Crystal structure analysis of Nd-doped ceria solid solutions

This paper deals with Nd-doped ceria solid solutions: Ce1-xNdxO2-d with "x" ranging from 0 to 0.25. Six different powders were synthesized by applying the method based on selfpropagating room temperature reaction (SPRT) between metallic nitrates and sodium hydroxide. The method is known to assure very precise stoichiometry of the final product in comparison with a tailored composition. Rietveld refinement was employed to get structural information on the synthesized powder. An increase of Nd ion concentration increases the unit cell parameters and average bond distances. We have shown that all obtained powders were solid solutions with a fluorite-type crystal structure and all powder particles were of nanometric size (about 3 nm)

Far infrared and transport properties of single crystal PBTE samples doped with Ce

Single crystal samples of lead telluride doped with cerium were made using the Bridgman technique. Single crystals could be easily cleaved parallel to the (002) plane. Room temperature far infrared reflectivity was measured on single crystal samples and a plasma minimum at about 180 cm(-1) and local modes of Ce were observed. A fitting procedure based on a modified four parameter model of plasmon - phonon interaction, was used to determine the values of optical parameters. Carrier concentration and their mobility were measured at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures.Romanian Conference on Advanced Materials (ROCAM 2000), Bucharest, ROMANIA, october 23-25th, 2000

Spectroscopic ellipsometry and polarimetry for materials and systems analysis at the nanometer scale: state-of-the-art, potential, and perspectives

This paper discusses the fundamentals, applications, potential, limitations, and future perspectives of polarized light reflection techniques for the characterization of materials and related systems and devices at the nanoscale. These techniques include spectroscopic ellipsometry, polarimetry, and reflectance anisotropy. We give an overview of the various ellipsometry strategies for the measurement and analysis of nanometric films, metal nanoparticles and nanowires, semiconductor nanocrystals, and submicron periodic structures. We show that ellipsometry is capable of more than the determination of thickness and optical properties, and it can be exploited to gain information about process control, geometry factors, anisotropy, defects, and quantum confinement effects of nanostructures

Anharmonicity Effects in Nanocrystals Studied by Raman Scattering Spectroscopy

Phonon-phonon interactions were investigated in various nanocrystalline powders like anatase $TiO_{2-δ}$, pure $CeO_{2-δ}$ and ceria doped with Nd(Gd) analyzing temperature dependent Raman spectra of these systems. Phonon confinement model based on size, inhomogeneous strain and anharmonic effects was used to properly describe the evident changes present in the Raman spectra of pure and doped ceria nanocrystalline samples. In small particles of pure and doped ceria nanocrystals, when size effects have minor impact on Raman modes, four phonon anharmonic processes prevail under the three-phonon ones. When nanopowdered particles are grown enough size effects provoke changes of the anharmonic interactions when three-phonon coupling prevails over the four-phonon anharmonic processes. In nanocrystalline anatase $TiO_2$ evident blueshift of the most prominent $E_g$ Raman mode probably originates from dominant four-phonon anharmonic interactions

Infrared reflectivity spectra of η-Na 1.3 V2 O5 in the charge disordered and ordered phase

78.30.Hv Other nonmetallic inorganics, 63.20.D-Phonon states and bands, normal modes, and phonon dispersion, 71.30.+h Metal-insulator transitions and other electronic transitions, 71.27.+a Strongly correlated electron systems; heavy fermions,

Optical Characterization of Laser-Synthesized Anatase TiO2TiO_{2} Nanopowders by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry and Photoluminescence Measurements

Nanosized titania $(TiO_{2})$ is synthesized by laser-induced pyrolysis using $TiCl_{4}$ as a liquid precursor. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering confirmed anatase structure of $TiO_{2}$ nanocrystals. The dielectric function ε(ω) of $TiO_{2}$ nanopowders has been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the energy range from 1.5 to 6 eV at room temperature. The features observed in ε(ω) have been fitted to analytical line shapes by using the second derivatives of experimental spectra. The energies corresponding to different interband electronic transitions have been determined. Photoluminescence measurements have been carried out in vacuum for T = 20 K and T = 300 K. Under laser irradiation with sub-band gap photon energy, anatase nanocrystals have displayed strong visible photoluminescence emission. In this broad photoluminescence band different variations of line shape and position with excitation energy and temperature are observed for nanopowders with different crystallite size, pointing out to the various electronic transitions mediated by defect levels within the band gap

