CdSe/ZnS quantum dots as a booster in the active layer of distributed ternary organic photovoltaics

• Gabriela Lewińska,
• Piotr Jeleń,
• Zofia Kucia,
• Maciej Sitarz,
• Łukasz Walczak,
• Bartłomiej Szafraniak,
• Jerzy Sanetra and
• Konstanty W. Marszalek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 144–156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.14

• mixture of donor and acceptor materials enriched with quantum dots. Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT, donor) and 6,6-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM, acceptor) are used as base materials and reference materials in organic photovoltaic cell research [42][43][44] (Figure 1). These

• homogeneous, transparent, and colored, except for QD640, which was a dark solution with only little transparency. First, P3HT (regioregular) and PC71BM were dissolved in chloroform to obtain 10 mg/mL solutions. The solutions were combined with the quantum dots solution in selected ratios. The mixtures were

• (point by point). The layer under consideration was first pure quantum dots and then a ternary system with PC71BM and P3HT. The refractive index (n) of the quantum dots thin film and the extinction coefficient (k) were estimated using the Lorentz model modified by Tauc. The complex dielectric function is

Templating effect of single-layer graphene supported by an insulating substrate on the molecular orientation of lead phthalocyanine

• K. Priya Madhuri,
• Abhay A. Sagade,
• Pralay K. Santra and
• Neena S. John

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 814–820, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.66

• molecules such as FePc, CoPc, CuPc and ZnPc, which form layers in a face-on configuration [16][17][18][19]. A combination of brilliant synchrotron radiation and a highly sensitive 2D X-ray detector are employed to establish the structure and orientation of organic molecules such as MPcs, pentacene and P3HT

Semitransparent Sb₂S₃ thin film solar cells by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis for use in solar windows

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Lothar Weinhardt,
• Monika Blum,
• Clemens Heske,
• Wanli Yang,
• Ilona Oja Acik and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.230

• spectroscopy, semitransparent Sb2S3 thin films can be rapidly grown in air by the area-scalable ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. Integrated into a ITO/TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT/Au solar cell, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.5% at air mass 1.5 global (AM1.5G) is achieved, which is a record among spray

• chemical methods [20]. Until now, semitransparency aspects of Sb2S3 solar cells have only been studied by Zimmermann et al., who reported a PCE of 4.25% for a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO)/TiO2/Sb2S3/poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)/Ag solar cell with a 50–70 nm thick Sb2S3 absorber and a

• nontransparent 125 nm Ag back contact [21]. TiO2 is the most commonly used electron transport material (ETM) in Sb2S3 solar cells [18][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. SnO2 and ZnO have also been employed as the planar ETM, with varying success [33][34]. Conjugated polymers, e.g., P3HT, Spiro-OMeTAD (2,2',7,7

Nontoxic pyrite iron sulfide nanocrystals as second electron acceptor in PTB7:PC₇₁BM-based organic photovoltaic cells

• Olivia Amargós-Reyes,
• José-Luis Maldonado,
• Omar Martínez-Alvarez,
• María-Elena Nicho,
• José Santos-Cruz,
• Juan Nicasio-Collazo,
• Irving Caballero-Quintana and
• Concepción Arenas-Arrocena

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2238–2250, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.216

• have obtained a PCE of ≈2% at a size of 2.52 × 0.52 m [25]. The bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) approach is the most promising configuration to enhance the interpenetrated interface area in OPVs. In previous works, OPVs based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) or poly(thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-co-benzodithiophene

• graphene has been used to dope the active layer based on P3HT, increasing the conversion efficiency by 59% compared to the undoped devices [43]. Also, solution processable functionalized graphene (SPFG) was incorporated as a third component in PTB7:PC71BM active layers obtaining a PCE increment of 22% with

• hybrid solar cells, as hole transport layers in perovskite solar cells, and as a second electron acceptor in OPVs. For instance, when slightly spherical iron pyrite NPs of 10–25 nm size were used as acceptors in P3HT-based solar cells, very poor PV parameters were attained [10][14][15][61]. When

Uniform Sb₂S₃ optical coatings by chemical spray method

• Jako S. Eensalu,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Erki Kärber,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Arvo Mere and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 198–210, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.18

