A giant electromechanical d33 coefficient 110pC∕N is obtained in ferroelectric V-doped ZnO films, which is nearly one order of magnitude higher than that of undoped samples. It is considered that the switchable spontaneous polarization induced by V dopants and the accompanying relatively high permittivity should be responsible for the enhancement of piezoelectric response. Moreover, from another point of view, an easier rotation of V–O bonds which are noncollinear with c axis under electric field might be the microscopic origin of this anomaly. The improved piezoelectric properties could make V-doped ZnO a promising candidate for piezoelectric devices.

An efficient heat activating mediator with an enhanced specific absorption rate (SAR) value is attained via control of the iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle size from 3 to 32 nm. Monodispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles are synthesized via a seed-less thermolysis technique using oleylamine and oleic acid as the multifunctionalizing agents (surfactant, solvent and reducing agent). The inductive heating properties as a function of particle size reveal a strong increase in the SAR values with increasing particle size up to 28 nm. In particular, the SAR values of ferromagnetic nanoparticles (>16 nm) are strongly enhanced with the increase of ac magnetic field amplitude than that for the superparamagnetic (3-16 nm) nanoparticles. The enhanced SAR values in the ferromagnetic regime are attributed to the synergistic contribution from the hysteresis and susceptibility loss. Specifically, the 28 nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibit an enhanced SAR value of 801 W g-1 which is nearly an order higher than that of the commercially available nanoparticles.

No abstract

Ag-doped ZnO films were prepared by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering using a zinc target with various Ag-chips attached. The influence of Ag doping on the microstructure, photoluminescence and Raman scattering of ZnO films were systematically investigated. The results indicate that ZnO films doped with Ag can still retain a wurtzite structure, although the c-axis as preferred orientation is decreased by Ag doping. The near band edge emission of ZnO film can be enhanced by Ag doping with a concentration of 1.6–2.8 at.% and quench with a further increase in the Ag concentration. A local vibrational mode at 411 cm−1 induced by Ag dopant can be observed in the Raman spectra of the Ag-doped ZnO films, which might be used as an indication of Ag incorporation into the ZnO lattice.