Optical Properties of Nanocrystal Interfaces in Compressed MgO Nanopowders
Mckenna KP, Koller D, Sternig A, Siedl N, Govind N, Sushko PV, Diwald O (2011)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2011
Journal
Book Volume: 5
Pages Range: 3003-3009
Journal Issue: 4
DOI: 10.1021/nn200062d
Abstract
The optical properties and charge trapping phenomena observed on oxide nanocrystal ensembles can be strongly influenced by the presence of nanocrystal interfaces. MgO powders represent a convenient system to study these effects due to the well-defined shape and controllable size distributions of MgO nanocrystals. The spectroscopic properties of nanocrystal interfaces are investigated by monitoring the dependence of absorption characteristics on the concentration of the interfaces in the nanopowders. The presence of interfaces is found to affect the absorption spectra of nanopowders more significantly than changing the size of the constituent nanocrystals and, thus, leading to the variation of the relative abundance of light-absorbing surface structures. We find a strong absorption band in the 4.0$-$5.5 eV energy range, which was previously attributed to surface features of individual nanocrystals, such as corners and edges. These findings are supported by complementary first-principles calculations. The possibility to directly address such interfaces by tuning the energy of excitation may provide new means for functionalization and chemical activation of nanostructures and can help improve performance and reliability for many nanopowder applications.
Authors with CRIS profile
Andreas Sternig
Lehrstuhl für Partikelsynthese (LFG)
Nicolas Siedl
Lehrstuhl für Partikelsynthese (LFG)
Oliver Diwald
Lehrstuhl für Partikelsynthese (LFG)
Additional Organisation(s)
Involved external institutions
Tohoku University
Japan (JP)
Technische Universität Wien / Vienna University of Technology
Austria (AT)
University College London (UCL)
United Kingdom (GB)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
United States (USA) (US)
Japan (JP)
Technische Universität Wien / Vienna University of Technology
Austria (AT)
University College London (UCL)
United Kingdom (GB)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
United States (USA) (US)
How to cite
APA:
Mckenna, K.P., Koller, D., Sternig, A., Siedl, N., Govind, N., Sushko, P.V., & Diwald, O. (2011). Optical Properties of Nanocrystal Interfaces in Compressed MgO Nanopowders. ACS nano, 5(4), 3003-3009. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn200062d
MLA:
Mckenna, Keith P., et al. "Optical Properties of Nanocrystal Interfaces in Compressed MgO Nanopowders." ACS nano 5.4 (2011): 3003-3009.
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