Publication
Title
A novel explanation for the increased conductivity in annealed Al-doped ZnO : an insight into migration of aluminum and displacement of zinc
Author
Abstract
A combined experimental and first-principles study is performed to study the origin of conductivity in ZnO:Al nanoparticles synthesized under controlled conditions via a reflux route using benzylamine as a solvent. The experimental characterization of the samples by Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and conductivity measurements indicates that upon annealing in nitrogen, the Al atoms at interstitial positions migrate to the substitutional positions, creating at the same time Zn interstitials. We provide evidence for the fact that the formed complex of AlZn and Zni corresponds to the origin of the Knight shifted peak (KS) we observe in 27Al NMR. As far as we know, the role of this complex has not been discussed in the literature to date. However, our first-principles calculations show that such a complex is indeed energetically favoured over the isolated Al interstitial positions. In our calculations we also address the charge state of the Al interstitials. Further, Zn interstitials can migrate from AlZn and possibly also form Zn clusters, leading to the observed increased conductivity.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Physical chemistry, chemical physics / Royal Society of Chemistry [London] - Cambridge, 1999, currens
Publication
Cambridge : The Royal Society of Chemistry , 2017
ISSN
1463-9076 [print]
1463-9084 [online]
DOI
10.1039/C7CP02936E
Volume/pages
19 :40 (2017) , p. 27866-27877
ISI
000413290500073
Pubmed ID
28991959
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Functional supramolecular systems (FS2).
Synthesis, properties and modeling of doped ZnO nanowires and nanocrystals.
CalcUA as central calculation facility: supporting core facilities.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.11.2017
Last edited 22.01.2024
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