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

• ; organic solar cells; quantum dots; Introduction Organic solar cells have been intensively developed in recent years as the third generation [1][2] of photovoltaic cells, next to dye-synthesized solar cells and perovskite cells. One of the relatively novel concepts of organic solar cells that yield higher

• PTB7-Th/FOIC based OSCs [69]. Perovskite cells with PbS QDs reached more than 10% [70][71]. For other types of QDs, perovskite cell technologies are also intensively developed [72][73]. QD-assisted organic cells also achieve better and better (even 15%) performance [68][69]. Nevertheless, understanding

Dual-heterodyne Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Fatima Husainy,
• Dmitry Aldakov and
• Cyril Aumaître

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 1068–1084, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.88

• reference substrate, a bulk organic photovoltaic heterojunction thin film, and an optoelectronic interface obtained by depositing caesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets on a graphite surface. The conclusion provides perspectives for future improvements and applications. Keywords: heterodyne

• optoelectronic interfaces formed between caesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy Background, Amplitude-Modulated Heterodyne KPFM Many KPFM modes rely on the detection of a modulated component of the electrostatic force proportional to the

• depositing caesium lead halide perovskite nanosheets (NSs) on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate. Lead halide perovskites have emerged recently as materials with unique optical and electronic properties, such as high absorption coefficients, high defect tolerance, and charge mobility. Due

Isolation of cubic Si₃P₄ in the form of nanocrystals

• Polina K. Nikiforova,
• Sergei S. Bubenov,
• Vadim B. Platonov,
• Andrey S. Kumskov,
• Nikolay N. Kononov,
• Tatyana A. Kuznetsova and
• Sergey G. Dorofeev

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 971–979, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.80

• number of potential benefits to both science and industry. These methods often employ new strategies for the synthesis of specific classes of substances. For example, the widely known development of perovskite synthesis through ion exchange reactions has attracted attention in scientific as well as

Molecular nanoarchitectonics: unification of nanotechnology and molecular/materials science

• Katsuhiko Ariga

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 434–453, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.35

• ) method [95][96] and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly [97][98] are used to organize materials from molecules. Oishi and co-workers have used the LB method to create layered perovskite films with a uniform surface [99]. Similarly, LbL assembly is a simple and convenient way to create a wide range of materials

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• distorted rhombohedral perovskite structure (ABO3), where A is a corner cation, B is a body-centred middle atom, and O is an oxygen atom or anions attached to the crystal faces. BiFeO3 has strong magnetic and multiferroic, and sufficient photocatalytic properties due to this unique structure. BiFeO3 is an

• properties, a lot of researchers [90] have used bismuth ferrite to efficiently degrade organic pollutants, as shown in Table 2. Bi2WO6 is a typical Aurivillius-phase material, that is, a type of perovskite denoted by Bi2Xn–1YnO3n+3, where X is a large (12-coordinate, such as Ba, Bi, Sr, or Ca) cation and Y

Comparing the performance of single and multifrequency Kelvin probe force microscopy techniques in air and water

• Jason I. Kilpatrick,
• Emrullah Kargin and
• Brian J. Rodriguez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 922–943, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.82

• the surface potential [53][76][86] and has enhanced our understanding of perovskite solar cells [10][87][88] and patch potentials in the Casimir force [89][90]. Implementations of Het-KPFM to date have primarily focused on the measurement of the first harmonic of the electrostatic force [57][58

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• ), Chengalpattu district, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, 603103, India 10.3762/bjnano.13.79 Abstract LaFexNi1−xO3 perovskite oxides were prepared by the sol–gel method under various conditions, including different pH values (pH 0 and pH 7) and different calcination temperatures (500–800 °C) as well as different Fe/Ni

• ratios (1/9, 3/7, 5/5, 7/3, 9/1). The samples were examined by XRD, DRS, BET, and SEM to reveal their crystallinity, light-absorption ability, specific surface area, and surface features, respectively. The photocatalytic Fenton reaction was conducted using various LaFexNi1−xO3 perovskite oxides to

• decompose the methylene blue molecules. Accordingly, the synthesis condition of pH 0, calcination temperature at 700 °C, and Fe/Ni ratio = 7/3 could form LaFe0.7Ni0.3O3 perovskite oxides as highly efficient photocatalysts. Moreover, various conditions during the photocatalytic degradation were verified

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• photocorrosion [20]. Among them, the Aurivillius phase bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) material is applied in visible-light photocatalysis due to its effective response to visible light and stable physicochemical properties [21]. Bi2WO6 is formed by the alternating growth of (Bi2O2)2+ and perovskite-structured (WO4)2

Measurement of polarization effects in dual-phase ceria-based oxygen permeation membranes using Kelvin probe force microscopy

