Strong Visible Absorption and Broad Time Scale Excited-State Relaxation in (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) Nanocrystals.
(Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) is a visible absorber of interest for solar fuel generation. We present a first report of soluble (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) nanocrystals (NCs) and their excited-state dynamics over the time window of 10(-13)-10(-4) s. Using transient absorption spectroscopy, we find that excited-state decay in (Ga0.27Zn0.73)(N0.27O0.73) NCs has both a short (<100 ps) and a long-lived component, with a long overall average lifetime of ∼30 μs. We also find that the strength of the visible absorption is comparable to that of direct band gap semiconductors such as GaAs. We discuss how these results may relate to the origin of visible absorption in (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) and its use in solar fuel generation.
†Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Chi-Hung
CH
Chuang
†Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Ying-Gang
YG
Lu
†Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Kyureon
K
Lee
‡National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Jim
J
Ciston
†Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Gordana
G
Dukovic