Enhanced power efficiency of ZnO based organic/inorganic solar cells by surface modification

We present series of strategies to enhance efficiency of ZnO nanorods based organic/inorganic solar cells with spin-coated P3HT:PCBM blend as active layer. The performance of the as-fabricated devices is improved by controlling the size of ZnO nanorods, annealing temperature and time of active layer, surface modification of ZnO with PSBTBT. Optimized device of ITO/ZnO nanorod/P3HT:PCBM/Ag device with PSBTBT surface modification and air exposure reaches an efficiency of 2.02% with a short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage and fill factor of 13.23 mA cm⁻², 0.547 V and 28%, respectively, under AM 1.5 irradiation of 100 mW m⁻², the increase in efficiency is 7-fold of the PSBTBT surface modified ITO/ZnO nanorods/P3HT:PCBM/Ag device compared with the unmodified one, which is own to the increased interface contact, expanded light absorption, tailored band alignment attributed to PSBTBT. We found exposure to air and surface modification is crucial to improve the device performance, and we discussed the mechanisms that affect the performance of the devices in detail.     

Synthesis of defect-rich, (001) faceted-ZnO nanorod on a FTO substrate as efficient photocatalysts for dehydrogenation of isopropanol to acetone

Highly oriented ZnO nanorod was successfully synthesised on Ag nanoseed coated FTO substrate via a microwave hydrolysis approach. It was found that the morphology and the optical properties of the ZnO nanorod are strongly influenced by the power of the microwave irradiation used during the growth process. The aspect ratio of the nanorods changed from high to low with the increasing of microwave power. It was also found that the optical band gap of the ZnO nanorod red shifted with the increasing of the microwave power, reflecting an excellent tune ability of the optical properties of ZnO nanorods. The photocatalytic activity of these unique nanorod was evaluated by a dehydrogenation process of isopropanol to acetone in the presence of ZnO nanorod. It was found that the ZnO nanorod exhibited an excellent catalytic performance by showing an ability to accelerate the production of 0.031 mol L⁻¹ of acetone within only 35 min or 0.9 mmol L⁻¹ min⁻¹ from isopropyl alcohol dehydrogenation. It was almost no conversion from isopropyl alcohol when ZnO nanorods was absence during the reaction. In this report, a detailed mechanism of ZnO nanorod formation and the relationship between morphology and optical energy band gap are described.     

Optical and physical characteristics of In-doped ZnO nanorods

In this paper the effect of indium dopants on structure, optical, electrical and mechanical properties of ZnO nanorods are studied. The average surface potentials and the surface currents of ZnO:In nanorods were 0.25–0.84 mV and 2.2–200 MΩ-cm, respectively. The turn-on threshold field for the vertical ZnO nanorods was around 2–16 V μm⁻¹. Emission current densities of 3.3–911.4 mA cm⁻² were obtained for an electrical field of 60–160 V μm⁻¹. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum measured at 15–300 K showed that the intensity of the peak at 2.06 eV increased with decreasing temperature, while the peak at 2.06 eV further red shifted and the peak at 3.39 eV blue shifted.     

Performance improvement of ZnO/P3HT hybrid UV photo-detector by interfacial Au nanolayer

In this study, a hybrid ultraviolet (UV) photo detector comprising of hydrothermally grown highly oriented Zinc Oxide nanorod arrays (ZnO NRAs) and Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) as an active layer was fabricated and characterized. These hybrid photo detectors demonstrated a high rectification ratio (∼117) and responsivity of 10.7 A/W at −2  V under incident light of wavelength 325 nm. Further to investigate the effect of surface plasmon property of metal nanoparticles on the performance of hybrid UV photo detectors, ZnO NRAs were capped with dc sputtered gold (Au) metal nanolayer (∼5 nm) at the ZnO-P3HT interface, prior to coating P3HT layer on top of it. It was found out that upon Au coating the absorption of the ZnO was enhanced partly in the ultraviolet and visible region. In consequence the rectification ratio and responsivity of the hybrid photo detector was enhanced drastically from 117 to 1167 and 10.7 to 17.7 A/W respectively. Interestingly the reduction in dark current was observed on Au coating and it was revealed that Au nanoparticles play a key role in enhancing the performance of the hybrid photo detectors.     

