1. |
- Abazari, R., et al.
(author)
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High specific capacitance of a 3D-metal-organic framework-confined growth in CoMn2O4nanostars as advanced supercapacitor electrode materials
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 9:17, s. 11001-11012
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the presence of fossil fuels, several environmental concerns, such as energy shortage, environmental pollution, and global warming may occur in the present century. In this respect, supercapacitors have been introduced as green energy storage systems playing a central role in providing a sustainable human society. In this work, an advanced strategy was initially demonstrated through various synergistic effects to synthesize cobalt(ii) metal-organic framework#CoMn2O4nanocomposites (Co(ii)-TMU-63#CoMn2O4NCPs) having interfaces adapted at tunable chemical nanocomposites for hybrid supercapacitors. The given NCPs showed excellent electrochemical performance at 7 A g−1current density endowed with a specific capacity of 156 mA h g−1(1420 F g−1) and good cycling stability at 10 A g−1current density, following 7000 cycles with 93.3% capacity retention. The hybrid supercapacitor was assembled using activated carbon (AC) as negative and NCPs as positive electrodes, which delivered specific energy of 38.54 W h kg−1and maximum-specific power of 2312.4 W kg−1with 89.5% capacity retention over 7000 cycles. The enhanced electrochemical performances of Co(ii)-TMU-63#CoMn2O4NCPs can be attributed to the high surface area, porous structure, open metal sites functioning as electron collectors to enhance electron transfer as well as unique morphology and synergistic effect between Co(ii)-TMU-63 and CoMn2O4. This work may inspire a new development of interface-adapted nanocomposite for advanced energy storage applications. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2021.
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2. |
- Abrashev, Miroslav V., et al.
(author)
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Origin of the heat-induced improvement of catalytic activity and stability of MnOx electrocatalysts for water oxidation
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:28, s. 17022-17036
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Catalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by earth-abundant materials in the near-neutral pH regime is of great interest as it is the key reaction for non-fossil fuel production. To address the pertinent stability problems and insufficiently understood structure-activity relations, we investigate the influence of moderate annealing (100-300 degrees C for 20 min) for two types of electrodeposited Mn oxide films with contrasting properties. Upon annealing, the originally inactive and structurally well-ordered Oxide 1 of birnessite type became as OER active as the non-heated Oxide 2, which has a highly disordered atomic structure. Oxide 2 also improved its activity upon heating, but more important is the stability improvement: the operation time increased by about two orders of magnitude (in 0.1 M KPi at pH 7). Aiming at atomistic understanding, electrochemical methods including quantitative analysis of impedance spectra, X-ray spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS), and adapted optical spectroscopies (infrared, UV-vis and Raman) identified structure-reactivity relations. Oxide structures featuring both di-mu-oxo bridged Mn ions and (close to) linear mono-mu-oxo Mn3+-O-Mn4+ connectivity seem to be a prerequisite for OER activity. The latter motif likely stabilizes Mn3+ ions at higher potentials and promotes electron/hole hopping, a feature related to electrical conductivity and reflected in the strongly accelerated rates of Mn oxidation and O-2 formation. Poor charge mobility, which may result from a low level of Mn3+ ions at high potentials, likely promotes inactivation after prolonged operation. Oxide structures related to the perovskite-like zeta-Mn2O3 were formed after the heating of Oxide 2 and could favour stabilization of Mn ions in oxidation states lower than +4. This rare phase was previously found only at high pressure (20 GPa) and temperature (1200 degrees C) and this is the first report where it was stable under ambient conditions.
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3. |
- Admassie, Shimelis, et al.
(author)
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A renewable biopolymer cathode with multivalent metal ions for enhanced charge storage
- 2014
-
In: JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488. ; 2:6, s. 1974-1979
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A ternary composite supercapacitor electrode consisting of phosphomolybdic acid (HMA), a renewable biopolymer, lignin, and polypyrrole was synthesized by a simple one-step simultaneous electrochemical deposition and characterized by electrochemical methods. It was found that the addition of HMA increased the specific capacitance of the polypyrrole-lignin composite from 477 to 682 F g(-1) ( at a discharge current of 1 A g(-1)) and also significantly improved the charge storage capacity from 6(to 128 mA h g(-1).
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4. |
- Aguirre, Miren, et al.
(author)
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Hybrid acrylic/CeO2 nanocomposites using hydrophilic, spherical and high aspect ratio CeO2 nanoparticles
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 2:47, s. 20280-20287
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A dispersion of CeO2 nanoparticles and nanorods stabilized with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and a 4,4'-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) (V-501) initiator has been used to initiate the emulsion polymerization of acrylic monomers, yielding stable hybrid CeO2 nanoparticle-nanorod/polyacrylate latexes for the first time. Films cast from these hybrid latexes are transparent due to the very homogenous distribution of the polymer compatibilized CeO2. Furthermore, it has been proven that the UV-Vis absorption capacity of the hybrid latexes is enhanced with the incorporation of the nanorods.
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5. |
- Ajjan, Fátima, et al.
(author)
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High performance PEDOT/lignin biopolymer composites for electrochemical supercapacitors
- 2016
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:5, s. 1838-1847
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Developing sustainable organic electrode materials for energy storage applications is an urgent task. We present a promising candidate based on the use of lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer in nature. This polymer is combined with a conducting polymer, where lignin as a polyanion can behave both as a dopant and surfactant. The synthesis of PEDOT/Lig biocomposites by both oxidative chemical and electrochemical polymerization of EDOT in the presence of lignin sulfonate is presented. The characterization of PEDOT/Lig was performed by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, FTIR infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge. PEDOT doped with lignin doubles the specific capacitance (170.4 F g(-1)) compared to reference PEDOT electrodes (80.4 F g(-1)). The enhanced energy storage performance is a consequence of the additional pseudocapacitance generated by the quinone moieties in lignin, which give rise to faradaic reactions. Furthermore PEDOT/Lig is a highly stable biocomposite, retaining about 83% of its electroactivity after 1000 charge/discharge cycles. These results illustrate that the redox doping strategy is a facile and straightforward approach to improve the electroactive performance of PEDOT.
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6. |
- Ajjan, Fátima, et al.
(author)
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Spectroelectrochemical investigation of redox states in a polypyrrole/lignin composite electrode material
- 2015
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 3:24, s. 12927-12937
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report spectroelectrochemical studies to investigate the charge storage mechanism of composite polypyrrole/lignin electrodes. Renewable bioorganic electrode materials were produced by electropolymerization of pyrrole in the presence of a water-soluble lignin derivative acting as a dopant. The resulting composite exhibited enhanced charge storage abilities due to a lignin-based faradaic process, which was expressed after repeated electrochemical redox of the material. The in situ FTIR spectroelectrochemistry results show the formation of quinone groups, and reversible oxidation-reduction of these groups during charge-discharge experiments in the electrode materials. The most significant IR bands include carbonyl absorption near 1705 cm(-1), which is attributed to the creation of quinone moieties during oxidation, and absorption at 1045 cm(-1) which is due to hydroquinone moieties.
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7. |
- Alkadir Abdulahi, Birhan, 1985, et al.
