Applied Physics A最新文献

{"title":"Spectral optimization of undoped and (Na,K)Sr4(BO3)3:Mn2+ nanopowders for solid state lighting applications","authors":"Ch. Aswini,&nbsp;R. V. S. S. N. Ravikumar","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10216-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10216-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study demonstrates synthesis and characterization of (Na,K)Sr₄(BO₃)₃ (undoped) and (Na,K)Sr₄(BO₃)₃:Mn²⁺ nanopowders. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of undoped and (Na,K)Sr₄(BO₃)₃:Mn²⁺ nanopowders reveal crystallinity, having an orthorhombic structure with space group Ama2, with evaluated crystallite sizes of 51 and 58 nm by using the Debye–Scherrer method for undoped and Mn²⁺-doped samples, respectively. These values are also in agreement with the W–H method. The nanoparticles' morphology, elemental presence and chemical composition were analysed. FT-IR and Raman exhibited fundamental vibrational bands of borates. Using the Tauc plot from absorption spectra, the energy band gaps of undoped and Mn²⁺ doped samples were estimated to be 3.80 eV and 3.67 eV. Photoluminescence studies of undoped and Mn²⁺ doped samples exhibited bluish-white and white emission, and their CIE chromaticity coordinates were (x = 0.2942, y = 0.2796) and (x = 0.3217, y = 0.3148), respectively. Emission simulations were performed to estimate the suitability of these synthesized materials for solid-state lighting applications. The evaluated CCT, CRI, TLCI-Qa values and color vector diagram (CVD) were studied.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of reverse-pulse parameters on the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of electrodeposited Ni coatings on commercial NdFeB magnets","authors":"Jiahui Xu,&nbsp;Junwen Zeng,&nbsp;Jiaxin Guo,&nbsp;Munan Yang,&nbsp;Shengguo Zhou,&nbsp;Bin Yang","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10006-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10006-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>NdFeB magnets are widely used in high-performance devices because of their high magnetic performance, but rare-earth-rich grain-boundary phases make them susceptible to corrosion in complex environments. In this work, nanocrystalline Ni coatings were fabricated on commercial NdFeB magnets by reverse-pulse electrodeposition (RPED). The effects of forward current density, pulse frequency, and duty cycle on coating microstructure, corrosion resistance, and tribological behavior were systematically investigated. The pulse parameters strongly affected coating compactness, defect formation, crystallite size, and protective performance. Under the condition identified as optimal for comprehensive corrosion protection (6 A/dm², 800 Hz, and 40% duty cycle), the coating showed enhanced corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl, with a charge-transfer resistance (Rct) of 10,300 Ω·cm² and a corrosion current density (Icorr) of 1.346 × 10⁻⁶ A·cm⁻². The improvement was mainly attributed to a dense coating structure, reduced defect density, and suppressed electrolyte penetration. The same coating also showed balanced tribological performance, with an average friction coefficient of 0.246 and a wear rate of 7.82 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/(N·m). These results provide guidance for designing RPED Ni coatings that combine corrosion and wear protection for NdFeB magnets.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149132206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using pimpinella peregrina L. leaf extract: Characterization, DNA binding, antimicrobial activity and catalytic reduction","authors":"S. Jayasree,&nbsp;A. Mani,&nbsp;B. Archana,&nbsp;M. S. Suresh,&nbsp;K. Naresh","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10288-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10288-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Silver nanoparticles were successfully synthesized through a green approach using <i>Pimpinella peregrina</i> L. leaf extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The biosynthesized AgNPs were characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, which exhibited a characteristic surface plasmon resonance band at 440 nm, confirming nanoparticle formation. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a face-centered cubic crystalline structure with an average crystallite size of 58.35 nm. This result was in good agreement with the average particle size of 61.2 nm determined by transmission electron microscopy. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed a hydrodynamic particle size of 50–100 nm with a zeta potential of − 25 mV, indicating good colloidal stability. The nanoparticles exhibited strong interaction with calf thymus DNA, with an intrinsic binding constant of 1.25 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ and a fluorescence association constant of 1.01 × 10⁶ M⁻¹, demonstrating significant DNA-binding affinity. The synthesized nanoparticles also showed concentration-dependent antimicrobial activity, producing maximum inhibition zones of 27 mm against <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>, 15 mm against <i>Escherichia coli</i>,<i> Candida albicans</i> and 12 mm against <i>Aspergillus niger</i>. Furthermore, the nanoparticles efficiently catalysed the sodium borohydride assisted reduction of 4-nitrophenol, methyl orange and methylene blue, following pseudo-first-order kinetics with rate constants of 0.0180, 0.0286 and 0.0157 s⁻¹, respectively. These findings demonstrate that PP-AgNPs are promising sustainable multifunctional nanomaterials for antimicrobial and catalytic reductions. However, further investigations on cytotoxicity, biocompatibility, catalyst reusability and treatment of real wastewater are required before practical environmental and biomedical applications can be established.