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Dolan A, Pan X, Griffith MJ, Sharma A, de la Perrelle JM, Baran D, Metha GF, Huang DM, Kee TW, Andersson MR. Enhanced Photocatalytic and Photovoltaic Performance Arising from Unconventionally Low Donor-Y6 Ratios. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2309672. [PMID: 38206096 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202309672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Development of both organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and organic photocatalysts has focused on utilizing the bulk heterojunction (BHJ). The BHJ promotes charge separation and enhances the carrier lifetime, but may give rise to increased charge traps, hindering performance. Here, high photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance is displayed by electron donor-acceptor (D-A) nanoparticles (NPs) and films, using the nonfullerene acceptor Y6 and polymer donor PIDT-T8BT. In contrast to conventional D-A systems, the charge generation in PIDT-T8BT:Y6 NPs is mainly driven by Y6, allowing a high performance even at a low D:A mass ratio of 1:50. The high performance at the low mass ratio is attributed to the amorphous behavior of PIDT-T8BT. Low ratios are generally thought to yield lower efficiency than the more conventional ≈1:1 ratio. However, the OPVs exhibit peak performance at a D:A ratio of 1:5. Similarly the NPs used for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution show peak performance at the 1:6.7 D:A ratio. Interestingly, for the PIDT-T8BT:Y6 system, as the polymer proportion increases, a reduced photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance is observed. The unconventional D:A ratios provide lower recombination losses and increased charge-carrier lifetime with undisrupted ambipolar charge transport in bulk Y6, enabling better performance than conventional ratios. This work reports novel light-harvesting materials in which performance is reduced due to unfavorable morphology as D:A ratios move toward conventional ratios of 1:1.2-1:1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Dolan
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - Xun Pan
- Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, 5042, Australia
| | - Matthew J Griffith
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, 5095, Australia
- School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Anirudh Sharma
- Material Science and Engineering Program (MSE), Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Derya Baran
- Material Science and Engineering Program (MSE), Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Gregory F Metha
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - David M Huang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - Tak W Kee
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - Mats R Andersson
- Flinders Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Flinders University, Bedford Park, 5042, Australia
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2
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Aitchison CM, McCulloch I. Organic Photovoltaic Materials for Solar Fuel Applications: A Perfect Match? CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS : A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 2024; 36:1781-1792. [PMID: 38435046 PMCID: PMC10902810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c02286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
This work discusses the use of donor and acceptor materials from organic photovoltaics in solar fuel applications. These two routes to solar energy conversion have many shared materials design parameters, and in recent years there has been increasing overlap of the molecules and polymers used in each. Here, we examine whether this is a good approach, where knowledge can be translated, and where further consideration to molecular design is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M. Aitchison
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United
Kingdom
| | - Iain McCulloch
- Department of Chemistry, University
of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, United
Kingdom
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3
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Liu C, Liu J, Duan X, Sun Y. Green-Processed Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells Based on Y-Series Acceptors. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2303842. [PMID: 37526335 PMCID: PMC10558702 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202303842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The development of environmentally friendly and sustainable processes for the production of high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) has become a critical research area. Currently, Y-series electron acceptors are widely used in high-performance OSCs, achieving power conversion efficiencies above 19%. However, these acceptors have large fused conjugated backbones that are well-soluble in halogenated solvents, such as chloroform and chlorobenzene, but have poor solubility in non-halogenated green solvents. To overcome this challenge, recent studies have focused on developing green-processed OSCs that use non-chlorinated and non-aromatic solvents to dissolve bulk-heterojunction photoactive layers based on Y-series electron acceptors, enabling environmentally friendly fabrication. In this comprehensive review, an overview of recent progress in green-processed OSCs based on Y-series acceptors is provided, covering the determination of Hansen solubility parameters, the use of non-chlorinated solvents, and the dispersion of conjugated nanoparticles in water/alcohol. It is hoped that the timely review will inspire researchers to develop new ideas and approaches in this important field, ultimately leading to the practical application of OSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhui Liu
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Jinfeng Liu
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Xiaopeng Duan
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
| | - Yanming Sun
- School of ChemistryBeihang UniversityBeijing100191P. R. China
