While silicon nanostructures acquire novel optical properties due to miniaturization, the stability of light emission is severely limited because of exciton trapping due to surface oxidation coming along with the formation of defects. Grafting of organic molecules on a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface via hydrosilylation provides a promising route to stabilize their surface against oxidation. In this communication, we report on the effect of surface passivation on the optical properties of freestanding silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs). The surface functionalization of hydrogen-terminated Si-NCs with organic molecules was achieved via liquid phase hydrosilylation. We demonstrate that surface functionalization does not preserve the original emission of hydrogen-terminated Si-NCs. It is observed that the emission spectrum of green emitting hydrogen-terminated Si-NCs is red shifted after surface functionalization. We find that the direction of shift does not depend on the type of organic ligands and the reaction conditions, however, the amount of shift can be altered. The factors influencing the shift in the emission spectra of functionalized Si-NCs with respect to hydrogen-terminated samples are discussed.

The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is limited by the back-reaction of photogenerated electrons from the photoelectrode back into the electrolyte solution. An atomic layer deposited (ALD) hafnium oxide (HfO2) ultra thin, a few nanometers, compact layer was grown on the surface of the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and its effects on the performance of DSSCs were studied with dark and illuminated current-voltage and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Further, the theory of electron recombination at the TCO/electrolyte interface was developed and used to explain the improved DSSC performance with an ALD HfO2 compact layer.

We demonstrate light emitting devices based on ZnO nanoparticles and realized without any additional organic support layers. Pure ZnO devices showed electroluminescence in the visible and the UV spectral range at voltages below 10 V. In order to facilitate hole injection and to stabilize device operation, additional p-type inorganic support layers were introduced. Sputtered NiO layers are shown to improve the stability of the device and its I/V behavior. First bilayer devices consisting of a layer sequence of p-doped Si and naturally n-doped ZnO nanoparticles revealed promising electro-luminescence results with a high contribution in the UV spectral range at reduced current densities.

Poor conductivity is a bottleneck hindering the production of nanocrystal-based devices. In most nanocrystal syntheses, ligands with long alkyl chains are used to prepare monodisperse, crystalline particles. When these nanocrystals are incorporated into devices as films, the bulky ligands form an insulating layer that prevents charge transfer between particles. While annealing or post-deposition chemical treatments can be used to strip surface ligands, each of these approaches has disadvantages. Here we demonstrate the use of a novel family of ligands comprised of primary alkyl dithiocarbamates to stabilize PbSe/CdSe core-shell nanocrystals. Primary dithiocarbamates, which can bind to cadmium and lead, are known to decompose to the corresponding sulfides when heated under mild conditions. In our scheme, PbSe/CdSe core-shell nanocrystals are first synthesized with standard ligands. These ligands are then exchanged to short chain dithiocarbamates in solution. When a film is cast and annealed at low temperature, the dithiocarbamates are removed. Electron microscopy reveals that the particles move closer together, and, along with x-ray diffraction, shows that the nanocrystals remain quantum confined. Transport measurements show a 10,000-fold increase in conductivity after annealing.

Transition metals doped ZnO are possible candidates for multiferroics. Here, we have investigated the evolution of ferromagnetism due to Co dopants. The magnetic properties have been studied for Co concentrations from 0 to 100% by using ab-initio methods, i.e., KKR Green's function techniques. In order to estimate the Curie temperature we have performed Monte Carlo simulations with ab-initio calculated exchange parameters.

From our calculations the onset of ferromagnetism occurs between 5 to 20% of Co depending on the numerical details of KKR method used. For Co concentrations larger than 50% the system is dominated by antiferromagnetic coupling and no Curie temperature can be obtained.

We report on the use of Zn as an n-type dopant in CuCl thin films for optoelectronic applications, wherein maximum n-type doping of the order of 1018 cm -3 has been achieved. Zn doped nanocrystalline CuCl thin films are successfully deposited on glass and Si substrates by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering. Structural and morphological properties are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. The conductivity of the CuCl:Zn films is examined using the four point probe technique. An order of magnitude increase in the conductivity of CuCl, by the doping with Zn is reported herein. The doped CuCl films display strong room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) at λ˜ 385nm, which is similar to that of the undoped films. Hall Effect measurements show an n-type conductivity of the doped films.

