Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daying Guo, Zhihao Zeng, Zhixin Wan, Yan Li, Bin Xi, Chengxin Wang
Summary: An active and durable CoN-containing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst was reported, functioning efficiently in a neutral medium. The synthesized composite material, (N, S)-RGO@CoN, showed excellent OER performance in a neutral electrolyte, with uniform growth and strong chemical coupling of nanostructured CoN on the (N, S)-RGO matrix. Both experimental studies and density functional theory calculations supported the remarkable OER activity mechanism of ALD CoN electronic coupling to the carbon substrate.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ruoyu Zhang, Gerben van Straaten, Valerio di Palma, Georgios Zafeiropoulos, Mauritius C. M. van de Sanden, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, Mihalis N. Tsampas, Mariadriana Creatore
Summary: This study conducts an in-depth investigation on the electrochemical activation of CoPi-based catalysts, demonstrating that the pristine chemical composition strongly influences its activity in the OER, as well as its changes after prolonged exposure to the electrolyte. The activated CoPi films show an increase in electrochemical active surface area with the number of CV cycles, while phosphorous progressively leaches out from the film.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daying Guo, Zhixin Wan, Yan Li, Bin Xi, Chengxin Wang
Summary: An efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst TiN @ Co5.47N was constructed through plasma nitriding and atomic layer deposition (ALD) CoxN process, showing high electrocatalytic activity and long-term stability. The synergistic electronic interaction between TiN and ALD Co5.47N, as well as the formation of a protective yet active CoTi layered double hydroxides (CoTi LDH) layer, are speculated to be responsible for the superior OER performance.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lili Wang, Wurigamula He, Ying Yang, Helin Zhang, Dongyan Liu, Wensheng Yu, Qianli Ma, Duanduan Yin, Xiangting Dong
Summary: Active site engineering is an essential strategy to improve the electrocatalytic capability of electrocatalysts for practical applications. This study synthesized Co3O4/nickel foam and Co2(P4O12)/nickel foam electrocatalysts with flower-shaped and sea urchin-shaped structures, showing good catalytic activity for overall water splitting.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raul Zazpe, Jhonatan Rodriguez Pereira, Sitaramanjaneya M. Thalluri, Ludek Hromadko, David Pavlinak, Eva Kolibalova, Michal Kurka, Hanna Sopha, Jan M. Macak
Summary: 2D FeSx nanosheets of different sizes are synthesized as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by applying atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles on TiO2 nanotube layers and graphite sheets. These nanosheets exhibit excellent long-term stability (>65 h) and enhanced catalytic activity in alkaline media, with a notable decrease in the initial HER overpotential value (up to 26%). The enhanced catalytic activity is attributed to the in situ morphological and compositional changes in the FeSx nanosheets, forming iron oxyhydroxide-iron oxysulfide core-shell nanoparticles with higher catalytic surface area and newly created Fe-based HER catalytic sites.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Raul Zazpe, Jhonatan Rodriguez Pereira, Sitaramanjaneya M. Thalluri, Ludek Hromadko, David Pavlinak, Eva Kolibalova, Michal Kurka, Hanna Sopha, Jan M. Macak
Summary: 2-dimensional FeSx nanosheets of different sizes were synthesized and used as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results showed outstanding long-term stability (> 65 h) and enhanced catalytic activity, which were attributed to the in situ morphological and compositional changes in the nanosheets during HER. The transformation of the nanosheets into core-shell nanoparticles with higher catalytic surface and newly created catalytic sites was observed.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aein Babadi, Scott Monaghan, Christopher O'Rourke, Michael Braun, Lindsey Brock, Huikai Cheng, Ted Tessner, Paul K. Hurley, Andrew Mills, Paul C. McIntyre
Summary: TiO2-IrOx alloys synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were used as anodes for water and chloride oxidation. The effects of alloy composition on their electrochemical activity and nanoscale structures were investigated. The TiO2-IrOx alloy with 38% iridium showed the highest electronic conductivity and electrochemical performance, with the lowest activation overpotentials for both oxygen and chloride evolution reactions. It also exhibited the largest photovoltage during water oxidation experiments.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Lianli Zou, Yong-Sheng Wei, Qiuju Wang, Zheng Liu, Qiang Xu, Susumu Kitagawa
Summary: By phosphidation of metal-organic framework (MOF) nanofiber (NF) composites, bifunctional cobalt phosphide NFs (CoP NFs) were successfully fabricated and used as electrocatalysts for water splitting, showing a large catalytic surface area. A series of 1D nanostructures including Co3O4 NFs and carbon NFs immobilized with CoP or Co nanoparticles were also synthesized and investigated. The catalytic performances of CoP NFs could be improved by modulating Cu-related species, and the Cu-doped CoP NFs showed comparable performance to commercial noble-metal catalysts for both oxygen and hydrogen evolutions.
