Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Nicole Suss, Eva M. Heppke, Fatma D. Avci, Oona Appelt, Ilias Efthimiopoulos
Summary: This study investigates the effect of composition on the Raman-active vibrational response of the Cu-2(FexZn1-x)SnS4 and Cu-2(MnZn1-x)SnS4 solid solution series at ambient conditions. The phase boundaries of the respective kesterite-type and stannite-type structures in these compounds were identified. Raman spectroscopy has been proven to be an efficient method for monitoring subtle structural transitions in these systems.
ZEITSCHRIFT FUR NATURFORSCHUNG SECTION B-A JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kunal J. Tiwari, Robert Fonoll Rubio, Sergio Giraldo, Lorenzo Calvo-Barrio, Victor Izquierdo-Roca, Marcel Placidi, Yudania Sanchez, Alejandro Perez-Rodriguez, Edgardo Saucedo, Zacharie Jehl Li-Kao
Summary: The study presents a method to probe the depth morphology, defect profile, and possible secondary phases in thin film semiconductors. By analyzing the morphology of Kesterite films, it is found that more than 50% of the absorber is disconnected from the substrate, highlighting a potential limitation in Kesterite solar cells. Surface-sensitive techniques allow for accurate composition profiling and direct observation of defects in Kesterite.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Jolly Jacob, Hafiz T. Ali, A. Ali, Khurram Mehboob, Arslan Ashfaq, Salma Ikram, U. Rehman, K. Mahmood, Nasir Amin
Summary: The addition of Cd atoms in CZTS enhances thermoelectric properties, with the development of secondary phases leading to improvements in Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity.
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Muna Khushaim, Sarah Alannri, Nessrin Kattan, Abdallah Jaber, Saleh Alamri
Summary: In this study, a stoichiometric CZTS absorber layer was fabricated using the sol-gel method and spray deposition technique without the sulfurization process. The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the CZTS thin films was investigated, with an optimal band-gap value of 1.3 eV achieved at 350 degrees C annealing temperature. The variations in microstructure at different substrate temperatures were discussed for all prepared CZTS thin films.
JOURNAL OF TAIBAH UNIVERSITY FOR SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Igor Perlikowski, Eunika Zielony, Teoman Ozdal, Hamide Kavak
Summary: This study provides valuable data on CZTS kesterite structures, focusing on their fabrication using sol-gel spin coating and chemical bath deposition methods. Raman scattering measurements revealed the formation of a MoS2 interlayer between the CZTS and Mo layers, and current-voltage curves were analyzed to understand the essential electrical properties of the heterostructures. AFM data showed a uniform grain structure on the surface of the samples.
Article
Optics
Laraib S. Khanzada, Muhammad Atif Makhdoom, Xianzhong Lin, Hamed Azimi, Christoph J. Brabec
Summary: This work investigates the charge transport mechanism and dynamics of photocurrent generation in thin films of CZTS nanocrystals. A liquid phase processing route using a molecular-based precursor solution is adopted for in-situ development of CZTS crystals. The results reveal that charge carriers follow band conduction and nearest-neighbor hopping mechanisms at elevated temperatures, while Mott variable-range hopping is dominant at low temperatures, similar to expensive vacuum-deposited kieserite thin films behavior.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jawad El Hamdaoui, Mohamed Kria, Kamal Lakaal, Mohamed El-Yadri, El Mustapha Feddi, Liliana Pedraja Rejas, Laura M. Perez, Pablo Diaz, Miguel E. Mora-Ramos, David Laroze
Summary: In this study, the thermodynamic and thermoelectric properties of the kesterite Cu2ZnGeS4 (CZGS) were investigated, and it was found that CZGS exhibits promising thermoelectric properties for applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mohamed Yassine Zaki, Florinel Sava, Iosif-Daniel Simandan, Angel Theodor Buruiana, Ionel Stavarache, Amelia Elena Bocirnea, Claudia Mihai, Alin Velea, Aurelian-Catalin Galca
Summary: This study reports the synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films using a sequential magnetron sputtering deposition of Cu2SnS3 and ZnS. The obtained films were characterized using various techniques, confirming the desired structure and properties. The results showed that this new synthesis route can produce high-quality CZTS films.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jitendra Kumar, Sarang Ingole
Summary: The study investigated phonon modes in the pentanary compound semiconductor ACZTS using Raman Spectroscopy, finding changes in Raman shifts during Ag-alloying indicating potential two-mode behavior in the compounds. The ratios derived from Raman spectra also showed decreased disorder in CZTS with increased Ag-alloying, supported by changes in carrier density.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zakaria Oulad Elhmaidi, Edgardo Saucedo, Mohammed Abd-Lefdil, My Ali El Khakani
