Showing papers on "Chemical bath deposition published in 2010"
TL;DR: In this paper, a review on the recent work concerning Cd-free buffer and window layers in chalcopyrite solar cells using various deposition techniques as well as their adaptation to chal copyrite-type absorbers such as Cu(In,Ga)Se-2, CuInS2, or Cu(in,Ga)(S,Se)(2).
Abstract: The aim of the present contribution is to give a review on the recent work concerning Cd-free buffer and window layers in chalcopyrite solar cells using various deposition techniques as well as on their adaptation to chalcopyrite-type absorbers such as Cu(In,Ga)Se-2, CuInS2, or Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2). The corresponding solar-cell performances, the expected technological problems, and current attempts for their commercialization will be discussed. The most important deposition techniques developed in this paper are chemical bath deposition, atomic layer deposition, ILGAR deposition, evaporation, and spray deposition. These deposition methods were employed essentially for buffers based on the following three materials: In2S3, ZnS, Zn1-xMgxO.
349 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, X-ray diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), optical absorption and wettability test were used to characterize the copper oxide multilayer nanosheets thin films.
303 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the formation of CdS quantum dots (QDs) on the vertically aligned TiO2 nanorods photoelectrode was carried out by chemical bath deposition.
Abstract: An oriented single-crystalline TiO2 nanorod or wire array on transparent conductive substrates would be the most desirable nanostructure in preparing photoelectrochemical solar cells because of its efficient charge separation and transport properties as well as superior light harvesting efficiency. In this study, a TiO2 nanorod array film grown directly on transparent conductive glass (FTO) was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The formation of CdS quantum dots (QDs) on the vertically aligned TiO2 nanorods photoelectrode was carried out by chemical bath deposition. The as-prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that CdS QDs with a diameter smaller than 10 nm are uniformly covered on the surface of the single-crystalline TiO2 nanorods. Under AM 1.5 G illumination, the photoelectrode was found with a photocurrent intensity of 5.778 mA/cm2 at a potential of 0 V versu...
284 citations
TL;DR: In comparison with a classical S-CBD approach, the sonication-assisted technique showed much enhancement in the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activities of the CdS QDs-sensitized TNTAs.
Abstract: A sonication-assisted sequential chemical bath deposition (S-CBD) approach is presented to uniformly decorate CdS quantum dots (QDs) on self-organized TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTAs). This approach avoids the clogging of CdS QDs at the TiO2 nanotube mouth and promotes the deposition of CdS QDs into the nanotubes as well as on the tube walls. The photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of the resulting CdS-decorated TNTAs were explored in detail. In comparison with a classical S-CBD approach, the sonication-assisted technique showed much enhancement in the photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activities of the CdS QDs-sensitized TNTAs.
272 citations
TL;DR: The morphology of the products was found to be sensitive to the pH values and chemical bath temperatures, and the highest photocatalytic efficiency was observed at pH = 5.82.
Abstract: Vertically aligned ZnO nanotubes were prepared by etching ZnO rod arrays in aqueous solution, which were previously developed by chemical bath deposition method. The morphological, structural, photoluminescence, as well as photocatalytic properties of the ZnO nanotubes were examined with respect to the pH values of chemical bath solution. The morphology of the products was found to be sensitive to the pH values and chemical bath temperatures. The nanotubes synthesized at a low pH value (5.82) exhibited a strong UV emission and a weak defect-related visible emission. The highest photocatalytic efficiency was also observed at pH = 5.82. The possible mechanism for the difference of photocatalytic efficiency was discussed.
256 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of the deposition temperature varied from 55°C to 85°C in a step of 5°C on the crystallographic structure, morphology as well as optical and electrical properties was investigated in detail.
193 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between the capacitance decay and changes in the microstructure and morphology of nanoporous Ni(OH) 2, and found that phase transformation and the growth of particle/crystal size are the major factors contributing to the capacitor decay.
154 citations
TL;DR: A facile chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique has been used for the preparation of Mn3O4 thin films at room temperature, and structural, morphological, optical, wettability and electrical characterizations have been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron micrograph (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), optical absorption, contact angle and electrical resistivity studies of deposited films as mentioned in this paper.
