High-quality manganese-doped zinc sulfide quantum rods with tunable dual-color and multiphoton emissions

We report a simple, fast and green phosphine-free colloidal chemistry to synthesize high-quality wurtzite-type Mn-doped ZnS quantum rods (QRs) with tunable diameters (1.6-5.6 nm), high aspect ratios (up to 50), variable Mn doping levels (0.18-1.60%), and high quantum yields (up to 45%). The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra with modeling reveal the successful doping of paramagnetic Mn(2+) ions in the host ZnS QRs. The Mn-doped ZnS QRs demonstrate tunable dual-color (orange and blue) emissions by tuning the doping levels and UV excitation wavelengths. The orange emission with long decay lifetime (3.3 ms) originates from the doped Mn(2+) states, while the blue emission with fast decay lifetime (0.31 ns) is attributed to the QR surface states. The bright two- and three-photon excitation upconversion luminescence from the Mn-doped ZnS QRs have been observed using tunable near-infrared femtosecond laser. Our strategy provides a versatile route to programmably control the optical properties of anisotropic semiconductor nanomaterials, which may create new opportunities for photonic devices and bioimaging applications.     

Interesting Magnetic and Optical Properties of ZnO Co-doped with Transition Metal and Carbon

Magnetic and optical properties of ZnO co-doped with transition metal and carbon have been investigated using density functional theory based on first-principles ultrasoft pseudopoten-tial method. Upon co-doping with transition metal (TM) and carbon, the calculated results show a shift in the Fermi level and a remarkable change in the covalency of ZnO. Such cases energetically favor ferromagnetic semiconductor with high Curie temperature due to p-d exchange interaction between TM ions and holes induced by C doping. The total en-ergy difference between the ferromagnetic and the antiferromagnetic configurations, spatial charge and spin density, which determine the magnetic ordering, were calculated in co-doped systems for further analysis of magnetic properties. It was also discovered that optical prop-erties in the higher energy region remain relatively unchanged while those at the low energyregion are changed after the co-doping. These changes of optical properties are qualitatively explained based on the calculated electronic structure. The validity of our calculation in comparison with other theoretical predictions will further motivate the experimental inves-tigation of (TM, C) co-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductors.     

The influence of diffusion temperature on the structural, optical and magnetic properties of manganese-doped zinc oxysulfide thin films

We investigated the structural, optical and magnetic properties of Mn-doped zinc oxysulfide films. Zn(O,S) films were deposited by a spray pyrolysis method on glass substrate. A thin Mn layer evaporated on these films served as the source for the diffusion doping. The XRD pattern of undoped films revealed the presence of two wurtzite phases corresponding to ZnS and ZnO with a strong preferred orientation along the ZnS (0 0 2) hexagonal plane direction. SEM showed a similar surface morphology for the undoped and Mn-doped films, displaying regular arrays of hexagonal micro-rods perpendicular to the substrate. The optical transmission measurements showed that both undoped and Mn diffusion-doped films had a low average transmittance less than about 10%. The gap energy is decreased from 3.42 to 3.33 eV upon annealing at 400 °C. Photoluminescence studies at 300 K show that the incorporation of manganese leads to a decrease of deep level band intensity compared to undoped sample. Clear ferromagnetic loops were observed for the Mn-doped Zn(O,S) films, which might be due to the presence of point defects.     

过渡金属掺杂SnO2的电子结构与磁性

采用密度泛函理论及赝势平面波方法, 对未掺杂SnO2以及过渡金属V、Cr、Mn掺杂SnO2的超原胞体系进行了几何优化, 计算了晶格常数、电子结构与磁学性质. 结果表明, 6.25%与12.5%两种掺杂浓度时, 体系的电子自旋和磁学性质没有发生很大的变化; 相对于未掺杂SnO2, 过渡金属掺杂后SnO2中O原子有向过渡金属移动的趋势, 并使得O与掺杂金属之间键长变短; 在V和Cr掺杂后, SnO2具有半金属性质, 而Mn掺杂SnO2没有发现上述性质. 6.25%与12.5%的杂质浓度对自旋和磁矩影响不大, 掺杂产生的磁矩主要来自于过渡金属3d电子态, 且磁矩的大小与过渡金属的电子排布有关. V、Cr、Mn掺杂SnO2后的总磁矩分别为0.94μB、2.02μB、3.00μB. 磁矩主要来源于过渡金属3d轨道的自旋极化, 当O原子出现负磁矩的时候, 还有很小一部分磁矩来源于临近过渡金属的Sn原子.     