Thermal and sonochemical synthesis of porous (Ce,Zr)O2 mixed oxides from metal β-diketonate precursors and their catalytic activity in wet air oxidation process of formic acid

Porous (Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ solid solutions were prepared by thermolysis (T = 285 °C) or sonolysis (20 kHz, I = 32 W cm⁻², P_ac = 0.46 W mL⁻¹, T = 200 °C) of Ce(III) and Zr(IV) acetylacetonates in oleylamine or hexadecylamine under argon followed by heat treatment of the precipitates obtained in air at 450 °C. Transmission Electron Microscopy images of the samples show nanoparticles of ca. 4–6 nm for the two synthetic approaches. The powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and μ-Raman spectroscopy of solids obtained after heat treatment indicate the formation of (Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ solid solutions with a metastable tetragonal crystal structure for the two synthetic routes. The specific surface area of the samples varies between 78 and 149 m² g⁻¹ depending on synthesis conditions. The use of Barrett–Joyner–Halenda and t-plot methods reveal the formation of mixed oxides with a hybrid morphology that combines mesoporosity and microporosity regardless of the method of preparation. Platinum nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the mixed oxides by sonochemical reduction of Pt(IV). It was found that the materials prepared by sonochemistry exhibit better resistance to dissolution during the deposition process of platinum. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows the presence of Pt(0) and Pt(II) on the surface of mixed oxides. Porous (Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ mixed oxides loaded with 1.5 %wt. platinum exhibit high activity in catalytic wet air oxidation of formic acid at 40 °C.     

Synthesis of TiO2/WO3 nanoparticles via sonochemical approach for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light illumination

Through an ultrasound assisted method, TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature. The XRD pattern of as-prepared TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles matches well with that of pure monoclinic WO₃ and rutile TiO₂ nanoparticles. TEM images show that the prepared TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles consist of mixed square and hexagonal shape particles about 8–12 nm in diameter. The photocatalytic activity of TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles was tested for the degradation of a wastewater containing methylene blue (MB) under visible light illumination. The TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles exhibits a higher degradation rate constant (6.72 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹) than bare TiO₂ nanoparticles (1.72 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹) under similar experimental conditions.     

Experimental investigation on the structural,dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of La doped ZnO nanoparticles and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Pure and lanthanum (La) doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized via co-precipitation method. The structure and morphology of as grown ZnO and La-ZnO nanoparticles were studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The values of remnant polarization and coercive field were found to be 0.027 μC/cm² and 1.33 kV/cm, respectively, for as grown La-ZnO nanostructures. High Curie temperature (276 °C) for doped ZnO was observed in dielectric study. Piezoelectric coefficient at room temperature was found to be 101.30 pm/V. I-V characteristics were studied for both pure and doped ZnO nanoparticles. Photo-anodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were made using ZnO and La-ZnO nanorods. The conversion efficiency and short circuit current density of La-ZnO nanorods based DSSC were 0.36% and 1.31 mA/cm², respectively, which were found to be largely enhanced when compared with that of pure ZnO based DSSC (0.20% and 0.94 mA/cm²).     

AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Ag films were deposited on Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films and coated with AZO to fabricate AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films by DC magnetron sputtering on glass substrates without heating of glass substrates. The best multilayer films have low sheet resistance of 19.8 Ω/Sq and average transmittance values of 61% in visible region. It was found that the highest figure of merit (F_TC) is 6.9 × 10⁻⁴ Ω⁻¹. For the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) application, the multilayer films were used as transparent conductive electrode (multilayer films/ZnO + Eosin-Y/LiI + I₂/Pt/FTO). The best DSSC based on the multilayer films showed that open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.47 V, short circuit current density (J_sc) of 2.24 mA/cm², fill factor (FF) of 0.58 and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (η) of 0.61%. It was shown that the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films have potential for application in DSSC.     

