Abstract: The advent of femtosecond pulsed lasers has revolutionized materials science by enabling intense, ultrashort light pulses, facilitating nonlinear optical phenomena and structural modifications in materials. Ag3VO4, with its narrow band-gap, faces challenges such as charge recombination, leading to the exploration of doped and composite materials to improve efficiency in its applications. This work introduces a femtosecond laser irradiation method to produce intrinsic p-type (Ag3VO4)/n-type (AgVO3) semiconductor heterostructures, along with metallic silver (Ag0) with plasmon effect in one-step for the first time. The heterostructures were experimentally characterized (X-ray diffraction, Raman and Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscopy) and discussed through quantum-mechanical, which provide insights into their structural, electronic, and vibrational properties and morphological analysis. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicated the presence of metallic Ag and β-AgVO3, with plasmon effects, along with Ag3VO4. A detailed theoretical analysis revealed structural distortions and atomic environment influencing atomic charges, with β-AgVO3 exhibiting more ionic Ag and V cations and significant O atom charge variations compared to Ag3VO4. Unexpected argentophilic and anion-anion interactions in β-AgVO3 were identified, which may help in the understanding of silver nanoparticle growth under electron irradiation. The described production procedure provides the obtention of a new heterostructure, which may have the potential to its applications be explored.
Author(s): Guilherme Henrique Cruvinel, Rafael de Queiroz Garcia, Ivo Mateus Pinatti, Renan Augusto Pontes Ribeiro, Leonardo De Boni, Elson Longo
First published: 01/06/2025