Characterization of La-Doped TiO2TiO_2 Nanopowders by Raman Spectroscopy

Titanium dioxide $(TiO_2)$ nanopowders doped with 0.65, 1, 2, 3 and 4 wt.% of lanthanum ions $(La^{3+})$ were synthesized by sol-gel technology. Dependence of structural and morphological characteristics of nanopowders on $La^{3+}$ content and synthesis conditions is investigated by the Raman spectroscopy. Very intensive modes observed in the Raman spectra of all nanopowder samples are assigned to anatase phase of $TiO_2$. Additional Raman modes of extremely low intensity can be related to the presence of certain amount of highly disordered brookite phase in nanopowders. Dependence of the intensity ratio of the Raman modes which originate from anatase and brookite on doping conditions is specially analyzed. In order to estimate the variation of nanocrystallite size with dopant content, shift and asymmetrical broadening of the most intensive $E_g$ Raman mode of anatase are analyzed by phonon confinement model. The obtained results are compared with the results of X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Special attention is dedicated to the changes in the Raman spectra of pure and La-doped $TiO_2$ nanopowders observed after high temperature treatment

Characterization of La-Doped TiO 2

Titanium dioxide $(TiO_2)$ nanopowders doped with 0.65, 1, 2, 3 and 4 wt.% of lanthanum ions $(La^{3+})$ were synthesized by sol-gel technology. Dependence of structural and morphological characteristics of nanopowders on $La^{3+}$ content and synthesis conditions is investigated by the Raman spectroscopy. Very intensive modes observed in the Raman spectra of all nanopowder samples are assigned to anatase phase of $TiO_2$. Additional Raman modes of extremely low intensity can be related to the presence of certain amount of highly disordered brookite phase in nanopowders. Dependence of the intensity ratio of the Raman modes which originate from anatase and brookite on doping conditions is specially analyzed. In order to estimate the variation of nanocrystallite size with dopant content, shift and asymmetrical broadening of the most intensive $E_g$ Raman mode of anatase are analyzed by phonon confinement model. The obtained results are compared with the results of X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Special attention is dedicated to the changes in the Raman spectra of pure and La-doped $TiO_2$ nanopowders observed after high temperature treatment

Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy of Pure and La-Doped TiO 2

Pure and La-doped titania $(TiO_2)$ nanopowders are synthesized by sol-gel technology. The crystallite sizes determined by X-ray diffraction measurements range from 10 to 15 nm. Dependence of structural and morphological characteristics of nanopowders on synthesis conditions and $La^{3+}$ content is investigated by the Raman spectroscopy. Very intensive modes observed in the Raman spectra of all nanopowder samples are assigned to anatase phase of $TiO_2$. Additional Raman modes of extremely low intensity can be related to the presence of a small amount of brookite amorphous phase in nanopowders, which is in accordance with the results of X-ray diffraction analysis. The particle size distribution in TiO_2 nanopowders was estimated from the low frequency Raman spectra, using the fact that the phonon modes in nanosized $TiO_2$ observed in the low frequency region (ω <40 $cm^{-1}$) can be well described by the elastic continuum model, assuming that nanoparticles are of perfect spherical shape and isotropic. The nanosized particle distribution obtained by this method is used for the calculation of the frequency and shape of the most intensive $E_g$ Raman mode in anatase $TiO_2$ by the phonon confinement model. The calculated broadening of this mode, associated with the particle size distribution, coincides well with the characteristics of $E_g$ mode observed in measured Raman spectra of $TiO_2$ nanopowders. This confirms the Raman spectroscopy method as a powerful tool for determination of particle size distribution in nanosized materials