Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Studies on Pd/C Nano-Composite System: Effect of Metal Concentration and Annealing Temperature

The effects of metal concentration and annealing temperature on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of the Pd nanoparticles (NP) dispersed in carbon were investigated. The Pd/C nano-composite thin films with 7 to 39 atomic % concentration of metal content were deposited using the atom beam co-sputtering techniques and subjected to annealing at temperature varying from 300 degrees C to 600 degrees C. The UV-vis spectroscopy studies on as-prepared films displayed a Mie scattering profile, but not well-defined LSPR bands were observed for all the values of Pd concentration. This is attributed to the smaller size (3-4 nm) of Pd NPs and rough Pd/C interface, as confirmed from TEM studies. When samples were annealed at a temperature of 300 degrees C, three broad LSPR absorption bands in the visible region, along with a sharp peak at 210 nm, were observed and the effect of Pd concentration variation was insignificant on their position. The multiple LSPR bands were observed due to agglomeration NPs, which is consistent with earlier reports and is also observed in the TEM images. When annealing temperature was subsequently increased to 500 degrees C, a blue shift in the LSPR peak position with an increase in the Pd concentration was observed, which phenomena is attributed to the formation of bigger NPs with the formation of sharp NPs-interface at high temperature upon annealing. A monotonic increase in the magnitude and decrease in the FWHM with an increase in concentration suggested change in the dielectric function of sample due to the growth of NPs. This is further confirmed from XRD studies, where strain relaxation and grain growth were observed. The intensity of the SPR peak decreased with an increase in the annealing temperature. The LSPR peak disappeared on annealing at a temperature of 600 degrees C, suggesting the formation of continuous polycrystalline thin films of Pd. In summary, NPs size, metal matrix interface, and concentration of metal play key roles in the tailoring the LSPR properties of the Pd

Investigation of charge carrier dynamics in Ti3C2Tx MXene for ultrafast photonics applications

The rapid advancement of nanomaterials has paved the way for various technological breakthroughs, and MXenes, in particular, have gained substantial attention due to their unique properties such as high conductivity, broad-spectrum absorption strength, and tunable band gap. This article presents the impact of the process parameters on the structural and optical properties of Ti3C2Tx MXene for application in ultrafast dynamics. XRD along with Raman spectroscopy studies, confirmed the synthesis of a single phase from their MAX phase Ti3AlC2. The complete etching of Al and increase in the interplanar distance is also observed on centrifugation at very high speed. The ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy used to understand the effect of centrifuge speed on the charge carrier dynamics and ultrafast spectrum of MXene displayed that the carrier lifetime is critically influenced by rotation per minute (rpm) e.g. faster decay lifetime at 10k rpm than 7k rpm. The electronic relaxation probed using the time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) technique exhibits an average decay time of 5.13 ns and 5.35 ns at the 7k and 10k rpm, respectively, which confirms that the optical properties of the MXene are strongly affected by the centrifuge speed. The synthesized MXene at 10k rpm typically suggests that radiative processes due to longer decay lifetime and experiences fewer nonradiative losses, resulting in enhanced luminescence properties.Comment: 21 pages , 6 figure

Interaction of oxygen (O+7) ion beam on polyaniline thin films

High-energy ion beam irradiation of the polymers is a good technique to modify the properties such as electrical conductivity, structural behaviour and mechanial properties. Polyaniline thin films doped with hydrochloric acid (HCl) were prepared by oxidation of ammonium persulphate. The effect of Swift Heavy Ions irradiation on the electrical and structural properties of polyaniline has been measured in this study. Polyaniline films were irradiated by oxygen ions (energy 80 MeV, charge state O+7) with fluence varying from 1 × 1010 to 3 × 1012 ions/cm2. The studies on electrical and structural properties of the irradiated polymers were investigated by measuring V-I using four probe set-up and X-ray diffraction (XRD) using Bruker AXS, X-ray powder diffractometer. V-I measurements shows an increase in the conductivity of the film, XRD pattern of the polymer shows that the crystallinity improved after the irradiation with Swift Heavy Ions (SHI), which could be attributed to cross linking mechanism.Subhash Chandra1*, S Annapoorni2, R G Sonkawade3, P K Kulriya3 Fouran Singh3, D K Avasthi3, J M S Rana1 and R C Ramola1 1Department of Physics, H N B Garhwal University, Badshahi Thaul Campus, Tehri Garhwal-249 199, Uttarakhand, India 2Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110 007, India 3Inter University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110 067, India E-mail : [email protected] of Physics, H N B Garhwal University, Badshahi Thaul Campus, Tehri Garhwal-249 199, Uttarakhand, India Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110 007, India Inter University Accelerator Center, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110 067, Indi

On the optical properties of Ag^{+15} ion-beam irradiated TiO_{2} and SnO_{2} thin films

The effects of 200-MeV Ag^{+15} ion irradiation on the optical properties of TiO_{2} and SnO_{2} thin films prepared by using the RF magnetron sputtering technique were investigated. These films were characterized by using UV-vis spectroscopy, and with increasing irradiation fluence, the transmittance for the TiO_{2} films was observed to increase systematically while that for SnO_{2} was observed to decrease. Absorption spectra of the irradiated samples showed minor changes in the indirect bandgap from 3.44 to 3.59 eV with increasing irradiation fluence for TiO_{2} while significant changes in the direct bandgap from 3.92 to 3.6 eV were observed for SnO_{2}. The observed modifications in the optical properties of both the TiO_{2} and the SnO_{2} systems with irradiation can be attributed to controlled structural disorder/defects in the system.Comment: 6 pages, ICAMD-201

