Properties of excitons confined to potential fluctuations due to indium distribution in the wetting layer which accompany self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots are reviewed. Spectroscopic studies are summarized including time-resolved photoluminescence and corresponding single-photon emission correlation measurements. The identification of charge states of excitons is presented which is based on results of a theoretical analysis of interactions between the involved carriers. The effect of the dots’ environment on their optical spectra is also shown.

The growing interest in one-dimensional tin oxide-based nanomaterials boosts research on both high-quality nanomaterials as well as production methods. This is due to the fact that they present unique electrical and optical properties that enable their application in various (opto)electronic devices. Thus, the aim of the paper was to produce ceramic SnO₂ nanowires using electrospinning with the calcination method, and to investigate the influence of the calcination temperature on the morphology, structure and optical properties of the obtained material. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to examine the morphology and chemical structure of obtained nanomaterials. The optical properties of manufactured one-dimensional nanostructures were investigated using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Moreover, based on the UV-Vis spectra, the energy band gap of the prepared nanowires was determined. The analysis of the morphology of the obtained nanowires showed that both the concentration of the precursor in the spinning solution and the calcination temperature have a significant impact on the diameter of the nanowires and, consequently, on their optical properties.

Crystals of PbTiO3 and 0.9PbTiO3-0.1(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 were obtained by the flux growth method whereas crystals of (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 were growth by the Czochralski method. Raman spectroscopy and polarized light microscopy were performed at room temperature. The Raman spectra of 0.9PbTiO3-0.1(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 shown significant changes comparing to the base materials PbTiO3 and (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3. A domain structure was investigated by use polarized light microscopy. Dielectric permittivity measurements were carried out in the temperature range from 20°C to 550°C and a frequency from 1 kHz to 1 MHz. These showed higher dielectric permittivity for the crystals 0.9PbTiO3-0.1(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 than the source materials PbTiO3 and (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3.

The high value of dielectric constant makes it possible to applied 0.9PbTiO3-0.1(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 as efficient dielectric medium in a capacitors. The small size of the domain structure with the easy possibility of switching by application of an external electric field, give opportunities to apply these materials to FRAM memory applications. Moreover, the high sensitivity of these materials to the surrounding gases e.g. ammonia, chlorine, hydrogen, etc., allows the construction of sensor devices.

The aim of this work was to produce a thin SnO2 film by a technique combining the sol-gel method and electrospinning from a solution based on polyvinylpyrrolidone and a tin chloride pentahydrate as a precursor. The spinning solution was subjected to an electrospinning process, and then the obtained nanofiber mats were calcined for 10 h at 500°C. Then, the scanning electron microscopy morphology analysis and chemical composition analysis by X-ray microanalysis of the manufactured thin film was performed. It was shown that an amorphous-crystalline layer formed by the SnO2 nanofiber network was obtained. Based on the UV-Vis spectrum, the width of the energy gap of the obtained layer was determined.

In this article, synthesis, electronic and optical properties of an N-cyclohexyl-acrylamide (NCA) molecule are described based on different solvent environments and supported by theoretical calculations. Theoretical calculations have been carried out using a density function theory (DFT). Temperature dependence of the sample electrical resistance has been obtained by a four-point probe technique. Experimental and semi-theoretical parameters such as optical density, transmittance, optical band gap, refractive index of the NCA for different solvents were obtained. Both optical values and electrical resistance values have shown that NCA is a semiconductor material. The values of HOMO and LUMO energy levels of the headline molecule indicate that it can be used as the electron transfer material in OLEDs. All results obtained confirm that the NCA is a candidate molecule for OLED and optoelectronic applications.

The electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of PtCoBi half-Heusler compound [001] surfaces and its bulk state have been investigated in the framework of density functional theory using GGA approximation. The half-metallic behaviors of CoBi-term, CoPt-term and PtBi-term decrease with respect to its bulk state. The spin polarization at the Fermi level is 73.2% for the bulk state, and it is –64.4% and –64.1% for the CoBi-term and PtBi-term, respectively while less polarization has been observed for the ­CoPt-term. All terminations have given almost similar optical responses to light. Plasmon oscillations for the terminations occur in the range of 12.5 to 14.5 eV (21 to 22 eV) along xx (zz), and it occurs at 23 eV for the bulk state. The refractive index for the bulk and all three terminations is very high in the infrared and visible areas, meaning a very strong metallic trend in these compounds. The phenomenon of super-luminance occurs for the incident light with energy exceeding 5.5 eV for all three terminations, and it occurs in the range of 10 eV for the bulk mode. These terminations show transparent behavior after the energy of 10 eV.

Mechanical, electronic, thermodynamic phase diagram and optical properties of the FeVSb half-Heusler have been studied based on the density functional theory (DFT) framework. Studies have shown that this structure in the MgAgAs-type phase has static and dynamic mechanical stability with high thermodynamic phase consistency. Electronic calculations showed that this compound is a p-type semiconductor with an indirect energy gap of 0.39 eV. This compound’s optical response occurs in the infrared, visible regions, and at higher energies its dielectric sign is negative. The Plasmon oscillations have occurred in 20 eV, and its refraction index shifts to zero in 18 eV.

In the present work, Hydroxyapatite synthesis was carried out using hydrothermal method with calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (Ca(NO ₃) ₂.4H ₂O) and fosfor pentaoksit (P ₂O ₅) as precursors. For the hydrothermal method, constant reaction temperature (180°C) and different reaction times (6 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours and 24 hours) were determined. The samples produced were divided into two groups. Four samples were not heat treatment; four samples were heat treatment at 700°C for 1 hour. The obtained products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectrometer. SEM photos showed that the Hydroxyapatite powders produced are in the form of the agglomerate. According to EDS results, Hydroxyapatite samples are of high purity. XRD’s findings confirm that the diffraction peaks correspond to the pure phase of Hydroxyapatite. A general decrease was observed in the energy band gap of the samples with increasing hydrothermal reaction time.

The effects of hydrogen absorption and manganese substitution on structural, electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of silicon-carbon nanotubes (SiCNT) are studied using the density functional theory and the GGA approximation. An examination of the PDOS curves and the electronic band structure showed that the Mn substitution leads to an increase in magnetic anisotropy and the occurrence of semi-metallic behavior and that the hydrogen absorption shifts the band gap toward the lower energies. A study of these nanostructures’ thermoelectric behavior reveals that the H absorption leads to a significant escalation in the figure of merit of the SiCNT to about 1.6 in the room temperature range. The effects of the H absorption on this nanotube’s optical properties, including the dielectric functions and its absorption spectra, are also investigated.

In this work, the electronic structure and optical behavior and the thermoelectric performance of the known HfNiSn compound have been studied under the substitution of Mn transition metal instead of Ni atoms. Necessary calculations are performed in the framework of DFT first principles studies by applying generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) as well as solving Boltzmann’s semi-classical equations. The entering Mn leads to a change in the electronic structure of HfNiSn and the occurrence of half-metallic ferromagnetic behavior with 100% polarization at the Fermi level. The maximum ZT value obtained for HfMnSn shows that HfNiSn would be suitable for thermoelectric applications at room temperature, both in pure and Mn presence. The examination of optical parameters also indicates good absorption in the visible range for this compound in all cases.

Microstructures are an important link between materials processing and performance, and microstructure control is essential for any materials processing route where the microstructure plays a major role in determining the properties. In this work, silver-doped titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) thin film was prepared by the sol-gel method through the hydrolysis of titanium tetra-isopropoxide and silver nitrate solution. The sol was spin coated on ITO glass substrate to get uniform film followed by annealing process for 2 hours. The obtained films were annealed at different annealing temperatures in the range of 300°C-600°C in order to observe the effect on crystalline state, microstructures and optical properties of Ag/TiO2 thin film. The thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. It is clearly seen, when the annealing temperature increases to 500°C, a peak at 2θ = 25.30° can be seen which refers to the structure of TiO2 tetragonal anatase. The structure of Ag/TiO2 thin film become denser, linked together, porous and uniformly distributed on the surface and displays the highest cut-off wavelength value which is 396 nm with the lowest band gap value, which is 3.10 eV.

