Synthesis of nanoflakes‐based self‐assembling crossed structure of stannous oxide and photocatalysis property

Self‐assembling nanoflakes‐based crossed architectures of stannous oxide (SnO) were successfully synthesized via template‐free hydrothermal growth method by using SnCl₂·2H₂O and KOH as precursors. Crystal structures, morphology, chemical composition and optical properties were examined by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that the as‐synthesized product belongs to tetragonal phase SnO with crossed morphology self‐assembled by nanoflakes. Furthermore, UV‐vis spectrophotometry was used to determine optical band gap of the SnO nanostructures and the direct band gap of 2.90 eV was obtained. The photocatalysis of the product has been evaluated with methyl orange and the high degradation ratio of 87% is obtained in 240 minutes under the measuring condition which is attributed to the wide band gap and large specific surface area of the nanoflakes‐based crossed SnO architectures. A possible growth mechanism is proposed in the end.     

Synthesis and characterization of manganese sulphide thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Manganese sulphide (MnS) thin films have been deposited onto glass substrate by a low cost spray‐pyrolysis technique at 220 °C. The as‐deposited MnS thin films have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X‐ray diffraction, UV visible spectroscopy and photo electrochemical (PEC) measurement. The SEM and AFM images showed that the MnS thin films were well covered onto the substrate surface. The as‐deposited raw thin film was found to be amorphous in nature and perfectly crystalline phase after annealing the sample. Optical band gap of the MnS thin films was found to vary from 3.1 to 3.21 eV and the band gap decreases with the increase in film thickness. Optical constants such as refractive index, extinction coefficient have been evaluated using reflectance and absorbance data. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical properties and synthesis of CuInSe2 thin films by selenization of Cu/In layers

In this paper, we report the effect of annealing temperature on the properties of copper indium diselenide (CuInSe₂) thin films. The CuInSe₂ thin films were fabricated at 500 °C for 2 h by annealing Cu‐In layers (as precursors) selenized in a glass tube with pure selenium powder. The structural and morphological properties of the CuInSe₂ thin films were characterized respectively by means of x‐ray diffraction (XRD) and field‐emission scanning electron microscope (FE‐SEM). The type of CuInSe₂ thin film has been identified as direct allowed and the band gap value was determined. The study of UV/Visible/NIR absorption shows that the band gap value of CuInSe₂ thin film is about 1.07 eV, which is within an optimal range for harvesting solar radiation energy. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis and optical properties of CuInS2 thin films prepared by sulfurization of electrodeposited Cu‐In layers

The chalcopyrite CuInS₂ thin film was fabricated at 500 °C for 2 h by sulfurization of Cu‐In layers (as precursors) that were sulfurized in a glass tube with pure sulfur powder. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of CuInS₂ thin films are characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field‐emission scanning electron microscope (FE‐SEM), and UV/Visible/NIR spectrophotometer. The study of UV/Visible/NIR absorption shows the band gap energy value of CuInS₂ thin films is 1.5 eV. The XRD pattern shows the film is pure CuInS₂; no other peaks, such as CuS or CuIn₅S₈ were observed. Furthermore, the surface of the CuInS₂ film is compact characterized by FE‐SEM, which also shows the disappearance of CuS on the surface at 500 °C.     

Template‐free synthesis of hierarchical zinc oxide with improved photocatalytic properties

Novel hierarchical nano materials possess tremendous latent force in many applications. In this paper, hierarchical flower‐like, spherical and bowl‐like zinc oxide was successfully synthesized by altering solvent ratio (absolute ethanol and diethylene glycol) via a simple and template‐free solvothermal synthetic route. The solvent ratio also plays a vital role in deciding the structure, crystalline, band gap energy and specific surface area of the as‐synthesized samples. The preparation mechanism of ZnO in mixed alcohols was discussed. The obtained samples were characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption‐desorption, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Photocatalytic activity of the as‐prepared ZnO nanocrystals was evaluated by the degradation of MB under UV irradiation. Among, the most effective photocatalyst was synthesized when the diethylene glycol was 10 ml.     

