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total: 81
Search results for: CHARGE CARRIER RECOMBINATION, HETEROJUNCTIONS
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Experimental and DFT insights into an eco-friendly photocatalytic system toward environmental remediation and hydrogen generation based on AgInS2 quantum dots embedded on Bi2WO6
PublicationBismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) can work as a photocatalyst but suffers from rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) simulations revealed that the formation of a thermodynamically stable AgInS2(112)/Bi2WO6(010) heterojunction could promote charge separation and enhance the photoactivity of Bi2WO6. To confirm these theoretical predictions, a new type of photocatalysts in the form...
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Photovoltaic bulk heterojunctions with interpenetrating network based on semiconducting polymers
PublicationPhotovoltaic cells are supposed to be the most common generators of useful electricity in the nearest future as they utilize inexhaustible carriers of renewable energy called photons. Despite the fact that 95% of worldwide applied photovoltaic devices are based on inorganic semiconductors the area of organic photovoltaics grows successively due to possibility of considerable reduction of manufacturing costs. Since the Heeger's...
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GaN Nanowire Array for Charge Transfer in Hybrid GaN/P3HT:PC71BM Photovoltaic Heterostructure Fabricated on Silicon
PublicationAbstract: We demonstrate that a GaN nanowire array can be used for efficient charge transfer between the organic photovoltaic layer and silicon in a Si/GaN/P3HT:PC71BM inverted hybrid heterostructure. The band alignment of such a material combination is favorable to facilitate exciton dissociation, carrier separation and electron transport into Si. The ordered nature of the GaN array helps to mitigate the intrinsic performance...
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Polaron hopping conduction in manganese borosilicate glass
PublicationA study on a novel material - manganese borosilicate glass without alkali metals, was reported. It was found that the obtained samples containing high amount of manganese oxide (60MnO–xSiO2–(40 − x)B2O3, x = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 mol%) were amorphous and homogeneous. XPS measurements showed that most of manganese ions are at oxidation level of Mn2 + ions and the mean oxidation level slightly moves toward higher value, with increasing...
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Enhancing electrical properties through in-situ controlled nanocrystallization of V2O5–TeO2 glass
PublicationV2O5–TeO2 glass–ceramics (VTGC) were prepared by controlled annealing of the V2O5–TeO2 glass (VTG), which illustrates a parent glass matrix with a single charge carrier. The annealing proceeded at six temperatures selected between the glass transition and the maximum of the frst crystallization process to obtain various nanocrystallite sizes. Heat treatment caused an increase in DC conductivity by 2.5–3.5 (250–285 °C) order of...
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Rubrene Thin Films with Viably Enhanced Charge Transport Fabricated by Cryo-Matrix-Assisted Laser Evaporation
PublicationAmong organic semiconductors, rubrene (RB; C42H28) is of rapidly growing interest for the development of organic and hybrid electronics due to exceptionally long spin diffusion length and carrier mobility up to 20 cm2V−1s−1 in single crystals. However, the fabrication of RB thin films resembling properties of the bulk remains challenging, mainly because of the RB molecule’s twisted conformation. This hinders the formation of orthorhombic...
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A novel (Ti/Ce)UiO-X MOFs@TiO2 heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic performance: Boosting via Ce4+/Ce3+ and Ti4+/Ti3+ redox mediators
PublicationTitanium-substituted cerium-oxo-based UiO MOFs with terephthalate linkers modified by various groups (–Br, –NH2, –NO2) or their derivatives (N-heterocyclic or biphenyl groups) were combined with titanium dioxide in a multistep route to obtain a core-shell-like architecture. DFT simulations showed that Ce- and bimetallic Ti/Ce- MOFs exhibited different charge compensation. Extended characterization revealed the formation of heterojunctions between...
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Pulsed UV-irradiated Graphene Sensors for Ethanol Detection at Room Temperature
PublicationA graphene-based gas sensor fabricated in a FET (GFET) configuration and its sensitivity towards ethanol and methane is reported. Detection of ethanol at the level of 100 ppm was observed under pulsed UV irradiation and after cleaning by UV light in the N2 ambient. Reduction of the frequency of UV irradiation pulses resulted in increased changes in sensor resistance in the presence of ethanol. Improved sensing behavior was ascribed...
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Fine-Tuning the Photocatalytic Activity of the Anatase {1 0 1} Facet through Dopant-Controlled Reduction of the Spontaneously Present Donor State Density
PublicationThe present study highlights the importance of the net density of charge carriers at the ground state on photocatalytic activity of the faceted particles, which can be seen as a highly underexplored problem. To investigate it in detail, we have systematically doped {1 0 1} enclosed anatase nanoparticles with Gd3+ ions to manipulate the charge carrier concentration. Furthermore, control experiments using an analogical Nb5+ doped...
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Detailed investigation of the phase transition inKxP4W8O32and experimental arguments for a charge density wave due to hidden nesting
PublicationDetailed structural and magnetotransport properties of monophosphate tungsten bronze Kx(PO2)4(WO3)8 single crystals are reported. Both galvanomagnetic and thermal properties are shown to be consistent with a charge density wave electronic transition due to hidden nesting of the quasi-1D portion of the Fermi surface. We also observe the enhancement of electronic anisotropy due to reconstruction of the Fermi surface at the Peierls...
