| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session PS+NS+SS-WeM |
| Session: | Plasma Processing for Nanomaterials & Nanoparticles |
| Presenter: | Benjamin Greenberg, University of Minnesota |
| Authors: | B. Greenberg, University of Minnesota Z. Robinson, University of Minnesota K. Reich, University of Minnesota C. Gorynski, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany B. Voigt, University of Minnesota G. Nelson, Creighton University L. Francis, University of Minnesota B. Shklovskii, University of Minnesota E.S. Aydil, University of Minnesota U.R. Kortshagen, University of Minnesota |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Nonthermal plasma synthesis has recently emerged as a promising method for producing highly conductive ZnO nanocrystal (NC) networks. The plasma-synthesized NC surfaces are free of ligands, which enables high interparticle electron mobility. In this work, we produce ZnO NC networks using nonthermal plasma synthesis integrated with supersonic inertial impaction deposition, and we manipulate their electron transport properties with a combination of UV illumination and NC surface modification via atomic layer deposition (ALD). Specifically, we use these treatments to increase the free electron density, n, and the interparticle contact radius, ρ, and thereby induce a transition from variable range hopping to metallic transport. We determine n from the NCs’ localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and ρ from the subtle increase in the ZnO volume fraction, and we use Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FTIR) to ascertain the underlying NC surface photochemistry.