SCIENCE CHINA-MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jing Qi, Mingxing Chen, Wei Zhang, Rui Cao
Summary: In this study, two cobalt phosphates with distinct coordination symmetries were designed to investigate the effect of symmetry on electrocatalytic water oxidation. The results showed that the asymmetric structure exhibited enhanced activity by facilitating surface reconstruction, providing insights for the preferred configuration in cobalt-oxygen octahedrons for water oxidation.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daying Guo, Zhixin Wan, Guoyong Fang, Mengqi Zhu, Bin Xi
Summary: A highly active and durable electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been reported. The catalyst demonstrates excellent performance in alkaline and neutral mediums. A ternary composite material with a tandem interface strategy is used, which allows for superior HER performance through the modulation of heterointerface and intermediates electronic structure.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shengtai Qian, Gang Huang, Tong Zhu, Yue Zhang, Wukui Tang, Ronghai Yu
Summary: A series of amorphous MoCo lamellar hydroxides were synthesized through one-step chemical co-precipitation, with different functional agents and Mo addition influencing the micromorphology and catalytic performance of the catalyst. Samples with appropriate additives and optimized Mo content exhibited the highest intrinsic catalytic activity.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jon G. Baker, Joel R. Schneider, Camila de Paula, Adriaan J. M. Mackus, Stacey F. Bent
Summary: This study investigates the surface-directed modification of Ni(OH)(2)/Ni(OOH) electrocatalysts using ALD, revealing the important role of surface iron in enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction activity, as well as the impact of iron distribution throughout the structure. Incorporation of iron throughout the Ni(OH)(2)/Ni(OOH) structure was found to increase OER geometric activity for thick, high surface area catalysts. Additionally, Ni-FeOx electrocatalysts synthesized fully by ALD show high OER activity and potential for photocatalysis applications.
JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mei Chen, Zehui Fan, Lunhong Ai, Jing Jiang
Summary: The study demonstrated the superior OER performance of RuCoOx-RuCo-NC electrocatalysts in acidic environments through rational design and synthesis; these optimized catalysts showed a small overpotential and excellent long-term durability.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Ceramics
Pawan Rekha, Sarika Yadav, Lovjeet Singh
Summary: Electrolytic water splitting using cobalt phosphate-based materials is effective for producing oxygen and hydrogen in a non-toxic, green, and cost-effective manner. The combination of cobalt phosphates with semiconductors as co-catalysts facilitates fast electron transfer in solar water oxidation. The unique lattice structure of phosphate group aids in the adsorption and dissociation of water on the electrode surface.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ali Saad, Dongqing Liu, Yuchen Wu, Zhaoqi Song, Ying Li, Tayyaba Najam, Kai Zong, Panagiotis Tsiakaras, Xingke Cai
Summary: The study introduces borophene decorated with Ag nanoparticles (Ag@B) as a support for Co3O4 catalysts, significantly enhancing the oxygen-evolution-reaction (OER) performance. The improved OER activity of Co3O4-Ag@B is attributed to the increased catalytic sites on Co3O4 facilitated by conductive Ag nanoparticles and the reduced energy barrier for OER rate-determining step due to strong interaction of B atoms with Co and O atoms on Co3O4 nanoplates.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Vivek Beladiya, Tahsin Faraz, Paul Schmitt, Munser Anne-Sophie, Sven Schroeder, Sebastian Riese, Christian Muehling, Daniel Schachtler, Fabian Steger, Roelene Botha, Felix Otto, Torsten Fritz, Christian van Helvoirt, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, Hassan Gargouri, Adriana Szeghalmi
Summary: This paper investigates the effect of ion energies on the properties of HfO2 films and further explores the application potential of this technique in the preparation of high-reflective mirrors.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Wilhelmus J. H. (Willem-Jan) Berghuis, Max Helmes, Jimmy Melskens, Roel J. Theeuwes, Wilhelmus M. M. (Erwin) Kessels, Bart Macco
Summary: The interest in germanium (Ge) is growing in various fields, and understanding carrier recombination at the Ge surface is crucial for its performance. This study investigated surface recombination at different germanium-dielectric interfaces and extracted a set of recombination parameters. The findings provide valuable insights for applications in photonics, photovoltaics, and nano-electronics.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marc J. M. Merkx, Athanasios Angelidis, Alfredo Mameli, Jun Li, Paul C. Lemaire, Kashish Sharma, Dennis M. Hausmann, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, Tania E. Sandoval, Adriaan J. M. Mackus
