Olga V. Korolik

Nitrogen-doped twisted graphene grown on copper by atmospheric pressure CVD from a decane precursor

We present Raman studies of graphene films grown on copper foil by atmospheric pressure CVD with n-decane as a precursor, a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen as the carrier gas, under different hydrogen flow rates. A novel approach for the processing of the Raman spectroscopy data was employed. It was found that in particular cases, the various parameters of the Raman spectra can be assigned to fractions of the films with different thicknesses. In particular, such quantities as the full width at half maximum of the 2D peak and the position of the 2D graphene band were successfully applied for the elaborated approach. Both the G- and 2D-band positions of single layer fractions were blue-shifted, which could be associated with the nitrogen doping of studied films. The XPS study revealed the characteristics of incorporated nitrogen, which was found to have a binding energy around 402 eV. Moreover, based on the statistical analysis of spectral parameters and the observation of a G-resonance, the twisted nature of the double-layer fraction of graphene grown with a lower hydrogen feeding rate was demonstrated. The impact of the varied hydrogen flow rate on the structural properties of graphene and the nitrogen concentration is also discussed.

Influence of wide band gap oxide substrates on the photoelectrochemical properties and structural disorder of CdS nanoparticles grown by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

Summary The photoelectrochemical properties of nanoheterostructures based on the wide band gap oxide substrates (ZnO, TiO2, In2O3) and CdS nanoparticles deposited by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method have been studied as a function of the CdS deposition cycle number (N). The incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) passes through a maximum with the increase of N, which is ascribed to the competition between the increase in optical absorption and photocarrier recombination. The maximal IPCE values for the In2O3/CdS and ZnO/CdS heterostructures are attained at N ≈ 20, whereas for TiO2/CdS, the appropriate N value is an order of magnitude higher. The photocurrent and Raman spectroscopy studies of CdS nanoparticles revealed the occurrence of the quantum confinement effect, demonstrating the most rapid weakening with the increase of N in ZnO/CdS heterostructures. The structural disorder of CdS nanoparticles was characterized by the Urbach energy (E U), spectral width of the CdS longitudinal optical (LO) phonon band and the relative intensity of the surface optical (SO) phonon band in the Raman spectra. Maximal values of E U (100–120 meV) correspond to СdS nanoparticles on a In2O3 surface, correlating with the fact that the CdS LO band spectral width and intensity ratio for the CdS SO and LO bands are maximal for In2O3/CdS films. A notable variation in the degree of disorder of CdS nanoparticles is observed only in the initial stages of CdS growth (several tens of deposition cycles), indicating the preservation of the nanocrystalline state of CdS over a wide range of SILAR cycles.

Photoelectrochemical and Raman characterization of In2O3 mesoporous films sensitized by CdS nanoparticles.

Summary The method of successive ion layer adsorption and reaction was applied for the deposition of CdS nanoparticles onto a mesoporous In2O3 substrate. The filling of the nanopores in In2O3 films with CdS particles mainly occurs during the first 30 cycles of the SILAR deposition. The surface modification of In2O3 with CdS nanoparticles leads to the spectral sensitization of photoelectrochemical processes that manifests itself in a red shift of the long-wavelength edge in the photocurrent spectrum by 100–150 nm. Quantum-confinement effects lead to an increase of the bandgap from 2.49 to 2.68 eV when decreasing the number of SILAR cycles from 30 to 10. The spectral shift and the widening of the Raman line belonging to CdS evidences the lattice stress on the CdS/In2O3 interfaces and confirms the formation of a close contact between the nanoparticles.

Effect of Interparticle Field Enhancement in Self-Assembled Silver Aggregates on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

The presence of so-called hot spots, regions with strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, is a critical property of a substrate enabling detection of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals at high enhancement levels. In this work, the effect of interparticle field enhancement on SERS signals was investigated comparing SERS spectra of ethylenediaminetetraacetic-disodium salt in the chemically produced colloids with isolated and aggregated silver nanoparticles using 473 and 532-nm wavelength excitation. The presence of aggregates in the colloidal solution resulted in SERS spectra that were insensitive to wavelength excitation and much richer in structural information and of higher resolution than the corresponding SERS spectra for the colloid with isolated nanoparticles. The experimental SERS spectra were found to be consistent with the finite-difference time-domain simulation results that explored the electromagnetic response of the isolated and aggregated nanoparticles. These results provide more evidence to suggest that the aggregate formation offers favorable electromagnetic properties increasing sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy.

