Electrospray deposition of organic molecules on bulk insulator surfaces

• Antoine Hinaut,
• Rémy Pawlak,
• Ernst Meyer and
• Thilo Glatzel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1927–1934, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.195

• Antoine Hinaut Remy Pawlak Ernst Meyer Thilo Glatzel Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland 10.3762/bjnano.6.195 Abstract Large organic molecules are of important interest for organic-based devices such as hybrid photovoltaics or molecular

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biocompatibility study of Au/TMC/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites as a promising, nontoxic system for biomedical applications

• Hanieh Shirazi,
• Maryam Daneshpour,
• Soheila Kashanian and
• Kobra Omidfar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1677–1689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.170

• . The efficacy of these TMC- and Au-containing magnetic nanostructures could benefit applications such as electrochemical labels, sensory probes, electronic conductors, therapeutic agents, organic photovoltaics, drug delivery in biological and medical applications, and catalysis due to their combined

Materials for sustainable energy production, storage, and conversion

• Maximilian Fichtner

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1601–1602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.163

• present recent results from the respective working groups. In the field of energy harvesting and photovoltaics, Benedikt Iffland and Christian Jooss [1] report on current–voltage characteristics of manganite–titanite perovskite junctions. State-of-the art and recent progress in energy conversion from

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

• electron–polaron hole–polaron pair generation and separation at the interface. Keywords: current–voltage characteristics; perovskites; photovoltaics; polarons; Introduction At present, photovoltaic devices are mainly based on high purity elemental or compound inorganic semiconducting materials with large

Observing the morphology of single-layered embedded silicon nanocrystals by using temperature-stable TEM membranes

• Sebastian Gutsch,
• Daniel Hiller,
• Jan Laube,
• Margit Zacharias and
• Christian Kübel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 964–970, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.99

• generation photovoltaics [1][2], light emitting diodes [3][4], lasers [5], but are also envisioned to be used as non-volatile memories [6][7][8][9][10]. The optical and electrical properties of ensembles of Si NCs are strongly influenced by the structural properties such as size distribution, separation

Simulation tool for assessing the release and environmental distribution of nanomaterials

• Haoyang Haven Liu,
• Muhammad Bilal,
• Anastasiya Lazareva,
• Arturo Keller and
• Yoram Cohen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 938–951, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.97

• associated with cosmetic applications, which represent the largest fraction at ≈53%, while those associated with coatings, paints, pigments represent ≈44%, with remainder due to energy applications (e.g., photovoltaics, energy storage [7]), environmental (e.g., remediation [7]), and plastic applications

Simple approach for the fabrication of PEDOT-coated Si nanowires

• Mingxuan Zhu,
• Marielle Eyraud,
• Judikael Le Rouzo,
• Nadia Ait Ahmed,
• Florence Boulc’h,
• Claude Alfonso,
• Philippe Knauth and
• François Flory

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 640–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.65

• research topic for many applications such as photovoltaics [1], lithium batteries [2], hydrogen storage [3] and optoelectronic devices [4] due to their unique properties with respect to visible light management [5][6][7]. Using an electroless etching method, a reflectivity as low as 1.3% over the entire

Influence of size, shape and core–shell interface on surface plasmon resonance in Ag and Ag@MgO nanoparticle films deposited on Si/SiO_x

• Sergio D’Addato,
• Daniele Pinotti,
• Maria Chiara Spadaro,
• Guido Paolicelli,
• Vincenzo Grillo,
• Sergio Valeri,
• Luca Pasquali,
• Luca Bergamini and
• Stefano Corni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 404–413, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.40

• ; surface differential reflectivity; surface plasmon resonance; Introduction Nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on surfaces constitute a vast and important research field in material science having many applications in magnetic recording [1][2], catalysis [3], and photovoltaics [4][5][6][7][8][9]. For instance

• bare Ag NPs, while it is preserved when Ag NPs are co-deposited with MgO, even in the limit of ultrathin (tMgO = 1.3 nm) protective layers. This result is relevant for possible applications in photovoltaics and in other fields where Ag NPs are used for their plasmonic properties. Conclusion The results

Carrier multiplication in silicon nanocrystals: ab initio results

• Ivan Marri,
• Marco Govoni and
• Stefano Ossicini

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 343–352, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.33

• An important challenge in modern day scientific research is the establishment of clean, inexpensive, renewable energy sources. Based on the extraction of energy from the solar spectrum, photovoltaics (PV) is one of the most appealing and promising technologies in this regard. Intense effort is

Kelvin probe force microscopy in liquid using electrochemical force microscopy

• Liam Collins,
• Stephen Jesse,
• Jason I. Kilpatrick,
• Alexander Tselev,
• M. Baris Okatan,
• Sergei V. Kalinin and
• Brian J. Rodriguez

