Alloy-Free Band Gap Tuning across the Visible Spectrum.

We present evidence, from theory and experiment, that ZnSnN_{2} and MgSnN_{2} can be used to match the band gap of InGaN without alloying-by exploiting cation disorder in a controlled fashion. We base this on the determination of S, the long-range order parameter of the cation sublattice, for a series of epitaxial thin films of ZnSnN_{2} and MgSnN_{2} using three different techniques: x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and in situ electron diffraction. We observe a linear relationship between S^{2} and the optical band gap of both ZnSnN_{2} (1.12-1.98 eV) and MgSnN_{2} (1.87-3.43 eV). The results clearly demonstrate the correlation between controlled heterovalent cation ordering and the optical band gap, which applies to a broad group of emerging ternary heterovalent compounds and has implications for similar trends in other material properties besides the band gap.

When Halides Come to Lithium Niobate Nanopowders Purity and Morphology Assistance.

The preparation of pure lithium niobate nanopowders was carried out by a matrix-mediated synthesis approach. Lithium hydroxide and niobium pentachloride were used as precursors. The influence of the chemical environment was studied by adding lithium halide (LiCl or LiBr). After thermal treatment of the precursor mixture at 550 °C for 30 min, the morphology of the products was obtained from transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, whereas the crystallinity and phase purity were characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV-visible and Raman spectroscopies. Our results point out that the chemical environment during lithium niobate formation at 550 °C influences the final morphology. Moreover, direct and indirect band-gap energies have been determined from UV-visible spectroscopy. Their values for the direct-band-gap energies range from 3.97 to 4.36 eV with a slight dependence on the Li/Nb ratio, whereas for the indirect-band-gap energies, the value appears to be independent of this ratio and is 3.64 eV. No dependence of the band-gap energies on the average crystallite and nanoparticle sizes is observed.

Plasmonic engineering of spontaneous emission from silicon nanocrystals.

Silicon nanocrystals offer huge advantages compared to other semi-conductor quantum dots as they are made from an abundant, non-toxic material and are compatible with silicon devices. Besides, among a wealth of extraordinary properties ranging from catalysis to nanomedicine, metal nanoparticles are known to increase the radiative emission rate of semiconductor quantum dots. Here, we use gold nanoparticles to accelerate the emission of silicon nanocrystals. The resulting integrated hybrid emitter is 5-fold brighter than bare silicon nanocrystals. We also propose an in-depth analysis highlighting the role of the different physical parameters in the photoluminescence enhancement phenomenon. This result has important implications for the practical use of silicon nanocrystals in optoelectronic devices, for instance for the design of efficient down-shifting devices that could be integrated within future silicon solar cells.