The luminescence properties of ZnO nanopowders

Pure and Al3+ doped ZnO nanopowders were studied by means of time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. The powders were synthesized by hydrothermal and plasma methods. These powders were used as a raw material for vaporization-condensation process inside the Solar reactor. The commercially available ZnO nanopowder was studied for a comparison. Exciton to defect band luminescence intensity ratio was estimated in different types of ZnO nanopowders. It was found that nanopowders with whiskers morphology show superlinear luminescence intensity depending on excitation density. The observed effect depends on the average nanoparticle size and on the powder morphology.

Time-resolved cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence of nanoscale oxides

The nanostructured oxide materials such as ZnO, ZrO2, and Y3Al5O12 (YAG) are perspective materials for transparent scintillating and/or laser ceramics. The luminescence properties of single crystals, nanopowders and ceramic were compared. Nominally pure and rare-earth doped nanopowders and ceramics have been studied by means of time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. The fast blue luminescence band was studied in ZnO ceramics sintering from different raw materials. The luminescence centres of ZrO2:Y were compared in a single crystal, ceramic and nanopowder. It is shown that ceramic sintering parameters have a strong influence on time-resolved luminescence characteristics in cerium-doped YA…

Unveiling Molecular Changes in Water by Small Luminescent Nanoparticles

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MAT2013-47395-C4-1-R and MAT2016-75362-C3-1- R) and by the COST Action CM1403. L.L.-P. thanks the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid for the “Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI-UAM)” program. P.H.-G. thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) for the Juan de la Cierva program. The authors from the University of Belgrade acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project Nos. 45020 and 172056). M.I.M. thanks financial support from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MICINN) Project FIS2015-69…

High resolution luminescence spectroscopy and thermoluminescence of different size LaPO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles

T. G. acknowledges the ERDF PostDoc project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/215 (1.1.1.2/16/I/001). K. S. and K. L. acknowledge the Latvian National Research Program IMIS2. The authors from Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project No: 45020 and 172056 ).

Luminescence of oxygen related defects in zirconia nanocrystals

The luminescence of undoped tetragonal structure ZrO2 nanocrystals was studied. The luminescence intensity depends on oxygen content in gases mixture in which the nanocrystals were annealed. The distorted Zr-O bond is suggested to be the recombination center for band carriers. The oxygen deficient defect is proposed to be responsible for photoluminescence. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Europium(III)-doped A(2)Hf(2)O(7) (A = Y, Gd, Lu) nanoparticles: Influence of annealing temperature, europium(III) concentration and host cation on the luminescent properties

The detailed analyses of structure and luminescence of europium(III)-doped A(2)Hf(2)O(7) (A = Y, Gd, Lu) nanoparticles is presented. Samples were prepared by time and cost effective combustion method that utilize polyethylene glycol both as a chelating agent and as a fuel, with different europium(III) concentrations (from 1 to 12 at.%), annealed at temperatures ranging from 800 to 1400 degrees C, and with alternating A(3+) cation in the A(2)Hf(2)O(7) host. Then, structural variations between materials were analysed by Xray diffraction and structural refinement, while the changes in the luminescence were assessed from the Judd-Ofelt analyses of emission spectra. Nanoparticles prepared at the…

Radioluminescence, thermoluminescence and dosimetric properties of ZnO ceramics

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work from research grant ERA.NET RUS Plus Nr.609556 and from the SFERA II project Transnational Access activities (EU 7th Framework Programme Grant Agreement no 312643) for supporting ZnO nanopowders preparation.

Mechanical reinforcement of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) by α-FeOOH nanowires

The authors kindly acknowledge the financial support of the Estonian Research Council for the post-doctoral research grants of personal research funding in projects PUT1096 and PUTJD578 as well as Institutional Research Funding Projects, IUT20-17, and IUT23-7.

Identifying Iron-Bearing Nanoparticle Precursor for Thermal Transformation into the Highly Active Hematite Photo-Fenton Catalyst

Funding: This reseach was funded by the European Regional Development Fund within the Activity 1.1.1.2 “Post-doctoral Research Aid” of the Specific Aid Objective 1.1.1 “To increase the research and innovative capacity of scientific institutions of Latvia and the ability to attract external financing, investing in human resources and infrastructure” of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” (No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/157).

Cathodoluminescence of oxyfluoride glass-ceramics

Abstract Tb, Ce, Eu activated oxyfluoride glass-ceramics with the composition SiO2 · Al2O3 · Li2O · LaF3 have been studied by cathodoluminescence (CL). We compared CL intensities and decay times of the Tb, Ce, Eu activated glass-ceramic samples and observed that the Tb activated sample has the most intense luminescence, but the Ce activated sample has the shortest decay times. Induced optical absorption and thermostimulated luminescence have been observed after X-ray irradiation of samples.

Growth mechanisms and related thermoelectric properties of innovative hybrid networks fabricated by direct deposition of Bi2Se3 and Sb2Te3 on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Abstract Flexible thermoelectric generators are an emerging trend in the field of waste heat conversion, as well as wearable and autonomous devices. However, the energy conversion efficiency of the state-of-the-art flexible thermoelectric devices is too low for their wide application and commercialization. In this work, n- and p-type multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-thermoelectric material hybrid networks that may become a promising building block for the fabrication of flexible thermoelectric devices are presented. The hybrid networks were fabricated by direct deposition of thermoelectric material (Bi2Se3, Sb2Te3) on the MWCNT networks using physical vapor deposition technique. Growth m…

The electron beam induced short lived absorption in PLZT optical ceramics

Abstract The short lived absorption induced by a pulsed electron beam in the led–lanthanum–zirconate–titanate (PLZT) optical ceramics was studied. The measured absorption spectrum covers 1.1–2.9 eV energy range and consists of several strongly overlapping peaks. The rise of the absorption is delayed with respect to the excitation pulse, due to charge carrier migration before trapping at centers responsible for the absorption. The formation rate of absorption centers and decay rate of absorption depend on the photon energy. The kinetics of short lived absorption varies over spectrum and can be approximated with a stretched exponent. The stretched exponent parameters indicate that the local d…

