Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ivana Panzic, Ivana Capan, Tomislav Brodar, Arijeta Bafti, Vilko Mandic
Summary: Pure and Al-doped ZnO nanorods were prepared using a two-step method, showing a minute change in morphology upon doping. Al doping significantly increased the conductivity of ZnO nanorods, with different electric conduction mechanisms observed at higher voltages. Consideration of the geometry change of Al-doped ZnO nanorods is important for their overall electric transport properties in future applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Oleg S. Kudryavtsev, Rustem H. Bagramov, Arkady M. Satanin, Andrey A. Shiryaev, Oleg I. Lebedev, Alexey M. Romshin, Dmitrii G. Pasternak, Alexander Nikolaev, Vladimir P. Filonenko, Igor I. Vlasov
Summary: Diamonds, when hydrogenated, exhibit negative electron affinity, high p-type surface electrical conductivity, and a transparency peak in the infrared absorption spectrum. This discovery opens up new possibilities for exploring the physics of electron-phonon coupling in undoped semiconductors and the application of hydrogenated nanodiamonds as a new optical material with induced transparency in the infrared range.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Alhad Parashtekar, Laure Bourgeois, Sankara Sarma V. Tatiparti
Summary: Grain size stabilization is essential for using nickel oxide (NiO) in energy-related applications. The effects of Co, Mg, and Al as solutes on grain size are investigated in NiO. Al-doped NiO shows the highest reduction in grain size (-82%) compared to Mg-doped and Co-doped NiO. The activation energy for grain growth in Al-doped NiO is estimated to be the highest (-504 kJ mol-1), resulting in the lowest stabilized grain size during annealing.
CERAMICS INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sp Keerthana, R. Yuvakkumar, G. Ravi, S. Pavithra, M. Thambidurai, Cuong Dang, Dhayalan Velauthapillai
Summary: This study reported the synthesis of pure and Ce-doped copper ferrite via a hydrothermal route, with analysis of their properties and characteristics. By doping an appropriate ratio of Ce ions, the photocatalytic activity of the material was significantly enhanced and agglomeration reduced, leading to improved efficiency in dye degradation.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanling Li, Lina Liu, Han Yu, Yinglun Zhao, Jing Dai, Yaping Zhong, Zhicheng Pan, Hongbing Yu
Summary: Porous boron nitride (BN) has been developed as an absorbent for CO2 capture to alleviate environmental and climate issues caused by excessive anthropogenic CO2 emissions. This study investigated the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the properties and performances of BN absorbents synthesized from melamine-boric acid precursors. It was found that higher pyrolysis temperatures resulted in a higher carbonization degree and enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity. The BN absorbent pyrolyzed at 1100 degrees C exhibited the highest CO2 adsorption capacity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jie Guo, Qiang Hu, Min Lu, Asu Li, Xiaoyu Zhang, Ren Sheng, Ping Chen, Yu Zhang, Jinlei Wu, Yuhao Fu, Guang Sun, William W. Yu, Xue Bai
Summary: Research shows that doping CsCdBr3 NRs with Pb2+ can significantly improve their optoelectronic properties, resulting in a blue emission with a quantum yield of 48% and centered at 459 nm. Additionally, using the optimized NRs as the emissive layer, a blue perovskite LED based on 1D NRs was successfully fabricated.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Christiane Huettner, Fei Xu, Silvia Paasch, Christian Kensy, Yi Xuan Zhai, Jiaying Yang, Eike Brunner, Stefan Kaskel
Summary: Utilizing densely N- and O-doped ultra-hydrophilic carbon (DUT-108), supercapacitors exhibit anomalous electrochemical charge storage behavior even in diluted electrolytes and pure water. Compared to a commercial carbon model, DUT-108 shows higher capacitance and ion diffusion ability at very low electrolyte concentrations. This discovery opens up new possibilities for applications in bioelectronics, utilizing the environmentally friendly and biocompatible pure water electrolyte.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xue Ren, Hui-Ling Hu, Zhe-Yong Chen, Lian-Xun Gao, Hao Hao, Yi Liu, Feng-Lei Jiang