(author)
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Structural engineering of pyrrolo[3,4-: F] benzotriazole-5,7(2 H,6 H)-dione-based polymers for non-fullerene organic solar cells with an efficiency over 12%
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:33, s. 19522-19530
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work, we have synthesized two wide band gap donor polymers based on benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene (BDT) and pyrrolo[3,4-f]benzotriazole-5,7(2H,6H)-dione (TzBI), namely, PBDT-TzBI and PBDT-F-TzBI and studied their photovoltaic properties by blending them with ITIC as an acceptor. Polymer solar cell devices made from PBDT-TzBI:ITIC and PBDT-F-TzBI:ITIC exhibited power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 9.22% and 11.02% and while annealing at 160 °C, improved the device performances to 10.24% and 11.98%, respectively. Upon solvent annealing with diphenyl ether (DPE) (0.5%) and chlorobenzene (CB), the PCE of the PBDT-F-TzBI-based device increased to 12.12%. The introduction of the fluorinated benzodithiophene (BDT-F) moiety on the backbone of PBDT-F-TzBI improved the open circuit voltage, short circuit current and fill factor simultaneously. The high PCEs of the PBDT-F-TzBI:ITIC-based devices were supported by comparison and analysis of the optical and electronic properties, the charge carrier mobilities, exciton dissociation probabilities, and charge recombination behaviors of the devices.
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8. |
- An, J., et al.
(author)
-
Supramolecular Co-adsorption on TiO2to enhance the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 9:23, s. 13697-13703
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three novel push-pull dyes, with carbazole donors, codedAJ502,TZ101andTZ102are synthesized and applied as co-sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).TZ101andTZ102have similar structures except for two fluorine atoms introduced on the benzotriazole (BTZ) unit.AJ502shows a near-IR absorption spectrum that is suitable for co-sensitization withTZ101andTZ102. The co-sensitized DSSC device based onCO-1(AJ502 : TZ101= 3 : 4 (0.075 mM : 0.1 mM)) achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.3% under AM 1.5G irradiation, with 1.06 V open-circuit voltage (Voc), 13.75 mA cm−2short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc), and 70.8% fill factor (FF), a significant improvement compared to the single dye, 6.0% forAJ502and 5.1% forTZ101with a copper(i/ii)-based redox electrolyte. A PCE of 8.9% is also obtained by devices based onCO-2(AJ502 : TZ102= 3 : 4). ForCO-1, the fluorine atoms inTZ101play a critical role by widening the active light capturing bands of bothTZ101andAJ502on the TiO2film whileTZ102andAJ502show weaker interaction under the same conditions. The UV-vis spectrum and Raman spectrum revealed thatAJ502can form supramolecules withTZ101andTZ102formed on the TiO2film.
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9. |
- Andersson, Edvin K. W., et al.
(author)
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Initial SEI formation in LiBOB-, LiDFOB- and LiBF4-containing PEO electrolytes
- 2024
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 12:15, s. 9184-9199
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A limiting factor for solid polymer electrolyte (SPE)-based Li-batteries is the functionality of the electrolyte decomposition layer that is spontaneously formed at the Li metal anode. A deeper understanding of this layer will facilitate its improvement. This study investigates three SPEs – polyethylene oxide:lithium tetrafluoroborate (PEO:LiBF4), polyethylene oxide:lithium bis(oxalate)borate (PEO:LiBOB), and polyethylene oxide:lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (PEO:LiDFOB) – using a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), galvanostatic cycling, in situ Li deposition photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. Through this combination, the cell performance of PEO:LiDFOB can be connected to the initial SPE decomposition at the anode interface. It is found that PEO:LiDFOB had the highest capacity retention, which is correlated to having the least decomposition at the interface. This indicates that the lower SPE decomposition at the interface still creates a more effective decomposition layer, which is capable of preventing further electrolyte decomposition. Moreover, the PES results indicate formation of polyethylene in the SEI in cells based on PEO electrolytes. This is supported by AIMD that shows a polyethylene formation pathway through free-radical polymerization of ethylene.
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10. |
- Anil, Athira, et al.
(author)
-
Effect of pore mesostructure on the electrooxidation of glycerol on Pt mesoporous catalysts
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:31, s. 16570-16577
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glycerol is a renewable chemical that has become widely available and inexpensive due to the increased production of biodiesel. Noble metal materials have shown to be effective catalysts for the production of hydrogen and value-added products through the electrooxidation of glycerol. In this work we develop three platinum systems with distinct pore mesostructures, e.g., hierarchical pores (HP), cubic pores (CP) and linear pores (LP); all with high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). The ECSA-normalized GEOR catalytic activity of the systems follows HPC > LPC > CPC > commercial Pt/C. Regarding the oxidation products, we observe glyceric acid as the main three-carbon product (3C), with oxalic acids as the main two-carbon oxidation product. DFT-based theoretical calculations support the glyceraldehyde route going through tartronic acid towards oxalic acid and also help understanding why the dihydroxyacetone (DHA) route is active despite the absence of DHA amongst the observed oxidation products.
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11. |
- Araujo, Rafael B., et al.
(author)
-
Designing strategies to tune reduction potential of organic molecules for sustainable high capacity batteries application
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 5:9, s. 4430-4454
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic compounds evolve as a promising alternative to the currently used inorganic materials in rechargeable batteries due to their low-cost, environmentally friendliness and flexibility. One of the strategies to reach acceptable energy densities and to deal with the high solubility of known organic compounds is to combine small redox active molecules, acting as capacity carrying centres, with conducting polymers. Following this strategy, it is important to achieve redox matching between the chosen molecule and the polymer backbone. Here, a synergetic approach combining theory and experiment has been employed to investigate this strategy. The framework of density functional theory connected with the reaction field method has been applied to predict the formal potential of 137 molecules and identify promising candidates for the referent application. The effects of including different ring types, e.g. fused rings or bonded rings, heteroatoms, [small pi] bonds, as well as carboxyl groups on the formal potential, has been rationalized. Finally, we have identified a number of molecules with acceptable theoretical capacities that show redox matching with thiophene-based conducting polymers which, hence, are suggested as pendent groups for the development of conducting redox polymer based electrode materials.
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12. |
- Araujo, Rafael B., et al.
(author)
-
Designing strategies to tune reduction potential of organic molecules for sustainable high capacity battery application
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 5:9, s. 4430-4454
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic compounds evolve as a promising alternative to currently used inorganic materials in rechargeable batteries due to their low-cost, environmental friendliness and flexibility. One of the strategies to reach acceptable energy densities and to deal with the high solubility of known organic compounds is to combine small redox active molecules, acting as capacity carrying centres, with conducting polymers. Following this strategy, it is important to achieve redox matching between the chosen molecule and the polymer backbone. Here, a synergetic approach combining theory and experiment has been employed to investigate this strategy. The framework of the density functional theory connected with the reaction field method has been applied to predict the formal potential of 137 molecules and identify promising candidates for the referent application. The effects of including different ring types, e.g. fused rings or bonded rings, heteroatoms, and pi bonds, as well as carboxyl groups on the formal potential, have been rationalized. Finally, we have identified a number of molecules with acceptable theoretical capacities that show redox matching with thiophene-based conducting polymers which, hence, are suggested as pendent groups for the development of conducting redox polymer based electrode materials.
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13. |
- Araujo, Rafael B., et al.
(author)
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Predicting electrochemical properties and ionic diffusion in Na2+2xMn2-x(SO4)(3) : crafting a promising high voltage cathode material
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:2, s. 451-457
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sodium ion batteries have emerged as a good alternative to lithium based systems due to their low cost of production. In this scenario, the search for higher voltage, sodium cathodes results in a new promising alluaudite structure Na2+2xMn2-x(SO4)(3). The structural, electronic and Na diffusion properties along with defects have been reported in this investigation within the framework of density functional theory. A band gap of 3.61 eV has been computed and the average deintercalation potential is determined to be 4.11 V vs. Na/Na+. A low concentration of anti-site defects is predicted due to their high formation energy. The biggest issue for the ionic diffusion in the Na2+2xMn2-x(SO4)(3) crystal structure is revealed to be the effect of Mn vacancies increasing the activation energy of Na+ ions that hop along the [001] equilibrium positions. This effect leads to activation energies of almost the same high values for the ionic hop through the [010] direction characterizing a 2D like ionic diffusion mechanism in this system.
