating regime was observed for a pressure range of approximately 2–5 MPa in argon and nitrogen, with speeds ranging from 100 to 800 m/s. In helium, however, if an accelerating region existed it occurred over a narrow pressure range which was not observed in the present experiments. An oscillating regime was observed in all three gases, in a pressure range of 5–9 MPa for argon and nitrogen, and a range of 2–4 MPa for helium. Velocities in this region are bimodal, and differ by orders of magnitude, suggesting that the propagation mechanism was oscillating between convective and conductive. At relatively high ambient pressures, a constant velocity mode with speeds on the order of 1 m/s was observed for all three gases. The conductive mode of propagation was likely dominant in this region.     

Sol–gel synthesis of pure nano sized β-tricalcium phosphate crystalline powders

β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nano powders (80 nm) were synthesized using a simple sol–gel route with calcium nitrate and potassium dihydrogenphosphate as calcium and phosphorus precursors, respectively. Double distilled water was used as a diluting media for β-TCP sol preparation and ammonia was used to adjust the pH. After aging, the β-TCP gel was dried at 40 °C and calcined to different temperatures ranging from 200 to 800 °C. The dried and calcined powders were characterized for phase composition using X-ray diffractrometry (XRD) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The particle size and morphology was studied using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Calcination revealed that with increase in temperature, both the crystallinity and crystallite size of β-TCP particles increased. Particle size distribution analysis of the calcined β-TCP at 800 °C showed a narrow skewed distribution plot centered between 70 and 80 nm. This value was in closed agreement with particle size values obtained from XRD analysis (83 ± 6 nm). The present study showed that narrowly distributed, high crystalline, pure β-TCP could be obtained using this simple technique for biomedical applications.     

Fabrication of ZnO nanorod array-based photodetector with high sensitivity to ultraviolet

Large scale densely packed and vertically oriented ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on F-doped SnO₂ (FTO) substrates through a simple hydrothermal synthesis route. Based on the arrays of hexagonal ZnO nanorod with size of 60100 nm in diameter, and 1.5 μm in length, a prototypical photoelectrical device was fabricated for ultraviolet detection, showing good reproducibility and a large photocurrent of around 6.71 mA at the applied voltage of 0.4 V. The large photocurrent and the ohmic I–V characteristics of the ZnO nanorods under the illumination could be ascribed to the decrease of the barrier height among the ZnO nanorods and the Schottky barrier between the nanorods and the Au electrodes and, in particular, to the accumulation of conduction electrons, resulted from the neutralization between photogenerated holes and negatively charged oxygen ions. The photoresponse curve is well fitted to an exponential curve with the relaxation time constant of 9 s in rising edge and 90 s in decaying one, representing the accumulation of conduction electrons. These well-aligned ZnO nanostructures of high quality could be easily fabricated by a cost-effective chemical route and used for constructing nanoscale devices with excellent performances.     

Ordered ultra thin ZnO films on metal substrate

Ultra thin ZnO films were prepared on metal Mo(1 1 0) substrate under ultrahigh vacuum conditions either by depositing Zn in 10⁻⁵ Pa oxygen or by oxidizing pre-deposited Zn films. The films were characterized in situ by various surface analytical techniques, including Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies, low energy electron diffraction and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The results indicate that a long-range ordered and stoichiometric ZnO films are formed along its [0 0 0 1] direction. The annealing experiments show that as-prepared ZnO films are thermal stable until 800 K. This study provides constructive information to further understand the growth mechanism of ZnO films on different substrates.     

Effect of the synthesis route on the structural properties and shape of the indium oxide (In2O3) nano-particles