Angular dependence of recombination luminescence-detected EPR in a ZnO crystal

Angular dependency of electron paramagnetic resonance, optically detected by UV-excited recombination luminescence (RL-EPR), was measured for nominally pure ZnO single crystals. Observed magnetic resonances belong to the broad yellow RL band with slow decay centred at 610 nm, which is characteristic of untreated ZnO crystals. In the sample, irradiated with the 266 nm UV laser, an additional RL band centred at 740 nm appears, which has considerably faster decay time than the yellow one. This RL band is characteristic of the luminescence of Fe3+ ions in the ZnO crystals. It could be observed only after the UV laser treatment. No RL-EPR signal was detected for this RL band. Our spectral simula…

Intrinsic defect related luminescence in ZrO2

The studies of ZrO 2 and yttrium stabilized ZrO 2 nanocrystals luminescence as well as yttrium stabilized single crystal luminescence and induced absorption showed that the intrinsic defects are responsible for luminescence at room temperature. These defects form a quasi-continuum of states in ZrO 2 band gap and are the origin of the luminescence spectrum dependence on the excitation energy. Luminescence centers are oxygen vacancies related but not the vacancies themselves. At room temperature, in ZrO 2 , deep traps for electrons and holes exist. The oxygen vacancies are proposed to be the traps for electrons.

Synthesis and characterization of GaN/ReS2, ZnS/ReS2 and ZnO/ReS2 core/shell nanowire heterostructures

This research was funded by the ERDF project “Smart Metal Oxide Nanocoatings and HIPIMS Technology”, project number: 1.1.1.1/18/A/073. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART².

ORR Activity and Stability of Co-N/C Catalysts Based on Silicon Carbide Derived Carbon and the Impact of Loading in Acidic Media

This work was supported by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund under projects TK141 “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems” (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011), NAMUR ”Nanomaterials - research and applications” (3.2.0304.12-0397) and by the Estonian institutional research grant No. IUT20-13.

Triboelectrification of nanocomposites using identical polymer matrixes with different concentrations of nanoparticle fillers

In this study, we investigate triboelectrification in polymer-based nanocomposites using identical polymer matrixes containing different concentrations of nanoparticles (NPs). The triboelectric surface charge density on polymer layers increased as the difference in nanoparticle filler concentration between the two triboelectric layers escalated, despite the fact that the polymer matrix was the same in both layers. This effect was observed in tests of various polymer types and filler NPs. Our mechanical experiments and finite element analysis simulations confirmed that polymeric triboelectrification is related to the surface viscoelastic deformation that occurs during mechanical contact and …

Identification of Active Sites for Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Nitrogen- and Sulfur-Codoped Carbon Catalysts

This research was financially supported by ERA.Net RUS Plus funding mechanism (Project HeDoCat) and by the European Regional Development Fund project TK134.

Luminescent PEO Coatings on Aluminum

Up-conversion luminescence of GdVO4:Nd3+/Er3+ and GdVO4:Nd3+/Ho3+ phosphors under 808 nm excitation

All authors acknowledge to the COST Action CM1403: The European upconversion network - from the design of photon-upconverting nanomaterials to biomedical applications (2014–2018). The authors from the University of Belgrade acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project Nos. 45020 and 172056 ). K. S. acknowledges the Latvian National Research Program IMIS2 (Grant No. 302/2012 ). T. G. acknowledges the ERDF PostDoc project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/215 ( 1.1.1.2/16/I/001 ).

Time‐resolved absorption and luminescence following electron‐hole pair creation in ZnO

We report transient absorption induced by electron-hole excitation in undoped ZnO. A laser pump/continuum probe method covers 2–300 ps, and an electron pulse with lamp transmission covers 8–300 ns. The broad absorption spectrum increases monotonically with wavelength from 900 to 1600 nm. Following a reasonable hypothesis that the free-carrier-like induced infrared absorption is proportional to the total number of free carriers, excitons, and shallow-trapped carriers in the sample, these data allow setting an upper limit on the quantum efficiency of a specified lifetime component of luminescence. For the undoped commercial ZnO studied in this report, the quantum efficiency of room temperatur…

Transient and stable color centers in neutron irradiated MgO

Abstract The transient absorption and luminescence induced by the pulsed electron beam have been investigated in the MgO single crystal containing transition metal ion (Cr, Mn, Fe) impurities and preliminary irradiated by the fast neutrons. It is supposed that the different behavior of the absorption spectra of the MgO samples preliminary irradiated by the different fast neutron fluence is connected with the destruction of the hole centers and with the creation of interstitial protons and the formation of the microphase Mg(OH)2. We assume that the luminescence band at ∼3.2 eV is connected with F+ color centers.

Synthesis, structure and spectroscopic properties of luminescent GdVO 4 :Dy 3+ and DyVO 4 particles

Part of this research was done during visit of D.J. to IFN-CNR CSMFO Lab. and FBK Photonics Unit, Povo-Trento, Italy, in the framework of the STSM (Grant No. 38223) from the project: COST Action MP 1401 Advanced Fibre Laser and Coherent Source as tools for Society, Manufacturing and Lifescience” (2014e2018). The authors from Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Tech-nological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project No: 45020 and 172056). L.T.N. Tran acknowledges the scholarship of the Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam International Education Development. T. G. acknowledges the ERDF PostDoc project No…

Gallium Concentration Optimisation of Gallium Doped Zinc Oxide for Improvement of Optical Properties

The research has been supported by project ERA.NET RUS_ST2017-05 (Latvia) and No. 18-52-76002 (Russia). The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Hori-zon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-Teaming-Phase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART².

Novel method of phosphorescent strontium aluminate coating preparation on aluminum

This work was supported by the ERDF , European-Union Project No. 1.1.1.1/16/A/182 .

