Superconductivity and low temperature electrical transport in B-doped CVD nanocrystalline diamond

In this work, we report on superconductivity (SC) found in thin B-doped nanocrystalline diamond films, prepared by the PE-CVD technique. The thickness of the films varies from about 100 to 400 nm, the films are grown on low-alkaline glass at substrate temperatures of about 500–700 °C. The SIMS measurements show that films can be heavily doped with boron in concentrations in the range of 3×1021 cm−3. The Raman spectra show Fano resonances, confirming the substitutional B-incorporation. The low temperature magnetotransport measurements reveal a positive magnetoresistance. The SC transition is observed at about Tc=1.66 K. A simple theory exploiting the concept of weak localization accounting for this transition is proposed

Electrochemical Characterization of CuSCN Hole-Extracting Thin Films for Perovskite Photovoltaics

CuSCN thin films (optimized previously for perovskite photovoltaics) are deposited on glass, F:SnO2 (FTO), Au, glass-like carbon (GC), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). They exhibit capacitive charging in an electrochemical window from ca. -0.3 to 0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl. Outside this window, CuSCN film is prone to chemical and structural changes. Anodic breakdown (at ca. 0.5 V) causes restructuring into submicrometer particles and denuding of the substrate. The natural p-doping is demonstrated by both the Hall effect and Mott-Schottky plots from electrochemical impedance. The corresponding flatband potentials (in V vs Ag/AgCl) varied with the substrate type as follows: 0.12 V (CuSCN@FTO), 0.08 V (CuSCN@Au), -0.02 V (CuSCN@GC), and 0.00 V (CuSCN@rGO). The acceptor concentrations determined from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are by orders of magnitude larger than those from electrical conductivity and the Hall effect, the latter being regarded correct. Raman spectra confirm that thiocyanate is the dominating structural motif over the isomeric isothiocyanate. In situ Raman spectroelectrochemistry discloses substrate-specific intensity changes upon electrochemical charging. The blocking function is tested by a newly designed redox probe, Ru(NH3)(6)(3+/2+). It not only has the appropriate redox potential for testing of the CuSCN films but also avoids complications of the standard "ferrocyanide test" which is normally used for this purpose. The perovskite solar cells exhibit better solar conversion efficiency, fill factor, and open-circuit voltage for the rGO-containing devices, which is ascribed to a larger driving force for the hole injection from CuSCN into rGO

Competition between Polymer Treatment and Surface Morphology

The ability to form an efficient interface between material and neural cells is a crucial aspect for construction of neuroelectrodes. Diamond offers material characteristics that could, to a large extent, improve the performance of neuroelectrodes. The greatest advantage of diamond is a large variety of material and surface properties such as electrical conductivity, surface morphology, and surface chemistry. Such a variety of material characteristics can lead to various cellular responses. Here, the authors compare survival, adhesion, and neurite formation of primary neurons on diamond thin films of various morphologies and treatments with several types of polymers commonly used to enhance cell adhesion. The authors find that the variation of surface roughness of nanocrystalline diamond film when coated with polymer does not have a major influence on neuron survival or adhesion. The adhesion of neurons can be influenced by the selected type of polymer coating. High molecular weight of polyethylenimine results in lower viability, adhesion, and neurite formation. The addition of laminin to treated films do not lead to significant improvements in neuron adhesion and neurite development. Their findings emphasize the importance of the correct polymer treatment over morphological properties of diamond thin films as a material for forming interfaces with primary neurons

Nanocrystalline Boron-Doped Diamond as a Corrosion-Resistant Anode for Water Oxidation via Si Photoelectrodes

Due to its high sensitivity to corrosion, the use of Si in direct photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting systems that convert solar energy into chemical fuels has been greatly limited. Therefore, the development of low-cost materials resistant to corrosion under oxidizing conditions is an important goal toward a suitable protection of otherwise unstable semiconductors used in PEC cells. Here, we report on the development of a protective coating based on thin and electrically conductive nanocrystalline boron-doped diamond (BDD) layers. We found that BDD layers protect the underlying Si photoelectrodes over a wide pH range (1-14) in aqueous electrolyte solutions. A BDD layer maintains an efficient charge carrier transfer from the underlying silicon to the electrolyte solution. SiIBDD photo electrodes show no sign of performance degradation after a continuous PEC treatment in neutral, acidic, and basic electrolytes. The deposition of a cobalt phosphate (CoPi) oxygen evolution catalyst onto the BDD layer significantly reduces the overpotential for water oxidation, demonstrating the ability of BDD layers to substitute the transparent conductive oxide coatings, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), frequently used as protective layers in Si photoelectrodes