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14. |
- Araujo, Rafael, et al.
(author)
-
N-2 adsorption on high-entropy alloy surfaces : unveiling the role of local environments
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:24, s. 12973-12983
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Developing highly active catalysts to electrochemically reduce N-2 to NH3 under ambient conditions is challenging but bears the promise of using ammonia as a potential energy vector in sustainable energy technology. One of the scientific challenges concerns the inertness of N-2 emanating from the highly stable triple bonds and the lack of dipole moments, making N-2 fixation on catalytic surfaces difficult. Another critical challenge is that electrons are more prone to reduce hydrogen than N-2 at the surface, forming a scaling relationship where the reduction ability of the catalyst most often benefits hydrogen reduction instead of nitrogen reduction. Here we show that high-entropy alloys (HEA) - a new class of catalysts with vast compositional and structural possibilities, can enhance N-2 fixation. More specifically, we investigate the role of the local environment in the first and second solvation shell of the adsorbing elements in the bond strength between the dinitrogen molecules and the HEA surfaces. Density functional theory using a Bayesian error estimation functional and vdW interactions is employed to clarify the properties dictating the local bonding. The results show that although the main property calibrating the N-2 bond strength is the d-band centers of the adsorbing elements, the value of the d-band centers of the adsorbing elements is further regulated by their local environment, mainly from the elements in the first solvation shell due to electron donor-acceptor interactions. Therefore, there exists a first solvation shell effect of the adsorbing elements on the bond strength between N-2 molecules and the surface of HEAs. The results show that apart from the direct active site, the indirect relation adds further modulation abilities where the local interactions with a breath of metallic elements could be used in HEAs to engineer specific surface environments. This is utilized here to form a strategy for delivering higher bond strength with the N-2 molecules, mitigating the fixation issue. The analysis is corroborated by correlation analysis of the properties affecting the interaction, thus forming a solid framework of the model, easily extendable to other chemical reactions and surface interaction problems.
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15. |
- Arvizu, Miguel A, et al.
(author)
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Electrochromic WO3 thin films attain unprecedented durability by potentiostatic pretreatment
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:6, s. 2908-2918
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Electrochromic windows and glass facades are able to impart energy efficiency jointly with indoor comfort and convenience. Long-term durability is essential for practical implementation of this technology and has recently attracted broad interest. Here we show that a simple potentiostatic pretreatment of sputterdeposited thin films of amorphous WO3-the most widely studied electrochromic material-can yield unprecedented durability for charge exchange and optical modulation under harsh electrochemical cycling in a Li-ion-conducting electrolyte and effectively evades harmful trapping of Li. The pretreatment consisted of applying a voltage of 6.0 V vs. Li/Li+ for several hours to a film backed by a transparent conducting In2O3: Sn layer. Associated compositional and structural modifications were probed by several techniques, and improved durability was associated with elemental intermixing at the WO3/ITO and ITO/glass boundaries as well as with carbonaceous solid-electrolyte interfacial layers on the WO3 films. Our work provides important new insights into long-term durability of ion-exchange-based devices.
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16. |
- Banerjee, Amitava, et al.
(author)
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Bromination-induced stability enhancement with a multivalley optical response signature in guanidinium [C(NH2)(3)](+)-based hybrid perovskite solar cells
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 5:35, s. 18561-18568
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Guanidinium lead iodide (GAPbI(3)) has been synthesized experimentally, but stability remains an issue, which can be modulated by the insertion of bromine (Br) into the system. We have performed a systematic theoretical investigation to see how bromination can tune the stability of GAPbI(3). The optical properties were also determined, and we have found formation enthalpy-based stability in the perovskite systems, which are active in the visible and IR region even after bromine insertion and additionally more active in the IR range with the transition from GAPbI(3) to GAPbBr(3). The spin orbit coupling effect is considered throughout the band structure calculations. The ensemble of the primary and secondary gaps in the half and fully brominated hybrid perovskites leads to the phenomenon of a multipeak response in the optical spectra, which can be subsequently attributed as multivalley optical response behaviour. This multivalley optical behaviour enables the brominated guanidinium-based hybrid perovskites to exhibit broad light harvesting abilities, and this can be perceived as an idea for natural multi-junction solar cells.
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17. |
- Banerjee, Amitava, et al.
(author)
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Promise and reality of organic electrodes from materials design and charge storage perspective
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 10:29, s. 15215-15234
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic electrode materials are becoming increasingly important as they reduce the C-footprint as well as the production cost of currently used and studied rechargeable batteries. With increasing demand for high-energy-density devices, over the past few decades, various innovative new materials based on the fundamental structure-property relationships and molecular design have been explored to enable high-capacity next-generation battery chemistries. One critical dimension that catalyzes this study is the building up of an in-depth understanding of the structure-property relationship and mechanism of alkali ion batteries. In this review, we present a critical overview of the progress in the technical feasibility of organic battery electrodes for use in long-term and large-scale electrical energy-storage devices based on the materials designing, working mechanisms, performance, and battery safety. Specifically, we discuss the underlying alkali ion storage mechanisms in specific organic batteries, which could provide the designing requirements to overcome the limitations of organic batteries. We also discuss the promising future research directions in the field of alkali ion organic batteries, especially multivalent organic batteries along with monovalent alkali ion organic batteries.
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18. |
- Banerjee, Amitava, et al.
(author)
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Unveiling the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of NaxFe(SO4)(2) (x=0-2) : toward a high-capacity and low-cost cathode material
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:46, s. 17960-17969
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The mineral eldfellite, NaFe(SO4)(2), was recently proposed as an inexpensive candidate for the next generation of cathode application in Na-based batteries. Employing the density functional theory framework, we have investigated the phase stability, electrochemical properties and ionic diffusion of this eldfellite cathode material. We showed that the crystal structure undergoes a volume shrinkage of approximate to 8% upon full removal of Na ions with no imaginary frequencies at the Gamma point of phonon dispersion. This evokes the stability of the host structure. According to this result, we proposed structural changes to get higher specific energy by inserting two Na ions per redox-active metal. Our calculations indicate NaV(SO4)(2) as the best candidate with the capability of reversibly inserting two Na ions per redox center and producing an excellent specific energy. The main bottleneck for the application of eldfellite as a cathode is the high activation energies for the Na+ ion hop, which can reach values even higher than 1 eV for the charged state. This effect produces a low ionic insertion rate.
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19. |
- Bao, Qinye, et al.
(author)
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Effects of ultraviolet soaking on surface electronic structures of solution processed ZnO nanoparticle films in polymer solar cells
- 2014
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488. ; 2:41, s. 17676-17682
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We systematically show the effect of UV-light soaking on surface electronic structures and chemical states of solution processed ZnO nanoparticle (ZnONP) films in UHV, dry air and UV-ozone. UV exposure in UHV induces a slight decrease in work function and surface-desorption of chemisorbed oxygen, whereas UV exposure in the presence of oxygen causes an increase in work function due to oxygen atom vacancy filling in the ZnO matrix. We demonstrate that UV-light soaking in combination with vacuum or oxygen can tune the work function of the ZnONP films over a range exceeding 1 eV. Based on photovoltaic performance and diode measurements, we conclude that the oxygen atom vacancy filling occurs mainly at the surface of the ZnONP films and that the films consequently retain their n-type behavior despite a significant increase in the measured work function.
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20. |
- Barzgar Vishlaghi, Mahsa, et al.
