ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND CATHODOLUMINESCENCE IN ELECTROSPUN NANODIMENTIONAL STRUCTURES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

摘要

GaN nanofibers were sintered by electrospinning and analyzed by electron microscopy techniques to study morphology and grain size. After heat treatment, the fibers showed thinner mats with polycrystalline grains with size on the order of 10 nm. For the first time in electospun GaN, optical properties were investigated by room temperature cathodoluminescence. Despite polycrystallinity, the fibers produced a luminescence signal. The NBE might be blueshitfted (by 1.1 eV) by the electron-confinement effect of excitons in the nm-sized grains. The origin of the other two emissions is also compared to GaN fibres sintered by alternative techniques. The existence of a NBE signal from GaN nanofibres could open the door to applications in nanophotonics.