Shedding Light on Phase Stability and Surface Engineering of Formamidinium Lead Iodide (FaPbI3) Thin Films for Solar Cells

[EN] In this work, FAPbI3 thin films with different antisolvents (toluene, diethyl ether and chlorobenzene) were successfully elaborated by the spin coating technique to study the influence of the different antisolvents in the films. The crystal structure, surface morphology and optical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) photoluminescence and UV¿visible spectrometry. According to XRD, the crystalline structure of FAPbI3 was found in the orientation of the (110) plane, and it is observed that the type of antisolvent content in the absorber layer plays an important role in the growth and stabilization of the film. Here, chlorobenzene leads to a smooth and homogenous surface, a large grain size and a pinhole-free perovskite film. Additionally, the optical analysis revealed that the band gap is in the range from 1.55 to 1.57 eV. Furthermore, in an approximately 60% humidity environment and after two weeks, the stability and absorption of FaPbI3 showed low degradation.This research was funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Spain), grant number PID2019-107137RB-C21.Marí-Guaita, J.; Bouich, A.; Marí, B. (2021). Shedding Light on Phase Stability and Surface Engineering of Formamidinium Lead Iodide (FaPbI3) Thin Films for Solar Cells. Engineering Proceedings. 12(1):1-4. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2021012001S1412

Manufacture of High-Efficiency and Stable Lead-Free Solar Cells through Antisolvent Quenching Engineering

[EN] Antisolvent quenching has shown to significantly enhance several perovskite films used in solar cells; however, no studies have been conducted on its impact on MASnI(3). Here, we investigated the role that different antisolvents, i.e., diethyl ether, toluene, and chlorobenzene, have on the growth of MASnI(3) films. The crystallinity, morphology, topography, and optical properties of the obtained thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) measurements, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The impact of the different antisolvent treatments was evaluated based on the surface homogeneity as well as the structure of the MASnI(3) thin films. In addition, thermal annealing was optimized to control the crystallization process. The applied antisolvent was modified to better manage the supersaturation process. The obtained results support the use of chlorobenzene and toluene to reduce pinholes and increase the grain size. Toluene was found to further improve the morphology and stability of thin films, as it showed less degradation after four weeks under dark with 60% humidity. Furthermore, we performed a simulation using SCAPS-1D software to observe the effect of these antisolvents on the performance of MASnI(3)-based solar cells. We also produced the device FTO/TiO2/MASnI(3)/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au, obtaining a remarkable photoconversion efficiency (PCE) improvement of 5.11% when using the MASnI(3) device treated with chlorobenzene. A PCE improvement of 9.44% was obtained for the MASnI(3) device treated with toluene, which also showed better stability. Our results support antisolvent quenching as a reproducible method to improve perovskite devices under ambient conditions.The author Amal Bouich postdoctoral researcher acknowledges Margarita Salas Fellowship (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) for funding support. This work was supported by EU under Project PID2019-107137RB-C21 and by ERDF under the funding "A way of making Europe". This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innvacion through the project BESTMAT (PID2019107137RB-C21) and (PID2019-107137RB-C22).Bouich, A.; Marí-Guaita, J.; Marí, B.; Palacios, P. (2022). Manufacture of High-Efficiency and Stable Lead-Free Solar Cells through Antisolvent Quenching Engineering. Nanomaterials. 12(17):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12172901114121

Investigation on the stability and efficiency of MAPbI3 and MASnI3 thin films for Solar Cells

[EN] Hybrid organic-inorganic halides are considered as outstanding materials when used as the absorber layer in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of its efficiency, relieve of fabrication and low-cost materials. However, the content of lead (Pb) in the material may origin a dramatic after effect on human's health caused by its toxicity. Here, we investigate replacing the lead in MAPbI(3) with tin (Sn) to show its influence on the growth of the film nucleation and stability of the solar device based on MASnI(3). By analysing the manufactured perovskite films by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible absorption, photoluminescence (PL) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), the properties of the thin films when lead is replaced by tin are reported. The simulation run for the case of MAPbI(3) is reported, where V-oc = 0.856 V, J(sc) = 25.65 mA cm(-2), FF = 86.09%, and ETA = 18.91%, and for MASnI(3,) V-oc = 0.887 V, J(sc) = 14.02 mA cm(-2), FF = 83.72%, and ETA = 10.42%. In perovskite-based devices using MASnI(3) as absorber, it was found to be more stable despite of its lower efficiency, which could be improved by enhancing the bandgap alignment of MaSnI(3). The results of this paper also allow the development of a new, reliable production system for PSCs.This research was funded by grant PID2019-107137RB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe."Marí-Guaita, J.; Bouich, A.; Shafi, MA.; Bouich, A.; Marí, B. (2022). Investigation on the stability and efficiency of MAPbI3 and MASnI3 thin films for Solar Cells. physica status solidi (a). 219(5):1-7. https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.20210066417219