Nano-crystalline indium oxide (In₂O₃) particles have been synthesized by sol–gel and hydro-thermal techniques. A simple hydro-alcoholic solution consisting indium nitrate hydrate and citric acid (in sol–gel method) and 1, 4-butandiol (in hydro-thermal method) have been utilized. The structural properties of indium oxide nano-powders annealed at 450 °C (for both methods) have been characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and specific surface area (SSA) analysis. Structural analysis of the samples shows cubic phase in sol–gel and cubic-hexagonal phase mixture in hydro-thermally prepared particles. The nano-particles prepared by sol–gel method have nearly spherical shape, whereas hydro-thermally-made ones display wire- and needle-like shape in addition to the spherical shape. The obtained In₂O₃ nano-particles surface areas were 23.2 and 55.3 in sol–gel and hydro-thermal methods, respectively. The optical direct band gap of In₂O₃ nano-particles were determined to be 4.32 and 4.24 eV for sol–gel and hydro-thermal methods, respectively. These values exhibit 0.5 eV blue shift from that the bulk In₂O₃ (3.75 eV), which is related to the particle size reduction and approaching the quantum confinement limit of nano-particles.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence from ZnO/MgZnO multiple quantum wells grown by pulsed laser deposition

We have studied temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) from ZnO Multiple Quantum Wells (MQWs) of different well layer thicknesses in the range 1–4 nm grown on (0001) sapphire by a novel in-house developed buffer assisted pulsed laser deposition. At 10 K the PL peak shifted toward blue with decreasing well layer thickness and at constant well layer thickness the PL peak shifted towards red with increasing temperature. To the best of our knowledge we have observed for the first time an efficient room temperature (RT) PL emanating from such MQWs. The red shift of the PL peak with increasing temperature has been found to be due to the band gap shrinkage in accordance with the Varshni’s empirical relation. The spectral linewidth was found to increase with increasing temperature due to the scattering of excitons with acoustic and optical phonons in different temperature regimes. Both at RT and at 10 K the PL peak shifted with respect to the well layer thickness in the range of 3.35–3.68 eV with decreasing thickness in agreement with the calculated values.     

Carbon nanotube–polymer composites for photonic devices

We report the fabrication of high optical quality single wall carbon nanotube polyvinyl alcohol composites and their application in nanotube based photonic devices. These show a broad absorption of semiconductor tubes centred at 1.55 μm, the spectral range of interest for optical communications. The films are used as mode-lockers in an erbium doped fibre laser, achieving 700 fs mode-locked pulses. Raman spectroscopy shows no damage after a long time continuous laser operation.     

Vertical electron transport study in GaN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

In this work, we investigate the electronic structure and vertical electron transport through GaN/AlN/GaN single-barrier structures with different AlN thickness, grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Conductive and capacitive characterization has been performed, and the experimental results are interpreted by comparison with 1D self-consistent simulations. Capacitive measurements reveal a complete depletion of the top GaN layer, and the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas at the bottom interface of the AlN barrier, even for barrier thicknesses of 0.5 nm (2 monolayers of AlN). Conductive atomic force microscopy reveals discrete leakage current locations with a density of 10⁷ cm⁻², more than one order of magnitude lower than the dislocation density in these samples. These results are promising for the fabrication of resonant tunnelling diodes using the GaN/AlN material system.     

The microwave induced resistance response of a high mobility 2DEG from the quasi-classical limit to the quantum Hall regime

Microwave induced resistance oscillations (MIROs) were studied experimentally over a very wide range of frequencies ranging from 20 GHz up to 4 THz, and from the quasi-classical regime to the quantum Hall effect regime. At low frequencies regular MIROs were observed, with a periodicity determined by the ratio of the microwave to cyclotron frequencies. For frequencies below 150 GHz the magnetic field dependence of MIROs waveform is well described by a simplified version of an existing theoretical model, where the damping is controlled by the width of the Landau levels. In the THz frequency range MIROs vanish and only pronounced resistance changes are observed at the cyclotron resonance. The evolution of MIROs with frequency is presented and discussed.     

Quantum confinement and interface structure of Si nanocrystals of sizes 3–5 nm embedded in a-SiO2

Spectroscopic ellipsometry and Monte Carlo simulations are employed to answer the fundamental question whether the energy gaps of Si nanocrystals with sizes in the range of 3–5 nm, which are embedded in amorphous silica, follow or deviate from the quantum confinement model, and to examine their interfacial structure. It is shown that the optical properties of these nanocrystals are well described by the Forouhi–Bloomer interband model. Analysis of the optical measurements over a photon-energy range of 1.5–5 eV shows that the gap of embedded nanocrystals with a mean size of 3.9 nm follows closely quantum confinement theory. A large band gap expansion (0.65 eV) compared to bulk Si is observed. The Monte Carlo simulations reveal a non-abrupt interface and a large fraction of interface oxygen bonds. This, in conjunction with the experimental observations, indicates that oxygen states and the chemical disorder at the interface have a negligible influence on the optical properties of the material in this size regime.     