Evolution and tailoring of plasmonic properties in Ag:ZrO2 nanocomposite films by swift heavy ion irradiation

Ag:ZrO2 nanocomposite films have been synthesized by a sol-gel dip coating process at room temperature, followed by irradiation using swift heavy ions. The effect of electronic energy loss and fluences on the evolution and consequently on the tailoring of plasmonic properties of films has been studied. The optical study exhibits that color of films converts from transparent in pristine form into shiny yellow when films are irradiated by 100 MeV Ag ions at a fluence of 3 x 10(12) ions/cm(2). However, irradiation by 120 MeV O ions up to the fluence of 1 x 10(14) ions/cm(2) does not induce any coloration in films. The coloration is attributed to the evolution of plasmonic feature resulting in a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) induced absorption peak in the visible region. Increase in fluence from 3 x 10(12) to 6 x 10(13) ions/cm(2) of 100 MeV Ag ions induces a redshift in SPR induced peak position from 434 to 487 nm. Microstructural studies confirms the conversion of Ag2O3 (in pristine films) into cubic phase of metallic Ag and the increase of average size of particles with the increasing fluence up to 6 x 10(13) ions/cm(2). Further increase in fluence leads to the dissolution of Ag atoms in the ZrO2 matrix. (c) 2011 American Institute of Physic

Origin of swift heavy ion induced stress in textured ZnO thin films: An in situ X-ray diffraction study

Swift heavy ion induced stress in a pulsed laser deposited textured ZnO thin film is reported. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements are carried out during ion irradiation at incremented fluences under 120 MeV Ag(+9) ions. The average grain size, lattice constant 'c', and stress in the film are calculated from the diffraction pattern. The nature of the stress is intrinsic and the origin can be attributed to the strong density of defects like dislocations at the grain boundaries as evidenced by micro-Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Atomic Force microscopic (AFM) studies. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

In situ X-ray diffraction study of the growth of silver nanoparticles embedded in silica film by ion irradiation: The effect of volume fraction

The effect of volume fraction of silver (Ag) on the growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) embedded in ion-irradiated silica films is reported. Films with low volume fraction (LVF) and high volume fraction (HVF) of Ag in silica matrix were prepared by magnetron co-sputtering. The growth of AgNPs under 120 MeV Ag ion irradiation is monitored in situ using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD). It is observed that the film with LVF shows the growth of AgNPs in a nearly single ion impact region, while the film with HVF shows a monotonous growth even in the region of multiple ion impacts. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) experiments are also performed to determine the exact volume fraction of Ag in the silica matrix and to understand the role of sputtering and diffusion processes on the growth of AgNPs. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is carried out to obtain further evidence of the mechanisms of growth. Our study reveals that the growth of embedded nanoparticles strongly depends on the volume fraction of metal in the matrices and affects the dipolar interactions among such noble metal NPs. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Probing swift heavy ion irradiation damage in Nd-doped zirconolite

Synroc minerals have been studied since decades for immobilization of high-level radioactive wastes released from nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Among them, the zirconolite, due to its high radiation and aqueous resistance and high waste loading, is considered as a potential candidate for containment purposes. Though irradiation damage effects of swift heavy ions in the material remain a major concern of study, a single phase Nd-doped zirconolite samples prepared through conventional solid-state reaction were irradiated with 120 MeV Au+ ions to study radiation damage effects. Irradiation-induced effects were investigated using ex-situ XRD and micro-Raman spectroscopic techniques. Zirconolite has been observed to undergo amorphization which is confirmed through disappearance of characteristic x-ray diffraction peaks and appearance of broad diffuse scattering bands. Amorphization trend with fluence appeared linear at lower fluences followed by saturation at higher fluences inferring therewith the formation of ion tracks. The ion fluence dependent Raman examination was also found to be in line with the XRD observations. However, the presence of Raman modes, characteristic of zirconolite in the 100–1000 cm−1 region, showed intact behavior of the local structure. To sum up, the 120 MeV heavy Au+ ions developed columnar defects, vacancies and induced micro-strains that lead to the bonds distortion and eventually amorphization of the zirconolite though retaining local ordering

Optical studies of SHI Irradiated poly(o-toluidine)-PVC blends

Conducting poly(o-toluidine) (PoT) was synthesized from a derivative of aniline (o-toluidine) monomer by chemical oxidative polymerization method. After polymerization, the polymer prepared was then blended with Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) to achieve films. FTIR and UV-Visible studies were carried out to get their optical information. The blends were irradiated by Swift Heavy Ion (SHI) beam of 60 MeV C5+ ions with different fluences. Post Irradiation FTIR and UV-Visible spectroscopy were carried out on these films, which revealed changes in the band gap with irradiation. There are also changes in the functional groups, which are confirmed by FTIR spectra. Optical band gap is found to decrease at all fluences and increased with increase in fluence