Energy production and financial analysis of photovoltaic energy plants in Ivory Coast

One key factor for boosting economic growth in developing countries is the energetic independence of the countries. Renewable energies are well suited for such purpose even if effective dissemination of renewable energies is their production price. The energy production of solar plants is highly dependent of both sun radiation and climate data and therefore dependent of their location. This paper reports on the economic and financial calculations related to the energy production of a standard 20 kW photovoltaic plant connected to the electric network and located in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire). Its economic profitability in terms of economic returns of the electricity production is calculated by using capital budgeting techniques. It is demonstrated that when photovoltaic plants are considered as economic assets, the knowledge of financial and economic characteristics of the country as well as the geographical localization of photovoltaic plants, have to be taken into account in order to assess the profitability of the investment. The Levelized Cost of the Energy generated for the photovoltaic plant during its expected time of operation (25 years) is calculated and compared with other economical parameters.Keywords: photovoltaic energy production, solar energy investments, capital budgeting, net present value, profitability, levelized cost of energy, Ivory Coast. Production d'énergie et analyse financière d’une installation photovoltaïque en Côte-d’IvoireUn facteur clé pour stimuler la croissance économique dans les pays en développement est l'indépendance énergétique de ces pays. Les énergies renouvelables sont bien appropriées pour atteindre un tel objectif, même si la vulgarisation effective des énergies renouvelables dépend de leur prix de production. L’implantation des panneaux solaires est fortement dépendante à la fois de l’ensoleillement et des données climatiques. Cet article présente les calculs économiques et financiers liés à la production d'énergie électrique d'une installation photovoltaïque de 20 kW standard connectée au réseau électrique et située en Côte d'Ivoire. Sa rentabilité économique en termes de retour sur investissements de la production d'électricité est calculée en utilisant la méthode du capital budgétisé. Il est démontré que quand on considère des installations photovoltaïques comme des atouts économiques, la connaissance des caractéristiques financières et économiques du pays aussi bien que la localisation géographique de l’implantation, doivent être pris en compte pour évaluer la rentabilité de l'investissement. Le coût de l'énergie produite par l'installation photovoltaïque pendant sa durée opérationnelle (25 ans) est calculé et comparé avec d'autres paramètres économiques.Mots-clés: production d'énergie photovoltaïque, énergie solaire, investissement, budgétisation, capital, rentabilité, coût moyen actualisé de l'énergie, Côte d'Ivoire

Tin-mono-sulfide (SnS) Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis with Different [S]/[Sn] Ratios

