Changes of the absorption cross section of Si nanocrystals with temperature and distance

• Michael Greben,
• Petro Khoroshyy,
• Sebastian Gutsch,
• Daniel Hiller,
• Margit Zacharias and
• Jan Valenta

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2315–2323, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.231

• parameters for spectroscopic studies and the design of Si NC optoelectronic devices, which is related to the strength of light absorption: the absorption cross section (ACS), σ. The ACS directly reflects the probability of optical transitions and is defined as the ratio [7] between photon absorption rate for

Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO quantum dot/KNb₃O₈ nanosheet photocatalysts for reducing carbon dioxide to methanol

• Xiao Shao,
• Weiyue Xin and
• Xiaohong Yin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2264–2270, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.226

• displayed an absorption threshold at 376 nm. Compared with the pure KNb3O8 nanosheets, we found a significant red-shift of the absorption edge, which could attribute to the enhancement observed by the ZnO quantum dots upon visible-light absorption. The optical band gap (Eg) of semiconductors could be

Two-dimensional carbon-based nanocomposites for photocatalytic energy generation and environmental remediation applications

• Suneel Kumar,
• Ashish Kumar,
• Ashish Bahuguna,
• Vipul Sharma and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1571–1600, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.159

• multifunctional, sustainable photocatalytic material. The main drawback from which pure g-C3N4 suffers is poor light absorption and fast recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, which leads to low photocatalytic efficiency and limits its applications [61]. To date, various attempts have been made to

• improve the light absorption of g-C3N4 and retard the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers to improve the photocatalytic efficiency. These strategies involve doping with metal atoms [70], non-metal doping [71], coupling with other carbon-based materials [72], and heterojunction formation by

• separation rate of photogenerated charge carriers to enhance the quantum yield. Notably, such heterojunction formation with semiconductors also enhances the light absorption efficiency of photocatalysts from UV to visible region of the solar energy spectrum. Furthermore, it is noteworthy to mention here that

Spin-chemistry concepts for spintronics scientists

• Konstantin L. Ivanov,
• Alexander Wagenpfahl,
• Carsten Deibel and
• Jörg Matysik

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1427–1445, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.143

• of OSCs are shown in Figure 1. Ideally, singlet excitons in either donor or acceptor material are generated upon light absorption (a), here shown as S0→S1 transition. For sake of simplicity we just consider the absorption taking place in the donor: the singlet exciton can diffuse towards the

ZnO nanoparticles sensitized by CuInZn_xS_2+x quantum dots as highly efficient solar light driven photocatalysts

• Florian Donat,
• Serge Corbel,
• Halima Alem,
• Steve Pontvianne,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Ghouti Medjahdi and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1080–1093, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.110

• coupled to those of the QDs [10][11][12]. Heterostructured photocatalysts such as ZnO/CdS or TiO2/CdS or TiO2/PbS exhibit extended light absorption and improved photoreactivity due to the promoted separation of photo-induced charge carriers [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. However, QDs such as CdS or PbS

• singlet oxygen and hydrogen peroxide play a key role in the degradation of the dye. The improved solar light photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/ZCIS composite is achieved by the increased lifetime of charge carrier transfer and by the increased light absorption in the visible region due to the

High photocatalytic activity of Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposites prepared by photodeposition for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

• Shu Chin Lee,
• Hendrik O. Lintang and
• Leny Yuliati

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 915–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.93

• the charge transfer of O2−→Ti4+ and electron excitation from the valence band (VB) to the conduction band (CB) [7][20][21]. Both the heat treatment and addition of Fe species did not affect the light absorption of the TiO2 (NT) in the UV and visible region. Owing to the low loading of Fe, there was no

• photodeposition method were also measured (see Supporting Information File 1, Figure S4). Similar to the nanocomposites prepared by the impregnation method, the photodeposition treatment and addition of Fe species also did not much affect the light absorption or the Eg of both the TiO2 (PD_T) and Fe2O3/TiO2 (PD

Synthesis of graphene–transition metal oxide hybrid nanoparticles and their application in various fields

• Arpita Jana,
• Elke Scheer and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 688–714, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.74

Study of the surface properties of ZnO nanocolumns used for thin-film solar cells

• Neda Neykova,
• Jiri Stuchlik,
• Karel Hruska,
• Ales Poruba,
• Zdenek Remes and
• Ognen Pop-Georgievski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 446–451, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.48

• region of silicon above approximately 650 nm, leading to efficiencies well above 13% at the cell level and above 12% at the module level [3][4]. However, the photo-generated current, determined by light absorption, is limited by the drift of generated electrons and holes across the absorber layer. Thus

Fabrication of black-gold coatings by glancing angle deposition with sputtering

• Alan Vitrey,
• Rafael Alvarez,
• Alberto Palmero,
• María Ujué González and
• José Miguel García-Martín

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 434–439, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.46

