In the present review, new approaches for the stabilization of metastable phases of zinc oxide and the growth of ZnO single crystals under high pressures and high temperatures are considered. The problems of the stabilization of the cubic modification of ZnO as well as solid solutions on its basis are discussed. A thermodynamic approach to the description of zinc oxide melting at high pressures is described which opens up new possibilities for the growth of both undoped and doped (for example, with elements of group V) single crystals of zinc oxide. The possibilities of using high pressure to vary phase and elemental composition in order to create ZnO-based materials are demonstrated.

A newly structured nanocomposite material based on nanocrystalline ZnO/Yb₂O₃ has been prepared by thermal decomposition of Yb-doped zinc carbonate hydroxide. Transmission electron microscopy has revealed that the prepared nanopowder consists of ZnO nanocrystals of about 50 to 100 nm size decorated by attached smaller Yb₂O₃ nanocrystals of about 10 to 15 nm size. X-Ray absorption spectroscopy, in particular XANES and EXAFS, indicate the charge of Yb ions equals to +3 and their coordination is oxygen octahedral with the Yb–O and Yb–Yb interatomic distances the same as in bulk Yb₂O₃. Photoluminescence spectroscopy unambiguously proves an efficient excitation energy transfer from the ZnO nanocrystals to the Yb³⁺ ions. The energy transfer from the ZnO nanocrystals (absorption range from 250 to 400 nm) to the Yb³⁺ ions (emission range from 950 to 1100 nm) has been explained by a model, which considers the quantum cutting effect. The prepared nanocomposite is promising for application as a down-conversion layer for enhanced solar cells.

This paper examines the growth of aligned ZnO nanorod arrays through chemical deposition from solution and the vapor phase. The nanorod alignment is ensured primarily by a thin layer of seeds—zinc oxide nanoparticles produced by decomposing zinc acetate directly on the substrate and aligned with their c axes normal to the substrate surface. The acetate route was used to produce nanorod arrays 1 × 1 mm in dimensions on substrates with photoresist.

We present systematic ab initio calculations for the interaction energies of $3d$ adatoms on the Cu(001) surface. The calculations are based on density-functional theory in the local-density approximation and apply the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green’s function method. Short-range interactions and oscillatory long-range interactions between magnetic adatoms are calculated. We demonstrate that magnetism has a strong impact on the interaction energies. Total-energy calculations show that the atomic exchange process at the surface between all the $3d$ adatoms and the Cu substrate atoms is energetically favorable even for metals immiscible in bulk.