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Annealing Rate as a Crucial Parameter Controlling the Photoelectrochemical Properties of AuCu Mosaic Core–Shell Nanoparticles
PublicationThermal processing is an essential step during the synthesis of various metal nanostructures and for tailoring their morphology, optical, and electrochemical properties. Herein, a profound impact of the annealing rate and time on photoactivity of gold–copper nanostructures by changes in the position and alignment of energy levels and surface states is reported. AuCu nanoparticles (NPs) are fabricated by sputtering of thin metal...
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Mono- and bi-metallic plasmonic photocatalysts for degradation of organic compounds under UV and visible light irradiation
PublicationTitania powders were surface modified with gold and/or silver nanoparticles (NPs) by photodeposition method. Gold modified titania exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity during methanol dehydrogenation under UV irradiation than titania modified with monometallic silver and bimetallic Au–Ag NPs. Bimetallic photocatalysts exhibited either enhanced or reduced visible light activity, depending on properties of noble metal NPs,...
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Stabilization of N-, N,N-, N,N'-Methylated and Unsubstituted Simple Amidine Salts by Multifurcated Hydrogen Bonds
PublicationIn the light of the usefulness of amidines in medicinal chem., this paper considers the effects on biol. properties and chem. reactivities of org. mols. affected by intramol. interactions. The study of chem. shifts has been an important source of information on the electronic structure of amidine salts and their ability to form non-covalent bonds with nucleic acids. The NMR and IR results demonstrate that hydrogen bonds are...
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Silver-modified titania with enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties under UV and visible light irradiation
PublicationCommercial titania photocatalysts were modified with 2 wt% of silver by photodeposition. The properties of the samples were characterized by DRS, XPS, XRD, FE-SEM and STEM. The modified samples exhibited activity under visible light and enhanced activity under UV irradiation for 2-propanol and acetic acid oxidation, respectively. The time-resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) analysis indicated that enhanced activity (2.5–8-fold...
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Organic semiconductor rubrene thin films deposited by pulsed laser evaporation of solidified solutions
PublicationOrganic semiconductor rubrene (C42H28) belongs to most preferred spintronic materials because of the high charge carrier mobility up to 40 cm2(V·s)-1. However, the fabrication of a defect-free, polycrystalline rubrene for spintronic applications represents a difficult task. We report preparation and properties of rubrene thin films deposited by pulsed laser evaporation of solidified solutions. Samples of rubrene dissolved in aromatic...
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Scheelite-Type Wide-Bandgap ABO4 Compounds (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba; B = Mo and W) as Potential Photocatalysts for Water Treatment
PublicationIn the present study, alkaline-earth metal scheelite-type compounds ABO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba, B = Mo, W) synthesized by a hydrothermal method were systematically studied. The as-obtained photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis (BET), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV-Vis), photoluminescence, and thermoluminescence (TL)...
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Hybrid TiO2–Polyaniline Photocatalysts and their Application in Building Gypsum Plasters
PublicationHybrid materials of conjugated polymer and titanium(IV) oxide have attracted considerable attention concerning their potential benefits, including (i) ecient exploitation of visible light, (ii) a high adsorption capacity for organic contaminants, (iii) and eective charge carriers separation. The new class of the photocatalysts is promising for the removal of environmental pollutants in both aqueous and gaseous phases. For the first...
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Magnetic field effects in dye-sensitized and organic solar cells
PublicationThe charge recombination and exciton dissociation are generally recognized as the basic electronic processes limiting the efficiency of photovoltaic devices. The aim of this thesis is to understand the electronic processes limiting the operation of efficient solar cells with particular emphasis on the role of electronic states endowed with magnetic dipole moment. The research work is divided into two parts. The first part deals...
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The influence of the Cu2O deposition method on the structure, morphology and photoresponse of the ordered TiO2NTs/Cu2O heterojunction
PublicationThe increased interest in highly ordered titania structures exhibiting tubular shape that could be directly formed onto the stable substrate is related with the intensive research on their modification enabling absorption of light within the wide solar spectrum and its further conversion into electric or chemical energy. Among others, formation of uniform 3D heterojunctions based on the TiO2 nanotubes attracts attention since porous...
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Laser-Induced Graphitization of Polydopamine on Titania Nanotubes
PublicationSince the discovery of laser-induced graphite/graphene, there has been a notable surge of scientific interest in advancing diverse methodologies for their synthesis and applications. This study focuses on the utilization of a pulsed Nd:YAG laser to achieve graphitization of polydopamine (PDA) deposited on the surface of titania nanotubes. The partial graphitization is corroborated through Raman and XPS spectroscopies and supported...
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Novel nitrogen precursors for electrochemically driven doping of titania nanotubes exhibiting enhanced photoactivity
PublicationNitrogen doped titania nanotubes were successfully sensitized by electrochemical method, i.e. as-anodized titania was immersed in different amine (diethyleneamine-DETA, triethyleneamine-TEA, ethylenediamine-EDA) and urea (U) solution and a constant potential was applied. The highly ordered morphology of fabricated N-TiO2 was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy. Spectroscopic techniques, i.e. UV-Vis spectroscopy,...