• 10.3762/bjnano.8.46 Abstract The fabrication of black-gold coatings using sputtering is reported here. Glancing angle deposition with a rotating substrate is needed to obtain vertical nanostructures. Enhanced light absorption is obtained in the samples prepared in the ballistic regime with high tilt

• angles. Under these conditions the diameter distribution of the nanostructures is centered at about 60 nm and the standard deviation is large enough to obtain black-metal behavior in the visible range. Keywords: black coatings; black metals; glancing angle deposition; light absorption; sputtering

• glancing angle deposition with substrate rotation. The coatings are made of columnar nanostructures that are produced due to shadowing effects in the ballistic regime of sputtering. In order to obtain enhanced light absorption in the visible range, high tilt angle is needed, which gives rise to a diameter

Photocatalysis applications of some hybrid polymeric composites incorporating TiO₂ nanoparticles and their combinations with SiO₂/Fe₂O₃

• Andreea Laura Chibac,
• Tinca Buruiana,
• Violeta Melinte and
• Emil C. Buruiana

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 272–286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.30

• . The presence of Fe2O3 NPs extended the light absorption of TiO2 into the visible range, a feature that recommends their use in water purification under sunlight. Experimental Materials Titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP), glacial acetic acid, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), iron(II) chloride

Grazing-incidence optical magnetic recording with super-resolution

• Gunther Scheunert,
• Sidney. R. Cohen,
• René Kullock,
• Ryan McCarron,
• Katya Rechev,
• Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri,
• Ora Bitton,
• Paul Dawson,
• Bert Hecht and
• Dan Oron

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 28–37, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.4

• by a factor of 10, which enables the use of low-power laser sources and pulses shorter than 20 ns, comparable to industry HAMR benchmarks [21]. Power requirements are further eased by using FePt recording media [24], designed for improved laser light absorption and lower operating temperatures

Role of RGO support and irradiation source on the photocatalytic activity of CdS–ZnO semiconductor nanostructures

• Suneel Kumar,
• Rahul Sharma,
• Vipul Sharma,
• Gurunarayanan Harith,
• Vaidyanathan Sivakumar and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1684–1697, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.161

• ]. As-prepared CdS NP have an absorption edge around 580 nm, which corresponds to a band gap value of about 2.12 eV in agreement with the value reported for CdS [23]. Bare GO also shows the excellent light absorption in the range of 200–800 nm. Various studies have confirmed that the band gap of GO

• GO affects the optical properties of the ternary nanocomposite and is responsible for the red shift in the absorption spectrum, which ultimately results in narrowing of the band gap, which not only enhances light absorption in the visible light region, but also facilities efficient mobility of the

Nanostructured germanium deposited on heated substrates with enhanced photoelectric properties

• Ionel Stavarache,
• Valentin Adrian Maraloiu,
• Petronela Prepelita and
• Gheorghe Iordache

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1492–1500, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.142

• [12], the amorphous or crystalline state of the nanostructure [13], the shape of the nanostructure and whether or not it is layered [14]. Taking into account the influence of all these factors, the conduction or light absorption mechanism in the nanostructures appear to be quite complex, and it cannot

Photothermal effect of gold nanostar patterns inkjet-printed on coated paper substrates with different permeability

• Mykola Borzenkov,
• Anni Määttänen,
• Petri Ihalainen,
• Maddalena Collini,
• Elisa Cabrini,
• Giacomo Dacarro,
• Piersandro Pallavicini and
• Giuseppe Chirico

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1480–1485, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.140

• substrates and for a wide range of drop density. After an initial linear temperature increase, a saturation effect sets in at about Iexc = 0.5 W/cm2. This behaviour can be rationalized in terms of a model that accounts for the localized light absorption by the printed pattern, its energy conversion to heat

High performance Ce-doped ZnO nanorods for sunlight-driven photocatalysis

• Bilel Chouchene,
• Tahar Ben Chaabane,
• Lavinia Balan,
• Emilien Girot,
• Kevin Mozet,
• Ghouti Medjahdi and
• Raphaël Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1338–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.125

• substantially enhanced light absorption in the visible region, to the high surface area of ZnO:Ce rods and to the effective electron–hole pair separation originating from Ce doping. The influence of various experimental parameters like the pH, the presence of salts and of organic compounds was investigated and

Understanding interferometry for micro-cantilever displacement detection

• Alexander von Schmidsfeld,
• Tobias Nörenberg,
• Matthias Temmen and
• Michael Reichling

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 841–851, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.76

• . Because light absorption at the fiber end can also be neglected, it is straightforward to determine floss = 0.44 ± 0.02 for the experiments reported here. The high loss is presumably occurring in the tightly wound reserve coil inside the vacuum, containing about 3 m of fiber for cleaving new fiber ends

Influence of wide band gap oxide substrates on the photoelectrochemical properties and structural disorder of CdS nanoparticles grown by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

