Upconversion Luminescence of Er and Yb Codoped NaYF₄ Nanoparticles with Metal Shells

Upconversion photoluminescence (PL) of a composite nanoparticle consisting of an Er and Yb codoped NaYF₄ core and a Au shell is studied theoretically and experimentally. We first investigate the effects of a Au shell on the radiative and nonradiative emission rates of a dipole placed in a core, the absorption and scattering cross sections of a composite nanoparticle, and the electric field within a core at the excitation wavelength. We then synthesize the composite nanoparticle and study the PL properties. From the analyses of the PL data in combination with the data obtained by theoretical calculations, the mechanism of the enhancement and quenching of upconversion PL by the formation of a Au shell is studied

Energy Transfer in Silicon Nanocrystal Solids Made from All-Inorganic Colloidal Silicon Nanocrystals

Energy transfer between silicon (Si) nanocrystals (NCs) in Si-NC solids was demonstrated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Clear differences of PL spectra and the decay rates between solutions and solids of Si-NCs were observed. The change in the PL properties caused by the formation of solids could be explained by the energy transfer from small to large NCs in the size distribution. In order to obtain further evidence of NC-to-NC energy transfer, the size distribution was intentionally modified by mixing solutions of NCs with different size distributions. NC solids made from the mixed solutions exhibited significantly different PL spectral shape and decay rates from those made from unmixed solutions, providing clear evidence of NC-to-NC energy transfer in Si-NC solids

Size-Dependence of Acceptor and Donor Levels of Boron and Phosphorus Codoped Colloidal Silicon Nanocrystals

Size dependence of the boron (B) acceptor and phosphorus (P) donor levels of silicon (Si) nanocrystals (NCs) measured from the vacuum level was obtained in a very wide size range from 1 to 9 nm in diameter by photoemission yield spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy for B and P codoped Si-NCs. In relatively large Si-NCs, both levels are within the bulk Si band gap. The levels exhibited much smaller size dependence compared to the valence band and conduction band edges. The Fermi level of B and P codoped Si-NCs was also studied. It was found that the Fermi level of relatively large codoped Si-NCs is close to the valence band and it approaches the middle of the band gap with decreasing the size. The results suggest that below a certain size perfectly compensated Si-NCs, that is, Si-NCs with exactly the same number of active B and P, are preferentially grown, irrespective of average B and P concentrations in samples

Codoping n- and p‑Type Impurities in Colloidal Silicon Nanocrystals: Controlling Luminescence Energy from below Bulk Band Gap to Visible Range

We present a novel synthesis of ligand-free colloidal silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) that exhibits efficient photoluminescence (PL) in a wide energy range (0.85–1.8 eV) overcoming the bulk Si band gap limitation (1.12 eV). The key technology to achieve the wide-range controllable PL is the formation of donor and acceptor states in the band gap of Si-NCs by simultaneous doping of n- and p-type impurities. The colloidal Si-NCs are very stable in an ordinary laboratory atmosphere for more than a year. Furthermore, the PL spectra are very stable and are not at all affected even when the colloids are drop-cast on a substrate and dried in air. The engineering of the all-inorganic colloidal Si-NC and its optical data reported here are important steps for Si-based optoelectronic and biological applications

Phosphorus and Boron Codoped Colloidal Silicon Nanocrystals with Inorganic Atomic Ligands

The surface structure of P and B codoped colloidal Si-NCs are studied by photoluminescence (PL) in hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We find that codoped Si-NCs are much more stable in HF solution than undoped, P-doped, and B-doped Si-NCs. The PL study combined with XPS results reveal that a high B concentration layer is formed on the surface of codoped Si-NCs and the layer acts as a kind of inorganic atomic ligands for Si-NCs. The high B concentration layer makes Si-NCs hydrophilic and dispersible in polar liquids. Furthermore, the layer effectively protects Si-NCs from oxidation in solution and in air

Upconversion Luminescence of Rare-Earth-Doped Y₂O₃ Nanoparticle with Metal Nano-Cap

The upconversion property of an individual composite nanoparticle consisting of a metal (Ag) nanocap and a rare-earth doped upconversion nanoparticle (Er- and Yb-doped Y₂O₃ nanoparticle) was studied. The structural parameters of the composite nanoparticle were chosen so that the resonant wavelengths of the electric dipole and magnetic dipole surface plasmon modes of a nanocap coincide with the upconversion luminescence peaks of Er³⁺. Strong modification of the upconversion spectrum was observed by the formation of a Ag nanocap. Upon excitation at 980 nm, the green (∼550 nm) and red (∼670 nm) peaks were on average 23 and 48-fold, respectively, enhanced. The strong modification of the spectral shape, i.e., the intensity ratio of the green to red luminescence, suggests that the enhancement of radiative decay rates by the two surface plasmon modes is mainly responsible for the upconversion enhancement

Graphene-Assisted Controlled Growth of Highly Aligned ZnO Nanorods and Nanoribbons: Growth Mechanism and Photoluminescence Properties

We demonstrate graphene-assisted controlled fabrication of various ZnO 1D nanostructures on the SiO₂/graphene substrate at a low temperature (540 °C) and elucidate the growth mechanism. Monolayer and a few layer graphene prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and subsequently coated with a thin Au layer followed by rapid thermal annealing is shown to result in highly aligned wurtzite ZnO nanorods (NRs) with clear hexagonal facets. On the other hand, direct growth on CVD graphene without a Au catalyst layer resulted in a randomly oriented growth of dense ZnO nanoribbons (NRBs). The role of in-plane defects and preferential clustering of Au atoms on the defect sites of graphene on the growth of highly aligned ZnO NRs/nanowires (NWs) on graphene was established from micro-Raman and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses. Further, we demonstrate strong UV and visible photoluminescence (PL) from the as-grown and post-growth annealed ZnO NRs, NWs, and NRBs, and the origin of the PL emission is correlated well with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Our results hint toward an epitaxial growth of aligned ZnO NRs on graphene by a vapor–liquid–solid mechanism and establish the importance of defect engineering in graphene for controlled fabrication of graphene–semiconductor NW hybrids with improved optoelectronic functionalities