Blue light emission enhancement and robust pressure resistance of gallium oxide nanocrystals

Abstract

Exploration of pressure-resistant materials largely facilitates their operation under extreme conditions where a stable structure and properties are highly desirable. However, under extreme conditions, such as a high pressure over 30.0 GPa, fluorescence quenching generally occurs in most materials. Herein, pressure-induced emission enhancement (PIEE) by a factor of 4.2 is found in Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals (NCs), a fourth-generation ultrawide bandgap semiconductor. This is mainly attributed to pressure optimizing the intrinsic lattice defects of the Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals, which was further confirmed by first-principles calculations. Note that the bright blue emission could be stabilized even up to a high pressure of 30.6 GPa, which is of great significance in the essential components of white light. Notably, after releasing the pressure to ambient conditions, the emission of the Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals can completely recover, even after undergoing multiple repeated pressurizations. In addition to stable optical properties, synchrotron radiation shows that the Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals remain in the cubic structure described by space group Fd3m upon compression, demonstrating the structural stability of the Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals under high pressure. This study pays the way for the application of oxide nanomaterials in pressure anti-counterfeiting and pressure information memory devices.