From Zn microspheres to hollow ZnO microspheres: A simple route to the growth of large scale metallic Zn microspheres and hollow ZnO microspheres

Large scale metallic Zn microspheres and hollow ZnO microspheres are synthesized by thermal evaporation and vapor transport by heating a ZnO/graphite mixture at 1000 °C. Firstly, metallic Zn microspheres are fabricated with diameters in the range of 1–10 μm. The Zn microspheres are then annealed at 600 °C in air, which form hollow semiconducting ZnO microspheres. EDX and XRD spectra reveal that the oxidized material is indeed ZnO. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra of the oxidized material show a sharp peak at 380 nm and a wider broad peak centered at 490 nm. This growth mechanism is discussed and further investigated for other metallic and metal oxide microstructures.     

Synthesis and field emission of patterned ZnO nanorods

A simple and self-catalytic method has been developed for synthesizing finely patterned ZnO nanorods on ITO-glass substrates under a low temperature of 500 °C. The patterned ZnO nanorod arrays, a unit area is of 400 × 100 μm², are synthesized via vapor phase transport method. The surface morphology and composition of the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods are characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The mechanism of formation of ZnO nanorods is also discussed. The measurement of field emission (FE) reveals that the as-synthesized ZnO nanorods arrays have a turn-on field of 3.3 V/μm at the current density of 0.1 μA/cm² and a low threshold field of 6.2 V/μm at the current density of 1 mA/cm². So this approach must have a potential application of fabricating micropatterned oxide thin films used in FE-based flat panel displays.     

Hybrid system of iron porphyrin on aminosilanized c-Si

Adsorption of iron porphyrin (Fe^IIITPPS₄) Fe(III)meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl) porphine on aminosilanized surface of crystalline Si (c-Si) was investigated. Formation of nanometric structures of Fe^IIITPPS₄ on c-Si, the surface of which has been modified by various silanization procedures, was studied. Aqueous, ethanol and acetone solutions of 3-aminopropyltrietoxysilane (APTES) were prepared for deposition on c-Si by spinning or immersion techniques. Smooth homogeneous APTES films of thickness 100–500 nm were produced by multiple spin coating procedure. Thin APTES films of thickness 2.5 nm were fabricated by dipping technique followed by washing procedure. Hybrid system of Fe^IIITPPS₄/APTES/Si was prepared from a drop of Fe^IIITPPS₄ aqueous solution put on aminosilanized Si surface or by dipping the Si wafer in Fe^IIITPPS₄ aqueous solution. Nanostructures of size 50–250 nm were formed along with large rings of Ø50–100 μm which have been observed at chemisorption of highly concentrated (1 mM) Fe^IIITPPS₄ aqueous solution. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to characterize the APTES layer and to investigate the aggregation state of Fe^IIITPPS₄. The studies provided allowed one to presume that covalent bonds were formed between amino-groups of APTES and functional groups of sulfonic acid in porphyrin leading to immobilization of Fe^IIITPPS₄ on Si substrate.     

Neutron polarization analysis on the multiferroic TbMn2O5

Polycrystalline TbMn₂O₅ was prepared by the standard solid-state reaction method and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and magnetization to assure it is of single phase. Heat capacity measurements on the compound reveal an antiferromagnetic phase transition at 45 K. A broad peak below 6 K in the heat capacity measurements corresponds to the crossover transition of Tb³⁺ ordering. To confirm these magnetic orderings, neutron powder diffractions on TbMn₂O₅ with XYZ neutron polarization analysis were performed at the diffuse neutron scattering (DNS) spectrometer, FRJ-II, by using neutron wavelength of 4.8 Å in the temperature range of 1.8–250 K. Magnetic scattering was separated from nuclear coherent and spin incoherent scattering contributions. Long-range ordered magnetic peaks were observed below 39 K which is consistent with the heat capacity results. The drastic increasing intensities below 6 K indicate the ferromagnetic transition in Tb³⁺ orderings.