Mengmeng Chu , Junhan Bae , Maha Nur Aida , Hasnain Yousuf , Jaljalalul Abedin Jony , Rafi Ur Rahman , Muhammad Quddamah Khokhar , Sangheon Park , Junsin Yi
{"title":"Thermal curing of interface defects at a-si:H/c-Si in heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell processing","authors":"Mengmeng Chu , Junhan Bae , Maha Nur Aida , Hasnain Yousuf , Jaljalalul Abedin Jony , Rafi Ur Rahman , Muhammad Quddamah Khokhar , Sangheon Park , Junsin Yi","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the use of thermal treatment to recover defects at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface caused by transparent conductive oxide (TCO) deposition, improving passivation by diminishing interface defect density (D<sub>it</sub>). A 200 °C thermal treatment enhanced HIT solar cell performance, increasing the effective bulk lifetime to 1.1 ms at a minority carrier density of 1.0 × 10<sup>1</sup>⁵ cm⁻³. Key performance metrics improved, including J<sub>sc</sub> (from 38.70 to 38.88 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>), V<sub>oc</sub> (from 727 to 730 mV), FF (from 75.50 % to 77.82 %), and efficiency (from 21.27 % to 22.09 %). AFORS-HET simulations showed that D<sub>it</sub> must be less than 1 × 10<sup>11</sup> cm⁻<sup>2</sup> eV⁻<sup>1</sup> for optimal efficiency. The best solar cell performance, achieved in simulations, included J<sub>sc</sub> of 37.71 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, V<sub>oc</sub> of 716.8 mV, FF of 83.50 %, and efficiency of 22.57 % at D<sub>it</sub> of 1 × 10⁹ cm⁻<sup>2</sup> eV⁻<sup>1</sup>. This combined approach offers insights into defect management for solar cell technology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 184-189"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aliyu Sani Abdulkarim , Monika Srivastava , Thejakhrielie Ngulezhu , Diksha Singh , Karol Strzałkowski , Ram Chandra Singh , M.Z.A. Yahya , S.N.F. Yusuf , Markus Diantoro
{"title":"An overview of tin based perovskite solar cells: Stability and efficiency","authors":"Aliyu Sani Abdulkarim , Monika Srivastava , Thejakhrielie Ngulezhu , Diksha Singh , Karol Strzałkowski , Ram Chandra Singh , M.Z.A. Yahya , S.N.F. Yusuf , Markus Diantoro","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a category of third-generation solar cells technology, which gained significant attention due to their cost-effectiveness and electricity generation capabilities. However, there are concerns regarding the use of lead (Pb) in traditional PSCs, particularly its potential impact on the environment and human health. Consequently, the advancement of lead-free perovskite solar cells is of utmost importance to safeguard both the environment and human well-being. Tin-based perovskites present a promising alternative to lead-based PSCs. Tin (Sn) has shown promising optoelectronic properties and can be used as a substitute for lead. However, there are obstacles associated with the weak stability of Sn<sup>2+</sup> ions that must be overcome in order to develop tin-based PSCs that are both extremely stable and efficient. This review specifically examines the progress made within the field of lead free tin-based perovskite solar cells, with a particular focus on stability and efficiency. The discussion delves into the effect of various cations and their compositions on the devices' stability. It is important to mention that devices based on tin halide perovskites have achieved an unexpectedly high level of efficiency in a short amount of time. Moreover, this review provides a summary of the strategies that have been employed to enhance, and improve the stability and the overall efficiency of tin-based PSCs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 190-198"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of sintering temperatures on physico-mechanical properties of single-phase magnesium borate nanorods","authors":"Vaibhav Singh , Niraj Singh Mehta , Subhashish Dey , Manas Ranjan Majhi","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An optimized molar ratio of magnesia (MgO) and boric acid (H<sub>3</sub>BO<sub>3</sub>) was used to synthesize the nanorod of single-phase magnesium borate (Mg<sub>2</sub>B<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>) through a solution reaction cum sintering process. Due to their impressive mechanical strength and resistance to heat and corrosion, magnesium borates (MB) nanorods are extensively applicable as reinforcing materials. A meticulous examination was undertaken to assess the characterization and physico-mechanical properties of Mg<sub>2</sub>B<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> (MB) nanorods during the sintering process between 700 °C and 1200 °C. Mechanical properties of synthesized MB compacts were investigated between 700 and 1200 °C. The maximum value of high temperature flexural strength (HMOR) and room temperature flexural strength (CMOR) achieved by MB compacts are 42 MPa and 53 MPa respectively. Furthermore, the compacts have a maximum compressive strength of 118 MPa and a maximum hardness of 64 HV at 1100 °C, making it promising reinforcing material for composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 163-168"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Seungchul Choi , In Hak Lee , Yeong Gwang Khim , Jung Yun Kee , Tae Gyu Rhee , Hyo Won Seoh , Hyuk Jin Kim , Jun Woo Choi , Young Jun Chang