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 201–214, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.19

• distribution, and has proven to be an important technique for studying electronic functionality at the solid–gas interface. KPFM measurements have previously been utilized to investigate surface photo-voltage in photovoltaics [21][22][23] and charging dynamics in ferroelectric [24][25][26], dielectric [27] and

Tunable light filtering by a Bragg mirror/heavily doped semiconducting nanocrystal composite

• Ilka Kriegel and
• Francesco Scotognella

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 193–200, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.18

• light filters are critical components for many optical applications in which light in-coupling, out-coupling or rejection is crucial, such as lasing, sensing, photovoltaics and information and communication technology. For this purpose, Bragg mirrors (band-pass filters with high reflectivity) represent

• exploited in several types of devices, such as distributed feedback lasers [11][12][13][14][15], sensors [16][17], absorption enhancement for photovoltaics [18] or in dye-sensitized solar cells [19][20][21]. Furthermore, nanoparticle-based photonic crystals have been employed for switching applications [22

• dispersion or film with a Bragg mirror, deposited with spin coating or sputtering techniques [7][8][45]. The application of this kind of tunable filtering component is very promising for various optical applications such as lasing, sensing, photovoltaics or information and communication technology. Scheme of

Manganese oxide phases and morphologies: A study on calcination temperature and atmospheric dependence

• Matthias Augustin,
• Daniela Fenske,
• Ingo Bardenhagen,
• Anne Westphal,
• Martin Knipper,
• Thorsten Plaggenborg,
• Joanna Kolny-Olesiak and
• Jürgen Parisi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 47–59, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.6

• : Additional XRD experimental data. Acknowledgements We thank Magdalena Bogacka for conducting the TGA/DSC measurements. We gratefully acknowledge the funding of the EWE Research Group “Thin Film Photovoltaics” by the EWE AG, Oldenburg, Germany, as well as funding by the government of Lower Saxony (Germany).

Silicon and germanium nanocrystals: properties and characterization

• Ivana Capan,
• Alexandra Carvalho and
• José Coutinho

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1787–1794, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.189

• breakthroughs in photovoltaics. It is believed that quantum dot (QD) solar cells have the potential to reach a maximum conversion efficiency of about 66% [2]. A colloidal nanocrystal solar cell, which combines all the advantages of organics (scalable and controllable synthesis) with transport properties

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

• cells, the performance of OPVs is often restricted by low carrier mobility issues. The emergence of hybrid solar cells is based on the concept of promoting carrier mobility in OPV systems by the incorporation of inorganic semiconductor materials as electron acceptors into organic photovoltaics [5]. Here

• , a charge-separation at donor–acceptor heterojunctions is a key process, which takes center stage in determining the energy conversion efficiency of hybrid photovoltaics. Hybrid solar cells enjoy an advantage of intrinsically high carrier mobility, which is caused by inorganic materials dispersed in

• 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

Growth and characterization of CNT–TiO₂ heterostructures

• Yucheng Zhang,
• Ivo Utke,
• Johann Michler,
• Gabriele Ilari,
• Marta D. Rossell and
• Rolf Erni

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 946–955, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.108

• photovoltaics based on the ensemble. While analytical TEM, in particular EELS, is a powerful tool to study the interface between CNTs and metal/metal oxides, the task is quite challenging and several difficulties need to be overcome. The damage in the sample caused by the high energy electron can hinder

Integration of ZnO and CuO nanowires into a thermoelectric module

• Dario Zappa,
• Simone Dalola,
• Guido Faglia,
• Elisabetta Comini,
• Matteo Ferroni,
• Caterina Soldano,
• Vittorio Ferrari and
• Giorgio Sberveglieri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 927–936, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.106

• , and vice versa. Recent studies [1][2] demonstrate that improvements in the technology platform of thermoelectrics could make solar thermoelectric generators competitive with other solar power conversion methods such as photovoltaics or thermal systems. This could potentially boost efforts towards low

A visible-light-driven composite photocatalyst of TiO₂ nanotube arrays and graphene quantum dots

• Donald K. L. Chan,
• Po Ling Cheung and
• Jimmy C. Yu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 689–695, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.81

• confinement and edge effects, GQDs possess a size-dependent band gap and other interesting properties [29][30]. In recent years, GQDs have been explored for their potential applications in bioimaging [31], sensing [32], photovoltaics [33][34]. Besides, they have been coupled with TiO2 nanoparticles to achieve

Atomic layer deposition, a unique method for the preparation of energy conversion devices

• Julien Bachmann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 245–248, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.26

• Julien Bachmann Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.5.26 Keywords: atomic layer deposition; batteries; energy conversion; electrochemistry; electrolysis; fuel cells; photovoltaics; solar

• ) Andreas Anderluh and Bela Hausmann). A non-exhaustive list of exemplary ALD applications in energy conversion devices illustrated in this Thematic Series and in previous literature. Reviews have been published recently on the applications of ALD in photovoltaics [11], lithium ion batteries [12], and solid

Template based precursor route for the synthesis of CuInSe₂ nanorod arrays for potential solar cell applications

• Mikhail Pashchanka,
• Jonas Bang,
• Niklas S. A. Gora,
• Ildiko Balog,
• Rudolf C. Hoffmann and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 868–874, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.98

• type CuInSe2 in the current literature [15][16][17]. It has to be mentioned that the morphologies accessible by the liquid precursor route are not restricted to only Q1D nanostructures. Such stable ‘inks’ can also find application in printable photovoltaics or film deposition onto various standard

Evolution of microstructure and related optical properties of ZnO grown by atomic layer deposition

• Adib Abou Chaaya,
• Roman Viter,
• Mikhael Bechelany,
• Zanda Alute,
• Donats Erts,
• Anastasiya Zalesskaya,
• Kristaps Kovalevskis,
• Vincent Rouessac,
• Valentyn Smyntyna and
• Philippe Miele

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 690–698, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.78

• applications in photovoltaics [5][27], photocatalytics [16], sensors [16] and biosensors [28][29][30]. Results and Discussion Chemical and structural characterizations ZnO films with a thickness of 25, 49.8, 124 and 250 nm were obtained at 100, 200, 500 and 1000 deposition cycles, respectively. The average

Optimization of solution-processed oligothiophene:fullerene based organic solar cells by using solvent additives

• Gisela L. Schulz,
• Marta Urdanpilleta,
• Roland Fitzner,
• Eduard Brier,
• Elena Mena-Osteritz,
• Egon Reinold and
• Peter Bäuerle

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 680–689, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.77

• within the scope of the Priority Program “Elementary Processes of Organic Photovoltaics” (SPP 1355). Finally, we would also like to thank the Spanish MINECO for supporting this work (MAT2010-21156-C03-03).

Near-field effects and energy transfer in hybrid metal-oxide nanostructures

• Ulrich Herr,
• Balati Kuerbanjiang,
• Cahit Benel,
• Giorgos Papageorgiou,
• Manuel Goncalves,
• Johannes Boneberg,
• Paul Leiderer,
• Paul Ziemann,
• Peter Marek and
• Horst Hahn

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 306–317, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.34

• the problem of supplying sufficient energy to present and future generations lies in techniques for using renewable energies, such as wind, water and direct sunlight. Direct conversion of sunlight by photovoltaics is an extremely attractive method of energy conversion, since the “final product” is

• supplied already in a most useful form. On the other hand, the storage of energy is a particularly important issue in this case, since the energy supplied by photovoltaics depends on the local and temporal availability of sunlight. There is again general agreement on the fact that the use of renewable

• local sensitivity on the subwavelength scale in Raman spectroscopy and related techniques [3][4]. More recently, the interest of researchers has turned towards applications of plasmonic structures in photovoltaics (for recent reviews, see [5][6]). Possible applications depend on the scattering of light

Influence of the solvent on the stability of bis(terpyridine) structures on graphite

• Daniela Künzel and
• Axel Groß

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2013, 4, 269–277, doi:10.3762/bjnano.4.29

• formation of hydrogen-bonded organic networks is of technological interest for future applications such as molecular electronics, organic photovoltaics [1] or functionalized host–guest systems [2] that may be used in heterogeneous catalysis. As a model system for ordered organic adlayers, bis(terpyridines

Directed deposition of silicon nanowires using neopentasilane as precursor and gold as catalyst

• Britta Kämpken,
• Verena Wulf,
• Norbert Auner,
• Marcel Winhold,
• Michael Huth,
• Daniel Rhinow and
• Andreas Terfort

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2012, 3, 535–545, doi:10.3762/bjnano.3.62

• biosensors [3] and chemical sensors [4], nanoelectronics [5], photonics [6] and photovoltaics [7]. In this context, it is important to be able to control parameters such as the diameter and length of the nanowires, as well as their localization [8]. Various techniques have been used in order to produce

• provides a powerful tool for the fabrication of Si NWs for different applications, such as sensing or photovoltaics. Future work will not only go deeper into determining the guiding principles of NW formation but also in studying the optical and electronic properties of these interesting materials

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

• current density and open-circuit voltage observed in test cells created with such MWCNT-enhanced electrodes. Keywords: carbon nanotubes; electrode; indium tin oxide; Kelvin probe; organic photovoltaics; Introduction Following the original proposal for the creation of plastic solar cells [1], many

• 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