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Crystal Facet Engineering of TiO2 from Theory to Application
PublicationRecently, the surface structure effect on photocatalytic activity has gathered increasing attention due to its reported influence on the charge carrier trapping and separation. Detailed control over the surface structure can be achieved by exposing the specific crystal facets. As a result, the photogenerated electrons and holes can be effectively separated between the different facets of semiconductor crystals. TiO2 is the most...
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Synergy between AgInS2 quantum dots and ZnO nanopyramids for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and phenol degradation
PublicationDespite the unique properties of single semiconductor nanomaterials and quantum dots, poor photocatalytic activity has characterized them and the fabrication of nanocomposites has become necessary to enhance their photocatalytic performance. Thus, AgInS2 quantum dots (AIS QDs, 4.0±1.6 nm), have been successfully prepared and loaded onto ZnO nanopyramids (ZnO NPy). The effect of the nominal amount of AIS QDs decorating ZnO NPy on...
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The effect of boron concentration on the electrical, morphological and optical properties of boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond sheets: Tuning the diamond-on-graphene vertical junction
PublicationIn this paper, the effect of boron doping on the electrical, morphological and structural properties of free-standing nanocrystalline diamond sheets (thickness ~ 1 μm) was investigated. For this purpose, we used diamond films delaminated from a mirror-polished tantalum substrate following a microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition process, each grown with a different [B]/[C] ratio (up to 20,000 ppm) in the gas phase....
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Schottky Junction-Driven Photocatalytic Effect in Boron-Doped Diamond-Graphene Core–Shell Nanoarchitectures: An sp3/sp2 Framework for Environmental Remediation
PublicationSelf-formation of boron-doped diamond (BDD)-multilayer graphene (MLG) core–shell nanowalls (BDGNWs) via microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition is systematically investigated. Here, the incorporation of nitrogen brings out the origin of MLG shells encapsulating the diamond core, resulting in unique sp3/sp2 hybridized frameworks. The evolution mechanism of the nanowall-like morphology with the BDD-MLG core–shell composition...
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UV-Vis-Induced Degradation of Phenol over Magnetic Photocatalysts Modified with Pt, Pd, Cu and Au Nanoparticles
PublicationThe combination of TiO2 photocatalyst and magnetic oxide nanoparticles enhances the separation and recoverable properties of nanosized TiO2 photocatalyst. Metal-modified (Me = Pd, Au, Pt, Cu) TiO2/SiO2@Fe3O4 nanocomposites were prepared by an ultrasonic-assisted sol-gel method. All prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy...
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Insight into (Electro)magnetic Interactions within Facet-Engineered BaFe12O19/TiO2 Magnetic Photocatalysts
PublicationA series of facet-engineered TiO2/BaFe12O19 composites were synthesized through hydrothermal growth of both phases and subsequent deposition of the different, faceted TiO2 nanoparticles onto BaFe12O19 microplates. The well-defined geometry of the composite and uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of the ferrite allowed alternate interfaces between both phases and fixed the orientation between the TiO2 crystal structure and the remanent...
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The Effect of Laser Re-Solidification on Microstructure and Photo-Electrochemical Properties of Fe-Decorated TiO2 Nanotubes
PublicationFossil fuels became increasingly unpleasant energy source due to their negative impact on the environment; thus, attractiveness of renewable, and especially solar energy, is growing worldwide. Among others, the research is focused on smart combination of simple compounds towards formation of the photoactive materials. Following that, our work concerns the optimized manipulation of laser light coupled with the iron sputtering to...
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PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CoFe2O4/TiO2-PANI HYBRID NANOCOMPOSITE WITH MAGNETIC AND PHOYOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY
PublicationHybrid nanocomposites consisting of inorganic component and organic conducting polymer are promising materials, which can be applied in heterogeneous photocatalysis. Titanium(IV) oxide is widely used photocatalysts due to its non-toxicity, low cost and chemical stability. The main disadvantage of TiO2 is low photocatalytic activity under visible light. Conducting polymers, also known as conjugated polymers are polymer materials...
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Tailoring electronic structure of polyazomethines thin films
PublicationPurpose: The aim of this work is to show how electronic properties of polyazomethine thin films deposited bychemical vapor deposition method (CVD) can be tailored by manipulating technological parameters of pristinefilms preparation as well as modifying them while the as-prepared films put into iodine atmosphere.Design/methodology/approach: The recent achievements in the field of designing and preparation methods tobe used while...
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TIME- AND FREQUENCY-DOMAIN QUASI-2D SMALL-SIGNAL MOSFET MODELS
PublicationA novel approach to small-signal MOSFET modeling is presented in this book. As a result, time- and frequency-domain physics-based quasi-2D NQS four-terminal small-signal MOSFET models are proposed. The time-domain model provides the background to a novel DIBL-included quasi‑2D NQS four-terminal frequency-domain small-signal MOSFET model. Parameters and electrical quantities of the frequency-domain model are described by explicit...