C-doped ZnO nanowires: Electronic structures, magnetic properties, and a possible spintronic device

Defects mediated weak ferromagnetism in Zn1-yCyO (0.00 ≤ y ≤ 0.10) nanorods semiconductors for spintronics applications

A series of carbon-doped ZnO [Zn1-yCyO (0.00 ≤ y ≤ 0.10)] nanorods were synthesized using a cost-effective low-temperature (85 °C) dip coating technique. X-ray diffractometer scans of the samples revealed the hexagonal structure of the C-doped ZnO samples, except for y = 0.10. XRD analysis confirmed a decrease in the unit cell volume after doping C into the ZnO matrix, likely due to the incorporation of carbon at oxygen sites (CO defects) resulting from ionic size differences. The morphological analysis confirmed the presence of hexagonal-shaped nanorods. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identified C-Zn-C bonding, i.e., CO defects, Zn-O-C bond formation, O-C-O bonding, oxygen vacancies, and sp2-bonded carbon in the C-doped ZnO structure with different compositions. We analyzed the deconvoluted PL visible broadband emission through fitted Gaussian peaks to estimate various defects for electron transition within the bandgap. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the vibrational modes of each constituent. We observed a stronger room-temperature ferromagnetic nature in the y = 0.02 composition with a magnetization of 0.0018 emu/cc, corresponding to the highest CO defects concentration and the lowest measured bandgap (3.00 eV) compared to other samples. Partial density of states analysis demonstrated that magnetism from carbon is dominant due to its p-orbitals. We anticipate that if carbon substitutes oxygen sites in the ZnO structure, the C-2p orbitals become localized and create two holes at each site, leading to enhanced p-p type interactions and strong spin interactions between carbon atoms and carriers. This phenomenon can stabilize the long-range order of room-temperature ferromagnetism properties for spintronic applications.

Ab Initio Calculations of Chitosan Effects on the Electronic Properties of Unpassivated Triangular ZnO Nanowires Oriented along [0001] Directions

In recent years, both chitosan and ZnO nanostructures have been identified as potential antibacterial substances; however, the potential applications of chitosan adsorbed on ZnO nanowires have not been explored and could offer exciting new perspectives for both materials, for example, in biocompatible electronic circuits. In this work, we investigate the effect of chitosan on the electronic properties of triangular ZnO nanowires (ZnO NWs) from a theoretical perspective. All calculations were performed using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. We considered six different positions of the chitosan molecule (CS) on the nanowire surface. We varied the amine position of CS, viewing it parallel, perpendicular, and at a 45° angle with respect to the NW axis. Our results show that all configurations are chemically stable; moreover, the interaction of the NW surface with the OH radical of CS creates flat states within the band gap energy of the ZnO NWs that might resemble p-doping. In addition, these states induce changes in the band gap energy of the ZnO NWs. All NWs show high chemical stability regardless of the CS position; hence, the adsorption results of all NW assemblies appear to be chemically favorable.

Infinite possibilities of ultrathin III-V semiconductors: Starting from synthesis

Ultrathin III-V semiconductors have been receiving tremendous research interest over the past few years. Owing to their exotic structures, excellent physical and chemical properties, ultrathin III-V semiconductors are widely applied in the field of electronics, optoelectronics, and solar energy. However, the strong chemical bonds in layers are the bottleneck of the two-dimensionalization preparation process, which hinders the further development of ultrathin III-V semiconductors. Some effective methods to synthesize ultrathin III-V semiconductors have been reported recently. In this perspective, we briefly introduce the structures and properties of ultrathin III-V semiconductors firstly. Then, we comprehensively summarize the synthetic strategies of ultrathin III-V semiconductors, mainly focusing on space confinement, atomic substitution, adhesion energy regulation, and epitaxial growth. Finally, we summarize the current challenges and propose the development directions of ultrathin III-V semiconductors in the future.