Summary: This study investigates whether steric shielding is sufficient to effectively block precursor adsorption during area-selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) and why some precursors are more difficult to block than others. The findings demonstrate that chemical passivation plays a crucial role alongside steric shielding in blocking precursor adsorption.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Miika Mattinen, Farzan Gity, Emma Coleman, Joris F. A. Vonk, Marcel A. Verheijen, Ray Duffy, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, Ageeth A. Bol
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful deposition of controlled-thickness two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides films at extremely low temperatures using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition. The crystallinity and electrical properties of the films were systematically characterized, and it was found that the deposition conditions and plasma chemistry played a crucial role in determining the film characteristics. The capability of depositing the films on flexible substrates further highlights the potential of this process in flexible device applications.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Usman Mushtaq, Stefan Welzel, Rakesh K. Sharma, M. C. M. van de Sanden, Mihalis N. Tsampas
Summary: A method to overcome fabrication challenges for the development of efficient and robust electrode-supported P-SOCs (protonic ceramic solid oxide cells) was discussed. The study optimized material synthesis and fabrication procedures and evaluated the performance and stability of the cells.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Carla Gobbo, Valerio Di Palma, Vanira Trifiletti, Claudia Malerba, Matteo Valentini, Ilaria Matacena, Santolo Daliento, Simona Binetti, Maurizio Acciarri, Giorgio Tseberlidis
Summary: This paper investigates the use of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) as an absorber material and CdS as a buffer layer in thin film solar cells. However, CdS has toxicity and poor band alignment with CZTS. As an alternative, ZnSnO (ZTO) is used as a buffer layer due to its abundance and non-toxic nature. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is employed to deposit ZTO with different compositions and thicknesses. The results show that ALD can produce compact and homogeneous ZTO layers without the need for the i-ZnO layer, leading to a simpler and more eco-friendly solar cell structure with comparable efficiencies to the traditional one.
Article
Physics, Applied
Roel J. Theeuwes, Jimmy Melskens, Wolfhard Beyer, Uwe Breuer, Astrid Gutjahr, Agnes A. Mewe, Bart Macco, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels
Summary: Polysilicon (poly-Si) passivating contacts, aided by hydrogenation treatments, have achieved high conversion efficiencies in lab-scale crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells due to their excellent surface passivation quality. This study investigated the effect of Al2O3 layers deposited using different atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods on the hydrogenation of p(+) poly-Si and compared it to the direct passivation of c-Si by the same Al2O3 layers. The results showed that a wide range of ALD conditions could achieve excellent hydrogenation of p(+) poly-Si, although higher annealing temperatures were required compared to c-Si passivation. The different ALD conditions resulted in Al2O3 layers with varying refractive indices, O/Al ratios, and hydrogen content, and the p(+) poly-Si layer acted as a hydrogen reservoir, affecting the hydrogen effusion profiles of the Al2O3 layers.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
I. Tezsevin, J. F. W. Maas, M. J. M. Merkx, R. Lengers, W. M. M. Kessels, T. E. Sandoval, A. J. M. Mackus
Summary: Area-selective atomic layer deposition can be achieved using small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs), but finding suitable SMIs with high selectivity is challenging. Aniline has been identified as an effective SMI during the selective deposition of TiN, selectively adsorbing on non-growth areas and limiting adsorption on the growth area of SiO2.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johanna (Sanne) H. Deijkers, Arthur A. de Jong, Miika J. Mattinen, Jeff J. P. M. Schulpen, Marcel A. Verheijen, Hessel Sprey, Jan Willem Maes, Wilhelmus (Erwin) M. M. Kessels, Ageeth A. Bol, Adriaan J. M. Mackus
