Enhanced surface modification engineering (H, F, Cl, Br, and NO{sub 2}) of CdS nanowires with and without surface dangling bonds
- Department of Applied Physics and State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University, Ren Min Road 2999, Songjiang District, Shanghai 201620 (China)
- National Lab. of Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute for Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, 500 Yu Tian Road, Shanghai 200083 (China)
- Key Laboratory of Polarized Materials and Devices, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China)
Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) can be applied in gas sensing and cell detection, but the sensing mechanism is not clearly understood. In this study, surface modification effect on the electronic properties of CdS NWs for different diameters with several species (H, F, Cl, Br, and NO{sub 2}) is investigated by first principles calculations. The surface dangling bonds and halogen elements are chosen to represent the environment of the surface. Halogen passivation drastically changes the band gaps due to the strong electronegativity and the energy level of halogen atoms. Density of states analysis indicates that valence band maximum (VBM) of halogen-passivated NWs is formed by the p states of halogen atoms, while VBM of H-passivated NWs is originated from Cd 4d and S 3p orbitals. To illustrate that surface modification can be applied in gas sensing, NO{sub 2}-absorbed NWs with different coverage are calculated. Low coverage of NO{sub 2} introduces a deep p-type dopant-like level, while high coverage introduces a shallow n-type dopant-like level into the band structure. The transformation is due to that at low coverage the adsorption is chemical while at high coverage is physical. These findings might promote the understanding of surface modification effect and the sensing mechanism of NWs as gas sensors.
- OSTI ID:
- 22494702
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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