• Kerstin Neuhaus,
• Christina Schmidt,
• Liudmila Fischer,
• Wilhelm Albert Meulenberg,
• Ke Ran,
• Joachim Mayer and
• Stefan Baumann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1380–1391, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.102

• -conductive phase and 40 vol % FeCo2O4 as electron-conductive phase was synthesized. TEM measurements showed a relatively pure dual-phase material with only minor amounts of a tertiary (Sm,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3 perovskite phase and isolated residues of a rock salt phase at the grain boundaries. The obtained material

• spinel or perovskite phase applicable in membrane reactors for partial oxidation reactions. Dual-phase membranes with FeCo2O4, or its iron-rich pendant Fe2CoO4, and Gd-doped ceria as an ion conductor have already been successfully applied as oxygen permeation membranes with high permeability in the

• mainly of Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 and FeCo2O4 with only minor amounts of the perovskite phase (Sm,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3. SFO is thought to be a mainly electron-conductive material, as the related phase (Gd,Ce)(Fe,Co)O3, which develops in composites of Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 and FeCo2O4 is an electron conductor as well [16]. The

Assessment of the optical and electrical properties of light-emitting diodes containing carbon-based nanostructures and plasmonic nanoparticles: a review

• Keshav Nagpal,
• Erwan Rauwel,
• Frédérique Ducroquet and
• Protima Rauwel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 1078–1092, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.80

• terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/). Figure 9b was adapted from [57], Z. Shi et al., “Localized Surface Plasmon Enhanced All-Inorganic Perovskite Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Coaxial Core/Shell Heterojunction

9.1% efficient zinc oxide/silicon solar cells on a 50 μm thick Si absorber

• Rafal Pietruszka,
• Bartlomiej S. Witkowski,
• Monika Ozga,
• Katarzyna Gwozdz,
• Ewa Placzek-Popko and
• Marek Godlewski

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 766–774, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.60

• during manufacture [5]. Moreover, thin films of zinc oxide, aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and/or gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) have been successfully used in organic [6], perovskite [7], and CIGS [8] solar cells. Thanks to excellent electrical and optical parameters of AZO and GZO, these films are

Interface interaction of transition metal phthalocyanines with strontium titanate (100)

• Reimer Karstens,
• Thomas Chassé and
• Heiko Peisert

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 485–496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.39

• theoretical approaches [6]. Possible applications of STO/organic interfaces include FETs [7][8], photodiodes [9], and organic spin valves[10]. Strontium titanate is a semiconductor with an indirect band gap of 3.25 eV [11] crystallizing in a perovskite structure with cubic unit cell. The conductivity can be

Atomic layer deposited films of Al₂O₃ on fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes: stability and barrier properties

• Hana Krýsová,
• Michael Neumann-Spallart,
• Hana Tarábková,
• Pavel Janda,
• Ladislav Kavan and
• Josef Krýsa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 24–34, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.2

• ), at sites that were not covered by the semiconductor, was blocked. This blocking layer (also called electron-selective layer) is a key component of dye-sensitized [19] and perovskite solar cells [21]. The blocking function consists in supporting vectorial electron transport from a photoexcited light

• absorber (sensitizing dye or perovskite) to the negative terminal of the solar cell, usually an FTO or a similar transparent conducting oxide. At the same time, this layer blocks the back electron transfer from the current collector (FTO) to the electrolyte redox mediator, to the hole-transporting medium

• , or to the perovskite (depending on the device type). This parasitic effect occurs through defects, such as pinholes and cracks in the blocking layer. Their presence is identified by the occurrence of anodic currents assigned to the oxidation of [Fe(CN)6]4− at FTO areas exposed by these defect sites

Nanocasting synthesis of BiFeO₃ nanoparticles with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Thomas Cadenbach,
• Maria J. Benitez,
• A. Lucia Morales,
• Cesar Costa Vera,
• Luis Lascano,
• Francisco Quiroz,
• Alexis Debut and
• Karla Vizuete

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1822–1833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.164

• results regarding the formation of crystalline BiFeO3. Approximately 50.5% of the crystalline products seen in the diffraction patterns correspond to BiFeO3 (Figure 2). The peak splitting of the (104) and (110) peaks confirm the formation of a rhombohedral BiFeO3 perovskite structure (R3c) [19][33][50

• rhombohedral BiFeO3 perovskite structure (R3c) as evidenced by the peak splitting of the (104) and (110) peaks (see above). The formation of a rhombohedral structure is in agreement with BiFeO3 ceramics, while crystalline BiFeO3 films were shown to have a tetragonal structure [52]. TEM images (Figure 5a) show

