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Zhang X, John S. Silicon Carbide Photonic Crystal Photoelectrode. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2025; 12:e2415552. [PMID: 40091502 PMCID: PMC12120735 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202415552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2024] [Revised: 01/28/2025] [Indexed: 03/19/2025]
Abstract
The immense challenge of large-scale implementation of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting and carbon fixation lies in the need for a cheap, durable, and efficacious photocatalyst. Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) holds compelling potential due to its auspicious band positions and high-volume, high-quality, single crystal industrial manufacturing, but is hindered by its inferior light absorptivity and anodic instability. A slanted parabolic pore photonic crystal (spbPore PC) architecture with graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), nickel(II) oxide (NiO), or 6H silicon carbide protective coatings is proposed to overcome the drawbacks of 3C-SiC photoelectrodes. A 30 µm- and 62 µm-thick 3C-SiC spbPore PC of lattice constant 0.8 µm demonstrates maximum achievable photocurrent density (MAPD) of 9.95 and 11.53 mA cm-2 in the [280.5, 600] nm region, respectively, representing 75.7% and 87.7% of the total available solar photocurrent density in this spectral range. A 50 nm-thick g-CN or NiO coating forms type-II heterojunctions with the 3C-SiC spbPore PC, facilitating the charge transport and enhancing the corrosion resistivity, all together demonstrating the MAPD of 9.81 and 10.06 mA cm-2, respectively, for 30 µm-thick PC. The scheme advances the low-cost, sustainable, real-world deployment of PEC cells for green solar fuel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiwen Zhang
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of Toronto60 Saint George StreetTorontoOntarioM5S 1A7Canada
| | - Sajeev John
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of Toronto60 Saint George StreetTorontoOntarioM5S 1A7Canada
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Thomas SA, Alharthi NS, Petersen RJ, Aldrees A, Tani S, Anderson KJ, Granlie J, Pringle TA, Payne SA, Choi Y, Kilin DS, Hobbie EK. Colloidal 2D Layered SiC Quantum Dots from a Liquid Precursor: Surface Passivation, Bright Photoluminescence, and Planar Self-Assembly. ACS NANO 2024; 18:26848-26857. [PMID: 39288450 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c08052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
We report the bottom-up synthesis of colloidal two-dimensional (2D) layered silicon carbide (SiC) quantum dots with a cubic structure, lateral size of 5-10 nm, ⟨110⟩ exfoliation to few atomic layers, and surface passivation with 1-dodecene. Samples shielded from oxygen and plasma-annealed for purity exhibit narrow blue photoluminescence (PL) with quantum yields (QYs) over 60% in exceptional cases, while unshielded nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit broad blue/green/white PL with 10-15% QY. The latter scenario is attributed to excess surface carbon and oxygen accrued during synthesis and processing, with size separation through ultracentrifugation revealing size-dependent impurity emission. In contrast, the shape of the bright narrow blue PL shows little variation with NC size, while in both scenarios, the maximum QY occurs near four atomic layers. When dried under heat, the disk-like NC suspensions are observed to aggregate into microscale domains, with further self-assembly into planar superlattice domains with common crystalline orientation. The results are compared with photophysical simulations and bring clarity to the broad emission commonly reported for top-down approaches, while inspiring bottom-up schemes directed at improved material quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salim A Thomas
- Materials & Nanotechnology Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Naif S Alharthi
- Materials & Nanotechnology Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Reed J Petersen
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Ahmed Aldrees
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Sakurako Tani
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Kenneth J Anderson
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Joseph Granlie
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Todd A Pringle
- Materials & Nanotechnology Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Scott A Payne
- Materials & Nanotechnology Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Yongki Choi
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Dmitri S Kilin
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
| | - Erik K Hobbie
- Materials & Nanotechnology Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
- Department of Coatings & Polymeric Materials, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58108, United States
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Kambley AU, Alessi B, McDonald C, Papakonstantinou P, Svrcek V, Mariotti D. Formamidinium lead iodide perovskite photovoltaics with MoS 2 quantum dots. Sci Rep 2024; 14:21613. [PMID: 39285237 PMCID: PMC11405757 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-72037-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024] Open
Abstract
We present the formation of a composite film made out of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) and molybdenum disulphide quantum dots (MoS2 QDs) and propose a corresponding photovoltaic device architecture based on a 'type-I' alignment of the two materials' electronic energy levels. The introduction of the MoS2 QDs has not compromised the overall crystallinity of the FAPI film and the composite absorber has shown improved stability. We report on the benefits of this composite film and energy band arrangement as the photogenerated carriers in MoS2 QDs, both positive and negative, are injected into the FAPI host matrix, resulting in an increased current density of 24.19 mA cm-2 compared to a current density of 19.83 mA cm-2 for the control device with FAPI only. The corresponding photoconversion efficiency increases from 12.6 to 15.0%. We also show that inclusion of MoS2 QDs in FAPI films resulted in a notable improvement in the fill factor and open-circuit voltage of the solar cells. Most importantly, MoS2 QDs enhanced the film stability by reducing defect formation and acting as passivating agents that minimize recombination losses and improve charge carrier transport. Our results suggest that a composite film in a type-I device architecture can introduce benefits for both future developments in perovskite solar cells and effectively tackling the longstanding challenges of carrier transport in QDs solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankur Uttam Kambley
- School of Engineering, Ulster University, York Street, Belfast, BT15 1ED, UK.
| | - Bruno Alessi
- Renewable Energy Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8568, Japan
| | - Calum McDonald
- Renewable Energy Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8568, Japan
| | | | - Vladimir Svrcek
- Renewable Energy Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8568, Japan
| | - Davide Mariotti
- Department of Design, Manufacturing & Engineering Management, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
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