143 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a well-aligned ZnO nanorod array was synthesized by low-temperature wet chemical bath deposition (CBD) method on Si substrate under different conditions.
130 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of deposition time on the structural, electrical and optical properties of SnS thin films deposited by chemical bath deposition onto glass substrates with different deposition times (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h) at 60 ◦C were investigated.
129 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of solvent and immersion cycles for the photoanode preparation on the photoelectrochemical activity and photogenerated cathodic protection property was investigated.
TL;DR: The surface composition of as-grown and annealed ZnO nanorods arrays (ZNAs) grown by a two-step chemical bath deposition method has been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
TL;DR: In this paper, a simple and low temperature chemical bath deposition method was used to obtain interlocked cubelike Mn3 O4 thin films, which were further converted into nanoflakes of birnessite MnO2 using voltammetric cycling in aqueous Na2 SO4 electrolyte.
Abstract: Interlocked cubelike Mn3 O4 thin films have been prepared by a simple and low temperature chemical bath deposition method. These interlocked cubelike Mn3 O4 thin films are further converted into nanoflakes of birnessite MnO2 using voltammetric cycling in aqueous Na2 SO4 electrolyte. The process is dynamic potential activated, which causes the formation of sheet-shaped nanoflakes. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform IR spectrum, and wettability test. Impedance spectroscopy studies revealed that charge-transfer resistance of the birnessite MnO 2 structure has a lower value than that of the Mn3 O 4 structure. The effect of different numbers of potential cycles on structure, surface morphology, valence states, and contact angles has been investigated. During the cycling process, the supercapacitance of manganese oxide increased by more than 10 times. The maximum supercapacitance achieved at 5 mV s-1 is 223 F g-1. The effect of scan rate on the specific capacitance of birnessite MnO2 electrode has been studied. © 2010 The Electrochemical Society.
TL;DR: The doping of Al atoms did not result in significant changes in the structure and crystal orientation, but the electrical resistivity was found to increase first and then decrease with increasing Al content owing to the increase of carrier concentration and the decrease of mobility, and the transmission in the visible region increased but the increase was reduced at higher Al doping levels.
Abstract: Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanorod array thin films with various Al/Zn molar ratios were synthesized by chemical bath deposition. The resultant AZO nanorods were well-aligned at the glass substrate, growing vertically along the c-axis [001] direction. In addition, they had an average diameter of 64.7 +/- 16.8 nm and an average length of about 1.0 microm with the structure of wurtzite-type ZnO. Analyses of energy dispersive x-ray spectra and x-ray photoelectron spectra indicated that Al atoms had been doped into the ZnO crystal lattice. The doping of Al atoms did not result in significant changes in the structure and crystal orientation, but the electrical resistivity was found to increase first and then decrease with increasing Al content owing to the increase of carrier concentration and the decrease of mobility. In addition, the transmission in the visible region increased but the increase was reduced at higher Al doping levels. After hydrogen treatment, the morphology of the AZO nanorod array thin films remained unchanged. However, the electrical resistivity decreased significantly due to the formation of oxygen vacancies and interstitial hydrogen atoms. When the real Al/Zn molar ratio was about 3.7%, the conductivity was enhanced about 1000 times and a minimum electrical resistivity of 6.4 x 10( - 4) Omega cm was obtained. In addition, the transmission of the ZnO nanorod array thin film in the visible region was significantly increased but the increase was less significant for the AZO nanorod array thin film, particularly at higher Al doping levels. In addition, the current-voltage curves of the thin film devices with ZnO or AZO nanorod arrays revealed that AZO had a higher current response than ZnO and hydrogen treatment led to a more significant enhancement of current responses (about 100-fold).
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence and effect of TiCl 4 pre- and post-treatment on the TiO 2 layer is proposed and compared to the untreated film. And the relative DSC devices are characterized in terms of short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, conversion efficiency and IPCE.