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An S, Hassan SZ, Jung JW, Cha H, Cho CH, Chung DS. Covalent Networking of a Conjugated-Polymer Photocatalyst to Promote Exciton Diffusion in the Aqueous Phase for Efficient Hydrogen Production. SMALL METHODS 2022; 6:e2200010. [PMID: 35253408 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202200010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A conjugated polymer particle in an aqueous phase is covalently networked in 3D by crosslinking with azide groups, leading to significantly enhanced activity-a high photocatalytic H2 evolution rate (11 024 µmol g-1 h-1 (λ > 420 nm)) and a high apparent quantum yield (up to 0.8%). The reaction between the photoactive azide and the alkyl chains of the conjugated polymer provides more intact intermolecular polymeric interactions in the colloidal state, thus preventing physical swelling and inhibiting the recombination of photoproduced carriers. The covalent network efficiently promotes exciton diffusion, which greatly facilitates charge separation and transfer. The azide photo-crosslinking also leads to more compact and better-packed nanoparticles in the aqueous phase and efficient transfer of excitons to the outer surface of the nanoparticles, where photocatalytic reactions occur. These results show that photo-crosslinking can suppress the adverse effects of alkyl chains which inhibit photocatalytic performance. Therefore, covalent crosslinking is a promising strategy for the development of solar and hydrogen energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyeok An
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37363, Republic of Korea
| | - Syed Zahid Hassan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37363, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Woo Jung
- Department of Emerging Materials Science, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyojung Cha
- Department of Hydrogen & Renewable Energy, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Hee Cho
- Department of Emerging Materials Science, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Sung Chung
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37363, Republic of Korea
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Chowdhury R, Holmes NP, Cooling N, Belcher WJ, Dastoor PC, Zhou X. Surfactant Engineering and Its Role in Determining the Performance of Nanoparticulate Organic Photovoltaic Devices. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:9212-9220. [PMID: 35350329 PMCID: PMC8945175 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The fabrication of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) from non-hazardous nanoparticulate (NP) inks offers considerable promise for the development of eco-friendly large-scale printed solar modules. However, the typical NP core-shell morphology (driven by the different donor/acceptor affinities for the surfactant used in NP synthesis) currently hinders the photovoltaic performance. As such, surfactant engineering offers an elegant approach to synthesizing a more optimal intermixed NP morphology and hence an improved photovoltaic performance. In this work, the morphology of conventional sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 2-(3-thienyl) ethyloxybutylsulfonate (TEBS)-stabilized poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) donor:phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61BM) acceptor NPs is probed using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. While the SDS-stabilized NPs exhibit a size-independent core-shell morphology, this work reveals that TEBS-stabilized NPs deliver an intermixed morphology, the extent of which depends on the particle size. Consequently, by optimizing the TEBS-stabilized NP size and distribution, NP-OPV devices with a power conversion efficiency that is ∼50% higher on average than that of the corresponding SDS-based NP-OPV devices are produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riku Chowdhury
- Centre
for Organic Electronics, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Natalie P. Holmes
- Australian
Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Nathan Cooling
- Centre
for Organic Electronics, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Warwick J. Belcher
- Centre
for Organic Electronics, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Paul C. Dastoor
- Centre
for Organic Electronics, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Xiaojing Zhou
- Centre
for Organic Electronics, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales 2308, Australia
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Holmes NP, Chambon S, Holmes A, Xu X, Hirakawa K, Deniau E, Lartigau-Dagron C, Bousquet A. Organic semiconductor colloids: From the knowledge acquired in photovoltaics to the generation of solar hydrogen fuel. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2021.101511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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7
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Holmes A, Deniau E, Lartigau-Dagron C, Bousquet A, Chambon S, Holmes NP. Review of Waterborne Organic Semiconductor Colloids for Photovoltaics. ACS NANO 2021; 15:3927-3959. [PMID: 33620200 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Development of carbon neutral and sustainable energy sources should be considered as a top priority solution for the growing worldwide energy demand. Photovoltaics are a strong candidate, more specifically, organic photovoltaics (OPV), enabling the design of flexible, lightweight, semitransparent, and low-cost solar cells. However, the active layer of OPV is, for now, mainly deposited from chlorinated solvents, harmful for the environment and for human health. Active layers processed from health and environmentally friendly solvents have over recent years formed a key focus topic of research, with the creation of aqueous dispersions of conjugated polymer nanoparticles arising. These nanoparticles are formed from organic semiconductors (molecules and macromolecules) initially designed for organic solvents. The topic of nanoparticle OPV has gradually garnered more attention, up to a point where in 2018 it was identified as a "trendsetting strategy" by leaders in the international OPV research community. Hence, this review has been prepared to provide a timely roadmap of the formation and application of aqueous nanoparticle dispersions of active layer components for OPV. We provide a thorough synopsis of recent developments in both nanoprecipitation and miniemulsion for preparing photovoltaic inks, facilitating readers in acquiring a deep understanding of the crucial synthesis parameters affecting particle size, colloidal concentration, ink stability, and more. This review also showcases the experimental levers for identifying and optimizing the internal donor-acceptor morphology of the nanoparticles, featuring cutting-edge X-ray spectromicroscopy measurements reported over the past decade. The different strategies to improve the incorporation of these inks into OPV devices and to increase their efficiency (to the current record of 7.5%) are reported, in addition to critical design choices of surfactant type and the advantages of single-component vs binary nanoparticle populations. The review naturally culminates by presenting the upscaling strategies in practice for this environmentally friendly and safer production of solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Holmes