Optical properties of the complex perovskite ceramic oxide Ba2YZrO6‐d

Nanocrystalline Ba₂YZrO_6‐dhas been successfully synthesized through a single step auto‐ignition combustion route. The samples were analyzed by powder X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Ultraviolet‐Visible spectroscopy. The XRD analysis revealed that the material has an ordered complex cubic perovskite structure. The basic optical properties and optical constants of the as‐prepared nanopowder of Ba₂YZrO_6‐dhave been reported for the first time. The spectral analysis revealed that the material is a wide band gap direct transition semiconductor with band gap of 3.70 eV at room temperature. The poor transmittance in ultraviolet but good transmittance in visible‐near infrared regions make the material potentially important for poultry protection and warming coatings, solar control, antireflection coatings and window layer in solar cells. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Optical and structural properties of lead iodide thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation method

Thermally processed lead iodide (PbI₂) thin films were prepared by the vacuum evaporation method in a constant ambient. Measured thickness of the film was verified analytically from the optical transmittance data in a wavelength range between 300 and 1600 nm. From the Tauc relation for the non‐direct inter band transition, the optical band gap of the film was found to be 2.58 eV for film thickness 300 nm. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirmed that PbI₂ films are polycrystalline, having hexagonal structure. The low fluctuation in Urbach energy indicates that the grain size is quite small. The present findings are in agreement with the other results. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

沉积时间对Zn(O,S)薄膜性能及Cu2ZnSnSe4薄膜电池的影响

无镉材料Zn(O,S)因其带隙宽且可调节、无毒无害等优点被作为缓冲层材料重点研究,通过化学水浴法制备Zn(O,S)薄膜,研究了沉积时间的不同(20~35 min)对Zn(O,S)薄膜的成分、结构特性、光学性能及形貌的影响.通过XRD测试可知,水浴法制备的Zn(O,S)薄膜为非晶态.通过透反射谱测试可知,薄膜的光学透过率较高(>80;).通过表面形貌测试可知,30 min时Zn(O,S)薄膜为致密均匀的小颗粒.将Zn(O,S)薄膜应用在CZTSe电池中,在30 min时获得较高器件转换效率5.37;.     

GeSe基薄膜太阳电池模拟研究

硫化亚锗(GeSe)具有合适的禁带宽度、高的吸收系数和高的载流子迁移率等优异的光电特性,且组分简单、低毒和储量丰富,特别适合作为光伏吸收材料。本文基于新型太阳电池吸收层材料GeSe构筑了结构为金属栅线/AZO/i-ZnO/CdS/GeSe/Mo/玻璃的薄膜太阳电池,分别模拟分析了缓冲层和吸收层的厚度、掺杂浓度,以及吸收层体缺陷密度对器件性能的影响。经过优化CdS缓冲层厚度和掺杂浓度以及GeSe吸收层厚度和掺杂浓度,器件获得高达27.59%的转换效率。这些结果表明GeSe基薄膜太阳电池有成为高效光伏器件的潜力。     

Optical band gap of zinc nitride films prepared by reactive rf magnetron sputtering

Polycrystalline Zn₃N₂ films are prepared on Si and quartz glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The structural and optical properties are studied by X‐ray diffraction and double beam spectrophotometer, respectively. X‐ray diffraction indicates that the Zn₃N₂ films deposited on Si and quartz glass substrates both have a preferred orientation in (321) and (442), also are cubic in structure with the lattice constant a=0.9847 and 0.9783 nm, respectively. The absorption coefficients as well as the film thickness are calculated from the transmission spectra, and their dependence on photon energy is examined to determine the optical band gap. Zn₃N₂ is determined to be an indirect‐gap semiconductor with the band gap of 2.11(2) eV. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of Cu/In ratio on properties of CuInSe2 thin films prepared by selenization of Cu‐In layers

In this paper, the chalcopyrite CuInSe2 thin films were fabricated from a selenization of electrodeposited Cu‐In layers. In this study, the electrodeposition time of the In layer was set, but that for the Cu layer was not. The thin films were selenized in a sealed glass tube with pure Se powder by three different Cu layer samples at various electrodeposition times at 500 °C for 2 hours. An FE‐SEM image of the sample shows that the copper‐rich product has irregular agglomerates with a dense surface. The X‐ray diffraction patterns show CuInSe₂ peaks for all samples. However, the X‐ray diffraction pattern reveals CuSe₂ peaks when the electrodeposition time of the Cu layer increases. On the other hand, the band gap (E_g) of the samples decreases from 1.15 to 1.07 eV when the Cu/In ratio increases.     

