Browsing by Subject "Oscillator strengths"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
The role of the interface in germanium quantum dots: when not only size matters for quantum confinement effects
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Cosentino, S.; Mio, A. M.; Barbagiovanni, E. G.; Raciti, R.; Bahariqushchi, R.; Miritello, M.; Nicotra, G.; Aydınlı, Atilla; Spinella, C.; Terrasi, A.; Mirabella, S.
Quantum confinement (QC) typically assumes a sharp interface between a nanostructure and its environment, leading to an abrupt change in the potential for confined electrons and holes. When the interface is not ideally sharp and clean, significant deviations from the QC rule appear and other parameters beyond the nanostructure size play a considerable role. In this work we elucidate the role of the interface on QC in Ge quantum dots (QDs) synthesized by rf-magnetron sputtering or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Through a detailed electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis we investigated the structural and chemical properties of QD interfaces. PECVD QDs exhibit a sharper interface compared to sputter ones, which also evidences a larger contribution of mixed Ge-oxide states. Such a difference strongly modifies the QC strength, as experimentally verified by light absorption spectroscopy. A large size-tuning of the optical bandgap and an increase in the oscillator strength occur when the interface is sharp. A spatially dependent effective mass (SPDEM) model is employed to account for the interface difference between Ge QDs, pointing out a larger reduction in the exciton effective mass in the sharper interface case. These results add new insights into the role of interfaces on confined systems, and open the route for reliable exploitation of QC effects. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Open Access
Theoretical investigation of excited states of oligothiophene anions
(2008) Alkan, F.; Salzner, U.
Electron-hole symmetry upon p- and n-doping of conducting organic polymers is rationalized with Hückel theory by the presence of symmetrically located intragap states. Since density functional theory (DFT) predicts very different geometries and energy level diagrams for conjugated π-systems than semiempirical methods, it is an interesting question whether DFT confirms the existence of electron-hole symmetry predicted at the Hückel level. To answer this question, geometries of oligothiophene anions with 5-19 rings were optimized and their UV/vis spectra were calculated with time-dependent DFT. Although DFT does not produce symmetrically placed sub-band energy levels, spectra of cations and anions are almost identical. The similarity in transition energies and oscillator strengths of anions and cations can be explained by the fact that the single sub-band energy level of cations lies above the valence band by the same amount of energy as the single sub-band level of anions lies below the conduction band. This and the resemblance of the energy level spacings in valence bands of cations to those in conduction bands of anions give rise to peaks with equal energies and oscillator strengths. © 2008 American Chemical Society.
Open Access
Theoretical modeling of the doping process in polypyrrole by calculating UV/Vis absorption spectra of neutral and charged oligomers
(2008) Okur, S.; Salzner, U.
Changes in absorption spectra during doping of oligopyrroles were investigated with time-dependent density functional theory on optimized structures of neutral, singly, and doubly charged pyrrole oligomers with up to 24 rings. In the absence of counterions, defects are delocalized. Counterions induce localization. For dications two polarons on the same chain are preferred over a bipolaren. Intragap absorptions arise in charged species, no matter whether defects are localized or delocalized. Cations and dications give rise to two sub-band transitions. The cation peaks have lower energies than those of dications. The first excitations of cations have lower oscillator strengths than the second; for dications the second peak is weaker than the first. For very long oligomers, the second sub-band absorption vanishes and a third one appears at higher energy. The behavior of pyrrole oligomers is analogous to that of thiophene oligomers. Theoretical UV spectra for cations and dications of short oligomers (six to eight rings) match experimental spectra of polypyrrole at low and at high doping levels, respectively. The error in the theoretical calculations is about 0.4 eV, slightly larger than for thiophene oligomers at the same level of theory. © 2008 American Chemical Society.