Molecular precursor mediated selective synthesis of phase pure cubic InSe and hexagonal In2Se3 nanostructures: new anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Phosphorus-Doped Multilayer In6Se7: The Study of Structural, Electrical, and Optical Properties for Junction Device

This work investigates the characteristic of layered In6Se7 with varying phosphorus (P) dopant concentrations (In6Se7:P) from P = 0, 0.5, 1, to P = 5%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses indicate that the structure and morphology of the In6Se7:P series compounds remain unchanged, exhibiting a monoclinic structure. Room-temperature micro-Raman (μRaman) result of all the compositions of layered In6Se7:P reveals two dominant peaks at 101 ± 3 cm-1 (i.e., In-In bonding mode) and 201 ± 3 cm-1 (i.e., Se-Se bonding mode) for each P composition in In6Se7. An extra peak at approximately 171 ± 2 cm-1 is observed and it shows enhancement at the highest P composition of In6Se7:P 5%. This mode is attributed to P-Se bonding caused by P doping inside In6Se7. All the doped and undoped In6Se7:P showed n-type conductivity, and their carrier concentrations increased with the P dopant is increased. Temperature-dependent resistivity revealed a reduction in activation energy (for the donor), as the P content is increased in the In6Se7:P samples. Kelvin probe measurement shows a decrease in work function (i.e., an energy increase of Fermi level) of the n-type In6Se7 multilayers with the increase of P content. The indirect and direct band gaps for all of the multilayer In6Se7:P of different P composition are identical. They are determined to be 0.732 eV (indirect) and 0.772 eV (direct) obtained by microtransmittance and microthermoreflectance (μTR) measurements. A rectified n-n+ homojunction was formed by stacking multilayered In6Se7/In6Se7:P 5%. The built-in potential is about Vbi ∼ 0.15 V. It agrees well with the work function difference between the two layer compounds.

Controlled synthesis of photoresponsive bismuthinite (Bi2S3) nanostructures mediated through a new 1D bismuth-pyrimidylthiolate coordination polymer as a molecular precursor

Bismuthinite (Bi2S3) nanostructures have garnered significant interest due to their appealing photoresponsivity which has positioned them as an attractive choice for energy conversion applications. However, to utilize their full potential, a simple and economically viable method of preparation is highly desirable. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization including structural elucidation of a new air- and moisture-stable bismuth-pyrimidylthiolate complex. This complex serves as an efficient single-source molecular precursor for the facile preparation of phase-pure Bi2S3 nanostructures. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman spectroscopy, electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron microscopy techniques were used to assess the crystal structure, phase purity, elemental composition and morphology of the as-prepared nanostructures. This study also revealed the profound effects of temperature and growth duration on the crystallinity, phase formation and morphology of nanostructures. The optical band gap of the nanostructures was tuned within the range of 1.9-2.3 eV, which is blue shifted with respect to the bulk bandgap and suitable for photovoltaic applications. Liquid junction photo-electrochemical cells fabricated from the as-prepared Bi2S3 nanostructure exhibit efficient photoresponsivity and good photo-stability, which project them as promising candidates for alternative low-cost photon absorber materials.