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Strong Visible Absorption and Broad Time Scale Excited-State Relaxation in (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) Nanocrystals
Chi-Hung Chuang1, Ying-Gang Lu1, Kyureon Lee1
1†Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
Abstract:
(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.
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