Gas sensitive luminescence of ZnO coatings obtained by plazma electrolytic oxidation

Abstract The ZnO coatings on Zn substrate were obtained using plasma electrolytic oxidation method. The XRD and SEM methods were used for structural and morphological characterization of obtained coatings. The luminescence of ZnO coatings were studied and compared with luminescence characteristics of ZnO single crystal. It is shown that luminescence intensity in ZnO defect band depends on oxygen concentration in ambient atmosphere. The effect is of interest for oxygen sensing based on ZnO coating luminescence.

Unexpected Epitaxial Growth of a Few WS2 Layers on {11̅00} Facets of ZnO Nanowires

Core–shell nanowires are an interesting and perspective class of radially heterostructured nanomaterials where epitaxial growth of the shell can be realized even at noticeable core–shell lattice mismatch. In this study epitaxial hexagonally shaped shell consisting of WS2 nanolayers was grown on {1100} facets of prismatic wurtzite-structured [0001]-oriented ZnO nanowires for the first time. A synthesis was performed by annealing in a sulfur atmosphere of ZnO/WO3 core–shell structures, produced by reactive dc magnetron sputtering of an amorphous a-WO3 layer on top of ZnO nanowire array. The morphology and phase composition of synthesized ZnO/WS2 core–shell nanowires were confirmed by scanning…

The boron effect on low temperature luminescence of SrAl2O4:Eu, Dy

V.V. acknowledges the financial support of ERDF PostDoc project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/440 (University of Latvia Institute of Solid State Physics, Latvia) and K.S., I.B., A.Z., D.M. and K.L. acknowledge the financial support of ERDF, European-Union Project No. 1.1.1.1/16/A/182 (University of Latvia Institute of Solid State Physics, Latvia).

Contribution of Molecular Structure to Self-Assembling and Biological Properties of Bifunctional Lipid-Like 4-(N-Alkylpyridinium)-1,4-Dihydropyridines

The design of nanoparticle delivery materials possessing biological activities is an attractive strategy for the development of various therapies. In this study, 11 cationic amphiphilic 4-(N-alkylpyridinium)-1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) derivatives differing in alkyl chain length and propargyl moiety/ties number and position were selected for the study of their self-assembling properties, evaluation of their cytotoxicity in vitro and toxicity on microorganisms, and the characterisation of their interaction with phospholipids. These lipid-like 1,4-DHPs have been earlier proposed as promising nanocarriers for DNA delivery. We have revealed that the mean diameter of freshly prepared nanoparti…

Photodoping-Inspired Room-Temperature Gas Sensing by Anatase TiO2 Quantum Dots

Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature in an ambient environment is highly desired, but still a distant function for gas sensor materials. Here, we are demonstrating a p...

Longitudinal spin-relaxation in nitrogen-vacancy centers in electron irradiated diamond

We present systematic measurements of longitudinal relaxation rates ($1/T_1$) of spin polarization in the ground state of the nitrogen-vacancy (NV$^-$) color center in synthetic diamond as a function of NV$^-$ concentration and magnetic field $B$. NV$^-$ centers were created by irradiating a Type 1b single-crystal diamond along the [100] axis with 200 keV electrons from a transmission electron microscope with varying doses to achieve spots of different NV$^-$ center concentrations. Values of ($1/T_1$) were measured for each spot as a function of $B$.

Antibacterial Activity of Positively and Negatively Charged Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Nanoparticles to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio fischeri

This research and work has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund within the Activity 1.1.1.2 “Post-doctoral Research Aid” of the Specific Aid Objective 1.1.1 (i.e., “to increase the research and innovative capacity of scientific institutions of Latvia and the ability to attract external financing, investing in human resources and infrastructure”) of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” (No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/2/18/331).

A comparative study of photocatalytically active nanocrystalline tetragonal T zyrcon- type and monoclinic scheelite-type bismuth vanadate

The authors from Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Project no: 172056 ). The work of K. Smits was supported by Latvian National Research Program IMIS2 (Grant no. 302/2012 ).

Luminescence of rutile structured crystalline silicon dioxide (stishovite)

Abstract Luminescence spectrum of synthetic mono-crystalline stishovite comprises a slow blue band at ~400 nm (~3.1 eV) and a fast UV band at ~260 nm (~4.7 eV), as well as some bands in near-infrared range of spectra. The NIR luminescence of stishovite crystal, excited with lasers 532 nm, 248 nm and 193 nm as well as x-ray, possesses several sharp lines. A zero phonon line is situated at 787 nm (1.57 eV) and grows with cooling. An anti-Stokes line is located at 771 nm (1.68 eV). This line disappears with cooling. In a powder sample of stishovite created by shock waves generated by the impact of a 50-m-diameter meteorite in Arizona 50,000 years ago, the PL broad blue band is situated at 425 …

The search for defects in undoped SrAl2O4 material

This research project was supported financially by ERDF Project No: Nr.1.1.1.1/16/A/182 .

Tribovoltaic Device Based on the W/WO3 Schottky Junction Operating through Hot Carrier Extraction

Up-conversion luminescence dependence on structure in zirconia nanocrystals

The zirconia samples containing two different concentrations of Er and Yb dopants were prepared using the Sol–Gel method and up-conversion luminescence was studied using the time-resolved techniques. The up-conversion luminescence depends on the oxygen content in surrounding gasses during annealing as well as on the annealing temperature. These dependencies indicate that ZrO2 intrinsic defects annealing and generation, phase transition as well as dopant redistribution take place. The possible role of these processes on up-conversion luminescence is discussed. The results of experiments confirmed that the annealing temperature has a crucial influence on up-conversion luminescence for samples…

Strong, Rapid and Reversible Photochromic Response of Nb doped TiO2 Nanocrystal Colloids in Hole Scavenging Media

Understanding photochromicity is essential for developing new means of modulating the optical properties and optical response of materials. Here, we report on the synthesis and exciting new photochromic behavior of Nb5+ doped TiO2 nanoparticle colloids (NCs). We find that in hole scavenging media, Nb5+ doping significantly improves the photochromic response time of TiO2 nanoparticles. In the infrared regime, Nb-doped TiO2 NCs exhibit an order of magnitude faster photoresponse kinetics than the pristine TiO2. Enhanced photochromic response is observed in the visible light regime as well. The transmittance of Nb-doped TiO2 NCs drops to 10% in less than 2 minutes when irradiated by UV light in…

Nanocomposites for Novel Sensing Systems

The work performed under the National Research Program of Latvia and presented here is about advanced, chemical stimuli responsive materials. Sensor materials are produced on the basis of metallophthalocyanines or zirconia nanocrystals with the purpose of detecting small size molecular compounds like NH3, O2 and O3. Polymer/nanostructured carbon composite is produced to detect large size molecular compounds like organic vapour. Basic gaseous compound sensing principles are discussed within this paper.

