Ranjani Viswanatha

Synthesis and characterization of mn-doped zno nanocrystals

We report the synthesis and characterization of several sizes of Mn-doped ZnO nanocrystals, both in the free-standing and the capped particle forms. The sizes of these nanocrystals could be controlled by capping them with polyvinylpyrollidone under different synthesis conditions and were estimated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The absorption properties of PVP-capped Mn-doped ZnO exhibit an interesting variation of the band gap with the concentration of Mn. Fluorescence emission, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy provide evidence for the presence of Mn in the interior as well as on the surface of the nanocrystals.

Understanding the quantum size effects in ZnO nanocrystals

In the present work, we report the synthesis of high quality ZnO nanocrystals with sharp absorption edges in four different sizes, namely 3.0, 3.5, 4.7 and 5.4 nm, characterized by X-ray and electron diffraction, as well as transmission electron microscopy. The bandgaps of these samples, in conjunction with further data from the published literature, exhibit a systematic dependence on the nanocrystal size. In absence of any prior reliable theoretical results in the literature to understand this dependence quantitatively, we have analyzed for the first time, the electronic structure of bulk ZnO obtained from the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method using fatbands, density of states and partial density of states. The crystal orbital Hamiltonian population is obtained from linearized Muffin-Tin orbital band structure calculations to understand the range of hopping interactions relevant for an accurate description of the electronic structure. Using these analyses, a realistic tight binding model is proposed. Based on this model, we calculate the variation of the bandgap with the size of ZnO nanocrystals. These theoretical results agree well with all available data over the entire range of sizes, establishing the effectiveness of this approach.

Growth mechanism of nanocrystals in solution: ZnO, a case study.

We investigate the mechanism of growth of nanocrystals from solution using the case of ZnO. Spanning a wide range of values of the parameters, such as the temperature and the reactant concentration that control the growth, our results establish a qualitative departure from the widely accepted diffusion controlled coarsening (Ostwald ripening) process quantified in terms of the Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory. Further, we show that these experimental observations can be qualitatively and quantitatively understood within a growth mechanism that is intermediate between the two well-defined limits of diffusion control and kinetic control.

Long-lived photoinduced magnetization in copper-doped ZnSe–CdSe core–shell nanocrystals

Nanoscale materials have been investigated extensively for applications in memory and data storage. Recent advances include memories based on metal nanoparticles, nanoscale phase-change materials and molecular switches. Traditionally, magnetic storage materials make use of magnetic fields to address individual storage elements. However, new materials with magnetic properties addressable via alternative means (for example, electrical or optical) may lead to improved flexibility and storage density and are therefore very desirable. Here, we demonstrate that copper-doped chalcogenide nanocrystals exhibit not only the classic signatures of diluted magnetic semiconductors--namely, a strong spin-exchange interaction between paramagnetic Cu(2+) dopants and the conduction/valence bands of the host semiconductor--but also show a pronounced and long-lived photoinduced enhancement of their paramagnetic response. Magnetic circular dichroism studies reveal that paramagnetism in these nanocrystals can be controlled and increased by up to 100% when illuminated with above-gap (blue/ultraviolet) light. These materials retain a memory of the photomagnetization for hour-long timescales in the dark, with effects persisting up to ∼80 K.

Electronic structure of and quantum size effect in III-V and II-VI semiconducting nanocrystals using a realistic tight binding approach

We analyze the electronic structure of group III-V semiconductors obtained within full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method and arrive at a realistic and minimal tight-binding model, parametrized to provide an accurate description of both valence and conduction bands. It is shown that the cation

Study of surface and bulk electronic structure of II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals using Cu as a nanosensor.

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Spin-Polarized Mn2+ Emission from Mn-Doped Colloidal Nanocrystals

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Tunable Infrared Phosphors Using Cu Doping in Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Surface Electronic Structure Evaluation.

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An accurate description of quantum size effects in InP nanocrystallites over a wide range of sizes

basis along with the next nearest neighbor model for hopping interactions is sufficient to describe the electronic structure of these systems over a wide energy range, obviating the use of any fictitious

Effect of Structural Modification on the Quantum-Size Effect in II–VI Semiconducting Nanocrystals

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