Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-19DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400011
A. Brognara, Ankush Kashiwar, C. Jung, Xukai Zhang, Ali Ahmadian, N. Gauquelin, J. Verbeeck, Philippe Djemia, Damien Faurie, G. Dehm, H. Idrissi, J. P. Best, M. Ghidelli
{"title":"Tailoring Mechanical Properties and Shear Band Propagation in ZrCu Metallic Glass Nanolaminates Through Chemical Heterogeneities and Interface Density","authors":"A. Brognara, Ankush Kashiwar, C. Jung, Xukai Zhang, Ali Ahmadian, N. Gauquelin, J. Verbeeck, Philippe Djemia, Damien Faurie, G. Dehm, H. Idrissi, J. P. Best, M. Ghidelli","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400011","url":null,"abstract":"The design of high‐performance structural thin films consistently seeks to achieve a delicate equilibrium by balancing outstanding mechanical properties like yield strength, ductility, and substrate adhesion, which are often mutually exclusive. Metallic glasses (MGs) with their amorphous structure have superior strength, but usually poor ductility with catastrophic failure induced by shear bands (SBs) formation. Herein, we introduce an innovative approach by synthesizing MGs characterized by large and tunable mechanical properties, pioneering a nanoengineering design based on the control of nanoscale chemical/structural heterogeneities. This is realized through a simplified model Zr24Cu76/Zr61Cu39, fully amorphous nanocomposite with controlled nanoscale periodicity (Λ, from 400 down to 5 nm), local chemistry, and glass–glass interfaces, while focusing in‐depth on the SB nucleation/propagation processes. The nanolaminates enable a fine control of the mechanical properties, and an onset of crack formation/percolation (>1.9 and 3.3%, respectively) far above the monolithic counterparts. Moreover, we show that SB propagation induces large chemical intermixing, enabling a brittle‐to‐ductile transition when Λ ≤ 50 nm, reaching remarkably large plastic deformation of 16% in compression and yield strength ≈2 GPa. Overall, the nanoengineered control of local heterogeneities leads to ultimate and tunable mechanical properties opening up a new approach for strong and ductile materials.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141123477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-16DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400132
Yifeng Shi, Yifan Zheng, Xun Xiao, Yan Li, Dianfu Feng, Guodong Zhang, Yang Zhang, Tao Li, Yuchuan Shao
{"title":"Improving Thermal Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells by Suppressing Ion Migration","authors":"Yifeng Shi, Yifan Zheng, Xun Xiao, Yan Li, Dianfu Feng, Guodong Zhang, Yang Zhang, Tao Li, Yuchuan Shao","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400132","url":null,"abstract":"Ion migration presents a formidable obstacle to the stability and performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), hindering their progress toward commercial feasibility. Herein, the degradation mechanism of PSCs caused by iodide ion migration, which leads to abnormal changes in photoluminescence transients at the buried interface of perovskite films, is investigated. In light of this problem, a novel strategy is proposed to mitigate ion migration by introducing poly(2‐vinylnaphthalene) into poly[bis(4‐phenyl)(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)amine] as the hole transport layer with improved ion‐blocking capability. Consequently, this layer effectively reduces defect concentration, suppresses ion migration, and modulates energy level alignment, leading to an impressive efficiency exceeding 23% for doctor‐bladed FAPbI3 PSCs. Moreover, the corresponding unencapsulated devices demonstrate remarkable durability, maintaining over 80% of their initial value after undergoing rigorous stress tests in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission 61215 standard for temperature, humidity, and illumination. These tests include 1000 h of thermal cycling and a long‐term operational test lasting 600 h under maximum power point tracking.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140969776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-16DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400089
Zhuotong Sun, Ziyi Yuan, Ming Xiao, Simon M. Fairclough, Atif Jan, Giuliana Di Martino, Caterina Ducati, N. Strkalj, Judith L. MacManus‐Driscoll
{"title":"Low‐Temperature Epitaxy of Perovskite WO3 Thin Films under Atmospheric Conditions","authors":"Zhuotong Sun, Ziyi Yuan, Ming Xiao, Simon M. Fairclough, Atif Jan, Giuliana Di Martino, Caterina Ducati, N. Strkalj, Judith L. MacManus‐Driscoll","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400089","url":null,"abstract":"As Si electronics hits fundamental performance limits, oxide integration emerges as a solution to augment the next generation of electronic and optical devices. Specifically, oxide perovskites provide diverse functionalities with a potential to create, tune, and combine emergent phenomena at interfaces. High‐level crystalline order is needed to realize these functionalities, often achieved through epitaxy. However, large‐scale implementation in consumer devices faces challenges due to the need for