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient memory element design based on ferroelectric carbon nanotube transistors","authors":"M. Ramkumar Raja","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10203-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10203-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As technology advances and transistor dimensions decrease, physical limitations and performance challenges have slowed down the miniaturization of CMOS-based circuits. In such a situation, continued development requires the use of alternative technologies instead of simply reducing dimensions. In this regard, carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) have been proposed as promising options due to their favorable electronic properties, as well as the use of ferroelectric materials in the gate stack to exploit the negative capacitance property. On the other hand, the limitations of binary logic in the efficient implementation of some applications have increased attention to multi-level logic, especially three-level logic. In this study, a compact three-level memory cell based on CNTFET is presented using the negative capacitance (NC) property of ferroelectric materials integrated into the gate stack. Unlike conventional FeFETs that primarily exploit remanent polarization states for non-volatile storage, the proposed NC-CNTFET utilizes the negative-capacitance effect to modify the gate electrostatics and provide internal voltage amplification. In contrast to conventional logic-oriented NC-FETs, where ferroelectric hysteresis is generally minimized, the polarization hysteresis is intentionally retained in the proposed memory operating regime and utilized together with the negative differential resistance (NDR) characteristic to establish a zero-gain region in the voltage transfer characteristic (VTC), thereby enabling three distinct stable logic states. The memory structure consists of two coupled inverters and pass-type access transistors, and has a good static noise margin (SNM) without the need to add an additional transistor, due to the hysteresis property of ferroelectric materials. The results show that the proposed design has reduced the read delay and significantly improved the read energy (up to 84%) compared to previous works, although it is accompanied by a relative increase in the delay and write energy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nanostructured surface-enhance Raman spectroscopy substrate for sensitive detection of carcinogen dyes","authors":"Shelja Sharma,&nbsp;Marshal Dhayal","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10276-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10276-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rhodamine B (RB) and Indigo Carmine (IC), widely used xanthene and indigoid dyes, respectively, are emerging environmental and food-safety concerns owing to their potential carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, and toxic effects. In this work, we demonstrate a sustainable approach that utilizes discarded compact discs (CDs) as high-performance, cost-effective surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for the ultrasensitive detection of Rhodamine B (RB) and Indigo Carmine (IC) in aqueous media. The CDs, composed primarily of polycarbonate and coated with an aluminium reflective layer, possess inherent spiral nanograting structures that facilitate strong electromagnetic field localization and high-density hotspot formation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed well-defined periodic micro/nanostructures that contribute to the observed plasmonic enhancement. The developed CD-based SERS platform exhibited excellent analytical performance for the detection of RB and IC. The developed SERS substrate, for RB, showed a limit of detection (LOD) of ~ 10^− 15 M with an analytical enhancement factor (EF) of 10⁸ having excellent linearity (R² = 0.98) was achieved over a concentration range from 10^− 4 to 10^− 12 M. For IC, an LOD of 10^− 10 M was achieved with an EF of 10⁶ and linearity (R² =0.99) between 10^− 4 and 10^− 11 M. Spatial uniformity and spot-to-spot reproducibility studies yielded relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 3% for RB and 6% for IC across randomly selected measurement locations on the same substrate, confirming the high spatial uniformity of the developed SERS substrate. Furthermore, reproducibility was rigorously evaluated by conducting experiments across multiple distinct substrates under 10^− 10 M and 10^− 6 M concentration for both RB and IC. Overall, this work demonstrates the potential of upcycling scratched and used CDs into sensitive, low-cost SERS sensors, offering a scalable and sustainable platform for environmental monitoring and food-safety applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"pH-driven tuning of n- to p-type conductivity transition and photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue in electrodeposited Cu₂O thin films","authors":"Abdelmadjid Herbadji,&nbsp;Ibrahim Yaacoub Bouderbala,&nbsp;Loubna Mentar,&nbsp;Amor Azizi,&nbsp;Selma Rabhi","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10262-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10262-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nanostructured Cu₂O thin films were electrodeposited under controlled pH conditions to investigate electrolyte pH effects on their structural, surface morphological, electrical, and photoelectrochemical properties. The study aimed to understand the pH-induced transition in conductivity type and to correlate it with microstructural evolution and photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance. Cyclic voltammetry was first performed to determine the optimal deposition potential, ensuring the selective formation of Cu₂O. The structural properties were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), confirming phase formation, crystallinity, and preferential