To better understand the specific charge transfer events that occur within a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), we synthesized well-defined ZnO:dye dyads. The ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized following literature procedures from zinc acetate and a hydroxide source in ethanol. The absorption onset of the ZnO nanocrystals was observed using UV-vis measurements, from which estimated nanocrystal diameters were determined. At room temperature, the synthesis yielded nanocrystals ranging in diameter from 2-4 nm. Dispersions of ZnO nanocrystals in ethanol were mixed with solutions containing 5΄΄-phenyl-3΄,4΄-di(nbutyl)-[2,2΄:5΄,2΄΄] terthiophene-5-carboxylic acid. Using FT-IR and fluorescence spectroscopy, it was verified that the dye molecules were adsorbed to the ZnO surface via their carboxylate groups while the number of dye molecules adsorbed to the surface was quantified using a combination of techniques. Adsorption isotherms were employed to probe surface coverage of the dye onto the nanocrystals to yield an adsorption equilibrium constant of 1.5 ± 0.2 x 105 M-1. The ability of ZnO nanocrystals to quench the emission of the dye by an electron transfer mechanism was observed and elucidated using ultra-fast laser spectroscopy where the time-scale for electron injection from the dye to the ZnO was determined to be 5.5 ps.

Using a statistical model for the effects of decoherence [1], we show that in linear tight-binding samples ohmic conductance (resistance proportional to length) is reached for any finite density p of decoherence sites, if the chemical potential μ of the contacts is within a conducting band. If μ is outside a band, or if due to disorder, no bands form, for high decoherence densities p>p* still ohmic conductance is reached, where p* is a critical decoherence density. For p<p*, the sample resistance increases exponentially with the length.

The conformal coating of ZnO nanorods with CdTe nanoparticles using layer-by-layer (LbL) processing produces a quantum dot-sensitised solar cell. As the number of CdTe layers increases the absorption of incident light increases below the absorption onset of the nanoparticles (650 nm). Photoluminescence investigations of the CdTe-ZnO composite structure suggest a transfer of photoexcited electrons from the CdTe nanoparticles the ZnO nanorods. Filling of the semiconductor composite structure with CuSCN provides the solar cell with a p-type semiconductor to collect the photogenerated holes from the system. Annealing the CdTe-polymer coated nanorods lowers the series resistance of the cell by removing the polymer component of the film. A cell annealed at 350 °C has a Jsc of 0.12 mAcm-2, and a Voc of 49 mV under 0.25 mW/cm2 illumination.

Amorphous hydrogenated Si1-xCx/SiC multilayers consisting of alternating Si1-xCx and stoichiometric SiC layers were prepared using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). Annealing at temperatures up to 1100°C was done targeting the size controlled crystallization of Si nanocrystals (NCs) in a SiC matrix. The influence of annealing temperature on the nanostructure of the multilayers was studied using Glancing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD), Raman spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). GIXRD reveal the crystallization of Si and SiC, when annealing temperatures exceed 900°C. The crystallization of Si and SiC was confirmed by TEM bright-field imaging and electron diffraction. Annealing at 900°C, leads to the formation of Si NCs with a size of 3 nm, whereas the SiC NCs also have a size of 3 nm. However, a large amount of Si is still amorphous as shown by Raman spectroscopy. Annealing at temperatures exceeding 900°C reduces the amorphous phase and a further growth of Si NCs occurs.

In this paper, we report the spectral response measurement of Schottky solar cells with conventional quantum dots (QDs) and high-density quantum dot molecules (HD-QDMs) as active layers. 3-stack HD-QDMs Schottky structure is compared to 15-stack QD Schottky structure and control sample without QDs. 15-stack conventional InAs QDs give narrow response peak centered at 907 nm while 3-stack InAs HD-QDMs give broad peak between 915 and 985 nm. Both spectral responses are extended beyond the band edge of GaAs, i.e. 870 nm. 42 % more photovoltaic power could be evident from the extended spectral response curve comparing to that of GaAs bulk sample without dots.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate), or PEDOT:PSS, a conductive polymer suspension, as well as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), were incorporated into a conductive ink suitable for use in a piezoelectric inkjet printer. Viscosity, surface tension, and particle size of the ink were controlled to achieve stable, high-resolution printing. Passage of the CNTs through the filtration and jetting steps involved in printing was evaluated using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, and zeta-potential measurements of the filtered and printed inks. Only single-walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) passed through the jetting stage in significant amounts. Printed PEDOT/SWCNT sheet resistance was effectively minimized at ˜1 kΩ/on cellulose acetate, in ink containing 6 w/w% of an aqueous SWCNT solution (approximately 0.04 w/w% SWCNTs).

In this paper, individual Ge nano island on top of a silicon dioxide layer of thermally grown on a n+ type doped silicon (001) substrate have been studied. The charging ability of an individual Ge island was evaluated by EFM two-pass lift mode measurement. Such Ge nano island becomes an iso-potential and behaves as a conductive material after being charged. These charges were directly injected and were trapped homogenous in the isolated Ge island. It is also shown that the dominant charge decay mechanism during discharging of nc-Ge is related to the leakage of these trapped charges. Further more, the retention time of these trapped charges was evaluated and the electrostatic force was also studied by using different tip bias during scan. Such a study should be very useful to the Ge-nc in memory applications.

ZnxCd1-xSe/C core/shellnanocrystals with 31-39 nm diameter semiconductor cores and 11-25 nm-thick carbon shells were synthesized from solid state precursors. Transmission electron microscopy showed striations on a scale of ˜1 – 5 nm in the nanocrystals that are indicative of a composition modulation, and reveal a chemical phase separation and possible spinodal decomposition within the nanocrystals. Such a composition modulation within the ternary nanocrystals represents a rarely reported phenomenon that could lead to additional applications. The optical properties and carrier relaxation kinetics of the nanocrystals were examined with variable excitation cathodoluminescence (CL). As the excitation level is increased, carrier filling in two-dimensional (2D) phase-separated Cd-rich regions leads to a partial saturation of states before the onset of carrier filling in the higher bandgap homogenous Zn0.47Cd0.53Se regions. In order to model the state filling using Fermi-Dirac statistics for non-interacting carriers, a random quantum well model was used to determine the electron and hole eigensates in the Cd-rich regions of the nanocrystals.

The short circuit density (JSC) and open circuit voltage (VOC) of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were improved from 9.8 to 17.8 mA/cm2 and 728 to 743 mV by depositing an ultra thin SiO2 layer on mesoporous TiO2 using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. X ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the growth of SiO2 on mesoporous TiO2 surface. It was also observed that the enhancement in DSSC performance highly depends on the thickness of the ALD grown SiO2 layers on mesoporous TiO2. Compared to the reference DSSC which used untreated TiO2, incorporation of 5 ALD cycles (about 5 atomic layers) of SiO2 on mesoporous TiO2 resulted in 80 % enhancement (E) in the photoconversion efficiency from 4 to 7.2%. It is believed that the deposition of the ultra thin SiO2 film on mesoporous TiO2 modifies the density and activity of the surface states and an optimized layer thickness (5 cycles) leads to significant improvement in the DSSC performance. The enhanced photovoltaic performance was confirmed by dark and illuminated I-V and external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements.