Summary: In this study, the issue of halide segregation in the industrialization process of pure red perovskite LEDs was addressed by doping with KBr in the nucleation of nanocrystals (NCs) and postmodifying with quaternary ammoniums. Mixed halide perovskite NCs with excellent optical performances and stabilities were obtained. The solution and film of KBr/TBAB-CsPbI3-xBrx NCs could keep pure red emission after exposure in the air, demonstrating the efficient route for highly stable pure red perovskite NCs.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jing Guo, Ying Liu, Ping-An Chen, Xinhao Wang, Yanpei Wang, Jing Guo, Xincan Qiu, Zebing Zeng, Lang Jiang, Yuanping Yi, Shun Watanabe, Lei Liao, Yugang Bai, Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Yuanyuan Hu
Summary: A novel p-doping mechanism is revealed by using an electrophilic attack of trityl cations on thiophenes, enabling efficient p-doping of various organic semiconductors.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huan Wei, Zehong Cheng, Tong Wu, Yu Liu, Jing Guo, Ping-An Chen, Jiangnan Xia, Haihong Xie, Xincan Qiu, Tingting Liu, Bohan Zhang, Jingshu Hui, Zebing Zeng, Yugang Bai, Yuanyuan Hu
Summary: The discovery of two organic superbase dopants, P2-t-Bu and P4-t-Bu, as ultra-efficient n-dopants for organic semiconductors (OSCs) is reported. These dopants significantly increase the conductivity of n-type semiconductors such as N2200 and PC61BM. The optimized electrical conductivity of P2-t-Bu-doped PC61BM reaches a record-high value of 2.64 S cm(-1). A deprotonation-initiated, nucleophilic-attack-based n-doping mechanism is proposed for the organic superbases.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Maria B. Candeias, Tiago V. Fernandes, Bruno P. Falcao, Antonio F. Cunha, Jose M. V. Cunha, Joao Barbosa, Jennifer P. Teixeira, Paulo A. Fernandes, Marco Peres, Katharina Lorenz, Pedro M. P. Salome, Joaquim P. Leitao
Summary: This work presents an experimental study on the effects of proton irradiation on the properties of CIGS solar cells. It is found that the irradiation induces changes in the electronic structure, resulting in a decrease in photoluminescence and power conversion efficiency. A recovery strategy using multiple annealing steps is proposed, which successfully recovers the efficiency of the cells. This work highlights the potential of CIGS technology in space applications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jingwei Li, Xiaocui Li, Manling Sui
Summary: In this study, it was found that gamma-hydride and delta-hydride phases with different specific orientations were randomly precipitated in hot forged commercially pure Ti, and a large amount of titanium hydrides can be selectively introduced into the Ti matrix through electrochemical treatment. Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy was used to study the precipitation mechanisms of these two hydrides, revealing they are formed through different slip mechanisms involving two layers of titanium atoms.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yan-Yun Jing, Nengquan Li, Xiaosong Cao, Han Wu, Jingsheng Miao, Zhanxiang Chen, Manli Huang, Xinzhong Wang, Yuxuan Hu, Yang Zou, Chuluo Yang
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive strategy for spectral tuning in the red region by regulating the p-conjugation and electron-donating strengths of a double boron-embedded multiple resonance (MR) skeleton. The materials based on this strategy exhibited narrowband emissions ranging from orange-red to deep red. A pure-red device achieved superior color purity and high efficiency, surpassing previous organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in terms of color coordinates and quantum efficiency. These findings provide a roadmap for designing high-performance emitters with exceptional color purity for future OLED material research advancements.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vishwa Bhatt, Manjeet Kumar, Eun-Chong Kim, Hak Jun Chung, Ju-Hyung Yun
Summary: In this study, self-biased Si/CuInSe2 heterojunction photodetectors were developed and optimized through annealing temperature control. The influence of annealing temperature on phase formation and optoelectronic characteristics of the Si/CuInSe2 heterojunction was investigated. The performance of the photodetector was analyzed under varying Halogen light intensity and wavelength-dependent light. The study demonstrated the potential of Si/CuInSe2 heterojunctions as broadband photodetectors with excellent device performance in the NIR range.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Jingjing Liu, Jinkun Yang, Kexiu Liu, Lingyu Xu