• Mikalai V. Malashchonak,
• Alexander V. Mazanik,
• Olga V. Korolik,
• Еugene А. Streltsov and
• Anatoly I. Kulak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 2252–2262, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.231

• significantly smaller in comparison with the ZnO and In2O3 films. Therefore, the light absorption in sulfide is the main factor limiting the photocurrent for the TiO2/CdS films, thus the increase in the amount of sulfide determines the IPCE growth over a wide range of N. At the same time, as will be shown later

Nonlinear optical properties of near-infrared region Ag₂S quantum dots pumped by nanosecond laser pulses

• Li-wei Liu,
• Si-yi Hu,
• Yin-ping Dou,
• Tian-hang Liu,
• Jing-quan Lin and
• Yue Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1781–1787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.182

• properties of semiconductor nanocrystals [20][21][22]. Ag2S QDs have a wide range of applications in optical and other research fields. The development of their synthesis method may facilitate their application in optoelectronic devices for light absorption, photoconductor cells, IR detectors and so on [21

Atomic scale interface design and characterisation

• Carla Bittencourt,
• Chris Ewels and
• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1708–1711, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.174

• barrier at the metal–nanostructure contact, thus investigation of the metal–nanostructure interaction aiming at understanding the physics and chemistry of this interface is critical for the design of optimal devices [1][2][3]. Potential applications of nanostructures such as spintronics, or light

• absorption and emission devices require doping [4][5]. In this context, conventional bulk doping techniques must be adapted, given the large surface to volume ratio of nanostructures, surface segregation of dopant atoms is a severe drawback. Therefore detailed knowledge and control of the physical and

Current–voltage characteristics of manganite–titanite perovskite junctions

• Benedikt Ifland,
• Patrick Peretzki,
• Birte Kressdorf,
• Philipp Saring,
• Andreas Kelling,
• Michael Seibt and
• Christian Jooss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1467–1484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.152

• photovoltaic energy conversion [22]: the possibility of light absorption by intraband excitations of charge carriers and the harvesting hot carriers due to the rather long-lived excited states [21][23]. Hence, such materials are suitable to study the pathways of photovoltaic energy conversion beyond the

High photocatalytic activity of V-doped SrTiO₃ porous nanofibers produced from a combined electrospinning and thermal diffusion process

• Panpan Jing,
• Wei Lan,
• Qing Su and
• Erqing Xie

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1281–1286, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.132

• light. This means that V5+ ion doping improves the impurity level and narrows the band gap of SrTiO3, leading to the enhanced light absorption. Additionally, based on earlier research regarding 3d ion doping for SrTiO3, V5+ doping may also improve the conductivity of SrTiO3. Hence, the higher

Improved optical limiting performance of laser-ablation-generated metal nanoparticles due to silica-microsphere-induced local field enhancement

• Zheren Du,
• Lianwei Chen,
• Tsung-Sheng Kao,
• Mengxue Wu and
• Minghui Hong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1199–1204, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.122

• nanoparticles exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which is another possible way for local field enhancement to influence the light absorption and scattering [25]. Conclusion In this paper, we have studied that LAL is a promising technique to generate nanoparticles for various target materials

Experimental determination of the light-trapping-induced absorption enhancement factor in DSSC photoanodes

• Serena Gagliardi and
• Mauro Falconieri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 886–892, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.91

• produced by the concurrent phenomena of light absorption by dye molecules and light trapping in the mesoporous, titania photoanode structure. The decoupling of these two phenomena is important for device characterization and the design of novel photoelectrode geometries with increased optical performance

• (LT) phenomenon occurs in the active layer of the cell, resulting in enhanced light absorption and hence the overall improved cell efficiency. The beneficial influence of light scattering in DSSCs was first theoretically analyzed by Usami [4][5] and Ferber [6]. Rothemberger et al. [7] also proposed a

• ) AM1.5 illumination, provided by a class A solar simulator (Wacom). Modelling In the zero-order approximation, the only optical phenomenon occurring in the sensitized titania layer is the light absorption by the dye molecules. In this case, for a given dye composition of known molar absorptivity, the

Graphene quantum interference photodetector

• Mahbub Alam and
• Paul L. Voss

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 726–735, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.74

• as high electrical mobility, high thermal conductivity, high mechanical strength, linear energy dispersion around the Dirac point and strong light absorption from near-infrared to visible wavelengths [1][2][3]. Graphene also exhibits ballistic electron transport over unusually long lengths [4][5][6

Morphological and structural characterization of single-crystal ZnO nanorod arrays on flexible and non-flexible substrates

• Omar F. Farhat,
• Mohd M. Halim,
• Mat J. Abdullah,
• Mohammed K. M. Ali and
• Nageh K. Allam

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 720–725, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.73

• distribution ensure a desired light absorption and propagation characteristics as well as percolation pathways for charge transfer. Experimental ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on three different substrates (glass, PET and Si) by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The substrates (2 × 2 cm) were