Faculty Publications

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    Nonlinear transmittance and optical power limiting in magnesium ferrite nanoparticles: effects of laser pulsewidth and particle size
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016) Perumbilavil, S.; Sridharan, K.; Abraham, A.R.; Janardhanan, H.P.; Kalarikkal, N.; Philip, R.
    We report comparative measurements of size dependent nonlinear transmission and optical power limiting in nanocrystalline magnesium ferrite (MgFe2O4) particles excited by short (nanosecond) and ultrashort (femtosecond) laser pulses. A standard sol-gel technique is employed to synthesize particles in the size range of 10-50 nm, using polyvinyl alcohol as the chelating agent. The structure and morphology of the samples are studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Growth of the particles in time is tracked through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Nonlinear transmission measurements have been carried out using the open aperture Z-scan technique employing 532 nm, 5 nanosecond pulses and 800 nm, 100 femtosecond pulses, respectively. The measured optical nonlinearity is primarily of a reverse saturable absorption (RSA) nature, arising mostly from excited state absorption for nanosecond excitation, and two-photon absorption for femtosecond excitation. The optical limiting efficiency is found to increase with particle size for both cases. The calculated nonlinear parameters indicate that these materials are potential candidates for optical limiting applications. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.
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    Memory type switching behavior of ternary Ge20Te80-xSnx (0 x 4) chalcogenide compounds
    (Institute of Physics Publishing michael.roberts@iop.org, 2016) Fernandes, B.J.; Sridharan, K.; Pumlianmunga, P.; Ramesh, K.; Udayashankar, N.K.
    Chalcogenide compounds have gained huge research interest recently owing to their capability to transform from an amorphous to a crystalline phase with varying electrical properties. Such materials can be applied in building a new class of memories, such as phase-change memory and programmable metallization cells. Here we report the memory type electrical switching behavior of a ternary chalcogenide compound synthesized by doping Tin (Sn) in a germanium-telluride (Ge20Te80) host matrix, which yielded a composition of Ge20Te80-xSnx (0 x 4). Results indicate a remarkable decrease in the threshold switching voltage (V T) from 140 to 61 V when the Sn concentration was increased stepwise, which is attributed to the domination of the metallicity factor leading to reduced amorphous network connectivity and rigidity. Variation in the threshold switching voltage (V T) was noticed even when the sample thickness and temperature were altered, confirming that the memory switching process is of thermal origin. Investigations using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of a crystalline channel that acts as the conduction path between the two electrodes in the switched region. Structural and morphological studies indicated that Sn metal remained as a micro inclusion in the matrix and hardly contributed to the rigid amorphous network formation in Ge20Te80-xSnx. Memory type electrical switching observed in these ternary chalcogenide compounds synthesized herein can be explored further for the fabrication of phase-change memory devices. © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.
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    Porous cobalt chalcogenide nanostructures as high performance pseudo-capacitor electrodes
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2017) Bhat, K.S.; Shenoy, S.; Nagaraja, H.S.; Sridharan, K.
    Electrochemical supercapacitor is an essential technology that is pivotal for the development of reliable energy storage devices. Herein, we report the fabrication of supercapacitor electrodes using nanostructured porous cobalt chalcogenide (CoTe2 and CoSe2) electrodes, anticipating an enhanced performance owing to their higher contact area with electrolyte and large pore volume enabling shorter diffusion paths for ion exchange. In this regard, we synthesized CoTe2 and CoSe2 nanostructures via an anion-exchange-reaction between pre-synthesized Co(OH)2 hexagonal nanosheets and chalcogen (tellurium and selenium) ions under hydrothermal conditions. Structural, morphological and compositional properties of the as-synthesized materials are examined using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Pseudo-capacitive properties of CoTe2 and CoSe2 nanostructures as working electrodes are studied through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge methods using an electrochemical workstation. CoSe2 electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 951 F g?1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s?1, which surprisingly is almost three times higher in comparison to CoTe2 electrode (360 F g?1). Both CoTe2 and CoSe2 electrodes exhibited good capacitance retention capability for 2500 CV cycles. The superior electrochemical performance of the nanoporous CoSe2 electrode indicate their applicability for high-performance energy storage device applications. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd
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    Bimetallic nanoparticles grafted ZnO hierarchical structures as efficient visible light driven photocatalyst: An experimental and theoretical study
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Shenoy, S.; Tarafder, K.; Sridharan, K.
    Bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) exhibiting novel properties due to synergy between the individual elements have sparkled significant interest as a co-catalyst in enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of semiconductor materials. Here, we report the photocatalytic activity of NiAg NPs embedded on hierarchical ZnO structures (NiAg-ZnO). Structural and morphological investigations through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of NiAg-ZnO. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed the decrease in the bandgap energy of NiAg-ZnO (2.65 eV) in comparison to pristine ZnO (3.1 eV). Interestingly, the rate of photodegradation of methylene blue and rhodamine B dye molecules under visible light irradiation are two to three times enhanced with NiAg-ZnO in comparison to Ag-ZnO. Enhanced visible light absorption and effective charge separation due to the synergistic metal-semiconductor interface formed by the embedment of NiAg bimetallic NPs on ZnO led to the improved photocatalytic activity. Experimental results are further confirmed through the first principle electronic band structure calculations. © 2021