Abstract: Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ) treatment processed by chemical bath deposition is usually adopted as pre- and post-treatment for nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) film deposition in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology. Pre-treatment influences positively the bonding strength between the fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) substrate and the porous TiO 2 layer, blocking the charge recombination at the interface between the conduction glass FTO and the I 3 − ions present in the I − /I 3 − red-ox couple. Additionally, TiCl 4 post-treatment is a widely known method capable of improving the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells, in particular, the photocurrent collected from the device. In this study, the influence and effect of TiCl 4 pre- and post-treatment on the TiO 2 layer is proposed and compared to the untreated film. The relative DSC devices are characterized in terms of short circuit current density, open circuit voltage, fill factor, conversion efficiency and IPCE. The dark current characteristics of cells with a treated and untreated TiO 2 layer are also shown in order to evaluate the effect of TiCl 4 pre-treatment as a blocking layer.
TL;DR: In this paper, the surface morphology, structure, optical and photoelectrochemical behaviors of the core-shell nanorod array films are considered, and the results demonstrate that the composite films are of excellence with respect to photovoltaic conversion.
TL;DR: In this article, chemical bath deposited titanium oxide (TiOx) as an electron collection layer is introduced between the organic layer and the indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode for improving the performance of inverted bulk-heterojunction organic thin film solar cells with 1-cm2 active area, where regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were mainly used as the photoactive layer.
TL;DR: In this article, a flexible photoanode with zinc oxide film on titanium foil was prepared and its application in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was investigated.
Abstract: A flexible photoanode with zinc oxide film on titanium foil was prepared and its application in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was investigated. The ZnO film with a mosaic structure, composed of densely packed ZnO nanosheets (ZnONS), was obtained by calcining a film of layered hydroxide zinc carbonate (LHZC), which was previously grown directly on a Ti foil via chemical bath deposition (CBD). The highly porous ZnONS film with a film thickness of about 25 μm could be facilely prepared within 4 h under CBD conditions. Owing to the intrinsic properties of the ZnONS film, i.e., high porosity, high surface area, and effective electron transport, a solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 5.41% was achieved for the pertinent back-illuminated DSSC, which is the highest ever reported value for a back-illuminated DSSC based on a ZnO photoanode. The effect of the sputtering time of platinum (Pt) and iodine concentration on the photovoltaic performance of the DSSC were also investigated. Films on the substrates were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Transmission spectra were obtained to characterize Pt films. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) were obtained to analyze the charge transfer resistance and Warburg diffusion process in the DSSCs. Incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) curves were used to support the behavior of short-circuit photocurrent (JSC) of DSSCs and also to calculate its values. Electron lifetimes in photoanodes were determined using Bode-phase plots.
TL;DR: In this paper, the photovoltaic behavior of Nanocrystalline tin sulfide (SnS) and tin dioxide (TiO2) was studied and the X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy revealed an ∼6 nm SnS polycrystalline orthorhombic structure.
Abstract: Nanocrystalline tin sulfide (SnS) was prepared by chemical bath deposition, and the photovoltaic behavior of SnS/TiO2 was studied. The X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy revealed an ∼6 nm SnS polycrystalline orthorhombic structure. The SnS film exhibited a band gap of 1.3 eV, and its absorption coefficient was more than 1 × 104 cm−1 in the visible light range. The electrical conductivity activation energy of the SnS film was 0.22 eV, determined when the sample was heated in the temperature range of 111−144 °C. Although the sample was insulating at room temperature, photovoltaic behavior was found in a SnS/TiO2 structure, with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 471 mV, a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 0.3 mA/cm2, and the conversion efficiency (η) of 0.1% under 1 sun illumination. The properties of SnS and the reasons behind the photovoltaic phenomenon of SnS/TiO2 are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, multiferroic thin films of Ce-doped Bi1−xCexFeO3 (BCFOx) with x = 0.12 were successfully prepared on Pt/TiO 2/SiO2/Si substrates by chemical solution deposition.
TL;DR: In this article, the preparation of nanocrystalline ferrite thin films using chemical bath deposition (CBD) method using nickel (II) chloride, zinc (II), and iron (II)-clays as a constituent material is described.