Structural,compositional and optical properties of gallium selenide thin films doped with cadmium

Polycrystalline cadmium doped gallium selenide thin films were obtained by the thermal co‐evaporation of GaSe crystals and Cd grains onto glass substrates. The structural, compositional and optical properties of these films have been investigated by means of X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive X‐ray analysis and UV‐visible spectroscopy techniques, respectively. Particularly, the elemental analysis, the crystalline nature, the energy band gap, the refractive index, the dispersion energy and static dielectric constant have been identified. The absorption coefficient spectral analysis in the sharp absorption region revealed a direct forbidden energy band gap of 1.22 eV. The cadmium doping has caused a significant decrease in the values of the energy band gap and in all the dispersive optical parameters, as well. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis and characterization of semiconductor metal sulfide nanocrystals using microemulsion technique

The semiconductor nanocrystals ZnS, PbS, CdS and CuS were synthesized via microemulsion technique involving metal acetate, reducing agent (Na₂S) and Triton X‐100 as surfactant. Nanocrystals were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The average size of ZnS, PbS, CdS and CuS nanocrystals were found to be 5.6 nm, 13.3 nm, 11.4 nm and 6.2 nm, respectively. Different parameters like surfactant (Triton X‐100) concentration, water‐to‐surfactant ratio (ω), precursor concentration [zinc acetate, (Zn(AC)₂], reducing agent concentration [sodium sulphide, (Na₂S)] were optimized to synthesize ZnS quantum dots.     

Influence of thermoannealing on crystallinity and optical properties of Sb2S3 thin films

Sb₂S₃ thin films are obtained by evaporating of Sb₂S₃ powder onto glass substrates maintained at room temperature under pressure of 2×10^‐5 torr. The composition of the thin films was determined by energy dispersive analysis of X‐ray (EDAX). The effect of thermal annealing in vacuum on the structural properties was studied using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The as‐deposition films were amorphous, while the annealed films have an orthorhombic polycrystalline structure. The optical constants of as‐deposited and annealed Sb₂S₃ thin films were obtained from the analysis of the experimental recorded transmission spectral data over the wavelength range 400‐1400 nm. The transmittance analysis allowed the determination of refractive index as function of wavelength. It was found that the refractive dispersion data obeyed the single oscillator model, from which the dispersion parameters (oscillator energy, E₀, dispersion energy, E_d) were determined. The static refractive index n(0), static dielectric constant, ε_∞, and optical band gap energy, E_g, were also calculated using the values of dispersion parameters. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Substrate temperature effect on the optical properties of amorphous Sb2S3 thin films

Sb₂S₃ amorphous thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation of corresponding powder on thoroughly cleaned glass substrates held at temperature in the range 300‐473 K. X‐ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy have been used to order to identify the structure and morphology of surface thin films. The optical constants of the deposition films were obtained from the analysis of the experimental recorded transmission data over the wavelength range 400‐1400 nm. An analysis of the absorption coefficient values revealed an optical indirect transition with the estimation of the corresponding band gap values. It was found that the optical band gap energy decrease with substrate temperature from 1.67 eV at 300 K to 1.48 eV at 473K. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Synthesis by organic molten salt method and characterization of chalcopyrite AgInS2 nanorods

In this paper, chalcopyrite AgInS₂ nanorods were synthesized for the first time by a one‐step, ambient pressure, environment friendly organic molten salt (OMS) method at 200 °C. The as‐synthesized products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The XRD results reveal that the as‐synthesized products at 120–160 °C under ambient pressure contain AgIn₅S₈ which will decrease with the increase of growth temperature. A sample containing only the chalcopyrite AgInS₂ phase is successfully obtained at 200 °C. Furthermore, the elemental compositions are found to become increasingly stoichiometric with increasing temperature. UV‐Vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectra are utilized to investigate the optical properties of AgInS₂ nanorods. By testing on UV‐Vis spectra, it is concluded that the limiting wavelength of the AgInS₂ nanorods is 661 nm and the band gap is 1.88 eV. A broad red emission band peak centered at about 1.874 eV (662 nm) is clearly observed at room temperature, and the intensity of the emission increases with excitation wavelength. In addition, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of the nanocrystals at the excitation wavelength of 250 nm was determined to be 13.2%. A possible growth mechanism of AgInS₂ nanorods was discussed. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Properties of Sm‐doped CaNb2O6 thin films deposited by radio‐frequency magnetron sputtering