Titania dioxide (TiO₂) layers were synthesized via the acid-catalysed sol-gel route using titania (IV) ethoxide, and then annealed at temperatures varying in the range of 150–700 °C. The research concerned the effect of annealing temperature on the structure of TiO₂ layers, their surface morphology, and their optical properties. Further, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy were used to determine the structure of TiO₂ layers. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopy were used to study the surface morphology of TiO₂ layers. Transmittance, reflectance, absorption edge, and optical homogeneity were investigated by UV-VIS spectrophotometry, while the refractive index and thicknesses of TiO₂ layers were measured using a monochromatic ellipsometer. Chromatic dispersion characteristics of the complex refractive index were determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Structural studies have shown that the TiO₂ layers annealed at temperatures up to 300 °C are amorphous, while those annealed at temperatures exceeding 300 °C are polycrystalline containing only anatase nanocrystals with sizes increasing from 6 to 20 nm with the increase of the annealing temperature. Investigations on the surface morphology of TiO₂ layers have shown that the surface roughness increases with the increase in annealing temperature. Spectrophotometric investigations have shown that TiO₂ layers are homogeneous and the width of the indirect optical band gap varies with annealing temperature from 3.53 eV to 3.73 eV.

Structural and optical properties of graphene with a vacancy and B, N, O and F doped graphene have been investigated computationally using density functional theory (DFT). We find that B is a p-type while N, O and F doped graphene layers, as well as graphene with a vacancy are n-type semiconductors. Optical properties for both cases of in plane (E ⊥ c) and out of plane (E || c) polarization of light are investigated. It is observed that with the increase in the number of electrons entering the supercell, the amount of absorption of the system decreases and the absorption peaks are transferred to higher energies (blue shift).

Thin films were prepared based on cellulose polymer doped with different ratios of natural dye derived from Portulaca grandiflora concentrations. The polymer and natural dye were extracted from eco-friendly materials—the cell walls of millet husks and Portulaca grandiflora, respectively. The spray pyrolysis technique was applied to prepare thin film samples to control the film morphology and reduce the roughness of the surface. Optical microscope and Fourier transform infrared were used to analyse structural, morphological, and functional groups for all samples, respectively. The peak absorbance, extinction coefficient, optical bandgap, Urbach energy, and optical conductivity for the thin films were determined using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The results show an enhancement in the optical characteristics when the natural cellulose is doped with a dye. Doping cellulose with 5% P. grandiflora has led to a considerable reduction in the energy bandgap (to 1.95 eV), compared to the sample doped with 1%.

The electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of MoS2 nano-sheet in presence of the Ru impurity have been calculated by density functional theory framework with Generalized Gradient approximation. The MoRuS2 nano-sheet electronic structure was changed to the n-type semiconductor by 1.3 eV energy gap. The optical coefficients were shown that the loosing optical energy occurred in the higher ultraviolet region, so this compound is a promising candidate for optical sensing in the infrared and visible range. The thermoelectric behaviors were implied to the good merit parameter in the 100K range and room temperatures and also has high amount of power factor in 600K which made it for power generators applications.

Composition effect on electro-optic (EO) properties of a LiNbO₃ (LN) single-crystal has been investigated in a Li₂O-content range of 47.0–49.95 mol%. Some non-congruent LN crystals with different Li₂O-contents were prepared by performing Li-deficient or Li-rich vapour transport equilibration treatments on as-grown congruent LN crystals. Unclamped EO coefficients γ₁₃ and γ₃₃ of these samples were measured by a Mach–Zehnder interferometric method. The measurements show that in the Li-deficient regime both γ13 and γ33 increase by ∼8% as Li₂O-content decreases from the congruent 48.6 mol% to the 47.0 mol% in the Li-deficient regime. The feature is desired for the EO application of the Li-deficient crystal. In the near-stoichiometric regime, both γ₁₃ and γ₃₃ reveal a non-monotonic dependence. As the Li₂O-content increases from the 48.6 mol%, the EO coefficient decreases. Around Li₂O-content 49.5 mol%, a minimum is reached. After that, the EO coefficient recovers slowly. At the stoichiometric composition, it recovers to a value close to that at the congruent point. Comparison shows that different crystal growth methods give rise to different defect structure features and hence different composition effects.