Low temperature afterglow from SrAl 2 O 4 : Eu, Dy, B containing glass

V.V. acknowledges the financial support of ERDF PostDoc project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/440 (University of Latvia Institute of Solid State Physics, Latvia) and LP the Academy of Finland (Flagship Programme, Photonics Research and Innovation PREIN 320165 and Academy Project -326418) for the financial support. Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01- 2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART 2 .

Particle size effects on the structure and emission of Eu3+: LaPO4 and EuPO4 phosphors

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Projects nos. 45020 and 172056). T.G acknowledges to the ERDF PostDoc project No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/215 (1.1.1.2/16/I/001).

Luminescence properties of zirconia nanocrystals prepared by solar physical vapor deposition

Abstract Zirconia nanocrystals have attracted considerable interest as biolabels, which can be used as probes for medical imaging and biosensor applications. However, zirconia particle agglomeration forms a major limitation to its use for biolabeling. In this backdrop, for the first time, well-separated zirconia nanocrystals were obtained in a Heliotron reactor (PROMES CNRS, France) via the solar physical vapor deposition (SPVD) method. As the raw material target for solar evaporation, zirconia nanopowders obtained via the sol–gel process were used. The luminescence and upconversion luminescence properties of the Sol Gel nanopowders were compared with those of the SPVD nanocrystals. Erbium …

Luminescence of dense, octahedral structured crystalline silicon dioxide (stishovite)

Abstract It is obtained that, as grown, non-irradiated stishovite single crystals possess a luminescence center. Three excimer pulsed lasers (KrF, 248 nm; ArF, 193 nm; F 2 , 157 nm) were used for photoluminescence (PL) excitation. Two PL bands were observed. One, in UV range with the maximum at 4.7±0.1 eV with FWHM equal to 0.95±0.1 eV, mainly is seen under ArF laser. Another, in blue range with the maximum at 3±0.2 eV with FWHM equal to 0.8±0.2 eV, is seen under all three lasers. The UV band main fast component of decay is with time constant τ =1.2±0.1 ns for the range of temperatures 16–150 K. The blue band decay possesses fast and slow components. The fast component of the blue band deca…

Characterization of electrospun poly(lactide) composites containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, for funding projects III45022 and 172056 and European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action CA15107.

Luminescence of coesite

Coesite is a polymorph modification of crystalline silicon dioxide with a tetrahedral structure. The luminescence of a single crystal of synthetic coesite was studied under excitation using x-rays, an electron beam, and excimer lasers KrF (248 nm), ArF (193 nm) and F2 (157 nm). Luminescence bands in the regions of 2.5 eV and 4.4 eV appear. The blue band is dependent on temperature and is composed of decay kinetics. Three main decay times are revealed, exhibiting luminescence of a different nature in the same range of the spectrum. One is in the ns range of time with a time constant of about 2 ns. The two other decay times are in the regions of 5 μs and 700 μs. The 5 μs component is also see…

Low Temperature Afterglow from SrAl <sub>2</sub>O <sub>4</sub>: EU, Dy, B Containing Glass

SrAl2O4: Eu, Dy, B particles were added in a phosphate glass (90NaPO3-10NaF (in mol%)) using the direct doping method. For the first time, the composition of the particles prior to and after embedding them in the glass was analysed using EPMA analysis. Boron was found to be incorporated in already distorted surroundings creating new trapping centers in the particles which are thought to be favourable for the tunnelling process and so for the afterglow at 10K. Despite the partial decomposition of the particles, the glass exhibit afterglow at low temperature confirming to be promising materials for low temperature applications.

Thermostimulated luminescence of plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on 6082 aluminium surface

Financial support provided by Scientific Research Project for Students and Young Researchers Nr. SJZ/2016/12 realized at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia is greatly acknowledged. Authors are grateful to R. Ignatans for measurements and analysis of XRD spectra and ElGoo Tech ltd. for providing PEO equipment.

Morphological and optical property study of Li doped ZnO produced by microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis

Abstract ZnO materials have been at the centre of many studies for decades. Doping of ZnO by lithium atoms is a prospective approach for compensation of n-type conductivity in the unintentionally doped ZnO aimed at obtaining p-type semiconductor. In this study, we have synthesized ZnO rod-like powders doped with lithium ions (0–0.65 atom%) by the new microwave-assisted solvothermal method in order to obtain greater photoluminescence intensity of ZnO emissions in the UV region. The obtained powders contain nanoparticles from 20 nm up to 250 nm depending on Li content. X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy were employed to characterise the structure of ZnO powders, scanning electron mic…

Excitonic luminescence in ZnO nanopowders and ceramics

Abstract Fast photoluminescence spectra in the spectral region of 3.1–3.45 eV in ZnO and ZnO:Al ceramics were studied at 14 and 300 K. Ceramics with grains smaller than 100 nm were sintered from nanopowders by high pressure (8 GPa) and low temperature (350 °C). Ceramics with grain sizes 1–5 μm were sintered at 1400 °C. It is shown that excitonic luminescence spectra depend on the ceramics grain size, post preparing annealing and doping. The excitonic luminescence decay time was faster than 2 ns and the afterglow at 30 ns was ∼0.05%.

