Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yun Xiao, Haibin Wang, Fumiyasu Awai, Naoyuki Shibayama, Takaya Kubo, Hiroshi Segawa
Summary: This study fabricated eco-friendly solar cells using interdigitated layers consisting of ZnO nanowires and infrared absorbing AgBiS2 nanocrystals. The quality of ZnO nanowires and its defects affecting solar cell performance were investigated. Oxygen vacancies and Zn interstitial sites were identified as the main recombination sites, hindering carrier collection in the solar cells. By reducing the concentration of these defects, the structural order and electron-phonon interaction in ZnO nanowires were improved. Furthermore, the study emphasized the significance of reducing defects in ZnO for improving not only colloidal quantum dot solar cells but also other emerging solar cell technologies.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yun Xiao, Haibin Wang, Fumiyasu Awai, Naoyuki Shibayama, Takaya Kubo, Hiroshi Segawa
Summary: Oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitial sites are the main factors affecting the performance of solar cells, hindering carrier collection in the cells.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nisrin Alnaim, Shalendra Kumar, Adil Alshoaibi
Summary: ZnO nanostructures were synthesized and characterized in terms of their structural, electronic, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties. The presence of intrinsic defects was found to significantly influence the optical and magnetic properties of ZnO, especially in the case of Ar-ZnO.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Oleg Lupan, Nicolae Magariu, Rasoul Khaledialidusti, Abhishek Kumar Mishra, Sandra Hansen, Helge Krueger, Vasile Postica, Helge Heinrich, Bruno Viana, Luis Katsuya Ono, Beatriz Roldan Cuenya, Lee Chow, Rainer Adelung, Thierry Pauporte
Summary: A comparative investigation was conducted on the influence of post-electroplating treatments on the gas detecting performances of single ZnO nanorods/nanowires. Different treatments were found to enhance material properties, with higher temperature synthesis resulting in increased gas response to H-2 gas. Thermal annealing and hydrothermal treatment were shown to further increase sensor response, indicating potential for high-performance devices in flexible and wearable electronics.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Armin Solemanifar, Xiao Guo, Bogdan C. Donose, Karl Bertling, Bronwyn Laycock, Aleksandar D. Rakic
Summary: In this study, a non-destructive measurement technique based on terahertz scanning near-field microscope was used to investigate the conductivity of synthetic peptide nanowires. The results showed that the sample incorporating aromatic residues was about six times more conductive than the negative control. This is the first quantitative nano-scale terahertz s-SNOM investigation of peptides, which demonstrates the suitability of the non-destructive approach in combination with designer peptides as model test subjects.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Issam Boukhoubza, Elena Matei, Anouar Jorio, Monica Enculescu, Ionut Enculescu
Summary: ZnO nanostructures were synthesized using electrochemical methods and their properties were investigated under different potentials. It was found that using a graphene/Cu electrode led to the formation of ZnO nanowires with smaller diameter and higher emission intensity compared to deposition directly on copper surface.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shipra Choudhary, Manisha Sharma, Venkata Krishnan, Satyabrata Mohapatra
Summary: We demonstrate a facile fabrication of Ce doped ZnO nanowires with outstanding photodegradation performance by thermal decomposition route. The impact of cerium doping on structure, optical and photodegradation behavior of ZnO nanowires was investigated. The results showed that ZnO nanowires doped with 0.5% Ce exhibited excellent photodecolorization performance and high efficiency in dye removal under sunlight exposure.
