Chemically-stable flexible transparent electrode: gold-electrodeposited on embedded silver nanowires

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) with a low diameter, high aspect ratio, stable suspension, and easy synthesis have recently attracted the optoelectronic industry as a low-cost alternative to indium tin oxide transparent conductive films. However, silver nanowires are not chemically stable, and their conductivity diminishes over time due to reactions with atmospheric components. This is a bottleneck for their wide industrial applications. In this study, we aim to address this issue by synthesizing silver nanowires with an average diameter of approximately 65 nm and a length of approximately 13 µm. The prepared Ag nanowires are then applied to fabricate transparent, flexible, and chemically stable conductive films. The fabrication includes spraying of silver nanowires suspension on a glass substrate followed by Dr. blade coating of polystyrene (PS) solution and delamination of the PS-AgNWs film. The resulting film exhibits an optimum sheet resistance of 24 Ω/□ and transmittance of 84%. To further enhance the stability of the transparent conductive film, the facial and scalable double pulse electrodeposition method is used for coating of gold on the exposed surface of the AgNWs embedded in PS. The final transparent film with gold coating demonstrates a remarkable stability under harsh conditions including long exposure to UV light and nitric acid solution. After 100 min of UV/Ozone treatment, the increase in sheet resistance of the optimal PS-AgNW@Au sample is 15.6 times lower than the samples without gold coating. In addition, the change in sheet resistance after 2000 bending cycles in the optimal PS-AgNW@Au electrode is measured and it showed an increase of only 22% of its initial sheet resistance indicating its good flexibility. The proposed electrode performs an excellent chemical stability, good conductivity, transparency, and flexibility that makes it a potential candidate for various optoelectronic devices.

Highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on carbon paste electrode modified with graphene nanoribbon-CoFe2O4@NiO and ionic liquid for azithromycin antibiotic monitoring in biological and pharmaceutical samples

In this report, Azithromycin (Azi) antibiotic was measured by carbon paste electrode (CPE) improved by graphene nanoribbon-CoFe2O4@NiO nanocomposite and 1-hexyl-3 methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (HMIM PF6) as an ionic liquid binder. The electrochemical behavior of Azi on the graphene nanoribbon-CoFe2O4@NiO/HMIM PF6/CPE is investigated by voltammetric methods, and the results showed that the modifiers improve the conductivity and electrochemical activity of the CPE. According to obtained data, the electrochemical behavior of Azi is related to pH. under optimum conditions, the sensor has linear ranges from 10 µM to 2 mM with a LOD of 0.66 µM. The effect of scan rate and chronoamperometry were studied, which showed that the Azi electro-oxidation is diffusion controlled with the diffusion coefficient of 9.22 × 10-6 cm2/s. The reproducibility (3.15%), repeatability (2.5%), selectivity, and stability (for 30 days) tests were investigated, which results were acceptable. The actual sample analysis confirmed that the proposed sensor is an appropriate electrochemical tool for Azi determination in urine and Azi capsule.

A caffeic acid electrochemical sensor amplified with GNR/CoFe2O4@NiO and 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate; a new perspective for food analysis

Determining Caffeic acid is important as an antioxidant compound in food. In this study, caffeic acid (CA) was measured using a carbon paste electrode modified with GNR/CoFe₂O₄@NiO and 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIM Ac) as ion liquid. A simple sensor showed a higher current than a bare carbon paste; thus, it can be said that the modified electrode has a higher sensitivity for detecting CA. The linear range of this sensor and its detection limit was equal to 0.01-100.0 μM and 0.01 μM, respectively. Moreover, the developed electrode indicated outstanding selectivity in the presence of several interferences, high sensitivity, reproducibility, and long-term stability. The percentage recovery of CA obtained with the developed sensor affirmed its reliability for CA determination in real samples. The modified sensor's accuracy was confirmed to identify this analyte according to the results.

