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Donor–Acceptor Control in Grown‐in‐Glass Gallium Oxide Nanocrystals by Crystallization‐driven Heterovalent Doping
Author(s) -
Paleari Alberto,
Golubev Nikita V.,
Ignat'eva Elena S.,
Sigaev Vladimir N.,
Monguzzi Angelo,
Lorenzi Roberto
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.201601247
Subject(s) - crystallization , nanocrystal , doping , gallium , gallium oxide , materials science , acceptor , oxide , crystal growth , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , crystallography , optoelectronics , metallurgy , physics , condensed matter physics , engineering
Incorporation of doping ions in nanocrystals is a strategy for providing nanophases with functions directly related to ion features. At the nanoscale, however, doping can also activate more complex effects mediated by perturbation of the nanophase size and structure. Here, we report a paradigmatic case in which we modify grown‐in‐glass γ‐Ga 2 O 3 nanophases by nickel or titanium doping of the starting glass, so as to control the concentration of oxygen and gallium vacancies responsible for the light emission. Optical absorption and luminescence show that Ni 2+ and Ti 4+ ions enter into the nanophase, but differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction indicate that Ni and Ti also work as modifiers of nanocrystal growth. As a result, doping influences nanocrystal size and concentration, which in turn dictate the number of donors and acceptors per nanocrystal. Finally, the chain of effects turns out to control both the intensity and spectral distribution of the light emission.