Morphological Modification and Analysis of ZnO Nanorods and Their Optical Properties and Polarization

We report on the effect of the morphological modification on optical properties and polarization of ZnO nanorods (NR). Here, the morphology and structure of the ZnO NR were modified by introducing different annealing temperatures. The increase of length and diameter and change in density of the ZnO NR were clearly observed by increasing the annealing temperature. We found that the samples show different oxygen vacancy (VO) and zinc interstitial (ZnI) concentrations. We suggest that the different concentrations of VO and ZnI are originated from morphological and structural modification. Our results reveal that optical absorption and polarization of ZnO NR could be enhanced by producing a high concentration of VO and ZnI. The modification of VO and ZnI promotes a decrease in the band gap and coexistence of high optical absorption and polarization in our ZnO NR. Our findings would give a broad insight into the morphological modification and characterization technique on ZnO NR. The high optical and polarization characteristics of ZnO NR are potential for developing the high-performance nanogenerator device for multitype energy harvesting.

Two-dimensional Cu2Si sheet: a promising electrode material for nanoscale electronics

Building electronic devices on top of two-dimensional (2D) materials has recently become one of most interesting topics in nanoelectronics. Finding high-performance 2D electrode materials is one central issue in 2D nanoelectronics. In the current study, based on first-principles calculations, we compare the electronic and transport properties of two nanoscale devices. One device consists of two single-atom-thick planar Cu₂Si electrodes, and a nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) molecule in the middle. The other device is made of often-used graphene electrodes and a NiPc molecule. Planer Cu₂Si is a new type of 2D material that was recently predicted to exist and be stable under room temperature [11]. We found that at low bias voltages, the electric current through the Cu₂Si-NiPc-Cu₂Si junction is about three orders higher than that through graphene-NiPc-graphene. Detailed analysis shows that the surprisingly high conductivity of Cu₂Si-NiPc-Cu₂Si originates from the mixing of the Cu₂Si state near Fermi energy and the highest occupied molecular orbital of NiPc. These results suggest that 2D Cu₂Si may be an excellent candidate for electrode materials for future nanoscale devices.

Origin of magnetic properties in carbon implanted ZnO nanowires

Various synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopic and microscopic techniques are used to elucidate the room-temperature ferromagnetism of carbon-doped ZnO-nanowires (ZnO-C:NW) via a mild C⁺ ion implantation method. The photoluminescence and magnetic hysteresis loops reveal that the implantation of C reduces the number of intrinsic surface defects and increases the saturated magnetization of ZnO-NW. The interstitial implanted C ions constitute the majority of defects in ZnO-C:NW as confirmed by the X-ray absorption spectroscopic studies. The X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra of O and C K-edge respectively indicate there is a reduction in the number of unpaired/dangling O 2p bonds in the surface region of ZnO-C:NW and the C 2p-derived states of the implanted C ions strongly affect the net spin polarization in the surface and bulk regions of ZnO-C:NW. Furthermore, these findings corroborate well with the first-principles calculations of C-implanted ZnO in surface and bulk regions, which highlight the stability of implanted C for the suppression and enhancement of the ferromagnetism of the ZnO-C:NW in the surface region and bulk phase, respectively.

Spin-dependent electron transport through a Mn-phthalocyanine molecule — A steady-state density functional theory (SS-DFT) study

We generalize the recently proposed steady-state density functional theory (SS-DFT) to spin-dependent cases and theoretically investigate the electronic and transport properties of a Mn-phthalocyanine molecule sandwiched between two graphene nanoribbon leads. The junction filters spin-up (minority spin) electrons while allowing spin-down (majority spin) electrons to pass with a filtering efficiency of about 99.5% at low biases. The spin-down electrons are found to tunnel through the junction via the HOMO orbital of the Mn-phthalocyanine molecule. Detailed analysis of the spin-dependent electron tunneling mechanism as well as the electronic/magnetic properties of the junction is presented.

Oxide nanowires for spintronics: materials and devices

Spintronics, or spin-based data storage and manipulation technology, is emerging as a very active research area because of both new science and potential technological applications. As the characteristic lengths of spin-related phenomena naturally fall into the nanometre regime, researchers start applying the techniques of bottom-up nanomaterial synthesis and assembly to spintronics. It is envisaged that novel physics regarding spin manipulation and domain dynamics can be realized in quantum confined nanowire-based devices. Here we review the recent breakthroughs related to the applications of oxide nanowires in spintronics from the perspectives of both material candidates and device fabrication. Oxide nanowires generally show excellent crystalline quality and tunable physical properties, but more efforts are imperative as we strive to develop novel spintronic nanowires and devices.