Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) usually have high conductivity and transparency in the visible range and have been widely used in daily life. Recently, TCOs have attracted great interest due to their potential applications in various new optical and electrical devices (flat-panel displays, energy efficient windows, etc.). Nanostructured TCOs can induce new size related properties, for example, when sizes of TCOs are controlled at the nanometer scale, various defects can introduce different defect-related optical emissions. These new nanostructured TCOs combining traditional and new size dependent properties may be used for construction of next generation optical devices. To investigate the optical properties of TCOs at nanoscale, in this thesis, several new kinds of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) of TCOs have been synthesized and their optical emission and transparency have been explored. The first part of my work focuses on ITO (indium tin oxide) NCs demonstrates phase and size dependence of surface plasmon absorption in the near infrared region. The second part of the thesis describes colloidal synthesis of γ-Ga2O3 with size tunable photoluminescence, further study reveals that the photoluminescence is defect related and can be tuned by changing the defect concentration. In the last part of my study, I develop a methodology for lanthanide doped γ-phase Ga2O3 NCs and reveal tunable chromaticity of the lanthanide doped NCs.

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) usually have high conductivity and transparency in the visible range and have been widely used in daily life. Recently, TCOs have attracted great interest due to their potential applications in various new optical and electrical devices (flat-panel displays, energy efficient windows, etc.). Nanostructured TCOs can induce new size related properties, for example, when sizes of TCOs are controlled at the nanometer scale, various defects can introduce different defect-related optical emissions. These new nanostructured TCOs combining traditional and new size dependent properties may be used for construction of next generation optical devices. To investigate the optical properties of TCOs at nanoscale, in this thesis, several new kinds of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) of TCOs have been synthesized and their optical emission and transparency have been explored. The first part of my work focuses on ITO (indium tin oxide) NCs demonstrates phase and size dependence of surface plasmon absorption in the near infrared region. The second part of the thesis describes colloidal synthesis of γ-Ga2O3 with size tunable photoluminescence, further study reveals that the photoluminescence is defect related and can be tuned by changing the defect concentration. In the last part of my study, I develop a methodology for lanthanide doped γ-phase Ga2O3 NCs and reveal tunable chromaticity of the lanthanide doped NCs.

This project involves the study of optical properties of polymers doped with TRIMM (transparent refractive index matched micro-particles), and their uses in light guides. The refractive index difference between dopant and host material is small (0.02), so forward transmittance is high, and losses due to backscattering are negligible. Flexible polymer optical fibre (POF) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) rods are being incorporated into an increasing range of lighting and light mixing applications. For energy efficient mixing of red, green and blue (RGB) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to produce white light and a range of other colours, light is transmitted from the end of a light guide ('endlight'). A major problem here is solved, namely the achievement of uniform illumination, simultaneously with low losses from scattering. Light output from RGB LEDs is shown to be completely mixed by short TRIMM-doped light guides. Alternatively, long lengths of TRIMM-doped POF can be used for 'side-light'. The concentration of TRIMM for these is chosen such that light is emitted from the side walls of the guide to give even illumination along its length. A geometrical method of ray tracing in particle-doped rectangular and cylindrical light guides is derived, and Monte Carlo ray tracing simulations performed for undoped and TRIMM-doped light guides. The evolution of the distribution of ray angles, internal and external to a light guide, with propagation distance are studied. Computer simulations of angular distribution of light emitted from the wall of POF agree with measurements performed using a photogoniometer. Simulations and measurements of light output intensity and colour from RGB LED arrays when projected from the end of a mixing rod, are also presented. Colour calculations agree with photometric measurements of RGB LED output from clear and TRIMM-doped PMMA mixing rods. Results of transmittance measurements and computer simulations show that light losses are almost entirely due to Fresnel reflectance from the entrance and exit surfaces of the rods. Photogoniometer measurements of the angular distribution of light from LEDs are used as a basis for LED source models used in ray tracing simulations. Results of an investigation comparing the effect of using a smoothed LED source model instead of measurement-based models on simulated light output distributions are presented. The light output from LEDs can have sudden peaks in intensity at certain angles, resulting in distinctive patterns with clear colour separation, after mixing in clear polymer mixing rods. These caustic patterns are eliminated by using TRIMM-doped mixing rods, with a transmittance of 90% after Fresnel losses, which can be readily reduced.

In recent years, portable devices and larger display are the trend of market, so transparent conducting oxides (TCO) draw a considerable interest due to their unique characteristics and essential role in the technology of flat panel display. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one of the most widely used TCO in the application of display technology. In this work, properties of ITO thin film as a function of dopant ratio and density of sputtering targets had been done. It is found that the mechanism of oxygen vaccines is more dominated in electrical conduction than dopant concentration. Meanwhile, the conductivity of ITO thin film depends on the sputtering condition than the target itself. Annealing process is one of the ways to enhance the optical properties of ITO thin film. This process can change the crystal structure of film from amorphous to crystalline but limited by the presence of the oxygen. Apart from the transitional single layer of ITO thin film, a modified structure had been done by inserting a thin layer of metal (Al/Ag) into ITO which provides a highway for carrier transparent. A modified structure with Ag is successfully demonstrated and well agrees with the theory. OLED application was also done by using sandwich structure. The key of sandwich structure is the metal layer, non-reactive and highly conducting material should be selected. Upper and bottom TCO layers are purpose-built for application without affect the properties of structure. This structure also shows more robust on the flexible substrate than single layer ITO.

