The growth morphology and mechanism of pentacene films on native Si oxide surface have been studied by using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Despite the good agreement between our own and the reported XRD results, the previous XRD interpretation that the pentacene molecules are tilt-standing on the substrate cannot explain our HREELS data. The HREELS results show that a substantial portion of the first two layers of pentacene molecules are tilted-standing or randomly oriented, whereas the upper-layer molecules are mostly lying flat to the substrate. AFM reveals that the first two layers of molecules form a flat and smooth surface, but the upper layers show a rough terrace structure with a mean-square roughness equal to the average thickness (without counting the first two layers). This relationship is explained by a theoretical model which assumes the pentacene molecules to remain on a particular molecule layer after arrival. The observed film growth morphology may have significant implication on the performance of electronic devices based on pentacene thin films. A plausible explanation was proposed for the discrepancy between the HREELS-indicated and the XRD-derived molecular orientations.

Copper-doped Cd1−xZnxS (x∼0.16) nanoribbons were prepared by controlled thermal evaporation of CdS, ZnS, and CuS powders onto Au-coated silicon substrates. The nanoribbons had a hexagonal wurtzite structure, and lengths of several tens to hundreds of micrometres, widths of 0.6–15 µm, and thicknesses of 30–60 nm. Cu doping and incorporation into the CdZnS lattice were identified and characterized by low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and photoconductivity measurements. Temperature-dependent PL measurement showed that the PL spectra of both Cu-doped and undoped CdZnS nanoribbons have two emission peaks at 2.571 and 2.09 eV, which are assigned to band edge emission and deep trap levels, respectively. In addition, the Cu-doped nanoribbons present two extra peaks at 2.448 and 2.41 eV, which are attributed to delocalized and localized donor and acceptor states in the band gap of CdZnS resulting from Cu incorporation. Photoconductivity results showed the nanoribbons can be reversibly switched between low and high conductivity under pulsed illumination. The Cu-doped CdZnS nanoribbons showed four orders of magnitude larger photocurrent than the undoped ones. The current jumped from ∼2 × 10−12 to ∼5.7 × 10−7 A upon white light illumination with a power density of ∼9 mW cm−2. The present CdZnS:Cu nanoribbons may find applications in opto-electronic devices, such as solar cells, photoconductors, and chemical sensors.

Coaxial nanocables with a single-crystalline zinc telluride (ZnTe) nanowire core and an amorphous silicon oxide (SiO(x)) shell have been synthesized via a simple one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method on gold-decorated silicon substrates. The single-crystal ZnTe nanowire core is in zinc-blende structure along the [111] direction, while the uniform SiO(x) shell fully covers the core with no observable pin-hole or crack. Formation mechanisms of the ZnTe-SiO(x) nanocables are discussed. The ZnTe nanowire core shows p-type electrical properties while the SiO(x) shell acts as an effective insulating layer. The ZnTe-SiO(x) nanocables may have potential applications in nanoscale devices, such as p-type FETs and nanosensors.

Samarium (dibenzoylmethanato)3 bathophenanthroline (Sm(DBM)3 bath) was employed as an emitting and electron transport layer in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), and narrow electroluminescent (EL) emissions of a Sm3+ ion were observed in the visible and near infrared (NIR) region, differing from those of the same devices with Eu3+- or Tb3+-complex EL devices with the same structure. The EL emissions of the Sm3+-devices originate from transitions from 4G5/2 to the lower respective levels of Sm3+ ions. A maximum luminance of 490 cd m−2 at 15 V and an EL efficiency of 0.6% at 0.17 mA cm−2 were obtained in the visible region, and the improved efficiency should be attributed to introducing a transitional layer between the N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-diphenyl-4,4′-diamine (TPD) film and the Sm(DBM)3 bath film and the avoidance of interfacial exciplex emission in devices. Sharp emissions of Sm3+ ions in the NIR region were also observed under a lower threshold value less than 4.5 V.