(author)
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Accelerating water oxidation on BiVO 4 photoanodes via surface modification with Co dopants
- 2023
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:31, s. 16648-16658
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the vast investigations on improving the photoelectrochemical performance of BiVO4 for water splitting, charge recombination in the near-surface region remains a challenge. In this study, we showed that the diffusion of Co2+ ions into the BiVO4 subsurface boosted the water oxidation activity and charge injection efficiency remarkably. The increase in the concentration of oxygen vacancies upon the incorporation of cobalt ions was shown by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. DFT calculations revealed that vanadium sites in the subsurface region were the most favorable sites for substitution with cobalt ions. Charge localization at surface oxygen vacancies was found less favorable in the presence of cobalt in the subsurface layer, eliminating surface recombination. This resulted in 4.25 times larger charge injection efficiency and 6.2 times higher photocurrent density at the potential of ∼0.6 V, as compared to pristine BiVO4. This enhancement was significantly larger as compared to CoOx-loaded BiVO4, indicating that the suppressed recombination at the surface and improved charge transfer kinetics obtained solely by CoOx deposition are not sufficient for enhanced activity of BiVO4. A longer charge carrier lifetime obtained upon cobalt incorporation was observed by transient absorption spectroscopy and verified the reduced rate of recombination.
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21. |
- Baur, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Improved cycling stability in high-capacity Li-rich vanadium containing disordered rock salt oxyfluoride cathodes
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:37, s. 21244-21253
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lithium-rich transition metal disordered rock salt (DRS) oxyfluorides have the potential to lessen one large bottleneck for lithium ion batteries by improving the cathode capacity. However, irreversible reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface have so far led to fast capacity fading during electrochemical cycling. Here, we report the synthesis of two new Li-rich transition metal oxyfluorides Li2V0.5Ti0.5O2F and Li2V0.5Fe0.5O2F using the mechanochemical ball milling procedure. Both materials show substantially improved cycling stability compared to Li2VO2F. Rietveld refinements of synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns reveal the DRS structure of the materials. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we demonstrate that substitution of V3+ with Ti3+ and Fe3+ favors disordering of the mixed metastable DRS oxyfluoride phase. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the substitution stabilizes the active material electrode particle surface and increases the reversibility of the V3+/V5+ redox couple. This work presents a strategy for stabilization of the DRS structure leading to improved electrochemical cyclability of the materials.
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22. |
- Bayrak Pehlivan, Ilknur, et al.
(author)
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Scalable and thermally-integrated solar water-splitting modules using Ag-doped Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and NiFe layered double hydroxide nanocatalysts
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 10:22, s. 12079-12091
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Photovoltaic (PV) electrolysis is an important and powerful technology for environmentally-friendly fuel production based on solar energy. By directly coupling solar cell materials to electrochemical systems to perform water electrolysis, solar energy can be converted into hydrogen fuel utilizing locally-generated heat and avoid losses from DC-DC convertors and power grid transmission. Although there have been significant contributions to the photoelectrochemical and PV-electrolysis field using isolated laboratory cells, the capacity to upscale and retain high levels of efficiency in larger modules remains a critical issue for widespread use and application. In this study, we develop thermally-integrated, solar-driven water-splitting device modules using AgCu(In,Ga)Se2 (ACIGS) and an alkaline electrolyzer system with NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocatalysts with devices of 82-100 cm2 area. The Ga-content in the ACIGS solar cells is tuned to achieve an optimal voltage for the catalyst system, and the average efficiencies and durability of the PV-electrolyzer were tested in up to seven-day indoor and 21 day outdoor operations. We achieved a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) module efficiency of 13.4% from gas volume measurements for the system with a six-cell CIGS-electrolyzer module with an active area of 82.3 cm2 and a 17.27% PV module efficiency under 100 mW cm−2 illumination, and thus 77% electricity-to-hydrogen efficiency at one full sun. Outdoor tests under mid-Europeen winter conditions exhibited an STH efficiency between 10 and 11% after the initial activation at the installation site in Jülich, Germany, in December 2020, despite challenging outdoor-test weather conditions, including sub-zero temperatures.
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23. |
- Bergqvist, Jonas, et al.
(author)
-
Sub-glass transition annealing enhances polymer solar cell performance
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488. ; 2:17, s. 6146-6152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thermal annealing of non-crystalline polymer: fullerene blends typically results in a drastic decrease in solar cell performance. In particular aggressive annealing above the glass transition temperature results in a detrimental coarsening of the blend nanostructure. We demonstrate that mild annealing below the glass transition temperature is a viable avenue to control the nanostructure of a non-crystalline thiophene-quinoxaline copolymer: fullerene blend. Direct imaging methods indicate that coarsening of the blend nanostructure can be avoided. However, a combination of absorption and luminescence spectroscopy reveals that local changes in the polymer conformation as well as limited fullerene aggregation are permitted to occur. As a result, we are able to optimise the solar cell performance evenly across different positions of the coated area, which is a necessary criterion for large-scale, high throughput production.
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24. |
- Bergqvist, J., et al.
(author)
-
Sub-glass transition annealing enhances polymer solar cell performance
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 2:17, s. 6146-6152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thermal annealing of non-crystalline polymer:fullerene blends typically results in a drastic decrease in solar cell performance. In particular aggressive annealing above the glass transition temperature results in a detrimental coarsening of the blend nanostructure. We demonstrate that mild annealing below the glass transition temperature is a viable avenue to control the nanostructure of a non-crystalline thiophene–quinoxaline copolymer:fullerene blend. Direct imaging methods indicate that coarsening of the blend nanostructure can be avoided. However, a combination of absorption and luminescence spectroscopy reveals that local changes in the polymer conformation as well as limited fullerene aggregation are permitted to occur. As a result, we are able to optimise the solar cell performance evenly across different positions of the coated area, which is a necessary criterion for large-scale, high throughput production.
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25. |
- Beydaghi, Hossein, et al.
(author)
-
Functionalized metallic transition metal dichalcogenide (TaS2) for nanocomposite membranes in direct methanol fuel cells
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 9:10, s. 6368-6381
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work, we designed a novel nanocomposite proton-exchange membrane (PEM) based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and tantalum disulfide functionalized with terminal sulfonate groups (S-TaS2). The PEMs are prepared through a solution-casting method and exploited in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Two-dimensional S-TaS2 nanoflakes were prepared as a functional additive to produce the novel nanocomposite membrane for DMFCs due to their potential as a fuel barrier and an excellent proton conductor. To optimize the degree of sulfonation (DS) of SPEEK and the weight percentage (wt%) of S-TaS2 nanoflakes in PEMs, we used the central composite design of the response surface method. The optimum PEM was obtained for SPEEK DS of 1.9% and a weight fraction (wt%) of S-TaS2 nanoflakes of 70.2%. The optimized membrane shows a water uptake of 45.72%, a membrane swelling of 9.64%, a proton conductivity of 96.24 mS cm(-1), a methanol permeability of 2.66 x 10(-7) cm(2) s(-1), and a selectivity of 36.18 x 10(4) S s cm(-3). Moreover, SPEEK/S-TaS2 membranes show superior thermal and chemical stabilities compared to those of pristine SPEEK. The DMFC fabricated with the SPEEK/S-TaS2 membrane has reached the maximum power densities of 64.55 mW cm(-2) and 161.18 mW cm(-2) at 30 degrees C and 80 degrees C, respectively, which are similar to 78% higher than the values obtained with the pristine SPEEK membrane. Our results demonstrate that SPEEK/S-TaS2 membranes have a great potential for DMFC applications.
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26. |
- Bharmoria, Pankaj, 1985, et al.