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ewelina Nowak, Edyta Chlopocka, Miroslaw Szybowicz, Alicja Stachowiak, Wojciech Koczorowski, Daria Piechowiak, Andrzej Miklaszewski
Summary: This paper examines the properties of ZnO layers grown using different aminoalcohols at different concentration rates, and discusses the influence of the stabilizer on the morphology and optical properties of the samples. By comparing the role of different aminoalcohols in structure formation, it provides reference for the preparation of ZnO samples for specific applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lequn Li, Chujun Yao, Li Wu, Kai Jiang, Zhigao Hu, Ning Xu, Jian Sun, Jiada Wu
Summary: In this study, the enhancement of UV emission of ZnO was achieved by covering the ZnO nanorods with a ZnS coating. The results showed that the NBE emission of ZnO was significantly enhanced after the ZnS coating, both at room temperature and reduced temperatures.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Vikas Kashyap, Chandra Kumar, Neeru Chaudhary, Navdeep Goyal, Kapil Saxena
Summary: The study investigates the quantum confinement effect in SiNWs fabricated by SIE technique, showing an enhanced optical band gap under UV excitation. The analysis of characteristic features of Raman line-shape helps to understand the mechanism of QC effect, and different models are used to calculate the NCS of SiNWs in the samples. This research suggests a new direction for fabricating optoelectronic devices based on nano-scale light-matter interactions.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Amaresh Das, Durga Basak
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive investigation on the interplay between nitrogen and various defects in ZnO nanorods, revealing that nitrogen implantation induces structural damages and forms nitrogen-related defect complexes. Post-implantation annealing in O2 and Ar environments plays a key role in stabilizing nitrogen dopants in ZnO nanorods.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jingang Li, Rundi Yang, Yoonsoo Rho, Penghong Ci, Matthew Eliceiri, Hee K. Park, Junqiao Wu, Costas P. Grigoropoulos
Summary: The distribution and dynamics of carriers in semiconductor materials play a crucial role in their physical properties and performance in industrial applications. As electronic and photonic devices continue to shrink in size, there is a need for tools to study carrier behavior at picosecond time and nanometer length scales. In this study, we present pump-probe optical nanoscopy to investigate carrier dynamics in silicon nanostructures. By combining experiments with the point-dipole model, we are able to determine the size-dependent lifetime of photoexcited carriers in individual silicon nanowires. Additionally, we demonstrate the mapping of local carrier decay time in silicon nanostructures with sub-50 nm spatial resolution. This study enables the nanoimaging of ultrafast carrier kinetics and has promising applications in the design of various electronic, photonic, and optoelectronic devices.
Article
Optics
Polat Narin, Ece Kutlu-Narin, Senem Kayral, Remziye Tulek, Sibel Gokden, Ali Teke, Sefer Bora Lisesivdin
Summary: This study investigates the effects of growth temperatures, post-growth treatment, and substrate cleaning recipes on the properties of ZnO nanostructures grown using the mist Chemical Vapor Deposition method. The results show that the growth temperature and post-growth treatment strongly influence the structural, morphological, and luminescence properties of the ZnO nanostructures.
JOURNAL OF LUMINESCENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Aubry Martin, Audrey Potdevin, Francois Reveret, Emmanuel Centeno, Rafik Smaali, Fatima Omeis, David Riassetto, Elena Kachan, Yves Jourlin, Genevieve Chadeyron, Michel Langlet
Summary: An original ZnO nanowire architecture was developed using a soft chemistry approach, involving photoimprinting of a sol-gel ZnO-based photosensitive seed layer and subsequent localized hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanowires. The optimized protocol resulted in uniform and reproducible linear and periodic gratings of ZnO nanowires. Morphological and photoluminescence studies revealed the unique characteristics of the nanowire gratings, including a hedgehog-like profile and enhanced red part emission. Electromagnetic simulations demonstrated the role of the gratings in boosting the ZnO emission through light localization and diffractive mechanisms, allowing the extraction of resonant photons at specific angles and wavelengths.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Haiying Xu, Juan Xu, Mingming Jiang, Maosheng Liu, Kai Tang, Caixia Kan, Daning Shi
Summary: In this study, one-dimensional (1D) superlattice microwires were synthesized and used to construct a waveguide light source, demonstrating their optical properties. The results indicate that these 1D superlattice microwires can be employed to develop exciton-polariton luminescence/lasing light sources with low-threshold/thresholdless lasers for practical applications.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vega Lloveras, Pilar Elias-Rodriguez, Luca Bursi, Ehsan Shirdel, Alejandro R. Goni, Arrigo Calzolari, Jose Vidal-Gancedo