• Sb2S3 layers and presented the first planar TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT solar cells comprising ultrasonically sprayed Sb2S3 (power conversion efficiency η ≤ 1.9%) [12]. SbCl3 and thiourea (SC(NH2)2) are often used in the field to deposit Sb2S3 thin films. Spraying the SbCl3/SC(NH2)2 (henceforth Sb/S) 1:6 molar

Charged particle single nanometre manufacturing

• Philip D. Prewett,
• Cornelis W. Hagen,
• Claudia Lenk,
• Steve Lenk,
• Marcus Kaestner,
• Tzvetan Ivanov,
• Ahmad Ahmad,
• Ivo W. Rangelow,
• Xiaoqing Shi,
• Stuart A. Boden,
• Alex P. G. Robinson,
• Dongxu Yang,
• Sangeetha Hari,
• Marijke Scotuzzi and
• Ejaz Huq

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2855–2882, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.266

Lead-free hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics

• Oleksandr Stroyuk

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2209–2235, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.207

• cells with mixed MASnxPb1−xI3 HPs and a P3HT HTL showed a dome-shaped PCE dependence on the lead content (Figure 3a), where a maximum η of 4.18% was achieved at an Sn/Pb atomic ratio of 1:1 [68]. The conventional MAPI HP displayed a much lower efficiency, while a pure Sn-based HP turned out to be

• mV/s). A hysteresis-free cell was also constructed by combining the single-crystalline MABI with a P3HT HTL [85]. A layer of CsBi3I10 perovskite deposited by a conventional spin-coating/drying method on top of gold electrodes demonstrated a high photoresponse in the range of λ < 700 nm [169]. The

Spin-coated planar Sb₂S₃ hybrid solar cells approaching 5% efficiency

• Pascal Kaienburg,
• Benjamin Klingebiel and
• Thomas Kirchartz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2114–2124, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.200

• eventually a lower open-circuit voltage Voc. To confirm this hypothesis we produced solar cells in a standard configuration described in the experimental section with P3HT as the hole transport material. The results are shown in Figure 3d and Table S1, Supporting Information File 1 and the Jsc values

• the chemical composition and microstructure of the Sb2S3 layer. With a focus on the two different hole transport materials P3HT and KP115 shown in Figure 4a, the J–V curves and solar cell performance of the best devices for the two process routes are compared in Figure 4b and Table 1. The Sb-BDC

• on the choice of HTM which could limit the Voc in the case of P3HT. This explanation is consistent with the negligible Voc difference between different HTMs in the case of the pinhole-free layers obtained from the Sb-BDC process. The two semiconducting polymers poly(3-hexylthiophene) P3HT and poly

A scanning probe microscopy study of nanostructured TiO₂/poly(3-hexylthiophene) hybrid heterojunctions for photovoltaic applications

• Laurie Letertre,
• Roland Roche,
• Olivier Douhéret,
• Hailu G. Kassa,
• Denis Mariolle,
• Nicolas Chevalier,
• Łukasz Borowik,
• Philippe Dumas,
• Benjamin Grévin,
• Roberto Lazzaroni and
• Philippe Leclère

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2087–2096, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.197

• monolayer of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) functionalized with carboxylic groups (–COOH). Through a joint analysis of the photovoltaic properties at the nanoscale by photoconductive-AFM (PC-AFM) and surface photovoltage imaging, we investigated the physical mechanisms taking place locally during the

• photovoltaic process and the correlation to the nanoscale morphology. A down-shift of the vacuum level of the TiO2 surface upon grafting was measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), evidencing the formation of a dipole at the TiO2/P3HT-COOH interface. Upon in situ illumination, a positive photovoltage

• was observed as a result of the accumulation of photogenerated holes in the P3HT layer. A positive photocurrent was recorded in PC-AFM measurements, whose spatial mapping was interpreted consistently with the corresponding KPFM analysis, offering a correlated analysis of interest from both a

P3HT:PCBM blend films phase diagram on the base of variable-temperature spectroscopic ellipsometry

• Barbara Hajduk,
• Henryk Bednarski,
• Bożena Jarząbek,
• Henryk Janeczek and
• Paweł Nitschke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1108–1115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.102

• composition of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend films influences their phase transitions using variable-temperature spectroscopic ellipsometry. We demonstrate that this non-destructive method is a very sensitive optical technique to investigate the phase

• organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) are extensively studied organic materials because of their important practical applications in organic electronics, especially in organic photovoltaic devices (OPV devices) [1