Boosting electrocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction on nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts by co-doping with phosphorus

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂(CERR)to value-added chemicals is an attractive strategy for greenhouse gas mitigation,and carbon recycles utilization.Conventional metal catalysts suffered from low durability and sluggish kinetics impede the practical application.On the other hand,doped carbon materials recently demonstrate superior catalytic performance in CERR,which shows the potential to diminish the problems of metal catalysts to some extent.Herein,we present the design and fabrication of nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)co-doped metal-free carbon materials as an efficient and stable electrocatalyst for reduction of CO₂ to CO,which exhibits an excellent performance with a high faradaic efficiency of 92%(-0.55 V vs.RHE)and up to 24 h stability.A series of characterizations including TEM and XPS verified that nitrogen and phosphorous are successfully incorporated into the carbon matrix.Moreover,the comparisons between co-doping and single doping catalysts reveal that co-doping can significantly increase CERR performance.The improved catalytic activity is attributed to the synergetic effects between nitrogen and phosphorous dopants,which effectively modulate properties of the active site.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations were also performed to understand the synergy effects of dopants.It is revealed that the phosphorous doping can significantly lower the Gibbs free energy of COOH^*formation.Moreover,the introduction of the second dopants phosphorous can reduce the reaction barrier along the reaction path and cause polarization of density of states at the Fermi level.These changes can greatly enhance the activity of the catalysts.From a combined experimental and computational exploration,current work provides valuable insights into the reaction mechanism of CERR on N,P co-doped carbon catalysts,and the influence from synergy effects between dopants,which paves the way for the rational design of novel metal-free catalysts for CO2 electro-reduction.     

Radial-position-controlled doping in CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals

In this paper, we report a new doping approach using a three-step synthesis to make high-quality Mn-doped CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals. This approach allows precise control of the Mn radial position and doping level in the core/shell nanocrystals. On the basis of this synthetic advance, we have demonstrated the first example in which optical properties of Mn-doped nanocrystals strongly depend on Mn radial positions inside the nanocrystals. In addition, we have synthesized nanocrystals with a room-temperature Mn-emission quantum yield of 56%, which is nearly twice as high as that of the best Mn-doped nanocrystals reported previously. Nanocrystals with such a high-emission quantum yield are very important to applications such as nanocrystal-based biomedical diagnosis.     

Emission properties of manganese-doped ZnS nanocrystals

We have performed steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence studies on undoped and Mn-doped ZnS nanocrystals with approximately 16 A diameter. While there is no band-edge emission, the intensity of the steady-state blue fluorescence from ZnS surface states decreases upon Mn incorporation, which gives rise to an orange emission. These results show that Mn incorporation competes very effectively with the donor-acceptor surface states for the energy transfer from the electron-hole pair excited across the band gap. In both undoped and doped samples, the time-resolved fluorescence studies establish the presence of a distribution of decay lifetimes possibly due to a number of emission centers in the nanocrystals. A faster short-time decay of the blue emission in the Mn-doped samples compared to that in the undoped sample suggests an additional decay channel for the surface states via an energy transfer from these states to the dopant levels.     

Influence of different precursors and Mn doping concentrations on the structural,optical properties and photocatalytic activity of single-crystal manganese-doped ZnO

Mn-doped ZnO single-crystal micronuts were synthesized via hydrothermal method in an hexamethylenetetramine aqueous solution. These micronuts are of wurtzite crystal structure. The effects of Mn doping amount and precursor concentration on the structural, optical properties and photocatalytic activity have been investigated. The synthesized Mn-doped ZnO was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The structural analyses based on X-ray diffraction revealed the absence of Mn-related secondary phases. According to FESEM results, the length of ZnO micronuts was in the range of 5–8 μm. The band gap energy increased on increasing Mn doping concentration. The photocatalytic activity was studied by degradation of methyl orange aqueous solution, which showed that the Mn-doped ZnO micronuts prepared in precursor concentration of 0.1 M and 4% Mn doping had the highest photocatalytic activity. The effects of crystal defect and band gap energy on photocatalytic activity of Mn-doped ZnO samples were studied in different precursors and Mn doping amounts.     