[EN] SnS thin films were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis using cost-effective and low-toxicity sources materials like tin (II) chloride dihydrate and thiourea as sources of tin and sulphur, respectively. We have studied the properties of sprayed SnS thin films with [S]/[Sn] ratios were varied from 1 to 4 in order to optimize these parameters. X-ray diffraction was used for analyzing the films structure, Raman Spectroscopy for assessing the films quality and structure, scanning electron microscope (SEM) for surface morphology and energy dispersive energy (EDS) for compositional element in samples, atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the topography of surfaces and optical spectroscopy for measuring transmittances and then deducing the band gap energies. All films obtained are polycrystalline with (111) as preferential direction for films with [S]/[Sn] ratio equals to one while for [S]/[Sn] ratios from 2 to 4 the main peak becomes (101) and the (111) peak decreases in intensity. Raman spectroscopy confirms the presence of only one SnS phase without any additional parasite secondary phases. SEM images revealed that films are well adhered onto glass surface with rounded grain. AFM confirms this result being films with [S]/[Sn] = 1 the roughest and also with the largest grain size. EDS results show an improvement of stoichiometry with the increase of the [S]/[Sn] ratio. From optical analysis, it is inferred that the band gap energy decreases from 1.83 to 1.77 eV when the [S]/[Sn] ratio changes from 2 to 4.This work was supported by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (ENE2016-77798-C4-2-R) and Generalitat valenciana (Prometeus 2014/044).Sall, T.; Mollar García, MA.; Marí, B. (2017). Tin-mono-sulfide (SnS) Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis with Different [S]/[Sn] Ratios. Optical and Quantum Electronics. 49(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-017-1219-9S3864911Avellaneda, D., Nair, M.T.S., Nair, P.K.: Polymorphic tin sulfide thin films of zinc blende and orthorhombic structure by chemical deposition. J. Electrochem. Soc. 55, D517–D525 (2008)Brownson, J.R.S., Georges, C., Levy-Clement, C.: Synthesis of δ-SnS polymorph by electrodeposition. Chem. Mater. 18, 6397–6402 (2006)Chandrasekhar, H.R., Humphreys, R.G., Zwick, U., Cardona, M.: Infrared and Raman spectra of the IV-VI compounds SnS and SnSe. Phys. Rev. B 15, 2177–2183 (1977)Gao, C., Shen, H., Sun, L., Huang, H., Lu, L., Cai, H.: Preparation of SnS films with zinc blende structure by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. Mater. Lett. 64, 2177–2179 (2010)Koteeswara Reddy, N., Ramesh, K., Ganesan, R., Reddy, K., Gunasekhar, K.R., Gopal, E.: Synthesis and characterization of co-evaporated tin sulphide thin films. J. Appl. Phys. A 83, 133–138 (2006)Loferski, J.J.: Theoretical considerations governing the choice of the optimum semiconductor for photovoltaic solar energy conversion. J. Appl. Phys. 27, 777–784 (1956)Malaquias, J., Fernandes, P.A., Salome, P.M.P., da Cunha, A.F.: Assessment of the potential of tin sulphide thin films prepared by sulphurization of precursors as cell absorbers. Thin Solid Films 519, 7416–7420 (2011)Mathews, N.R., Anaya, H.B.M., Cortes-Jacome, M.A., Angeles-Chavez, C., Toledo-Antonio, J.A.: Tin sulfide thin films by pulse electrodeposition: structural, morphological, and optical properties. J. Electrochem. Soc. 157, H337–H341 (2010)Reddy, K.T.R., Reddy, N.K., Miles, R.W.: Photovoltaic properties of SnS based solar cells. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 9, 3041–3046 (2006)Sall, T., Mollar, M., Marí, B.: Substrates influences on the properties of SnS thin films deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique for photovoltaic applications. J. Mater. Sci. 51, 7607–7613 (2016)Sinsermsuksakul, P., Heo, J., Noh, W., Hock, A.S., Gordon, R.G.: Atomic layer deposition of tin monosulfide thin films. Adv. Energy Mater. 1, 1116–1125 (2011)Sivaramasubramaniam, R., Muhamad, M.R., Radhakrishna, S.: Optical properties of annealed tin (II) oxide in different ambients. Phys. Status Solidi (a) 136, 215–222 (1993)Ullah, H., Marí, B.: Numerical analysis of SnS based polycrystalline solar cells. Superlattices Microstruct. 72, 148–155 (2014

Substrate Influences on the Properties of SnS Thin Films Deposited by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Technique for Photovoltaic Applications

