Standardized procedures important for improving single-component ceramic fuel cell technology

Standardized procedures important for improving single-component ceramic fuel cell technolog

Photoinduced Self-Gating of Perovskite Photovoltaic Cells in Ionic Liquid

We demonstrate that the power conversion efficiency (PCE), photocurrent, and fill factor (FF) of perovskite solar cells (PSC) can be significantly improved by the photoinduced self-gating in ionic liquids (ILs) via n-doping of the carbon nanotube (CNT) top electrode on the fullerene electron transport layer (ETL). CNTs, graphene, and other carbon electrodes have been proven to be stable electrodes for PSC, but efficiency was not high. We have previously shown that the performance of PSCs with CNT electrodes can be improved by IL gating with gate voltage (Vg) applied from an external power source. Here we demonstrate that effective self-gating in ILs is possible by a photoinduced process, without an external source. The open circuit voltage (Voc) generated by the PSC itself can be applied to the CNT/C60 electrode as Vg leading to photogating. This self-gating with Voc is compared to photocharging of CNTs in ILs without any gating for two types of fullerene ETLs: C60 and C70, Two types of ILs, DEME-TFSI and BMIM-BF4, are tested for two types of nanotubes electrodes: single wall (SWCNT), and multiwall (MWCNT). The resulting improvements are analyzed using the effective diode-circuit (DC) and the drift-diffusion (DD) models. Self-gating allows the PCE improvement from 3–5% to 10–11% for PSCs with a thick ETL, while for optimal combination of a thin SWCNT/ETL with added layers for improved stability, the PCE reached 13.2% in DEME-TFSI IL

In Situ Study of Noncatalytic Metal Oxide Nanowire Growth

The majority of the nanowire synthesis methods utilize catalyst particles to guide the nanowire geometry. In contrast, catalyst-free methods are attractive for facile fabrication of pure nanowires without the need for catalyst preparation. Nonetheless, how nanowire growth is guided without a catalyst is still widely disputed and unclear. Here, we show that the nanowire growth during metal oxidation is limited by a nucleation of a new layer. On the basis of in situ transmission electron microscope investigations we found that the growth occurs layer by layer at the lowest specific surface energy planes. Atomic layers nucleate at the edge of twin boundary ridges and form a long-range ordering along the twin boundary. We anticipate our study to be a starting point to employ defects for nanowire growth control and consequently shaping the geometry of nanowires in a similar manner as in the catalyst-assisted growth method

Optical Properties of Graphene Nanoribbons Encapsulated in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We report the photoluminescence (PL) from graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) encapsulated in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). New PL spectral features originating from GNRs have been detected in the visible spectral range. PL peaks from GNRs have resonant character, and their positions depend on the ribbon geometrical structure in accordance with the theoretical predictions. GNRs were synthesized using confined polymerization and fusion of coronene molecules. GNR@SWCNTs material demonstrates a bright photoluminescence both in infrared (IR) and visible regions. The photoluminescence excitation mapping in the near-IR spectral range has revealed the geometry-dependent shifts of the SWCNT peaks (up to 11 meV in excitation and emission) after the process of polymerization of coronene molecules inside the nanotubes. This behavior has been attributed to the strain of SWCNTs induced by insertion of the coronene molecules

Hybrid Core–Shell Microparticles Based on Vaterite Polymorphs Assembled via Freezing-Induced Loading

The hybrid core–shell system was fabricated based on pre-synthesized vaterite microparticles and iron oxide nanoparticles applying two technical approaches: physical adsorption of the nanoparticles from a suspension at room temperature and a newly developed method of freezing-induced loading. A combination of transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction paired with precision nanomanipulation allows us to analyze the inner structure of the hybrid system, indicating that both vaterite and calcite phases were covered by Fe3O4 shells. The freezing-induced loading was found to be more preferable due to the formation of the core–shell nanoparticles in a more stable polymorphic composition of calcium carbonate when compared to physical adsorption

Analysis of the Size Distribution of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Optical Absorption Spectroscopy

The diameter of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is an important characteristic to determine their electronic properties and direct further applications in electronics and photonics. A demand currently exists for an accurate and rapid method of evaluating the mean diameter and diameter distribution of bulk SWNTs. Here, we provide an effective means for quantifying the diameter distribution of SWNTs using optical absorption spectroscopy without a strict prior assumption on the form of the diameter distribution. Verification of this assignment protocol is based upon statistical analysis of hundreds of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images as well as comparison with Raman measurements on the same SWNT samples. A good agreement among different techniques indicates that this approach enables accurate and rapid assessment of diameter distribution and can be extended to bulk SWNT samples with various diameter distributions