high‐temperature deposition in complex vacuum systems. Herein, this challenge is addressed using atmospheric pressure spatial chemical vapor deposition, a thin‐film fabrication technique that can rapidly produce uniform films at sub‐400 °C temperatures under atmospheric conditions over ≈cm2 areas. Thus, the deposition of epitaxial perovskite tungsten trioxide, WO3, thin films is demonstrated at a rate of 5 nm min−2 on single‐crystal substrates at 350 °C in open‐air conditions enabling a high‐throughput process. The resulting films exhibit crystallographic and electronic properties comparable to vacuum‐based growth above 500 °C. The high‐quality epitaxy is attributed to the energetics of the exothermic decomposition reaction of the W[CO]6 precursors combined with the stabilization of a hot zone near the substrate surface. From this work, the way can be paved for low‐temperature atmospheric‐pressure epitaxy of a wide range of other perovskite thin films.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140966674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Photoinduced Dehalogenation‐Based Direct In Situ Photolithography of CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots Micropatterns for Encryption and Anti‐Counterfeiting with High Capacity","authors":"Wanting Li, Manchun Wu, Haini Chen, Peng Zhang, Zhixiong Cai, Shunyou Cai, Feiming Li","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400078","url":null,"abstract":"Fluorescent lead halide perovskite quantum dots (LH PQDs) micropatterns hold great potential for photonic applications. However, current photolithography for LH PQDs micropatterning is hindered by their incompatibility with traditional photolithography methods, which involve development processes using numerous solvents and exhibit poor stability due to the ionic characteristics of LH PQDs. Herein, a direct in situ photolithography to fabricate CsPbBr3 PQDs micropatterns based on ultraviolet‐C light‐driven debromination is developed. Using this approach, fluorescent CsPbBr3 PQDs micropatterns with high theoretical information storage capacity (up to 10750205) can be achieved in a single step, without the need for tedious development processes. Furthermore, the fabricated CsPbBr3 PQDs micropatterns show high stability, remaining undamaged even after immersion in water for 6 months. The combination of excellent optical properties, development‐free process, high stability, and low cost makes the in situ photolithography strategy very promising for patterning LH PQDs toward photonic integrations.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140969585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-16DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202300570
Hong Chen, Tommi Aalto, V. Vanita, Oliver Clemens
{"title":"Effect of Uniaxial Stack Pressure on the Performance of Nanocrystalline Electrolytes and Electrode Composites for All‐Solid‐State Fluoride‐Ion Batteries","authors":"Hong Chen, Tommi Aalto, V. Vanita, Oliver Clemens","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202300570","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202300570","url":null,"abstract":"If all‐solid‐state fluoride‐ion batteries want to compete with existing battery technologies, significant improvements in terms of cyclic stability are necessary to fully access the high specific capacities, which this battery concept can provide in theory. Herein, the development of a high‐pressure, high‐temperature battery operation stand for battery cycling under inert conditions inside a glovebox is reported. This stand is then used to investigate the effect of stack pressure on the cell performance of conversion‐based as well as intercalation‐based electrode materials for fluoride‐ion batteries. It is found that cyclic stability as well as energy efficiency is strongly increased compared to nonpressure conditions, which is assigned to sustained interparticle contact. Thus, the cell design must be considered carefully to be able to distinguish intrinsic material properties from percolation‐ and interphase‐related impacts on the cell behavior. Further, the effect of pressure on the ionic conductivity of common solid fluoride‐ion conductors is investigated.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140968744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-15DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400097
Erwin N. Fernandez, R. van de Krol, F. Abdi
