Tin Oxide Nanowires: The Influence of Trap States on Ultrafast Carrier Relaxation

We have studied the optical properties and carrier dynamics in SnO2nanowires (NWs) with an average radius of 50 nm that were grown via the vapor–liquid solid method. Transient differential absorption measurements have been employed to investigate the ultrafast relaxation dynamics of photogenerated carriers in the SnO2NWs. Steady state transmission measurements revealed that the band gap of these NWs is 3.77 eV and contains two broad absorption bands. The first is located below the band edge (shallow traps) and the second near the center of the band gap (deep traps). Both of these absorption bands seem to play a crucial role in the relaxation of the photogenerated carriers. Time resolved measurements suggest that the photogenerated carriers take a few picoseconds to move into the shallow trap states whereas they take ~70 ps to move from the shallow to the deep trap states. Furthermore the recombination process of electrons in these trap states with holes in the valence band takes ~2 ns. Auger recombination appears to be important at the highest fluence used in this study (500 μJ/cm2); however, it has negligible effect for fluences below 50 μJ/cm2. The Auger coefficient for the SnO2NWs was estimated to be 7.5 ± 2.5 × 10−31 cm6/s

The role of excitons and free charges in the excited-state dynamics of solution-processed few-layer MoS₂ nanoflakes

Solution-processed semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides are emerging as promising two-dimensional materials for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. Here, we have used transient absorption spectroscopy to provide unambiguous evidence and distinct signatures of photogenerated excitons and charges in solution- processed few-layer MoS₂ nanoflakes (10–20 layers). We find that photoexcitation above the direct energy gap results in the ultrafast generation of a mixture of free charges in direct band states and of excitons. While the excitons are rapidly trapped, the free charges are long-lived with nanosecond recombination times. The different signatures observed for these species enable the experimental extraction of the exciton binding energy, which we find to be ∼80 meV in the nanoflakes, in agreement with reported values in the bulk material. Carrier-density-dependent measurements bring new insights about the many-body interactions between free charges resulting in band gap renormalization effects in the few-layer MoS₂ nanoflakes

Charge injection and trapping at perovskite interfaces with organic hole transporting materials of different ionization energies

The extraction of photogenerated holes from CH3NH3PbI3 is crucial in perovskite solar cells. Understanding the main parameters that influence this process is essential to design materials and devices with improved efficiency. A series of vacuum deposited hole transporting materials (HTMs) of different ionization energies, used in efficient photovoltaic devices, are studied here by means of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. We find that ultrafast charge injection from the perovskite into the different HTMs (<100 fs) competes with carrier thermalization and occurs independently of their ionization energy. Our results prove that injection takes place from hot states in the valence band making this efficient even for HTMs with higher ionization energy than that of the perovskite. Moreover, a new trapping mechanism is observed after the addition of HTMs, which is attributed to interfacial electron traps formed between the CH3NH3PbI3 and the HTMs, in addition to traps in the neat perovskite. Interfacial electron trapping is slower compared to the ultrafast hole injection, which contributes to the high efficiency obtained when these HTMs are employed in solar cells

Hybrid heterojunctions of solution-processed semiconducting 2d transition metal dichalcogenides

Exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs) are attractive light-harvesting materials for large-area and inexpensive solar energy conversion given their ability to form highly tolerant heterojunctions. However, the preparation of large-area heterojunctions with these materials remains a challenge toward practical devices, and the details of photogenerated charge carrier harvesting are not well established. In this work, we use all solution-based methods to prepare large-area hybrid heterojunction films consisting of exfoliated semiconducting 2H-MoS2 flakes and a perylene-diimide (PDI) derivative. Hybrid photoelectrodes exhibited a 6-fold improvement in photocurrent compared to that of bare MoS2 or PDI films. Kelvin probe force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transient absorption measurements of the hybrid films indicate the formation of an interfacial dipole at the MoS2/organic interface and suggest that the photogenerated holes transfer from MoS2 to the PDI. Moreover, performing the same analysis on MoSe2-based hybrid devices confirms the importance of proper valence band alignment for efficient charge transfer and photogenerated carrier collection in TMD/organic semiconductor hybrid heterojunctions