Ultrasonic-assisted degradation of phenazopyridine with a combination of Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles and inorganic oxidants

Pure and samarium doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by a sonochemical method and characterized by TEM, SEM, EDX, XRD, Pl, and DRS techniques. The average crystallite size of pure and Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles was about 20 nm. The sonocatalytic activity of pure and Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles was considered toward degradation of phenazopyridine as a model organic contaminant. The Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles with Sm concentration of 0.4 mol% indicated a higher sonocatalytic activity (59%) than the pure ZnO (51%) and other Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles. It was believed that Sm³⁺ ion with optimal concentration (0.4 mol%) can act as superficial trapping for electrons in the conduction band of ZnO and delayed the recombination of charge carriers. The influence of the nature and concentration of various oxidants, including periodate, hydrogen peroxide, peroxymonosulfate, and peroxydisulfate on the sonocatalytic activity of Sm-doped ZnO nanoparticles was studied. The influence of the oxidants concentration (0.2–1.4 g L⁻¹) on the degradation rate was established by the 3D response surface and the 2D contour plots. The results demonstrated that the utilizing of oxidants in combination with Sm-doped ZnO resulting in rapid removal of contaminant, which can be referable to a dual role of oxidants; (i) scavenging the generated electrons in the conduction band of ZnO and (ii) creating highly reactive radical species under ultrasonic irradiation. It was found that the Sm-doped ZnO and periodate combination is the most efficient catalytic system under ultrasonic irradiation.     

Effects of compositions on properties of PEO–KI–I2 salts polymer electrolytes for DSSC

The effects of compositions on properties of PEO/KI/I₂ salts polymer electrolytes were investigated to optimize the photovoltaic performance of solid state DSSCs. XRD pattern for the mole ratio 12:1 of [EO:KI] was showed the formation of complete amorphous complex. DSC results also confirmed the amorphous nature of the polymer electrolyte. The highest value of ionic conductivity is 8.36 × 10^− 5 S/cm at 303 K (ambient temperature) and 2.32 × 10^− 4 S/cm at 333 K (moderate temperature) for the mole ratio 12:1 of EO:KI complex. The effect of contribution of [I⁻] and [I₃⁻] concentration with conductivity were also evaluated. FTIR spectrum reveals that the alkali metal cations were co-ordinated to ether oxygen of PEO. The formation of polyiodide ions, such as symmetric I₃⁻ (114 cm^− 1) and I₅⁻ (145 cm^− 1) caused by the addition of iodine was confirmed by FT Raman spectroscopic measurements. The optimum composition of PEO–KI–I₂ polymer electrolyte system for higher conductivity at ambient and moderate temperatures was reported. A linear Arrhenius type behaviour was observed for all the PEO–KI polymer complexes. Transport number measurements were carried out for several polymer electrolyte compositions. Dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated by using higher conductivity polymer electrolyte compositions and its photoelectrochemical performance was investigated. The fill factor, short-circuit current, photovoltage and energy conversion efficiency of the DSSC assembled with optimized electrolyte composition were calculated to be 0.563, 6.124 mA/cm², 593 mV and 2.044% respectively.     

Atomic surface diffusion on Pt nanoparticles quantified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

Aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy allows for the delocalization-free observation of atomic motions on metallic surfaces and thus enables measurements of the diffusion of single atoms on the surfaces of nanoscopic objects such as nanoparticles. Using this recently introduced method, the diffusion coefficient for surface self-diffusion of Pt nanoparticles is determined through the fluctuating occupation of the particle's atomic columns. This diffusion coefficient is determined to lie in the range D ∼ (10⁻¹⁷ … 10⁻¹⁶) cm²/s.     

Fabrication of thin-film transistor based on self-assembled single-walled carbon nanotube network

Thin-film transistor based on controllable electrostatic self-assembled monolayer single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) network has been fabricated by varying the density of nanotubes on the silicon substrate. The densities of SWNTs network have been investigated as a function of concentration and assembly time. It has been observed that the density of SWNTs network increases from 0.6 µm⁻² to 2.1 µm⁻², as the average on-state current (I_on) increases from 0.5 mA to 1.47 mA. The device has a current on/off ratio (I_on/I_off) of 1.3×10⁴ when I_on reaches to 1.34 mA.     