The ultra-thin II-VI semiconductor ZnS/ZnO bilayers (< 50 nm thickness for each layer) can be easily formed on the plastic substrates at 70˜80°C for 20 min. By low temperature wet chemical synthesis techniques, namely chemical bath deposition (CBD) and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR). The specific microstructure of such ZnS/ZnO bilayers including film thickness, particle size and morphology, is also modified and obtained in accordance with processing parameters. Along with thin film quality and morphology, the transmittance and reflectance of ZnS/ZnO layers can be measured by field emission SEM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Besides the bilayer of ZnS (˜35 nm thick)/ZnO (˜50 nm thick) film with uniform thickness was successfully deposited on the optical grade PET substrates, a well-distributed layer of ZnO nanoparticles with ˜100 nm size on the top of ZnS (35 nm thick) film was also attempted. The average transmittance of these bilayer samples can reach greater 85%. Our future goal is to employ such ZnS/ZnO bilayer structure on potential organic substrates to be associated with flexible photovoltaic devices to meet desired cost-effectiveness requirements.

Chemical Vapor Functionalization (CVF) is a method in which nanocrystals undergo in situ functionalization in the gas phase. In CVF, two reactors are used in series. The first reactor consists of a hot quartz tube (1073 K) where ZnO nanocrystals are synthesized in the gas phase from diethylzinc and oxygen. The second reactor, connected at the exit of the first one and kept at lower temperature (673 K), is used as functionalization chamber. At the connecting point of the two reactors, vapors of organic functionalizing agents are injected which react with the surface of ZnO nanocrystals. ZnO nanocrystals have been functionalized by 1-hexanol, n-hexanoic acid, n-hexanal and 1-hexylamine. Functionalized ZnO nanocrystals have been characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering, X-ray Diffraction and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy.

In this paper, results of designing, fabricating and characterizing photovoltaic devices made from tailored silicon nanoparticles are shown as proof-of-principle to adopt this material into the photovoltaic sector. The silicon nanoparticles are used as active material for direct separation of the light induced charge carriers. Homo pn-junctions were constructed by silicon wafers and silicon nanocrystals, the latter doped with the opposite carrier type than the wafers. Nanocrystals were sintered on top of the wafer by a spark plasma sintering process, maintaining the nanocrystalline character. This way, the nanoparticle layers are a combined absorbing and charge separating medium. Electrical characterization measurements of the devices show a reproducible short-circuit current of up to 20 μA under illumination. A maximum short-circuit current density of 6.25 μA/cm2 was realized.

Solar cells fabricated from a sputtering target with 5% cadmium sulfide (CdS) intermixed cadmium telluride (CdTe) material was studied using Capacitance-Voltage (CV) profiling. The average efficiency of a set of these novel solar cells under one sun illumination was observed to be 7.56%. In contrast with standard sputtered CdS/CdTe cells, the junction capacitance of the mixed compound device was observed to show minimal change in the entire reverse bias range. The element mapping of the film using Bright Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (BF-STEM) was used to determine the distribution of S, Te, Cd, O, and Cl in CdTe film. From these observations, it is believed that the morphology and composition of the film resulted in a built-in potential which was sufficient to completely deplete the film.

In this study, we introduce ‘molecularly imprinted polymer' (MIP) system, which has receptor or binding sites with specific molecular recognitions.

Due to the receptor or binding sites in MIP's systems, it can be used for developing bio- or chemical sensors.

To fabricate bio-sensors, bio-molecules have been incorporated into MIP's systems as template molecules, but some bio-molecules are sensitive thus denatured during engineering processes.

For this reason, bio-sensor fabrications by conventional UV photolithography have shown some limitations.

We demonstrate here a photopatterning process, a micromolding in capillary technique (MIMIC) technique, to photopatterning a MIP's system containing a bio-molecule template.

The MIMIC technique uses the photo-masks for photopolymerizing MIP's monomer solutions.

The photomask is based on silicon rubbers, which are optically transparent and also minimize any damages of sensitive bio-molecules during photo-polymerizations. For visualizing lithographic performances of MIP's systems, we used a fluorescent template molecule to present a comparative result of MIP's photo-cured patterns.

It shows a clear different in MIP's patterns with and without the template.

We also employed a microfluidic approach to produce micro-sized MIP's particles, which contribute to increase the sensitivity of bio-molecule sensors/devices.