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Elise Deniau
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | | | - Antoine Bousquet
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM, Pau 64012, France
| | - Sylvain Chambon
- LIMMS/CNRS-IIS (UMI2820), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan
| | - Natalie P Holmes
- Centre for Organic Electronics, University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
- Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Madsen Building F09, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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8
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Kosco J, Bidwell M, Cha H, Martin T, Howells CT, Sachs M, Anjum DH, Gonzalez Lopez S, Zou L, Wadsworth A, Zhang W, Zhang L, Tellam J, Sougrat R, Laquai F, DeLongchamp DM, Durrant JR, McCulloch I. Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from organic semiconductor heterojunction nanoparticles. NATURE MATERIALS 2020; 19:559-565. [PMID: 32015530 PMCID: PMC7558859 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-019-0591-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Photocatalysts formed from a single organic semiconductor typically suffer from inefficient intrinsic charge generation, which leads to low photocatalytic activities. We demonstrate that incorporating a heterojunction between a donor polymer (PTB7-Th) and non-fullerene acceptor (EH-IDTBR) in organic nanoparticles (NPs) can result in hydrogen evolution photocatalysts with greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity. Control of the nanomorphology of these NPs was achieved by varying the stabilizing surfactant employed during NP fabrication, converting it from a core-shell structure to an intermixed donor/acceptor blend and increasing H2 evolution by an order of magnitude. The resulting photocatalysts display an unprecedentedly high H2 evolution rate of over 60,000 µmol h-1 g-1 under 350 to 800 nm illumination, and external quantum efficiencies over 6% in the region of maximum solar photon flux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Kosco
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Matthew Bidwell
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hyojung Cha
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tyler Martin
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Calvyn T Howells
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael Sachs
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dalaver H Anjum
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sandra Gonzalez Lopez
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lingyu Zou
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Wadsworth
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Weimin Zhang
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lisheng Zhang
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - James Tellam
- ISIS, STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, UK
| | - Rachid Sougrat
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Frédéric Laquai
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dean M DeLongchamp
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - James R Durrant
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Iain McCulloch
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), KAUST Solar Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division (PSE), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Plastic Electronics, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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9
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Gehan TS, Ellis CLC, Venkataraman D, Bag M. Origin of Low Open-Circuit Voltage in Surfactant-Stabilized Organic-Nanoparticle-Based Solar Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:8183-8188. [PMID: 31997637 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b19781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Organic-nanoparticle-based solar cells have drawn great attention due to their eco-friendly and environmentally friendly fabrication procedure. However, these surfactant-stabilized nanoparticles suffer open-circuit voltage loss due to charge trapping and poor extraction rate at the polymer cathode interface. Here, we have investigated the origin of voltage loss and charge trapping in surfactant-stabilized nanoparticle-based devices. Efficient organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices have been fabricated from an aqueous dispersion of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) nanoparticles stabilized by anionic surfactants. AC impedance spectroscopy has been used to understand the charge transport properties in the dark and in operando conditions. We have demonstrated the similarities in the charge transport properties, as well as photocarrier dynamics of the nanoparticle-based OPVs and the bulk heterojunction OPVs despite fundamental differences in their nanostructure morphology. This study emphasizes the possibility of fabricating highly efficient OPVs from organic nanoparticles by reducing surface defects and excess doping of the polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy S Gehan
- Advanced Laboratory for Iontronic, Electronic and Nanomaterials, Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts , Amherst 01003 , United States
| | - Christie L C Ellis
- Advanced Laboratory for Iontronic, Electronic and Nanomaterials, Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts , Amherst 01003 , United States
| | - Dhandapani Venkataraman
- Advanced Laboratory for Iontronic, Electronic and Nanomaterials, Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts , Amherst 01003 , United States
| | - Monojit Bag
- Advanced Laboratory for Iontronic, Electronic and Nanomaterials, Department of Chemistry , University of Massachusetts , Amherst 01003 , United States
- Advanced Research in Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Department of Physics , Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee , Roorkee 247667 , India
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