We have investigated the role of the solvents in the luminescence from colloidal 3C-SiC suspensions. By dispersing electrochemically etched polycrystalline 3C-SiC wafers in water, ethanol, or toluene, we have fabricated suspensions of 3C-SiC nanocrystals that exhibit intense photoluminescence. By taking into account the quantum confinement effect and observed size distributions of the 3C-SiC crystallites, a simple model is formulated to explain the photoluminescence spectra. Our results show that the colloidal 3C-SiC nanocrystals are robust and intense emitters that have good chemical stability and biocompatibility. They are thus useful in biotechnology and nano-optoelectronics applications.

Perovskite oxide La 0.825 Sr 0.175 MnO 3 (LSMO) nanowires are synthesized using the anodized alumina oxide template technique and the characterization of the microstructure, magnetic and photoluminescence properties is performed. The as-prepared LSMO nanowires 50 nm in diameter and tens of microns in length exhibit polycrystalline perovskite structure. The magnetic measurement reveals the competition between antiferromagnetic ordering and spin glass state as ground state in the nanowires, which is different from the magnetic behaviours of bulk ceramic and single crystals. The photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy demonstrates strong and broadband emissions with two luminescent peaks at 400 and 420 nm, respectively, which are believed to originate from the selftrapped excitons, oxygen vacancies and surface states, respectively. Nanoscale one-dimensional structures have attracted much interest because of their novel magnetic, electronic and optical properties as a result of their low dimensionality and quantum confinement effect. In addition to the well known examples of carbon nanotubes, ZnO nanobelts and so on, nanowires of complicated perovskite functional oxides such as ferroelectric BaTiO 3 and Pb(Zr, Ti)O 3 , as well as colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) manganites, have been synthesized [1][2][3][4][5]. Among the various methods used for fabrication of nanowires, the template synthesis method has been playing an important role in the fabrication of many kinds of nanowires and nanotubes for their interesting and useful features. Possible templates include nuclear track-etched polycarbonate membranes, nanochannel array glasses,

The interfacial properties of high-k dielectric CaZrOx thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition in O2 and N2 ambient are investigated. The SiOx (x<2) interfacial layer is observed for the films deposited at 300°C in 20Pa O2. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of the films at 700°C in N2 for 10s allows for oxidization of the interfacial layers into SiO2 and decomposition of the films into nano-ZrO2 crystals embedded in the matrix of amorphous CaO-rich zirconate. However, by the same RTA, the films deposited at 300°C in 20Pa N2 remain amorphous with clean Si∕CaZrOx interface and exhibit good electrical performances.