CdS:Mn nanocrystals passivated by ZnS: synthesis and luminescent properties

Synthesis and characterization of highly luminescent ZnS-passivated CdS:Mn (CdS:Mn/ZnS) core/shell structured nanocrystals are reported. Mn-doped CdS core nanocrystals are produced ranging from 1.5 to 2.3 nm in diameter with epitaxial ZnS shell of wider band gap via a reverse micelle process. UV irradiation-stimulated photo-oxidation of the ZnS shell results in formation of sulfate (ZnSO(4)) as determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which increases the photoluminescence emission intensity and subsequent photostability. Luminescent relaxation lifetime data present two different decay components, consisting of slow decay emission from the Mn center and a fast decay emission from a defect-related center. The impact of the density of surface defect states upon the emission spectra is discussed.     

Energy Stabilities,Magnetic Properties,and Electronic Structures of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Zn1-xMnxS(001) Thin Films

We investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of the diluted magnetic semiconductors Zn_1-xMn_xS(001) thin films with different Mn doping concentrations using the total energy density functional theory. The energy stability and density of states of a single Mn atom and two Mn atoms at various doped configurations and different magnetic coupling state were calculated. Different doping configurations have different degrees of p-d hybridization, and because Mn atoms are located in different crystal-field environment, the 3d projected densities of states peak splitting of different Mn doping configurations are quite different. In the two Mn atoms doped, the calculated ground states of three kinds of stable configurations are anti-ferromagnetic state. We analyzed the 3d density of states diagram of three kinds of energy stability configurations with the two Mn atoms in different magnetic coupling state. When the two Mn atoms are ferromagnetic coupling, due to d-d electron interactions, density of states of anti-bonding state have significant broadening peaks. As the concentration of Mn atoms increases, there is a tendency for Mn atoms to form nearest neighbors and cluster around S. For such these configurations, the antiferromagnetic coupling between Mn atoms is energetically more favorable.     

基于第一性原理的Mn-AlN和Cr-AlN的半金属性质

基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理方法,在广义梯度近似(GGA)下研究了纤锌矿Mn-AlN和Cr-AlN的能带结构、态密度与磁学等性质.结果表明,Mn-AlN和Cr-AlN的半金属能隙都随着杂质浓度的增大而减小.原因可能是随着Mn/Cr掺杂浓度的增大,杂质原子间相互作用增强,Mn/Cr 3d与N 2p杂化减弱,使得自旋交换劈裂变小,从而半金属能隙变窄.在同等掺杂浓度下,Mn-AlN比Cr-AlN的半金属能隙大.这是因为Mn 3d态能级比Cr 3d态能级低,Mn 3d与N 2p杂化更强,导致自旋交换劈裂更大,自旋向下子带的导带底相对远离费米能级,因此Mn-AlN的半金属能隙较大.     

Density Functional Theory Study on the Optical Properties of Mn-doped GaN

The absorption and emission spectra of the wurtzite Mn-doped GaN were calculated with cluster models.The predicted lattice parameters become slightly larger than those of undoped cluster.The average bond length of Mn-N is longer than that of Ga-N.Spin density shows that one Mn atom in these clusters has four single electrons with the same direction of the spin polarity.The new energy level with light Mn-doping appears at 1.37 eV above the valance band.The absorption spectra of Mn-doped GaN cover the visible light region.The calculated emission spectra show that the green luminescence of GaN material in experiment did not result from Mn dopant.With the increase of Mn doping,the emission intensity of yellow or blue band increases to different extent and the band-to-band emission band shows red shift from peak at 3.34 to 3.24 eV.     