Complex tribomechanical characterization of ZnO nanowires: nanomanipulations supported by FEM simulations

In the present work, we demonstrate a novel approach to nanotribological measurements based on the bending manipulation of hexagonal ZnO nanowires (NWs) in an adjustable half-suspended configuration inside a scanning electron microscope. A pick-and-place manipulation technique was used to control the length of the adhered part of each suspended NW. Static and kinetic friction were found by a 'self-sensing' approach based on the strain profile of the elastically bent NW during manipulation and its Young's modulus, which was separately measured in a three-point bending test with an atomic force microscope. The calculation of static friction from the most bent state was completely reconsidered…

Studies of radiation defects in cerium, europium and terbium activated oxyfluoride glasses and glass ceramics

Abstract Terbium, cerium and europium activated oxyfluoride glasses and glass ceramics have been studied by thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) and optical absorption techniques after the X-ray irradiation. A creation of colour centres in oxyfluoride glass matrix and TSL peaks depending on the activator type were observed. LaF 3 and rare earth activators were analysed by SEM–EDS.

Luminescence Properties of ZnO Nanocrystals and Ceramics

The luminescence excitation spectra, luminescence spectra and the nanosecond-scale decay kinetics were studied. The ZnO and ZnO:Al nanopowders were prepared by vaporization-condensation in a solar furnace using different raw powders: commercial, hydrothermal and those obtained by plasma synthesis. Exciton-phonon as well as exciton-exciton interaction processes in nanopowders, a bulk crystal and ZnO ceramics were studied and compared. The fast decay and low afterglow intensity of ZnO nanopowders and ceramics support these materials for scintillators.

Dynamics of Singlet Oxygen Molecule Trapped in Silica Glass Studied by Luminescence Polarization Anisotropy and Density Functional Theory

The support from M-ERANET project “MyND” is acknowledged. A.A., M.M-S., and L.R. were supported by the Research Council of Lithuania (Grant M-ERA.NET-1/2015). The authors thank A. Pasquarello for providing the structures of the amorphous SiO 2 matrix for our computational work and K. Kajihara (Tokyo Metropolitan University) for valuable advice in PL kinetics measurements.

Raman, electron microscopy and electrical transport studies of x-ray amorphous Zn-Ir-O thin films deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering

Zn-Ir-O thin films on glass and Ti substrates were deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Structural and electrical properties were investigated as a function of iridium concentration in the films. Raman spectrum of Zn-Ir-O (61.5 at.% Ir) resembles the spectrum of rutile IrO2, without any distinct features of wurtzite ZnO structure. SEM images indicated that morphology of the films surface improves with the iridium content. EDX spectroscopy and cross-section SEM images revealed that the films growing process is homogeneous. Crystallites with approximately 2-5 nm size were discovered in the TEM images. Thermally activated conductivity related to the variable range…

Sub-nanosecond excitonic luminescence in ZnO:In nanocrystals

The financial support of research European Union ERA.NET RUS_ST20170-51 . This work was partly supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Russia , project No. 18-52-76002 . The sample preparation was carried out as part of SFERA II project -Transnational Access activities ( European Union 7th Framework Programme Grant Agreement N3126430 ).

Antiviral efficacy of cerium oxide nanoparticles.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Estonian Research Council Grants (COVSG2, PRG629, PRG1496), Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011) and University of Tartu Development Fund (PLTFYARENG53). The research was partly conducted using the NAMUR+ core facility funded by projects “Center of nanomaterials technologies and research” (2014-2020.4.01.16-0123) and TT13.

Luminescence and Raman Detection of Molecular Cl2 and ClClO Molecules in Amorphous SiO2 Matrix

The support from the Latvian Research Program project IMIS 2 (L.S., K.S.) and Latvian Science Council Grant 302/2012 (A.S.) is acknowledged. K.K. was partially supported by the Collaborative Research Project of Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology. H.H. was supported by the MEXT Element Strategy Initiative to form research cores.

Metal nanodumbbells for nanomanipulations and tribological experiments

Nanomanipulation experiments were carried out on nanodumbbells (NDs) to study their kinetic behavior and tribological properties. Ag, Au and Cu NDs were produced by laser-induced melting of corresponding nanowires (NWs). NDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Manipulation experiments were performed first with atomic force microscope (AFM) at ambient conditions, and then inside SEM at high vacuum conditions. Different regimes of motion were observed. In-plane and out-of-substrate-plane rotation were identified as the most preferred motion types of NDs.

Fe-N/C catalysts for oxygen reduction based on silicon carbide derived carbon

This work was supported by the projects TK141 “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems” (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011), NAMUR “Nanomaterials - research and applications” (3.2.0304.12-0397) and by the Estonian Institutional Research Grant No. IUT20-13.

Formation of translucent nanostructured zirconia ceramics

Abstract In this work the mechanisms that affect the optical transparency of nanostructured translucent ZrO2 ceramics are studied. The translucent ceramic samples were obtained from a low agglomeration nanosized powder at low pressure and low temperature sintering. Even low pressures cause structural changes and defect creation in the nanocrystals. Annealing was used to study the grain formation, structure and impact of defects. Significant changes in translucency were observed with increase in pore size. In order to further understand the defect creation, the obtained ceramics were doped with Er3+ ions and studied optically. Photoluminescence studies revealed a change in the ratio of green…

Facile synthesis of magnetically separable CoFe2O4/Ag2O/Ag2CO3 nanoheterostructures with high photocatalytic performance under visible light and enhanced stability against photodegradation

Riga Technical University supported the preparation of this manuscript from the Scientific Research Project Competition for Young Researchers No. ZP-2016/7. The authors wish to kindly acknowledge the financial support of HZB, Estonian Research Council (PUT1096, PUT735 and IUT2-25) and Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research Project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustain-able energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014–2020.4.01.15-0011).