Summary: Miniaturization in integrated circuits requires scaling down the Cu diffusion barriers between metal lines and dielectric material. This study demonstrates that MoS2 synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) can be used as a Cu diffusion barrier, offering enhanced dielectric lifetime and improved device performance. By further reducing the thickness, ALD MoS2 films can be applied as ultrathin Cu diffusion barriers.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valerio Di Palma, Andrea Pianalto, Michele Perego, Graziella Tallarida, Davide Codegoni, Marco Fanciulli
Summary: In vitro and in vivo stimulation and recording of neuron action potential can be achieved using microelectrode arrays made of IrO2, a conductive oxide known for its biocompatibility and charge injection capabilities. This study presents the growth of nanocrystalline rutile IrO2 using a new plasma-assisted ALD process, and provides a comprehensive characterization of its morphological, structural, physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. The results demonstrate that IrO2 grown by PA-ALD is an excellent material for neuroelectronic applications, with high charge injection capacity and double-layer capacitance.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Andrea E. A. Bracesco, Jarvi W. P. Jansen, Haibo Xue, Valerio Zardetto, Geert Brocks, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels, Shuxia Tao, Mariadriana Creatore
Summary: By optimizing the optoelectronic properties of the absorber and its interfaces with charge transport layers (CTLs), perovskite photovoltaics has achieved conversion efficiencies of 26.0%. However, commonly adopted organic CTLs can cause parasitic absorption and device instability, so metal oxides like atomic layer-deposited SnO2 have been introduced for enhanced stability. When ALD SnO2 is directly processed on the absorber without the fullerene layer, chemical modifications of the inorganic fraction of the perovskite occur, compromising the device performance.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Roel J. Theeuwes, Wilhelmus J. H. Berghuis, Bart Macco, Wilhelmus M. M. Kessels
Summary: This study demonstrates that stacks of phosphorous oxide and aluminum oxide (POx/Al2O3) provide excellent and stable passivation of germanium surfaces with surface recombination velocities as low as 8.9 cm/s. The POx/Al2O3 stack also exhibits positive fixed charge on germanium, making it ideal for passivating highly doped n-type germanium surfaces. The chemical passivation mechanism is related to defect passivation by hydrogen, which is mobilized by the formation of AlPO4 during annealing. The GeOx interlayer is also removed during the deposition of POx/Al2O3 stacks, leading to improved passivation quality and simplified device fabrication workflows.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Nicholas J. J. Chittock, Yi Shu, Simon D. D. Elliott, Harm C. M. Knoops, W. M. M. (Erwin). Kessels, Adriaan J. M. Mackus
Summary: This study presents an isotropic atomic layer etching (ALE) process involving SF6 plasma and trimethylaluminium [Al(CH3)(3)] for controlled etching of GaN. The ALE process reduces oxygen and carbon contamination while smoothing the surface. Experimental results show that the etch rates at 150 and 300 degrees C are 0.31 and 0.40 nm/cycle, respectively, and the RMS roughness of the films decreases after etching. This ALE process enables accurate GaN thickness tuning, surface cleaning, and surface smoothing, allowing for further development of GaN devices.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Reyhaneh Mahlouji, Wilhelmus M. M. (Erwin) Kessels, Abhay A. Sagade, Ageeth A. Bol
Summary: The choice of metal contacts is crucial for the electrical characteristics of MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs). In this study, 2D metallic TiSx was investigated as top contacts for MoS2 FETs, replacing the conventional 3D bulk metal contacts. It was found that using ultrathin TiSx contacts significantly improved the device metrics.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Giorgio Tseberlidis, Valerio Di Palma, Vanira Trifiletti, Luigi Frioni, Matteo Valentini, Claudia Malerba, Alberto Mittiga, Maurizio Acciarri, Simona O. Binetti
Summary: Pure sulfide kesterite is a promising photovoltaic technology due to its excellent properties, but current efficiencies are limited due to several issues, including defects and nonoptimal band alignment. Experimental procedures combining TiO2 with kesterite have shown modest performance, but in this study, we report promising results using ALD-TiO2 as a buffer layer, achieving efficiencies comparable to reference devices.
ACS MATERIALS LETTERS
(2023)