{"title":"Tuning the Optical and Photoelectrochemical Properties of Epitaxial BiVO4 by Lattice Strain","authors":"Erwin N. Fernandez, R. van de Krol, F. Abdi","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400097","url":null,"abstract":"State‐of‐the‐art photoelectrodes in highly efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems often comprise multilayer architectures where lattice mismatch‐imposed strain at the interfaces can perturb the material's crystalline lattice and electronic structure. Despite its inevitable presence, understanding of strain effects in semiconductor photoelectrodes is lacking, preventing rational exploitation of strain engineering to improve photoelectrode performance. In this work, we combine X‐ray structural characterization with strain tensor decomposition analysis as well as optical/photocurrent spectroscopic methods to demonstrate how volumetric lattice deformations caused by substrate‐imposed hydrostatic strain impact the optoelectronic and PEC properties of BiVO4. Utilizing single‐crystalline, epitaxial BiVO4/indium tin oxide (ITO)/yttrium‐stabilized zirconia (YSZx, x = 8% and 13% mol Y2O3) photoelectrodes as a model platform, we find that tensile hydrostatic strain that causes volumetric lattice dilation in BiVO4 results in slightly enhanced optical absorption, but it is detrimental to the internal quantum efficiencies in BiVO4. We attribute this to localization of photogenerated charge carriers, thereby leading to poor charge separation in the bulk of BiVO4 and increased recombination losses. Finally, we highlight the beneficial effects of compressive hydrostatic strain on enhancing the internal quantum efficiencies in BiVO4. Our results provide a basis for exploiting epitaxial strain engineering to optimize the performance of multilayer photoelectrodes in PEC systems.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140976426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small StructuresPub Date : 2024-05-15DOI: 10.1002/sstr.202400067
Van T. C. Le, Quy P. Nguyen, Hien Duy Mai, Bin Wang, Ngoc T. Bui
{"title":"An Adsorptive Membrane Platform for Precision Ion Separation: Membrane Design and First‐Principles Studies","authors":"Van T. C. Le, Quy P. Nguyen, Hien Duy Mai, Bin Wang, Ngoc T. Bui","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202400067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400067","url":null,"abstract":"One of the key challenges in separation science is the lack ofprecise ion separation methods and mechanistic understanding crucial for efficiently recovering critical materials from complex aqueous matrices. Herein, first‐principles electronic structure calculations and in‐situ Raman spectroscopy are studied to elucidate the factors governing ion discrimination in an adsorptive membrane specifically designed for transition metal ion separation. Density functional theory calculations and in‐situ Raman data jointly reveal the thermodynamically favorable binding preferences and detailed adsorption mechanisms for competing ions. How membrane binding preferences correlate with the electronic properties of ligands is explored, such as orbital hybridization and electron localization. The findings underscore the importance of the phenolate group in oxime ligands for achieving high selectivity among competing transition metal ions. In‐depth understanding on which specific atomistic site within the microenvironment of metal‐ligand binding pockets governs the ion discrimination behaviors of the host will build a solid foundation to guide the rational design of next‐generation materials for precision separation essential for energy technologies and environment remediation. In tandem, synthetic controllability is demonstrated to transform 3D micrometer‐scale crystals to a 2D crystalline selective layer in membranes, paving the way for more precise and sustainable advances in separation science.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140973974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Metal Sulfide-Based Nanoarchitectures for Energetic and Environmental Applications","authors":"Sili Liu, Yuanli Li, Xiaoyan Zhong, Ke Yang, Xinhua Li, Wanchuan Jin, Haifeng Liu, Ruishi Xie","doi":"10.1002/sstr.202300536","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202300536","url":null,"abstract":"Despite their numerous excellent properties, metal sulfides are not particularly efficient at converting energy and purifying the environment, which limits their further applications. Fortunately, the energy conversion and environmental purification efficiencies of these materials have experienced notable advancements in recent years, accompanied by an improved understanding of their underlying mechanisms. Herein, progress in experimental researches in recent years on the engineering of single component metal sulfides by controlling morphology, construction of heterojunctions, and incorporating elements is reviewed. Methods to design and prepare metal sulfide-based composites by building binary or ternary heterojunctions of metal sulfide/semiconductor/conductor are also discussed in detail. These materials are used in energy conversion and environmental purification systems, where they act as photocatalytic materials not only to split water, reduce carbon dioxide or nitrogen, but also to degrade pollutants (organic and inorganic) in water and gas. Finally, it is concluded by summarizing the research frontiers of metal sulfide nanomaterials in energy and environmental applications, as well as proposing potential challenges and future research directions. This work may contribute to a better understanding of metal sulfide nanocomposites and provide clues for the fabrication of more efficient metal sulfide-based nanostructures for clean energy production and environmental remediation.","PeriodicalId":21841,"journal":{"name":"Small Structures","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140929956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}