title: Formation of Nanoscale Composites of Compound Semiconductors Driven by Charge Transfer.
abstract: Composites are a class of materials that are formed by mixing two or more components. These materials often have new functional properties compared to their constituent materials. Traditionally composites are formed by self-assembly due to structural dissimilarities or by engineering different layers or structures in the material. Here we report the synthesis of a uniform and stoichiometric composite of CdO and SnTe with a novel nanocomposite structure stabilized by the dissimilarity of the electronic band structure of the constituent materials. The composite has interesting electronic properties which range from highly n-type in CdO to semi-insulating in the intermediate composition range to highly p-type in SnTe. This can be explained by the overlap of the conduction and valence band of the constituent compounds. Ultimately, our work identifies a new class of composite semiconductors in which nanoscale self-organization is driven and stabilized by charge transfer between constituent materials.
authors.forename: Weiwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dos Reis
authors.affiliation: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park, California 94025, United States.
authors.forename: Laura T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Schelhas
authors.affiliation: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park, California 94025, United States.
authors.forename: Vanessa L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Pool
authors.affiliation: Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory , Menlo Park, California 94025, United States.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Toney
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong , Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kin Man
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wladek
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Walukiewicz
keywords: Composite; charge transfer; electronic properties; self-assembly; semiconductor