Sm‐doped CaNb₂O₆ (CaNb₂O₆:Sm) phosphor thin films were prepared by radio‐frequency magnetron sputtering on sapphire substrates. The thin films were grown at several growth temperatures and subsequently annealed at 800 °C in air. The crystallinity, surface morphology, optical transmittance, and photoluminescence of the thin films were investigated by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry, and fluorescence spectrophotometry, respectively. All of the thin films showed a main red emission radiated by the transition from the ⁴G_5/2 excited state to the ⁶H_9/2 ground state of the Sm³⁺ ions and several weak bands under ultraviolet excitation with a 279 nm wavelength. The optimum growth temperature for depositing the high‐quality CaNb₂O₆:Sm thin films, which was determined from the luminescence intensity, was found to be 400 °C, where the thin film exhibited an orthorhombic structure with a thickness of 370 nm, an average grain size of 220 nm, a band gap energy of 3.99 eV, and an average optical transmittance of 85.9%. These results indicate that the growth temperature plays an important role in controlling the emission intensity and optical band gap energy of CaNb₂O₆:Sm thin films.     

Substrate effect on microstructure and optical performance of sputter‐deposited TiO2 thin films

This study deals with the role of the different substrates on the microstructural, optical and electronical properties of TiO₂ thin films produced by conventional direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering in a mixture of pure argon and oxygen using a Ti metal target with the aid of X–ray diffractometer (XRD), ultra violet spectrometer (UV–vis) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. Transparent TiO₂ thin films are deposited on Soda lime glass, MgO(100), quartz and sitall substrates. Phase purity, surface morphology, optical and photocatalytic properties of the films are compared with each other. It is found that the amplitude of interference oscillation of the films is in a range of 77‐89%. The transmittance of the film deposited on Soda lime glass is the smallest while the film produced on MgO(100) substrate obtains the maximum transmittance value. The refractive index and optical band gap of the TiO₂ thin films are also inferred from the transmittance spectra. The results show that the film deposited on Soda lime glass has the better optical property while the film produced on MgO(100) substrate exhibits much better photoactivity than the other films because of the large optical energy band gap. As for the XRD results, the film prepared on MgO(100) substrate contains the anatase phase only; on the other hand, the other films contain both anatase and rutile phases. Furthermore, AFM images show that the regular structures are observed on the surface of all the films studied. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

铜蒸发温度对共蒸发法制备Cu2ZnSnSe4太阳电池的影响

由于Cu元素的含量对Cu2ZnSnSe4(CZTSe)化合物的薄膜性质及电池性能都有影响,本文主要研究了不同铜蒸发温度对CZTSe薄膜性质及电池性能的影响.研究表明:当铜蒸发温度较低时(1400 ℃),CZTSe薄膜中含有SnSe相,同时薄膜呈N型;随着铜蒸发温度的提高,CZTSe薄膜的结晶质量明显提升.但当铜蒸发温度过高时(1500 ℃),薄膜中含有CuxSey相.二次相SnSe与CuxSey的存在都会使电池失效.最终通过优化铜的蒸发温度,在较合适的1450 ℃ 铜蒸发温度条件下制备出效率为2.63;(有效面积0.34 cm2)的CZTSe太阳电池.     

Characterization of thin‐film a‐Si:H/µc‐Si:H tandem solar cells on glass substrates

Techniques, such as photoluminescence (PL) and electron‐beam‐induced current (EBIC), have already proven their effectiveness and applicability for solar materials. Although, the methods are standard techniques for multicrystalline Si PV, their application to thin films is challenging and requires special adjustment and a careful selection of the measuring parameters. Here we report on the investigation of thin‐film tandem solar cells consisting of hydrogenated amorphous (a‐Si:H) and microcrystalline silicon (µc‐Si:H) on glass substrates. We observe a homogeneous spatial distribution of the PL signals caused by the dominance of the surface recombination. A typical PL spectrum exhibits sub‐band gap features of a‐Si:H. We relate the sub‐band‐gap spectral features mainly to transitions of carriers trapped in deep states. Observations on partially processed stacks support this supposition. PL is only detectable on the a‐Si:H layer, while EBIC signal is generated mainly in the µc‐Si:H layer. It is found out that the luminescence features of the thin a‐Si:H layer resemble those on bulk a‐Si:H.