orientation. Morphological investigations were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing significant pH-dependent changes in grain size and surface roughness. Electrical properties were evaluated using Mott–Schottky analysis, demonstrating a clear transition from n-type to p-type conductivity with increasing pH. The photoelectrochemical behavior was further confirmed by photocurrent measurements, supporting the results obtained from electrochemical characterization. Finally, the optimized Cu₂O thin films were applied for the photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue under light irradiation, showing a moderate but well-defined, pseudo-first-order degradation of the dye under visible light. The results highlight the strong influence of pH on defect formation, carrier density, and overall performance, demonstrating that controlled electrodeposition is an effective strategy to tailor Cu₂O thin films for environmental applications, including photocatalytic pollutant degradation and photoelectrochemical energy conversion.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Annealing-driven cation redistribution and magnetostructural optimization in Ni-rich Ni(_{1.43})Fe(_{1.70})O(_4) spinel ferrite","authors":"Charafeddine Sedrati,&nbsp;Safia Alleg,&nbsp;Abdelwahhab Bendali Hacin","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10255-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10255-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tailoring cation distribution and defect chemistry in non-stoichiometric spinel ferrites provides a versatile pathway to tune their magnetic performance. In this work, Ni-rich <span>(textrm{Ni}_{1.43}textrm{Fe}_{1.70}textrm{O}_4)</span> nanoparticles synthesized via a starch-assisted co-precipitation method were annealed between 700 and 1000 <span>(^{circ })</span>C to achieve magnetostructural optimization. A self-consistent magneto-structural model combining Rietveld structural parameters, nominal stoichiometry, and magnetic moment analysis indicates an annealing-driven redistribution of cations, where excess <span>(textrm{Ni}^{2+})</span> is accommodated into octahedral 16d and interstitial 16c positions while <span>(textrm{Fe}^{3+})</span> dynamically partitions between tetrahedral 8a and octahedral 16d sites. Raman spectroscopy corroborates this local structural evolution through the deconvolution of the <span>(A_{1g})</span> stretching envelope into unperturbed and defect-perturbed metal–oxygen vibrational environments. Thermally induced grain coarsening shifts the particle size distribution from a unimodal regime at 700 <span>(^{circ })</span>C (mean diameter <span>(sim )</span>42 nm) to a bimodal sintering regime at 800–1000 <span>(^{circ })</span>C. All samples exhibited soft ferrimagnetic behavior. The fitted saturation magnetization varied non-monotonically, reaching a maximum for NF900 (<span>(M_s = 84.67)</span> emu g<span>(^{-1})</span>), while coercivity decreased from 194.5 to 107.8 Oe. This <span>(M_s)</span> maximum is consistently accounted for by theoretical magnetic moments calculated from the modeled cation distribution, reflecting an optimal ferrimagnetic sublattice moment imbalance (<span>(M_B - M_A)</span>) at 900 <span>(^{circ })</span>C. These findings offer key mechanistic insights into the defect engineering of non-stoichiometric ferrites for high-performance magnetic and electromagnetic applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced structural, mechanical, and radiation shielding performance of chromium sulfate-doped borate glasses for radiation protection","authors":"Norah Alsairy","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10258-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10258-1","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this study, four glass samples of modified borate glasses with the composition (65 − &lt;i&gt;x&lt;/i&gt;)B&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;–15SrO–10PbO–10Bi&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;–&lt;i&gt;x&lt;/i&gt;Cr&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(SO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;)&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; (&lt;i&gt;x&lt;/i&gt; = 0 (BCrS0), 1 (BCrS1), 2 (BCrS2), and 3 (BCrS3) mol%) were successfully synthesized using the melt-quenching method. The resulting glasses were characterized using various techniques. XRD diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the BCrS0 and BCrS1 samples are predominantly amorphous. In contrast, BCrS2 and BCrS3 samples exhibited weak crystalline peaks, indicating the onset of partial crystallization with crystallinity of approximately 5% and 10%, respectively. Furthermore, the field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrograph of the BCrS0 sample showed a highly agglomerated amorphous morphology with poorly defined particles. In contrast, the BCrS3 sample’s surface evolved into a rough granular structure with distinct grains, indicating the onset of crystallization and improved structural organization. Moreover, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed mostly repetitive vibrational curves with limited vibrations as the Cr&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(SO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;)&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; concentration increased. FTIR data showed an increase in the fraction of four-coordinated units (&lt;i&gt;B&lt;/i&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;i&gt;4&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;), reflecting the transformation of BO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; units into BO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt; units, thereby enhancing network connectivity and rigidity. The results showed that density increased from 4.38 g/cm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; (BCrS0) to 4.66 g/cm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt; (BCrS3) with increasing Cr&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(SO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;)&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; content, while the molar volume increased from 29.61 to 29.91 cm&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;/mol, indicating improved packing efficiency and reduced free volume. Mechanical properties improved with increasing salt dopant content, with Young’s modulus rising from 37.87 to 45.14 GPa and bulk modulus from 23.17 to 30.88 GPa, accompanied by increased hardness and Poisson’s ratio, indicating enhanced rigidity and strength. The Phy-X/PSD software was used to find the attenuation factors for the samples over the range 0.015-15 MeV, and for photon energy at 0.015 MeV, the linear attenuation coefficient (&lt;i&gt;LAC&lt;/i&gt;) increased from 253.657 cm⁻&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; (BCrS0) to 257.656 cm⁻&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; (BCrS3). At the same time, the tenth value layer (&lt;i&gt;TVL&lt;/i&gt;) was reduced from 13.628 cm to 13.148 cm. Also, the estimated half-value layer (&lt;i&gt;HVL&lt;/i&gt;) was reduced from 4.102 cm to 3.958 cm. Additionally, the mean free path (&lt;i&gt;MFP&lt;/i&gt;) decreased from 5.918 cm to 5.710 cm. Overall, the incorporation of Cr&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;(SO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;)&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; significantly improves the shielding ability and mechanical performance of the studied glass samples. A comparison of the radiation shielding prowess of the present glasses with concrete, as well as previous studies, showed the supremacy of the BCrSx glasses. The findings provide strong evidence of the BCrS3 ","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of low pressure and annealing on the optical and structural properties in the synthesis of CdSe thin films by chemical reaction for a system of a complexed cadmium salt and sodium selenosulfite","authors":"T. Medrano-Pesqueira,&nbsp;L. P. Ramírez-Rodríguez,&nbsp;R. Ochoa-Landín,&nbsp;E León-Sarabia ,&nbsp;S. J. Castillo,&nbsp;T Mendivil-Reynoso","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10282-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10282-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thin Films with the components S, Se, and Cd were deposited on Corning glass by a chemical reaction, varying the deposition pressure. All samples showed good adhesion. Thermal treatment at 200 and 400 °C was applied for synthesis at atmospheric pressure. The samples synthesized under pressure stand out for their specular reflection, which varies in color with deposition time. X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, and Raman spectroscopy were used to study the effects of low pressure and thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties. The results indicate the development of CdSe/CdS_(1−X)Se_(X)-type compounds. The principal optical transition of CdSe material was identified in the 1.74–1.94 eV region, although additional contributions at lower and higher energies were also observed. The closed-reactor conditions promoted the formation of better-defined CdSe-related crystalline phases, primarily cubic and hexagonal structures. Furthermore, the relative diffraction contribution associated with the CdS₁-ₓSeₓ-related phase changed under closed-reactor growth conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NiO nanoparticle-induced modulation of electro-optical switching, electrical response, and dielectric properties in nematic liquid crystals for high-performance optoelectronic systems","authors":"Zahra Seidalilir,&nbsp;Fatemeh Hamid,&nbsp;Mohammad Sabaeian","doi":"10.1007/s00339-026-10267-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00339-026-10267-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the present study, the effects of NiO nanoparticles (NPs) on the dielectric, electro-optical switching, and electrical properties of the E7 nematic liquid crystal (NLC) system were systematically investigated. The temperature-dependent dielectric constants (ε_∥ and ε_⊥) and dielectric anisotropy (Δε = ε_∥ − ε_⊥) were measured for E7 samples containing 0.01, 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, and 0.12 wt% NiO NPs. The dielectric anisotropy exhibited a concentration-dependent increase following NiO NP incorporation, reaching 14.38 at 0.09 wt%, compared with 11.87 for pure E7 NLC. The observed increase in ε_∥, accompanied by a decrease in ε_⊥, is consistent with enhanced orientational ordering along the nematic director. Additionally, electro-optical measurements demonstrated that the introduction of 0.09 wt% NiO NPs led to a significantly rapid switching dynamics and a lower threshold voltage. The switching-on and switching-off times were reduced by approximately 29% and 45%, respectively, in comparison to pure E7. Moreover, impedance spectroscopy was performed over the frequency range of 0.1 Hz–100 kHz to evaluate the electrical and ionic transport characteristics of the NLC devices. The electrical conductivity increased from 2.41 × 10⁻¹⁰ S cm⁻¹ for pure E7 NLC to 6.18 × 10⁻¹⁰ S cm⁻¹ for the NLC containing 0.09 wt% NiO NPs, corresponding to an enhancement of approximately 156%. This substantial increase indicates that NiO NP incorporation markedly modifies charge-transport behavior within the NLC medium. Overall, the observed improvements highlight the potential of NiO NP–doped E7 NLCs for low-voltage and fast-switching optoelectronic systems with tunable charge-transport characteristics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":473,"journal":{"name":"Applied Physics A","volume":"132 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149133313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}