Summary: This study reports the first demonstration of a surface molecular switch based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) decorated with persistent perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM) radicals. The redox properties of PTM are exploited to fabricate electrochemical switches with high stability and reversibility. The electronic interaction between the radicals and the gold surface is investigated and confirmed by multiple experimental techniques.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chaoqi Zhang, Ban Fei, Dawei Yang, Hongbing Zhan, Jiaao Wang, Jiefeng Diao, Junshan Li, Graeme Henkelman, Daoping Cai, Jordi Jacas Biendicho, Joan Ramon Morante, Andreu Cabot
Summary: This study reports a simple solution-based method to produce organic-inorganic superlattices and demonstrates their tunable interlayer space through the pyrolysis of organic compounds. These superlattices are shown to be excellent sulfur hosts in lithium-sulfur batteries, enabling high sulfur usages, superior rate performance, and outstanding cycling stability.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kunkanadu Rajappa Prakasha, Jekabs Grins, Aleksander Jaworski, Thomas Thersleff, Gunnar Svensson, Leif Olav Josang, Anne Dalager Dyrli, Andreas Paulus, Dries De Sloovere, Jan D'Haen, Marlies K. Van Bael, An Hardy, Hemesh Avireddy, Joan Ramon Morante, Jordi Jacas Biendicho
Summary: Co-free Li-rich layered oxides with a segregated structure show high electrochemical stability and good rate capability, making them promising positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The study provides new insights into the development and commercialization of cobalt-free positive electrode materials for LIBs.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Luis A. Perez, Kai Xu, Markus R. Wagner, Bernhard Dorling, Aleksandr Perevedentsev, Alejandro R. Goni, Mariano Campoy-Quiles, M. Isabel Alonso, Juan Sebastian Reparaz
Summary: We developed a novel contactless frequency-domain thermoreflectance approach for studying thermal transport. This method allows for accurate determination of all elements of the thermal conductivity tensor by using a line-shaped heater geometry and rotating the sample. It is particularly convenient for studying thermally anisotropic materials and does not require complex modeling or computational efforts.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Dawei Yang, Mengyao Li, Xuejiao Zheng, Xu Han, Chaoqi Zhang, Jordi Jacas Biendicho, Jordi Llorca, Jiaao Wang, Hongchang Hao, Junshan Li, Graeme Henkelman, Jordi Arbiol, Joan Ramon Morante, David Mitlin, Shulei Chou, Andreu Cabot
Summary: This study proposes a method of adding copper selenide nanoparticles to the cathode of lithium-sulfur batteries to trap soluble lithium polysulfides and accelerate the reaction kinetics. By adjusting the crystal phase and defect density of the copper selenide, the electronic structure, affinity toward lithium polysulfides, and electrical conductivity can be controlled, resulting in improved battery performance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chao Yue Zhang, Chaoqi Zhang, Guo Wen Sun, Jiang Long Pan, Li Gong, Geng Zhi Sun, Jordi Jacas Biendicho, Lluis Balcells, Xiao Long Fan, Joan Ramon Morante, Jin Yuan Zhou, Andreu Cabot
Summary: The study demonstrates that using an external magnetic field in lithium-sulfur batteries can significantly improve the LiPS adsorption ability and Li-S reaction kinetics. The electron spin polarization of Co ions reduces electron repulsion and enhances orbital hybridization, resulting in LSBs with unprecedented performance and stability.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Seyedabolfazl Mousavihashemi, Sebastian Murcia-Lopez, Miguel A. Rodriguez-Olguin, Han Gardeniers, Teresa Andreu, Juan Ramon Morante, Arturo Susarrey Arce, Cristina Flox
Summary: This study introduces active sites into the electrode of VRFBs by depositing WO3 onto graphite felt, which enhances the electrocatalytic activity of the positive reaction. The results show excellent performance in terms of power density output and limiting current density.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jun-Jie Zhu, Avireddy Hemesh, Jordi Jacas Biendicho, Luis Martinez-Soria, Daniel Rueda-Garcia, Joan Ramon Morante, Belen Ballesteros, Pedro Gomez-Romero
Summary: In this study, a triple hybrid electrode (MXene/activated carbon (AC)/polyoxometalates (POMs)) was developed, which combines the advantages of three different materials. The MXene/AC/POMs triple hybrids demonstrated enhanced charge storage efficiency through surface capacitive processes, achieving higher gravimetric and volumetric capacitance compared to the individual components. Substituting the cations in the POMs further improved the capacitance, and coupling with AC positive electrodes significantly increased the energy density.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Filipe C. Correia, Joana M. Ribeiro, Armando Ferreira, J. Sebastian Reparaz, Alejandro R. Goni, Torben Boll, Adelio Mendes, Carlos J. Tavares