Summary: In this study, CZTS thin films were deposited on SLG/Mo substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, with the optimal substrate temperature found to be 400 degrees C for achieving the desired properties for PV application. Increasing the substrate temperature led to an increase in zinc content and a decrease in optical energy band gap of the films. Post-annealing of the films further improved crystallinity and led to the formation of a ZnS secondary phase, resulting in a photoconversion efficiency of 3.3% in photovoltaic devices.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
K. Jeganath, M. S. Murari, Y. Raviprakash
Summary: The study investigates the structural inhomogeneity of spray pyrolyzed Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin film using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The shift of A-mode peaks in the Raman spectra recorded at different spots indicates the presence of ordered and disordered kesterite structure in the CZTS film. Raman mapping and scanning electron microscopy confirm the phase segregation and local inhomogeneity on the surface of the CZTS film.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Noelia Rubio, Heather Au, Gabriel O. Coulter, Laure Guetaz, Gerard Gebel, Cecilia Mattevi, Milo S. P. Shaffer
Summary: The study shows that the locus of functionalisation on graphene-related materials and the progress of the reaction strongly depend on the starting feedstock. Experiments with five characteristically different graphite sources reveal an increase in grafting ratio and an improvement in grafting stoichiometry as flake radius decreases. Raman spectrum imaging indicates that grafting is directed towards flake edges.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Xiaoying Zhang, Xin Wang, Peng Wang, Qiuyue Fu, Zhaozhen Zhu, Chaocai Luo, Jieyi Chen, Yanjiao Zhang, Shaoxin Li
Summary: A facile strategy for the fabrication of a novel transition metal telluride-based 2D-metal SERS substrate is proposed in this study. Ag-niobium ditelluride nanocomposites are synthesized and used as ultrasensitive SERS probes to identify and classify three types of muscle tissues, as well as monitor the skeletal muscle stretching process.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhichen Yan, Shuangyue Wang, Xianjue Chen, Geedhika K. Poduval, John A. Stride
Summary: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) shows great potential in large-scale production of graphene films. A new method has been developed to directly grow graphene films on crystalline silicon wafers with a 300 nm oxide layer using a seeded-CVD growth approach. The use of methane as feedstock and optimized graphene seeds has improved the film formation, which consists of graphene layers formed by the coalescence of expanding graphene seeds according to SEM, X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies. The films also exhibit regions of single graphene crystallites resulting from lateral growth of the seeds. Moreover, the unilateral conductivity of the graphene films suggests potential application in device fabrication due to the presence of graphene nanoribbons.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Spectroscopy
Jordana Dias Santos, Priscila F. Pinto, Howell G. M. Edwards, Luiz F. Cappa de Oliveira
Summary: Vibrational spectroscopic techniques, such as Raman and infrared spectroscopy, have been increasingly utilized in the analytical studies of hair structures, showing efficiency in analyzing the permeation of cosmetic treatments into the hair fiber. These techniques demonstrated the internal characteristics of the fiber and the diffusion of different cosmetics, proving to be valuable tools for studying cosmetic permeation into the hair fiber and analyzing its external and internal structure.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Albert These, Neamul H. Khansur, Osbel Almora, Larry Luer, Gebhard J. Matt, Udo Eckstein, Anastasia Barabash, Andres Osvet, Kyle G. Webber, Christoph J. Brabec
Summary: Aerosol deposition (AD) is a promising method for manufacturing low-cost films with good adhesion, and has been successfully used to fabricate cesium lead tribromide (CsPbBr3) perovskite films on interdigitated indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The films maintain their crystal structure and show slightly increased carrier recombination from defect sites compared to the powder, likely due to a nonuniform defect distribution induced by the impact of semiconducting grains on hard substrate surfaces. Electrical measurements confirm good semiconducting properties and high responsivity for the AD processed films, demonstrating the potential for additive manufacturing of opto-electronic devices.