Preparation and application of sunlight absorbing ultra-black carbon aerogel/graphene oxide membrane for solar steam generation systems

In this study, sunlight absorbing membranes consisting of ultra-black resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF)-based carbon aerogel (CA) and hydrophilic graphene oxide (GO) suspension were fabricated. To investigate the effect of substrate structure, CA/GO ink was cast onto two different layers including 3D modified copper foam (MCF) and 2D paper sheet. The copper foam (CF) was treated with a new and simple modification method to enhance the hydrophilicity. Finally, the solar steam generation performances of the prepared membranes were evaluated. The optical analyses indicated that 2D and 3D samples respectively reflected ∼4.5% and ∼10%, and transmitted ∼0% of the incident light. The water contact angle measurements revealed a significant change in the wettability of the CF layer representing a contact angle of 139.41° before the modification. Based on the water evaporation rates, the efficiencies of 81.1% and 91.4% (at 1 kW m⁻²) were achieved for 2D and 3D absorbents, respectively. In addition to eliminating the geometrical restrictions of the monolithic absorbents, the results verified that CA/GO ink-based absorbents were promising materials for solar steam generation systems (SSG) due to the high light absorption, superhydrophilicity and porous structure.

The sunlight absorbing membrane consisting of ultra-black resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF)-based carbon aerogel (CA) and graphene oxide (GO) suspension was fabricated. The hydrophilic modified copper foam (MCF) was prepared and used as the substrate.

Perovskite/Hole Transport Layer Interface Improvement by Solvent Engineering of Spiro-OMeTAD Precursor Solution

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the most promising emerging energy-conversion technologies because of their high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) and potentially low fabrication cost. To improve PCE, it is necessary to develop PSCs with good interfacial engineering to reduce the trap states and carrier transport barriers present at the various interfaces of the PSCs' architecture. This work reports a facile method to improve the interface between the perovskite absorber layer and the hole transport layer (HTL) by adding a small amount of acetonitrile (ACN) in the Spiro-OMeTAD precursor solution. This small amount of ACN dissolves the surface of the perovskite layer, allowing the formation of an interdiffusion structure between perovskite and Spiro-OMeTAD layers. This modification allows for an improved electrical contact, enhanced collection of holes, and reduced recombination losses at the interface between the perovskite and Spiro-OMeTAD layers and, consequently, enhances the PCE. A maximum PCE of 19.7% with low hysteresis and a steady-state power conversion efficiency of 19.0% is obtained for optimized PSCs.

Optimization of CuIn1-XGaXS2 Nanoparticles and Their Application in the Hole-Transporting Layer of Highly Efficient and Stable Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

Inorganic hole-transport materials (HTMs) have been frequently applied in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and are a promising solution to improve the poor stability of PSCs. In this study, we investigate solution-processed copper indium gallium disulfide (CIGS) nanocrystals (NCs) as a dopant-free inorganic HTM in n-i-p type PSCs. Moreover, Cs_0.05(MA_0.17-FA_0.83)_0.95Pb(I_0.83Br_0.17)₃ mixed-halide perovskite with proper crystalline quality and long-time stability was utilized as the light-absorbing layer under ambient conditions. To optimize the cell performance and better charge extraction from the perovskite layer, the Ga concentration in the Cu(In_1-XGa_X)S₂ composition was changed, and the X value was altered between 0.0 and 0.75. It was shown that the CIGS band gap enhances with increasing Ga content; thus, with tunable band gaps and engineering of the energy level alignment, a better collection of photogenerated holes and a reduced electron-hole recombination rate could be achieved. The maximum power conversion efficiency of 15.6% was obtained for the PSC with Cu(In_0.5Ga_0.5)S₂ hole-transport layer composition, which is the highest efficiency reported so far for CIGS-based dopant-free PSCs. This value is very close to the efficiency of devices fabricated with doped spiro-OMeTAD as an organic HTM. Additionally, the stability of nonencapsulated PSCs was studied, and CIGS-based devices demonstrated 70% retention after 90 days of aging in the dark and in 50% relative humidity conditions. This result is quite better than the similar measurements for the doped spiro-OMeTAD-based devices.

