Synthesis and properties of novel methanofullerenes having ethylthienyl and/or n-pentyl group for photovoltaic cells

Novel methanofullerenes 3 having ethylthienyl and/or n-pentyl groups were designed and synthesized for the purpose of developing new acceptors for an organic photovoltaic cell with higher performance than that of the [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butylic acid methyl ester (PCBM) used as the standard acceptor. The electronic absorption spectra and cyclic voltammetry (CV) of 3, PCBM, and [6,6]-(thiophene-2-yl)-C₆₁-butylic acid methyl ester (ThCBM) were measured to estimate solubility and reduction potentials as characteristics of n-type semiconductor for organic photovoltaic devices. The CV measurements revealed reversible reduction waves for all of the methanofullerenes and the first reduction potentials of the n-pentyl-substituted 1-(5-ethylthiophene-2-yl)-[6,6]-methanofullerene[60] (3b) and 1-phenyl-[6,6]-methanofullerene[60] (3c) were negatively shifted compared to those of the corresponding terminal methyl ester-substituted homologues (3a and PCBM). The performances of photovoltaic devices consisting of 3b and 3c were slightly higher than those of PCBM.     

Investigation of molar concentration effect on structural,optical, electrical,and photovoltaic properties of spray‐coated Cu2O thin films

High quality copper oxide thin films were prepared by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique using different concentrations of copper precursor solution. Concentration‐dependent structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the prepared films are discussed. X‐ray diffraction studies done for the samples confirmed that the deposited films are in Cu₂O phase with polycrystalline cubic structure. Atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that all the films are composed of nano sheet shaped grains covering the substrate surface. Optical studies done on the samples showed band gap values 2.42, 2.31, and 2.02 eV for the solution concentration 0.01, 0.05, and 0.1 M, respectively. Photoluminescence spectral analysis showed the emission band at 620 nm confirming the formation of cuprous oxide. Electrical analysis of the films showed p‐type conductivity with a low resistivity 2.19 × 10² Ω.cm and high carrier concentration 16.76 × 10 ¹⁵ cm⁻³ for the molar concentration 0.1 M. In this work, Cu₂O/ZnO heterojunctions were also prepared, and solar cell properties were studied; they were found to show increased open circuit voltage and short circuit current for higher copper concentration.     

Acid‐treated g‐C3N4‐Cu2O composite catalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible‐light irradiation

Acid‐treated g‐C₃N₄‐Cu₂O was prepared by hydrothermal reduction followed by high temperature calcination and acid exfoliation. The structures and properties of as‐synthesized samples were characterized using a range of techniques, such as X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Photoluminescence Spectroscopy and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by measuring the photodegradation of methyl orange under visible‐light irradiation. Based on the results of TEM, XPS, EPR and other techniques, it was verified that a heterojunction was formed. The acid treatment process can increase the specific surface area to form abundant heterojunction interfaces as channels for photo‐generated carrier separation, thereby enhancing its light utilization and quantum efficiency. Results indicate that acid‐treated g‐C₃N₄‐Cu₂O possesses a large specific surface area, which provides plentiful activated sites for heterojunctions to form; in addition, it showed a high visible light effect and the minimum charge‐transfer resistance. Furthermore, the g‐C₃N₄‐Cu₂O material exhibits high levels of effectiveness and stability. Electron paramagnetic resonance and a series of radical trapping experiments demonstrate that the holes and ?O₂^? could be the main active species in methyl orange photodegradation. This work could provide new insights into the fabrication of composite materials as high‐performance photocatalysts, and facilitate their application in addressing environmental protection issues.     

有机太阳能电池简介与展望

太阳能是一种非常重要的可再生能源。将太阳能转化为电能的有机太阳能电池,因其具有重量轻,柔韧性好,可以进行大面积、低成本的柔性制备等优点,为解决未来全球的能源问题提供了一种选择。简要介绍了有机太阳能电池的发展、性能参数、工作机理和应用实例。     

Morphological study of an intrinsically stretchable photovoltaic bulk heterojunction

Thin‐film polymer solar cell consisting of [6,6]‐phenyl‐C71‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) and poly[[4,8‐bis[(2‐ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl][3‐fluoro‐2‐[(2‐ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4‐b]thiophenediyl]] (PTB7) demonstrates elastic stretchability with the aid of a high boiling point additive, 1,8‐diiodooctane (DIO). The usage of DIO not only helps to form uniformly distributed nanocrystalline grains, but may also create free volumes between the nano‐grains that allow for relative sliding between the nano‐grains. The relative sliding can accommodate large external deformation. Large dichroic ratios of the optical absorption of both PC₇₁BM and PTB7 were observed under large‐strain deformation, indicating reorientation of the nanocrystalline PC₇₁BM and PTB7 polymer chains along stretching direction. The dichroic ratio decreases to nearly 1.0 as the blend was relaxed to 0% strain. Therefore, the nanometer‐size grain blending morphology provides an approach to impart stretchability to organic semiconductors that are otherwise un‐stretchable. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 814–820     