Summary: A deep learning model based on a weighted pure attention mechanism is proposed in this paper to improve the prediction performance of ocean currents. The experiment results indicate that the model can fully utilize the advantages of the pure attention mechanism, optimize it further, and significantly improve the prediction performance, making it reliable for ocean current prediction in a wide time range and large spatial scope.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Mohit Sood, Aleksander Urbaniak, Christian Kameni Boumenou, Thomas Paul Weiss, Hossam Elanzeery, Finn Babbe, Florian Werner, Michele Melchiorre, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: The study reveals the distinct interface recombination characteristics in copper indium di-selenide solar cells, which are not affected by reduced interface bandgap or Fermi-level pinning. Experimental analysis and numerical simulations suggest that the V-OC deficit may be related to acceptor defects, highlighting the need for complementary techniques to identify the cause of interface recombination in the devices.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Susanne Siebentritt, Alberto Lomuscio, Damilola Adeleye, Mohit Sood, Aradhana Dwivedi
Summary: Sulfide chalcopyrite solar cells have attracted renewed interest due to their high efficiency. They are suitable for tandem applications and share similarities with selenide chalcopyrites. However, there are differences in their structure and phase diagram. Both sulfides and selenides face surface issues when grown under excess copper. Higher growth temperatures and sodium supply are necessary for improving the quality of sulfide absorbers.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Omar Ramirez, Evandro Martin Lanzoni, Ricardo G. Poeira, Thomas P. Weiss, Renaud Leturcq, Alex Redinger, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: Doping in chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 is determined by intrinsic point defects. N-type and P-type conductivities can be achieved in CuInSe2 depending on growth conditions, while CuGaSe2 always behaves as a P-type semiconductor. The N-to-P transition in Cu-poor Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 occurs when the gallium content reaches the critical concentration of 15%-19%.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
S. Levcenko, R. Biller, T. Pfeiffelmann, K. Ritter, H. H. Falk, T. Wang, S. Siebentritt, E. Welter, C. S. Schnohr
Summary: A newly designed setup for steady-state X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectroscopy and simultaneous characterization of XEOL and X-ray absorption spectroscopy is described. The setup, located at beamline P65 of PETRA III, is equipped with a He-flow cryostat and state-of-the-art optical detection system, enabling a wide wavelength range and high spectral resolution for research on various samples.
JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Thomas Paul Weiss, Ignacio Minguez-Bacho, Elena Zuccala, Michele Melchiorre, Nathalie Valle, Brahime El Adib, Tadahiro Yokosawa, Erdmann Spiecker, Julien Bachmann, Phillip J. Dale, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: This study focuses on the open-circuit voltage improvement of Sb2Se3 thin film solar cells. It is found that post-deposition annealing can effectively reduce interface recombination, increase activation energy, and improve photoluminescence yield. Additionally, atomic layer-deposited intermediate buffer layers such as TiO2 or Sb2S3 can overcome the limitation of short-circuit current density.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Taowen Wang, Florian Ehre, Thomas Paul Weiss, Boris Veith-Wolf, Valeriya Titova, Nathalie Valle, Michele Melchiorre, Omar Ramirez, Jan Schmidt, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: This study investigates the influence of backside recombination and doping level on the optical diode factor. Both experimental results and simulations indicate that both back surface recombination and high doping density can reduce the optical diode factor.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Physics, Multidisciplinary
S. Siebentritt, T. P. Weiss
Summary: Chalcopyrite solar cells play a crucial role in mitigating the climate crisis due to their low carbon emissions. Improvements in efficiency have been achieved through post-deposition treatments with heavy alkalis. However, limitations in open circuit voltage are caused by tail states and band gap distribution. Increased diode factor hampers further efficiency improvements due to metastable defect transitions. Alloying with Ag shows potential for band-edge engineering and diode factor enhancement. Passivation of the back contact in state-of-the-art cells has been extensively researched. Tandem cells are expected to significantly improve efficiency. Chalcopyrite solar cells show promising potential as both bottom and top cells.