Globularity-Selected Large Molecules for a New Generation of Multication Perovskites

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) use perovskites with an APbX₃ structure, where A is a monovalent cation and X is a halide such as Cl, Br, and/or I. Currently, the cations for high-efficiency PSCs are Rb, Cs, methylammonium (MA), and/or formamidinium (FA). Molecules larger than FA, such as ethylammonium (EA), guanidinium (GA), and imidazolium (IA), are usually incompatible with photoactive "black"-phase perovskites. Here, novel molecular descriptors for larger molecular cations are introduced using a "globularity factor", i.e., the discrepancy of the molecular shape and an ideal sphere. These cationic radii differ significantly from previous reports, showing that especially ethylammonium (EA) is only slightly larger than FA. This makes EA a suitable candidate for multication 3D perovskites that have potential for unexpected and beneficial properties (suppressing halide segregation, stability). This approach is tested experimentally showing that surprisingly large quantities of EA get incorporated, in contrast to most previous reports where only small quantities of larger molecular cations can be tolerated as "additives". MA/EA perovskites are characterized experimentally with a band gap ranging from 1.59 to 2.78 eV, demonstrating some of the most blue-shifted PSCs reported to date. Furthermore, one of the compositions, MA_0.5 EA_0.5 PbBr₃ , shows an open circuit voltage of 1.58 V, which is the highest to date with a conventional PSC architecture.

Metal-based bracken-like single-sided dye-sensitized solar cells with horizontal separation

One of the drawbacks of typical dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) is their high cost and the high electrical resistance of the transparent conducting substrate. In conventional sandwich-type DSCs, only one of the FTO substrates can be replaced by a metal substrate. We investigated an all-metal-electrode single-sided DSC in which interpenetrated bracken-like Cr electrodes were created using photolithography; mesoporous TiO2 and Pt films were deposited on the laterally separated electrodes. Thermal Pt deposition and electrodeposition methods were investigated and it was found that a cyclic electrodeposition method resulted in selective Pt deposition at room temperature with a higher device performance. Cu or ZnO sacrificial layers and TiO2 or TiO2/SiO2 porous layers were used for the spacer layer that keeps the Pt electrode away from the TiO2 mesoporous layer and the optimum results were obtained when a TiO2/SiO2 layer was used. The best device had a current density of 8.47 mA cm(-2), an open circuit voltage of 0.685 V and an efficiency of 2.44%. The results of open circuit voltage decay and electrochemical impedance spectrometry showed the formation of a high-resistivity blocking layer, which was attributed to the Cr oxide formed during thermal treatment. The efficiency may be improved further by developing low-temperature fabrication processes.

An easy method to modify PEDOT:PSS/perovskite interfaces for solar cells with efficiency exceeding 15%

Surface treatment of PEDOT:PSS films using propionic acid (PA) leads to better device performance for the resulting CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite solar cells (PCE > 15%).

Nanosheet arrays of TiO2 synthesized by one step conversion of ZnO nanosheets: boosting of electron transport rate and application in dye solar cells

TiO₂ replica of ZnO nanosheets were synthesized, showing exceptional e-transport properties in dye solar cells.

Mesoporous submicrometer TiO(2) hollow spheres as scatterers in dye-sensitized solar cells

Hierarchical submicrometer TiO2 hollow spheres with outer diameter of 300-700 nm and shell thickness of 200 nm are synthesized by liquid phase deposition of TiO2 over carbon microspheres as sacrificial templates. The final TiO2 hollow spheres are applied as a scattering layer on top of a transparent nanocrystalline TiO2 film, serving as the photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). In addition to efficient light scattering, the mesoporous structure of TiO2 hollow spheres provides a high surface area, 74 m(2)/g, which allows for higher dye loading. This dual functioning suggests that TiO2 hollow spheres may be good replacements for conventional TiO2 spheres as scatterers in DSCs. A high efficiency of 8.3% is achieved with TiO2 hollow spheres, compared with 6.0% for the electrode with 400 nm spherical TiO2 scatterers, at identical conditions.

TiO(2) fibers enhance film integrity and photovoltaic performance for electrophoretically deposited dye solar cell photoanodes

Nanoparticulated TiO(2) fibers as one-dimensional long structures were introduced into TiO(2) P25 nanoparticle films using coelectrophoretic deposition. This prevented the usual crack formation occurring in wet coatings, and resulted in less porosity and higher roughness factor of the films that provided more favorable conditions for electron transport. The films used as the photoanode of a dye solar cell (DSC) produced 65% higher photovoltaic efficiency. TiO(2) fibers can be excellent binders in single-step, organic-free electrophoretic deposition of TiO(2) for DSC photoanode.