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0039-9.Herein, we report on tin monosulfide (SnS) thin films elaborated by the Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) technique onto various substrates as simple glass, ITO-, and Mo-coated glasses in order to study the influence of substrates on the physical and chemical properties of Sns thin films. Structural analysis revealed that all films crystallize in orthorhombic structure with (111) as the sole preferential direction without secondary phases. In addition, film prepared onto pure glass exhibits a better crystallization compared to films deposited onto coated glass substrates. Raman spectroscopy analysis confirms the results obtained by X-ray diffraction with modes corresponding well to SnS single crystal orthorhombic ones (47, 65, 94, 160, 186, and 219 cm21) without any additional parasite secondary phase like Sn2S3 or SnS2. Field emission scanning electron microscope revealed that all films have a cornflake-like particles surface morphology, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis showed the presence of sulfur and tin with a nearly stoichiometric ratio in films deposited onto pure glass. High surface roughness and large grains are observable in film deposited onto glass. From optical spectroscopy, it is inferred that band gap energy of SnS/glass and SnS/ITO were 1.64 and 1.82 eV, respectively.This work was supported by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (ENE2013-46624-C4-4-R) and Generalitat valenciana (Prometeus 2014/044).Sall, T.; Mollar García, MA.; Marí, B. (2016). Substrate Influences on the Properties of SnS Thin Films Deposited by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Technique for Photovoltaic Applications. Journal of Materials Science. 51(16):7607-7613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0039-9S760776135116Reddy KTR, Prathap P, Miles RW (2010) Thin films of tin sulphide for application in photovoltaic solar cells in Photovoltaics. In: Tanaka H, Yamashita K (eds) Photovoltaics: developments, applications and impact. Nova Science, New York, pp 1–27Herzenberg R (1932) Rev Miner 4:33Juarez AS, Silver AT, Ortiz A (2005) Fabrication of SnS 2 /SnS heterojunction thin film diodes by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Thin Solid Films 480–481:452–456Mathews NR, Anaya HBM, Cortes-Jacome MA, Angeles-Chavez C, Toledo-Antonio JA (2010) Tin sulfide thin films by pulse electrodeposition: structural, morphological, and optical properties. J Electrochem Soc 157:H337–H341Reddy NK, Ramesh K, Ganesan R, Reddy K, Gunasekhar KR, Gopal E (2006) Synthesis and characterization of co-evaporated tin sulphide thin films. Appl Phys A 83:133–138Ramakrishna Reddy KT, Koteswara Reddy N, Miles RW (2006) Photovoltaic properties of SnS based solar cells. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 90:3041–3046Ullah H, Marí B (2014) Numerical analysis of SnS based polycrystalline solar Cells. Superlattice Microst 72:148–155Avellaneda D, Nair MTS, Nair PK (2008) Polymorphic tin sulfide thin films of zinc blende and orthorhombic structures by chemical deposition. J Electrochem Soc 155:D517–D525Sinsermsuksakul P, Heo J, Noh W, Hock AS, Gordon RG (2011) Atomic layer deposition of tin monosulfide thin films. Adv Energ Mater 1:1116–1125Jeyaprakash BG, kumar RA, Kesavan K, Amalarani A (2010) Structural and optical characterization of spray deposited SnS thin film. J Am Sci 6:22–26Hibbert TG, Mahon MF, Molloy KC, Price LS, Parkin IP (2001) Deposition of tin sulfide thin films from novel, volatile (fluoroalkythiolato) tin (IV) precursors. J Mater Chem 11:469–473Senthilarasu S, Hahn YB, Lee SH (2007) Structural analysis of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) thin films: x-ray diffraction study. J Appl Phys 102:043512Willeke G, Dasbach R, Sailer B, Bucher E (1992) Thin pyrite (FeS2) films prepared by magnetron sputtering. Thin Solid Films 213:271–276Chowdhury A, Biswas B, Majumder M, Sanyal MK, Mallik B (2012) Studies on phase transformation and molecular orientation in nanostructured zinc phthalocyanine thin films annealed at different temperatures. Thin Solid Films 520:6695–6704Deepa KG, Vijayakumar KP, Kartha CS (2012) Lattice vibrations of sequentially evaporated CuInSe2 by raman microspectrometry. Mat Sci Semicond Proc 15:120–124Nikolic PM, Lj Miljkovic P, Mihajlovic Lavrencic B (1977) Splitting and coupling of lattice modes in the layer compound SnS. J Phys C 10:L289–L292Chandrasekhar HR, Humphreys RG, Zwick U, Cardona M (1977) Infrared and raman of IV-IV compounds SnS and SnSe. Phys Rev B 15:2177–2183Revathi N, Bereznev S, Iljina J, Safonova M, Mellikov E, Volobujeva O (2013) PVD grown SnS thin films onto different substrate surfaces. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 24:4739–4744Wang Y, Gong H, Fan BH, Hu GX (2010) Photovoltaic behavior of nanocrystalline SnS/TiO2. J Phys Chem C 114:3256–3259Tanusevski A, Poelman D (2003) Optical and photoconductive properties of SnS thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation. Sol Energy Mater Sol Cells 80:297–303Sajeesh TH, Poornima N, Kartha CS, Vijayakumar KP (2010) Unveiling the defect levels in SnS thin films for photovoltaic applications using photoluminescence technique. Phys Status Solidi A 207:1934–1939Sinsermsuksakul P, Heo J, Noh W, Hock AS, Gordon RG (2011) Atomic layer deposition of tin monosulfide thin films. Adv Energy Mater 1:116–125Bashkirov Simon A, Lazenka Vera V, Gremenok Valery F, Bente Klaus (2011) Microstructure of SnS thin films obtained by hot wall vacuum deposition method. J Adv Microsc Res 6:153–158Sall T, Marí Soucase B, Mollar M, Hartitti B, Fahoume M (2015) Chemical spray pyrolysis of B-In2S3 thin films deposited at different temperatures. J Phys Chem Solids 76:100–10

Improving Stability and Performance of Cesium Mixed Lead Halides for Photovoltaic Applications

[EN] We have focused on mixed halide perovskite thin films of the formula CsPbX3 where (X-3 = Br-3, Cl-3, I-3, Br2Cl, Br2I, and I2Cl) prepared by spin-coating in order to study the effects of partial and total Br substitution. For this purpose, we performed a series of characterizations, including x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-visible spectroscopy. All the films except CsPbI2Br showed two characteristic peaks at 2 theta angles of 26.80 degrees and 51.80 degrees corresponding to the (111) and (220) crystallographic planes. In the case of CsPbI2Br, we have the same peaks, but the main ones are located at 15 degrees and 30 degrees for the (100) and (200) planes, respectively. SEM examined the surface morphology of the different mixed lead halide films; the best surface was that of the CsPbBr2I sample, which is well-coated, dense, with no pinholes and no cracks, and has the largest grain size. In addition, all the mixed halide films showed good absorbance, especially between 600 nm and 900 nm, with band gap values between 1.94 and 2.92 eV.Author Youssouf Doumbia acknowledges his grant from Erasmus+ KA 107. Author Amal Bouich acknowledged the post-doctoral contract supported by the RRHH, the Postdoctoral contract Margarita Salas financed with the union European Next Generation EU. This research has been funded by Grant PID2019-107137RB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe".Doumbia, Y.; Bouich, A.; Soro, D.; Marí, B. (2023). Improving Stability and Performance of Cesium Mixed Lead Halides for Photovoltaic Applications. JOM Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. 75(3):693-700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-022-05618-0693700753A. Bouich, J. Marí-Guaita, F. Baig, Y. Hameed Khattak, B.M. Soucase, and P. Palacios, Nanomaterials 12(17), 3027 (2022)L. Bird, M. Milligan, and D. Lew. 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Towards Stable Free Lead Mixed Halide Perovskite Thin Films on FTO-Coated Glass Substrate

