Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

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ZnS : Cu phosphors were prepared by using laboratory grade chemicals through coprecipitating Cu along with ZnS using H2S and thiourea. Photo- and electroluminescence studies indicate that these phosphors have better emission characteristics compared to the phosphors in which activator is externally added. Phosphors with luminescence at ~530nrn were prepared. The difference between the characteristic properties of the samples seems to be due to formation of nanoparticles during the preparation of the samples by different methods.

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Porous nanostructured SnO₂ with a sheet-like morphology was synthesized through a simple green substrate-free gelatin-assisted calcination process using Tin tetracholoride pentahydrate as the SnO₂ precursor and porcine gelatin as the template. Crystalline phase, morphology, microstructure, and optical characteristics of the as-prepared material were also investigated at different calcination temperatures using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-visible absorption, and Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), respectively. XRD patterns of all the samples revealed the presence of a tetragonal crystalline structure with no other crystalline phases. Moreover, the synthesized hierarchical sheets assembled with nanoparticles displayed a large surface area and porous nanostructure. The calculated optical band gap energy varied from 2.62 to 2.87 eV depending on the calcination temperature. Finally, photoluminescence spectra indicated that the nanostructured SnO₂ could exhibit an intensive UV-violet luminescence emission at 396 nm, with shoulders at 374, violet emission peaks at 405 and 414 nm, blue-green emission peak at 486 nm, green emission peak at 534 nm and orange emission peak at 628 nm.

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The present study used a hydrothermal technique to synthesize undoped and Mn2+ doped CdS/Zn3(PO4)2 semiconducting nanocomposite materials. Powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer, Fourier transform-Infrared Spectroscopy-FT-IR, and photoluminescence techniques were employed to study structural, optical, and luminescence properties of produced nanocomposites. The hexagonal structure of CdS and the monoclinic structure of Zn3(PO4)2 are both reflected in the powder X-ray diffraction spectra. When Mn2+ ions are present in the host lattice, a lattice distortion occurs, causing a phase change from the phase of γ-Zn3(PO4)2 to the β-phase of Zn3(PO4)2, without affecting the hexagonal phase of CdS. The average crystallite size of produced nanocomposites was 22-25 nm, and also calculated the lattice strain and dislocation density to better understand internal deformation of the samples. The FT-IR spectra were used to investigate the molecular vibrations and functional groups in the samples. The surface morphology of the nanocomposites is hexagonal spheres on rectangular shaped nano-flakes, and the interatomic distance between the hexagonal spheres is decreased as the doping concentration increases, forming a rod-like structure on the flakes. EDAX results confirm the presence of various relevant elements in the prepared samples. The quantum confinement of produced samples reduces as the Mn2+ doping concentration in the host lattice increases. The photoluminescence results demonstrate shallow trapped states due to the transition: d-d (4T1 → 6A1) of the tetrahedrally coordinated Mn2+ states and the impact of Mn2+ ions exhibiting several peaks in the UV-Visible region (365-634 nm) generating RGB (Red, Green, Blue) luminescence. Color coordinates and CCT values were calculated using the CIE diagram, and color correlated temperatures in the range of 2513–7307 K were discovered, which might be used in solid state lighting applications.

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In this study, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and fullerene Indene-C₆₀ multi-adducts (ICxA) were blended to create a formulation as a solution and thin films, which were prepared under ambient conditions. The optical properties of various compositional ratios were studied using UV-Visible absorbance and photoluminescence (Pl) measurements. The energy gaps of the prepared thin films and solutions were determined, and their values increased with increasing fullerene ratio because of the isolation of P3HT chains from their neighbors. Intensity ratio (I_C=C/I_C-C) with a small value in addition to a low value of full width at high maximum (FWHM) of Raman spectra are associated with increased conformation and high aggregation of composition. Furthermore, according to X-ray diffraction  (XRD) results the 1:0.8 and 1:0.6 ratios have the largest crystallite sizes in comparison to the other ratios. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels for blends by electrochemical measurements were determined, which are sandwiched between those of the pure materials. In ambient conditions, binary organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) at different ratios of the photoactive layer were evaluated. The device with a ratio of 1:0.6 had the best performance, with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.21 %, open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 0.53 V, short circuit current density (J_SC) of  5.71 mA.cm^-2, and fill factor (FF) of 39.5 % at a small V_loss of 1.39 V.

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Dual nanocomposites based on metal sulfide nanomaterials with a narrow band gap are favorable candidates for future optoelectronic applications and ionizing ray sensors. In this study, novel silver-doped zinc sulfide/ cadmium sulfide (ZnS/CdS: Ag) nanocomposites were synthesized using the cost-effective solvothermal approach. For the first time, the radiation sensitivity of the newly developed nanocomposite was assessed using a ²⁴¹Am alpha source and ion beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) measurements. The ZnS/CdS: Ag nanocomposite demonstrated significant light emission in the blue-green spectrum when measured at room temperature. When exposed to alpha irradiation, the ZnS/CdS: Ag nanocomposite film displayed exceptional sensitivity compared to pure ZnS or CdS films. The FESEM images revealed a uniform distribution of semi-spherical and rod-shaped nanoparticles, with an average particle size measuring 180 nm. The results from XRD and EDX demonstrated distinct peaks corresponding to ZnS, CdS, and associated elements within the nanocomposite. The existence of several groups within the nanocomposite was confirmed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Evaluations revealed that the optical quality of the ZnS/CdS: Ag nanocomposite showed enhancement in comparison to pure ZnS and CdS. The results suggest that the ZnS/CdS: Ag nanocomposite film holds great promise for applications in optoelectronic devices and detection technologies.