Single-crystal polarized optical absorption spectroscopy of the one-dimensional ferrimagnet MnIICuII(pba)(H2O)3.2H2O (pba = 1,3-propylenebis(oxamato))

Powder and single-crystal optical absorption of the ferrimagnet MnIICuII(pba)(H2O)(3).2H2O (denoted MnCu) and the Mn-doped compound Mn0.1Mg0.9Cu(pba)(H2O)(3).2H2O (denoted Mn0.1Mg0.9Cu) with pba standing for 1,3-propylenebis(oxamato) was investigated in the 10-300 K range. The crystal structure of MnCu was previously reported, and consists of bimetallic chains with octahedral MnII and square pyramidal CuII ions linked by oxamato bridges, MnCu and Mn0.1Mg0.9Cu being isostructural. The spectra of both MnCu and Mn0.1Mg0.9Cu show an important dichroism along the chain direction, due to the strong polarization of the CuII band at around 16,000 cm-1 in this direction. They exhibit narrow and intense spin-forbidden MnII transitions in the 24,000-25,000 cm-1 range, which are activated by an exchange mechanism. The polarization and thermal dependence of the 6A1g-->4A1g, 4Eg(G) MnII transitions were recorded. The polarization along the chain axis was interpreted in the framework of the pair mechanism first introduced by Tanabe and co-workers. A theoretical expression for the thermal dependence of the intensity was derived by considering the CuII spin as a quantum spin and the MnII spin as a classical spin, and compared with the experimental data. The interaction parameter between the local ground states has been found to be J = -25 cm-1 using the spin Hamiltonian H = -J sigma i(SMn,iSCu,i + SMn,i+1SCu,i). The spectra of Mn0.1Mg0.9Cu showed cold and hot bands, whose energy difference is directly related to J and the interaction parameter J* between the CuII ion in its ground state and the MnII ion in its spin-flip excited state. J* has been estimated to be +40 cm-1. These results have been compared to those obtained with other MnIICuII compounds. The complementarity between optical and magnetic properties has been discussed.     

Enhanced dielectric and magnetic properties of Cr / Co and Mn co-doped single phase multiferroic bismuth ferrite nanoparticles

Multiferroic nanoparticles of single-phase bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃ or BFO) by choosing transition metal ions of chromium (Cr)/cobalt (Co) in A-sites and manganese (Mn) in B-sites were synthesized by using sol-gel autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data reveal the existence of rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure for all the samples. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) studies were carried out to estimate the particle size, morphology along with the chemical purity of the samples. Dielectric studies as a function of frequency and temperature resemble typical space charge polarization with almost negligible dielectric losses in the doped samples. Magnetic measurements using vibrating sample magnetometer reveals the considerable enhancement in the magnetic order in Co/Cr and Mn co-doped samples. The obtained structural, microstructural, dielectric and magnetic results were well recommended that the influence of co-doping in BFO will certainly modify its spin cycloid structure and hence enhanced properties in these doped samples. Thus, these co-doped samples were suggested to be well suitable for the multifunctional based devices such as spintronic, multifunctional memories, and for sensors.     

One-pot construction of S–Mo co-doped BiOCl toward simultaneously decreasing size,tuning energy band structure,and promoting charge separation for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

Bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl), although it has exhibited intensely potential used in photocatalyst for environmental remediation, owns wide bandgap and the fast photocharge recombination that limits its effective application. Doping BiOCl used in metal and non-metal elements simultaneously, as a feasible strategy in designing novel visible-light photocatalysts, was conductive to effectively overcome the as-above defects. The present work constructed S-Mo co-doped BiOCl-- with abundant reactive sites via one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared S–Mo co-doped BiOCl sample presents the best-visible light-driven photodegradation performance, and its kinetic constant (k) is about 16.8 times (for rhodamine B) and 6.5 times (for tetracycline hydrochloride) higher than that of pure BiOCl, respectively. By contrast, S-Mo co-dopant induced the decrease of nanosheets size and endowed the large specific surface areas, which favors the increased reactive sites. Further analysis with the aid of experiments and density function theory calculations indicated that the intermediate level induced by S 2p orbitals could narrow the bandgap and promote the excitation of electron from conduction band to valance band via providing the middle springboard on the one hand, and the Mo energy states was conducive to promote the separation of charge carriers by acted as the acceptor for the photoinduced electrons on the other hand. Consequently, the potential origin of the improved visible-light-driven performance lies in the more superoxide radicals for oxidizing organic pollutants caused by the simultaneous enhancement of visible light absorption as well as charge separation resulted from the further optimization of energy band structure that associated with the doping energy level of S-Mo co-doping in BiOCl. This work demonstrated that S and Mo co-doping BiOCl is of highly promising candidate for the further progress of environmental remediation.     