[EN] All-inorganic cesium (Cs) lead perovskites have better thermal and chemical stability than organic-inorganic hybrids. They therefore represent a hope for stability and increased performance of perovskites as absorber layers in photovoltaic solar cells. In the present work, we have deposited different layers on FTO-coated glass substrates using the one-step spin-coating method. The results of the lead substitution are presented and critically discussed. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show four peaks for all three samples. The main peaks of the different films are located at the 2? angles of 26.45 & DEG; and 51.50 & DEG; for the Muller indices (220) and (242), respectively. These two main peaks indicate that the prepared thin films all have two preferred crystallographic orientations. Beyond these two main peaks, we have two other smaller peaks at 2? of 33.67 & DEG; and 37.70 & DEG; corresponding to the Muller indices of (210) and (211), respectively. The smoother the surface of the thin films, the more light they reflect, resulting in poor light absorption by the films. It is therefore important to obtain a surface image of the prepared films, as the larger the surface image, the better the film. With this in mind, we carried out a scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, which gave us the surface images. Figure 3 shows the SEM images of thin CsPb1-xSnxI1.5Br1.5 layers (x = 0, 0.5, and 1) grown on FTO-coated glass substrate with different [Pb]/[Sn] ratios. As can be seen from the figure, the effect of the [Pb]/[Sn] ratio is visible in the surface images of the different thin films. The smallest grain size is that of the unsubstituted CsPbI1.5Br1.5, while the largest grain size corresponds to the partially Pb-substituted layer (CsPb0.5Sn0.5I1.5Br1.5). The fully Pb-substituted layer (CsSnI1.5Br1.5) has an intermediate grain size. The surface images of the films show that the surfaces are well coated with grain sizes that vary greatly depending on the layer. The best grain size is that of the thin film with partial lead substitution (CsPb0.5Sn0.5I1.5Br1.5). Regarding the UV-visible absorption of the different films, we can say that the films absorb the maximum amount of light in the wavelength range of 350-550 nm. Above 550 nm, the absorption coefficients drop significantly. The absorption coefficients of the tin-free (Sn) layer remain higher than the coefficients of the other layers throughout the UV-visible spectrum. The degradation study revealed that the Sn-free layer retains good light absorption compared to the other layers after 4 weeks of exposure to the ambient environment. The crystal structure of all the layers shows good resistance to the elements during the 4 weeks, as shown by the renewed XRD results after the 4 weeks of exposure.Author Youssouf Doumbia acknowledges his grant from Erasmus+ KA 107. The author Amal Bouich acknowledges MCIN for funding support through Margarita Salas Fellowship (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). The Postdoctoral contract Margarita Salas financed with the union European Next Generation EU. This research has been funded by Grant PID2019-107137RB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/ and by "ERDF A way of making Europe".Doumbia, Y.; Bouich, A.; Marí, B.; Soro, D. (2023). Towards Stable Free Lead Mixed Halide Perovskite Thin Films on FTO-Coated Glass Substrate. JOM Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. 75(11):4479-4484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-023-05939-844794484751

One step electrodeposition of Ag-decorated ZnO nanowires

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10008-016-3476-0.A new route for synthesizing Ag-decorated ZnO nanowires (NWs) on conductive glass substrates using a one-step electrodeposition technique is described here. The structural, optical, and photoelectrochemical properties of Ag-decorated ZnO nanowires were studied in detail using techniques such X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and photoelectrochemical measurements. Both pure and Ag-decorated ZnO nanowires were found to crystallize in the wurtzite structure, irrespective of their Ag contents. Increasing the Ag content from pure ZnO NWs to 3% Ag ZnO NWs decreases the photoluminescence intensity, shifts the optical band gap to the red, and increases the photocurrent up to threefold. This behavior was attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect induced by the Ag nanoparticles, which inhibits charge recombination and improves charge transport on the ZnO surface.B.S. acknowledges the Nanomaterials and Systems Laboratory for Renewable Energies, Research and Technology Centre of Energy Technoparc Borj Cedria for financial support. This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (ENE2013-46624-C4-4-R) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeus 2014/044).Slimi, B.; Ben Assaker, I.; Kriaa, A.; Marí, B.; Chtourou, R. (2017). One step electrodeposition of Ag-decorated ZnO nanowires. 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Control parameters on the fabrication of ZnO hollow nanocolumns

[EN] The present work reports on the fabrication of hollow ZnO nanocolumns by a sequential combination of electrochemical deposition, chemical attack and regeneration. Initially, ZnO nanocolumns were deposited in two different substrates, namely Fluor Tin Oxide and Indium Tin Oxide. In a further step, a statistical analysis on the most influencing control parameters in the dissolution stage to produce the hollow ZnO nanowires on the FTO substrates was carried out. The control variables considered were electrolyte concentration, dissolution time and temperature, whereas the output variable was the percentage of the hollow nanocolumns obtained. The statistical analysis consisted of a two-level factorial design of experiments on three variables, therefore involving a series of 8 experiments. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) on the results was also carried out. The results showed that all the control variables were significant, the most important being the dissolution time.This work was supported by the Spanish Government through MCINN Grant MAT2009-14625-C03-03, Generalitat Valenciana programme PROMETEO/2009/063 and European Commission through NanoCIS project FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IRSES (ref. 269279). Technical support given to the authors by the Servei de Microscopia at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain) is greatly acknowledged.Cembrero Cil, J.; Busquets Mataix, DJ.; Rayón Encinas, E.; Pascual Guillamón, M.; Pérez Puig, MA.; Marí Soucase, B. (2013). Control parameters on the fabrication of ZnO hollow nanocolumns. Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 16:211-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2012.04.014S2112161