Efficient electrocatalysis of L-cysteine oxidation at carbon ionic liquid electrode

The electrochemistry of L-cysteine (CySH) in neutral aqueous media was investigated using carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE). Comparative experiments were carried out using glassy carbon electrodes. At CILE, highly reproducible and well-defined cyclic voltammograms were obtained for l-cysteine with a peak potential of 0.49V vs Ag/AgCl, showing that CILE manifests a good electrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of l-cysteine. A linear dynamic range of 2-210microM with an experimental detection limit of 2microM was obtained. The method was successfully applied to the determination of l-cysteine in a sample of soya milk. Cysteine oxidation at CILE does not result in deactivation of the electrode surface. Mechanistic studies showed that, at CILE, the overall CySH oxidation is controlled by the oxidation of the CyS(-) electroactive species.

Highly stable electrochemical oxidation of phenolic compounds at carbon ionic liquidelectrode

A carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was used for the investigation of the electrochemical oxidation of phenolic compounds in acidic media using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and square wave voltammetry techniques. The results indicate that, contrary to many other electrodes, the oxidation of phenolic compounds on CILE is highly stable and does not result in electrode fouling. Cyclic voltammetry showed that phenolic compounds such as phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and catechol were oxidized at CILE and remained electroactive after multiple cycles and at high concentrations of phenol. The cyclic voltammetric response of the CILE is very stable with more than 99% of the initial activity remaining after 20 s of stirring of a 0.5 mM solution of phenol.

Simultaneous determination of dopamine, ascorbic acid, and uric acid using carbon ionic liquid electrode

A recently constructed carbon composite electrode using room temperature ionic liquid as pasting binder was employed as a novel electrode for sensitive, simultaneous determination of dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA). The apparent reversibility and kinetics of the electrochemical reaction for DA, AA, and UA found were improved significantly compared to those obtained using a conventional carbon paste electrode. The results show that carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) reduces the overpotential of DA, AA, and UA oxidation, without showing any fouling effect due to the deposition of their oxidized products. In the case of DA, the oxidation and reduction peak potentials appear at 210 and 135mV (vs Ag/AgCl, KCl, 3.0M), respectively, and the CILE shows a significantly better reversibility for dopamine. The oxidation peak due to the oxidation of AA occurs at about 60mV. For UA, a sharp oxidation peak at 340mV and a small reduction peak at 250mV are obtained at CILE. Differential pulse voltammetry was used for the simultaneous determination of ternary mixtures of DA, AA, and UA. Relative standard deviation for DA, AA, and UA determinations were less than 3.0% and DA, AA, and UA can be determined in the ranges of 2.0x10(-6)-1.5x10(-3), 5.0x10(-5)-7.4x10(-3), and 2.0x10(-6)-2.2x10(-4)M, respectively. The method was applied to the determination of DA, AA, and UA in human blood serum and urine samples.

High-Performance Carbon Composite Electrode Based on an Ionic Liquid as a Binder

Ionic liquid, n-octylpyridinum hexafluorophosphate (OPFP) has been used to fabricate a new carbon composite electrode with very attractive electrochemical behavior. This type of carbon electrode has been constructed using graphite mixed with OPFP as the binder. The electrode has combined advantages of edge plane characteristics of carbon nanotubes and edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes together with the low cost of carbon paste electrodes and robustness of metallic electrodes. It provides a remarkable increase in the rate of electron transfer of different organic and inorganic electroactive compounds and offers a marked decrease in the overvoltage for biomolecules such as NADH, dopamine, and ascorbic acid. It also circumvents NADH surface fouling effects as well as furnishing higher current density for a wide range of compounds tested. Depending on the choice of the electrolyte, the electrode can have the ion-exchange property and adsorptive characteristics of clay-modified electrodes. The proposed electrode thus allows sensitive, low-potential, simple, low-cost, and stable electrochemical sensing of biomolecules and other electroactive compounds. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate significant improvement in the microstructure of the proposed electrode compared to carbon paste electrodes. Such abilities promote new opportunities for a wide range of electrochemical and biosensing applications.