Abstract
Magnesium oxide (MgO) is generally a wide band-gap oxide unable to conduct electric current in the bulk at room temperature. In this study, MgO nanocubes synthesized by self-burning micro-sized Mg metal powders in air showed electrical conductivity when they were sandwiched between two gold-mesh electrodes and steadily applied a voltage at room temperature (∼25 °C). In addition, a simultaneous light emission caused by the microdischarge of nitrogen molecules occurred adjacent to the cathode. The light emission was observed when traces of water vapor existed in the gas environment. In the case of a voltage pulse produced by switching off, transient emissions of Mg I and Mg II were detected on both sides of the electrodes. However, those steady and transient light emissions were not observed in the commercial MgO nanoparticles devoid of nanocubes. The light emissions shown in the cases of the steady-state might be caused by electron injection into the empty conductive states, which exist along the edges of MgO nanocubes, as a result of the spontaneous dissociation of water vapors at reactive sites of the nanocube surfaces as well as a result of the reduction of the energy barriers between the cathode and MgO nanocubes in contact. For transient emission, electrons trapped in the low coordinate sites were released with voltage pulse and neutralized the nearby Mg+ and Mg2+ ions, driving them into the excited neutral states, Mg I and Mg II.
Highlights
Metal oxide nanoparticles have been intensively investigated for applications as gas adsorbents, catalysts, medicine, electronics, gas sensors, new regeneration energy materials, etc
The light emissions shown in the cases of the steady-state might be caused by electron injection into the empty conductive states, which exist along the edges of Magnesium oxide (MgO) nanocubes, as a result of the spontaneous dissociation of water vapors at reactive sites of the nanocube surfaces as well as a result of the reduction of the energy barriers between the cathode and MgO nanocubes in contact
For crystalline MgO nanoparticles with a cubic shape, the electric current can flow through the contact sites (CSs) between the nanocubes consisting of low coordinates (LCs)
Summary
Metal oxide nanoparticles have been intensively investigated for applications as gas adsorbents, catalysts, medicine, electronics, gas sensors, new regeneration energy materials, etc. Magnesium oxide (MgO) is an extremely studied material[1,2,3,4] because of its attractive characteristics, such as ionic crystals with a cubic rock-salt structure (e.g., NaCl) consisting of Ne-like cores charged with Mg2+ and O2−. In the bulk MgO crystal, the electron affinity is practically eliminated by the Madelung potential. It is likely that three- and fourcoordinated ions on the surface of MgO nanocubes being in some intermediate charge state may create the band-gap states[7,8,9,10] that can conduct electrons, which are injected into the states. If its valence bands are completely filled and conduction bands are empty, the MgO crystal would transfer an electric current of electrons and holes only along the LC features—mostly edges. We found novel electrical conductivity through the defect networks of MgO nanocubes at room temperature (∼25 ○C) caused by charge injection in a sandwich structure and observed light emission followed by electric current
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