| 1. |
- Clark, Pip C.J., et al.
(författare)
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The passivating effect of cadmium in PbS/CdS colloidal quantum dots probed by nm-scale depth profiling
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 9:18, s. 6056-6067
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Achieving control of the surface chemistry of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) is essential to fully exploit their properties in solar cells, but direct measurement of the chemistry and electronic structure in the outermost atomic layers is challenging. Here we probe the surface oxidation and passivation of cation-exchanged PbS/CdS core/shell CQDs with sub nm-scale precision using synchrotron-radiation-excited depth-profiling photoemission. We investigate the surface composition of the topmost 1-2.5 nm of the CQDs as a function of depth, for CQDs of varying CdS shell thickness, and examine how the surface changes after prolonged air exposure. We demonstrate that the Cd is localized at the surface of the CQDs. The surface-localized products of oxidation are identified, and the extent of oxidation quantified. We show that oxidised sulfur species are progressively eliminated as Cd replaces Pb at the surface. A sub-monolayer surface 'decoration' of Cd is found to be effective in passivating the CQDs. We show that the measured energy-level alignments at PbS/CdS colloidal quantum dot surfaces differ from those expected on the basis of bulk band offsets, and are strongly affected by the oxidation products. We develop a model for the passivating action of Cd. The optimum shell thickness (of around 0.1 nm, previously found to give maximised power conversion efficiency in PbS/CdS solar cells) is found to correspond to a trade-off between the rate of oxidation and the introduction of a surface barrier to charge transport.
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| 2. |
- Fairclough, Simon M., et al.
(författare)
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Growth and Characterization of Strained and Alloyed Type-II ZnTe/ZnSe Core-Shell Nanocrystals
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 116:51, s. 26898-26907
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigate the growth and the physical and optical properties of type-II heterostructured ZnTe/ZnSe colloidal nanocrystals, focusing on the role of the 7% lattice mismatch between the two materials in determining growth homogeneity and band structure. We find that the lattice mismatch between the two materials places limitations on the range of structures that can be grown, and for those in which coherent growth is achieved we present clear evidence that the low bulk modulus ZnTe cores are compressed by the higher modulus ZnSe shells, accentuating the red-shift of the excitonic state with increasing shell thickness. By employing a variety of characterization tools we build a clear picture of the core-shell architecture. We show how strain is manifested in structures with sharp core-shell interfaces and how intentional alloying of the interface can influence the growth and exciton energies. We show that a (2,6)-band effective mass model is able to distinguish between the as-grown "sharp" and "alloyed" interfaces, indicating that the alloyed structures incorporate reduced strain.
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| 3. |
- Burkitt-Gray, Mary, et al.
(författare)
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Structural investigations into colour-tuneable fluorescent InZnP-based quantum dots from zinc carboxylate and aminophosphine precursors
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 15:4, s. 1763-1774
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fluorescent InP-based quantum dots have emerged as valuable nanomaterials for display technologies, biological imaging, and optoelectronic applications. The inclusion of zinc can enhance both their emissive and structural properties and reduce interfacial defects with ZnS or CdS shells. However, the sub-particle distribution of zinc and the role this element plays often remains unclear, and it has previously proved challenging to synthesise Zn-alloyed InP-based nanoparticles using aminophosphine precursors. In this report, we describe the synthesis of alloyed InZnP using zinc carboxylates, achieving colour-tuneable fluorescence from the unshelled core materials, followed by a one-pot ZnS or CdS deposition using diethyldithiocarbamate precursors. Structural analysis revealed that the “core/shell” particles synthesised here were more accurately described as homogeneous extended alloys with the constituent shell elements diffusing through the entire core, including full-depth inclusion of zinc.
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| 4. |
- Cant, David J. H., et al.
(författare)
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Surface Properties of Nanocrystalline PbS Films Deposited at the Water-Oil Interface: A Study of Atmospheric Aging
- 2015
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Ingår i: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 31:4, s. 1445-1453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nanocrystalline thin films of PbS are obtained in a straightforward reaction by precipitation at the interface between toluene (containing a Pb precursor) and water (containing Na2S). Lead thiobiuret [Pb(SON(CN(i)Pr-2)(2))(2)] and lead diethyldithiocarbamate [Pb(S2CNEt2)(2)] precursors are used. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, revealing typical particle sizes of 10-40 nm and preferred (200) orientation. Synchrotron-excited depth-profiling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to determine the depth-dependent chemical composition as a function of surface aging in air for periods of up to 9 months. The as-synthesized films show a 1:1 Pb/S composition. Initial degradation occurs to form lead hydroxide and small quantities of surface-adsorbed -SH species. A lead-deficient Pb1-xS phase is produced as the aging proceeds. Oxidation of the sulfur occurs later to form sulfite and sulfate products that are highly localized at the surface layers of the nanocrystals. These species show logarithmic growth kinetics, demonstrating that the sulfite/sulfate layer acts to passivate the nanocrystals. Our results demonstrate that the initial reaction of the PbS nanocrystals (forming lead hydroxide) is incongruent. The results are discussed in the context of the use of PbS nanocrystals as light-harvesting elements in next-generation solar technology.
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| 5. |
- Carrasco-Jaim, Omar A., et al.
(författare)
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Photocatalytic hydrogen production by biomimetic indium sulfide using Mimosa pudica leaves as template
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-3199. ; 44:5, s. 2770-2783
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biomimetic sulfur-deficient indium sulfide (In2.77S4) was synthesized by a template-assisted hydrothermal method using leaves of Mimosa pudica as a template for the first time. The effect of this template in modifying the morphology of the semiconductor particles was determined by physicochemical characterization, revealing an increase in surface area, decrease in microsphere size and pore size and an increase in pore volume density in samples synthesized with the template. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed the presence of organic sulfur (S–O/S–C/S–H) and sulfur oxide species (–SO2, SO3 2−, SO4 2−) at the surface of the indium sulfide in samples synthesized with the template. Biomimetic indium sulfide also showed significant amounts of Fe introduced as a contaminant present on the Mimosa pudica leaves. The presence of these sulfur and iron species favors the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production by their acting as a sacrificial reagent and promoting water oxidation on the surface of the templated particles, respectively. The photocatalytic hydrogen production rates over optimally-prepared biomimetic indium sulfide and indium sulfide synthesized without the organic template were 73 and 22 μmol g−1, respectively, indicating an improvement by a factor of three in the templated sample.
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| 6. |
- Syres, Karen L., et al.
(författare)
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Adsorbate-Induced Modification of Surface Electronic Structure: Pyrocatechol Adsorption on the Anatase TiO2 (101) and Rutile TiO2 (110) Surfaces
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 116:44, s. 23515-23525
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photoemission and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) techniques have been used to study the adsorption of pyrocatechol on anatase TiO2 (101) and rutile TiO2 (110) single crystals. Photoemission results suggest the pyrocatechol molecule adsorbs on both surfaces predominantly in a bidentate geometry. Using the searchlight effect, the carbon K-edge NEXAFS spectra recorded for pyrocatechol on anatase TiO2 (101) and rutile TiO2 (110) show the phenyl rings in the pyrocatechol molecule to be oriented at 27 +/- 6 degrees and 2.3 +/- 8 degrees, respectively, from the surface normal. Experimental data and computational models of the pyrocatechol-anatase TiO2 interface indicate the appearance of new occupied and unoccupied states on adsorption due to hybridization between the electronic states of the pyrocatechol molecule and the surface. The atomic character of the new orbitals created facilitates direct photoinjection from pyrocatechol into anatase TiO2 and induces a strong final state effect in the carbon K-edge NEXAFS spectrum.
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