186 research outputs found
Wide energy-window view on the density of states and hole mobility of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)
Using an electrochemically gated transistor, we achieved controlled and
reversible doping of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) in a large concentration range.
Our data open a wide energy-window view on the density of states (DOS) and
show, for the first time, that the core of the DOS function is Gaussian, while
the low-energy tail has a more complex structure. The hole mobility increases
by more than four orders of magnitude when the electrochemical potential is
scanned through the DOS.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Carbon supported CdSe nanocrystals
Insights to the mechanism of CdSe nanoparticle attachment to carbon nanotubes
following the hot injection method are discussed. It was observed that the
presence of water improves the nanotube coverage while Cl containing media are
responsible for the shape transformation of the nanoparticles and further
attachment to the carbon lattice. The experiments also show that the mechanism
taking place involves the right balance of several factors, namely, low
passivated nanoparticle surface, particles with well-defined crystallographic
facets, and interaction with an organics-free sp2 carbon lattice. Furthermore,
this procedure can be extended to cover graphene by quantum dots.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Electronic coupling of colloidal CdSe nanocrystals monitored by thin-film positron-electron momentum density methods
The effect of temperature controlled annealing on the confined valence
electron states in CdSe nanocrystal arrays, deposited as thin films, was
studied using two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation
(2D-ACAR). A reduction in the intensity by ~35% was observed in a feature of
the positron annihilation spectrum upon removal of the pyridine capping
molecules above 200 degrees Celsius in a vacuum. This reduction is explained by
an increased electronic interaction of the valence orbitals of neighboring
nanocrystals, induced by the formation of inorganic interfaces. Partial
evaporation of the nanoporous CdSe layer and additional sintering into a
polycrystalline thin film was observed at a relatively low temperature of ~486
degrees Celsius.Comment: The article has been accepted by Applied Physics Letters. After it is
published, it will be found at http://apl.aip.or
Muonium in nano-crystalline II-VI semiconductors
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TVH-4V2NP2J-Y/2/3738c97c2d99528da5d86b486571793
Thermoelectric properties of lead chalcogenide core-shell nanostructures
We present the full thermoelectric characterization of nanostructured bulk
PbTe and PbTe-PbSe samples fabricated from colloidal core-shell nanoparticles
followed by spark plasma sintering. An unusually large thermopower is found in
both materials, and the possibility of energy filtering as opposed to grain
boundary scattering as an explanation is discussed. A decreased Debye
temperature and an increased molar specific heat are in accordance with recent
predictions for nanostructured materials. On the basis of these results we
propose suitable core-shell material combinations for future thermoelectric
materials of large electric conductivities in combination with an increased
thermopower by energy filtering.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Electronic origins of photocatalytic activity in d0 metal organic frameworks
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) containing d0 metals such as NH2-MIL-125(Ti), NH2-UiO-66(Zr) and NH2-UiO-66(Hf) are among the most studied MOFs for photocatalytic applications. Despite structural similarities, we demonstrate that the electronic properties of these MOFs are markedly different. As revealed by quantum chemistry, EPR measurements and transient absorption spectroscopy, the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied orbitals of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) promote a long lived ligand-to-metal charge transfer upon photoexcitation, making this material suitable for photocatalytic applications. In contrast, in case of UiO materials, the d-orbitals of Zr and Hf, are too low in binding energy and thus cannot overlap with the π* orbital of the ligand, making both frontier orbitals localized at the organic linker. This electronic reconfiguration results in short exciton lifetimes and diminishes photocatalytic performance. These results highlight the importance of orbital contributions at the band edges and delineate future directions in the development of photo-active hybrid solids
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