SCIENCE CHINA-PHYSICS MECHANICS & ASTRONOMY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Finn Babbe, Nicoleta Nicoara, Harvey Guthrey, Nathalie Valle, Omar Ramirez Sanchez, Damien Aureau, Hossam Elanzeery, Deepanjan Sharma, Jose Luis Virtuoso, Jean-Nicolas Audinot, Anastasiya Zelenina, Sevan Gharabeiki, Tom Wirtz, Susanne Siebentritt, Phillip J. Dale, Sascha Sadewasser, Diego Colombara
Summary: This study provides experimental evidence that the grain boundaries of sodium-doped CuInSe2 thin films may undergo reversible oxidation at room temperature, while undoped films may not. The findings are confirmed through various imaging and analysis techniques. These reactions raise new research questions about the role of alkali metal dopants and may lead to new breakthroughs in chalcopyrite solar cells.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Applied
Thomas Paul Weiss, Omar Ramirez, Stefan Paetel, Wolfram Witte, Jiro Nishinaga, Thomas Feurer, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based solar cells achieve power conversion efficiencies exceeding 23%. However, the fill factor of these cells is relatively low due to diode factors greater than 1, mainly caused by metastable defects in the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 alloy. Excitation-dependent photoluminescence measurements reveal that the increased diode factor can be well explained by the model of metastable defects. Optically measured diode factors impose a lower limit on the electrical diode factor of finished solar cells. Ag alloying provides a pathway to increase fill factors and efficiencies for Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based solar cells.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Omar Ramirez, Jiro Nishinaga, Felix Dingwell, Taowen Wang, Aubin Prot, Max Hilaire Wolter, Vibha Ranjan, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: The detrimental effect of tail states on V-OC in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells has been shown. Alkali metals can reduce tail states by passivating charged defects at grain boundaries. This study investigates the effect of compositional variations and alkali incorporation on tail states in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 films. The results reveal that sodium and potassium can decrease the density of tail states, even in the absence of grain boundaries, suggesting additional mechanisms beyond grain boundaries for the alkali effects. Moreover, doping-induced increase in sodium or potassium incorporation contributes to the reduced tail states, which are primarily caused by electrostatic potential fluctuations and influenced by grain interior properties. By analyzing the voltage loss in high-efficiency polycrystalline and single crystalline devices, this work presents a comprehensive model explaining the voltage loss in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 based on the combined effect of doping on tail states and V-OC.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Diego A. Garzon, Christian Rossi, Ishwor Khatri, Francesco Soggia, Ihsan Caha, Francis Leonard Deepak, Diego Colombara, Sascha Sadewasser
Summary: The formation of Cd-free Zn1-xSnxOy (ZTO) thin film buffer layers for CIGSe solar cells was studied using chemical bath deposition. By modifying the deposition procedure, flatter ZTO films were obtained with inhibited columnar growth. Increasing the concentration of Sn in the chemical bath resulted in a nontrivial increase in the bandgap. Using a 20% Sn concentration, the CIGSe solar cells achieved similar performance to those with a CdS buffer layer, with a maximum efficiency of 10.4% and an average efficiency of 9%.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Aubin JC. M. Prot, Michele Melchiorre, Felix Dingwell, Anastasia Zelenina, Hossam Elanzeery, Alberto Lomuscio, Thomas Dalibor, Maxim Guc, Robert Fonoll-Rubio, Victor Izquierdo-Roca, Gunnar Kusch, Rachel A. Oliver, Susanne Siebentritt
Summary: The article discusses the achievement of record efficiency in chalcopyrite-based solar cells using a gallium gradient and reveals non-radiative recombination issues at the back contacts of industrial absorbers. The study proposes a model where discrete bandgap phases interlace to form an apparent gradient throughout the thickness of the absorber.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Diego Colombara, Billy J. Stanbery, Giovanna Sozzi
Summary: The commercial attractiveness of Cu(In,Ga) (S,Se)(2) (CIGS) photovoltaics is limited by the research and development gap compared to silicon. Overcoming this gap requires strategic approaches and extensive research and development in both industry and lab scale. However, the technological progress relies on our understanding of diffusion phenomena during and after the absorber growth, particularly in combination with alkali metal doping.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
