| 11. |
- Cappel, Ute B, et al.
(författare)
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Electronic structure dynamics in a low bandgap polymer studied by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 18:31, s. 21921-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Means to measure the temporal evolution following a photo-excitation in conjugated polymers are a key for the understanding and optimization of their function in applications such as organic solar cells. In this paper we study the electronic structure dynamics by direct pump-probe measurements of the excited electrons in such materials. Specifically, we carried out a time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) study of the polymer PCPDTBT by combining an extreme ultraviolet (XUV) high harmonic generation source with a time-of-flight spectrometer. After excitation to either the 1st excited state or to a higher excited state, we follow how the electronic structure develops and relaxes on the electron binding energy scale. Specifically, we follow a less than 50 fs relaxation of the higher exited state and a 10 times slower relaxation of the 1st excited state. We corroborate the results using DFT calculations. Our study demonstrates the power of TRPES for studying photo-excited electron energetics and dynamics of solar cell materials.
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| 12. |
- Cappel, Ute B, et al.
(författare)
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Partially Reversible Photoinduced Chemical Changes in a Mixed-Ion Perovskite Material for Solar Cells.
- 2017
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 9:40, s. 34970-34978
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ) with the element specificity and chemical sensitivity of core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. By carrying out measurements at a synchrotron beamline optimized for low X-ray fluxes, we are able to avoid sample changes due to X-ray illumination and are therefore able to monitor what sample changes are induced by visible illumination only. We find that laser illumination causes partially reversible chemistry in the surface region, including enrichment of bromide at the surface, which could be related to a phase separation into bromide- and iodide-rich phases. We also observe a partially reversible formation of metallic lead in the perovskite structure. These processes occur on the time scale of minutes during illumination. The presented methodology has a large potential for understanding light-induced chemistry in photoactive materials and could specifically be extended to systematically study the impact of morphology and composition on the photostability of metal halide perovskites.
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| 13. |
- Cappel, Ute, et al.
(författare)
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Energy Alignment and Surface Dipoles of Rylene Dyes adsorbed to TiO2 nanoparticles
- 2011
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 13:32, s. 14767-14774
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The energy loss in dye-sensitized solar cells calculated from the energy difference between the lowest electronic transition of the dye and the obtained open-circuit voltage is often 1 eV or even more. To minimize this loss, it is important to accurately determine the energy alignment at the TiO2/dye/redox-mediator interface. In this study, we compared the results from electrochemistry and photoelectron spectroscopy for determining the energy alignment of three rylene dyes, two of which absorb relatively far in the red. The trends observed with the methods were different, as in the former, the energy alignment is measured relative to an external reference and includes contributions from solvent reorganization energies, while in the latter, it is measured relative to the energetics of the TiO2 and is lacking such contributions. The influence of the dyes' dipole moments on the energetics of the TiO2 was also measured and explained some of the differences in trends. Finally, we compared the injection efficiencies of the two red-absorbing dyes and found that the differences in injection efficiencies can be better explained using the energy alignment determined from photoelectron spectroscopy. This shows that the method for measuring the energetics of a DSC should be chosen according to what process one intends to study.
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| 14. |
- Chareev, Dmitriy A., et al.
(författare)
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Growth of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides by Solvent Evaporation Technique
- 2020
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Ingår i: Crystal Growth & Design. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1528-7483 .- 1528-7505. ; 20:10, s. 6930-6938
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their physical properties and potential applications in energy conversion and storage, transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have garnered substantial interest in recent years. Among this class of materials, TMDs based on molybdenum, tungsten, sulfur, and selenium are particularly attractive due to their semiconducting properties and the availability of bottom-up synthesis techniques. Here we report a method which yields high-quality crystals of transition-metal diselenide and ditelluride compounds (PtTe2, PdTe2, NiTe2, TaTe2, TiTe2, RuTe2, PtSe2, PdSe2, NbSe2, TiSe2, VSe2, ReSe2) from their solid solutions, via vapor deposition from a metal-saturated chalcogen melt. Additionally, we show the synthesis of rare-earth-metal polychalcogenides and NbS2 crystals using the aforementioned process. Most of the crystals obtained have a layered CdI2 structure. We have investigated the physical properties of selected crystals and compared them to state of the art findings reported in the literature. Remarkably, the charge density wave transition in 1T-TiSe2 and 2H-NbSe2 crystals is well-defined at TCDW ≈ 200 and 33 K, respectively. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and electron diffraction are used to directly access the electronic and crystal structures of PtTe2 single crystals and yield state of the art measurements.
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| 15. |
- Chernysheva, Ekaterina, et al.