• donor P3HT and the acceptor PCBM. Such solar cells can be fabricated from mixed P3HT and PCBM solutions deposited on transparent electrodes by spin-coating [13][14]. Besides, bulk solar cells based on P3HT and PCBM blends became the benchmark for comparisons with maximum values of reported power

Synthesis and characterization of two new TiO₂-containing benzothiazole-based imine composites for organic device applications

• Anna Różycka,
• Agnieszka Iwan,
• Krzysztof Artur Bogdanowicz,
• Michal Filapek,
• Natalia Górska,
• Damian Pociecha,
• Marek Malinowski,
• Patryk Fryń,
• Agnieszka Hreniak,
• Jakub Rysz,
• Paweł Dąbczyński and
• Monika Marzec

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 721–739, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.67

• –) cannot be excluded (see Figure 12). Jayabharathi et al. [1] observed analog interactions between TiO2 and imidazoles. Next, we carried out a series of CV measurements for imine:TiO2 and imine:P3HT mixtures. As can be seen in Figure 13a and in Table 1, the addition of titanium dioxide and P3HT to SP1 at a

• weight ratio of 1:1 lowered the reduction peak onset to −1.6 V and −1.65 V, respectively. However, in both cases mentioned above, additives shifted the electrochemical response of SP1 but no Faradic process was observed, which could be associated with TiO2 or P3HT reduction (in this potential region). On

• the other hand, as it can be seen in Figure 13b for the SP1:TiO2 (1:1 w/w) mixture, two well-exhibited oxidation waves were registered at a potential of 90 mV, which is lower as compared with the value obtained for SP1 without TiO2. Finally, the compound with the P3HT (1:1 w/w) mixture was prepared

Optimisation of purification techniques for the preparation of large-volume aqueous solar nanoparticle inks for organic photovoltaics

• Furqan Almyahi,
• Thomas R. Andersen,
• Nathan A. Cooling,
• Natalie P. Holmes,
• Matthew J. Griffith,
• Krishna Feron,
• Xiaojing Zhou,
• Warwick J. Belcher and
• Paul C. Dastoor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 649–659, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.60

• , Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia CSIRO Energy Technology, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia 10.3762/bjnano.9.60 Abstract In this study we have optimised the preparation conditions for large-volume nanoparticle inks, based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):indene-C60 multiadducts (ICxA), through two purification

• inks as the key parameter. Experimental Materials and equipment Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) (Mn 20 kDa) and ICxA were synthesised in house according to the literature [28], with this batch of ICxA consisting of a mixture of 36% ICMA, 51% ICBA and 13% ICTA [16][27][28]. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS

• Class AAA solar simulator with an AM 1.5 spectrum filter. The light intensity was calibrated to 100 mW cm−2 using a silicon reference solar cell (FHG-ISE). (A) The Z-average size of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):indene-C60 multiadducts (ICxA) NPs dialysed by crossflow and centrifugal ultrafiltration

Tandem polymer solar cells: simulation and optimization through a multiscale scheme

• Fanan Wei,
• Ligang Yao,
• Fei Lan,
• Guangyong Li and
• Lianqing Liu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 123–133, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.13

• mimic the photocurrent generation process and subsequently optimize the device structures in tandem polymer solar cells with poly(3-hexylthiophene)/phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PCBM) and (poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3

• are optically highly coupled. Thus, an optical decoupling process is required before any evaluation of device performance. In the optical calculation part developed here, the complex refractive index of the blend with varied D/A weight ratios (2:1, 3:2, 1:1, 2:3 and 1:2) in the P3HT/PCBM layer was

• calculated using bulk effective medium method [21]. The optical parameters for pure P3HT and PCBM were provided by McGehee et al. [22]. In the reported experiments [8][23][24], the D/A weight ratio of PCPDTBT/PCBM in polymer solar cells has been varied between 2:1 and 1:4. Due to the lack of optical index

Sb₂S₃ grown by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and its application in a hybrid solar cell

• Erki Kärber,
• Atanas Katerski,
• Ilona Oja Acik,
• Arvo Mere,
• Valdek Mikli and
• Malle Krunks

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1662–1673, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.158

• if an abundance of sulfur source is present in the precursor solution (SbCl3/SC(NH2)2 = 1:6) sprayed onto the substrate at 250 °C in air. Solar cells with glass-ITO-TiO2-Sb2S3-P3HT-Au structure and an active area of 1 cm2 had an open circuit voltage of 630 mV, short circuit current density of 5 mA

