In this chapter, we will restrict our attention to the ferrites and a few other closely related materials. The great interest in ferrites stems from their unique combination of a spontaneous magnetization and a high electrical resistivity. The observed magnetization results from the difference in the magnetizations of two non-equivalent sub-lattices of the magnetic ions in the crystal structure. Materials of this type should strictly be designated as “ferrimagnetic” and in some respects are more closely related to anti-ferromagnetic substances than they are to ferromagnetics in which the magnetization results from the parallel alignment of all the magnetic moments present. We shall not adhere to this special nomenclature except to emphasize effects, which are due to the existence of the sub-lattices.

Ferromagnetic materials

ZnS nanostructures: From synthesis to applications

CuO nanostructures: Synthesis, characterization, growth mechanisms, fundamental properties, and applications

CeO2 is a catalytic material of exceptional technological importance, and the precise role of oxygen vacancies is crucial to the greater understanding of these oxide materials. In this work, two ceria nanorod samples with different types and distributions of oxygen vacancies were synthesized. A direct relationship between the concentration of the larger size oxygen vacancy clusters and the reducibility/reactivity of nanosized ceria was revealed. These results may be an important step in understanding and designing active sites at the surface of metal oxide catalytic materials.

Oxygen Vacancy Clusters Promoting Reducibility and Activity of Ceria Nanorods

ZnO nanostructures for optoelectronics: Material properties and device applications

Role of defects in tailoring structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO

Mechanical milling and subsequent annealing in air at temperatures between 210 and 1200°C have been carried out on high purity ZnO powder to study the defect generation and recovery in the material. Lowering of average grain size (from 76±1to22±0.5nm) as a result of milling has been estimated from the broadening of x-ray lines. Substantial grain growth in the milled sample occurs above 425°C annealing temperature. Positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) analysis of the samples shows a distinct decrease of the average lifetime of positrons very near the same temperature zone. As indicated from both x-ray diffraction (XRD) and PAL results, high temperature (>700°C) annealed samples have a better crystallinity (or lower defect concentration) than even the nonmilled ZnO. In contrast, the measured optical band gap of the samples (from absorption spectroscopy) does not confirm lowering of defects with high temperature annealing. Thermally generated defects at oxygen sites cause significant modification of the optical absorption; however, they are not efficient traps for positrons. Different thermal stages of generation and recovery of cationic as well as anionic defects in granular ZnO are discussed in the light of XRD, PAL, and optical absorption studies.

Annealing effect on nano-ZnO powder studied from positron lifetime and optical absorption spectroscopy

The correlation between the structural and optical properties of mechanically milled high purity ZnO powder is reported in the present work. Reduction of average grain size and enhancement of strain as a result of milling have been estimated from the broadening of x-ray powder diffraction patterns. After milling, the optical bandgap, revealed from absorption spectroscopy, has been red-shifted and the width of the localized states, calculated from the analysis of the Urbach tail below the absorption edge, has been extended more and more into the bandgap. Moreover, the band tailing parameter is seen to vary exponentially with the inverse of the grain size. Finally, the positron annihilation technique has been employed to identify the nature of defects present (or generated due to milling) in the system and thereby to correlate the defect mediated modification of optical absorption in ZnO.

Defects and the optical absorption in nanocrystalline ZnO

Defects induced ferromagnetism in Mn doped ZnO

As-supplied polycrystalline ZnO samples (purity 99.9% from Sigma-Aldrich, Germany) have been annealed at different temperatures and subsequently characterized by positron annihilation spectroscopy, x-ray-diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and resistivity measurements. Positron annihilation lifetime analysis and coincidence Doppler-broadened electron-positron annihilation γ-radiation (CDBEPAR) line-shape measurements have been employed at a time to identify the nature of defects in differently annealed ZnO materials. Annealing up to 300°C, an increase of defect lifetime (τ2) as well as shape parameter (S parameter) has been observed. Further annealing causes a large decrease of τ2 and S parameter. TGA study shows considerable mass loss from ZnO as the annealing temperature is increased above 300°C. This is possibly due to oxygen evaporation from the sample. The c-axis lattice parameter, extracted from the XRD spectra, shows an increase due to annealing above 600°C, which is a sig...

Anindya Sarkar

Papers

Role of defects in tailoring structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO

Annealing effect on nano-ZnO powder studied from positron lifetime and optical absorption spectroscopy

Defects and the optical absorption in nanocrystalline ZnO

Defects induced ferromagnetism in Mn doped ZnO

Defect dynamics in annealed ZnO by positron annihilation spectroscopy