{"title":"Magnetic properties of van der Waals ferromagnet Fe3GeTe2 nanosheets grown by flux-assisted growth","authors":"Seungchul Choi , In Hak Lee , Yeong Gwang Khim , Jung Yun Kee , Tae Gyu Rhee , Hyo Won Seoh , Hyuk Jin Kim , Jun Woo Choi , Young Jun Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Among two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials, Fe<sub>3</sub>GeTe<sub>2</sub> (FGT), a 2D vdW ferromagnetic material, has gained significant interest due to its high Curie temperature and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Despite the difficulties in fabricating high-quality crystals, the flux-assisted growth (FAG) method has recently emerged as a promising technique for synthesizing 2D vdW materials. In this study, we employed the FAG method to fabricate crystalline FGT nanosheets under varied growth parameters. Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements revealed that the FGT nanosheets exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with a Curie temperature of 222 K. Additionally, the MOKE data indicate the presence of exchange bias phenomena, likely due to the FeO phase associated with oxidized FGT surface. These findings enhance our understanding of the fundamental physics of FGT nanosheets and contribute to the advancement of diverse 2D magnetic device applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 169-174"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Suman Guchhait , H. Aireddy , Niladri Sekhar Kander , A.K. Das
{"title":"The coexistence of electrostrictive and magnetostrictive properties in a polycrystalline ZnO film","authors":"Suman Guchhait , H. Aireddy , Niladri Sekhar Kander , A.K. Das","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A polycrystalline ZnO film is fabricated on a cantilevered substrate of silicon by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and investigated the electrostrictive and magnetostrictive (in-plane and out-of-plane) properties by an indigenously developed optical cantilever beam magnetometer (CBM) setup. The film shows excellent electrostrictive as well as magnetostrictive response at room temperature (300 K) with high values of piezoelectric strain coefficient (<span><math><mrow><mo>|</mo><mi>d</mi><mo>|</mo></mrow></math></span> = 69.69 p.m./V), piezoelectric stress coefficient (<span><math><mrow><mo>|</mo><mi>e</mi><mo>|</mo></mrow></math></span> = 7.75 C/m<sup>2</sup>), saturation magnetostriction (<span><math><mrow><msub><mi>λ</mi><mi>s</mi></msub></mrow></math></span> = 1286.15 ppm & 647.99 ppm), and strain sensitivity (dλ/dH = 12.63 × 10 <sup>−9</sup> A<sup>−1</sup>m & 8.29 × 10 <sup>−9</sup> A<sup>−1</sup>m) in in-plane and out-of-plane configuration, respectively. The emergence of significant electrostrictive and magnetostrictive responses makes the ZnO film well suited for use as a ferroelectric (FE) or as a ferromagnetic (FM) material in electric field-controlled multiferroic magnetoelectric composites (i.e., FM/FE heterostructure) applicable for the development of novel spintronic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 144-151"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143170836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of dopants and strains on the oxygen vacancy formation in VO2","authors":"Inseo Kim, Han-Youl Ryu, Minseok Choi","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We perform first-principles calculations to examine the relationship of the oxygen vacancy (<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>) formation with dopants and mechanical strains in metallic tetragonal VO<sub>2</sub>. Both compressive and tensile biaxial strains lower the formation energy of <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>, and the lowering of the formation energy is more pronounced under tensile strain. When six dopants, which possess different charge state and ionic radius, are introduced, the formation energy of <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> increases, indicating that the dopants may suppress the <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> formation in VO<sub>2</sub>. Strains lead to similar trends in the undoped case, i.e., strains reduce the <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span> formation energy in the doped VO<sub>2</sub>. Based on the results, we suggest that the difference in atomic relaxations of the two kinds of V–O bonds plays an important role in determining the formation energy of <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>V</mi></mrow><mrow><mi>O</mi></mrow></msub></math></span>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 125-129"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143170837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jae Young Kim , Sebinn Jang , Hyojun Jang , Jeongbin Nam , Habeeb Olaitan Suleiman , Eun Young Jung , Choon-Sang Park , Heung-Sik Tae
{"title":"Polythiophene nanostructure film deposited using a bump electrode in atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization for increased film uniformity","authors":"Jae Young Kim , Sebinn Jang , Hyojun Jang , Jeongbin Nam , Habeeb Olaitan Suleiman , Eun Young Jung , Choon-Sang Park , Heung-Sik Tae","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We propose a plasma reactor with a multiple bump-shaped wire electrode to increase the plasma volume for atmospheric pressure (AP) plasma polymerization. Triangular bumps are added to the tungsten wire in a plasma reactor in the form of a vessel capable of generating plasma. Since the discharge is initiated and maintained at the lower part of the triangular bump electrode, the effective volume of the glow plasma can be increased as the number of bumps increases. Even though a discharge imbalance due to differences in bump positions can adversely affect the uniformity of polymerized films, rotating the substrate can greatly improve film uniformity. With the developed AP plasma reactor, polythiophene (PTh) nanostructure films are synthesized and both the film characteristics and uniformity of the PTh nanostructures are investigated in detail. Additionally, conductive PTh films are produced through an iodine doping process, and the chemical properties and electrical stability of the doped PTh films are thoroughly examined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 152-162"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143170842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tailoring the electrochemical performance of the polymer electrolyte using Na2H20B4O17 for magnesium sulfur battery applications","authors":"M.A. Attallah, E. Sheha","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to the construction's low cost, ecological appeal, friendliness, great theoretical density, and reliability, the Mg-S battery is an encouraging substitute for the pillar lithium battery. Nevertheless, self-discharge, the delayed conversion reaction pathway, and the absence of readily compatible electrolytes continue to restrict its beneficial uses. In this work, polymer electrolyte used 0.7 wt% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), (0.3-x)<sub>wt.