Recent progress in understanding the persistent luminescence in SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy

This work was conducted with the funding of Scientific Research Project for Students and Young Researchers realised at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia [SJZ/2018/2].

TSL and fractional glow study of Ge-doped α-quartz

Crystalline α-quartz doped with 0.1wt% and 0.9wt% germanium was studied using TSL and FGT equipment. Sample was chosen because previously it is known that Ge in quartz is efficient trap for electrons, therefore it could be used for detection of hypothetic self-trapped hole in α-quartz. However previous investigations of ODMR and TSL shows that in α-quartz the hole is still mobile and trapping occurs only on defect states. The activation energies for both TSL peaks are found by fractional glow and Hoogenstraaten method. The TSL distribution changes depending on Ge concentration and also on irradiation type. The TSL peaks below 70K in quartz doped with Ge could belong to hole trapped on Ge.

Tunneling luminescence in long lasting afterglow of SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu,Dy

The publication is prepared with the financial support of National Research Programme IMIS2.

Ag sensitized TiO2 and NiFe2O4 three-component nanoheterostructures: synthesis, electronic structure and strongly enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

This study reports on the synthesis and characterisation of two- and three-component visible light active photocatalytic nanoparticle heterostructures, based on TiO2 and NiFe2O4 and sensitized with Ag. We observe that a Ag content as small as 1 at% in the TiO2/NiFe2O4 heterostructure increases by more than an order of magnitude the rate constant for the visible light photocatalytic process. We rationalise this in terms of the measured structure and electronic structure data of the binary and ternary combinations of the component materials and focus on details, which show that an optimised deposition sequence is vital for attaining high values of photocatalytic efficiency, because the charge…

Recent progress in understanding the persistent luminescence in SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu,Dy

Ever since the discovery of SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy persistent afterglow material, that can intensively glow up to 20 h, the mechanism of long-lasting luminescence has been a popular area of research. The re...

Influence of sintering temperature on microstructure of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 ceramics

Abstract Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT)-based compositions are among the most promising lead-free ferroelectrics. Although studies of modification of NBT-based compositions’ properties are a hot topic, there has been very little attention paid to their characterization from the standpoint of ceramics and the process of producing them. Here, we report on comprehensive analysis of the influence of sintering temperature across a wide temperature range (1020–1240 °C) on the complete microstructure and chemical content of NBT ceramics produced by solid state sintering, which is dominating in producing of NBT ceramics. Thorough attention is paid to the grain size distribution, porosity, and inhomogeneity. …

Optical Absorption of Excimer Laser‐Induced Dichlorine Monoxide in Silica Glass and Excitation of Singlet Oxygen Luminescence by Energy Transfer from Chlorine Molecules

An optical absorption (OA) band of interstitial dichlorine monoxide molecules with peak at 4.7 eV and halfwidth 0.94 eV is identified in F2 laser - irradiated (photon energy=7.9 eV) synthetic silica glass bearing both interstitial O2 and Cl2 molecules. Alongside with intrinsic defects, this OA band can contribute to solarization of silica glasses produced from SiCl4. While the formation of ClClO is confirmed by its Raman signature, its structural isomer ClOCl may also contribute to this induced OA band. Thermal destruction of this band between 300C and 400C almost completely restores the pre-irradiation concentration of interstitial Cl2. An additional weak OA band at 3.5 eV is tentatively a…

Thermally stimulated luminescence of undoped and Ce3+-doped Gd2SiO5 and (Lu,Gd)2SiO5 single crystals

Abstract Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) characteristics (TSL glow curves and TSL spectra) are investigated in the 4–520 K temperature range for the single crystals of gadolinium and lutetium–gadolinium oxyorthosilicates X-ray irradiated at 4 K, 8 K, or 80 K. The nominally undoped Gd2SiO5 and (Lu,Gd)2SiO5 crystals, containing traces of Ce3+, Tb3+, and Eu3+ ions, and Ce3+-doped Gd2SiO5 and (Lu,Gd)2SiO5 crystals are studied. For the first time, the TSL glow curves of these materials are measured separately for the electron (intrinsic, Ce3+- or Tb3+-related) and hole (Eu3+-related) recombination luminescence, and the TSL glow curve peaks, arising from thermal decay of various electron …

Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO2 nanoparticles on a Si substrate

Financial support from the Estonian Research Council (IUT2-25, PUT170, PUT1096, PUT748, PUTJD680), the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research Projects “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011), “Emerging orders in quantum and nanomaterials” TK134 and the Development Fund of the University of Tartu, are all gratefully acknowledged.

Magnetron sputtering fabrication of α-Al2O3:Cr powders and their thermoluminescence properties

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for this work from research grant ERA.NET RUS Plus Nr.609556.

Luminescence of phosphorus containing oxide materials: Crystalline SiO2‐P and 3P2O5⋅7SiO2; CaO⋅P2O5; SrO⋅P2O5 glasses

Luminescence of phosphate glasses such as CaO⋅P2O5 and SrO⋅P2O5 is compared with that of phosphorus doped crystalline α-quartz and phosphosilicate glass with content 3P2O5⋅7SiO2. Water & OH groups are found by IR spectra in these materials. The spectrum of luminescence contains many bands in the range 1.5 - 5.5 eV. The luminescence bands in UV range at 4.5-5 eV are similar in those materials. Decay duration in exponential approximation manifests a time constant about 37 ns. Also a component in μs range was detected. PL band of μs component is shifted to low energy with respect to that of ∼37 ns component. This shift is about 0.6 eV. It is explained as singlet-triplet splitting of excited st…

Doped zirconia phase and luminescence dependence on the nature of charge compensation

Financial support provided by the Scientific Research Project for Students and Young Researchers Nr. SJZ2015/25 carried out at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia is greatly acknowledged.