• , monodisperse 5.5 ± 1 nm BiFeO3 nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a nanocasting technique using SBA-15 as hard template. The structural analysis by XRD reveals pure-phase rhombohedral perovskite BiFeO3 with the space group R3c. In the synthesis, tartaric acid as complexing reagent and acidified 2

A self-powered, flexible ultra-thin Si/ZnO nanowire photodetector as full-spectrum optical sensor and pyroelectric nanogenerator

• Liang Chen,
• Jianqi Dong,
• Miao He and
• Xingfu Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1623–1630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.145

• , idark, and Pin represent the pyroelectric current, the dark current, and the input power, respectively. The calculated photoresponsivity R is up to 1200 mA/W, which is more ten times than that of Perovskite/ZnO and Si/ZnO PDs [22][23]. The detectivity D* is one of the key parameters of a PD, which

High permittivity, breakdown strength, and energy storage density of polythiophene-encapsulated BaTiO₃ nanoparticles

• Adnanullah Khan,
• Amir Habib and
• Adeel Afzal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1190–1197, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.103

• °, which corresponds to the intermolecular π–π stacking structure and amorphous packing of the polymer [19]. The XRD pattern of hydrothermally prepared BTO nanoparticles shows good agreement with the tetragonal perovskite structure (JCPDS No. 05-0626) with the P4mm space group [20][21]. The major

• core–shell BTO-PTh nanoparticles is slightly affected by the amorphousness of the PTh coating, the tetragonal perovskite structure (indicated by #) is still dominant. The additional diffraction peaks (indicated by *) are attributed to orthorhombic BaSO4 [23]. It is a consequence of the leaching of Ba2

• + ions from BTO nanoparticles during the polymerization reaction [24], which can react with SO42− ions in the solution to form insoluble BaSO4. Nevertheless, XRD patterns of BTO and BTO-PTh nanoparticles confirm the dominant tetragonal perovskite structure of the BTO lattice. Figure 4a shows a SEM image

Observation of unexpected uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ films by a BaTiO₃ overlayer in an artificial multiferroic bilayer

• John E. Ordóñez,
• Lorena Marín,
• Luis A. Rodríguez,
• Pedro A. Algarabel,
• José A. Pardo,
• Roger Guzmán,
• Luis Morellón,
• César Magén,
• Etienne Snoeck,
• María E. Gómez and
• Manuel R. Ibarra

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 651–661, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.51

• ; magnetic anisotropy; Introduction In recent years, enormous interest has been shown in the multiferroic properties of the multilayered system based on La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO) and BaTiO3 (BTO) films [1][2][3][4][5]. Each perovskite material has a particular ferroic order at room temperature, i.e

Interfacial charge transfer processes in 2D and 3D semiconducting hybrid perovskites: azobenzene as photoswitchable ligand

• Nicole Fillafer,
• Tobias Seewald,
• Lukas Schmidt-Mende and
• Sebastian Polarz

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 466–479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.38

• synthesis of 2D and 3D hybrid perovskite phases. The energy transfer mechanisms are influenced by the length of the molecular spacer moiety, which determines the distance between the π system and the semiconductor surfaces. We find huge differences in the photoswitching behaviour between the free, surface

• -coordinated and integrated ligands between the perovskite layers. Photoswitching of azobenzene ligands incorporated in 2D phases is nearly quenched, while the same mechanism for surface-coordinating ligands is greatly improved, compared to the free ligands. The improvement originates from an energy transfer

• from perovskite to azobenzene, which is strongly distance-dependent. This study provides evidence for the photoswitching of azobenzenes as ligands of hybrid perovskites, which depends on the spacing between the chromophore and the perovskite phase. Keywords: interface design; molecular switches

Implementation of data-cube pump–probe KPFM on organic solar cells

• Benjamin Grévin,
• Olivier Bardagot and
• Renaud Demadrille

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 323–337, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.24

• -processed organic donor–acceptor blends called bulk heterojunctions (BHJ), for polycrystalline direct bandgap semiconductors such as CdTe, CuInxGa(1−x)Se2 and Cu2ZnSnS4 and for hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells. Whatever material used, improving the performance of the solar cell requires a

• -based devices, hybrid perovskite thin films and single crystals as well as type-II van der Waals heterojunctions based on transition metal dichalcogenides. Experimental Nc-AFM and pp-KPFM Noncontact-AFM (nc-AFM) experiments were performed with a ScientaOmicron VT-AFM setup in UHV at room temperature (RT

Recent progress in perovskite solar cells: the perovskite layer

• Xianfeng Dai,
• Ke Xu and
• Fanan Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 51–60, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.5

• Xianfeng Dai Ke Xu Fanan Wei School of Information & Control Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, China School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China 10.3762/bjnano.11.5 Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are set to be game changing

• components in next-generation photovoltaic technology due to their high efficiency and low cost. In this article, recent progress in the development of perovskite layers, which are the basis of PSCs, is reviewed. Achievements in the fabrication of high-quality perovskite films by various methods and

• techniques are introduced. The reported works demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency of the perovskite layers depends largely on their morphology and the crystalline quality. Furthermore, recent achievements concerning the scalability of perovskite films are presented. These developments aim at

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

• building electricity demand can be produced on site [1]. Solar windows can be split into two groups: perforated grids of opaque solar cells, such as silicon, or one continuous semitransparent thin film solar cell (dye-sensitized, perovskite, quantum dot, etc.) [1]. Perforated solar windows, comprised of

• following for reference: dye-sensitized – PCE of 9.2% at 60% AVT [5]; polymer – PCE of 4.0% at 66% AVT [6]; halide perovskite – PCE of 6.4% at 30% AVT [7]. Dye-sensitized, organic, and halide perovskite absorbers are generally sensitive to moisture, especially in combination with sunlight and air [8][9][10

Polyvinylpyrrolidone as additive for perovskite solar cells with water and isopropanol as solvents

• Chen Du,
• Shuo Wang,
• Xu Miao,
• Wenhai Sun,
• Yu Zhu,
• Chengyan Wang and
• Ruixin Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2374–2382, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.228

• and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China Beijing Key Laboratory of Special Melting and Preparation of High-End Metal Materials, Beijing 100083, PR China 10.3762/bjnano.10.228 Abstract The recent years have witnessed a fast-paced development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Unfortunately, the

• 0.1 cm2. The PCE continued to be over 80% of the initial PCE after 60 days of storage. FInally, the introduced PVP-doped PSCs present a low-cost and low-toxicity way to commercialize perovskite solar cells. Keywords: additive; lead nitrate aqueous solution; low-toxicity process; perovskite solar

• remarkable light absorption capacity [5] and the tunable band gap [6] of inorganic–organic lead halide perovskite crystals make them suitable for the production of organic semiconductors [7], photodetectors [8], and photovoltaics [5]. In 2009, Kojima et al. achieved a breakthrough in using mesoporous TiO2 as

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

• inside the CdS/CdTe inorganic heterojunction improved the conversion efficiency of the PV device by up to 8% [19]. Moreover, FeS2 has also been used in perovskite solar cells as a hole transport layer (HTL) to reduce the fabrication cost, reaching efficiencies of up to 11.2% [20]. On the other hand, OPVs

• 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

• implemented as second electron acceptors in P3HT:PCBM solar cells, the current density increased from 6.69 to 7.63 mA/cm2 using a concentration of only 0.3 wt % FeS2 with respect to the acceptor [18]. Furthermore, FeS2 NPs have been used as a HTL in CdS/CdTe and perovskite solar cells [19][20], among other

Green and scalable synthesis of nanocrystalline kuramite

• Andrea Giaccherini,
• Giuseppe Cucinotta,
• Stefano Martinuzzi,
• Enrico Berretti,
• Werner Oberhauser,
• Alessandro Lavacchi,
• Giovanni Orazio Lepore,
• Giordano Montegrossi,
• Maurizio Romanelli,
• Antonio De Luca,
• Massimo Innocenti,
• Vanni Moggi Cecchi,
• Matteo Mannini,
• Antonella Buccianti and
• Francesco Di Benedetto

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2073–2083, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.202

• -hungry processes and they are not compatible with flexible devices. For example, materials such as copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) and perovskite materials have raised several concerns. They contain rare/scarce raw materials and involve production and decommissioning processes which are

Kelvin probe force microscopy work function characterization of transition metal oxide crystals under ongoing reduction and oxidation

• Dominik Wrana,
• Karol Cieślik,
• Wojciech Belza,
• Christian Rodenbücher,
• Krzysztof Szot and
• Franciszek Krok

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1596–1607, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.155

• superior for many cases in both fundamental research and applications, such as the identification of adsorption geometries of molecules on oxide surfaces [7], probing energetics of electron transfer within single molecules [8] and operation of prototypical electronic devices, such as perovskite solar cells

• ]). Strontium titanate, SrTiO3, is a perfect example of a semiconductor with a wide bandgap of 3.2 eV and also a model perovskite oxide. Ti4+ cations provide no electrons for the d-band, which can participate in conductivity. Strontium titanate finds many applications as a dielectric ceramic material [15] but

• neighboring Ti sites. In the case of cubic TiO, the Ti–Ti distance is slightly above 2 Å, which is enough to have a significant overlap given the d-orbital extension. On the other hand, in the ideal SrTiO3 perovskite there are no d-electrons on Ti sites. Thus a TiO network on SrTiO3 constitutes a metallic