Summary: This study focuses on the Bi doping effect on ZnO and the microstructure changes induced by the co-doping of Bi and Al in ZnO thin films. The results show that the introduction of Bi and Al can significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of ZnO films, with Bi mainly contributing to grain boundary scattering. However, the coexistence of Bi and Al limits further reduction in thermal conductivity due to morphological changes in the film's microstructure. The findings are important for improving thermoelectric efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marti Gibert-Roca, Miquel Casademont-Vinas, Quan Liu, Koen Vandewal, Alejandro R. Goni, Mariano Campoy-Quiles
Summary: This work proposes a novel spectral splitting device concept called RAINBOW, which lays various semiconducting junctions with cascading bandgaps side by side to improve the efficiency of organic solar cells. Simulations and experiments show that this geometry can reduce thermalization losses and improve light harvesting, resulting in a 46.6% relative improvement in efficiency compared to the best sub-cell. A working proof-of-concept monolithic device consisting of two sub-cells deposited from solution on the same substrate is successfully fabricated, demonstrating the feasibility and potential of the RAINBOW solar cell concept.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Kai Xu, Jiali Guo, Grazia Raciti, Alejandro R. Goni, M. Isabel Alonso, Xavier Borrise, Ilaria Zardo, Mariano Campoy-Quiles, Juan Sebastian Reparaz
Summary: We propose a contactless method based on beam-offset frequency-domain thermoreflectance to study in-plane thermal transport. The use of a one-dimensional heat source enhances the sensitivity to in-plane thermal transport and allows for studying materials without the presence of a metallic transducer. We demonstrate the applicability of this method to various materials and show that in-plane heat transport can also be studied on substrates with low thermal diffusivity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER
(2023)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Miquel Casademont-Vinas, Marti Gibert-Roca, Mariano Campoy-Quiles, Alejandro R. Goni
Summary: This article introduces a multi-purpose spectrum-on-demand light source (SOLS) that is primarily used for the characterization of photovoltaic materials and devices. SOLS can produce almost any spectrum and offers two types of output, making it suitable for solar cell characterization. Its tunability and spectral shaping capabilities enable its use as both a solar simulator and an external quantum efficiency measuring system.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Ting Zhang, Hong Liu, Xu Han, Marti Biset-Peiro, Yunhui Yang, Inhar Imaz, Daniel Maspoch, Bo Yang, Joan Ramon Morante, Jordi Arbiol
Summary: A surface modified ZIF-8-5% catalyst was synthesized by introducing a small proportion of 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (DOBDC) into ZIF-8, showing improved selectivity (from 56% to 79%) and current density (from -4 mA cm(-2) to -10 mA m(-2)) compared to ZIF-8. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the enhanced eCO(2)RR performance on ZIF-8-5% was due to the increased formation of *COOH intermediate resulting from successful DOBDC surface modification. This work provides a new pathway for enhancing the catalytic properties of MOFs through surface modification.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nerea Gonzalez-Pato, Xavier Rodriguez Rodriguez, Nicola Pellizzi, Claudia Fasolato, Judith Guasch, Paolo Postorino, Jaume Veciana, Alejandro R. R. Goni, Imma Ratera
Summary: We developed an easy and low-cost method to prepare highly homogeneous electroactive substrates for simultaneous surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and electrochemical measurements. The substrates were made by depositing a quasi-hexagonal pattern of uniformly distributed gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) using block-copolymer micellar lithography, followed by electrodeposition of additional gold onto the pre-patterned ITO. The resulting substrates exhibited strong and homogeneous Raman signals and demonstrated good electrochemical performance.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jinhui Hu, Luis A. Perez, Juan Luis Garcia-Pomar, Agustin Mihi, Miquel Garriga, M. Isabel Alonso, Alejandro R. Goni
Summary: The strategy utilizing arrays of inverted silicon pyramids covered with thin gold film achieves substantial light absorption in the infrared spectral range. Resonant excitation at infrared wavelengths is achieved by tuning the size and separation of the inverted pyramids. Two fabrication routes for this kind of metal/silicon metamaterial are shown, either by photolithography or scalable nanoimprint techniques.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2022)