(författare)
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Band alignment at Ag/ZnO(0001) interfaces : A combined soft and hard x-ray photoemission study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 97:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Band alignment at the interface between evaporated silver films and Zn- or O-terminated polar orientations of ZnO is explored by combining soft and hard x-ray photoemissions on native and hydrogenated surfaces. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) is used to track variations of work function, band bending, ionization energy, and Schottky barrier during silver deposition. The absolute values of band bending and the bulk position of the Fermi level are determined on continuous silver films by hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) through a dedicated modeling of core levels. Hydrogenation leads to the formation of similar to 0.3 monolayer of donorlike hydroxyl groups on both ZnO-O and ZnO-Zn surfaces and to the release of metallic zinc on ZnO-Zn. However, no transition to an accumulation layer is observed. On bare surfaces, silver adsorption is cationic on ZnO(000 (1) over bar)-O [anionic on ZnO(0001)-Zn] at the earliest stages of growth as expected from polarity healing before adsorbing as a neutral species. UPS and HAXPES data appear quite consistent. The two surfaces undergo rather similar band bendings for all types of preparation. The downward band bending of V-bb,(ZnO-O) = -0.4 eV and V-bb,(ZnO-Zn) = -0.6 eV found for the bare surfaces is reinforced upon hydrogenation (V-bb,(ZnO-O+H) = -1.1 eV, V-bb,(ZnO-Zn+H) = -1.2 eV). At the interface with Ag, a unique value of band bending of -0.75 eV is observed. While exposure to atomic hydrogen modulates strongly the energetic positions of the surface levels, a similar Schottky barrier of 0.5-0.7 eV is found for thick silver films on the two surfaces.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Ciosek Högström, Katarzyna
(författare)
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The Complex Nature of the Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces in Li-ion Batteries : Towards Understanding the Role of Electrolytes and Additives Using Photoelectron Spectroscopy
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The stability of electrode/electrolyte interfaces in Li-ion batteries is crucial to the performance, lifetime and safety of the entire battery system. In this work, interface processes have been studied in LiFePO4/graphite Li-ion battery cells. The first part has focused on improving photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) methodology for making post-mortem battery analyses. Exposure of cycled electrodes to air was shown to influence the surface chemistry of the graphite. A combination of synchrotron and in-house PES has facilitated non-destructive interface depth profiling from the outermost surfaces into the electrode bulk. A better understanding of the chemistry taking place at the anode and cathode interfaces has been achieved. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on a graphite anode was found to be thicker and more inhomogeneous than films formed on cathodes. Dynamic changes in the SEI on cycling and accumulation of lithium close to the carbon surface have been observed. Two electrolyte additives have also been studied: a film-forming additive propargyl methanesulfonate (PMS) and a flame retardant triphenyl phosphate (TPP). A detailed study was made at ambient and elevated temperature (21 and 60 °C) of interface aging for anodes and cathodes cycled with and without the PMS additive. PMS improved cell capacity retention at both temperatures. Higher SEI stability, relatively constant thickness and lower loss of cyclable lithium are suggested as the main reasons for better cell performance. PMS was also shown to influence the chemical composition on the cathode surface.The TPP flame retardant was shown to be unsuitable for high power applications. Low TPP concentrations had only a minor impact on electrolyte flammability, while larger amounts led to a significant increase in cell polarization. TPP was also shown to influence the interface chemistry at both electrodes.Although the additives studied here may not be the final solution for improved lifetime and safety of commercial batteries, increased understanding has been achieved of the degradation mechanisms in Li-ion cells. A better understanding of interface processes is of vital importance for the future development of safer and more reliable Li-ion batteries.
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| 19. |
- Ciosek Högström, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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The Influence of PMS-Additive on the Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces in LiFePO4/Graphite Li-Ion Batteries
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 117:45, s. 23476-23486
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The influence of a film-forming additive, propargyl methanesulfonate (PMS), on electrochemical performance and electrode/electrolyte interface composition of LiFePO4/graphite Li-ion batteries has been studied. Combined use of in-house X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) enabled nondestructive depth profiling at four different probing depths in the 2-50 nm range. Cells cycled with PMS and LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate (EC/DEC) were compared to a reference sample cycled without PMS. In the first cycle, PMS cells showed a higher irreversible capacity, which is explained by formation of a thicker solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). After three cycles, the SET thicknesses were determined to be 19 and 25 nm for the reference and PMS samples, respectively. After the initial cycling, irreversible losses shown by the PMS cells were lower than those of the reference cell. This could be attributed to a different SET composition and lower differences in the amount of lithium between lithiated and delithiated electrodes for the PMS sample. It was suggested that PMS forms a triple-bonded radical on reduction, which further reacts with the electrolyte. The PMS additive was shown to influence the chemical composition at the positive electrode/electrolyte interface. Thicker interface layers with higher C-O and smaller LiF contributions were formed on LiFePO4 cycled with PMS.
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| 20. |
- D'Amario, Luca, et al.
(författare)
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Chemical and Physical Reduction of High Valence Ni States in Mesoporous NiO Film for Solar Cell Application
- 2017
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 9:39, s. 33470-33477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The most common material for dye-sensitized photocathodes is mesoporous NiO. We transformed the usual brownish NiO to be more transparent by reducing high valence Ni impurities. Two pretreatment methods have been used: chemical reduction by NaBH4 and thermal reduction by heating. The power conversion efficiency of the cell was increased by 33% through chemical treatment, and an increase in open-circuit voltage from 105 to 225 mV was obtained upon heat treatment. By optical spectroelectrochemistry, we could identify two species with characteristically different spectra assigned to Ni3+ and Ni4+. We suggest that the reduction of surface Ni3+ and Ni (4+) to Ni (2+) decreases the recombination reaction between holes on the NiO surface with the electrolyte. It also keeps the dye firmly on the surface, building a barrier for electrolyte recombination. This causes an increase in open-circuit photovoltage for the treated film.
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