Elaboration and study of structural and optical properties of AuBr nanocrystals dispersed in KBr single crystals

Abstract

The structural and optical properties of the AuBr nanocrystals embedded in the KBr single crystals grownby the Czochralski method were studied using several techniques. The X-ray diffraction reveals their formation andincorporation. The crystallite average radii calculated from XRD using the Scherrer’s formula was found to vary between19 and 39 nm. The photoluminescence spectra obtained on these same samples present an emission band located at 1.91eV (650 nm), which can be attributed to the orange luminescence of AuBr nanocrystals. However, the photoluminescenceexcitation measurements of these nanocrystals exhibit an excitation band located at 3.44 eV (360 nm), slightly shiftedtowards higher energies in comparison with the massive crystal.