Effect of growth time of hydrothermally grown cobalt hydroxide carbonate on its supercapacitive performance

We present the time-dependent synthesis of cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorods by hydrothermal method with a systematic increase of different parameters such as specific surface area and specific capacitance as a function of different synthesis time. Morphological characterization of the cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorods were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that variation of the time of reaction plays a crucial role in the transformation of samples’ morphology. Cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorods synthesized with 12 h reaction time, which is the reaction just before the materials transforms into cobalt oxide under the same synthesis conditions exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 466 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ in 6 M KOH electrolyte and also showed excellent stability with ∼99% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g⁻¹. Based on the above results, the cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorods show a considerable potential as electrodes materials for supercapacitor applications.     

Mid-infrared photoconductive properties of heavily Bi-doped PbTe p–n homojunction diode grown by liquid-phase epitaxy

We fabricated a heavily Bi-doped (x_Bi ≈ 2 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³) PbTe p–n homojunction diode that detects mid-infrared wavelengths by the temperature difference method (TDM) under controlled vapor pressure (CVP) liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). The photocurrent density produced by the heavily Bi-doped diode sample is approximately 20 times and 3 times greater than that produced by an undoped and heavily In-doped sample, respectively. By varying the ambient temperature from 15 K to 225 K, the detectable wavelength is tunable from 6.18 μm to 4.20 μm. The peak shift of the detectable wavelength is shorter in the heavily Bi-doped sample than in the undoped sample, consistent with our previously proposed model, in which Bi–Bi nearest donor–acceptor pairs are formed in the heavily Bi-doped PbTe liquid phase epitaxial layer. Current–voltage (I–V) measurements of the heavily Bi-doped diode sample under infrared exposure at 77 K indicated a likely leak in the dark current, arising from the deeper levels. From the dark I–V measurements, the activation energy of the deep level was estimated as 0.067 eV, close to the energy of the deep Tl-doped PbTe acceptor layer. We conclude that the deep level originates from the Tl-doped p-type epitaxial layer.     

Characterization of LSGM films obtained by electrophoretic deposition (EPD)

The application of the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique to the preparation of high quality electrolyte films for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) was investigated. Films of La_0.83Sr_0.17Ga_0.83Mg_0.17O_2.83 (LSGM) were deposited on Pt and La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ (LSM) substrates from suspensions in acetone/ethanol (3:1 by volume) mixture solvent and sintered at 1300 °C. Pt supported LSGM films, 10–20 μm thick, exhibited good adhesion to the Pt substrate, well-distributed microporosity and some surface roughness. LSM supported films exhibited cracking after sintering at 1300 °C for 3 h. Up to 900 °C the bulk conductivity of the Pt supported LSGM film showed the same behaviour of LSGM pellet (E_a = 0.93 eV and 0.99 eV, respectively). The LSGM film exhibited lower bulk electrical conductivity than the latter (4.1 × 10^− 3 and 4.4 × 10^− 2 Ω^− 1 cm^− 1, respectively, at 700 °C). This difference should be ascribed to the slight Ga depletion in the LSGM film. An important issue remains the selection of adequate electrode for LSGM electrolyte films.     

Morphologically controlled preparation of CuO nanostructures under ultrasound irradiation and their evaluation as pseudocapacitor materials

Various morphologies of copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures have been synthesized by controlling the reaction parameters in a sonochemical assisted method without using any templates or surfactants. The effect of reaction parameters including molar ratio of the reactants, reaction temperature, ultrasound exposure time, and annealing temperature on the composition and morphology of the product(s) has been investigated. The prepared samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It has been found that Cu₂(OH)₃NO₃ nanoplatelets are achieved in mild conditions which can be then converted to various morphologies of CuO nanostructures by either using high concentrations of OH⁻ (formation of nanorods), prolonging sonication irradiation (nanoparticles), or thermal treatment (nanospheres). Application of the prepared CuO nanostructures was evaluated as supercapacitive material in 1 M Na₂SO₄ solution using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in different potential scan rates ranging from 5 to 100 mV s⁻¹. The specific capacitance has been calculated using CV curves. It has been found that the pseudocapacitor performance of CuO can be tuned via employing morphologically controlled samples. Accordingly, the prolonged sonicated sample (nanoparticles) showed the high specific capacitance of 158 F.g⁻¹.     