Synthesis and properties of doped ZnO ceramics

In our work, we studied zinc oxide ceramic samples doped with aluminum and gallium. Structure peculiarities of ceramics depending on their synthesis regime were investigated by the SEM, EDX, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy methods. It was demonstrated that at some technological conditions the formation of indesirable phases of zinc aluminate or gallate may occur preventing an uniform material doping and reducing quality of samples. Single-phase ZnO ceramics were produced when the nanostructured alumina powders were used as a dopant source. The correlations between the synthesis regimes of ZnO ceramics and their electrophysical parameters essential for thermoelectric figure-of-merit (electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient) have been established. The best electrophysical characteristics were obtained when the nanostructured alumina produced by combustion in isopropyl alcohol was used as a dopant. Conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of such ceramics are equal to 3·10 S/m and -0.27 mV/K, respectively, corresponding to the power factor of 2.2·10 W/(m·K). Streszczenie. W naszej pracy zbadaliśmy próbki ceramiki tlenku cynku domieszkowanej aluminium oraz galem. Specyfikę struktury ceramiki zależącą od warunków syntezy zbadano metodami SEM, EDX, XRD oraz spektroskopią Ramana. Zaprezentowano, że dla niektórych warunków technologicznych tworzą się niepożądane fazy glinianu cynku lub galusanu zapobiegając jednolitemu domieszkowaniu materiału oraz zmniejszając jakość próbek. Jednofazowa ceramika ZnO została uzyskana w czasie, gdy nanostrukturalny proszek tlenku aluminium był używany jako źródło domieszki. Określono powiązania pomiędzy warunkami otrzymywania ceramiki ZnO oraz jej elektro-fizycznymi parametrami niezbędnymi do termoelektrycznego współczynnika jakości (przewodnictwo elektryczne oraz współczynnik Seebeck`a). Najlepsze elektrofizyczne charakterystyki otrzymano, gdy używano jako domieszkę nanostrukturalny tlenek aluminium produkowany poprzez spalanie w alkoholu izopropylowym. Przewodność oraz współczynnik Seebeck`a tego typu ceramik wynosi odpowiednio 3·10 S/m oraz -0.27 mV/K, co odpowiada współczynnikowi mocy równemu 2.2·10 W/(m·K). (Synteza i właściwości domieszkowanej ceramiki ZnO).

Raman Scattering and Carrier Diffusion Study in Heavily Co- doped 6H-SiC Layers

Thick 6H-SiC epilayers were grown using the fast sublimation method on low-off-axis substrates. They were co-doped with N and B impurities of ≈1019 cm−3 and (41016–51018) cm−3 concentration, respectively. The epilayers exhibited donor-acceptor pair (DAP) photoluminescence. The micro-Raman spectroscopic study exposed a compensated n-6H-SiC epilayer of common quality with some 3C-SiC inclusions. The compensation ratio of B through 200 μm thick epilayer varied in 20-30% range. The free carrier diffusivity was studied by transient grating technique at high injection level. The determined ambipolar diffusion coefficient at RT was found to decrease from 1.15 cm2/s to virtually 0 cm2/s with boron concentration increasing by two orders.

The effect of atmospheric doping on pressure-dependent Raman scattering in supported graphene

Atmospheric doping of supported graphene was investigated by Raman scattering under different pressures. Various Raman spectra parameters were found to depend on the pressure and the substrate material. The results are interpreted in terms of atmospheric adsorption leading to a change in graphene charge carrier density and the effect of the substrate on the electronic and phonon properties of graphene. It was found that adsorption of molecules from the atmosphere onto graphene doped with nitrogen (electron doping) compensates for the electron charge. Furthermore, the atmosphere-induced doping drastically decreases the spatial heterogeneity of charge carriers in graphene doped with nitrogen, while the opposite effect was observed for undoped samples. The results of this study should be taken into account for the development of sensors and nanoelectronic devices based on graphene.

Raman Study of CVD Graphene Irradiated by Swift Heavy Ions

1 Belarusian State University, 4, Nezavisimosti Ave., 220030 Minsk, Belarus 2 Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, 6, Joliot-Curie, 141980 Dubna, Russia 3 Dubna State University, 141980 Dubna, Russia 4 National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow, Russia 5 Al-Balqa Applied University, PO Box 4545, 11953 Amman, Jordan 6 Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, 6, P. Brovka Str., 220013 Minsk, Belarus 7 Institute of Technological Systems of Information, Lublin University of Technology, 20-618 Lublin, Poland 8 Department of Electrical Devices and High Voltage Technology, Lublin University of Technology, 20-618 Lublin, Poland