(author)
-
Recyclable optical bioplastics platform for solid state red light harvesting via triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7496 .- 2050-7488. ; 10:40, s. 21279-21290
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sustainable photonics applications of solid-state triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) are limited by a small UC spectral window, low UC efficiency in air, and non-recyclability of polymeric materials used. In a step to overcome these issues, we have developed new recyclable TTA-UC bioplastics by encapsulating TTA-UC chromophores liquid inside the semicrystalline gelatin films showing broad-spectrum upconversion (red/far-red to blue) with high UC efficiency in air. For this, we synthesized a new anionic annihilator, sodium-TIPS-anthracene-2-sulfonate (TIPS-AnS), that combined with red/far-red sensitizers (PdTPBP/Os(m-peptpy)(2)(TFSI)(2)), a liquid surfactant Triton X-100 reduced (TXr) and protein gelatin (G) formed red/far-red to blue TTA-UC bioplastic films just by air drying of their aqueous solutions. The G-TXr-TIPS-AnS-PdTPBP film showed record red to blue (633 to 478 nm) TTA-UC quantum yield of 8.5% in air. The high UC quantum yield has been obtained due to the fluidity of dispersed TXr containing chromophores and oxygen blockage by gelatin fibers that allowed efficient diffusion of triplet excited chromophores. Further, the G-TXr-TIPS-AnS-Os(m-peptpy)(2)(TFSI)(2) bioplastic film displayed far-red to blue (700-730 nm to 478 nm) TTA-UC, demonstrating broad-spectrum photon harvesting. Finally, we demonstrated the recycling of G-TXr-TIPS-AnS-PdTPBP bioplastics by developing a downstream approach that gives new directions for designing future recyclable photonics bioplastic materials.
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27. |
- Bhunia, Asamanjoy, et al.
(author)
-
A photoluminescent covalent triazine framework : CO2 adsorption, light-driven hydrogen evolution and sensing of nitroaromatics
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:35, s. 13450-13457
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A highly photoluminescent (PL) porous covalent triazine-based framework (PCTF-8) is synthesized from tetra(4-cyanophenyl) ethylene by using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid as the catalyst at room temperature. Due to triazine units in the framework, the PCTF-8 exhibits excellent thermal stability (>400 degrees C). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area of PCTF-8 is 625 m(2) g(-1) which is lower than the one obtained from the synthesis under Lewis acid conditions (ZnCl2). At 1 bar and 273 K, the PCTF-8 adsorbs a significant amount of CO2 (56 cm(3) g(-1)) and CH4 (17 cm(3) g(-1)) which is highly comparable to nanoporous 1,3,5-triazine frameworks (NOP-1-6, 29-56 cm(3) g(-1)). This nitrogen rich framework exhibits good ideal selectivity (61 : 1 (85% N-2 : 15% CO2) at 273 K, 1 bar). Thus, it can be used as a promising candidate for potential applications in post-combustion CO2 capture and sequestration technologies. In addition, photoluminescence properties as well as the sensing behaviour towards nitroaromatics have been demonstrated. The fluorescence emission intensity of PCTF-8 is quenched by ca. 71% in the presence of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). From time-resolved studies, a static quenching behaviour was found. This high photoluminescence property is used for hydrogen evolving organic photocatalysis from water in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor and a cocatalyst.
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28. |
- Bielecki, Johan, 1982, et al.
(author)
-
Short-range structure of the brownmillerite-type oxide Ba2In2O5 and its hydrated proton-conducting form BaInO3H
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 2:40, s. 16915-16924
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The vibrational spectra and short-range structure of the brownmillerite-type oxide Ba2In2O6 and its hydrated form BaInO3H, are investigated by means of Raman, infrared, and inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopies together with density functional theory calculations. For Ba2In2O6, which may be described as an oxygen deficient perovskite structure with alternating layers of InO6 octahedra and InO4 tetrahedra, the results affirm a short-range structure of Icmm symmetry, which is characterized by random orientation of successive layers of InO4 tetrahedra. For the hydrated, proton conducting, form, BaInO3H, the results suggest that the short-range structure is more complicated than the P4/mbm symmetry that has been proposed previously on the basis of neutron diffraction, but rather suggest a proton configuration close to the lowest energy structure predicted by Martinez et al. [J.-R. Martinez, C. E. Moen, S. Stoelen, N. L. Allan, J. Solid State Chem., 180, 3388, (2007)]. An intense Raman active vibration at 150 cm(-1) is identified as a unique fingerprint of this proton configuration.
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29. |
- Bielecki, Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Structure and dehydration mechanism of the proton conducting oxide Ba2In2O5(H2O)(x)
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:4, s. 1224-1232
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The structure and dehydration mechanism of the proton conducting oxide Ba2In2O5(H2O)(x) are investigated by means of variable temperature (20-600 degrees C) Raman spectroscopy together with thermal gravimetric analysis and inelastic neutron scattering. At room temperature, Ba2In2O5(H2O)(x) is found to be fully hydrated (x = 1) and to have a perovskite-like structure, which dehydrates gradually with increasing temperature and at around 600 degrees C the material is essentially dehydrated (x approximate to 0.2). The dehydrated material exhibits a brownmillerite structure, which is featured by alternating layers of InO6 octahedra and InO4 tetrahedra. The transition from a perovskite-like to a brownmillerite-like structure upon increasing temperature occurs through the formation of an intermediate phase at ca. 370 degrees C, corresponding to a hydration degree of approximately 50%. The structure of the intermediate phase is similar to the structure of the dehydrated material, but with the difference that it exhibits a non-centrosymmetric distortion of the InO6 octahedra that is not present in the dehydrated material. The dehydration process upon heating is a two-stage mechanism; for temperatures below the hydrated-to-intermediate phase transition, dehydration is characterized by a homogenous release of protons over the entire oxide lattice, whereas above the transition a preferential desorption of protons originating in the nominally tetrahedral layers is observed. Furthermore, our spectroscopic results point towards the co-existence of two structural phases, which relate to the two lowest-energy proton configurations in the material. The relative contributions of the two proton configurations depend on how the sample is hydrated.
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30. |
- Boota, Muhammad, et al.
(author)
-
MXene binder stabilizes pseudocapacitance of conducting polymers
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 9:36, s. 20356-20361
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Conducting polymers (CPs) are by far the most studied organic materials for supercapacitors. Yet, their structural instability stemming from volumetric expansion/contraction during charge/discharge results in capacitance loss after moderate cycling that limits their applications. Here, we show that the remarkable cycling stability, capacitance, and rate performance can be achieved by replacing conventional electrode additives (carbon black or insulating polymer binder) with titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene. Using polyaniline (PANI) as a model system, an addition of only 15 wt% of Ti3C2Tx MXene binder delivered remarkable capacitance retention of 96% after 10 000 cycles at 50 mV s(-1) and high-rate capability with a capacitance of 434 F g(-1). Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that, unlike insulating polymer binders, surface groups of MXene bond to PANI with a significantly high binding energy (up to -2.11 eV) via a charge transfer mechanism. This is one of the key mechanisms to achieve a high electrochemical performance of the CP-based electrodes when MXene is used as a binder. We expect that a similar approach can be used for stabilizing other organic electrode materials.
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31. |
- Brooke, Robert, et al.
(author)
-
Vapor phase synthesized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene)-trifluoromethanesulfonate as a transparent conductor material
- 2018
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:43, s. 21304-21312
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inorganic transparent conductive oxides have dominated the market as transparent electrodes due to their high conductivity and transparency. Here, we report the fabrication and optimization of the synthesis of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) trifluoromethanesulfonate via vapor phase polymerization for the potential replacement of such inorganic materials. The parameters and conditions of the polymerization were investigated and an electrical conductivity of 3800 S cm(-1) and 4500 S cm(-1) after acid treatment were obtained while maintaining an absorbance similar to that of commercial indium tin oxide. This increase in electrical conductivity was rationalized experimentally and theoretically to an increase in the oxidation level and a higher order of crystallinity which does not disrupt the pi-pi stacking of PEDOT chains.