g-C3N4/Bi2O2CO32D纳米片复合材料的制备及可见光催化性能研究

采用自组装和化学沉淀法分别制得两种可见光驱动复合材料石墨相氮化碳/碳酸氧铋(g-C_3N_4/Bi_2O_2CO_3).采用X射线衍射光谱(XRD),紫外可见光谱、扫描电镜(SEM)、N_2吸附、电化学阻抗谱(EIS)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等分析手段对制备的催化剂进行了表征.结果表明,制备方法对纳米复合材料的晶相、形态及光学性能没有影响,但是影响g-C_3N_4和Bi_2O_2CO_3之间的相互作用力,导致光生电子-空穴对的分离速率存在显著差异.以可见光驱动苯酚和罗丹明B的降解实验为探针反应检测催化剂的光催化性能.实验结果表明自组装法得到的异质结催化剂中相互作用力更强,催化效果最高.O_2-是罗丹明B降解反应的主要活性物种,染料的光敏化、Bi_2O_2CO_3与g-C_3N_4综合效应,导致光生载流子电荷分离效率更高.     

Bi2SiO5半导体光催化剂

Bi基半导体光催化剂具备独特的电子能带结构、可调节与可拓展的光谱响应范围、低毒及组成元素供给丰富等优点,使其成为高效、可实用型光催化剂的重要候选者。而Bi基非金属氧酸盐作为新型半导体光催化剂,其非金属氧酸根的表面修饰作用及高结晶性使其呈现出更加独特的光催化活性。本文简要介绍了Bi基半导体光催化剂的结构特性及近几年的研究进展,重点综述了Bi基非金属氧酸盐的一员--Bi₂SiO₅及其制备、异质结的构建和电子能带结构的研究进展,并对其今后的研究与应用方向作了进一步的展望。     

δ-(Zn,Cr)S(111)表面上的Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya作用:第一性原理计算

根据密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算了具有非中心反演对称的异质结δ-(Zn,Cr)S(111)体系的原子结构和电子结构.Cr原子之间通过第一层S原子传递磁性相互作用.结合广义布洛赫条件,又进一步计算了反方向的自旋螺旋能量与波矢的色散关系E(q)与E(-q).E(q)与E(-q)能量之差反映了δ-(Zn,Cr)S(111)的S层与Cr层之间空间反演对称性破缺引起的DMI的大小.通过海森伯相互作用(HBI)模型与Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya作用(DMI)模型拟合第一性原理计算值,得到了Cr原子间各近邻的HBI参数J_1-J_4与DMI参数d-_1,d_2.在δ-(Zn,Cr)S(111)中,Cr原子间的耦合为M型反铁磁.DMI参数d_1为-0.53 meV,为顺时针手性DMI,在δ-(Zn,Cr)S(111)界面上有可能会产生斯格明子.本文计算表明,磁性和非磁性半导体界面有可能存在DMI,为理论研究和磁存储技术的进步开拓一个新的方向.     

Crystal packing effects within [Mn3O] single-molecule magnets: Controlling intermolecular antiferromagnetic interactions

The reactions of 2-hydroxyphenylethanone oxime (Me-H₂salox) and (2-hydroxy-phenyl)-phenyl-methanone oxime (Ph-H₂salox) with Mn(ClO₄)₂·6H₂O in MeOH afford trinuclear manganese complexes of [Mn₃O(Me-salox)₃(MeOH)₃(ClO₄)]·MeOH (1·MeOH) and [Mn₃O(Ph-salox)₃(MeOH)₃(ClO₄)]·2MeOH (2·2MeOH), respectively. X-ray analysis shows that both complexes contain a manganese triangle core, [Mn^III₃O]⁷⁺. The structural distortion from the twisting of the oxime ligands dominates the ferromagnetic interactions within the three Mn ions in both compounds and results in an S = 6 ground state. The frequency dependence of out-of-phase signals in the alternating current (AC) magnetic susceptibility measurements and the temperature-dependent and sweep-rate-dependent hysteresis loops are indicative of single-molecule magnet behavior. Moreover, both complexes show step-wise magnetization, indicating the occurrence of quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM). Interestingly, a tail to tail arrangement in the crystal packing of complex 1·MeOH results in strong intermolecular H-bonding interactions and leads to the exchange-bias effect from the antiferromagnetic interaction between the adjacent Mn₃ molecules. In contract, QTM steps of complex 2·2MeOH show an absence of the exchange-bias effect due to a weak intermolecular interaction from a head to tail arrangement.     

Partial P-Type Metal Ions Doping Induced Variation of Both Crystal Structure and Oxygen Vacancy Within Cu/SnO2 Metastable Solid Solution Nanofibers for Highly Sensitive C2H2 Sensor

Partial P-type metal ions doping(PPMID) is an alternative method to further enhance the gas sensing performance of N-type metal oxides(NMOs) in contrast to that of P-N metal oxides heterojunctions, but the influences of the introduction of PPMID on the grain size and oxygen vacancies of NMOs have been rarely investigated. Herein, a simple and effective route has been demonstrated to address this problem with Cu²⁺-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers(CSMSSNs) as model and C₂H₂ as target molecule by combining electrospinning and calcination technique. It seems that the introduction of PPMID can also affect crystal structure and oxygen vacancies of NMOs, proven by combining X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS). Thus, PPD, crystal structure and oxygen vacancies have been combined to clarify the enhanced sensing performance of Cu-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers angainst C₂H₂.