%</sub>(Mg(CF<sub>3</sub>SO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>) and <sub>xwt.%</sub>Na<sub>2</sub>H<sub>20</sub>B<sub>4</sub>O<sub>17</sub> (x = 0,0.01,0.02,0.03,0.04,0.05) (PE<sub>x</sub>) have been prepared and characterized for usage in Mg-S batteries. Integrating the PVA_<sub>(0.3-x)wt.%</sub> (Mg(CF<sub>3</sub>SO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>)_ <sub>0.04</sub>Na<sub>2</sub>H<sub>20</sub>B<sub>4</sub>O<sub>17</sub> (X<sub>4</sub>) with tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (G<sub>4</sub>) demonstrates effective Mg plating and stripping behavior, good anodic stability (versus Mg/Mg <sup>2+</sup>), and a significant ionic conductivity (8.09 <span><math><mrow><mo>×</mo></mrow></math></span> 10<sup>−7</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup> at 323 K). The Mg-S is assembled using an X<sub>4</sub>_G<sub>4</sub> electrolyte and delivers a reversible capacity of 100 mAh g<sup>−1</sup> after 30 cycles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 175-183"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Structural and luminescent properties of water-quenched Eu3+-doped HfW2O8 with negative thermal expansion","authors":"K.C. Lee, J.H. Han, S.W. Wi, Y.S. Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study represents the first attempt to correlate the photoluminescence properties of Eu<sup>3+</sup>-doped HfW<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub> (Hf<sub>1-x</sub>Eu<sub>x</sub>W<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>) with their novel thermal structural changes, i.e., negative thermal expansion (NTE). We synthesized Hf<sub>1-x</sub>Eu<sub>x</sub>W<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub> (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.12, and 0.15) via a fast solid state reaction method with water quenching. Temperature dependent X-ray diffraction patterns exhibited the phase transition from α-phase (<em>P2</em><sub><em>1</em></sub><em>3</em>, cubic) to β-phase (<em>Pa-3</em>, cubic) as the temperature increased from room temperature to 200 °C, along with highly linear contraction of lattice constants. The thermal expansion coefficient and the volume thermal expansion coefficient were determined as approximately −1.1 × 10<sup>−5</sup> and −3.4 × 10<sup>−5</sup>, respectively. In the temperature dependent photoluminescence measurement, together with the thermal quenching behavior, we found that the asymmetric ratios decreased in accord with the structural change to higher symmetry. These findings reveal that the luminescent properties of Eu<sup>3+</sup> are closely related to the structural properties in NTE HfW<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 130-137"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143170838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the multifunctionality of carbon dots: Advances in synthesis, properties, and applications","authors":"Soumya Pandit , Nishant Ranjan , Rajan Verma , Kuldeep Sharma , Richa Tomar , Firdaus Mohamad Hamzah","doi":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cap.2025.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Owing to their small size, and unique physical and chemical properties, zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) have been increasingly critically analyzed for their potential applications in the fields of biology, chemistry, food science, and energy. This study systematically explores the multifunctional capabilities of CDs, emphasizing recent advancements in their synthesis techniques, precise characterization methods, and their tailored applications across interdisciplinary domains. The applications of CDs, which are generally smaller than 10 nm, in myriad fields are ascribed to their intrinsic merits of good biocompatibility, little cytotoxicity, good stability, and large specific surface area. The development of CDs along with their accurate characterization, and their successful implementation into faster, less expensive, and more reliable systems in a variety of scientific fields are testimony to how science has advanced and merged to create interdisciplinary fields. Despite extensive research, there is still the need to overcome the problem of large-scale production and improve quantum yield as well as functionality for specific applications, which this study seeks to analyze. Thus, a new era in nanotechnology has begun with the advancement in the exploration of CDs for applications in new and emerging scientific fields. CDs exhibit a huge number of distinctive physiochemical, photophysical, and photochemical properties which makes them a suitable platform for applications related to imaging, environmental remediation, catalysis, biology, and energy. The present research, therefore, focuses on the function and importance of CDs, as well as their synthesis, properties, and new developments in several fields of application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11037,"journal":{"name":"Current Applied Physics","volume":"71 ","pages":"Pages 106-119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143169630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}