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32. |
- Bui, Thi Diem Huong, et al.
(author)
-
p-block doped semi-metallic xenes as highly selective and efficient transition-metal free single atom catalysts for electrochemical CO reduction
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 12:4, s. 2110-2120
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of robust and inexpensive catalysts for the electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) is key for sustainable production of valuable chemicals, yet it remains a long-standing challenge. Herein, we conduct a systematic theoretical investigation on p-block doping of semi-metallic xene monolayers to afford transition metal free catalysts for the CORR. Silicene (Si) and germanene (Ge) are suitable platforms for capturing the dopant (B/Al) to ensure high stability. Our single atom catalysts (SACs) are promising candidates for CORR due to their favorable initial CO adsorption and the selectivity of CO reduction over H2 evolution. B@Si, Al@Si, Al@Ge and B@Ge exhibit superior CORR catalytic activity with a limiting potential UL of 0.04, −0.39, −0.40, and −0.40 V, respectively. Notably, B@Si is identified as the best CORR electrocatalyst with an overpotential of less than 0.1 V. B@Si, Al@Si, Al@Ge exhibit high CORR selectivity towards CH3OH production, whereas B@Ge is predicted to form mainly CH4. The fundamental principles behind the outstanding CORR catalytic enhancement are disclosed by analyzing the structural and electronic configurations of two key intermediates, CO* and CHO*. CO* binds the dopant with moderate strength through a combination of σ-donation and π-backdonation unique for a transition metal free catalyst, whereas CHO* adsorbs strongly to the surface by the simultaneous binding to two neighboring atomic sites; consequently, the binding of the two intermediates breaks the scaling relation that limits the CORR activity of conventional catalysts. The optimal adsorption behaviors are attributed to the surface charge modulation induced by the substitutional doping. Hence, these findings may facilitate rational design of xene-based SACs for CORR and advance other catalytic applications.
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33. |
- Bykova, Elena, et al.
(author)
-
Synthesis, crystal structure, and properties of stoichiometric hard tungsten tetraboride, WB4
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 10:37, s. 20111-20120
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tungsten tetraboride has been known so far as a non-stoichiometric compound with a variable composition (e.g. WB4-x, WB4+x). Its mechanical properties could exceed those of hard tungsten carbide, which is widely used nowadays in science and technology. The existence of stoichiometric WB4 has not been proven yet, and its structure and crystal chemistry remain debatable to date. Here we report the synthesis of single crystals of the stoichiometric WB4 phase under high-pressure high-temperature conditions. The crystal structure of WB4 was determined using synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In situ high-pressure compressibility measurements show that the bulk modulus of WB4 is 238.6(2) GPa for B = 5.6(0). Measurements of mechanical properties of bulk polycrystalline sub-millimeter size samples under ambient conditions reveal a hardness of similar to 36 GPa, confirming that the material falls in the category of superhard materials.
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34. |
- Cai, Bin, et al.
(author)
-
Boosting the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells to 17.7% with an indolo[3,2-b]carbazole dopant-free hole transporting material by improving its spatial configuration
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:24, s. 14835-14841
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of facilely synthesized, dopant-free hole-transporting materials (HTMs) with high efficiency is of great significance for the potential application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we report two novel indolo[3,2-b]carbazole (ICZ) based small molecules obtained via a three-step reaction in a high yield without using expensive catalysts, namely C201 and C202, and further apply them as dopant-free HTMs in PSCs. Compared with C201, C202 contains two additional biphenylamino groups to improve its spatial configuration. It is found that the interplay between the molecular geometry and the aggregation behavior can exert a great influence on the film formation property and thus on the device performance. Strikingly, the champion devices employing C202 as the HTM deliver a much higher PCE of up to 17.7%, which is substantially higher than that of devices containing C201 (8.7%) under 100 mW cm(-2) illumination (AM 1.5G). It is revealed that the C202 capping layer exhibits a more homogeneous and uniform surface morphology as compared to that of C201, which effectively reduces the charge recombination losses and facilitates charge extraction, leading to a much-enhanced photovoltaic performance. This is the first example of ICZ core-based small molecules as dopant-free HTMs in PSCs. Moreover, the PSCs containing C202 as the HTM also exhibited good long-term stability under ambient conditions (40% RH) as compared to devices with doped spiro-OMeTAD, due largely to the hydrophobic nature of C202 which prevented moisture from destroying the perovskite film. This work offers a new avenue for developing cost-effective and stable HTMs for PSCs and other optoelectronic devices.
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35. |
- Cai, Wanzhu, et al.
(author)
-
Self-doped conjugated polyelectrolyte with tuneable work function for effective hole transport in polymer solar cells
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:40, s. 15670-15675
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A water-soluble conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE), PEDOT-S (poly(4-(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-2-yl-methoxy)-1-butanesulfonic acid)), is demonstrated to be an excellent hole transport material in several polymer solar cells with different donor's HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital). With a P3TI:PC71BM (poly[6,6′-bis(5′-bromo-3,4′-dioctyl-[2,2′-bithiophen]-5-yl)-1,1′-bis(2-hexyldecyl)-[3,3′-biindolinylidene]-2,2′-dione]:[6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester) active layer, the device using PEDOT-S as a hole transport layer (HTL) outperforms the PEDOT:PSS-based devices due to an increased FF (fill factor). The devices' current density–voltage characteristics (J–V) show that a PEDOT-S layer can operate well with a wide range of thicknesses as well, helped by its high conductivity and decent transparency. With UV-ozone treatment, the work function of the PEDOT-S can increase from 4.9 eV to 5.2 eV. In TQ1:PC71BM (poly[[2,3-bis(3-octyloxyphenyl)-5,8-quinoxalinediyl]-2,5-thiophenediyl]:PC71BM) devices, which have a deeper donor HOMO than P3TI, Voc is improved from 0.81 V to 0.92 V by 7 min UV-ozone treatment, along with a suppressed reverse injection current and increased Jsc (short-circuit current density) and FF. Topography study shows the excellent coating ability of PEDOT-S. Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) shows the out-of-plane current in PEDOT-S film is one thousand times higher than that in PEDOT:PSS PH 4083 film under the same electric field and has much more uniformly distributed current pathways.
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36. |
- Cattaruzza, Martina, et al.
(author)
-
Hybrid polymer-liquid lithium ion electrolytes: effect of porosity on the ionic and molecular mobility
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:13, s. 7006-7015
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alternative electrolyte systems such as hybrid electrolytes are much sought after to overcome safety issues related to liquid electrolytes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Hybrid solid-liquid electrolytes (HEs) like the heterogeneous structural battery electrolyte (SBE) consist of two discrete co-existing phases prepared by polymerization-induced phase separation: one solid polymer phase providing mechanical integrity and the other one a percolating liquid ion-conducting phase. The present work investigates the ion and the solvent mobility in a series of HEs using morphological, electrochemical impedance and NMR spectroscopic methods. All the dried HEs exhibit a porous structure with a broad pore size distribution stretching down to <10 nm diameter. Penetration of the individual components of the solution, that is the ions and the solvent, in the solid polymer phase is demonstrated. Yet, it is the pores that are the main ion conduction channels in the liquid-saturated HEs and, in general, translational mobility is strongly dependent on the volume fraction and size of the pores and, thereby, on the initial liquid electrolyte content. We also observe that the translational mobility of solvent and the ions vary differently with the pore volume fraction. This finding is explained by the presence of small mesopores where the mobility strongly depends on the specific interactions of the molecular constituent with the pore wall. These interactions are inferred to be stronger for the EC/PC solvent than for the ions. This study shows how the morphology and the chemical composition of HEs affect the ionic and molecular transport in the system.
