Showing papers by "Hans-Gerd Boyen published in 2016"

Perovskite-perovskite tandem photovoltaics with optimized band gaps

Abstract: The ready processability of organic-inorganic perovskite materials for solar cells should enable the fabrication of tandem solar cells, in which the top layer is tuned to absorb shorter wavelengths and the lower layer to absorb the remaining longer-wavelength light. The difficulty in making an all-perovskite cell is finding a material that absorbs the red end of the spectrum. Eperon et al. developed an infrared-absorbing mixed tin-lead material that can deliver 14.8% efficiency on its own and 20.3% efficiency in a four-terminal tandem cell. Science , this issue p. [861][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaf9717

Assessing the toxicity of Pb- and Sn-based perovskite solar cells in model organism Danio rerio

Abstract: Intensive development of organometal halide perovskite solar cells has lead to a dramatic surge in power conversion efficiency up to 20%. Unfortunately, the most efficient perovskite solar cells all contain lead (Pb), which is an unsettling flaw that leads to severe environmental concerns and is therefore a stumbling block envisioning their large-scale application. Aiming for the retention of favorable electro-optical properties, tin (Sn) has been considered the most likely substitute. Preliminary studies have however shown that Sn-based perovskites are highly unstable and, moreover, Sn is also enlisted as a harmful chemical, with similar concerns regarding environment and health. To bring more clarity into the appropriateness of both metals in perovskite solar cells, we provide a case study with systematic comparison regarding the environmental impact of Pb- and Sn-based perovskites, using zebrafish (Danio Rerio) as model organism. Uncovering an unexpected route of intoxication in the form of acidification, it is shown that Sn based perovskite may not be the ideal Pb surrogate.

A Universal Deposition Protocol for Planar Heterojunction Solar Cells with High Efficiency Based on Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskite Families.

Abstract: A robust and expedient gas quenching method is developed for the solution deposition of hybrid perovskite thin films. The method offers a reliable standard practice for the fabrication of a non-exhaustive variety of perovskites exhibiting excellent film morphology and commensurate high performance in both regular and inverted structured solar cell architectures.

Benchtop Fluorination of Fluorescent Nanodiamonds on a Preparative Scale: Toward Unusually Hydrophilic Bright Particles

Abstract: Fluorination of diamonds modulates their optical and electromagnetic properties and creates surfaces with increased hydrophobicity. In addition, fluorination of diamonds and nanodiamonds has been recently shown to stabilize fluorescent nitrogen-vacancy centers, which can serve as extremely sensitive single atomic defects in a vast range of sensing applications from quantum physics to high-resolution biological imaging. Traditionally, fluorination of carbon nanomaterials has been achieved using harsh and complex experimental conditions, creating hydrophobic interfaces with difficult dispersibility in aqueous environments. Here, a mild benchtop approach to nanodiamond fluorination is described using selective Ag+-catalyzed radical substitution of surface carboxyls for fluorine. In contrast to other approaches, this high-yielding procedure does not etch diamond carbons and produces a highly hydrophilic interface with mixed C−F and C−OH termination. This dual functionalization of nanodiamonds suppresses detrimental hydrophobic interactions that would lead to colloidal destabilization of nanodiamonds. It is also demonstrated that even a relatively low surface density of fluorine contributes to stabilization of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers and boosts their fluorescence. The simultaneous control of the surface hydrophilicity and the fluorescence of nitrogen-vacancy centers is an important issue enabling direct application of fluorescent nanodiamonds as nanosensors for quantum optical and magnetometry measurements operated in biological environment.

Heat-transfer based characterization of DNA on synthetic sapphire chips

Abstract: In this study, we show that synthetic sapphire (Al2O3), an established implant material, can also serve as a platform material for biosensors comparable to nanocrystalline diamond. Sapphire chips, beads, and powder were first modified with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES), followed by succinic anhydride (SA), and finally single-stranded probe DNA was EDC coupled to the functionalized layer. The presence of the APTES-SA layer on sapphire powders was confirmed by thermogravimetric analyis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Using planar sapphire chips as substrates and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as surface-sensitive tool, the sequence of individual layers was analyzed with respect to their chemical state, enabling the quantification of areal densities of the involved molecular units. Fluorescence microscopy was used to demonstrate the hybridization of fluorescently tagged target DNA to the probe DNA, including denaturation- and re-hybridization experiments. Due to its high thermal conductivity, synthetic sapphire is especially suitable as a chip material for the heat-transfer method, which was employed to distinguish complementary- and non-complementary DNA duplexes containing single-nucleotide polymorphisms. These results indicate that it is possible to detect mutations electronically with a chemically resilient and electrically insulating chip material.