0000000000716832
AUTHOR
Erdmann Spiecker
Functionalization of Silver Nanowires Surface using Ag–C Bonds in a Sequential Reductive Method
Silver nanowires (Ag-NW) assembled in interdigitated webs have shown an applicative potential as transparent and conducting electrodes. However, upon integration in practical device designs, the presence of silver oxide, which instantaneously forms on the Ag-NW surfaces in ambient conditions, is unwanted. Here, we report on the functionalization of Ag-NWs with 4-nitrophenyl moieties through A-C bonds using a versatile two step reduction process, i.e., ascorbate reduction combined electrografting. We show that 40% of the Ag atop sites were terminated and provide high surface stability toward oxidation for more than 2 months while keeping the same intrinsic conductivity as in bulk silver.
ZnS Ultrathin interfacial layers for optimizing carrier management in Sb2S3-based photovoltaics
Antimony chalcogenides represent a family of materials of low toxicity and relative abundance, with a high potential for future sustainable solar energy conversion technology. However, solar cells based on antimony chalcogenides present open-circuit voltage losses that limit their efficiencies. These losses are attributed to several recombination mechanisms, with interfacial recombination being considered as one of the dominant processes. In this work, we exploit atomic layer deposition (ALD) to grow a series of ultrathin ZnS interfacial layers at the TiO2/Sb2S3 interface to mitigate interfacial recombination and to increase the carrier lifetime. ALD allows for very accurate control over th…
Interface Molecular engineering for laminated monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with 80.4% fill factor
The Cluster of Excellence funded this work through “Engineering of Advanced Materials” (EAM). The authors acknowledge financial support from the DFG research-training group GRK 1896 at Erlangen University and from the Joint Project Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen Nurnberg (HI-ERN) under Project No. DBF01253, respectively. C.J.B. acknowledges the financial support through the “Aufbruch Bayern” initiative of the state of Bavaria (EnCN and Solar Factory of the Future) and the “Solar Factory of the Future” with the Energy Campus Nurnberg (EnCN). S.L. acknowledges the Real Colegio Complutense in Harvard for a research grant, and to the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion for a fellowship thr…
Reduced grey brookite for noble metal free photocatalytic H2evolution
Herein we introduce for the first time a reduced “grey” brookite TiO2 photocatalyst, produced by thermal hydrogenation of brookite nanoparticles, that shows a remarkable noble metal free photocatalytic H2 evolution. Its activity is substantially higher than that of other TiO2 polymorphs, i.e. anatase or rutile, comparably sized and activated by hydrogenation under optimized conditions. Along with brookite powders, an oriented brookite single crystal was investigated as a defined surface to confirm the effects of the hydrogenation treatment. By a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electron and X-ray characterization techniques applied to the powders and single crystal, we …
Atomically resolved TEM imaging of covalently functionalised graphene
AbstractCovalent functionalisation can be a powerful lever to tune the properties and processability of graphene. After overcoming the low chemical reactivity of graphene, covalent functionalisation led to the generation of new hybrid materials, applicable in a broad variation of fields. Although the process of functionalising graphene is nowadays firmly established, fundamental aspects of the produced hybrid materials remain to be clarified. Especially the atomically resolved imaging is only scarcely explored. Here we show aberration corrected in situ high resolution TEM imaging of dodecyl functionalised monolayer graphene at atomic resolution after an effective mechanical filtering approa…
Mechanical cleaning of graphene using in situ electron microscopy
Avoiding and removing surface contamination is a crucial task when handling specimens in any scientific experiment. This is especially true for two-dimensional materials such as graphene, which are extraordinarily affected by contamination due to their large surface area. While many efforts have been made to reduce and remove contamination from such surfaces, the issue is far from resolved. Here we report on an in situ mechanical cleaning method that enables the site-specific removal of contamination from both sides of two dimensional membranes down to atomic-scale cleanliness. Further, mechanisms of re-contamination are discussed, finding surface-diffusion to be the major factor for contam…
Low energy nano diffraction (LEND) – A versatile diffraction technique in SEM
Abstract Electron diffraction is a powerful characterization method that is used across different fields and in different instruments. In particular, the power of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) largely relies on the capability to switch between imaging and diffraction mode enabling identification of crystalline phases and in-depth studies of crystal defects, to name only examples. In contrast, while diffraction techniques have found their way into the realm of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the form of electron backscatter diffraction and related techniques, on-axis transmission diffraction is still in its infancy. Here we present a simple but versatile setup that enables a ‘…