Y-Cu共掺杂ZnO电子结构与光学性质的第一性原理计算

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理平面波赝势法研究了本征ZnO、Y和Cu单掺杂ZnO、Y-Cu共掺杂ZnO的电子结构和光学性质. 计算结果表明, 在本文的掺杂浓度下, Y和Cu单掺杂可以提高ZnO的载流子浓度, 从而改善ZnO的导电性, Y-Cu共掺时ZnO半导体进入简并状态, 呈现金属性. Y 掺杂ZnO可以提高体系在紫外区域的吸收, 而Cu掺杂ZnO在可见光和近紫外区域发生吸收增强现象, 其中由于Y离子和Cu离子之间的协同效应, Y-Cu共掺杂ZnO时体系对可见光和近紫外区域的光子能量吸收大幅增加, 因此Y-Cu共掺杂ZnO可以用于制作光电感应器件.     

Co-Y共掺杂ZnO光电性质的第一性原理计算

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理平面波赝势法研究了本征ZnO、Co和Y单掺杂ZnO、Co-Y不同配位共掺杂ZnO的电子结构和光学性质。计算结果表明,在本文的掺杂浓度下,Co和Y单掺杂可以提高ZnO的载流子浓度,从而改善ZnO的导电性,Co-Y共掺时ZnO半导体进入简并状态,呈现金属性。Co掺杂ZnO会在可见光和近紫外区域发生吸收增强现象,而Y掺杂ZnO可以提高体系在紫外区域的吸收,其中由于Co离子和Y离子之间的协同效应,Co-Y共掺ZnO时体系对可见光和近紫外区域的光子能量吸收大幅增加,因此Co-Y共掺杂ZnO可以用于制作光电感应器件。     

Co-Y共掺杂ZnO光电性质的第一性原理计算

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理平面波赝势法研究了本征ZnO、Co和Y单掺杂ZnO、Co-Y不同配位共掺杂ZnO的电子结构和光学性质。计算结果表明,在本文的掺杂浓度下,Co和Y单掺杂可以提高ZnO的载流子浓度,从而改善ZnO的导电性,Co-Y共掺时ZnO半导体进入简并状态,呈现金属性。Co掺杂ZnO会在可见光和近紫外区域发生吸收增强现象,而Y掺杂ZnO可以提高体系在紫外区域的吸收,其中由于Co离子和Y离子之间的协同效应,Co-Y共掺ZnO时体系对可见光和近紫外区域的光子能量吸收大幅增加,因此Co-Y共掺杂ZnO可以用于制作光电感应器件。     

过渡金属元素Sc、Cr和Mn对Mg2Ge掺杂的第一性原理研究

基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的第一性原理计算,研究了过渡金属元素Sc、Cr和Mn掺杂对Mg₂Ge晶体光、电、磁性质的影响。结果表明,Sc掺杂能使Mg₂Ge的费米能级进入导带,呈n型简并半导体;Cr和Mn掺杂能使Mg₂Ge能带结构和态密度在费米能级附近产生自旋劈裂而形成净磁矩,表现为半金属磁体和稀磁半导体,体系净磁矩均来自杂质原子3d轨道电子及其诱导极化的Ge4p态和Mg2p态自旋电子。与本征Mg₂Ge相比,掺杂体系静态介电常数增大,扩展了吸收光谱,提升了近红外光波段吸收能力。     

Structural and electrical properties of chemical solution deposited (Bi0.9Tb0.1)(Fe0.975 TM 0.025)O3±δ (TM = Ni, Mn and Ti) thin films

Effects of Tb and transition metal (TM = Ni, Mn and Ti) ions co-doping on the structural, electrical and ferroelectric properties of the BiFeO₃ thin films prepared by using a chemical solution deposition method were reported. From X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering analyses, distorted rhombohedral perovskite structures were observed for all thin films. Improved electrical and ferroelectric properties were observed for the co-doped thin films. Among the thin films, the lowest leakage current density of 2.67 × 10^?6 A/cm² (at 100 kV/cm), large remnant polarization (2P _r ) of 82.2 μC/cm² and low coercive field (2E_c) of 680 kV/cm (at 1,036 kV/cm) were measured for the (Tb, Mn) co-doped thin film.