Solvothermal synthesis derived Co-Ga codoped ZnO diluted magnetic degenerated semiconductor nanocrystals

Authors kindly acknowledge to the Estonian Research Council ( PUT1096 , IUT2-25 , PUT735 ), the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics (TK141), and the financial support of HZB. We are grateful to the staff of BESSY II for the assistance and co-operation during the synchrotron-based measurements.

Comparison of ZrO2:Y nanocrystals and macroscopic single crystal luminescence

The luminescence spectra of a tetragonally structured ZrO2:Y single crystal and nanocrystals were compared. It was found that the number of luminescence centers contributed to the spectra. The excitation of luminescence within the band gap region led to different luminescence spectra for the single crystal and nanocrystal samples, whereas recombinative luminescence spectra were the same for both samples. The origin of this difference is that in the nanocrystals, even under excitation within the band gap, charge carriers were created. Zirconium- oxygen complexes distorted by intrinsic defects were proposed to be the luminescence centres responsible for the wide luminescence band observed.

Europium doped zirconia luminescence

Abstract The luminescence properties and crystalline structure of ZrO2:Eu nanocrystals doped with different concentrations of Eu were studied. Luminescence from the Eu2+ state was not observed even if the electrons and holes were created up to ∼1019 cm−3; thus it was suggested the Eu3+ was not an efficient trap for electrons possibly due to Eu3+ negative charge relative to the crystalline lattice. The mutual interaction between Eu3+ ions was not strong up to 5 at.% concentration. The stabilization of ZrO2 tetragonal as well as cubic structure by Eu3+ is possible.

Enhancement of persistent luminescence in Ca2SnO4: Sm3+

Abstract Reddish-orange persistent luminescent Ca2SnO4: 0.1% Sm3+ co-doped with 0–10% Gd3+ was prepared using solid state synthesis. The phase formation and morphology was analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Incorporation of Sm3+ and Gd3+ in Ca2SnO4 lattice was investigated using site-selective spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance. In all samples reddish-orange persistent luminescence and photochromic effect was observed after excitation with UV as well as X-rays. The thermostimulated luminescence curves indicated that the introduction of Gd3+ increases the number of shallow traps of charges which enhance the intensity of persistent luminescence. I…

Core–Shell Engineering to Enhance the Spectral Stability of Heterogeneous Luminescent Nanofluids

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MAT2016-75362-C3-1-R) and by COST Action CM1403. L.L.-P. thanks the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid for the ‘‘Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI-UAM)’’program. P.H.-G. thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for the Juan de la Cierva program (IJCI-2015-24551). M.P. and A.S. thank University of Verona (Italy) for financial support in the framework of the ‘‘Cooperint 2016’’ and “Ricerca di Base 2015” projects. The work of K.S. was supported by Latvian National Research Program IMIS2 (Grant No. 302/2012).

The time-resolved luminescence characteristics of Ce and Ce/Pr doped YAG ceramics obtained by high pressure technique

Abstract Transparent Ce and Ce/Pr doped YAG ceramics were prepared under high pressures (up to 8 GPa) and relative low temperature (450 °C). Grain size of the ceramics is less than 50 nm. However unknown defects or disorders strains on grain boundaries caused the additional absorption in these ceramics. The luminescence intensity, spectra and the decay time dependence on pressure applied during ceramic preparation were studied. Concentration of some intrinsic point defect was reduced under the high pressure applied for sintering process. It is shown that formation time of the excited state of Ce luminescence depends on the pressure applied during ceramic sintering.

UV and yellow luminescence in phosphorus doped crystalline and glassy silicon dioxide

Abstract Luminescence of phosphorus doped crystalline α-quartz and phosphosilicate glass with content 3P2O5·7SiO2 was studied. Water and OH groups are found by IR spectra in these materials. The spectrum of luminescence contains many bands in the range 1.5–5.5 eV. The luminescence bands in UV range at 4.5–5 eV are similar in those materials. Decay duration in exponential approximation manifests a time constant about 37 ns. Also a component in µs range was detected. PL band of µs component is shifted to low energy with respect to that of ~37 ns component. This shift is about 0.6 eV. It is explained as singlet–triplet splitting of excited state. Below 14 K increase of luminescence kinetics du…

Magnetotransport Studies of Encapsulated Topological Insulator Bi2Se3 Nanoribbons

This research was funded by the Latvian Council of Science, project “Highly tunable surface state transport in topological insulator nanoribbons”, No. lzp-2020/2-0343, and by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Grant Agreement No. 766714/ HiTIMe. Institute of Solid-State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Niobium enhanced europium ion luminescence in hafnia nanocrystals

This work was supported by the UL ISSP grant for Scientific Research Projects for Students and Young Researchers SJZ/2016/15 .

Membrane-less amphoteric decoupled water electrolysis using WO 3 and Ni(OH) 2 auxiliary electrodes

This work has been supported by the European Regional Development Fund within the Activity 1.1.1.2 “Post-doctoral Research Aid” of the Specific Aid Objective 1.1.1 “To increase the research and innovative capacity of scientific institutions of Latvia and the ability to attract external financing, investing in human resources and infrastructure” of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” (No. 1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/466). Institute of Solid-State Physics, the University of Latvia as the Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement no. 739508, project CAMART. 2

Usability of Cr-Doped Alumina in Dosimetry

Dosimetry is a widespread material science field dealing with detection and quantification of ionizing radiation using electronic processes in materials. One of the main aspects that determines the performance of dosimeters is the type of defects the material contains. Crystalline lattice imperfections are formed around impurity ions, which may have a smaller or larger size, or different oxidation states compared to host ions. In this study, we show what effects Cr impurities have on the luminescent properties of alumina. Porous Al 2 O 3 : Cr microceramics synthesized using the sol-gel method showed a higher thermoluminescence response than a single crystal ruby. We have found that Cr 2 O 3…

Production of Phosphorescent Coatings on 6082 Aluminum Using Sr0.95Eu0.02Dy0.03Al2O4-δ Powder and Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation

In this study, a new approach for producing phosphorescent aluminum coatings was studied. Using the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process, a porous oxide coating was produced on the Al6082 aluminum alloy substrate. Afterwards, activated strontium aluminate (SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+) powder was filled into the cavities and pores of the PEO coating, which resulted in a surface that exhibits long-lasting luminescence. The structural and optical properties were studied using XRD, SEM, and photoluminescence measurements. It was found that the treatment time affects the morphology of the coating, which influences the amount of strontium aluminate powder that can be incorporated into the coating …

Straightforward Approach for Preparing Durable Antibacterial ZnO Nanoparticle Coatings on Flexible Substrates

Flexible antibacterial materials have gained utmost importance in protection from the distribution of bacteria and viruses due to the exceptional variety of applications. Herein, we demonstrate a readily scalable and rapid single-step approach for producing durable ZnO nanoparticle antibacterial coating on flexible polymer substrates at room temperature. Substrates used are polystyrene, poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate), polypropylene, high density polyethylene and a commercial acrylate type adhesive tape. The deposition was achieved by a spin-coating process using a slurry of ZnO nanoparticles in toluene. A stable modification layer was obtained when tolu…

Hybrid Tribo-Piezo-Electric Nanogenerator with Unprecedented Performance Based on Ferroelectric Composite Contacting Layers

This research was supported by the European Regional Development Fund within the project ‘‘Hybrid energy harvesting systems’’ 1.1.1.1./16/A/013.

Portable low-cost open-source wireless spectrophotometer for fast and reliable measurements

This article is based upon COST Action CA16215 and supported by the ERDF , European-Union Project No.1.1.1.2/16/I/001.

Rare earth doped glass–ceramics containing NaLaF4 nanocrystals

Abstract Oxyfluoride glasses 16Na 2 O–9NaF–5LaF 3 –7Al 2 O 3 –63SiO 2 (mol%) activated with 3% terbium, dysprosium, praseodymium and neodymium fluorides have been prepared and studied by differential thermal analysis, cathodoluminescence, X-ray induced luminescence, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. We found out that the presence of crystalline phase enhances the X-ray induced luminescence intensity. X-ray induced luminescence is the most intense for the sample activated with terbium and treated at 700 °C, whereas the praseodymium and neodymium activated samples have the fastest decay times.

The luminescence of ZnO ceramics

Abstract The luminescence properties of ZnO ceramics with grains 100–5000 nm sintered by different techniques from nanopowders were studied. The luminescence decay times were compared with that obtained for ZnO single crystal. The temperature dependence of non-exponential decay of defect luminescence (2.0–2.6 eV) was measured in wide time, intensity and temperature range. The luminescence decay kinetic at T ≤ 20 K shows the decay close to I(t) ∼ t−1 dependence. At temperature region 50–250 K the decay kinetics is more complicate since the TSL was observed in this temperature region. It is shown that the luminescence properties of NP and ceramics strongly depend on defect distribution on gra…

Multicolor upconversion luminescence of GdVO4:Ln3+/Yb3+ (Ln3+ = Ho3+, Er3+, Tm3+, Ho3+/Er3+/Tm3+) nanorods

Lanthanide-doped GdVO4 nanorods that exhibit upconversion emission under 982 nm excitation have been prepared by a facile room-temperature chemical co-precipitation method followed by a subsequent annealing at temperatures of 600 degrees C, 800 degrees C and 1000 degrees C. Multicolor upconversion emission, including white, was achieved by tuning the concentrations of dopant lanthanide ions (Ho3+, Er3+, Tm3+ and Yb3+) in GdVO4. It is found that four GdVO4 samples emit light with the white chromaticity coordinates of (0.326, 0.339), (0.346, 0.343), (0.323, 0327) and (0.342, 0.340) respectively, under a single-wavelength NIR excitation. These coordinates are very close to the standard equal e…

Zirconia nanocrystals as submicron level biological label

Inorganic nanocrystals are of increasing interest for their usage in biology and pharmacology research. Our interest was to justify ZrO2 nanocrystal usage as submicron level biological label in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisia culture. For the first time (to our knowledge) images with sub micro up-conversion luminescent particles in biologic media were made. A set of undoped as well as Er and Yb doped ZrO2 samples at different concentrations were prepared by sol-gel method. The up-conversion luminescence for free standing and for nanocrystals with baker's yeast cells was studied and the differences in up-conversion luminescence spectra were analyzed. In vivo toxic effects of ZrO2 nanoc…

Luminescence of polymorphous SiO2

Abstract The luminescence of self-trapped exciton (STE) was found and systematically studied in tetrahedron structured silica crystals (α-quartz, coesite, cristobalite) and glass. In octahedron structured stishovite only host material defect luminescence was observed. It strongly resembles luminescence of oxygen deficient silica glass and γ or neutron irradiated α-quartz. The energetic yield of STE luminescence for α-quartz and coesite is about 20% of absorbed energy and about 5(7)% for cristobalite. Two types of STE were found in α-quartz. Two overlapping bands of STEs are located at 2.5–2.7 eV. The model of STE is proposed as Si–O bond rupture, relaxation of created non-bridging oxygen (N…

Reversible Photodoping of TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photochromic Applications

Financial support from the Estonian Research Council (IUT2-25, IUT2-26, and PUTJD680) is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by the Academy of Finland (decision numbers 141481 and 286713) and by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (Center of Excellence for Zero Energy and Resource Efficient Smart Buildings and Districts-ZEBE, 2014-2020.4.01.15-0016). Work is supported by the Latvian Academy of Sciences in the framework of FLPP (Plasmonic oxide quantum dots for energy saving smart windows, lzp-2018/1-0187).

Creation of glass-characteristic point defects in crystalline SiO2 by 2.5 MeV electrons and by fast neutrons

The support from M -ERANET project “MyND” is acknowledged. K.K. was partially supported by the Collaborative Research Project of Laboratory for Materials and Structures, Tokyo Institute of Technology . Visiting researcher support from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau is appreciated. Mr. Olivier Cavani is thanked for the expert help with irradiations.