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37. |
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38. |
- Chang, Ribooga, et al.
(author)
-
Synthesis and characterization of sodium hafnium oxide (Na2HfO3) and its high-temperature CO2 sorption properties
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:14, s. 7617-7628
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CO2 sorption properties of sodium hafnium oxide (Na2HfO3) were investigated in this study. Na2HfO3 was synthesized by solid-state synthesis using Na2CO3 and HfO2 as starting materials. The solid-state synthesized Na2HfO3 appeared structurally similar to other mixed metal oxides such as Na2ZrO3, but stacking disorder appeared to be common in Na2HfO3. The synthesis conditions, including the Na : Hf ratio (between 0.5 and 1.5 : 1), synthesis temperature, time and heating rate, were investigated to optimize CO2 sorption properties of Na2HfO3. The Na2HfO3 sorbent showed comparable CO2 uptake capacity, reaction rate and excellent cycling stability compared to other metal oxide sorbents. Na2HfO3 with Na : Hf = 1 : 1 and 1.25 : 1 showed the highest CO2 uptake among all Na2HfO3 samples obtained, with a CO2 uptake capacity of around 15 wt% (at 650–800 °C). The CO2 uptake rate of NHO-1 and NHO-1.25 was fast with over 80% of the equilibrium uptake reached within 250 s. Na2HfO3 remained stable even after 100 cycles with less than 3% difference in the CO2 uptake capacity between the 1st and 100th cycles. We performed kinetic analysis on the CO2 sorption data and found that the Avrami–Erofeev model fitted the kinetic data best among the kinetic models used. Apart from sorbent optimization, we showed that 3D-printing of Na2HfO3 : HfO2 mixtures can be used to produce structured Na2HfO3 sorbents with a slightly improved CO2 uptake rate and the same CO2 uptake capacity as the powder-based solid-state synthesized Na2HfO3 sorbent.
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39. |
- Chang, Ribooga, et al.
(author)
-
Synthesis and characterization of sodium hafnium oxide (Na2HfO3) and its high-temperature CO2 sorption properties
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:14, s. 7617-7628
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CO2 sorption properties of sodium hafnium oxide (Na2HfO3) were investigated in this study. Na2HfO3 was synthesized by solid-state synthesis using Na2CO3 and HfO2 as starting materials. The solid-state synthesized Na2HfO3 appeared structurally similar to other mixed metal oxides such as Na2ZrO3, but stacking disorder appeared to be common in Na2HfO3. The synthesis conditions, including the Na : Hf ratio (between 0.5 and 1.5 : 1), synthesis temperature, time and heating rate, were investigated to optimize CO2 sorption properties of Na2HfO3. The Na2HfO3 sorbent showed comparable CO2 uptake capacity, reaction rate and excellent cycling stability compared to other metal oxide sorbents. Na2HfO3 with Na : Hf = 1 : 1 and 1.25 : 1 showed the highest CO2 uptake among all Na2HfO3 samples obtained, with a CO2 uptake capacity of around 15 wt% (at 650–800 °C). The CO2 uptake rate of NHO-1 and NHO-1.25 was fast with over 80% of the equilibrium uptake reached within 250 s. Na2HfO3 remained stable even after 100 cycles with less than 3% difference in the CO2 uptake capacity between the 1st and 100th cycles. We performed kinetic analysis on the CO2 sorption data and found that the Avrami–Erofeev model fitted the kinetic data best among the kinetic models used. Apart from sorbent optimization, we showed that 3D-printing of Na2HfO3 : HfO2 mixtures can be used to produce structured Na2HfO3 sorbents with a slightly improved CO2 uptake rate and the same CO2 uptake capacity as the powder-based solid-state synthesized Na2HfO3 sorbent.
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40. |
- Chang, Ribooga, et al.
(author)
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Synthetic solid oxide sorbents for CO2 capture : state-of-the art and future perspectives
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 10:4, s. 1682-1705
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Carbon capture is an important and effective approach to control the emission of CO2 from point sources such as fossil fuel power plants, industrial furnaces and cement plants into the atmosphere. For an efficient CO2 capture operation, many aspects of the CO2 capture steps need to be carefully considered. Currently the most mature CO2 capture technology is liquid amine scrubbing. Alternatively, solid sorbents can be used to effectively capture CO2 while alleviating the disadvantages associated with liquid amine sorbents. In this review, we critically assess solid metal oxide CO2 sorbents, especially oxides of group 1 (Li, Na and K) and group 2 (Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba) metals, for capturing CO2 at moderate to high temperatures. In particular, we focus on the recent advances in developing synthetic metal oxide sorbents, and the correlation between the design, synthetic approaches and their cyclic CO2 capture performance, which are characterised by CO2 uptake capacity, rate of carbonation and cyclic stability. The state-of-the-art, challenges, opportunities and future research directions for these metal oxide sorbents are discussed. By devoting more research effort to address the issues identified, there can be great potential to utilise Group 1 and 2 metal oxides as cost-effective, highly efficient sorbents for CO2 capture in a variety of carbon capture applications.
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41. |
- Chen, Haiwei, et al.
(author)
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Extending the environmental lifetime of unpackaged perovskite solar cells through interfacial design
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:30, s. 11604-11610
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Solution-processed oxo-functionalized graphene (oxo-G1) is employed to substitute hydrophilic PEDOT:PSS as an anode interfacial layer for perovskite solar cells. The resulting devices exhibit a reasonably high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.2% in the planar inverted architecture with oxo-G1 as a hole transporting material (HTM), and most importantly, deploy the full open-circuit voltage (Voc) of up to 1.1 V. Moreover, oxo-G1 effectively slows down the ingress of water vapor into the device stack resulting in significantly enhanced environmental stability of unpackaged cells under illumination with 80% of the initial PCE being reached after 500 h. Without encapsulation, ∼60% of the initial PCE is retained after ∼1000 h of light soaking under 0.5 sun and ambient conditions maintaining the temperature beneath 30 °C. Moreover, the unsealed perovskite device retains 92% of its initial PCE after about 1900 h under ambient conditions and in the dark. Our results underpin that controlling water diffusion into perovskite cells through advanced interface engineering is a crucial step towards prolonged environmental stability.
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42. |
- Chen, Pan, et al.
(author)
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Surface modification effects on nanocellulose - molecular dynamics simulations using umbrella sampling and computational alchemy
- 2020
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7496 .- 2050-7488. ; 8:44, s. 23617-23627
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Topochemical modification of nanocellulose particles, in particular acetylation, is commonly used to reduce hygroscopicity and improve their dispersibility in non-polar polymers. Despite enormous experimental efforts on cellulose surface modification, there is currently no comprehensive model which considers both (a) the specific interactions between nanocellulose particles and the surrounding liquid or polymer matrix, and (b) the interactions between the particles themselves. The second mechanism is therefore frequently ignored. The present approach is based on atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, where computational alchemy is used to calculate the changes in interactions between nanocellulose and the surrounding medium (liquid or polymer) upon modification. This is combined with another method, based on potential of mean force, to calculate interactions between particles. Results show that both contributions are of equal importance for nanoparticle surface acetylation effects. The proposed method is not restricted to either cellulose or acetylation, and has the prospect to find application in a broad context of nanomaterials design.