ADVANCED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoyan Du, Larry Lueer, Thomas Heumueller, Jerrit Wagner, Christian Berger, Tobias Osterrieder, Jonas Wortmann, Stefan Langner, Uyxing Vongsaysy, Melanie Bertrand, Ning Li, Tobias Stubhan, Jens Hauch, Christoph J. Brabec
Summary: The study demonstrates automated characterization of organic photovoltaic materials and devices, with optimization guided by Gaussian process regression. Improving molecular ordering and using thin active layers with medium thermal annealing temperature are identified as effective ways to enhance efficiency and suppress burn-in losses. The research findings enable rapid screening of materials with high efficiency and photostability.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sebastian Lucas, Jochen Kammerer, Martin Pfannmoeller, Rasmus R. Schroeder, Yakun He, Ning Li, Christoph J. Brabec, Tim Leydecker, Paolo Samori, Tomasz Marszalek, Wojchiech Pisula, Elena Mena-Osteritz, Peter Baeuerle
Summary: A novel structural design of oligomeric donor-acceptor (D-A) dyads has been established, showing advantageous optoelectronic, charge transport, and self-organization properties in single-material organic solar cells (SMOSCs). Post-treatment by solvent vapor annealing has also been investigated, revealing a lamellar supramolecular order of the dyads with a D-A phase separation smaller than 2 nm. The precise distance between donor and acceptor moieties ensures the fundamental physical processes operative in organic solar cells and provides stabilization of D-A interfaces.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Monica Distaso
Summary: This study reports the synthesis of hybrid ZnO/polyvinyl-pyrrolidone hemispheres under microwave irradiation, which exhibit intense UV and negligible visible emission, making them suitable for blue optoelectronic applications. The formation mechanism of ZnO hemispheres is investigated.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Anna Aubele, Yakun He, Teresa Kraus, Ning Li, Elena Mena-Osteritz, Paul Weitz, Thomas Heumueller, Kaicheng Zhang, Christoph J. Brabec, Peter Baeuerle
Summary: A novel donor-acceptor dyad, 4, with excellent photovoltaic performance and stability, has been synthesized and applied in solution-processed single-material organic solar cells (SMOSCs).
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Oleksandr Stroyuk, Oleksandra Raievska, Christian Kupfer, Dmytro Solonenko, Andres Osvet, Miroslaw Batentschuk, Christoph J. Brabec, Dietrich R. T. Zahn
Summary: The study found that the photophysical properties of MS and ZAIS quantum dots are influenced by the size and composition of the QDs. Nonradiative recombination rate increases steeply for smaller QDs, indicating that interfacial electron transfer is a major contributor.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yvan Bonnassieux, Christoph J. Brabec, Yong Cao, Tricia Breen Carmichael, Michael L. Chabinyc, Kwang-Ting Cheng, Gyoujin Cho, Anjung Chung, Corie L. Cobb, Andreas Distler, Hans-Joachim Egelhaaf, Gerd Grau, Xiaojun Guo, Ghazaleh Haghiashtiani, Tsung-Ching Huang, Muhammad M. Hussain, Benjamin Iniguez, Taik-Min Lee, Ling Li, Yuguang Ma, Dongge Ma, Michael C. McAlpine, Tse Nga Ng, Ronald osterbacka, Shrayesh N. Patel, Junbiao Peng, Huisheng Peng, Jonathan Rivnay, Leilai Shao, Daniel Steingart, Robert A. Street, Vivek Subramanian, Luisa Torsi, Yunyun Wu
Summary: This roadmap presents perspectives and visions from leading researchers in the fields of flexible and printable electronics, covering device technologies, fabrication techniques, and design and modeling approaches essential for future development of new applications leveraging flexible electronics (FE). It aims to serve as a resource on the current status and future challenges, highlighting the broad opportunities made available by FE technologies.
FLEXIBLE AND PRINTED ELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yakun He, Benedict Hanisch, Andres Osvet, Larry Luer, Anna Aubele, Peter Bauerle, Weiwei Li, Ning Li, Christoph J. Brabec
Summary: The exciton dissociation between donor and acceptor is crucial for determining the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells. Time-resolved photoluminescence investigations offer a potential method to separately determine the exciton splitting efficiency of donor and acceptor moieties in single component materials. Post-treatment can adjust the exciton splitting efficiency of donor or acceptor moieties separately in these materials, while excessive phase separation occurs in BHJ composites under external stress.
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Fu Yang, Dongju Jang, Lirong Dong, Shudi Qiu, Andreas Distler, Ning Li, Christoph J. Brabec, Hans-Joachim Egelhaaf
Summary: This review summarized the progress and challenges of scalable technologies for solution-based coating and printing of perovskite PVs, including high-quality preparation, selection and deposition of charge extraction layers and electrodes, as well as proposed strategies and opportunities to promote the development of stable and efficient large-area perovskite PVs towards commercialization.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Bernd Doll, Johannes Hepp, Mathis Hoffmann, Rene Schueler, Claudia Buerhop-Lutz, Ian Marius Peters, Jens A. Hauch, Andreas Maier, Christoph J. Brabec
Summary: Cost-effective, fast, and nondestructive on-site characterization of photovoltaic plants is essential for determining countermeasures against power loss, defects, or safety issues. Combining IR, EL, and PL imaging methods can complement each other to achieve better defect detection, especially for common defects like cell cracks.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Bjoern Duesenberg, Sebastian-Paul Kopp, Florentin Tischer, Stefan Schruefer, Stephan Roth, Jochen Schmidt, Michael Schmidt, Dirk W. Schubert, Wolfgang Peukert, Andreas Buck
Summary: This study investigates the use of charge control substances (CCS) as additives for polymer powders in powder-based additive manufacturing. Functionalization of commercially available polymer powder with CCS is shown to have an impact on powder charge and the potential of this method is demonstrated through analysis of various parameters.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Uwe Frank, Jana Dienstbier, Florentin Tischer, Simon E. E. Wawra, Lukas Gromotka, Johannes Walter, Frauke Liers, Wolfgang Peukert
Summary: The increasing complexity in particle science and technology requires the ability to deal with multidimensional property distributions. We present the theoretical background for multidimensional fractionations by transferring the concepts known from one dimensional to higher dimensional separations. Examples of technical realizations for shape-selective separation in a hydrocyclone and for density-selective separation in a disc separator are given.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Malvina Supper, Virginia Birner, Lukas Gromotka, Wolfgang Peukert, Malte Kaspereit
Summary: Alternate pumping chromatography is used to obtain high purity glutathione-stabilized gold nanoclusters with atomic precision from synthesized mixtures. Anion exchange chromatography is applied to isolate a single cluster, Au10GSH10, as well as two different clusters simultaneously (Au25GSH(18) and Au(29)GSH(20)). Trace amounts of Au(18)GSH(14) are successfully enriched. A simple design procedure allows for the use of columns with different retention behavior. Successful experiments with large injection amounts confirm the potential of this concept for preparative-scale productions of high-quality nanoparticulate products.
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Industrial
Mohd-Khairulamzari Hamjah, Marc Steinberger, Kai Cheong Tam, Hans-Joachim Egelhaaf, Christoph J. Brabec, Joerg Franke
Summary: This work utilized aerosol jet printing technology to fabricate organic light-emitting diodes on glass substrates, successfully achieving devices with an active area of about 40 mm(2). A comparison study with blade-coated organic light-emitting diode devices on indium tin oxide based electrode was conducted, showing that aerosol jet printing technology enables fully solution-based fabrication of organic light-emitting diode devices.
2021 14TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS MOLDED INTERCONNECT DEVICES (MID)
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Oleksandr Stroyuk, Oleksandra Raievska, Dmytro Solonenko, Christian Kupfer, Andres Osvet, Miroslaw Batentschuk, Christoph J. Brabec, Dietrich R. T. Zahn
Summary: The study observed that spontaneous alloying of non-stoichiometric aqueous Ag-In-S (AIS) and Cu-In-S (CIS) quantum dots (QDs) stabilized by surface glutathione (GSH) complexes led to the phenomenon of band bowing characteristic for solid-solution Cu(Ag)-In-S (CAIS) QDs. The alloying process, even occurring at room temperature, can be accelerated by thermal treatment and is assumed to be driven by an equilibrium between QDs and metal-GSH complexes. This alloying effect is expected to be general for different In-based ternary chalcogenides.