Metal nanoshells are a type of nanoparticle composed by a dielectric core and a metallic coating. These nanoparticles have stimulated interest due to their remarkable optical properties. In common with metal colloids, they show distinctive absorption peaks at specific wavelengths due to surface plasmon resonance. However, unlike bare metal colloids, the wavelengths at which resonance occurs can be tuned by changing the core radius and coating thickness. One basic application of such property is in medicine, where it is hoped that nanoshells with absorption peaks in the near−infrared can be attached to cancerous cells. In this paper, we study the changes of optical response in visible and near infrared wavelengths from single to randomly distributed clusters of nanoshells. The results were obtained using a novel formulation of Mie theory in evanescent wave conditions, with a finite−difference time−domain (FDTD) simulation and experimentally on BaTiO₃−gold nanoshells using a scanning near−optical microscope. The results show that the optical signal of a randomly distributed cluster of nanoshells can be supplementary tuned with respect to the case of single nanoshell depending by the geometric configuration of the clusters.

Photoactive nanofilled nematic is proposed. Stable three-component photoresponsive nanocomposite was prepared from photo-insensitive nanofilled nematic by inclusion of 3 wt.% azobenzene-containing photoactive mesogen 4-(4′-ethoxyphenylazo)phenyl hexanoate (EPH). The host nanofilled nematic was produced from the room-temperature nematic liquid crystal 4-n-heptyl cyanobiphenyl (7CB) and 3 wt.% filler of Aerosil 300 hydrophilic silica nanospheres of size 7 nm. Apparent effect of stimulation with a relatively weak continuous illumination by UV light (375 nm wavelength) takes place for both the alternating-current electric field-dependent optical transmittance and the electro-optic amplitude-frequency modulation by thin films (25 µm thick) of the EPH/aerosil/7CB nanocomposite. The light-stimulated electro-optics of EPH-doped aerosil/7CB films and the corresponding reversible light control are achieved through trans-cis-trans photoisomerization of the photoactive agent EPH. As such, the initial electro-optical response of the studied photoactive nanocomposites is recovered with continuous blue-light illumination. The examined EPH/aerosil/7CB nanocomposites exhibit photo-controllable electro-optical response that is of practical interest.

Jerzy Kołodziejczak, who died on August 1st, 2022 at the age of 87, was a distinguished Polish physicist and a visionary science manager. He graduated at the Physics Faculty of Warsaw University in 1958, received PhD in 1961, habilitation in 1963, and became Professor in 1968. From the beginning of his brilliant and rapid scientific career he worked at the newly created Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics in Warsaw, of which he became director in 1970 (for 12 years) and then the creator of the new institute site and its structure of today. His major theoretical and experimental contributions to science of semiconductors followed the observation that understanding of galvanomagnetic and optical phenomena of medium and narrow-gap semiconductors cannot be done without proper account of the nonparabolicity of their bands. He then formulated general theory of these properties, what brought him not only international acclaim, but also several highest recognitions in Poland (first Maria Skłodowska-Curie Scientific Prize of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in 1967, the State Award of the first class 1978, Polonia Restituta Commander Order with the Star 2005) and membership to the Polish Academy of Sciences (Corresponding Member 1973 and Ordinary Member in 1991). He served several highest offices in the Academy up to the Academy Presidency in 2002. In 1983 was elected a Fellow of the Warsaw scientific Society. He published well over 100 scientific papers and was a Ph Thesis advisor of his 15 associates.