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43. |
- Chen, Shangzhi, et al.
(author)
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Unraveling vertical inhomogeneity in vapour phase polymerized PEDOT:Tos films
- 2020
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8, s. 18726-18734
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) forms a promising alternative to conventional inorganic conductors, where deposition of thin films via vapour phase polymerization (VPP) has gained particular interest owing to high electrical conductivity within the plane of the film. The conductivity perpendicular to the film is typically much lower, which may be related not only to preferential alignment of PEDOT crystallites but also to vertical stratification across the film. In this study, we reveal non-linear vertical microstructural variations across VPP PEDOT:Tos thin films, as well as significant differences in doping level between the top and bottom surfaces. The results are consistent with a VPP mechanism based on diffusion-limited transport of polymerization precursors. Conducting polymer films with vertical inhomogeneity may find applications in gradient-index optics, functionally graded thermoelectrics, and optoelectronic devices requiring gradient doping.
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44. |
- Chen, Shangzhi, et al.
(author)
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Unraveling vertical inhomogeneity in vapour phase polymerized PEDOT:Tos films
- 2020
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8:36, s. 18726-18734
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) forms a promising alternative to conventional inorganic conductors, where deposition of thin filmsviavapour phase polymerization (VPP) has gained particular interest owing to high electrical conductivity within the plane of the film. The conductivity perpendicular to the film is typically much lower, which may be related not only to preferential alignment of PEDOT crystallites but also to vertical stratification across the film. In this study, we reveal non-linear vertical microstructural variations across VPP PEDOT:Tos thin films, as well as significant differences in doping level between the top and bottom surfaces. The results are consistent with a VPP mechanism based on diffusion-limited transport of polymerization precursors. Conducting polymer films with vertical inhomogeneity may find applications in gradient-index optics, functionally graded thermoelectrics, and optoelectronic devices requiring gradient doping.
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45. |
- Chen, Youchun, et al.
(author)
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Insights into the working mechanism of cathode interlayers in polymer solar cells via [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40]
- 2016
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 4:48, s. 19189-19196
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A low-cost (amp;lt;$1 per g), high-yield (amp;gt;90%), alcohol soluble surfactant-encapsulated polyoxometalate complex [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40] has been synthesized and utilized as a cathode interlayer (CIL) in polymer solar cells (PSCs). A power conversion efficiency of 10.1% can be obtained for PSCs based on PTB7-Th (poly[[2,6-4,8-di(5-ethylhexylthienyl) benzo[1,2-b;3,3-b]-dithiophene][3-fluoro-2[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b]-thiophenediyl]]):PC71BM ([6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acidmethyl ester) due to the incorporation of [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40]. Combined measurements of current density-voltage characteristics, transient photocurrent, charge carrier mobility and capacitance-voltage characteristics demonstrate that [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40] can effectively increase the built-in potential, charge carrier density and mobility and accelerate the charge carrier extraction in PSCs. Most importantly, the mechanism of using [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40] as the CIL is further brought to light by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) of the metal/ [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40] interface. The findings suggest that [(C8H17)(4)N](4)[SiW12O40] not only decreased the work function of the metal cathodes but also was n-doped upon contact with the metals, which provide insights into the working mechanism of the CILs simultaneously improving the open circuit voltage, short circuit current and fill factor in the PSCs.
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46. |
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47. |
- Cheng, Ming, et al.
(author)
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Molecular engineering of small molecules donor materials based on phenoxazine core unit for solution-processed organic solar cells
- 2014
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488. ; 2:27, s. 10465-10469
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A D-pi-A type small molecule POZ4 and a A-pi-D-pi-A type small molecule POZ6, in which phenoxazine was used as the central building block and dicyanovinyl was employed as the electron-withdrawing end-group, have been designed and synthesized. Compared with D-pi-A type donor material POZ4, the donor material POZ6 with A-pi-D-pi-A configuration shows much wider response to solar light. An efficiency of 5.60% was obtained for the POZ6: PC71BM based solar cells, and the device fabricated with POZ6:PC71BM (1 : 1) showed a much better balanced hole and electron mobility of 2.24 x 10(-4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1) and 3.17 x 10(-4) cm(2) V-1 s(-1), respectively.
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48. |
- Choi, Joong Il Jake, et al.
(author)
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Atomic-scale view of stability and degradation of single-crystal MAPbBr(3) surfaces
- 2019
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:36, s. 20760-20766
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells are emerging as promising candidates for next-generation solar cells with fascinating power conversion efficiency, the instability of perovskites remains a significant bottleneck for their commercialization. An atomic scale understanding of the degradation of hybrid perovskites, however, is only in its beginning stages because of the difficulty in preparing well-defined surface conditions for characterization. Using atomic force microscopy at ultra-high vacuum and room temperature, we report the first direct observation of the degradation process of a cleaved methylammonium lead bromide, MAPbBr(3) (MA: CH3NH3+), single crystal. Upon in situ cleavage, atomic force microscopy images show large flat terraces with monolayer height steps, which correspond to the surface of cubic MAPbBr(3) with methylammonium ligand termination. While this surface can be prepared via the cleavage process and is energetically stable, we observe that after several weeks under dark and vacuum conditions it degrades and produces clusters surrounded by pits. Guided by density functional theory calculations, we propose a degradation pathway that initiates even at low humidity levels and leads to the formation of surface PbBr2 species. We finally identify the electronic structure of the MA-bromine-terminated flat surface and find that it is correlated with a strong field-induced degradation of the MAPbBr(3) only at positive sample bias voltages.
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49. |
- Choque, Sergio, et al.
(author)
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Development of biophoto anodes using Ulvophyceae macroalgae
- 2023
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:6, s. 2661-2669
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Three different macroalgae, i.e., U. lactuca, U. linza, and U. compressa, have been studied for biological photovoltaic energy system (BPVE) using edge plane pyrolytic graphite as the supporting working electrode. The studied biophotoanodes were evaluated in terms of direct electron transfer (DET) and mediated electron transfer (MET) processes. Ferrocyanide (FeCN), p-benzoquinone (BQ), and 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) were used as a mediator during biophotovoltaic experiments in the presence and absence of applied light. The electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. The results show that using BQ during the MET process, the electron transfer to the graphite electrode drastically increases during light conditions, where the most promising biophotoanode was in the presence of BQ and U. linza with a current density of 72.1 ± 9.1 μA cm−2, which represents an increase of almost 2000 times over DET results. Similar results were obtained with U. lactuca and U. compressa. The high performance in the presence of BQ for the three macroalgae has been attributed to the favorable penetration of the quinone molecule to the cytoplasmic membrane, allowing the direct exchange of electrons with photosystem II in the thylakoid structure.
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50. |
- Choudhury, Sneha, et al.
(author)
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Combining nanostructuration with boron doping to alter sub band gap acceptor states in diamond materials
- 2018
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:34, s. 16645-16654
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diamond is a promising metal-free photocatalyst for nitrogen and carbon dioxide reduction in aqueous environment owing to the possibility of emitting highly reducing solvated electrons. However, the wide band gap of diamond necessitates the use of deep UV to trigger a photochemical reaction. Boron doping introduces acceptor levels within the band gap of diamonds, which may facilitate visible-light absorption through defect-based transitions. In this work, unoccupied electronic states from different boron-doped diamond materials, including single crystal, polycrystalline film, diamond foam, and nanodiamonds were probed by soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the carbon K edge. Supported by density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that boron close to the surfaces of diamond crystallites induce acceptor levels in the band gap, which are dependent on the diamond morphology. Combining boron-doping with morphology engineering, this work thus demonstrates that electron acceptor states within the diamond band gap can be controlled.
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