TL;DR: In this paper, the state of the art of solution growth of ZnO films and nanostructures is discussed, where the interplay between experimental parameters and film properties can be highlighted.
Abstract: This article discusses the state of the art of solution growth of ZnO films and nanostructures. Chemical bath deposition (CBD), hydrothermal deposition, and electrodeposition (ED) are presented, where the interplay between experimental parameters and film properties can be highlighted. All of the methods allow the growth of ZnO with high structural quality and morphologies ranging from nanorods to dense films to nanoporous structures. The growth appears to be controlled by heterogeneous nucleation in supersaturated solutions, in the bulk for CBD, and at the interface for ED. Various emerging applications are presented, from light-emitting devices to solar cells and piezoelectric microgenerators.
TL;DR: ZnS/ZnO heteronanostructures were prepared to serve as the photoanode of the dye-sensitized solar cells in this paper, where the ZnS coating can enhance photocurrent and conversion efficiency compared with the bare ZnO nanowires.
Abstract: ZnS/ZnO heteronanostructures were prepared to serve as the photoanode of the dye-sensitized solar cells. Two nanostructures, namely, ZnS/ZnO coaxial nanowires and ZnS/ZnO hierarchical nanowires (ZnS nanoparticles on ZnO nanowires), were successfully synthesized by chemical bath deposition and chemical etching processes, respectively. For both of the nanostructures, the ZnS coating can enhance photocurrent and conversion efficiency compared with the bare ZnO nanowires. We propose that ZnS layers in the two nanostructures take effect in different ways in that the ZnS compact layer in the coaxial structure retards the back transfer of electrons to the dye and electrolyte, while the coarse surface of ZnS nanoparticles in the hierarchical nanowires significantly enhances the adsorption of dye molecules. Hence, the ideal photoanode structure for high power-conversion efficiency should have both the compact shell layer and the high surface roughness.
TL;DR: A facile route based on chemical bath deposition from urea containing bath has been developed to deposit the interlocked cubes of hausmannite Mn3O4 electrode for electrochemical supercapacitor application as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: Nickel oxide/polypyrrole (NiO/PPy) thin films were deposited by a two-step process in which the NiO layer was electrodeposited potentiostatically from an aqueous solution of NiCl2·6H2O at pH 7.5 on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated conducting glass substrates, followed by the deposition of polypyr role (PPy), by chemical bath deposition (CBD) from pyrrole mixed with ammonium persulfate (APS) as mentioned in this paper.
TL;DR: In this paper, the zinc blend thin films were obtained after multi-deposition runs by chemical bath deposition from aqueous solution containing 30ml triethanolamine (TEA) (C 6 H 15 NO 3 ) (50%), 10ml thioacetamide (CH 3 CSNH 2 ), 8ml ammonia (NH 3 ) solution and 10ml of Sn 2+ (0.1 M).
TL;DR: In this paper, the modification of optical band gap of PbS nanostructured films over a wide spectral range (∼475-1000nm) due to in situ Cd-doping and size confinement was reported.
TL;DR: The photoresponse of TiO2 nanotube-array films in the visible region is shown to have been significantly improved by sensitizing them with CdS and CdSe semiconductor quantum dots using a sequential chemical bath deposition method.
Abstract: The photoresponse of TiO2 nanotube-array films in the visible region is shown to have been significantly improved by sensitizing them with CdS and CdSe semiconductor quantum dots using a sequential chemical bath deposition method. These quantum dots served as cosensitizers, and the performance of corresponding photoelectrode was measured in a photoelectrochemical solar cell. A 13.0 mA/cm2 short circuit current density is achieved with the TiO2/CdS/CdSe photoelectrode under AM 1.5G illuminations, which is higher than the direct sum of CdS and CdSe sensitized TiO2.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have prepared NiO particles on Ni sheet and Ni foam substrates by chemical bath deposition and the following heat-treatment, and assembled a hybrid capacitor (HC) cell with the NiO-loaded Ni sheet or Ni foam positive electrode and activated carbon negative electrode.
TL;DR: In this article, X-ray diffraction study reveals that the films without the complexing agent are amorphous in nature and become nanocrystalline in the presence of EDTA.