• technology coupled with earth abundant materials is an attractive path for affordable next-generation solar cells. The present paper relies on the recently proven concept of TiO2/Sb2S3/P3HT solar cells [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12], in which Sb2S3 is the light absorber, also called the sensitizer

• , situated in the electrical junction created by TiO2 and P3HT (polythiophene) as the electron and hole conductor, respectively. For these type of solar cells, fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) is prevalently used to contact the TiO2 while evaporated Au has been used to contact the P3HT. The use of a polymeric

Synthesis and applications of carbon nanomaterials for energy generation and storage

• Marco Notarianni,
• Jinzhang Liu,
• Kristy Vernon and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 149–196, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.17

An insight into the mechanism of charge-transfer of hybrid polymer:ternary/quaternary chalcopyrite colloidal nanocrystals

• Parul Chawla,
• Son Singh and
• Shailesh Narain Sharma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1235–1244, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.137

• donor and the charge separation mechanism across the donor–acceptor interface from the extent of crystallinity of the chalcopyrite semiconductors (CISe/CIGSe/CZTSe). Quaternary CZTSe chalcopyrites with their high crystallinity and controlled morphology in conjunction with regioregular P3HT polymer is an

• attractive candidate for hybrid solar cells applications. Keywords: chalcopyrites; charge-transfer; hybrid organic-inorganic; nanocomposites; P3HT; Introduction Organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices composed of polymer matrices can be regarded as promising third-generation solar cells amongst emerging PV

• photovoltaics [5][6]. To this day, numerous inorganic semiconductors such as ZnO, TiO2, CdSe, CdS, PbSe and PbS have been studied. Particular focus has been put on the investigation of selenides or sulfides in conjunction with organic polymers (MEH-PPV, P3HT) for hybrid solar cell applications [6][7]. However

Low-temperature synthesis of carbon nanotubes on indium tin oxide electrodes for organic solar cells

• Andrea Capasso,
• Luigi Salamandra,
• Aldo Di Carlo,
• John M. Bell and
• Nunzio Motta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 524–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.60

• solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), the MWCNT-enhanced electrodes are found to improve the charge-carrier extraction from the photoactive blend, thanks to the additional percolation paths provided by the CNTs. The work function of as

• -modified ITO surfaces was measured by the Kelvin probe method to be 4.95 eV, resulting in an improved matching to the highest occupied molecular orbital level of the P3HT. This is in turn expected to increase the hole transport and collection at the anode, contributing to the significant increase of

• on other expensive inorganic semiconductors. At present, the most successful and widespread blend for organic photovoltaics is based on a composite of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl (PCBM) [4][5]. In this cell architecture the polymer acts as an electron donor and

Surface functionalization of aluminosilicate nanotubes with organic molecules

• Wei Ma,
• Weng On Yah,
• Hideyuki Otsuka and
• Atsushi Takahara

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 82–100, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.10

• introducing a phosphonic acid group to the corresponding molecules. The optical and photophysical properties of these conjugated-molecule-decorated imogolite nanotubes were characterized. Moreover, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) chains were further hybridized with HT3P modified imogolite to form a nanofiber

• solution in good solvent can result in a weak crystalline solid without perceptible morphological structure [81][82]. On the other hand, the slow cooling from 70 °C to room temperature of a P3HT solution in a poor solvent, such as xylene or anisole, leads to the formation of a fibrous semicrystalline

• proposed as the inorganic nanotube to be hybridized with P3HT nanofibers. Reinforcement of P3HT nanofibers by imogolite is expected to impart additional mechanical and thermal stability to organic compounds, making the resulted hybrid material more durable under the outer environmental conditions

Direct-write polymer nanolithography in ultra-high vacuum

• Woo-Kyung Lee,
• Minchul Yang,
• Arnaldo R. Laracuente,
• William P. King,
• Lloyd J. Whitman and
• Paul E. Sheehan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 52–56, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.6

• 0.24 ± 0.04 nm [19]. In contrast, Terada et al. [20] reported poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) on H-terminated Si(100) in UHV to be 0.5 nm thick. Our measured value is closer to the 0.4 nm intermolecular spacing measured for thick films of PDDT [14]. In the prior STM measurements, the measured thickness

Self-assembled monolayers and titanium dioxide: From surface patterning to potential applications

• Yaron Paz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 845–861, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.94