Synthesis and surface modification of ZnO:Cu nanoparticles by silica and PMMA

ZnO nanoparticles doped with Cu were synthesized by solid state reaction using different precursor routes and varying growth environment. Average crystallite size varied from 40 to 100 nm depending upon synthesis temperature, lower temperature favouring smaller particle size. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that particles synthesized at 250 °C were in the shape of nanorods but those synthesized at 900 °C had spherical shape. Luminescence emission showed marked dependence on the growth conditions varying from ultraviolet (UV) emission to green emission. For making the luminescent nanoparticles bio-compatible, a bioinorganic interface on ZnO:Cu nanoparticles was created by coating them with inert silica. Surface modification of ZnO:Cu was also done with lipophilic polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). ZnO:Cu nanoparticles showed hexagonal wurtzite structure and the coating of silica was confirmed with the presence of two extra peaks due to silica in the XRD spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and FTIR spectroscopy indicated that PMMA molecules were adsorbed on the surface of ZnO:Cu nanoparticles. SEM images revealed that PMMA adsorption improved the dispersibilty of ZnO:Cu nanoparticles.     

Up-conversion luminescence and optical temperature-sensing properties of Er3+-doped perovskite Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 nanocrystals

In this work we demonstrate the preparation of Er³⁺ doped perovskite ferroelectric Na_0.5Bi_0.5TiO₃ nanocrystals and their application in temperature sensing. The samples were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. Upconversion emission at 528 nm and 547 nm from two thermodynamically coupled excited states of Er³⁺ were recorded in the temperature from 80 K to 480 K under the excitation of a 980 nm diode laser. The emission intensity ratio (I₅₂₈/I₅₄₇) as a function of the temperature was investigated. A sensitivity of 0.0053 K⁻¹ is observed at 400 K, suggesting they are promising candidate for nanothermometers.     

Controllable synthesis of rice-shape Alq3 nanoparticles with single crystal structure

We report the controllable growth of rice-shape nanoparticles of Alq₃ by an extremely facile self-assembly approach. Possible mechanisms have been proposed to interpret the formation and controlled process of the single crystal nanoparticles. The field-emission performances (turn-on field 7 V μm⁻¹, maximum current density 2.9 mA cm⁻²) indicate the potential application on miniaturized nano-optoelectronics devices of Alq₃-based. This facile method can potentially be used for the controlled synthesis of other functional complexes and organic nanostructures.     

Combined XPS,electrochemical and Kelvin probe measurements of NaY zeolite

In the present study X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) combined with in situ electrochemical and Kelvin probe measurements was used in order to get a deeper insight on the mechanism of the cation transport through NaY zeolite and the charge transfer through the Au electrode/zeolite interface. It is shown that by imposing a potential gradient across the NaY powder which is sandwiched between two electrodes, Na⁺ ions can be electrically transferred to or from the Au working electrode area, following the direction of the applied potential between the two electrodes. Two peaks corresponding to sodium species were detected by means of in situ XPS investigation during potential application. The first peak of Na1s photoelectrons with binding energy at 1072.2 ± 0.2 eV is attributed to Na adsorbed on the grounded Au electrode with its coverage remaining unchanged upon potential imposition. The second peak is directly associated with Na present in the zeolite and upon potential application its binding energy varies proportionally with the variation of the surface potential measured by Kelvin probe. Upon varying the potential from − 4 to + 4 V between the working and counter electrode, the Na⁺ concentration decreases by ca30% at the Au/zeolite interface. However the invariant amount of Na on the Au electrode under vacuum shows that the variation in Na⁺ concentration is not due to ionic transfer onto the Au surface but instead Na⁺ accumulation can be assumed at the Au/zeolite interface. On the other hand, current or potential application under O₂ atmosphere promotes the electrocatalytic reaction of Na⁺ towards the formation of Na₂O on the Au electrode surface.