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In this work, the optical properties of two kinds of one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials, mesoporous silicon nanowires (mpSiNWs) and plasmonic nanospirals (NSs), were studied. These emerging nanomaterials are of great interest because of their fundamental structure-derived properties and potential practical applications. Four aspects of these materials were analyzed in this work. First, although the fabrication mechanism of mpSiNWs has been studied previously via metal-assisted chemical etching, the porosification-induced disturbance to the etching direction, which plays a vital role in controlling the surface crystallinity of mpSiNWs, has not been characterized. In Chapter 2, I discuss the porosification etching mechanism of n-Si(111), which proceeds along the intrinsic back bond etching direction of [111] at room temperature. The porosification substantially weakens the back bonds under the sinking particles, resulting in the deviation of etching from [111]. The preferred direction of etching changes to that with a small angle α, because the direction-switching barrier increases with α and intrinsic back-bond etching is thermodynamically preferential. Second, mpSiNWs typically generate red photoluminescence (PL), but the PL mechanism is still under debate. A laser was used to oxidize the surfaces of mpSiNWs and tune the PL from red to greenish-blue (GB), as described in Chapter 3. The laser oxidation was tuned as a function of laser power, and a complex model of the laser-induced surface modification was proposed to account for the laser-power and post-annealing effect. The laser-induced modification of the PL of mpSiNWs may be useful for data encryption. Third, the fabrication of plasmonic NSs and the study of their optical activities are in their infancy. In Chapter 4, I describe the use of glancing-angle deposition (GLAD) to fabricate silver NSs (AgNSs) with controllable helicity and demonstrate that AgNSs have intrinsic optical responses that originate from their structural helicity. The optical activity of an AgNSs dispersion was characterized by circular dichroism (CD), and systematic engineering of the helicity revealed that their UV and visible optical activities have two different origins. Fourth, physical limits prohibit the sensitive differentiation of enantiomers. In Chapter 5, I describe the grafting of chiral molecules onto AgNSs, which dramatically enhanced the differentiation of L- and D-glutathione (GSH). AgNSs have very strong optical activities that are weakened by GSH adsorption. The severity of the chiroptical weakening effect varies with the absolute configuration of GSH, resulting in enantiomeric differentiation with an anisotropic g-factor of approximately 0.5. This chiral nanoplasmon-induced anisotropy g-factor is superior by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude to those obtained with other methods and about one-fourth of the theoretical value. This proposed method can be adapted to differentiate chiral drugs, which is highly desirable in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of single-enantiomer drugs.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:29:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:00:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 00359.pdf: 984679 bytes, checksum: 593fe375e9f99d58c6d0b375d059ec88 (MD5) / Dissertacao (Mestrado) / IEA/D / Escola Politecnica, Universidade de Sao Paulo - POLI/USP

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:28:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:01:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Este trabalho apresenta as propriedades ópticas dos complexos Európio Tetraciclinas (EuTcs) na presença de LDL e de LDL oxidada com potenciais aplicações em análises clínicas. Foram escolhidos quatro elementos da família das Tetraciclinas: Tetraciclina (Tc), Clorotetraciclina (CTc), Metatetraciclina (MTc) e Oxitetraciclina (OTc) para fazerem parte dos complexos com o íon európio. As melhores condições para se formar os complexos eficientemente foram determinadas, através das medidas dos parâmetros ópticos como: absorção, emissão e de tempo de vida. As melhores concentrações de európio nos complexos EuTcs e possíveis influências de íons inorgânicos normalmente presentes no plasma sanguíneo também foram analisadas. As amostras foram preparadas em pH neutro e a luminescência visível do lantanídeo foi detectada após tempo de repouso das amostras de 15 minutos. Os resultados deste trabalho mostraram que as moléculas de LDL e de LDL oxidada apresentaram um importante papel no aumento da intensidade de emissão dos complexos das Tcs. As medidas realizadas com os complexos EuTcs não apresentaram deslocamentos nos comprimentos de onda dos espectros de absorção e de emissão na presença de LDL, o que demonstra a ausência de interação direta entre as moléculas de Tcs e as moléculas de LDL e LDL oxidada. No entanto, o íon európio pode interagir em diferentes sítios das moléculas de tetraciclinas o que diferenciou a intensidade de emissão de cada complexo. Comparando os resultados obtidos entre os complexos de EuTcs, o complexo EuTc foi o que apresentou perspectivas promissoras na quantificação de LDL e LDL oxidada. / Dissertacao (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP