Scanning probe microscopy for energy-related materials
Intensive research is being performed to fulfill the future requirements for low-cost energy conversion and storage. Relevant topics in this emerging field are photovoltaics, batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors and energy harvesting devices based on piezoelectric and thermoelectric effects. The understanding of nanoscale phenomena occurring at surfaces and interfaces is essential for these crucial energy conversion and energy storage applications. In order to characterize these complex interactions at the nanoscale (where most of the physical and chemical phenomena occur), various metrology methods such as scanning probe microscopy (SPM) currently play a major role.
This Thematic Series is collection of peer-reviewed articles focused on SPM related to energy conversion and storage applications and to stimulate the development and utilization of new SPM methods which could advance our understanding of energy-related materials. The following topics are covered in this Thematic Series:
- Advanced SPM methods for electrical and mechanical property characterization
- Novel materials for photovoltaics and batteries
- Local performance of (hybrid) solar cells, batteries, supercapacitors and thermoelectric devices
- Time-resolved EFM/KPFM imaging of the charge carrier dynamics of energy devices
- (Photo)degradation of energy materials and devices
- Novel architectures for batteries
- Novel methods for electrochemical surface characterization
- Piezo–force microscopy on piezoelectric materials for energy harvesting
- Full Research Paper
- Published 16 Mar 2018
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Figure 1: Schematic representation of the experimental principle. (a) A dc voltage can be applied to the AFM ...
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Figure 2: AFM height and adhesion images of single-layered CRGO sheets under different tip biases obtained in...
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Figure 3: Discrimination of GO and CRGO on mica by adhesion mapping with a biased AFM tip. (a) Height and (b)...
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Figure 4: The dependence of the adhesion force on the AFM tip bias for three types of single-layered GO and R...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 11 Apr 2018
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Figure 1: Characterizing the degree of reduction of GO sheets reduced using various methods. C 1s XPS spectra...
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Figure 2: Characterizing the degree of reduction of GO sheets using EFM imaging and EFS: (a) tapping AFM imag...
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Figure 3: Illustrative diagram of EFM imaging and EFS: (a) schematic depiction of EFM, (b) electrostatic forc...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 28 May 2018
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Figure 1: (a) Typical SEM back scattered electron (BSE) image of a LATP pellet sintered at 1000 °C and polish...
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Figure 2: Correlative microscopy of selected areas on LATP sintered at 1050 °C and polished by hand. (a) SEM ...
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Figure 3: Higher resolution images of part of the area shown in Figure 2d and Figure 2e. (a) Topography, (c) ESM amplitude, and...
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Figure 4: Correlative microscopy images from LATP sintered at 1000 °C and polished by a focused-ion beam. (a)...
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Figure 5: High magnification image of LATP polished by focused-ion beam showing the (a) topography and (c) ES...
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- Letter
- Published 04 Jun 2018
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Figure 1: C-AFM configuration and study of the influence of an applied voltage stress on MnO2 and LMO. (a) Sc...
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Figure 2: Combined C-AFM and SIMS analysis of a RF-sputtered LMO film. (a) Schematic of the measurement setup...
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Figure 3: Appearance of the ionic hysteresis and influence of Li depletion during preconditioning. (a) The hy...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 07 Jun 2018
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Figure 1: (a) nc-AFM topographic image (2 × 2 μm) of the MAPbBr3 single crystal surface. The dotted rectangle...
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Figure 2: Plots of the (a) KPFM surface potential (b) and the tip height change relative to its initial posit...
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Figure 3: (a) Scheme illustrating how charge transfer from surface states bends the energy bands of p-type MA...
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Figure 4: (a) Photostrictive signal as a function of the optical power at λ = 515 nm. Inset: plot in semi-log...
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Figure 5: (a) Scheme of the surface potential time response under frequency modulated illumination. The SPV d...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 14 Jun 2018
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Figure 1: pcAFM measurement of a CdTe/CdS solar cell, during specimen illumination from below through an unde...
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Figure 2: (a) Consecutively acquired ISC* (note the log scale) and (b) directly measured VOC* for a single ca...
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Figure 3: (a) SEM micrograph of a locally planarized polycrystalline CdTe solar cell. The dotted rectangular ...
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Figure 4: Three-dimensional CT-AFM of the short-circuit current (ISC*, dark to blue contrast) merged with the...
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Know your full potential: Quantitative Kelvin probe force microscopy on nanoscale electrical devices
- Full Research Paper
- Published 15 Jun 2018
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Figure 1: CPD line profiles of two KPFM experiments on the same cross section of a mesoscopic perovskite sola...
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Figure 2: Overview of excitation and detection frequencies for KPFM methods used in this work. The lower part...
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Figure 3: Sketch of the setup as well as marking scheme of electrodes on the edge. Uext represents the electr...
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Figure 4: Comparison of the deviation of the measured potential difference from the applied potential plotted...
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Figure 5: Comparison of the deviation of the measured potential difference from the applied potential plotted...
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Figure 6: Comparison of the deviation of the measured potential difference from the applied potential plotted...
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Figure 7: Comparison of the absolute measured potential plotted against the applied potential for AM (warm co...
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Figure 8: Comparison of the absolute measured potential plotted against the applied potential for AM(warm col...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 20 Jun 2018
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Figure 1: FMI-KPFM working principle: Averaged time-integral values of the instantaneous photovoltage are acq...
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Figure 2: SPECTY working principle: (a) SPV built-up and decay are modeled using Equation 1 and Equation 2 respectively. (b) A qu...
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Figure 3: SPECTY’s algorithm flowchart. When a quasi-steady-state condition is reached, the average value of ...
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Figure 4: Comparison between spectroscopy curve obtained through the mathematical fit, measured data points a...
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Figure 5: Simulated SPV as a function of the time for different excitation modulation frequencies, the red li...
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Figure 6: Simulated SPVAV as a function of the number of excitation cycles for different excitation modulatio...
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Figure 7: Simulated surface photovoltage spectroscopy curves of the F5BnPA region for different SPV built-up ...
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Figure 8: Time-averaged surface photovoltage measured at different modulating frequencies with intensity-modu...
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Figure 9: Data obtained from the implementation of the proposed FMI-KPFM protocol for the simultaneous acquis...
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Figure 10: Comparison between curves: Mathematical fit (red and green lines) and simulated SPVAV curve (blue l...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 01 Aug 2018
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Figure 1: (a–c) Schematic representation of the TiO2/P3HT-COOH HHJ preparation. (d) 2 × 2 µm2 TM-AFM height i...
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Figure 2: (a) 500 × 500 nm2 AFM height image of a nanostructured TiO2 film, obtained in UHV. Height detection...
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Figure 3: (a) AFM height image obtained in UHV over a 4000 × 270 nm2 scan area astride the step edge between ...
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Figure 4: Schematic representation of the electronic band structure of the [TiO2/P3HT-COOH]–[tip] system, in ...
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Figure 5: (a) 400 × 400 nm2 AFM height image obtained in air on a TiO2/P3HT-COOH HHJ. KPFM height detection p...
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Figure 6: 5 × 5 µm2 (a,b) and 500 × 500 nm2 (c,d) PC-AFM height and photocurrent images of a TiO2/P3HT-COOH H...
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