Low Temperature Growth of In2O3and InN Nanocrystals on Si(111) via Chemical Vapour Deposition Based on the Sublimation of NH4Cl in In

Indium oxide (In2O3) nanocrystals (NCs) have been obtained via atmospheric pressure, chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) on Si(111) via the direct oxidation of In with Ar:10% O2at 1000 °C but also at temperatures as low as 500 °C by the sublimation of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) which is incorporated into the In under a gas flow of nitrogen (N2). Similarly InN NCs have also been obtained using sublimation of NH4Cl in a gas flow of NH3. During oxidation of In under a flow of O2the transfer of In into the gas stream is inhibited by the formation of In2O3around the In powder which breaks up only at high temperatures, i.e.T > 900 °C, thereby releasing In into the gas stream which can then react with O2leading to a high yield formation of isolated 500 nm In2O3octahedrons but also chains of these nanostructures. No such NCs were obtained by direct oxidation forTG < 900 °C. The incorporation of NH4Cl in the In leads to the sublimation of NH4Cl into NH3and HCl at around 338 °C which in turn produces an efficient dispersion and transfer of the whole In into the gas stream of N2where it reacts with HCl forming primarily InCl. The latter adsorbs onto the Si(111) where it reacts with H2O and O2leading to the formation of In2O3nanopyramids on Si(111). The rest of the InCl is carried downstream, where it solidifies at lower temperatures, and rapidly breaks down into metallic In upon exposure to H2O in the air. Upon carrying out the reaction of In with NH4Cl at 600 °C under NH3as opposed to N2, we obtain InN nanoparticles on Si(111) with an average diameter of 300 nm

Femtosecond Carrier Dynamics in In2O3Nanocrystals

We have studied carrier dynamics in In2O3nanocrystals grown on a quartz substrate using chemical vapor deposition. Transient differential absorption measurements have been employed to investigate the relaxation dynamics of photo-generated carriers in In2O3nanocrystals. Intensity measurements reveal that Auger recombination plays a crucial role in the carrier dynamics for the carrier densities investigated in this study. A simple differential equation model has been utilized to simulate the photo-generated carrier dynamics in the nanocrystals and to fit the fluence-dependent differential absorption measurements. The average value of the Auger coefficient obtained from fitting to the measurements was γ = 5.9 ± 0.4 × 10−31 cm6 s−1. Similarly the average relaxation rate of the carriers was determined to be approximately τ = 110 ± 10 ps. Time-resolved measurements also revealed ~25 ps delay for the carriers to reach deep traps states which have a subsequent relaxation time of approximately 300 ps

Electrochemical Doping in Ordered and Disordered Domains of Organic Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductors.

Conjugated polymers are increasingly used as organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors in electrochemical applications for neuromorphic computing, bioelectronics and energy harvesting. The design of efficient electrochemical devices relies on large modulations of the polymer conductivity, fast doping/dedoping kinetics, and high ionic uptake. In this work, structure-property relations are established and control of these parameters by the co-existence of order and disorder in the phase morphology is demonstrated. Using in-situ time-resolved spectroelectrochemistry, resonant Raman and terahertz conductivity measurements, the electrochemical doping in the different morphological domains of poly(3-hexylthiophene) is investigated. The main finding is that bipolarons are found preferentially in disordered polymer regions, where they are formed faster and are thermodynamically more favoured. On the other hand, polarons show a preference for ordered domains, leading to drastically different bipolaron/polaron ratios and doping/dedoping dynamics in the distinct regions. A significant enhancement of the electronic conductivity is evident when bipolarons start forming in the disordered regions, while the presence of bipolarons in the ordered regions is detrimental for transport. This study provides significant advances in the understanding of the impact of morphology on the electrochemical doping of conjugated polymers and the induced increase in conductivity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved